Do I need 16 years of education to be able to apply to a top MBA Program in the US? There are several schools that do accept applications from students with 3 year undergraduate degree programs – for example Columbia Business School and the Kellogg School of Management do accept 3 year undergraduate degrees. Since these regulations can change from year to year, it’s best to check with each school before your apply. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. How many years of work experience do top MBA Programs require? The average years of work experience at the top business schools is 4-5 years. While that doesn’t mean that you can not apply if you have less work experience, it just means that you need to be that much stronger on all the criteria they look at to get in. So if you are thinking of applying with more limited work experience assess your profile and also look at how the specific schools view younger applicants. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. What is the difference between and Early Decision applicants vs. Round 1 applicant to an MBA Program? Several schools have an ‘Early Decision’ or ‘Early Action’ round, which starts before Round 1. When you apply to an Early Decision round you can only apply to 1 school during that round and when you do you sign a document stating that you submit a non-refundable deposit within a stated timeframe, withdraw all other applications and decline all other offers. Early Action works slightly differently – in that case you are given a longer timeframe to commit and given the opportunity to view all your offers before making a decision. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. What is the Consortium and how does it impact my MBA application? Can I apply as an International student? The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is the country’s preeminent organization for promoting diversity and inclusion in American business. Through an annual competition, The Consortium awards merit-based, full-tuition fellowships to America’s best and brightest candidates. The Consortium offer several benefits (a) consortium membership which provides access to corporate in the network as well as alumni (b) the fellowship – last year over 330 fellowships were awarded (c) common application (d) reduced application fees. You need to be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident to apply through the Consortium. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. What is an Executive MBA (EMBA)? Most Business Schools offer an EMBA program. EMBA programs developed to meet the educational needs of managers and executives, allowing students to earn an MBA while working full time. Participants come from every type and size of organization – profit, nonprofit, government — representing a variety of industries. EMBA students typically have a higher level of work experience, often 10 years or more, compared to other MBA students. The EMBA is typically completed during the evenings or on weekends over a two or three year period. An EMBA is not the same as executive education programs, -which are short-term courses held on specific subject areas. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. When is the latest I can take the GMAT or GRE? The GMAT or GRE is required by the application deadline. When submitting your application, you must report the unofficial GMAT or GRE score given on the day of the test. This is the only score that the Admissions Board acknowledges. The official test score(s) sent by GMAC or ETS may arrive after the deadline dates, and this score will be used for verification purposes. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Do any of the U.S. Business Schools offer an accelerated MBA program?

Yes, within the top 30 list of Business Schools there are 4 options you can consider:

• Columbia Business School offers an accelerated MBA program. The program is 16 months in length and starts in January. Students follow the same program as the two-year students, not including the summer internship. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, beginning in late April.
• Cornell University offers an accelerated MBA program. The program is 12 months in length, beginning in May.  Ideal applicants already hold a master’s or Ph.D. in a scientific, technical, or other quantitative field. Many applicants are looking to go back to their to work on the business side of their technical or scientific organizations or pursue consulting careers after their MBA. Application deadlines are the same as for two-year MBA program;
• The Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University offers a one-year MBA program. The 1Y Program does not provide a summer internship opportunity. The program starts in June and runs for 12 months. Students take intensive core courses over the summer and then join second-year students in Kellogg’s 2-year MBA program in the fall and spring. Most applicants have undergraduate business degrees. Other applicants will be considered so long as they have graduated from college within the last 7 years and have completed 7 courses – in the following subjects accounting, finance, marketing, statistics, operations, economics, and organizational behavior. Upon enrollment in June, students must have completed accounting, plus five of the other courses.
• Emory University offers a one-year program which starts in May and runs for 12 months. Students take intensive core classes over the summer and then join second-year students in Goizueta’s two-year MBA program in the fall and spring. Most applicants have an undergraduate degree in business or economics. Applicants from other quantitative fields, such as engineering and science are also considered

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. If I get rejected can I appeal my application to a top MBA program? The top MBA programs do not have an appeal process, so you can not appeal the decision if you get rejected. You can of course reapply the following year if you chose to do so. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. If I get waitlisted, is there anything I can do? Check the policy of the school first. Some schools say you should not communication with during the waitlist process, however most schools will encourage you to communication with them. Reassess your application and there create a waitlist communication strategy to emphasize your strengths, address your vulnerabilities and provide important updates. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. If I get rejected, how do I know if and when I should reapply? If you get rejected, you always have the opportunity to reapply for the following year. Before you decide to reapply it would be a good idea to reassess your application to see what went wrong – for example were the schools you applied to out of your reach, did you make some common application errors, did you rush to finish your application and hence did not put your best foot forward? Once you have an objective assessment of what the reasons for your rejection were you can then decide on the best strategy for you for next year. At FutureWorks Consulting we offer a re-application review so that you can get an objective assessment of your previous application:http://futureworks.co.in/consulting-packages ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Is it easier get into a dual degree Masters-MBA program? There are several options to do a dual degree program – basically it means you do an MBA and another degree at the same time. Don’t assume that is easier to get into an MBA program if you apply for a dual degree program -  in fact it may be harder. Why is that? When you apply for a dual degree program you have apply to both programs and need to get accepted by both programs, which means you need to be a strong applicant to both schools you are applying to. Further, it’s obviously much more work to apply to a dual degree program versus just applying to an MBA program so you need to ensure you give yourself enough time prepare a strong application. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Can I apply to a top MBA program if I already have an MBA? Each school has a different policy with regards to this.

• Some schools will say ‘yes, even if you already have an MBA, you are eligible to apply to the MBA Program’. In this case, you will need to explain why you would want to have another MBA degree.
• Some schools will say that you can not apply to do another MBA.
• If you are an international student and have a degree that is similar to an MBA, but is not an MBA you will likely be eligible to apply. You will of course need to explain why want to pursue an MBA, even though you have a similar degree already. Check the policy for each school you are planning to apply to.