Planning For Your MBA

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

It’s the height of summer applicant aspiring to do their MBA abroad are getting serious about applications for the end of the year. But applications are due sooner than usual with Harvard Business School as the first out of the gate with a September 9^th deadline. Other applications are due starting in early October and for many programs the essay questions have already been announced. With these compressed timelines, the stress on young professionals who want to pursue the valuable MBA credential is higher than ever.

Post-Bachelors Degree Plans

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Finished Final year Bachelors, what to do now?

It is that time of year, when I hear from many students who are finishing their final year bachelors and planning for further studies abroad. Concerns of recent graduates range from ‘I am totally confused’ to ‘I know exactly where I want to study, but I do not know what steps to take.’ I have outlined some basic steps that students should take to understand what options are available.

Latest news on The New SAT

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

News has been buzzing over the past week with reports and analysis of imminent changes to the SAT. Last week, David Coleman, President of College Board, which owns and administers the test, revealed the details of the proposed changes. In the new version of the test, the writing section will be optional, scoring will return to a 1600 point scale, guessing will not be penalized and the content of the verbal and math sections will be revamped to reflect more practical material.

March Waitlist Strategies

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Over the past few weeks many applicants were notified that they have been offered a spot on the college’s ‘waitlist’. For some this is a sign of hope – it is not a rejection. For others it is a torturous postion – limbo between yes and no. Whatever your view, the main question is what an applicant should do if they find themselves on the waitlist of a college they want to attend.

Deeper College Visits

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

As summer approaches many families are planning to visit college campuses abroad. Whether you are touring a foreign country and visiting every campus where you hope to apply, or you are just stopping by a nearby campus while on a family holiday, you are one of the lucky few with a unique opportunity, so be sure to make the most of it.

Application Agents

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

There have been a few stories in the news recently about the rampant cheating and forgery of international college applications by Chinese students. According to reports, China’s single child system produces highly competitve, anxious parents with rising incomes, who are preyed upon by aggressive agents that promise to take care of all the requirements for the college application. These agents practically guarantee success and all the parents have to do is pay the fee for service. Furthermore, it is argued, that while the US percieves the falsification of credentials an egregious violation of the honor system, Chinese families see nothing wrong with it because it has always been culturally acceptable/required to cheat. Of course all of these explanations reduce the problem to simple cause and effect and misaligned cultural value systems, which if eliminated, would make the problem go away. 

Interpreting Results

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

At times the admissions decisions of foreign universities can seem completely random. The process is so opaque that it practically suggests a silver lining to India’s cut off system – at least you know where you are getting in and why.

Foreign Education in India

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

At times the admissions decisions of foreign universities can seem completely random. The process is so opaque that it practically suggests a silver lining to India’s cut off system – at least you know where you are getting in and why.