Akshat Nagori's journey to Yale (Silver Scholar) MBA program

Akshat Nagori (Admit: Yale Silver Scholar, MBA, 2020 Intake)

GMAT: 760 (Q49, V44)

Education: B.Sc (Economics), NMIMS Mumbai, 3.8/4.0 GPA 

Work Experience: Nil

Post MBA Industry of Interest: Finance or Consulting

Interviews: Yale Silver Scholar MBA, Darden Future Years MBA, MIT MS Finance, NYU MS Quantitative Finance

Admits: Yale Silver Scholar (MBA), Darden Future Years (MBA), NYU, MS Quantitative Finance

When and why did you first consider getting a deferred MBA from a global B School? 

- I always had doing an MBA on my radar, and was initially considering staying in the country. Over time, I realised just how important diversity is to me, and decided to apply to B Schools outside the country (specifically to America) to really be exposed to different cultures and viewpoints.

Taking up the Silver Scholars program at SOM was a function of how I (a) Loved the SOM community and (b) appreciated the accelerated opportunity the program offers.

Gmat prep, reaction/thoughts after score

- My prep consisted of a TON of practice and most importantly, reflection.

I started with a ton of theory, and moved on to actually doing questions and mocks. An important note is to really take your scores on mocks seriously, and deeply evaluate where you're losing points - getting too many things wrong in a row will cost you.

Seeing the 760 was honestly more relieving than anything else. I really didn't want to have to write the GMAT again lol. But on a more serious note, whilst my score was super important (given the programs I was looking at), its important to keep in perspective that your score is just a small part of your entire 'story', and eventually your entire application

Your experience of the MBA application process. - Did anything surprise or shock you?

- In a word, holistic. I was really shocked by how much they cared about outside of just your grades. Actually being at Yale now, I can see why - each person here brings with them a specific skillset and personality, and that's so important for our overall learning.

Yale interview: How did you prepare, experience and thoughts 

- Without revealing too much, I'll say that the Silver Scholars interview was tough, to say the least. You need to know your motivations behind everything. My biggest interview prep technique was actually just introspecting deeply - WHY do I want to do an MBA? Why Yale? Why Now? These are answers that differ from person to person, and you need to figure out your own answers. For me, I knew from speaking to alumni and others that Yale's an incredibly collaborative place, and a strong community. This was super important to me, and I made sure it came through. 

Specialized inputs and mentoring your received 

This was probably marginally the most important aspect of it. While as a candidate you could easily be MBA - ready, for the top schools especially, I don't think that's enough. You also have to be a good fit at that school, it's so important. The specialised help I got from Sumeet and the CIE team was really understanding the personality of each B-School, and figuring out if I was a match. This not only helped me research the school with a better perspective, but also self select the schools I wanted to be at in the future. Understanding that you're a fit at a school (and demonstrating it) is (in my opinion) often overlooked while applying, and I cant overstate how important it is to get someone who can help walk you through what the schools are like, and whether you'd be a good fit.

Any advice for future applicants regarding the application process?

- Yep, relax! Getting into B School is not just about getting in, its also about doing well once you're there. Choose your schools wisely, and choose ones you vibe with, and you'd arguably be much happier. Also, focus on parts of your application you maybe don't actively think about as much, and figure out what your 'story' is - it may be your make or break.

For more tips on this or other topics or to get regular updates on new articles, write to me:

sumeet [underscore] verlekar [at the rate] berkeley [dot] edu

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Wharton opens its Advance Access (Deferred MBA) to all

Wharton, one of the most prestigious B Schools in the world has recently opened up its Advance Access program (deferred MBA) to undergraduates outside of U.Penn. Initially launched in 2017, this program was hitherto open only to seniors from U.Penn.

What’s interesting is that the program so far had a very small class; only 10-15 students compared to Wharton full time (FT) MBA intake of 800+ students. By opening up doors to final year undergraduates or masters students (who don’t have any prior work experience), I expect the intake for the Advance Access program to gradually increase. Harvard Business School’s 2+2 deferred MBA program admits 100-120 students annually compared to HBS FT MBA enrollment of 900+ while Yale admits 10-15 silver scholars in comparison with FT MBA intake of 370-400.

Accepted students will work for 2 to 4 years before starting Wharton FT MBA program. Much like HBS 2+2, Wharton wants to admit innovative, intellectually curious people who are ready to impact the world. The application process is similar to that of the FT MBA with academic transcripts, resume, GMAT/GRE scores, 2 letters of recommendation, 2 essays and application fee of $100. Team-based interviews will scheduled by invitation only. Click here to know more about the program. Also refer to my article on How to get admit in Harvard Business School 2+2 program. Many of the learnings will apply to the Wharton MBA application.

For more tips on this or other topics or to get regular updates on new articles, write to me:

sumeet [underscore] verlekar [at the rate] berkeley [dot] edu

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How to get into a Super Elite or Ivy league MBA if you have a low GPA

So you want to get in a top B School and are worried about a low GPA in undergrad? Rest assured knowing that are many smart things you can do to assuage concerns of the adcom for this area.

Before we discuss what you can do, do you know why GPA matters to the adcom? Simple, past performance is seen as a metric for future success. In other words, if you’ve done well academically in past, they feel that you would be as driven to excel academically in their rigorous MBA program. This matters since candidates who give it their all in class and juice out the most from the school experience end up with stronger learnings (and grades) which can impress employers and provide a positive impression about the school. Read my article here to gain an understanding of how adcom evaluates your application.

The adcoms also value a strong GPA since this is one of the important factors to judge the quality of incoming class. Quality of student body matters in influential rankings such as the US News or Financial Times and rankings are important in attracting new applications. Adcoms want to continue this virtuous cycle of attracting top talent who do well in class and in turn impress employers and help the school move up the rankings which in turn attracts more top talent. If you have a low GPA, you’re weakening this momentum they’ve worked hard to build – which will hence be detrimental to your chances to gain an admit. A look at incoming classes across Super Elites shows an average GPA of 3.5/4.0.

Clarification: Super Elites are the traditional US top B Schools (HBS, Stanford, U.Penn/Wharton, Berkeley/Haas, NW/Kellogg, Chicago/Booth, MIT, NW/Kellogg, Berkeley/Haas, Columbia, Michigan/Ross, Dartmouth/Tuck, Duke/Fuqua and Yale SOM) and INSEAD, HEC Paris and London Business School.

My past work with applicants with low GPAs who secured admits to multiple Super Elite schools showed that they worked hard on all other parameters such as test score, essays etc. that adcoms weigh heavily. Result, I helped those with GPAs < 2.8 get into top 15 schools with scholarship and those with GPA <3.0 get into Harvard, Stanford, Wharton with an average $30,000 scholarship.

Let’s understand what you can do if you have low GPA.

1)      Score high on your entrance tests – GMAT or GRE. For those of you having GPA lower than 3.0, aim for 700+ on GMAT. If you belong to competitive pools such as India or China, you should aim for 730+. A score of 670-700 would make you competitive to schools in top 30. A high test score represents your latest evidence to adcoms that if you put your mind to it, you can excel. The red flag suddenly appear that RED anymore. If you’re unable to get a 650+, it’s better not to apply only to the top schools – spread your applications among schools which are solid but expect more reasonable scores and GPAs.

2)      Take on extra coursework or certifications and excel. Take courses, especially in quantitative subjects such as statistics, data analytics, accounting or finance. Aim for an A- or better. HBS CORe (Credential Of Readiness) has 3 courses – Business Analytics, Economics for Managers and Financial Accounting and is a great way to establish your readiness for MBA (though it’s expensive). You can also look at similar courses from coursera.org, edx.org or IMS preschool (proschoolonline.com).

3)       Apply in Early decision or Round 1. Schools like Columbia, Duke/Fuqua, Virginia/Darden etc. have early action rounds before their regular rounds. Apply in these rounds. You’re making a statement to the school that they’re your top choice and adcoms will be more considerate to some red flags in your application if you apply in early action round. If you’ve missed early action, apply in round 1 for the same reasons mentioned above. While this is not that strong a statement as in early action, it’s still signals a stronger affinity towards that school.

4)   Don’t underplay the importance of weak grades – rather take time to explain. Grades are important to the adcom – period. Don’t try to convince them that it is not so. Also, don’t leave poor grades unexplained – nothing will miss the adcom’s eyes. It’s better to accept the reality and explain why you secured poor grades. Did you spend too much time in extracurriculars or leadership positions? Were you sick during a particular semester exam due to which overall grade looks poor? The optional essay is an excellent way to explain the gap.

5)  Showcase your strengths. An excellent way to overcome your low GPA is to focus on highlighting your strengths. I had one of past clients highlight that he had proficiency in 3 other foreign languages besides English and mention an employer who hired MBA grads for a particular geography which needed expertise in that language. He got into Kellogg with a 2.7 GPA.

- Did you achieve something remarkable in college in lieu of the low GPA?

- Did you achieve an accelerated career growth? Did you secure multiple promotions?

- Highlight something that makes you unique which is also something that B School will value

- You can also ask your recommender to highlight strengths that matter – say quantitative or analytical skills etc.

6)  Gain experience or internship with a prestigious employer. If McKinsey and Goldman Sachs hired you, they saw something they liked. This will boost the adcoms confidence that you have the DNA to belong to a top B School.

7)  Put up an outstanding written application. Well crafted, engaging stories can help you paint an inspiring world around the adcom reader. Help her imagine what you’re saying instead of just listing down your stories. The impact of well written, imaginative essays can’t be overstated. Once you’re close in terms of GPA and test score, your essays will tip adcom over into providing you an admit.

For more tips on this or other topics or to get regular updates on new articles, write to me:

sumeet [underscore] verlekar [at the rate] berkeley [dot] edu

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