Mba application strategy & business school demographics what we call demo-lition derby

http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/
MBA Application Strategy & Business
School Demographics - What We Call
Demo-lition Derby

By the Amerasia Consulting Group,
Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting
MBA Application Strategy & Business
School Demographics - What We Call
Demo-lition Derby
MBA Admissions Consultant | http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com

When you charge people thousands of dollars to help
them with their MBA applications, you had better be sure
to look in every nook and cranny for an advantage.
We pride ourselves on doing just that and that mentality
has allowed us to come up with incredibly helpful
strategies for our clients.
Everything from "structure your essays like a Hollywood
screenwriter" to "finish your energy strong with a simple
shift in body language" to "add an alternate short-term
career goal to your first paragraph on your first Columbia
essay" has come from a dogged determination and
willingness to constantly find advantages.

Obviously, most of those advantages are not for public
consumption as it would neither be fair to our clients or
terribly bright to reveal every "state secret" we have.
That said, there are some tricks and methods that we find
ourselves talking about so often on initial consultation
calls that we figure no harm can come from letting the
whole world know about it.
Today we've got one of those tricks, which we fondly call
"demo-lition derby."

What this means is taking an extra step in your school
selection process to understand the program's
demographics and then respond accordingly.
Put simply: understand where you are part of a
thundering herd and where you might be more of a lone
wolf and then use those realities to your advantage.
This concept is best served with an example, so here is
one:
An applicant is an Indian male with a background in IT.
Say, 29 years old. 730 GMAT score.

Lots of volunteerism and extra-curricular activities.
A bit of formal management experience on select
projects. Not much experience outside of his home
country A career goal of going into consulting.
Long-term aims of bringing enterprise back to India.
You don't have to be an MBA admissions expert to know
that this individual is from a highly represented group of
students.
What can he do to stand out?

Obviously, the best step is to cultivate a highly
individualized and personal narrative, complete with
robust personality, unique interests, and impeccable
polish.
However, the first step is to be smart about where he
applies. Specifically: he should apply somewhere
besides the schools were every other person in his demo
is applying.
Most international students are drawn to schools in huge,
renowned U.S. cities. This is natural as students assume
they will find people and cultural markers that allow for an
easier integration.

The downside is that everyone is thinking this way, so as
a result, programs in New York and Los Angeles and
Boston and Chicago and the Bay Area are
oversubscribed with international students - and
particularly Indian males from an IT background.
The counter to that is to look at schools in smaller cities
and even small towns.
They might make someone from India squirm, but they
present a huge opportunity because a fraction of the
applicants from that demo are applying there.

Rough estimate here, but I would venture to guess that
about a third as many Indian males apply to Ross as they
do to NYU, despite the fact that the schools are roughly
the same size and have similar admissions profiles.
I would say Tuck gets half as many as Haas. Duke half
as many as Kellogg.
The list goes on. Schools that are "out of the way" often
have a harder time generating a rich and deep pool of
students outside of the U.S., making it a prime
opportunity for international students - particularly our
Indian male test case - to stand out more easily.

Now, this is just one of MANY ways you can play demo-
lition derby.
It works for gender, race, industry, function, academic
profile, age, and a variety of other factors.
It should not be the only guiding factor (I helped a client
with a profile similar to the one above decide on his list of
Rd 1 schools today and while it did include Ross, Tuck,
and Texas, it also included MIT, Kellogg, and Haas), but
it's just one more way to create the smallest of
advantages for yourself in the process.

It's all about putting yourself in the shoes of the
admissions officer and understanding what it is like on
that side of the desk.
What are their realities, challenges, and desires as they
shape a class? One thing you can do to make their job
easier - and yours, in the process - is to make yourself
more visible, more diverse, and more desirable ... simply
by applying to schools where this is possible.
Don't just follow the crowds and become a small fish in
the biggest pond - think creatively and give yourself the
best chance possible.

If you are interested in the MBA Admissions Consulting services offered by
Amerasia, please email mba@amerasiaconsulting.com to inquire about setting up
a free consultation.
http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/

Mba application strategy & business school demographics what we call demo-lition derby

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