For Chinese and Indian MBA Applicants, Itˆs - 工管

Fact: The number of MBA applicants coming from China and India is up.
Fact: The number of MBA admissions for applicants coming from China and India
is down.

According to last yearˆs application and acceptance data, several schools
are reporting that although international students make up a large percentage
of their total applicants, most of them are getting rejected.

…. Not the best news, eh?

Letˆs take a look at the numbers:

70% of Washington-Olinˆs 1,490 applicants were international, yet only 35%
of the accepted class is made up of international students. Unfortunately,
the same type of trends showed up in the data for Duke-Fuqua, MIT Sloan,
Michigan-Ross, and Purdue-Krannert as well.

Even more alarming, the data also showed that Chinese and Indian applicants
were 4-5 times more likely to be turned down compared to applicants from
Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the rest of the world!

So… what now? Should Indian and Chinese applicants give up? Forget about an
MBA? Continue doing what theyˆre doing?

I donˆt think so, friends.

Look, the facts arenˆt fun, but that doesnˆt mean itˆs time to throw in
the towel. Instead, use this information to your advantage and step up your
game. Be smart and do what you have to do to show the adcom why you deserve
to be part of that tiny 35%.

And hereˆs how you do it:

For one, it means honing those English language skills. Just like during your
interview, international applicants have to overcome that language barrier
and convince admissions that they can read, write, and speak English just as
well as any domestic applicant. Itˆs as simple as that. So brush up on your
writing skills, send your essays to native English speakers for review, and
practice your spoken English so it doesnˆt become a red flag for your
interviewer. Your goal is to make sure admissions reps can understand you AND
communicate with you effectively.

And the other important part of the puzzle: make your essays STAND OUT. This
is something we tell our clients every day. Donˆt just answer the essay
prompts; do so in a way that lures the reader in, holds their attention, and
gets them EXCITED about you. Approach them like youˆre writing STORIES and
not answering essay questions. Do you know how many generic ¨This is what
matters most to me and why〃 essays those adcoms will read? We do. A lot. And
you donˆt want to be just another boring, generic essay. If you want to
stand out from the crowd, you better pack some major punch and load those
pages up with impressive statistics, vivid imagery and well-thought out plans
for your future.

Data and acceptance trends are constantly changing, but instead of giving up,
focus all of your energy into making your application the kind they canˆt
turn down, no matter where youˆre coming from. Show admissions that you are
NOT just another international applicant, but one they canˆt be without.

Jon Frank
HBS 2005
Founder PrecisionEssay
http://www.precisionessay.com

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