The application process

If you thought giving the GMAT was tough, the application process is tougher. Everyone I spoke to including alumni, told me that your application is more important than the GMAT score. UC Davis GSM requires you to write three essays and two more optional ones. The essays take time, though the good part of essays is there is no right or wrong answer. I relate it to putting out a pamphlet to market yourself. You should pat yourself on the back if you do a good job at your essays.

The next part of the application is getting two or more recommendations, one of which has to be your immediate supervisor. I was lucky to have a great friend and mentor as my supervisor who gave me a dream recommendation.The choice of who gives you the second recommendation is critical. My suggestions:

1. Take a recommendation from someone who has an MBA
2. It is great to have a recommendation from someone high up in your company, but then it won't be a personal recommendation, so avoid this.
3. I wouldn't suggest taking a recommendation from your peers.
4. Taking a recommendation from someone who isn't directly in your food chain can be very helpful.

That's it, you are now ready to apply -- oh don't forget your resume.

I was recommended by many to apply to the early rounds, which unfortunately I missed and ended up applying in the second round. In hindsight, I think apply in early rounds is a good idea and significantly improves your chances of getting in.


Once you submit your application starts the nervous period of waiting. UC Davis took about a month to get back to me and called me for an in person meeting.

The meeting included an interview followed by a 5 minute presentation on any topic of interest. The interview is pretty standard, with questions you'd expect like what is your career aspirations, why an MBA, why now, why UC Davis, etc. For many people planning on MBA, answers to these questions are pretty clear. If you aren't sure, it is certainly time for introspection before you go to the interview.

For the presentation, think through your topic. You can talk about something related to your work, but  I wanted to talk about something different and my wife suggested a topic which she saw on the NatGeo channel. I picked up that topic and spoke about how you can use the marketing machinery of a consumer company like PepsiCo or Coca-Cola to distribute condoms in Africa to prevent the spread of AIDS. After my presentation which lasted about 4 minutes, I was happy when someone in the audience wondered what my background was.

Now you resume your waiting, and boy, it was a nervous time for me especially since I applied only to UC Davis. Heard the positive news from the school in 3 weeks and am thrilled to get into this prestigious program.