Best B-School to Kick Start your One-Year MBA

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Choosing the Best B-School to Kick Start your One-Year MBA – What matters the Most?

2 Dec 2020
- admin
Business schools offer a life-changing experience to their students. Choosing the right business schools that will be your ally during your career journey is of utmost importance and may be the most difficult choice you will ever make.

And you thought cracking the GMAT exam was the hardest?

Truly, one of the major challenges when it comes to applying to business schools is deciding where you want to go. When I first started looking, I felt overwhelmed and wasn’t sure where to start as there were so many schools out there.

But when I get a little strategic about it, things became much more manageable. By considering different factors mentioned below, I was able to see how different B schools were stacked up. Ultimately, I narrowed down the list to my dream school.

Why Should You Select and Compare Business Schools Wisely?

Before we proceed, it is imperative to understand why it’s important to select and compare business schools wisely:
- Understand the application requirements
- Identify alignment with your post-MBA career goals
- Identify the aspects of business schools that are of value to you
- Determine the cost of pursuing an MBA
- Determine your chances of getting into your target B-School
Understand the Application Requirements

Different business schools have different admission processes and requirements. Among multiple essays and recommendations, it is critical to focus on a few applications and do them really well. A well-crafted application that effectively demonstrates your skills and qualities, increases your chances of securing an admit. Also, with hundreds of B schools in India, one-year MBA programs, or a traditional 2-year MBA, it becomes important to choose the right MBA school and program.

Identify Alignment with Your post-MBA Goals

It is important to determine how aligned the B-school is with your post-MBA career goals. If your goal is to work for a certain company, it is good to check placement highlights of your selected B-schools. You should also check the job placement and statistics report of those B-schools.

Identify which aspects of the Business School you Value

It will help you select the right business schools based on your personalized filtration criteria and set priorities. For example: If you value starting salaries at graduation or opportunities for leadership skilling during the course, there are a lot of options that might suit you.

Understand the Cost of MBA

An MBA is a costly affair, and it becomes imperative to understand all costs associated with it. Besides tuition fees, there are many other expenses that you may incur such as living costs, exchange program fees, etc.

Determine your Chances of Getting into your Target Schools

You will learn a lot about different schools during this exercise. From what they look for in the candidate to what they provide in terms of learning and support. Thus, deep introspection and reflection will help you determine your chance of success or failure at securing an admit.

Shortlisting a B-School – How to Proceed?

Now, that you have understood why it is important to select and compare business schools, let’s look at the process to shortlist the best B-School to kick start your one-year MBA.

1) Identify your Post MBA Career Goals

It’s time for introspection and self-awareness. Identify where you are in your career and where you want to go. The most important step is determining the list of schools that will help you in getting there. All top business schools in Delhi NCR and India look for candidates with clear and achievable goals and how they plan to accomplish these goals by completing an MBA.

Determine your purpose of starting a one-year MBA program with your target business school. Are you looking to transition into a new career or looking for better remuneration? Are you changing geography or looking to acquire a leadership role?

Thus, it is imperative to identify your motivations for an MBA. The clarity gained from this step, early on in your application process will guide you through various stages of the application process.

2) Go for a Self-Assessment

The best business schools offering 1-year MBA programs look for individuals having a good overall profile, identified strengths and potential to make a big impact in their chosen careers after completing their MBA. This self-assessment serves as a guideline to improve your profile and secure admission to the top business school.

Here are a few things you must consider while conducting a self-assessment:
- Academic scores
- Success at Extra curriculars
- Work Experience
- Academic and Professional Skills
This will help you classify the schools that you should apply to. Furthermore, if there are any gaps in your profile, there may be some time to take corrective measures. For example, if you lack leadership experience, you can get involved in a local community project.

3) The Elimination Strategy to Select the Business Schools

Now you have a clear idea of what you expect from your chosen business schools. So, with some preliminary online research and speaking with your peers who have completed their MBAs, you will get some insights on the best probable options.

However, it is extremely important to organize the wealth of information available on the internet to make quick decisions with confidence. It becomes critical to use the right source of information for your research. Check college websites, MBA student profiles as well as the placements report. This gives you a sense of where the students are coming from and where they are headed after completing the one-year MBA course.

Comparing Business Schools Based on Different Parameters

Here are a few parameters you should consider, to narrow down your choices of business school:
- Rankings: Business school rankings can serve as a great data point to compare different schools against each other. But you need to be cautious as different publications have their own rankings based on different methodologies. Check for the criteria used to define these rankings.
- Program Specialization: If you are looking for a job in HR or you would like to start your own consultancy firm and become an entrepreneur then a business school offering a specialization in that field will serve as a stepping stone to your post-MBA career. A school renowned for its heavy recruiting in certain profiles or offering course specialization in the industry you are looking to switch to will provide you an edge over the competition.
- Course Design: The course structure changes as per the MBA program. Schools may look similar, but each one possesses a distinctive culture and management development approach. Remember, it’s not always about whether you are the right fit for the program, but also whether the program is a right fit for you.
- Geographical Location: Geography influences recruitment, community environment, and school strengths. So, it becomes important to look at the proximity of business school with industries you are targeting for getting a high-salaried job.
- Course Fee & Job Placement: It is important to learn about the course fee and the annual salary you will draw after completing your post-graduation program from a business school. Also, look for companies that hire post-graduates from your business schools. Talk to alumni about their experience with the ‘careers and placement’ team.
Finalizing the Best B-Schools

Once you are done comparing these business schools, start finalizing the list of schools that you will be targeting to fill the applications.

Ask yourself questions.

Do you feel a fit with the school by looking at the class profile, course structure, and teaching methodology? How do alumni and current students rank the student and career services of the business school? Does the school have alumni in your target company? Is the faculty a mix of industry practitioners and academicians?

It becomes important to know what kind of environment you will be getting – a supportive and collaborative environment or a more competitive classroom. Carefully examine each and every factor before applying for a one-year post-graduation program at any business school.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the right business school is very critical to achieve your career goals. You should arrive at it after deep reflection and self-evaluation. Identifying the must-have factors will not only help you during the application process, but it will also save your time, energy, and money. You can utilize this time in crafting more polished applications for the schools to which you may apply eventually.

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