MBA Gyan – Part 1

The mid twenties is not really a great age to be in; your ex girlfriends/crushes are getting married. Aunties seem to always ask you the same question - When are you tying the knot? And to top it all, uncles and elders only seem to ask you about your career - which, let's face it, is not the same as that you'd dreamed of.

When I turned 25, I was in the same shoes. Four years into my career in the much fabled Indian IT industry, I found myself not enjoying the challenge anymore. Also, a 9 - 6 job seemed mundane and I longed to get back to college to start afresh. Though I had already decided that I would someday do my MBA, it is at this point that I started giving it a more serious thought. Many people are of the opinion that doing your MBA after engineering is a waste of the engineer in you. Well, I would like to differ here.  Having those degrees helps you position yourself in a very unique way with a combined understanding of business and technology, which is required for any business today. Moreover, engineering develops an analytical mindset that helps solve complex business problems.

Research and personal goals showed me that doing an MBA from the United States would be the best fit option for me. Now, coming from a middle class Indian family, the very thought of doing an MBA outside India can be thrown out of the window - because of the expenses involved. But what people generally tend to overlook is the fact, or are not aware that most American universities offer generous scholarships. So, with that in mind, I began my preparations for an admission to a business school. My past work experience, combined with supplemental activities outside the work place had shown me that I had a strong interest in finance. So when I was selecting schools to apply to (each application costs around Rs 5000 - Rs 8000, so have to be very careful in selecting the schools that you apply to), my search was based on the following 3 things -  

1. How good is the school's reputation in finance. 

2. The overall regional reputation of the school. 

3. The proximity of the school to a major commercial hub. 

Now, this is no easy research. This takes a good amount of time. Also, applications to business schools are not easy. Typically you will need a management style resume, accompanied with 2 to 3 essays. Some schools also put in an additional case study to solve for the applicants. So when you plan for your MBA, plan to give the GMAT typically an year prior to your target start date. Yes, deciding which schools to apply to, writing your essays and building up strong applications will take up time.

A tip on how to choose schools: Do not rely solely on rankings. They give us a part of the picture, not the whole.

I would be elaborating more on how to go about this process and personal experiences in future columns. Stay tuned!

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Siddhartha Sen is a guest blogger with "The Potter's Earth".

An Engineer by qualification, Siddhartha is currently pursuing his MBA from University of Georgia, USA. He and his friends have launched an initiative called "MBA Catalysts" that provides one-on-one counselling to MBA aspirants in India looking to pursue higher studies abroad.

He can be reached at  siddharthsen85@gmail.com