MBA Couple Application: We got into ISB and rejected the admit because…

We have helped many couples apply to MBA programs – husband-wife, girlfriend-boyfriend, just-friends-for-now and other variations. Some have got into different business schools, while others got into the same class.

When applying independently is so difficult to begin with, one can imagine how much more complicated it gets while applying to MBA programs as a couple.

Pros and cons of applying to MBA programs as a couple

Here are some pros, cons and challenges to be aware of if you’re planning to apply to business schools as a couple.

Pros

1. Learn and grow together:

   This is the obvious one. Applying and getting into same schools will enable couples to spend more time together not only personally but also to help each other learn and grow e.g. both can leverage each other network to find suitable jobs and internships.

2. Cost advantage:

   If you are applying to US or European b-schools like the couple below, there are significant cost advantages in terms of sharing accommodation, and other household and common costs.

3. Bargaining power:

   Lower ranked b-schools more so but some higher ranked b-schools may also be open to admitting the partner if you have gotten in and they are convinced of the other partner’s candidature.

Cons

1. Compromised aspirations:

   For one partner, choosing to stay together may mean that they will need to compromise on the choice of school and hence their aspirations.

2. Performance comparisons:

   We have seen that in some cases, the academic performance of the partners leads them to have personal issues as it leads to egoistic comparisons and related issues.

Anuj and Ekta’s story is interesting. Though they applied together, only Anuj worked with us and Ekta didn’t (due to financial constraints). But she was able to reap the benefits of the application knowledge Anuj gained while working with us.

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MBA Couple Application Journey

by Anuj Yadav

You can call me an automotive enthusiast from the Indian Telecom sector. Since childhood, I have always been fascinated by fast cars. What started as minor upgrades in my car- Suzuki Ritz, soon metamorphosed in my passion for performance Motorsports and Engineering.

Since then, there was no looking back. I have been racing and building race cars for over a decade. I am a proud owner of “Angry Panda” – my first project race car.

Along with Angry Panda, I too got stronger, powerful, and swifter. She taught me to never give up even during the worst times. We shared many injuries together – blown gaskets, broken axles, bent knuckles.

Angry Panda coughed, hacked, and sputtered, but I didn’t give up.

At college, I went into depths of mechanics and designing. I led teams of SAE BAJA 2016 and 2017, International Go-Karting as vehicle dynamics head and captain.

Every time when I am at track, I am stretching myself pushing my limit.

Joining the Telecom Industry was a happy accident. I joined as Project Delivery Manager at Reliance Communications Limited and later transitioned in Customer Account Management role.

My brief career of 4.5 years at Reliance came with a fair number of challenges. Soon after I started my career, my company faced a dual crisis – bankruptcy and covid pandemic.

Despite the chaos, I behaved like an ocean, calm outside and hiding the turbulence inside. I had delivered results in intensive pressure and using limited resources and managed to retain my clients.

The experience on one side helped me develop strong project management and customer success skills, while on the other hand familiarized me with my shortcomings.

I embarked on my journey to an MBA in 2021 to develop business management, strategic thinking, and leadership skills.

My partner, Ekta and I wanted an MBA. The thought of international MBA never stayed for long because it would have needed 5x opportunity cost when compared with an Indian MBA.

We both applied to select Indian MBA programs and successfully secured admittance in one of the Tier 1 colleges in India – ISB.

However, fate had other plans. Something about an international MBA kept pulling at us. Ekta and I gave our first attempt of GMAT in May 2022 and got a modest 690 and 660 respectively.

In search of someone who can guide us to make a decision we came across MCB and connected with Manish. His advice on our profiles helped us paint a very clear picture of our direction and future.

We withdrew from the Indian MBA program and thus began our international MBA journey.

It was clear that an international MBA will be worth every penny but will not be a bed of roses, as it will bring a fair share of challenges – professional, personal and even cultural.

Coming from an overrepresented Indian male engineer pool, I needed to improve my GMAT. Secondly, Ekta and I wanted to go to the same school, however our different career goals and fields of interests made it extremely challenging to select the right fit schools.

Approaching the very PM way, I used a weird approach to research and shortlist preferred schools – a weighted scoring in MS-Excel based on various important criteria’s: Employment stats, average GMAT, class size, class profile, target companies etc. We even considered climate and geographical location.

Setting our priorities straight, we focused on GMAT and simultaneously doing research on B-schools. After 2+ months we managed to score 700+ (710, 720).

By the time we had our scores, R1 deadlines were a week away.

We decided to apply to 6 schools on our own with little help from friends and family. Ekta got acceptance from 3 schools. I failed miserably. Clearly something went wrong with my applications and I had no clue what that could be.

R2 deadlines were just a month away. My strategy was to apply to additional 6 schools in R2. I decided to seek professional help this time on the 3 most challenging ones.

After interacting with many consultants, I could not find a better option than MCB. I preferred quality over quantity.

Initially, I signed for 3 school package, however later I upgraded to 5 school package. I am glad Manish connected me with Vibhav Agrawal. What I like about Vibhav is that he is 100% honest in his feedback and never sugarcoats anything.

In our initial few brainstorming calls my story took a sharp turn. He helped me self-reflect on my strengths and weaknesses. In a few days, I was much more aware of myself. His advice gave me conviction in my goals.

There comes the ‘aha’ moments the way we tackled essays. It felt like preparing a perfectly balanced and seasoned dish for Adcoms to taste. The key is to serve them what they want, and not what you want.

Vibhav kept pushing me to develop that consciousness. In a few days I could see my essay drafts getting better and better.

I also cannot thank much for the expert advice from Maitabi when it comes to writing some creative essay prompts.

I enjoyed working with Vibhav and Maitabi, and I wanted to add 2 more schools. It feels empowering when your consultant is as committed as you and decides to give extra effort. We managed to complete 3 schools in 3 weeks, giving bandwidth for 2 more schools.

This time I was confident with my essays, story and goals. I got interview invites from all schools that I applied to. I signed up for an interview package with Vibhav and Maitabi. The mock interviews helped boost my confidence and communicate my story in a more structured way.

Most of my interviews were taken by Adcom or current students and lasted 40 mins on average. The questions were mostly behavioral and work related.

The interviewer will try to make you feel comfortable and interactive. Having a good ice-breaker in the start and 2-3 good questions to ask at the end would be great.

21st March 2023, 7:39 pm IST phone rang from Washington DC. I was informed that I have been accepted into McDonough School of Business.

We hit a jackpot when Ekta also received the acceptance call. We were speechless with tears pouring down. We both got into Georgetown University.

Due to financial constraints, Ekta did not opt for a consultant. However, I was sharing every bit of knowledge and guidance I was getting with her. R2 for me was a success 6/6 interview invites, 1 accepted, 4 waitlisted.

Apart from the expert guidance and support I received from MCB, I believe what contributed most to my success are my credentials from Telecom Industry and my extracurricular from Motorsports.

My advice for prospective MBA candidates especially coming from Project Management background is to invest some time and get PMP certification. It will add credibility and will set you apart from the usual pool of PM’s.

Secondly, don’t be overambitious with your career goals. It is good to be pragmatic and have contingency plans. Thirdly, accept your failures and be hopeful that hard work will pay one day.

I was a little late in starting my application process. Had I had more time working on my essays, results could have been different in R1.

I suggest not to wait till the last crunch as every engineer is accustomed to.

Godspeed!

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Tips to apply as a couple

Interestingly, both Anuj and Ekta got Forté scholarships at Georgetown!

Dropping ISB doesn’t sting as much when you get financial aid from an international business school.

While they have shifted into top gear to experience life in the fast b-school lane, here are some pointers from MBA Crystal Ball while applying to MBA programs as a couple

1. 1. Start off with the end goals for each

This would mean narrowing down on the post-MBA industry, role and geography. This will help you figure out if you need to be in the same school, same city or even the same country.

1. 1. Fine-tune your career goals

This is an important task to prepare you for the next step further down in the process – selecting the right business schools.

1. 1. Figure out the financial impact of your plans

Are you in a position to embark on the MBA journey together, or would it be better to stagger your timelines?

1. 1. List out the risks and create a mitigation plan for each

The best-case situation is that both of you find your dream jobs, and live happily ever after. But what if you aren’t that lucky? Do you have enough savings to take you through the rough phase?

1. 1. Select the best schools for each partner

If your end goals (in step 1) were very similar to begin with, your target school list will have significant overlaps.

1. 1. Do not work on the applications as a team

It’s very tempting to do so, but keep in mind that you’re still individual applicants competing with other strong candidates (and possibly with your own partner) for a seat. So your application strategy has to be unique and personalised.

1. 1. Decide if you need an admissions consultant

Take the call based on how difficult you think it might be to get into your target programs, and the strength of your profile vis-a-vis other typical candidates applying to the same programs.

1. 1. Share your success story on MBA Crystal Ball

Enjoy the limelight you deserve for your smart application strategy and hard-work. It’s also a nice way to pay it forward and inspire others who hope to be in your shoes someday.

Read these interesting articles:
– How a married couple from India got into the same MBA in USA
– Experiences of husband & wife studying in the same UK business school
– Twin brothers get into the same MBA program