Prepare application

Though how to finance expenses for studying at business school is yet cleared, I've decided to prepare applications so that I don't miss the deadline to submit application documents to schools I am thinking of applying for. It is highly likely that I would fall short of time to prepare myself if I were to wait until the time when all issues are solved. In order to avoid such a situation, I think it's time to get started.

As I wrote in my blog several times, schools in my mind now are INSEAD and Columbia Business School, both that have programs that start from January. A senior manager from my company who now studies at INSEAD told me that other European schools could be options as he knew people who went to those schools because of relatively low tuition etc. However, I found that among Japanese those who were admitted by those schoold didn't show high profile in GMAT and TOEFL. As these are only indicators by which I can gauge how caliber students, I decided to focus on the two schools whose GMAT average is 700+ and TOEFL minimum or average is 105+. Although there are people who say that GMAT and TOEFL are just part of quality of student, not showing everything about student, given the time I invested to study both tests until I got my highest score, what's problem if I choose the schools whose academic requirements are higher? Anyway, this is one of the reasons I decided the two schools, though.

As to recommendation letters, I am thinking of whom I should ask to write them. It must be better that I ask somebody who can backup my career development in the current company and my international background as these two elements are to be covered in essays. But a problem is that those who know me better are not necessarily people at the management level of my company.... I asked the senior manager who he had asked for recommendation letters and told him whom I was supposed to ask. According to him, I should ask people like senior executives as it will be more sound and appealing to admission offices by letters from that level of people than by level of people whose position name is same as mine. I have one person in my mind who knows my plan to go to business school and now I am thinking of asking him. I am not sure he accepts it or not, but it deserves asking.

As many MBA holders says, preparing essays is the most time consuming part of processes and definitely one we applicant must spare the highest portion of time for them. Until the deadline of INSEAD 2nd round, I have more than 3 months but I try to think that there are only 3 months.