Preface

In 2005, when we embarked on the journey of putting this book together, we had the simple aim of sharing our experiences with others, telling them our story and showing that a top business school is within reach, if the approach is planned well. We explained the process in detail, the way we saw it. And we were happy to be of some help to fellow applicants.

We are glad that our book came out just at a time when the tide was turning. There has been an unprecedented surge in applications from India and the number of admissions to the top business schools has increased like never before in the last 2 years. People of Indian origin now account for 5 to 15 per cent of the total intake at the top 5 business schools of the world. Of course, we were not the cause of this upsurge, but we surely happened to be a part of this. And we would like to remain a part of this trend by helping more aspirants achieve their dream of studying at a top business school through this book.

This new and updated edition strives to emphasize that there is no one answer to the question: How to break the MBA admissions barrier and make it to the world's best business schools? It tries to show this through additional essays from successful applicants in the current classes at business schools like Harvard, Wharton, Michigan (Ross) and so on. This book also stresses on the belief that you can strengthen your profile and overcome your weaknesses if you plan well and execute them with sincerity. It points to the fact that one can still make it against all odds, by being spectacular in at least one part of the overall requirements, be it academics, community activities or work experience. There is no substitute for the quality of time and effort in putting together all the pieces required for a successful application. Finally, it is all about a belief in yourself and your ambition to get there. We would only like to emphasize that every situation is unique and there is no right answer, just the right approach.

We got great feedback on the first edition from both current and future applicants. This has helped us a great deal in improving this edition. We hope to get the same response this time as well. We would like to engage with you, the readers, as much as possible, and would try and incorporate your feedback and suggested changes towards making the future editions more enriching and helpful. You can write to us at [email protected]

We wish all of you great success in your endeavours, and hope that you make it to one of the top business schools and make us proud. And when you do, write to us and let us know; we would love to hear from you.

Mohit Jain
M. Harindran