Application Anxiety

Applying for a graduate program is like speed dating, you want to give the general idea of who you are but also give a glimpse of your uniqueness, not so much that you come off as a freak, but enough to show your individuality. And you have very little time.

So how do you give the adcom a glimpse of who you really are so that they feel they will miss out on something if they do not admit you. It is not that difficult to get someone interested in you, but remember that there are at least 10000 candidates vying for that position and you do not have to simple impress, you have to dazzle.

 

A big risk in admissions, is stereo typing. While sometimes it can work in your favour, mostly it will just peg you as a typical candidate. In this day and age where BSchools are priding themselves on international and background diversity, it is important that you do not come across as just a jock, a cheerleader den mother, passion-less quant stud or the artsy types. You have to break out of the mould to convince them that you have enough facets to impress a large group of people. So be sure to mention even small things that you may not have thought too relevant, but display a different side of you.

For instance: You are a highly intellectual academic high scorer who has pretty much lived by his books his whole life. One summer after college, you taught some impoverished children how to play cricket, got some friends together and organized proper lessons. Now, you might think it was just some thing you did to pass time. But it shows initiative, leadership, group dynamics and above all empathy. Let the adcom know that you cannot be typecast. Just when they think they figured you out, turn a new side of you and excite them.

As a caveat, do not mention activities that you pursued in school unless it was on the state or national level. If you stick to school achievements, it means you don’t have many after you became independent. This indicates that you have to be pushed to perform in anything beyond the necessary and that is a dangerous message to be sending the adcom.

 

For a letter of recommendation, try to avoid professors. Most professors can only talk about how good a student you have been. The transcripts you provide can do a good job of that. Even if you have been a research assistant, a professor’s letter of recommendation should only be your last resort, unless you have worked with them on projects or ventures in the capacity of a colleague or subordinate. 

To apply to a BSchool abroad, you need a minimum of 2-3 years of work experience. So it is obvious that you have a boss, a superior or a supervisor. If you cannot find anyone else who can recommend you in your office, look outside. Ask suppliers, customers, partners and collaborators who you have worked with closely to write you a letter of recommendation. If you are worried about talking to your superior about a letter of recommendation that will in effect help you leave the job, ask previous supervisors or employers to write it. Some schools specifically ask for a letter from the current supervisor. If you feel pressured by this, explain to the school why you cannot give them the letter and suggest alternatives.

If the school asks for an online letter of recommendation, your application will not be complete if you send a generic one. The online LORs ask the writer to answer particular questions, which then will be comparable to those of other candidates. If you need a letter of recommendation that is stellar, you have to put some effort in to it. Your supervisor or chairman may not know everything about you. You have to provide them with the raw material. Take them out, give them your essays, a CV, certificate copies, a list of schools you are applying to, etc. to give them an idea of what they are looking at. The worst thing to do is put pressure on a supervisor to write a letter offhand with no additional inputs from you. A stressful letter will pack no punch and will never stand out. Resist from writing the letter and just asking them to sign it as this may be unethical according to some schools.

 

When the adcom reads your application, they are looking at you two years down the line: will they be able to mould you, will you represent them well to the corporate world, will you be a loyal alumnus, etc.

 

You may wonder why the schools cannot get a good idea from your transcripts and the letters of recommendation. Why do they need you to write essays? The answer is easy. if you notice carefully, most schools are asking you pretty much the same things. Essays look at your ability to write, your past experiences, your career path, reasons for having the current job (and in this economy, reasons for not having it)why the industry, clarity of goal, why that particular BSchool. They want to know you better than what your papers say about you. You are a amalgamation of your experiences and decisions and though the consequences are seen in your transcripts and resume, the reasons are not. Your analytical, reasoning and communication skills are tested here. If the school has given you space for an optional essay. use it to to explain gaps in resume and positive events that shaped your life. Brag away! You can dwell in humility after you get the admit.

 

Work experience is very important for a good BSchool experience. BSchools that ask for experienced candidates want them to participate in the classroom discussions and bring their own life experiences in to the class to share. If you work in your family business or a non-profit and feel that it is not a typical job, do not worry. The adcom recognizes these as work experience because you have used your skills to make a difference, worked in teams, assumed leadership positions. All of these make a work experience what it is. If you feel concerned about reporting your salary, you can choose not to.

 

So, put your best foot forward and launch yourself in to a new life.