Importance of SOP in the admission process for US universities

So you have cleared your GRE/GMAT with stellar scores. What next? Is the question, which almost all applicants are pondering on.

SOP i.e. statement of Purpose is your one shot opportunity to convey the admission committee about your fit with the MS/MBA program. The SOP basically talks about your background, academic achievements, under graduation courses and how these factors have prepared you better for higher studies in US universities. An effective SOP should cogently convey the intent behind the MS/MBA program choices.

Standardized scores such as GRE/GMAT are just one parameter in application process, albeit very pivotal but are not the only determinants in final decision. What we say at Skill Maestro is clearing GRE/GMAT is half battle won and the other half is dependent on overall profile and SOP of a candidate. Importance of SOP cannot be negated in lieu of good scores and academics. At Skill Maestro, we have helped hundreds of students to get into top ranked US universities in spite of low scores in standardized test. Is that a magic wand? Answer is NO. It is pristine art of beautifully drafted SOP that coherently captures the rationale of pursuing higher studies. Every candidate has a unique story about his academic achievements, extracurricular activities, family upbringing, future goals and struggles in life. Admission committee is all ears about unique stories of candidates which gives them a distinct perspective about candidate’s potential. At Skill Maestro, we make it a point to craft unique SOPs which has essence of each of the above mentioned factors.

Plagiarized SOPs, what consultants won’t tell you:

Majority of admission committee across several universities are using plagiarism check software such as Turnitin.com to make sure that SOPs are not copy pasted from other sources. The biggest damage somebody could do to hurt his admit chances would be to use other candidate’s SOP therefore, at Skill Maestro, we highly recommend students to come up with unique plagiarism free SOP. We have broadly defined the major Do’s and Don’ts for SOP which will help all aspiring candidates to convey a unique story beautifully.

Dos

• ·    Be specific and don’t use generalized statement to put forth the ideas. Use examples and instances to bolster your claims. Don’t simply write that pursuing MIS will help me attune to global needs and become CIO of a company. Be specific and realistic about how some particular coursework can fill in the skill gap. We have seen several rejected candidates using flowery language without an iota of relevance in SOPs. Refrain from this.
•          Introspect yourself and brainstorm with your friends and professors to include:

1. A summary of your accomplishments first
2. Background information--people and events that influenced your decision
3. Learning experience(s) that serve as a foundation for your choice of career
4. Where you picked up first-hand information/experience about the field
5. Your own appraisal of yourself (strengths, weaknesses, uniqueness)

• Let your personality and individuality show. Give insight about your hopes, goals, motivations, and dedication. Be interesting and unique. Do not be afraid to let your passion and commitment to a career shine through. 
• Keep a journal of your work and volunteer experience.
• Get an early start. This cannot be stressed enough.
• Be honest, consistent and straightforward.
• Schools prefer unique essays, so avoid copying any others.

Don't

• Don’t underestimate the importance of the essay (a very common mistake).
• Don’t underestimate the length of time it will take to write your statement.
• Don’t list everything you have ever done. There is usually a place on the application to list your activities.
• Avoid giving unnecessary details. The statement should read smoothly.
• Don’t mention your interest for one particular school in a general application that is being sent to many schools, and vice versa.

For free SOP evaluation, please send us your SOP on skillmaestro.in@gmail.com

To inquire about SOP packages call us on +919827777288, visit us on our facebook page

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GRE Workshop - July 2014

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GRE Practice Tests: A Tactical Approach

One of the most enticing aspects of taking practice tests for GREs is that they make you feel productive. They seem like they provide you an edge on “the real thing”. On top of that there’s always that secret anticipation that this time you’ll hit it out of the park and you can eventually stop cramming.

At SkillMaestro; we love the idea of taking a lot of practice tests. I love them as an instructor, as they assist me evaluate my students’ progress. And I am pretty sure our students love them too, because it helps them assess where they stand. We emphasize more and more on taking these tests productively.

However, many a times, I have seen students taking the practice tests in ways that are totally unproductive. Since your time is invaluable and you want to achieve the best possible results for whatever limited time you have to invest, I’d like to provide my $0.02 on using practice tests effectively.

Take a mock test before starting your preparation.

The first practice test which you should take is right before you start your preparation.  This is the most efficient and an insanely valuable task, which needs to be taken care of.  Apparently it’s the one test; students are most likely to skip. Most of the students avoid the practice test at the beginning of a test preparation because they are afraid of what the results will be (thinking that they haven’t prepared at all). Many other times, they know the result won’t be worthy enough for their school of choice, thereby taking the test pointless. I have also often heard my students saying that they don’t want to squander one of their practice tests until they have started studying in a serious manner.

I am very confident saying that, without any exception, these are all wrong reasons to miss the first practice test. It is very important to exactly know where you’re starting so that you can draw a clear roadmap for the kind of preparation you need to work on. Taking a practice test at the start of your preparation will provide you a starting point from which to measure your growth and a vital exposure to GRE to prepare a study plan for studying.

Take tests in a proper simulated environment

One of the major complaint I have heard from students is “I used to get XYZ on my practice tests, but…”. This implies that you have not utilized your practice tests as efficiently as you could have. Some of the DOS & DONTS you need to keep in mind while taking the practice tests:

DOs

·         Always take a TIMED practice test.

·         Always try to take it in a time slot when you are actually planning to take the real test

·         Always use authentic tests from reputable sources

·         Always take full test and not avoid the AWA section

DONTs

·         Don’t take an unusually long break in between your practice test or pause it many times.

·         Don’t take it when you are expecting a lot of interrupting phone calls, or you have a laptop that’s going to crash.

·         Don’t take it when you’re tired, or hung over, or sick or after a hectic day.

You get the notion? You would want to minimize any external mitigating environments that can possibly explain why your practice test score is lower or higher than it should be on the real test. I can understand that it is very difficult to avoid all interruptions during a practice test but you need to make your best efforts to make sure that the practice test reflects a true assessment of your abilities.  In order to make sure that you get the most out of a practice test, it needs to be in a perfectly simulated testing environment, which is the whole point of taking a practice test in the first place.

One of the most important things to remember is that practice tests are NOT learning tools but evaluation tools and should be used as such. Tests should be utilized to assess what you have learned and your capability to apply that learning under simulated conditions similar to the actual test as much as possible. In the broader perspective of your test preparation, you should take a practice test at the very beginning of your study preparations to establish it as a baseline and determine your strength and weakness areas. After that, it is advisable to wait for another practice test until you’ve had a chance to review some content and have taken some shorter tests focused on individual particular areas. Once you’ve gotten a sizable chunk of material and practice behind you, you should start including full-length practice tests into your study plan.

To summarize, here are three valid reasons to take a practice test:

·         To measure what you currently know

·         To practice your test-taking strategies (which also includes pacing your test and sometimes intelligent guessing)

·         To identify your weaknesses & key areas to study going forward.

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A walk-through: US MBA application process

Every year thousands of candidates from India apply to US B-Schools. These candidates are usually apprehensive about the admission process. One faces several questions before starting his application journey. This walkthrough will help candidates to understand and prepare themselves better for their B-School process.

The application process to a B-school is administered by the admissions committee (Ad Com). The committee consists of faculty members, industry practitioners, program Director and its composition varies with each school. A senior professor usually heads the chair of this committee. This blog gives an insight to step by step process of how application is reviewed by Ad Com.

The Arrival

Once the candidate’s application is received by B-School, it is usually sent to admission office and is checked by someone in operations. It is very important to ensure that all required documents are present in application packet. If something is missing (a transcript, GMAT score, essay, etc.), then the application is put on hold. Our advice is to triple check your application before submitting it. If you forget to include something, your application might not be looked at for several weeks by an admissions committee member. You’ll end up going back and forth with someone from operations for several days. It’s not a good first impression.

First Review

If all the information is in place, the application is independently reviewed by two members of the admissions committee. The goal is to get two separate, objective opinions on the strength of the application. Each reviewer fills out a one page summary form. The form has 5 parts: Grades, Essays, GMAT, Work Experience and References.

If you are applying to a top 10 MBA school, you should aim for a GMAT score of at least 700. With over 100,000 people applying to the top 10 MBA programs, it’s important to aim high. If a candidate has a score under 700, most committee’s look further into the application to see if the candidate took the GMAT at least twice. If you got a score below 700, take the GMAT again. Even if you don’t break 700 the second time around, it at least gives the committee a more favorable opinion of your determination. This is why we tell people to take the GMAT at least a year before you plan to apply. It gives you enough time to prepare and get a good score. If you don’t get a good score, you have a lot of time to try again.

While the GMAT score is a standardized way to compare different applicants, the admissions committee takes multiple factors into consideration when looking at your undergraduate grades. A 3.5 GPA in Engineering from IIT is quite different from a 3.5 in Economics from a State University. The better the school, the harder the major, and the higher the grades, the greater ranking you’ll be given by a reviewer.

Now, if you had bad grades in school, not all is lost. Many times candidates with poor undergraduate grades are admitted if they have shown significant accomplishments after school. However, it takes time to rack up these accomplishments. Most people accepted with poor undergraduate grades were older and had a few more years of work experience and proven leadership qualities.

Essays

The third part of the review is your essays. We would say that the essays are the most important part of the application. Admission committee essays on how clear you are about your goals, ambitions, and dreams. Most importantly, they want to know you as the person. Ad com wants to understand what things in your life have bought you to this point and what you plan to do with your MBA.

Regardless of the essay questions, your goal is to give the committee a good sense of where you came from, why you want an MBA, and how you will leverage that degree in pursuit of your future aspirations. The biggest mistake I see applicants make in the essays is to focus too much on work accomplishments. Especially amongst bankers and consultants. Over 25,000 bankers and consultants apply to MBA programs each year. If you want to separate yourself from the pack, don’t waste the essays on work topics.

Your essays should be genuine, honest and of your own voice. Many times, we have seen candidates that had below average grades and GMAT scores. However, the essays were so compelling that we just wanted to meet the applicant in person, and therefore moved the application to the interview stage. For example, one applicant had below average grades as an undergraduate, but she wrote a convincing essay on the various issues she was dealing with at that time. We were so impressed that we started to look at the fact that she was able to graduate with all those issues in her life as an achievement itself.

Work Experience

Work experience is a must for admission to a top MBA program. Only a very select few people go directly from undergrad to MBA. The average length of work experience is four years. For a while, some schools starting to consider five years of work experience the average. However, corporate recruiters complained to MBA programs that they did not want MBA graduates to be too old when they re-entered the work force.

The most important thing the committee wants to see in your work experience is how you have progressed within your field. Were you were promoted more often, and given more leadership responsibility than your peers? While many bankers and consultants apply for MBA programs, it is actually quite hard to get into one of the top MBA programs from these fields. With so many applicants within the same field, it’s tough for a candidate to separate themselves from the pack.

This is one of those times where working in a non- traditional field is an asset. Every MBA program wants a diverse class. The more unique your work experience, the better shot you have of getting accepted.

Letters of Recommendation

The final part of the first review is your reference letters. Many times, people get recommendations from people they think would impress the committee. We have gotten recommendations from senators, CEOs, and world leaders. Unless the applicant worked directly for the recommender, these letters of reference are usually very vague and un-insightful. It’s better to get a reference from someone who has had direct supervision responsibility over you and can talk about your accomplishments with firsthand knowledge.

Skill Maestro offers comprehensive test preparation and study abroad counseling to students aspiring to go abroad for further studies. Skill Maestro trains for international tests like GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL & IELTS required for study abroad. Our counselors and faculty believes in customized coaching for each candidate based on their requirement for the tests. The classes are conducted in various batches as per the convenience of the students.

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Case study of an IVY League MBA candidate (TRUE STORY)

Ankit Sethi, while studying for his GRE|GMAT and other standardized tests, felt the quality of instructors he met was not very good — many of them haven’t even taken the tests or applied to universities. He couldn’t find a counselor with the right credentials — someone who had attended a university abroad or understood what makes a great application. Frustrated over vague promises of GMAT consultants/ Trainers, Ankit gave up his dream of pursuing MBA from an Ivy League.

Luckily, few months later, he got in touch with a Skill Maestro trainer (700+ GMAT Scorer). The trainer’s experience and exposure of US MBA helped him to regain the self-confidence. Within short span of GMAT training at Skill Maestro, Ankit scored 720 in GMAT. Skill Maestro’s expert consultants helped him in drafting exemplary B-school application and finally the ecstatic moment arrived when Ankit got an interview call from an Ivy League.

Ankit’s persistence coupled with Skill Maestro’s personalized efforts helped him to secure an admission in Ivy League. A Triumphant Skill Maestorite, Ankit is a proud member of our fraternity.

What makes us distinct?

Skill Maestro has been very active on researching the admission requirements of various top colleges. We invest our time in understanding insider’s perspective of life at a top tier institution and also assess the application criterion.

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12 Winning Strategies for GRE Quant Section

GRE Quant Section can seem too simple for some of us to pay it the required attention at a first glance. But the fact is that the split score matters a lot and a minimum of 160 (as per the new pattern) is a ‘MUST’ for engineering students, who are familiar with most of the topics.

So, apart from engineering students to take it not lightly, the other students need to make extra efforts and solve as many questions as they can.

Solve some notes from a renowned author, or practice our Skill Maestro GRE Quant wizardNotes as and when you get time during your preparation.

Winning GRE Math strategies to keep in mind while solving the Quant section:

• Keep in mind that the GRE Math section questions are not designed to test your ability to carry out lengthy calculations but to test your number sense and logic skills.
• Almost all GRE Math questions can be solved using more than one approach.
• Plan to spend no more than 2 minutes per question. Each Quantitative section has approx. 20 questions and you are given 35 minutes in which to complete them. Some questions you will be able to solve in 1 minute, and some will take 2. If you’ve already spent more than 2 minutes on a question, you should make an intelligent guess and move on.
• Always look at the choices before solving the question
  • If there’s a huge difference among the choices then estimating the answers makes sense
  • If the difference is small then:
    1. look for an alternate approach
    2. lengthy calculations can, at times, be a possibility
• Substitution is a very useful technique for solving GRE math problems. It often reduces hard problems to routine ones. In this method, we choose numbers that have the properties given in the problem and plug them into the answer-choices.
• Analyze tables & graphs thoroughly. For Data Interpretation questions don’t straightaway go to the problems. Read the titles, labels, units, and take a look at the general trends of the data beforehand. How do the variables interact with one another? What general conclusions can be drawn about the presented information? You’ll know exactly where to find the correct answer if you already fully grasp the data.
• Remember to approximate/estimate or intelligent guess, wherever possible.
• Try to eliminate as many choices as possible
• Another habit that may be inculcated in you from your math background is to “get the right answer by solving all the problems completely”. But the question is if this is the right approach? Well, yes and no: yes in Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, but no in Quantitative Comparison questions where your job is not necessarily to solve the problems but rather to learn enough about quantities A and B to compare them. So especially in QCs—but also in the other question types approximating values may save time.
• GRE is a selection-level adaptive test, which means that your performance in the first math section will decide the difficulty level of the next math section. In order to get a difficult next section (which you must try to, in order to get high score), you must work quickly to answer all or nearly all questions with as much accuracy as possible.
• GRE has no negative marking or penalty on guess work so there’s no point in leaving a question unanswered. You can either save last thirty seconds for randomly guessing the answers for the remaining questions or using the ‘mark’ feature you can flag questions for review and pick a random answer anyway – just in case you do not get time to come back.
• Avoid Making Silly Mistakes: Considering the pressure; the timing restrictions on the exam, it is possible to select wrong answers for questions a candidate knows very well. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To avoid careless mistakes, follow these tips:
  • Slow down: Although rushing may allow you to answer more questions, a multitude of wrong answers, could be deleterious for your GRE score. Think through the questions before jumping in to solve them. Taking the necessary time to select the proper approach will help you get off on the right foot before investing your time in a wrong direction.
  • Read the question carefully: The test makers often have a knack for asking regular questions with a little twist. Make sure that you answer the question asked rather than the question you think they might ask. If possible, reread the question one last time before making your final selection to make sure you’re giving them what they want.
  
  
  Skill Maestro offers comprehensive test preparation and study abroad counseling to students aspiring to go abroad for further studies. Skill Maestro trains for international tests like GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL & IELTS required for study abroad. Our counselors and faculty believes in customized coaching for each candidate based on their requirement for the tests. The classes are conducted in various batches as per the convenience of the students.

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