Q) The NEW Harvard MBA Application Essay requires the candidate to submit an essay, 24 hours after the Interview. Is it possible for a candidate to plan for this essay?

Alex Chu (MBA
Apply): Many people will fall into this trap of trying to pre-write the essay.

DO NOT DO THIS.

That's why they are asking this essay in the first place. They want to know how you follow up based on what happened in the interview. Adcoms can sense quickly if something is pre-written: it's either too vague and generic, or it's covering material in such a decorated and stage managed way that it's obvious someone spent way too much time trying to manicure every single sentence and to contrive an example that had nothing to do with what happened in the interview.

Q) I am from India. I have
average academic score in schooling and in graduation. (59.2%). I am
worried about my low academic performance. I would like to know whether
this will create difficulties in taking admission in top Canadian, US
universities. How I can compensate this. I have 8 years of experience in
project Management, now working as a senior project coordinator. What
needs to be done to get admission?

Alex Chu (MBA
Apply): Two things. First, if you were an engineering major
in undergrad, the good news is that adcoms tend to be more forgiving since they know that
engineering schools (regardless of country) tend to grade on a much
harsher curve than arts/sciences. Secondly, for US
b-schools, adcoms tend to focus
more on GMAT than GPA for candidates who received their
undergrad degrees outside the US (since it's really hard to compare say a
Russian GPA to an Indian GPA to a South African GPA!).
For
European B-schools, they also focus on the GMAT more than the GPA since
their incoming applicant pools are even more diverse than the
US.

So in your case, it comes down to one thing:
the GMAT. Don't
worry about your undergrad grades, because it's in the past. Focus on
what you can control, which is the GMAT. If you're shooting for top 16

They want to get to know about you, your background, your goals, and how they can help you to reach them.  MBA admissions committees don’t need to hear a script-worthy story, they just want to hear your story. Find out what admission committee wants to hear.

Community Service plays a significant role in evaluating MBA applicants’ profile for the following reasons:

1. Values: Seeing how you spend your time outside of work is a good indication of what are the important things in your life (compared with your claims in other parts of the application)

2. Contributions to the program: MBA’s are student-driven programs; clubs are run by current MBA students and strong leaders make the MBA experience better by organizing events, adding new clubs/events/treks, and strengthening the relationship with alumni and recruiters.  If you’ve been involved in the past, it’s likely that you will contribute to such activities during your MBA. 

3. Leadership: If you perceive yourself as a leader but don’t manage people in your job, then community service will help you. Community work shows the schools your leadership potential and skills.

4. Consistency: MBA programs like people who are focused and have a long term view, so a 3 years involvement of 2 hours per month in your community is more significant than a 2-weeks volunteer project in Africa or another remote location.

1. Start as early as possible – college is a good time;  keep volunteering when you join the work force, even if you can spend only a few hours a month.

2. Pick projects that are important for you and that are in line with your interests and needs. To improve your public speaking join Toast Masters,  or volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister if you care about kids. Don’t be afraid to join a smaller less-known organization – you might get a chance to have a greater impact on it. 

3. Make it work – if you travel a lot or don’t have time to meet people in person, find community work that you can do remotely or as part of your work (recruiting, volunteer projects with the company etc).

4. Go for quality, not quantity - it’s not about the number of organizations you participate in, it’s your impact on them and how you were able o contribute to that community.

Regarding your career, remember that for MBA Admissions the work that you did is more important than the company that you worked for.

Q) I am a 26 years old Indian national , done Bachelors in Technology with 60% marks from a tier-2 school in India and Post-graduation(marketing & operation) from Symbiosis college(distance education) with 70 % marks. I am working as an import manager in a Steel Plant - Uganda(East Africa) for the last 5 years. The company I work for is not a well known brand. My job profile in this company is to procure the necessary raw materials for the plant from different parts of world. I deal with suppliers from almost 10 countries. Additional I know multiple languages- Hindi, English, French and Spanish. I have given GMAT and scored 760. What are my chances to get top business school like LBS/HBS. Will my low scores in grad school and the brand value of the company I work for affect my admission?

Stacy Blackman: I hope the following is of help. Regarding your low undergraduate record, I recommend you read this case study of a candidate who had a low GPA and was accepted into several top programs. It should give some insight into how you can address your grades.

Q) I have a 670 in GMAT, 1 year research experience from a renowned company and 2 years consulting experience from a top Consulting firm. I have first class with 62% for my undergraduate. Although my academics are not great, I have many relevant Extra-curricular experience. Is MBA from Sloan School of Management possible?