book review - Great Indian Mba Dream

Just finished reading the book - 'Great Indian Mba Dream' by Shiva Prakash. Believe me i am writing this review so that others may not waste their money on this book.

Cost - INR 195 {Approx USD 4.5}

Plot - the back cover says that book is about an Indian Male Engineer who wants to get out of IT industry and earn an MBA. The topic is great and very relevant to Indian MBA aspirants but the book fails to live up to the expectations. Coming back to the plot -- there is no plot.

Miss S: what are you reading

KT: Great Indian MBA dream

Miss S:  what it is all about?

KT: I dont know...really..i dont know what it is all about.

Miss S: Is it good?

KT: i think my thermodynamics course book in engineering college was much better

The narrative is too dry and is not well structured. even after reading more than 250 pages i am unable to  figure out why in the first place this book was written and why in the hell publishers published it.

Author is an MBA from ISB Hyderabad and he could have atleast portrayed life at ISB. I can go on and on and tear this book apart but i am not in a mood to do so.

In nutshell, all i can say is that REFRAINNNN FROM BUYIN THIS BOOK...

Dinged by Booth

finally am off the waitlist...but as always have ended up on the wrong side ...

Spinal Tumor it is...

since long {aug 2009 to be precise} i was bugged by this bad backache...MRIs, X-Rays, blood tests revealed little. On Saturday, as i returned from my vacation, i learned that my dorsal spine is affected by a smal tumor...

As a child i liked heroes getting brain tumors and all..it seemed so cool...P.S i love you's Gerry....that was also cool...{I am not dying ;) ... mine is not so serious and is detected at a very early stage}..but i dont like the medicines...and the restrictions imposed on me....

medicines are damn heavy and make me sloppy whole day...it's heard to listen to people..i hear the chatter all the time but don't get what they re saying...i feel medicines are working...not experiencing the pain and stiffness in my back....

and yes am still working on Booth's WL...and my book :) ...

Resume Building

An impressive resume is important part of your application and also serves you well during job search. I have been involved in recruitment for a long time now and based upon some experience, advice from MBA students and other experts i have following points to share:

1. Attention of reader is inversely proportional to length of your resume -- don't prepare 3-4 page resumes highlighting all the projects that you have done in your job. Limit your resume to 1 page. At the max go for 2 pages {though not recommended}. Curb the desire to put everything on your resume, a crisp resume highlighting key projects and accomplishments is much better. Whenever i encounter a 4 page resume i start yawning as soon as i go thru the 1st page

2. Result Driven -- back up your claims with numbers and results. e.g:
I led a team on project to optimize the marketing campaign for insurance group
I led a team of analysts to optimize the marketing channels for insurance group, saving $XX Mn and increasing the response rate by 2%age points
It is important to show that you are a result oriented person

3. Get it reviewed by someone who knows nothing about your industry

4. Get it reviewed by someone who is an expert in your industry/ target industry

5. Below mentioned site is great for making cosmetic changes to your resume:

http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/ {believe me this site has some really good tips..}

6. Kill the urge to review your resume 10000 times...and the urge to put everything that you have ever done in your life...always keep the target audience in mind...

vacation time.... :)

Essay Consulting - Admit1

During the app process i found people who straightaway quashed the essay consultants and then there were others who had great words to say about them. There are people who are better at soul searching, structuring their thoughts and writing precisely. Unfortunately, i am not the best of the thinkers and nor the prolific of the writers.

Squandering aimlessly after 2 dings and 1 WL, i saw Yael Redelman's blog. She is an experienced admissions consultant from NYU's MBA Admissions as well as a graduate of the NYU MBA full-time program. She has experience in Investment banking and hi-tech fields. And, she specializes in customized and personal admissions consulting for top MBA programs.

During my interaction with her i found her to be very friendly and helpful. If i am applying to b-schools during 2011, i will seek her help. for others who are applying during R3 or during fall of 2011 iwould suggest that you give Admit1 a thought. You can go to Yael's blog:
http://admit1mba.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-you-strong-enough-for-insead-and.html

For free assessment of your profile you can always mail her {her mail id is there on her blog}.

p.s: i do not have any personal interest in Admit1 and the views expressed here are my own..

Ijaazat - Review

The song - 'mera kuch saman' is enigmatic and i could not stop listening to it. Driven by the soulful music and ultra realistic yet dreamy lyrics, i played this song many times over on my i-pod. As i dug deeper, i found that the song belongs to Gulzar's movie called 'Ijaazat'. Once i checked the star cast, it took me no time to purchase the VCD and watch the movie.

Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha and Anuradha Patel are in the lead roles. Naseer and Rekha are impressive as always. Anuradha Patel has carried off sensuality and innocence with panache. I will get back to characters in detail but let me take a detour and address the plot.

The plot is very simple yet complex - Paradox -- but then its Gulzar :). The story is all about circumstances and misconceptions. Circumstances take toll of Naseer's love life and misconceptions kill his marriage. I won't reveal the plot else you might loose interest. All i can say is that Gulzar has nicely woven the tale and actors have beautifully exhibited the emotional turbulence felt by the characters.

I wanted to kick Naseer's character for not taking a firm stand and in the next 15 minutes i would be cursing his circumstances for spoiling his life. In the end all i could feel for the hero was 'Sympathy'. Rekha's character too is confusing and she has done justice to it. The pick of the actors was Anuradha Patel -- she has looked gorgeous. At times you feel she needs a psychiatrist and then you feel she needs love. And when you look at the bigger picture you curse her circumstances.

RD Burman's music is melodious and Gulzar has penned one of his best works. 'mera kuch saman', 'katra katra', 'khali hath sham ayi', 'chhoti si kahani'' -- every song is a master piece and is even more engaging in the context of story.

Ijaazat will bring out the philosopher in you and will create a feeling of discomfort. It's a kind of movie that you will want to watch again but would like to forget the plot before watching again..it's a kind of movie that would be hard to explain to others..but you will for sure recommend it to others... In nutshell, go for it...you won't regret...

The B-School resume -- guest post by Conrad from 2 minute gmat

During my Booth interview, the first thing that my interviewer said was 'You have got a very impressive resume' but the rest is not history ;). Resume is not everything when it comes to b-school journey but for sure it is very important to have a good resume. Not only it will help you stand out during app process but also it will aid you during your job search. Below is a great article from Conrad, i will add my bit in anonter post. For now just read on:

Advice For Your Business School Resume

When completing your MBA application, you will probably need to include your resume. When including this document, you should look for your resume to be one page long. Your resume will also most likely be different than the resume you send when applying for a job. As opposed to including skills that are specifically for a certain position (as an example including social media skills for a marketing position), you will be targeting your resume for your business school application. Therefore, for your business school resume you should emphasize your experience in leadership and communication skills.

In your resume, the professional, education, and additional information sections will need to be included. Your resume will mostly consist of your professional section. Each section in the professional section should include strong action verbs from your specific experiences. This is very important to remember; using passive verbs will not have as strong of an effect. When you have the opportunity, you should also use numbers.

The second part of your resume, the education section, should focus on your undergraduate studies. If you have pursued other degrees in the past, this is where you should include this section. The last section of your resume, the additional information section, should only be a few lines and you should include any interesting facts about yourself and your interests.

I hope this was of help.

Conrad and the 2minuteGMAT Team

For more advice on improving your GMAT score, visit http://www.2minutegmat.com/.
________________________________________
Founded in 2009, 2minuteGMAT guarantees that you will improve your GMAT score by 50 points or your money back. We send you a unique email every day for 6 months with 10 GMAT Questions of the Day (5 Math and 5 Verbal), a daily blurb about top business schools in the country, and advice from experts on how to improve your GMAT score. Visit the 2minuteGMAT blog for updates and GMAT tips.

Applications -- Some dos and don'ts

I did not get an admit this year but learnt lots of lessons. My stats were well above median for all my target schools. Be it the GMAT, GPA, Work ex, career progression, extra currics, i had some stellar numbers. But i failed to write a good story {and here i am aspiring to be a writer}. Following are some tips that "might" help others:

1. Career Goals -- I have a crystal clear picture of my career goals. But clarity alone doesn't help, i failed to show why i am so passionate about my goals. Since my goals were entrepreneurial, i also failed to show viability of my goals.

Learning: Know your goals {short term , medium term, long term} -- reading career literature or visiting the websites of your post MBA target companies is a great help. Go to the career sections, most of the companies share the typical career paths and also the associated skills, competencies and job responsibbilities. You will get a clear idea of what you will be doing and which skills you need to hone.

Why are you passionate about your goals: Don't just say i am passionate about marketing and hence i want to get into a marketing role. SHOW PASSION through some of your actions. I first got acquainted with marketing while working at college fest. I was responsible of marketing the fest to corporates and other colleges. I learnt x, y and z. i enjoyed doing a, b and c. despite of challenges m,n and p i did my job and fest was a huge hit. {This is just an example...you dont have to go back to college .. you can start with your last job or some extra curric that you re pursuing for a long time}. The basic idea is to link your goal with your passion.

Why is your goal feasible: I want to establish a company that will build golf clubs that will have analytics augmented in them. such clubs will automatically gather the data of your swings/hits/misses and once you push the analyze button, it will tell you your flaws and will guide you to a perfect swing. In the next decade there is going to be an increase of 50% in golf playing population and this club will have a huge demand..i envision that such a club can also help sportspersons and take the game to next level...blah blah...{obviously you need to put all of this succinctly...something that i consistently fail to do}

2. Leadership essays: one of the friends told me that best way to appraoch this essay is to prepare a MS Excel sheet. In one cloumn you write down all the leadership qualities that you possess and that you want to highlight in your essays. In second column put down all the stories from your life where you acted as a leader. Now play a mix and match...the story that can highlight maximum number of qualities should be your answer...SHOW THAT CHALLENGE -- HOW YOU RESOLVED IT -- WHY YOU BEHAVED IN THIS PARTICULAR MANNER -- WAT DID YOU LEARN -- WAT SKILLS YOU HOPE TO DEVELOP...

3. Never start writing an essay without having a good idea about your story....work on the plot first and then write the narrative...

4. School research does not mean listing down courses, faculty names, clubs etc,. again it shud be abt you..wat do you hope to develop thru a particular course/lab/club and how you will apply it in your post mba career...i made this mistake of simply listing down a lot of things i was excited about...better approach is to list few things and write about them in detail and how they are related to you...

Suggestions/Feedbacks are most welcome...

The married bachelor

I have read a lot about time management and prioritizing but never applied the principles to my life. Till now i faired poorly while delegating tasks and focussing on important chores. I have made a to do list for 2011 that i plan to follow:

1. Practice Yoga for 30 mins each day -- good for my broken back {not brokeback mountain type}. Actually i have been diagnosed with a minor slipped disc and winters are like a curse for me...practising Yoga helps a lot...

2. Complete my Novel -- have already shared my idea with one of the publishers. The novel is called 'The Married Bachelor' and is all about transition from bachelorhood to married life...Publisher appreciated my idea but didn't like the narrative. Actually i wrote the narrative in 3rd person and that's not going down well with publisher...so have to work on the narrative...plan to complete the novel by 31-mar-2011 {but then plans are plans}..Also i need to practice writing properly .. need to do away with .... { yes the dots.... i write pathetically.. will try and organize my thoughts and then put them in words rather than haphazardly putting down anything and everything.} Will be more organized from next post onwards.

3. Chase Booth's waitlist -- have put up a waitlist strategy and i am going to execute it to the best of my capabilities...keeping my fingers crossed....

4. Read books -- till 2006 i used to read 3-4 books/month and now the frequency has dropped to 3-4/year. Need to read more and will start with raghu Rajan's 'Fault Lines'...

5. travel with friends and relaxx-- that's what i love to do.......i plan to explore 3-4 new places this year...

6. If i fail to convert booth's WL -- apply again -- will spend Aug/Sep -2011 preparing my apps

So unlike 2010, 2011 is all about focus..only 2 things for me - 1. Novel 2. MBA....no guitar, no marathons, no singing, no painting etc etc...

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” - Qui-Gon to Anakin, Star Wars Episode I

Posting the prologue of my novel on blog for the first time. Will try and track the progress of my novel thorugh this blog:

Prologue -- The Turning Point!!

Jan-05-2010

I could see that her hazel eyes were swollen and her curly eye lashes were misty. She had not slept whole of the previous night; the thought of being away from me for the next 5 days must have made her restless. On top of that she was supposed to arrange my suit-case, making her mood even more somber.

“Shall I keep the blue shirt” Shivani asked me

“Yes” I ordered and moved to the drawing room to watch TV

The emotional indifference exhibited by me was in total contrast to the emotional turbulence playing havoc in her heart.

“I love you and I will miss you” in between she ran towards me and hugged me innocently.

“Please hurry up, I have to catch the flight” I gently pushed her away and she went back and continued packing

We had never lived without each other since the time we got married. We had dated for 2 and half years before we got married, things were different then.

“Why don’t you go to your parent’s place?” I suggested

“Have I ever gone there alone since the time we got married?” she replied and then asked in a low voice – “Can’t I accompany you to Goa?”

“It’s an official off-site and I have told you many times that families are not allowed” I almost screamed

“How will i live without getting a glimpse of you?” she mumbled from our bed-room

I increased the volume of T.V. to avoid distraction

“Do you want the red tie?” she asked me “Do you want the red tie?”

I think it was then that she heard the news and turned to see the remote slipping from my hand.

“KT are you alright?” she shouted and ran towards me as a stream of tears erupted from my eyes

Happy New Year!!!

Happy new year to all the readers of this blog!! 2010 was a year that i would like to forget. A lot of my friends moved to new cities {limiting my option for partying}, i got 2 dings and 1 WL {probably because i didn't work smartly},  a bad back that bugged me from time to time..

But then 2010 was kind of good too because it made me introspect. I never gave my heart to anything that i tried. I was trying everything on superficial level. First and foremost problem was lack of focus. I wanted to get into a top b-school, i wanted to complete my novel, i wanted to learn guitar, i wanted to x, y and z ... but i failed to prioritize.

I started my novel and shared its plot with lots of people. Almost everyone praised the plot but when it came to completing the novel i never worked hard. Then came b-school apps..i started early and had a stellar profile {as per some ad consultants and some friends} but again i failed to put up quality apps.
I believe that i never worked hard on my apps and there were conspicuous flaws that i should ve corrected. In my next post i will definitely share some don'ts while applying to a b-school. Obviously a person who has not made it to a single school can only share don'ts..if i had known do's i wud have had an admit... ;)..
guitar..ah well i tried playing some chords but again never gave it the time....

i tried putting up R2 apps but decided not to waste $$$ and time...i didn't even plan for r2 till i got dinged from Fuqua {reading the ding from Fuqua was like ad-com sayin Fuq ya}...

For next few months i am not thinking abt b-school essays...last year i started too early..people had not even written their gmats and i was trying to write essays...i think i had too much time at hand but never used it judiciously..I have a lot of time at hand and i have to use it constructively...will try and prioritize...

Hope on Jan 1 2012 i will have plenty of good memories.. {ah 2012 is supposed to be the end of the world...gud i got dinged...else i wud have paid thousands of $$$ and wud have been dealing with hectic b-school life only to see the end of the world... ;) ... sour grapes for me...}

Dinged by Fuqua

That's 2/3 ... No i/v invite...i thought Fuqua would be a piece of cake for me...but i think i have not really understood the b-school app process well...out of my 3 apps...i only got 1 i/v invite...and then did my best to screw up the i/v...got WLed...at times i feel i was born to write a book 'How to screw up things when u re in a good situation..'

I didn't even prepare for r-2...had not given thought to safety schools....why i behaved in such an eccentric manner can't be explained thru this blog...

so r-2 or no r-2?? NO...i am not well prepared and i dont want to waste my and ad-com's time by submitting sub standard apps...I got my essays reviewed by a frnd who was part of ad-com at a b-school...and boy the way he bashed up my essays, sharing the experience is beyond the scope of this blog....I badly under played my story....and once he shared his insights...i realized that i am a very poor marketer...a b-school app is the best place to show ur marketing skills...and that too when u re eyeing marketing job post MBA....

Merry christmas and happy new year to all the fellow bloggers,...

and yes all this while i will try to pull of Booth's WL with all my might....and who knows if i can put a better app in next 10 days...Maybe..maybe i will....Makhtub...

Waitlisted at Booth !!

Some light at the end of tunnel...Can someone guide me about the next steps?? seems like i had totally ignored the possibility of WL...i was thinking in binary terms..ding/acceptance...glad that i am not dinged...gives a nitro boost to my confidence....hopefully i ll hear some good news from Fuqua...and i am very determined about pulling chi...after my visit to chi .. i have literally fallen heels over head in love with the school...

also, this WL gives me the confidence for r2 apps...Wharton and Ross it is...and if time permist...LBS too...but time is too lesss....

Dear KT,

Your application to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has received the careful consideration of our Admissions Committee. While we are impressed with your application, we are unable to provide you with a final decision at this time and will place you on our waitlist for future consideration. I want to assure you that being placed on the waitlist signals our sincere interest in your candidacy.

This year, our admissions process was highly competitive. While Chicago Booth is grateful to have so many talented students seeking to join us in Fall 2011, we are simply not able to admit all of our most qualified candidates at this time.

During the coming months, the Committee will review waitlist candidates for admission as a part of our Round 2 evaluation process. Decisions will be released as part of our Round 2 process on March 16th. While we hope to enroll as many waitlist candidates as we can at that point, the possibility does exist that some students will continue to be on the waitlist into the next application round.

You are more than welcome to visit Chicago Booth at any time, though this is not necessary and will not directly impact your admission decision. In the meantime, we ask that you stay in touch should you choose to make other plans and no longer wish to be considered for a spot in the Class of 2013.
As we continue with the Admissions process for Fall 2011, please contact our office directly via e-mail regarding any questions you may have (admissions@chicagobooth.edu ). We appreciate your patience during this process and wish you the best.

Sincerely,
Kurt Ahlm
Senior Director of Admissions

Knock out punch

Despite my i/v debacle, i was hopeful of making it to Chi {incorrigible optimist..i am one of those who believe Man U can turn around 0-4 in last 5 mins} ... after waiting whole night yesterday for that elusive call ... i slept at 1 am but woke up at 5 am to check my cell phone...and was aghast to see the blank screen :) ... no news in case of b school app process is a bad news...

the journey was exciting, enriching and tiresome...perfect record till now 2/2 dings...waiting for 3rd school...have got a Hat Trick chance {bad things often provoke ppl to throw bad jokes...}...

Trying to restore sanity...time for R2...will app to 3 more schools {is 3 unlucky for me?? frowning smiley ... got to change that to 2 schools ;) } ....

Ross/Tuck/Columbia/Wharton/LBS--got to pick target schools...not much time at hand....

congrats to all da admits...and all of us dingos...its not the end of the world...end of the world will be 2012 ... when admits wud have completed excruciating 1st year at b-school {ha ha...sour grapes for me..} ...

all da best for r-2....

small tip {now a reject is going to give tips :)} : for career goals essay -- decide wats ur target industry .. go to the website of ur target companies...careers section --> see the progression, skill set reqd for ur target job...wat are the responsibilities..or u can find detailed skill set or job responsibilities on job portals...it helps to succintly define ur career goals....

My life these days!!

With R-1 results puring out...and applicants are anxiously checking school's admissions blog, application status, b-school forums etc...strangely i am least bothered...maybe i know that my fate is sealed {for good or bad..} ... i have never felt so emotionally detached ever in my life...Had applied to 3 schools...1 has dinged me...another i/ved me..and 3rd has still not started rolling out i/v decisions....

Wat to do in R-2 -- i have started thinking abt it..

If i get an admit...will share few essay and resume tips with fellow bloggers {can share my thoughts right now also...but i don't think i wud be able to share wat worked and wat didn't .. :) } ...

Clarification -- esp for gmatclub members...

Was browsing thru gmatclub.com and saw the mention of my blog

http://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all-kellogg-fall-2011-applicants-97100-620.html

clarification: I got an i/v waiver from Kellogg but never got the i/v invite...and i read on gmatclub forum that the last date to receive i/v notification is - Nov-23...

so i used my analytical mind {in the best of its capacity..} and deduced that i am dinged...

My bad -- i wrote that i am OFFICIALLY dinged by Kellogg...
-----------------------------------------------------

one of the funniest reply on gmatclub --

ring ring



"Hello"
"-no the stuffing, Aunt Mary, not the mashed potatoes! Oh hi, this is Kellogg. You're rejected."
"What?"
"Happy Thanksgiving!"

uprightcitizen -- that was too gud...kudos...+1 :)

True Lies -- Sonia Gandhi..

Read this fabulous article on a blog:

know real Sonia Gandhi

excerpt:

Ms. Sonia Gandhi’s background as is publicized by her and her Congress Party today, is based on three lies to hide the ugly reality of her life.

First, her real name is Antonia not Sonia. The Italian Ambassador in New Delhi revealed this in a letter dated April 27, 1983 to the Union Home Ministry which has not been made public. Antonia is Sonia’s real name in her birth certificate. Sonia is the name given to her subsequently by her father, Stefano Maino [now deceased] following his return from Russia where he had been a prisoner of war. Stefano had joined the Nazi army as a volunteer. Sonia is a Russian not Italian name. While spending two years in a Russian jail, Sonia’s father had become quite pro-Soviet; especially after the liberating US army in Italy had confiscated all fascists’ properties including his.

Second, she was not born in Orbassanoas she claims in her bio data submitted to Parliament on becoming MP, but in Luciana as stated in her birthcertificate. She perhaps would like to hide the place of her birthbecause of her father’s connection....know real Sonia Gandhi {click on this link to read more}...
 
p.s: These re not my views... ;) ... no sabotage pls...

typical i/v questions

1. walk me thru ur resume/tell me abt urself -- make sure that u share a story and not just the titles and nos on resume {i kno i still havent got an admit and looking at my performance i might not get one ;) but still after speaking to alums and current students this is wat i learnt } ..

2. u re doing so good in ur current profile...why an mba?? {share why u want an mba..linking with ur ST and LT goals..and why now...wats the harm in continuing with ur current firm?? ..}

3. why xx school...be passionate here...kno the school well...

4. if u have anything spectacular in ur resume -- be ready to share the why and how behind that...{i had v good extra currics so i was probed around this a lot...}

5. if u re leading teams...be ready to answer..ques such as -- wats ur leadership style...wat wud u do if a team member fails to pull his/her own weight...a tough client...work place conflict...{i think i screwed up a bit in this part..failed to articulate..}

6. wat s ur biggest achievement...

7. wat do u do outside of the work...

8. apart from courses and club activities...wat else u re plannin to learn at the school...

9. any ques for me??

the ques are very generic..all u need to do is sleep well the night b4 ur interview and be confident during the d day...

1st ding

Kellogg has officially dinged me....ooops...was kind of expecting it....

Happy thanksgiving....

feels a bit bad...but whatever happens..happens for the best....at the very least i can have a bowl of Kelloggs...or i will have 2 today ;) ....

All da best to kellogg aspirants....

WTF! only i can do it

The lady in maroon {U Chi} sent one of the best combos of beauty and brain {My interviewer} to gauge my fit with Chi....She soothed my nerves..and asked me very simple questions but i think i love to screw things up... :'( ... wont even get into detail of things....i ll share the after impacts and things u shud not do during a b-skool i/v...

after impacts --

had beer {or shall i say crate of beer} with a frnd {who also screwed up his FRM...had he not screwed it i wud have been drinking alone...} ...

all those who are going to make it to Chi...i must say that u re going to have spectacular 2 years...campus is gorgeous..u gotta see it to believe it...students are smart and driven...the place has kind of positive vibes...

things not to do...

1. dont have too much beer on days preceding your i/v
2. dont forget to give a mock i/v
3. don't miss ur b.fast on the day of i/v
4. don't be casual...

U.Chi

Guy at the admissions desk -- hi..i am xyz..are you nervous?
KT -- I am doing awesome...u looking nervous...are you done with ur i/v or still have it?
Guy -- i am a second year student .. i am taking the i/vs..
KT - Oh sorry i missed ur name batch...now i am nervous...

Guest Post by Maria

Choosing an MBA Concentration: Tips and Options

Before choosing a school, it’s a good idea to be sure of your top three picks for concentrations so that

you can factor this into your decision. You’ll want to make sure that the institution of your choice has

strong programs for your top concentrations, and evaluating the quality of these programs can help you

choose both your number-one concentration and the right school from which to earn it. To get a good

idea of which concentrations might interest you, take a look at the following tips and concentration

offerings for MBA candidates.



Evaluating Your Personal Goals


To get started, think about what you want out of an MBA program, getting as specific as possible. If this

seems difficult, analyze what you want in a career – for-profit or nonprofit, international or country-

specific, entrepreneurial or established? Use what you know of yourself to decide how much potential

financial compensation, travel requirements, technological focus, social interaction, and other factors

might influence your career choice. List both what you would require in your ideal job and what you

would eliminate from it. If high compensation and job security are important to you, you might consider

choosing one of the concentrations in top demand according to CNN Money: Accounting, Finance,

and Marketing. However, make sure that the concentration you choose reflects your personal skills,

interests, and career goals – otherwise, you could be financially successful but wishing for a more

fulfilling job.



Evaluating Your Options



There are many different MBA concentrations for you to choose from, and there are more being added

consistently. To try to break them down into manageable categories, let’s look at some common

concentrations that represent technical, social, and managerial options.



Technical: Concentrations like Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis, in addition to the more

general Finance and Statistics, can give detail-oriented and technologically savvy candidates the chance

to attain their goals. For example, Information Systems involves a heavy load of computer-based study,

encourages deep analysis of organizational operations, and can result in entry-level positions like

systems analyst, systems consultant, and data information specialist.



Social: Human Resource Management is a good example of an MBA concentration that involves the

social side of business. Communication and problem-solving skills are central to the careers that make

use of this concentration, and people are integral to the basic foundations of HR. MBA candidates who

choose a concentration like this one will be involved in helping employees develop their skills, analyzing

the future human resource needs of corporations, and understanding organizational psychology.

Potential careers include recruitment consultant, business partner, HR manager/executive, talent

acquisition manager, and more. Other socially grounded MBA concentrations are Negotiation and

Conflict Management, Business and Public Policy, and International Business.



Managerial: If you’re headed straight to the top and you’re ready to take charge, you might consider

a managerial concentration. This is perhaps the largest category of MBA options, but some of the

most common are just plain Management, Entrepreneurial Management, Health Care Management,

Multinational Management, and more. With Management, candidates learn to develop a clear

perspective on an organization’s entire set of operations, focusing on improving these operations

through better management of people and systems. The potential careers for those with MBA

Management concentrations are essentially unlimited, as this program prepares candidates for

successful jobs in a wide variety of institutions, industries, and types of organizations.



Making the Choice



Be sure to interview prospective professors, fellow students, and department heads as you consider

which MBA concentration you’d like to pursue. This will help you get a better idea of which types of

concentrations interest you, whether or not the faculty members seem competent, and how successful

the current students in each program are. Look for hardworking students and professors who are busy,

but willing to give you a few minutes of their time. You don’t want to choose a program that’s too easy

because its credibility probably won’t hold up against more difficult and prestigious options. Overall,

choose the concentration that contributes most to your personal sense of fulfillment and you’ll make

the right decision.



Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in

Education, researching areas of online colleges & blogging about student life. In her spare time, she

enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.


Optional Photo (Public Domain)

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