TotalGadha GMAT

This article is a continuation of my previous post ” What Everybody Ought To Know About Work Experience“. Here are two more important questions that might prove helpful to Business School applicants.

What is community service? What role does community service play in a B School Application? Is it mandatory to have community service experience?

Community service is a service that is performed for the benefit of the public or its institutions. A community service can be anything ranging from teaching poor kids in your area to helping out at a local library, spending time with elderly during your weekends, fund raising for local schools, delivering holiday packages for a prison family relief project, running in a charity race, participating in aids/ cancer awareness campaigns, organizing a drug free pledge campaign, volunteering for student council and school government committees; in short, anything that you care about and want to GET INVOLVED in. Community service is not something that you should do just because you want to get into a Business School but because you feel responsible enough to give back to the society. It is one of the most common lies that Business School applicants put in their applications but trust me, if you are not passionate about what you are doing, it is very likely that admissions committee would be able to see right through your facade. University of Nebraska- Lincoln has listed 366 Community Service ideas under the categories of General, Safety, Crime, Helping Animals, Senior Citizens, Environment, etc. See if you can find something in the list that interests you and you want to get particularly engaged in.

It is not mandatory to have a community service experience but it can definitely add a different dimension to the application. Business School look for candidates who are well rounded. For students who have not got chance to show their leadership/ managerial potential in other areas such as work or academics, getting involved in the community service and demonstrating your potential there can provide an edge. But if you are doing the community service just to check the boxes that yes, you have shown some altruism towards the society; it is pretty transparent to the admissions committee. Community service should reflect you as a person, your values, and your priorities. MBA programmes are student based programmes and Business Schools want candidates who can bring diversity to the campus and make the entire learning process exciting. You involvement and participation in community would reflect how you would be involved in the campus as a student and eventually as an alumni. An involvement can be in any form from leading clubs to organizing events, to volunteering for a cause while at school.

Community service can be a great asset for your application but it is important that you get involved in a community service only if you are care about it. You commitment and passion would come across in your essays only if you would be able to relate to what you are doing. For example, a student who has worked at the same NGO several days a week for three years will garner more nods of approval than someone who has spent an hour a week for just a month, though both efforts are admirable. In your essays, you must talk about what you have done and how much you have done to be able to clearly demonstrate your points. Have you held any leadership roles? Have you started any new venture? Does this truly matter to you? How would you like to contribute an experience like this to school? Have you volunteered for a cause when others were a little sceptical about picking it up?

You can get in touch with the alumni and current students of the Business Schools to get a clear picture about how you can get involved in clubs and communities at schools. This will also help you brainstorm ideas that you can put in your application to show your contribution to the school. The first hand perspective will always help you chart a clear picture about your goals and future prospects.

Does part-time work experience count towards the minimum work experience requirements?

Business Schools accept the full time work experience after you have completed your Bachelor’s degree. However, experience gained from summer internships, part time work experience, assignments etc. would be counted while evaluating the overall package of the student. All the factors such as your contribution to what you have done so far, level of responsibility, progression, general leadership and management skills demonstrated, challenges taken etc. would add weight to your application but graduate academic work would not be counted against the professional work experience. The admissions committee look at the nature of the applicant’s work experience when evaluating the applicant’s ability to handle the academic rigor of MBA program. So, it is important that you lay more stress on the impact that you have had in your work place than on the titles and stature of your organization.

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Quick Update:

Added a long list of queries on Ask Us page.

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• What Everybody Ought To Know About Work Experience
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• Reasons For Rejecting A Business School Applicant

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