Business School Admission

The admission procedure into American business schools is a complex process which takes almost a year to complete. It is advised that the students interested in applying for their graduate or undergraduate program in American business school start their preparation at least a year ahead. The student should first and foremost select the Business schools that he wishes to apply. He should then check about the financial aids that are accessible in the schools he had chosen. Once the student has done the shortlisting, he should start the process of collecting contact details for those schools. These contact details will be useful for enquiry of application forms, fee structures, financial aids available, last date for submission of application form and other such information.

The student should start scheduling to enroll into all the mandatory admission tests such as TOEFL, SAT and ACT (in U.S. only) for an Undergraduate or Bachelor’s program. TOEFL, GRE and GMAT are the essential test to be taken for masters or doctoral program. Since these are regular tests they are conducted in centers around the world. The test results could be directly sent to the chosen Business schools through the agencies that the student enrolls into.

Business School – Application Packet

The next step would be the preparation of the application packet. This is nothing but a packet containing the

  • Filled in application
  • Letters of reference
  • Score results of GMAT
  • transcripts of all academic
  • transcripts of all extracurricular records
  • Statements of Purpose

The contents of the application packet may vary from one school to the other depending on its credentials.

GMAT scores

As said earlier, those appearing for the admission tests such as TOEFL, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT etc. through coaching centers can avail for the test results to be directly sent to the schools of their choice. Most of the schools prefer GMAT test to be taken by the student instead of any other test. Those preparing and appearing for these exams should remember to collect the score sheets and attach them to the application packet for submission to business schools.

Transcripts

The transcripts of the student are nothing but the academic credentials of the student with proper official evaluation record. The achievement certificates in both the extracurricular and co-curricular activities should be complied together and presented for submission in the application packet.

Recommendation letters

Letters of recommendation from teachers and professors who had trained the student are the most crucial of the other document in the application packet to a business school. The more impressive these recommendation letters are the more the student stands to gain in schools he is applying. Hence, it is vital that the students approach the instructors who knows them well and can produce a fair and impartial reference to their ability of pursuing advanced studies.

SOP

The other crucial document to be submitted in the business school application packet is the letter known as Statement of Purpose. This is nothing but a letter clearly indicating the purpose of the student for applying for admissionl. The Statement of Purpose (SOP) contains the academic and career goals and background information of the student. Presenting an impressive SOP can often compensate for normal academic records and modest scores of the student. By presenting a striking SOP even an average student could gain admission into a good business school and also find financial assistance.

Application Forms

The application forms usually ask for personal information of the student and the documents to be filed with it. Usually the documents requested are certified mark sheets or transcripts, the admission test scores, certificates of extra curricular activities, letters of reference from teachers, The SOP containing the education plan, i.e. the course of study, carrier goals and research plan and the reason for the choice of that particular school etc. The application fee is usually between $30 to $50 payable by check. This amount is not refundable under any circumstance.

Since most of the business schools begin their academic year during the months of August or September and end their sessions by the months of May or June, interested students should submit the application packet before the last dates for submission.

Letter of Acceptance

The student is duly informed by the admission office of the school where he/she has applied to, through an acceptance/rejection letter around the month of April or June. If the student is selected he will be requested to pay a deposit amount. It is usually the fee amount of one semester or a full year?s tuition fee for reserving seat, within a set time period.

Once the student receives his acceptance letter which could be from more than one Business school he should start on the next steps of preparation. In case of receiving acceptance letter from more than one institute the student can compare the

  • acceptance letters,
  • rankings of the schools,
  • scholarships

and make his decision based on these factors. Once the choice is made the student should inform the administration offices of his decision to facilitate the preparation for his visa. The student should not fail to inform the Institutes International Student Advisory (ISA) about their arrival plans.It is vital that the student applies and gets his passport as soon as he decides to take up his higher education at the American Business schools. Most admission test providers make it a rule for the student to show his passport to appear for the test.

Student Loans

Many options for educational loans are provided to students aspiring for higher education in international Business schools. The first criteria the student should remember  is to check the availability of loans pertaining to the students needs. The student should remember to take into consideration all the aspects such as travel expenses, tuition fees, books, boarding expenses and personal expenses while availing for the student loan. Determining the income in case the student plans to work or the financial help from parents, etc are also crucial points to consider before availing the loan. It helps to remember that the loan taken is not an expense but an investment on oneself. Research has proved that those with university degree have 80% chance of earning more than those with high school degree or diploma.