When it comes to the MBA admission process, things are a lot different when you are on the other side. For you, getting admission into your dream B-School involves filling the entrance exam (CAT/NMAT/XAT) form, followed by exhaustive rounds of GD-PI and then a long wait for the convert. Your job is easy, trust me! You may not agree, but you will be convinced after reading this story. It's the story of a top B-School and how it manages to get the right talent for its MBA programs. It involves real struggle, a lot of money and some secrets.
Steps Involved In Conducting An MBA Interview: B-School's Perspective
- The MBA Admission Process - How It Starts:
There are around 5,500 business schools in India. So, there is a big fight between the colleges to take you in. Yes, you! The MBA admission process starts before 90% of the aspirants start their CAT preparation. Before the month of September, a lot of number crunching has already been done about the last admission season and what all should be improved and corrected. In September, we start with the brochure making. You may argue that no one reads the brochure but it is like a product guide, no one reads it but it should be in the box. A brochure is important as it is a showcase of the good stuff about the college, it can influence someone’s decision. It also saves us from answering some repeated queries. It's the B-Schools tool for marketing.
- What you see on the Internet:
Since the Internet is the starting point to all of the aspirant’s research and a lot of times decisions, it becomes integral on the college's part to have a presence by understanding where its target is with the aim to get the best of all talents. It is like buying a car; no one buys a car just by looking at a banner ad on the internet. We need to educate the prospect about the college. We do it by providing relevant content on almost all the platforms where a CAT aspirant can be. It involves Google Search, Facebook, Quora, LinkedIn, and many known MBA related platforms (Portals). They charge us a hefty amount of fee to manage our online profile on their platforms, and by managing online profile I mean everything, from generating leads to altering college rank. Yes, most B-School rankings are paid, sad but true! They can provide us with the data of all of their users giving CAT 2018. So you may want to read the privacy policy next time when you hit that “I Agree” button!
- Why Admissions Forms Are Costly:
B-School application forms are costly. But, if you recognise all the expenditures and do the math, you will find that it is worth it. Conducting GD-PI at various location across India, Marketing and administration expenses are big and thus the application fee. Students face various difficulties while filling the form and so they come on discussion forums and talk to representative seeking the solution. Honestly, for us, answering the same question 100 times a day is very frustrating and maintaining our chill becomes difficult. The highest priority task for a admissions team is to get a set number of admissions form and if you cross the mark, your job is saved! The deadline of application is set keeping in mind various factors including batch announcement date, last year’s and competitor's cutoff date. The extension is mostly given on multiple student requests (or when we fail to meet the mark).
- The GD-PI Process:
We conduct GD-PI in many cities across India. It requires the support of professors, alumni and students. At the time of GD-PI, we need to make sure that no biases are done. Many a time rescheduling a chaos are a part of the MBA admission process but ensuring that everything runs smoothly is on our list. So please, try to come for your PI on time! One more thing I would like to expose is that prenotioned and frustrated interviewers exist, so there is nothing much you can do about it. After all, luck also plays its game during GD-PI. But most of the time interviewers try to get the best talents for the B-school. We all know what all things matter during the PI. But the most important thing they look in a candidate is that will they be able to get him/her placed? If you are fit for the job and industry ready then everything is secondary. So wear your confidence because you have been called!
- Interviewer’s Perspective:
I got the opportunity to work with the people who form the panel at the time of GD-PI. Mostly, it consists of a faculty and alumni. They have a long list of students to interview in a very short time. On top of that, they have to evaluate each interviewee on the bases of some parameters like critical thinking, communication skills, domain knowledge etc. Most of the time they are disappointed with the interviewee but they always strive to have an intellectual conversation with a candidate and when they find one, they start asking questions and throwing situations. So, if you are being asked more questions than others, it may be a good sign.
- After the Results:
We announce the results and everything goes haywire. The convert and waitlist are made keeping in mind the conversation rate. Converts start asking about the B-School and waitlisted students wants to know their chances, all this to 6-7 odd people. But many people reach the epitome of weirdness by asking questions like the colour of curtains and GB of a pen-drive to buy, like seriously! Also, we look for various resources and give them an upper hand at the time of committee selections.
The existence of an admissions team is to make the transition of students smooth. We try our best to help everyone as far as we can. I hope having knowledge of the MBA admission process helps you to covert your dream B-School. All the best!