2 - 工管

Using Community Service to Enhance Your MBA Credentials


Many MBA applicants believe that an excellent GMAT score and GPA alone will
earn them a ticket into a top MBA program. While solid numbers will certainly
help, applicants often overlook how community service involvement will enhance
their profile and give them an edge. MBA programs are searching for students
with intelligence and business acumen, but also well-rounded and passionate
people who want to make a difference. Extensive community involvement is a
way to show the other side of your personality and character. And practically,
if you did not participate in many outside-the-classroom activities in college,
now is the time to involved so that you can add another dimension to your
application package.

Here are some reasons why community service can enhance your MBA credentials.

- Displaying leadership skills. MBA programs carefully evaluate candidates
leadership ability and future management potential. However, because many
candidates only have 2-3 years of experience they have not had sufficient time
to reach management level at work and often have difficulty showing legitimate
leadership examples in their essays. Getting involved in community service is
a great opportunity to get real leadership experience that can truly benefit
you and your resume. Community service groups always need help with their
activities and will likely give you a lot of responsibility if you ask for it.
In addition, you may also be able to improve other business and organizational
skills if you work directly with the organization's management on planning
programs and events.

- You are an engaging and active person. A person that was very active in
their community in the past is the person who will likely get involved in the
future. MBA programs are not only looking for people with deep business
knowledge and experience to add to case discussions, they want people who will
get involved outside the classroom in clubs, sports, competitions, recruiting,
alumni affairs, etc. Especially for the MBA programs that stress the
importance of a close community environment, the admissions committee will be
looking for evidence of your past community involvement. And as social
responsibility and ethics are becoming more important themes in business, MBA
programs are searching for people who care deeply about their communities, and
will be more inclined to admit people who have taken leadership roles in
community service in the past. MBA programs will also evaluate you on the type
of alumni you may become -- a person who gives back to their community will
probably become an active MBA alumnus that helps the school promote its brand.

- You are highly motivated. Employers want people who are highly motivated
self-starters. Leaders must have the ability to motivate themselves and
others. However, many people say that it is unfair to expect candidates to
excel in very demanding and time consuming jobs AND take on substantial
community service commitments. While these complaints are somewhat valid, we
need to look to the core of what community service means. The type of
activities you engage in and the fact that you will not be getting paid says a lot about you. Community involvement shows that you have passion for certain causes and that you are motivated by things other than money which are very attractive qualities.
In addition, being able to thrive in a demanding job and getting involved in
your community shows that you truly know how to balance your time and that
you are willing to put a little bit more effort forth than everyone else.
These are the types of demands that are always present for CEOs and by
showing you were able to successfully manage your time in the past indicates
that you will probably be able to do so in the future.

If you are planning to volunteer, do something that you have a passion for
that fits your overall personality and application --you may be surprised by
what you learn and how rewarding the experience can be. And in the future
when enroll in an MBA program, take advantage of all the community services
activities available through the school, this may become the most rewarding
part of your MBA experience!

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You can find this article and many more on my blog at:

http://transcendadmissions.blogspot.com/2011/04/overcoming-low-gpa.html


David Johnston, Managing Director
Transcend Admissions Consultants
Mobile: +886-987-914-077
Email: [email protected]
www.transcendadmissions.com

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