The typical candidate for an MBA program would be someone with a business background, having an undergraduate degree in business studies and work experience in the same field. But what about someone with a double-major in English and ecology working in a non-profit organisation? Also, how would they survive the rigours and challenges of the program?
The first point to note that Business schools are not looking at a class full of number crunchers only. In a globalised business environment, diversity leads to the flowering of ideas and innovation, they say. However, the challenge is to convince the admissions committee that you are the ideal candidate.
According to Brandon Kirby, Director of MBA Marketing & Admissions at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, first of all, you should do some introspection on why you want to embark on the MBA path. What are your career goals? How would having a good understanding of business mechanics and leadership skills help achieve such goals?
“While diverse, there is a common theme throughout this group of people. Everyone is seeking to learn and improve themselves. This is an important fact that I share on the first day of class with our students,
Writing in the GMAT blog, Kirby says at RSM, the applications come from architects to artists and engineers to entrepreneurs. Throughout the admissions process, the team meets candidates from around the world, from a wide range of industries and job functions.
“While diverse, there is a common theme throughout this group of people. Everyone is seeking to learn and improve themselves. This is an important fact that I share on the first day of class with our students,” he added.
Many of the MBA programs seek a balance of viewpoints and experiences as it is better for shared learning. “Our goal is to create a classroom environment with varied ideas, opinions and viewpoints. Whether you opened a restaurant or led a team of 10 project managers, your experiences are valuable when shared,” he added.
“Always be proud of yourself. You are doing amazing work and the more you begin to realize that, the clearer it will become to the admissions team and your classmates,” she added
According to Admission Consultant Karen Marks, it is important for applicants to state their short and long-term goals. Non-traditional candidates may need to spell out exactly what they want to do and come up with a road map.
The resume should demonstrate progression and emphasizes supervisory, strategic and analytical skills, and quantifiable impact. You should also be able to highlight how you would be able to contribute to the class and the community with specific illustrations.
The Class Experience
Samantha Frapart, who graduated from University of Texas McCombs Business School in May 2017, says in a blog post that with a double-major in English and Ecology, five years work in nonprofits, and a ‘natural aversion’ to words like “Nasdaq” and “synergy,” she thought she had little chance of gaining admission.
However, she found out that the schools were are looking for “students eager to foster strong teams, willing to negotiate & compromise, and ready to share diverse perspectives. In management classes, I was able to add a unique viewpoint to discussions on anything from government regulations to corporate social responsibility.
“Though I looked to my study-team for help with my finance homework, I was able to offer equally important business lessons like proper brief-structure and design thinking,” she added.
Samantha says those with humanities major or non-corporate work experience could use their resume, essays, and interviews to highlight their accomplishments. “You may not have managed a ten million dollar budget, but you bootstrapped your way to a successful campaign with a budget 1/20th the size. You may not have led a team in a consulting project, but you developed a new system to get information from the school board down to the students that increased efficiency tenfold.
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“Always be proud of yourself. You are doing amazing work and the more you begin to realize that, the clearer it will become to the admissions team and your classmates,” she added.
Having realised that finance and accounting would be major challenge areas for her, she set about honing her skills. “If you’re good at Math, with a little practice you can figure out a WACC (Weighted average cost of capital) and balance assets & liabilities with no problem,” she said.
However, the major problem was with Macroeconomics. To be a successful MBA candidate you have to learn about how the economy ebbs & flows, and knowing the general workings of the corporate world. She says MBA aspirants should spend some time each day to read WSJ or The Economist or regularly check out the business section of news websites.
“I would also recommend taking a dip in the world of podcasts. Special shout out to Planet Money, The Broad Experience, and The Startup Podcast for making some intimidating subjects quite palatable,” she added.
It also pays to collaborate with other members of the class. “If you struggle through Finance, find a friend with the expertise to get you through harder assignments. Pay it forward by offering up your skills that may not come naturally to others. I promise people want to help and be helped by you – all you have to do is ask,” she said.(Image Source:pexels.com)
