The experience of winning an MBA at a top school thanks to knowing how to 'promote yourself'

 The experience of winning an MBA at a top school thanks to knowing how to 'promote yourself'

To impress, Viet advises candidates to have a story that covers the entire application, with the aim of expressing themselves as clearly as possible.

Bui Duc Viet graduated in Business Administration from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland in 2018 and is currently working in Saigon. After a few years of working, the 26-year-old man applied for an MBA program (Master of Business Administration) in the US, currently passing three schools (top 50) with scholarships.

Viet said that an MBA application usually consists of four main parts: Resume, Essay, Recommendation Letter and standardized test scores. To make an impression, candidates should have a story that covers the entire resume, with the aim of promoting themselves as clearly as possible.

For the top 20 school groups, a good story is your difference from thousands of other candidates with high scores and beautiful records, helping you to be admitted and get a scholarship. Your story should be present and incorporated into all four elements of your resume.

Bui Duc Viet. Photo: NVCC

Bui Duc Viet. Photo: NVCC

Viet gave an example of a story "after completing your MBA, you open a company about product X". While the essay explains why you want to do so, the other three elements will provide evidence that you did it. In your resume, you include experiences, projects related to product X or the industry of product X.

"In your cover letter, ask the writer to highlight your experience and qualities related to entrepreneurship and leadership. In the exam scores, you can attach a self-study course or certificate to help you achieve it. the goal of opening a company," Viet said.

Candidates should not repeat an experience or experience in parts of the application. The admissions committee always wants to have an overview, there are many data points (data points) to evaluate you most accurately. Therefore, candidates should show them many sides of themselves instead of recounting one or two achievements that you are proud of.

According to Viet, the MBA profile is like a promotion campaign for the candidate. "No one is perfect, but there's also no company that advertises their bad points. If you feel your bad points are small and won't affect your profile, it's best not to mention them," Viet said. analysis.

The Hanoi guy suggests, if a bad score can hinder your application (eg no GMAT, low GMAT, low GPA...), you should cleverly present it so that it sounds like a score. strong.

For example, to give the admissions committee "more peace of mind" as to why you don't have the GMAT, you could state that, "instead of spending time studying for the GMAT, I give priority to knowledge and service experience. This knowledge also carries many of the same elements as a GMAT test, such as quantitative skills, problem-solving skills." Then, attach examples of courses or experiences that demonstrate these points.

Candidates should carefully read the instructions page on the admission process of the school. Many schools have articles and videos that share their advice and expectations of a successful candidate.

"Sometimes this is what you need to know. If you find these articles or videos, use it as a guide for your resume," Viet said.

Unlike many academically-heavy master's programs, MBA resumes often weigh more heavily than college GPA, extracurricular activities and equal GMAT scores on the application.

"To get the correct MBA Resume, you go to Google and type "MBA resume + name of the school you want to apply to" because almost every school has a curriculum to teach resume writing and somewhere on the net there will be one from the school for you. reference", Viet shared, saying that 80% of the webinar he participated in suggested that the resume should stop at one page.

Since it should only be on one page, your resume should be as informative as possible, keeping only elements relevant to your story or post-MBA goals. Going to wine tasting school or getting a part-time job as a bartender has little to do with your eventual desire to open a blockchain software company.

The higher the school ranks, the more important the Essay. When almost all the other applicants have GMAT 700+, GPA 3.6+, work experience in managing huge companies or million dollar startups, Essay is the only place you can show the school who you are and who you are. with the same case.

Essay writing is a time-consuming and labor-intensive job, from brainstorming ideas, drafts, real-time writing, proofreading, even rewriting when you don't feel good enough. Therefore, candidates need to start early to have as much time to refine their writing as possible.

After writing, have others read and state what you think is the right thing to do and to do. However, Viet noted, candidates should be consistent about their story. If you change your article too much for your readers, it's no longer your story.

"Authenticity (your own idea) is the number one factor that the admissions committee wants to see in every essay," Viet said.