Foreign students’ guide to US MBA admissions
August 29th, 2008
Foreigners are actually welcome to the world of American MBA schools. Still, it is crucial for these parties to match the goals they have with the kind of expertise the school possesses. It goes without saying, right there in the personal statement MBA, the administration of the school must know that you are quite fluent in (both) written and verbal English. Otherwise, effective contribution would be hard to give from your end. The foreign student also has to be aware of the country’s immigration laws applying to his/her particular situation.
Steps for the Foreign Student
Firstly, submit the application forms. Then, prepare to do all of the following. Take note please, this is not the procedural flow for all MBA schools in the country, but most of them would require these.
Prepare your: GMAT score, resume, letters of recommendation from faculty or supervisors, the application letter, admission essay or the personal statement MBA. That is not all, for the foreigners, ready the processing fees (naturally, there is no constant in this), original and official TOEFL score, financial support (affidavit), bank statements from sponsors, official academic records with the translations, and other immigration documents.
Sounds discouraging? Don’t be, after all, the rewards would be great when you finish the MBA course. Plus, these requirements are all there, you just need to check and collate them. The hard part actually rests on the personal statement MBA (we are not going to talk about the exams, if any). A little reminder, do not focus too much on your personal statement MBA so much so that you’ll neglect the other crucial requirements.
Doing Well on Your Personal Statement MBA
It is not surprising that some foreign students have great difficulties in either/both the verbal and written English. This would show on the Personal Statement MBA. Here are some blunders you have to watch out for, and if you manage to conscientiously avoid them, then your Personal Statement MBA is on the way to becoming a good and well-prepared paper.
# Usage errors on the Personal Statement MBA: be conscious of the difference between “its” and “it’s”.
# Wrong dates: admissions officers are intelligent people, the minute they think a date (not on personal issue, but on known facts- like an event that made the headlines) is wrong, they might conclude that the applicant is careless.
# Wrong spelling: you don’t need to torture yourself going over your Personal Statement MBA a dozen times. That is why we have all the Internet (software and word processors) spellcheckers, to use them and make our lives easier.
# Redundancy on your personal statement MBA: I am referring to two kinds, first would be repeating the same word in a single sentence. However, another kind of blunder that makes your Personal Statement MBA less stellar is talking in circles. When you have made your point about something, do not go back to it unless you feel it is necessary.
A Last Word that Would Make Your Personal Statement MBA a Good One
When you talk about your diversity (race-wise), tell them how your special background or roots could contribute to the betterment of the school or MBA in the US as a whole. It would be best if you link this to your personal attributes.
Photo Credit : Dominic’s pics