Aspiring for global admits here's how iGradGlobal can help
To fulfill your larger dream of securing admissions in a reputed global university, find some tips and strategies for admissions process down to the minutest detail.
Saturday 21 December 2013
Thursday 21 November 2013
Sunday 10 November 2013
Tuesday 13 August 2013
Monday 12 August 2013
Choosing the specializations for Masters Abroad!!
Have you always wondered about the how , why and where of pursuing a specialization during your Master's degree abroad
Here are some guidelines to be followed
It is great to
have opportunities around us and make the most of them when they arrive; you
need to find out whether you are going to be at the helm of change or at the
tail-end of it.
Are you someone
who recognizes the potential of a field and pursues it or are you someone who
focuses only on a secure job and a good pay packet?
Why Specialize?
•
A deeper insight in one particular sub-discipline
•
An edge for a job opening
What is the
sunrise sector today may not be tomorrow, if you have chosen the straight &
narrow path? Where do you go then? Do you have it in you? What will be the area
of opportunity ten years later?
Do
note:
Specializations:
The course that you choose to apply for will depend on your
qualification, electives taken, related projects, seminars, papers presented,
industrial training, internship and / or related work experience and your
career goal.
Next in the series .. Interdisciplinary Courses - MIS , MEM , MS Mgmt etc.
Tuesday 23 July 2013
My Own RC tips for GMAT
GMAT RC tests you on 4 passages with about 14- 16 questions
i.e 30% of the verbal section. Most students find this section quite time
consuming and boring. In such a situation, though the section is scoring once
you gain insights into these simple tips outlined below, it can slow you down
on the test if you do not use the right approach.
As the name
suggests, Reading comprehension is reading the given passage, understanding it
and answering the questions that follow, sounds simple we have done it since
our school days. Why then does this simple exercise bog you down - most
complain “I don’t understand what I’m reading”, this can be main reason why you
just tend to lose interest, most of the RC passages are attempted through
guesswork which can go against your score.
How then does one develop this interest in reading, as a human nature we
read what we like or understand, hence what is very important is building
familiarity with the topics or the subject matter that is tested.
As for GMAT, we can
draw a list of subjects that are tested of you as a test taker:
·
US History
·
Life Sciences
·
Minority related topics like women issues or
Native Americans
·
Business related topic based on economics
,finance etc
So we have one part of the puzzle here, can reading such
topics help then - subscribe to American publications of news – Washington
post, national geographic etc does help here.
What else can help here – Categorisation of the passages
that I read will be next tip:
Typically, passages are broadly classified as (for the
purpose of RC)
·
Narrative/Descriptive
·
Factual
·
Assertive
·
Argumentative
Is it possible to draw some correlation between the 2 points
discussed above subjects and the type of passages , you sure can ..
We can easily link the subject to the type of passage –for
e.g History passages typically tend to be either factual or narrative or Life
science passages are mostly factual
this is not a rule
but it can be used as a tip – as you solve more RC’s you will be able pull in
more such correlations
What can help next – wouldn’t it plain and simple if someone just gave out the types of questions that would appear on the RC section. Here’s a hint , you very can find out these yourself
From the above tips – we can easily link the 3rd
aspect i.e the types of questions but before we
get there
Let us look at the anatomy of any passage in general , what
do you find 3 main parts:
Introduction --à Body à Conclusion
Or in technical jargon Main point , Scope and the Tone of the passage
So , while reading the passage If you can identify these 3
aspects then you are almost there since most questions on RC revolve around
these 3 aspects . When you read the
passage however vague the subject at hand , look for these 3 pointers and you
are sure to have hit the jackpot on your answers to the RC questions .
NOW the big finale , let us link all the three tips we
discussed above
SUBJECTS TESTED -Ã TYPES of PASSAGES -Ã TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Yes , it was that simple , you can draw your own list of
types of question s from the above equation
For e.g HISTORY Passage - FACTUAL – types of questions will be more on
the scope i.e direct data type of questions like “ as per line 8 what is meant by “
Like wise use your judgement and as you solve more and more
RC’s try and figure out how you correlate these above 3 tips .
Last but not the least , attempting RC’s needs you to have
good speed techniques .
Having built familiarity with the subjects helps
greatly as suggested in the first tip.
Next
use the 3 S’ technique Scan , Skip and Skim .
SCAN – Give the passage
one read , a must do – it is worth the time
SKIP It is best to skip unnecessary details
especially in descriptive /narrative passages
SKIM for the 3 things – Main point ( first 2-3
lines) , Scope ( bandwidth of the passage )and Tone ( last few lines in the
conclusion)
Use these strategies and watch your score on the RC
section acing !!
Wednesday 17 July 2013
GMAT Test Takers for EMBA
The GMAT™ has long
been used to give business schools valuable insight into a candidate’s
suitability for an MBA degree, but it isn’t a requirement for all programs.
Today, more and more admissions committees are looking at other evaluation
tools for measuring their candidates’ potential. So, for those EMBAs that no
longer require the GMAT™, what are program directors looking at instead?
What is the GMAT™?
If you are only just
getting acquainted with the term GMAT™, it might help to get an understanding
of what the acronym stands for. The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT™)
is a three and a half hour test (four with optional breaks included) that assesses
a business school candidate on four key areas: Analytical Writing, Integrated
Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal skills. Tasks involved include analyzing an
argument, multi-source reasoning and graphics interpretation, data sufficiency
and problem solving, reading comprehension, critical reasoning and sentence
correction. As Frank Crooks, Director of the Executive MBA at John Molson
School of Business, Concordia University, says: “the GMAT™helps us assess a
candidate’s ability to deal with quantitative subjects and their aptitude for
writing exams.”
According to Jane
Delbene, Director of Marketing for the Graduate Management Admission Council,
(GMAC), the organization that owns the GMAT™, the test was specifically
designed to help business schools assess and select qualified candidates
wishing to attend graduate business and management programs. “Admissions teams
meet an astounding number of impressive and accomplished professionals every
day, but not all will have what it takes to succeed in the classroom. That’s
where the GMAT™ comes into play,” Delbene says. “The GMAT™ measures a
candidate’s higher-order reasoning skills, which includes analytical and
critical reasoning. These are paramount to success in the business world and
the business school environment. So, regardless of your age, background and
experience, which are factors that cannot be objectively assessed, the GMAT™ is
a reliable and extremely precise indicator to schools that an individual has
what it takes to be successful on a program.”
Additionally, Delbene
says the GMAT™ is an important tool for business schools to compare students
around the world using the same evaluation. “This also assures students their
cohort has been consistently and objectively selected using a standardised measurement
tool,” she says. For Executive MBA candidates who have been out of the academic
world for some time, Delbene adds that taking the GMAT™ is valuable practice
and almost a crash course to help students prepare for what lies ahead.
Value for schools
At The University of
Chicago Booth School of Business, all applicants must submit a GMAT™ score (no
minimum score is required) as part of their application unless granted a
waiver. “GMAT™ scores provide the admissions committee with information about
an applicant’s ability to succeed in an academically rigorous program,”
explains Bernie Zanck Bernie Zanck, Director of Recruitment and Admissions for
the Executive MBA Program - Europe, The University of Chicago Booth School of
Business. “We look at all aspects of a candidate’s background, knowledge and
experience. Senior level managers, usually with 12 or more years of management
experience may be granted an exemption from the GMAT™ requirement. Examples
might include CEOs, Managing Directors, CFOs, and Division Heads.
“A waiver may also be
considered for a candidate whose work experience and training indicate a high
level of quantitative and analytical skill and an ability to apply those skills
to a rigorous and analytical MBA program,” Zanck says. “Examples might include:
Treasurer or Chief Accounting Officer, or a CFA, or a candidate possessing
another advanced degree or diploma in a quantitative field. The criteria above
are not meant to be exhaustive and candidates who believe they are able to
provide evidence of a similar quality not listed are encouraged to speak to an
admissions representative,” he says.
At the University of
Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business, GMAT™ scores are required for
some candidates applying to the Executive MBA Worldwide Program, including
those with less than 10 years of professional work experience or with an
undergraduate degree in an area with little quantitative coursework.
“GMAT™ scores are one
of the many different tools we use to evaluate candidates,” explains Assistant
Dean, William T. Valenta, Jr. “Compared with other evaluation tools, GMAT™
scores give us a fairly good indication of a candidate’s academic ability.
After all, they will be completing a rigorous program based upon master’s level
coursework. Additionally, the GMAT™ is another opportunity for the best
qualified candidates to separate themselves from the competition.”
A holistic approach
While the GMAT™
provides these three schools with valuable insight into a candidate’s
suitability for their Executive MBA programs, many other business schools
around the globe no longer use the test as a measure for success. So what do
they look for instead? IE Business School is just one of the schools who no
longer require a GMAT™ score of their candidates. “The emphasis during the
admissions process is on the professional experience of each candidate,” says
Natalie Beamer, Admissions Assistant for Premium EMBA Programs. “We focus on
building classes of students who have outstanding career development, an
interest in entrepreneurship, excellent intrapersonal skills and strong
objectives with leadership potential,” she says.
The GMAT™ isn’t
usually part of the selection process at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer
School of Management either. “The Telfer Executive MBA program focuses on
creating a cohort of talented individuals who will both actively contribute to
and benefit f rom the Telfer learning environment,” says program Director,
Sophia Leong. “We do this by judiciously evaluating candidates based on
business talent, personal ambition and organizational responsibility. We follow
a rigorous selection process that brings together the best possible group of
candidates who will foster a high impact, practical and relevant experience. We
use case studies as well as other evaluation techniques to ascertain the
potential candidate’s candidacy. This has allowed us to open the door to a
broader range of Executive MBA candidates who have the experience and capacity
to do the program.”
At the W. P. Carey
School of Business, Arizona State University, EMBA candidates are evaluated on
a variety of components including transcripts, work experience, letters of
recommendation and the admission interview but the GMAT™ is not a requirement.
“Although the W. P.
Carey School of Business recognizes the value of standardized testing in the
admissions process, we feel the breadth and depth of experience that our
applicants bring to the table can be measured in multiple ways,” says Ruthie
Pyles, Director of Admissions and Recruitment for MBA programs.
"Taking a
holistic approach, the committee will not only evaluate the academic strengths
of the applicant, but will also determine the synergies between the applicant
and the strengths and culture of the program. Our executive cohort is extremely
diverse, and it would be difficult to predict if adding this one component
would significantly affect that diversity,” Pyles says.
The holistic approach
is also favoured by the admissions committee at Athabasca University “There
really isn’t one key indicator we use to predict whether or not an applicant
will be a good fit,” says Deborah Hurst, Associate Dean for the Faculty of
Business and Program Director of the Executive MBA. "Significant
management experience is what we’re looking for and we also focus on ensuring
our students are at a stage in their careers where they can truly apply what
they are doing back to their own workplaces. We don’ t just want student s to
learn the theory of leadership; we want them to be leading teams and
organizations as they learn. The GMAT™ can be a good indicator of a student’s
ability to learn at a master’s level, but it ’s not a solid indicator for these
other experiences.”
Alternative testing
At one of the top
business schools in the world, the GMAT™ has been replaced with an in-house
test. Candidates applying to INSEAD’s Executive MBA program no longer need to
present a GMAT™ score (although scores are still accepted), but rather the
results of the INSEAD EMBA test.
Offerend through testprep company Prep-Zone,
the test retains key elements from the GMAT's multiple-choice quantitative and
verbal sections while introducing a mini-case analysis delivered via a
30-minute presentation. Prep-Zone co-founder and INSEAD alum MÃcheál Collins
says the test was designed to better align with the skills needed of the
business school’s EMBA program. “We realized that to properly gauge the
preparedness of a candidate, their sense of business should be tested as well
as their cognitive st rengths. Hence we added the case presentation to the test
and removed the essay writing part,” he explains. The INSEAD EMBA test is
administered regularly on each campus and is combined with a panel interview.
Source: TopMBA
Tuesday 9 July 2013
Saturday 15 June 2013
Friday 14 June 2013
GRE Study Plan
GRE preparation Plan
First step – GRE mock on Powerprep www.gre.org
To gauge your strengths and weakness , Next
Register for the test, you will get a free copy of the Official Guide
Complete this book to get a good hold on concepts for the GRE test
Move to GRE Guide for practice questions in different sections, if you cannot crack these go back to concepts,http://www.greguide.com/gre-
Once you are confident , the move on to full length tests from GREGUIDE.com and http://www.majortests.com/gre/
Another good resource which has 4 full length tests:
The key here is to have a proper schedule in place based on your strengths and weaknesses .
Dedicate about 2-3 hours per day for GRE study for the next 3 months , you would be geared enough for a high score, a competitive score for most engineers is 320/340.
Ideal time to take the test is by August /September 2013 for Fall 2014 intake.
Wednesday 12 June 2013
Critical Reasoning Questions – Not Settling for Second Best!
Critical Reasoning Questions are all about distractions. One is
supposed to not only trace the logic behind the task but also to see through
the author’s sneaky plan of leading the great minds struggling with the GMAT
astray. Therefore, cracking a Critical Reasoning question can resemble an
attempt to go through King Minos’ labyrinth with the difference being that
those scoring well on the GMAT are equipped with USEFUL techniques and
strategies instead of Ariadne’s thread.
A typical CR question
may have from one to three answer choices going beyond the question’s scope and
their elimination can be a matter of seconds. However, having eliminated the
obvious we find ourselves with that uncomfortable problem of having to choose
between seemingly tasty alternatives. The dilemma is made even more frustrating
with the realization that such choices make or break our GMAT scores!
To survive in this
hostile environment it is crucial to know your enemy – to understand how
distractors work. They are commonly referred to as trap-answer choices and
their elimination is never automatic; a good distractor seems plausible in some
way. The question structure also renders more than one answer appealing.
Consider this question:
Two farmers, who never
left their farms their whole lives, were looking at their dogs and observed
that all their border collies were black and white. The border collies were the
only things that the farmers ever saw as a mix of black and white. Farmer Gil
luckily but correctly observed that if something is a border collie then it
must be black and white. Farmer Geva then remarked that if something is not
black and white, then it is not a border collie.
The argument is flawed
primarily because Farmer Geva:
A. fails to realize that there are other dog breeds apart from border collies
B. fails to realize that being black and white is a necessary but insufficient condition to be called a border collie
C. lacks sufficient information on which to base the condition for being a border collie
D. only observes one type of phenomenon – border collies and their color
E. demonstrates only limited knowledge about the world outside
A. fails to realize that there are other dog breeds apart from border collies
B. fails to realize that being black and white is a necessary but insufficient condition to be called a border collie
C. lacks sufficient information on which to base the condition for being a border collie
D. only observes one type of phenomenon – border collies and their color
E. demonstrates only limited knowledge about the world outside
Before approaching
this question, we need to determine its type. The question stem tells us that
this is an Argument Flaw question; what is the inherent flaw in the argument’s
conclusion or its underlying assumption?
In this argument, the
first three sentences are the premises, citing facts. Sentence 4 is
the conclusion, as it demonstrates an opinion based on the premises:
Premise
A: Two farmers,
who had never left their farms, saw that their border collies were black and
white.
+
Premise B: Both farmers had never seen other things that were black and white apart from the dogs.
+
Premise C: Farmer Gil: all border collies must be black and white.
≠
Conclusion: If something is not black and white, it is not a border collie.
+
Premise B: Both farmers had never seen other things that were black and white apart from the dogs.
+
Premise C: Farmer Gil: all border collies must be black and white.
≠
Conclusion: If something is not black and white, it is not a border collie.
Fairly easily, we can
eliminate answers A, D and E.
Answer A is incorrect
because it assumes too much – that Farmer Geva is unaware of other breeds. Even
if this were true, would this make the argument stronger? Is this really the
flaw? Not really, as the argument only needs to deal with one dog breed.
Alternatively, choice
D criticizes the argument for considering only one phenomenon. However, this is
not a flaw as the argument only deals with one type.
Finally, answer E can
also be easily rejected. It mirrors what the premises already state –
that they had never left their farms and knew no other dog types
except border collies; therefore, this answer choice does not illustrate the
flaw.
It is clear that the
toss-up will be between B and C: both answer choices relate to the scope we
defined. Then which is the best answer choice? Which is the correct answer
choice and which is the nasty distractor?
At this point we must
pause and compare the two answer choices more carefully:
(B) fails to realize
that being black and white is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to be
called a border collie
(C) lacks sufficient
information on which to base the condition for being a border collie
The two statements
seem similar, but there are microscopic differences. According to answer B,
going on the information of Farmer Gil that all border collies are black and
white, Farmer Geva supposes that this is enough for a border collie to be
called as such, wrongly assuming that only color delineates what a border
collie is, whereas there may be other conditions which make border collies what
they are.
Answer C, on the other
hand, suggests that Farmer Geva lacks sufficient information to be able to define
what a border collie is. Clearly this is not the case –
the premises state that Farmer Gil correctly points out that all
border collies are black and white and also, as one of the conditions for being
a border collie (i.e. being black and white) is a premise, then such
factual data is considered correct.
Once we isolate this
difference, it becomes easier to judge which answer choice is best: Answer
C makes a claim that contradicts the premises, whereas answer B correctly
indicates a flaw in Farmer Geva’s reasoning.
The
correct answer choice is B.
Take home lesson
Remember that GMAT
questions often yield to the scheme of 3 + 1 + 1. Three relatively easy
eliminations, a distractor and a correct answer choice. Find the three quickly,
and then pause for a microscopic look at the last two. Do your best to choose
the best, and not the second best answer choice.
Source: BeattheGMAT
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Friday 3 May 2013
Excerpts:2013 Visa Interview Mumbai Counsellate
Name: Nazm Bilochpura
Degree: Chartered
Accountancy, Bachelors in Computer Applications
Work Exp/Company Name: 2 years work ex. Companies :- Lancers Army Schools Trust, Estrela hotels and resorts
GRE/GMAT & TOEFL /IELTS scores : GMAT - 680, Toefl- 103
Program Applied to : MBA
Universities applied to : Babson, Oxford, will apply to LBS
COUNTRIES: USA, UK
Admits /Interview Calls received so far (specify names)- Babson, Oxford
Scholarships if any USD : $15,000
Work Exp/Company Name: 2 years work ex. Companies :- Lancers Army Schools Trust, Estrela hotels and resorts
GRE/GMAT & TOEFL /IELTS scores : GMAT - 680, Toefl- 103
Program Applied to : MBA
Universities applied to : Babson, Oxford, will apply to LBS
COUNTRIES: USA, UK
Admits /Interview Calls received so far (specify names)- Babson, Oxford
Scholarships if any USD : $15,000
Interviewer - Goodmorning ! Give me your I-20 and passport.
Me - Goodmorning Sir (Remember to wish cheerfully and confidently)
Interviewer - So going to Babson eh ? Which course are you going to do there?
Me - Yes. I'm going for my Masters in Business & Management
Interviewer - Ok, and what have you done in your education ?
Me - I'm a CA, and have also done my Bachelors in Computer Applications
Interviewer - When did you finish your last degree ?
Me - By Jan 2012
Interviewer - What did you do after that ?
Me - I was working in my family business, etc.... (I described my work)
Interviewer - And what was your salary there?
Me - My reply. ( I mentioned current salary only)
Interviewer - Good. So Who's going to pay for your education?
Me - My employers are sponsoring me. I work for my family owned partnership firm, so they are taking care of my expenses.
Interviewer - What is your firm's Turnover ? or its profits.
Me - T.O this year has been ........, and profits have been.......... I have their latest ITRs with me. (but he didn't check them)
Interviewer - and what are your parents' share of profits from the firm
Me - (I fumbled here.... But gave an honest answer). Umm, my dad's share is XYZ I'm not very sure of my mother's share.Basically,the firmt's paying, with support from my Dad.
Interviewer - Hmm... and where else did you apply for admission ? and what happened there?
Me - Oxford and LBS. I got through Oxford, but things didn't materialize. Haven't heard from LBS so far. So I decided to go in for Babson. I'm getting a scholarship from Babson, so thats contributed to my decision
Interviewer - Great. So now, You can collect your passport.
Me - Collect my passport ? Now? (They said that to my Brother last time when his visa got rejected. They return passports immediately then !)
Interviewer - (Smiles) Collect it after 4-5 days. Your visa's been approved :)
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