Interviews

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education

You got an interview call! An interview could be a normal part of the application for everyone, or it could indicate that you have made a first cut for selection. For undergraduate studies, usually only highly selective colleges conduct interviews (e.g. Ivy League), but they do so for all applicants. For MBA studies an interview call is a positive sign that you have not been rejected yet.

Gap Years

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

As the time draws near to submit college applications for programs abroad, even some of the most qualified students opt to take a gap year – i.e. a year off between high school and college. How do you decide if this is the right choice for you and if you are planning to take a gap year what should you do to use the time wisely?

Getting Your Act Together By November

Originally published in Hindustan Times, Education Supplement

You’ve been thinking about getting your college applications together for a while now. But between class work, homework, tuitions and life, you haven’t made much headway yet.  Don’t despair - if you want to apply to colleges in the US or UK, there is still time to meet the January deadlines.

Essay Topics

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education

Study abroad applicants should already be well into the drafting stages of their college essays by now. If you are applying for undergraduate studies in the UK (except Oxford or Cambridge or medical, dental or veterinary courses) your UCAS application and required ‘Personal Statement’ is due on January 15^th (check  http://www.ucas.com to find out the specific deadlines and requirements for your course). For the US, regular decision deadline on January 1, 2013, you have about two months to finish your required essays.

Early Decisions

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education

Many students applying to the US for undergraduate studies are intensely focused on early application rounds coming up on November 1^st.  Should you apply? The basic idea of the early deadline is that if you apply early you will get a decision before Dec 15^th (as compared with the regular decision deadline on Jan 1 where you get a decision by April 1). The variations on this deadline are Early Decision, Early Action and Single Choice Early action.

Extra Curricular Activities

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education

I once heard an Ivy League admissions officer say “We understand that the opportunities and demands for Indian students are different than for American students. But that makes Indian students weak in extra-curriculars and, unfortunately, our process is unforgiving.”  This seemed like a harsh assesment of an Indian students, but a few years of advising I now understand his comment – many indian students lack depth in a particular extra curricular and the breadth they demonstrate is mundane and similar to all their classmates. So what can you do to make yourself stand out to admissions officers like the one quoted? 

MBA Primer, Part 2

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education

Most MBA applicants assume the best way to get into competitive business schools is by showcasing all of their work-related achievements. While this is true, it is what you have done beyond the workplace that often makes the difference between finding yourself on a flight to start your MBA abroad and finding yourself back at the office for another year.

MBA Application Primer

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education

Most MBA applicants assume the best way to get into competitive business schools is by showcasing all of their work-related achievements. While this is true, its what you have done beyond the workplace that often makes the difference between finding yourself on a flight to start your MBA abroad and finding yourself back at the office for another year.

Tips From Parents

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education

While 12^th grade students and high school counselors are ready for the college admission process, parents sometimes wake up a little late and are surprised by the rigor of the process. Applying to college abroad requires a tremendous amount of work and often the brunt of it gets shifted to parents as students get busy with exams and compulsory activities over the next 4 months. Here is some advice from parents who went through the process last year that will help this year’s support their 12^th graders who are applying to study abroad.