[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]European MBA programs have been increasingly a top choice for employer-sponsored Asian MBA candidates, given their shorter duration (hence higher ROI for the employer), more flexible curriculum and more internationally diversified student body than their North American counterparts. INSEAD typically receives 15% sponsored students in a year, while this figure drops to below 5% at many top programs in the United States such as Harvard or Booth.
Tips for Sponsored Asian MBA Candidates Applying to European MBA Programs
Outside of the strategy consulting world where many firms sponsor their employees to go for full-time MBAs around the world, many large Asian companies, especially from Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, have a structured employee Asian MBA sponsorship program to develop their future leadership talent pipeline. Top European MBA programs such as INSEAD, London Business School and IESE receive a significant number of applications from sponsored candidates every year; often they could only pick the very best ones amongst applications received from the same company or country.
What does this mean if you have just been nominated by your company for MBA sponsorship with your eyes on top European MBAs?
A strong GMAT score alone is not going to set you apart. In my previous experience evaluating Japanese applicants for IESE’s MBA program, I have seen outstanding GMAT scores from applicants from the same company – often a result of excellent GMAT prep courses that the company asks every candidate to go through.
Here are 5 tips to help you magnify your chances for getting into top European MBA programs:
1) Develop a Compelling Story
Sponsored business students are typically viewed by schools as those with less career risk, but that does not mean you are coming to a full-time MBA for vacation and return to a predefined career path at your company. Your answers to ‘Why MBA’ and ‘Why now’ should connect your personal and professional development goals with your company’s organizational objectives, and illustrate how you’ll be making a difference at your company after getting an MBA at this particular school.
2) Demonstrate Strong Communication Skills
For many Asian students whose native language is not English, the ability to communicate fluidly and fluently in English weighs a lot in the MBA admissions process despite the fact that you might have a good TOEFL/IELTS and GMAT score. Some European schools have a case-based or group-based discussion in their interview process; do work on your public speaking and presentation skills in English if this has not been what you are used to in your professional or educational environment.
3) Highlight Cross-Cultural Leadership Experiences
Review your professional and extracurricular activities through a lens of cross-cultural impact. Have you had any overseas project experience at your company? Have you led, built or worked with a multicultural or cross-country team? All top European programs have more than 80% international students in any cohort, which implies that your cross-cultural leadership capabilities will be key to your success in the program. These schools select candidates who have demonstrated the potential to become senior leaders in a truly global context.
4) Visit the School and Show Your Passion
For sponsored candidates, adcom will want to understand your real motivation for applying to this school: Is it you yourself who are driving the decision on which schools you are applying to, or you are just following ‘orders’ or ‘customs’ at your company based on what others have chosen in the past. Find an opportunity to visit the school and connect directly with current students, faculty and adcom. Previously at IESE, I received quite a few Japanese candidates every year coming all the way from Tokyo to make a 1-day tour to our campus to connect with current students, faculty and adcom, and asking very relevant questions from the perspective of a sponsored candidate. For those who applied and made it to the end of the process, this definitely helped them stand out when adcom was able to directly reconnect their application with how we had already seen them earlier.
5) Find the Program that Best FITs Your Goals
European MBA programs do share many common traits which are quite different from their counterparts in the United States, but each program still has its own character that best fits a certain type of MBA student. For sponsored candidates from Asia, things to specifically look out for in your research process may include:
a) Resources related to a particular industry/geography that is of your career interest;
b) Career development options for sponsored students (a corporate internship might be a good opportunity for you to try something new, which can also help you to navigate through your next career steps after returning to your company);
c) Location, campus life & culture, support for business students with families;
d) Specific links between your employer and the school beyond sending students to attend the MBA program (research partnership, executive education client, etc.).
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