If any of you are considering joining a B-school, essays form an integral part of the selection process. Without being a cliché, let me just tell you what is it that the admission committees look at in your essays.
The folks in the Admission Committee (we call it AdCOM @ SPJIMR) normally design questions to know you as a person, as a professional and as a student. The questions will address your reason for getting into an MBA programme, your career goals, your experience, the challenges/adversities you faced and how you overcame those, your most satisfying achievements, your strengths and weakness, et al.
In general, the AdCOM wants to know whether you have done a good bit of soul-searching as to your present self, your future goals and how do you think an MBA can help you reach your goals. This brings us to my golden rule for essays – All your essays need to be in sync with 3 basic aspects:
- What are you?
- What you want to be/do?
- How do you think the MBA can help you enroute the “answer to the 2nd aspect”?
This is what I call a ‘connect’!
So guys n gals, men n women; please think, introspect and retrospect as to why do u want to be an MBA? This is the most important question. The answer to this will solve half the problems right from whether or not to pursue an MBA programme to choosing the B-school and more importantly the specific programme you want to enroll for. Some of you might want to enroll for the 2 year fulltime MBA programme, some for the 1 year fulltime MBA programme and yet some more for the Distance Learning or Executive MBA programme.
Lets address the next topic – 2 yr MBA or 1 yr MBA?
To tell you the truth, there’s no thumb rule to this. I will highlight only abt the 1 year programme here as most people would know better than me abt the 2 yr programme.
The advantages of the 1 year programme are:
- You are not too long away from the industry(your work I mean)
- You are not too long away from your family (to be away for a year itself is difficult I know)
- You get to interact and network with people with diverse experience and skills
- You get to resonate better with the concepts under discussion due to your own experience (1 year MBA programmes are NOT for the ‘uninitiated’. I would deem any 1 year programme that defies this as only a ‘money-swindler’)
- You will most definitely be able to switch roles laterally across business functions at the end of the programme
- You get almost the same amount of gyan or even more than the 2 year programme in double quick time!
** For the right gyan, you need to join the right B-school**
So what’s the flip side?
- You will have to face a very hectic, rigorous schedule
- You will find it very difficult to make time to participate in B-school contests
- You will find it indefinitely impossible to pursue your interests and hobbies
- You will have to face/hear a disgruntled wife/gf /child most of the time
- You will realize that falling ill is a crime
- You will have to miss your weekend parties (you can work around this sometimes with ‘smart’ work though, hehe)
Hey, are you game for the 1 year programme? Well, believe me, it isn’t all that scary. The 8 months that I have already spent here at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai have been enriching. The significant take-away for me has been ‘time management’. I really adore my mom for this – when I think back, I realize how difficult it might have been for her to manage her time between hectic work and home, but she never complained and was always on time to work and did most of the work at home.
For the moment, I just have to say this – Think well before you leap into an MBA programme. Don’t just follow the herd!
All The Best!
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