Applications, applications, applications...!

I wasn’t really planning on writing my next post on the application process, but since this is the application-frenzy season, I decided to pitch my take on the things that make an application successful. Being a member of the McCombs School of Business Admissions Committee (the MAC), I had the privilege (and sometimes the “privilege”), to read MANY applications of the class of 2009 candidates and see, firsthand, how significant is the difference between a well thought-out application and an application that would survive the first round of the screening process.

Most important of all is realizing that you are who you are. Sounds trivial but many applications come-across as less believable because the candidates went out of their way in order to try and impress their readers. This oftentimes results in a non-credible application that doesn’t survive the reviewing process. Creating endless lists of achievements and awards you have received ever since you were the first toddler who stayed dry for three straight hours doesn’t make you more impressive! Being honest, creative and authentic will go a longer way in making you appealing to any school. Think about it almost as if you were writing to a good friend who lives abroad about your desires and plans regarding your MBA experience. Don’t make an extreme effort to adjust your essays to what you think the school’s representatives will be looking for. Realize that in the top MBA programs the staff itself is diversified so doing that will not necessarily improve your chances; it may have the opposite effect.

Be in a good mood when you write your essays! Your mood affects your level of openness and creativity, and that will surely be reflected in your writing. If there’s a place that positively affects your mood, go there! Writing an essay doesn’t require a wireless connection, so writing on top of a hill outside of the city is perfectly possible and may add that necessary “edge” to your essays. To me, that helped a lot, together with a good playlist of “Ambience” and “Lounge” music, enabling me to “disconnect” and focus on writing.

Choose your advisers carefully. I strongly suggest that you let someone with relevant experience read your essays. It can be an MBA graduate, preferably from recent classes, or anyone else that you believe can provide some relevant insight. I am not a great believer in paying large amounts of money to all the available advising services. A lot of times, you end-up with a standardized essay that complies with all kinds of rules but neglects the emphasis on yourself. I prefer essays that are a little “ragged” to over-polished essays that smell of the dollars they were “bought” with. Where more “polishing” is relevant is your resume. This item needs to convey professionalism and effectiveness, while maximizing the “real estate” that one letter-size page provides. It is amazing how many times I thought that my resume was “done” and then found myself changing it again. A good practice is to give your resume to someone who hasn’t read it (and preferably isn’t familiar with your professional background), and then ask them to summarize their impression. You’d be amazed how that impression may be different from what you had intended to portray.

I hope I managed to add some insight to the Gazillion of application tips you have already read and heard. And remember….. you’re special..! It’s just a matter of articulating it, which is not always an easy task.

Good luck!

Should I ride "The Wave"?

Israelis call it “the wave”. It is the phenomenon created by thousands of adventure-seeking Israelis, usually after finishing their military obligations, who invade (in the touristic sense of the word…), such continents as South-America, looking to travel, party and conquer mountain tops and short-term romances. Since arrival to “the continent” is usually aligned with such events as the famous Carnival in Brazil, a “wave” of “Muchileros” (back-packers) is created. “Riding the wave” means that, during a trip lasting several months, you would meet the same people, again and again, all over the continent.

“Riding the wave” helps a lot. You meet Israeli all the time, receive great tips regarding where to go, where to stay, who’s who and what’s what. It makes the traveling experience in an un-known land much more comfortable and accessible. On the other hand, the wave´s resistance claims, with much logic, that you shouldn’t travel across the world and then look for people who came from the same place and the same culture - the same type of people you would probably live with during the rest of your life.

Then what should you do?! What does it have to do with your MBA experience?!
Since you’re an MBA hopeful, and therefore extremely smart (and if not, don’t tell anyone!), you’ve probably figured-it-out by now. Many MBA hopefuls apply to MBA program that are popular in their countries of origin. Even though it is an understandable process, aren’t we missing something? A very significant aspect of going abroad to get your MBA is the cultural exposure. We all think that and we all talk about it in our heavily-invested applications. But then, after being admitted, do we actually go-out and expose ourselves?! Watching many of my classmates during my first year and speaking to Israeli MBA’s, I would dare to say that many of us don’t. All of us arrive with all the intentions to “internationalize” ourselves to death. The problem is that once pressure hits, and we find ourselves drowning in assignments, deadlines and interviews, we need something to hang-on to, something that will make this experience more familiar, more easy to handle, less uncertain… get it? Many of us find ourselves mingling with our kind. All the pressure around is too much as it is and we don’t need to add cultural barriers and communication complexities to the mix. That’s why any MBA alumnus will tell you that, sure, in his/her class there were the Japanese group, the Mexican gang, the Indian colony and, in some schools, the Israeli band.

During my first year at McCombs, I didn’t have that choice. Not because I mindfully chose that, but rather because there aren’t any more Israeli students in our program. Reflecting on my first year while using the great tool called hindsight, I think I gained a lot from it. In a sense, it is like traveling alone: you are much more inclined and open to interact with other people. You don’t have your “band” to fall-back on. At times it is a little harder, but eventually it is very rewarding. Today, I think that my wife and I are enjoying a great group of good friends we’ve made during the last year. These friends are as culturally diverse as a UN council and it adds a lot of color and flavor to the our "MBA recipe" (believe me, the cooking that’s been going-on around here has been AMAZING….).

So, what’s the bottom line? Should you reject schools that enjoy a large number of students from your country of origin? DEFINITELY NOT!!! Then what? Well, mainly, don’t reject programs that don’t have that. Look at the diversity of your future class and ask yourself whether the mix that you see makes you intrigued and excited about being part of it. Don’t be afraid not to ride the wave; don’t be afraid to go for a quality program that’s not as common in your country of origin, whether you’re Israeli, Chinese or German. The people you’re going to meet are going to make this time very exciting and an MBA is an awesome opportunity to go beyond your own borders and be exposed to other cultures. Not by sitting with people from other countries in the classroom, but by really becoming friends with people who may have different perspectives regarding the world we live in, the music we listen to, the politics we take part in and, oh yeh, the businesses we’re all going to manage soon enough.

Why an MBA?

Panama-City, Panama

Many MBA programs include this question in their application. I think it is a good exercise for candidates to put down on paper why exactly they want to do that, considering the required investment of time and money involved in pursuing an MBA degree. Obviously, this is not the reason I am writing this post. I had already made my decision before I packed my life (together with my newly-wedded wife), and headed-out across the Atlantic and into the land of Tex-Mex food. This post is aimed not only at sharing the intensions I had before coming to Austin, but also to share my thoughts as of today, with the help of a great tool of wisdom called “hindsight”.

After serving for over 14 years in the Israeli Army (a service I enjoyed immensely and will hold dear forever), I decided that it’s time to move-on. Having served most of my years in the field of technology, I felt that I would like to stay connected to technology while moving to the business side of things. In addition, I felt the need to expose myself to the international aspects of business. I think that in today's world of business (and especially technology), being international is a must. I believe that my international MBA experience will enable me to be more prepared to deal with the challenges of business, leveraging my IT-consulting and project-management experience.

I also come from an internationally diverse family (Israel, The US, Colombia, France, Spain, and more), and have travelled extensively through-out the western hemisphere (Western Europe, US, Africa, Central America and South America), but have never lived as an independent adult outside of Israel. Making such a move promised to involve great challenges, but also leaving (at least temporarily), the country I love the most and the family and friends I have there and love dearly. I can honestly say that it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. After months of deliberating the possibilities with my wife (then fiancé), and myself, we decided to go for it.

Looking back at my first year, including my summer internship in Panama, I can honestly say that the experience at McCombs has exceeded my expectations. The exposure to the different aspects of business administration and the international experience that goes along with it, have made my MBA year a very rewarding one. In general, I think that an international MBA program, such as the one at McCombs, enable you to shape your MBA experience to fit your personal goals and needs. What of the things I like about the program at McCombs is that it is strong in several areas of business (finance, marketing, entrepreneurship and IT), and the message from the faculty is very clear: you need to figure-out what you want to do and we will work with you to see to create the relevant opportunities. Sometimes, the opportunities are created by the students themselves, with the school providing the framework, the budget or necessary contacts.

Personally, I was able to take the time and experience different courses from different departments. I have taken course in strategy, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship, and found a strong relationship among them. This relationship is emphasized by our faculty that invest much thought in connecting disciplines instead of approaching them as isolated silos.

Outside the classroom, I was lucky to utilize the great PLUS program we have at McCombs. We formed a team that worked with the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise on generating what they called: “Untraditional sources of revenue”. It was a unique experience that involved creative thinking and identification of business opportunity for a leading sports organization. It was an example of an opportunity initiated by student and facilitated by the school.

I reached my summer internship opportunity through the school’s recruiting process. Dell Inc. approached me regarding a position in Central America and I was thrilled with the chance to work with a leading technology company outside the US and obtain the international experience, from both the business and the culture aspects of it.

I am looking forward to my second year, both on a professional level and on a social one. During our first year in Austin, my wife and I have acquired great friends and going back to school with is an exciting thing to do.