Beyond the MBA Hype

Trying to answer Why, How and What for MBA

WHY MBA?
Introspection to check what we really want

Why MBA?

Career: Change of career

Change of function in the same industry

Change of industry

Change of geography

Knowledge: Beyond the undergrad education

Network: Friends in B-school

Second MBA degree: If your first didnt help as much :P

Money: Increase of package

Others: Sabbatical, Startup

3 Steps to an MBA

Identify and prioritize your individual needs

If convinced you want an MBA, go for the school that maximizes your chance of
achieving your goals

Evaluate if you want to seriously go into MBA or a simpler alternative would work as
well

Keep expectations from B-schools realistic

If you cant get into a good B-school, take some time off and go back to step 1

Re-explore alternatives to reach your goal than go for a mediocre B-school

Useful alternatives

Knowledge:

Books

Internet

Certifications subject specific courses

Online/ Correspondence courses

Career change:

Volunteering

Join a startup

Networking:

Clubs

Online forums

Golf/ common hangout

Money:

Investments

Launch a business

What skills cant be gained through Bschool

Leadership

Common sense

Control/ process control

Practicality

Creativity/ innovation

Judgement

Foresight

Decision making

Interpersonal skills/ relationship management

Real-life experience

Negotiation skills

Emotional intelligence

Introspection

Where am I right now professionally and in personal life?

If I continue with the present flow, where will I be 5 years from now?

What do I like about my current job and what do I hate?

If any of the above really a problem or just exaggeration from my mind?

Is my current job something I see myself doing the next 10 years?

What are the hobbies I truly enjoy? Is it practically and financially feasible to
take a career in any of these part/full time?

What do I really want? Money, Career change, Intellectual simulation,

promotion, change of geography, new skills, new qualifications?

Introspection

Have I seriously explored all other alternatives that can make me reach my goal?

Why have I discarded each of the above options? If each of these cant help me
individually, can a combination of these help me achieve my objectives?

Whats my current financial position?

Am I depending only on a single source of income? Do I have supplementary courses of

income (stocks or other investments)?

What are the implications if my primary course of income stops for a couple of years?

Do I have any other important financial investment that are coming up in the net
couple of years (house, marriage, parents health)?

Am I simply facing burnout? Will a nice vacation help me rejuvenate myself?

Why do I want to pursue an MBA? Will it help me get where I want?

HOW MBA?
How to get into the best program we wish for!

How to improve your profile for top Bschools

Business sense: Basic understanding of how businesses function

Intellect: Academic grades, GMAT scores etc.

Communication skills

Creativity

How to get into the best MBA programs?

Be part of an exclusive club: the job you are in or the institute you come from
has a tough recruitment process

Take on responsibilities that your peers cant/ wont: Get exposure by

volunteering for special projects that have strategic importance for you/
company management

Have a life outside work: Sports/ social causes etc

Show EQ as well as IQ: Show maturity, professionalism, modesty etc

How to choose the right country for

MBA?

Become familiar with the VISA regulations within the country

Some countries have work permit restrictions after job

See if your international MBA has value back in India

Economic downturns: Makes job difficult to get after MBA, stiffens

competition for B-school entry

Selecting the right B-school

Check the MBA rankings of B-schools

Build a list of parameters important to you: geography, duration, career

goals, target companies, class size, avg age, avg GMAT score, brand

Find details of all B-schools: culture, electives offered, school strengths,

industry connections

Join some MBA forums and read/ post questions

Talk to current students, alumni and placement officers

Indian v/s International MBA

International MBA

Indian MBA

Median Age

26 (USA), 30 (Europe)

22

Average work ex

0-1

Pre-MBA qualification

Graduates (engineers, CAs)

Graduate and Post grad

(various disciplines)

Primary Industry

IT, Finance

Varied

Entrance Exam

GMAT (+TOEFL)

CAT + more institute specific

tests

Indian pool

Second highest applicant pool Mostly Indian

is Indian (after US)

B-school selection process

Importance given to fit with Reputation of B-school is

the B-school (role
primary criteria, concept of
specialization, post-MBA
fit doesnt exist
career options etc.)

Indian v/s International MBA

International MBA

Indian MBA

Admission process

Equal importance for GMAT,

Essays (3-10+), Reco (2), CV,
Interview

Predominantly CAT based,

GD/interview given lesser
importance

Programme duration

US 2 yrs, Europe, Asia,

Australia, Canada 1 yr

2 yrs

Cost

1 Yr (30 L), 2 Yr (40-75 L)

5-20 L

Class Profile

Highly diverse, multiple

nationalities and industries

Mainly engineers (IT)

Teaching styles

Case studies, lectures,

emphasis on practical aspects,
experience sharing within peers

Predominantly conventional
classroom style, little exp
sharing

Recruitment process

Independent initiative by
students, B-school plays min
role

B-school gets max students

placed through on-campus
placements

Post MBA careers

Lateral placements pre-MBA

skills to be leveraged

Fresher level jobs pre-MBA exp

effectively irrelevant

9 Top B-schools in everyones radar

Harvard

Stanford

Wharton

MIT

London BS

INSEAD

ISB

IIMA

NUS

MBA Application process

Choosing a B-school: Mutual Fit

Do I have the qualities that this B-school looks for?

Will this school meet my objectives?

What will I give back to the class and the school?

Profile evaluation: Everyone knows IIT, so no worry

What are B-schools getting?

Better stats, Application processing charges, Reputation, Best students

MBA Application process

MBA Application components

GMAT: 700+ score needed for top 20 B-schools, 650+ for top 50

Analytical writing assessment: 30 mins essay graded 0-6

Integrated reasoning: 12 questions, 30 mins, score 1-8

Quantitative section: 37 questions, 75 mins

Verbal section: 41 questions, 75 mins

TOEFL: depends on school if this is required or not, given Eng medium education; valid for 2
years

Essays: Customized according to the B-school applying to

Recos: One current + one recent, or one recent + one academic

Interview: Basically to check mutual fit of candidates

Schols: Not many, even if there only cover partial education

INSIDE MBA?
What to expect from an MBA

Teaching and Evaluation techniques

Lectures/ Presentations: Usually have participation marks

Case Studies

Individual Projects

Group assignments

Guest Lectures

Industry tours

Courses taught

Core courses

Accounting: Understanding company performance metrics

Marketing: How to make product attractive for buyers

Finance: ROI, investment strategies

HR/ Organizational behavior: Organizational structure, motivation

Economics: Drivers of growth in an economy

Risk management: How to avoid financial losses (hedging)

Corporate governance: Accountability, role of board

IT: Using computers to improve business

Operations management: How to improve efficiencies, quality in process

Statistics: Excel, simulations, statistical inference

Strategy: Where are we versus competitors, collaboration/ buying/ selling

Courses taught

Electives

Specialization: Similar to IIT, do a few more courses in an area (subject to GPA)

Star professors

Certain industry everyone is running behind (saturated line)

Performance evaluation

Individual submissions

Group presentations

Written exams

Skill gain

Data analysis/ info processing

Multitasking

Theoretical foundation

Communication skills

Modelling simulations

Planning

Networking

The obstructions

Class size

Workload

Attitude: ego-clashes

Paranoia: Some companies may take less from same school fearing brand dilution
(for some others the reverse may be true)

Strain on personal relationships: Less time to talk to family etc

Special interest groups: Similar to IIT, used by people to boast about in their
CVs if they facilitated/ participated

Internships/ Career Hunt

Self-driven rather than college

Business cycles/ economy state plays a good part

Career change:

Technology: Coding skills are still paramount, MBA is icing on the cake

Investment Banking: Corporate finance + Sales & trading

Accounting/ Assurance: EnY, PWC, KPMD, Deloitte

Management Consulting: McKinsey, BCG, Bain

HR

Philanthropy/ Non-profit

Private Equity/ Venture capital

THANK YOU!
Hope its sorted out now