Yashashwat Srivastava's success story is inspiring and is a testimony to the fact that active participation in co-curricular activities, submitting a strong application early in the admission cycle, and preparing well for the interview can nearly guarantee an offer letter from your target school. Read this blog post by Faith Career to know more about Yashashwat's candidature and his tips for study abroad aspirants.
#1) Can you please briefly describe your profile?
I am currently pursuing Bachelors of Technology (B.Tech.) in Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) from IP University, New Delhi, India. At the moment, I am working towards making a shift in my career path and amalgamate my tech background with business management skills.
My engineering education has given me the room to develop sound analytical skills which will help me to thrive in the corporate sphere. I am confident that the combination of both technical and management skills will prove to be an effective launchpad for my career. Therefore, I will be pursuing the Masters of Management program from Schulich School of Business (York University, Canada) starting this Fall.
#2) Why did you decide to pursue an MIM degree?
Due to my experience in technology, I gained both technical and transferable abilities throughout my undergraduate studies that I can use to my full advantage in the MiM programme. Also, I intend to pursue a MiM degree since, after receiving this degree, my ideal first job would be as a Technology Risk Consultant at a reputable consulting company like Deloitte, KPMG, or Accenture. I believe Schulich's MiM will be a significant asset in helping me accomplish this.
The program will provide me with necessary means to develop and utilize industry knowledge and to resolve complex client challenges. The Master of Management program is designed for recent non-business graduates and is thus best suitable for me. Long-term, it will help me to advance my career in the consulting industry as it requires a global perspective and wider social and environmental context which I will be gaining through the MiM program.
#3) Why did you choose Tanmay Singh to be your mentor for your application?
I was looking to start my study abroad application in June 2022, when one of my friends told me about Tanmay and advised me to give him serious consideration for study abroad consulting. I took my friends’ suggestion and approached Tanmay for the same. He gave me a lengthy questionnaire to fill out before we started working together so that he could thoroughly examine my background and determine if and how he could support my ambition of studying overseas.
After reviewing my submissions, Tanmay called me, and we had quite a long conversation about how things would go both on his and my ends. As a result of that discussion, I was absolutely convinced that I wanted to work with him on my B-school applications. One of the key reasons my decision was worthwhile was that I received individualized one-to-one advice and attention to all the little issues, including the shortlisting of top-ranked universities, course selection, application paperwork, B-school interviews, and many other things.
In short, the entire process was made much easier by Tanmay's extensive, personalized IELTS exam instruction and support. It was necessary for me to get a strong overall IELTS score since it is a key aspect in being admitted to prestigious universities, and therefore Tanmay’s assistance was much appreciated during that time.
#4) What 2 tips you would like to share with an aspirant who is working on their application?
First and foremost, I'd like to advise those who are interested in studying abroad to carefully research all the information they'll need to finish their applications as soon as possible without sacrificing the caliber of their SOPs, essays, etc. They should also apply early in Round 1, perhaps even a few days or weeks before the R1 deadline. Applying early has two main benefits: first, it increases your chances of being accepted by the university you've chosen because it shows the admissions committee that you're serious about their programme and that you've started the application process early.
Second, the sooner you apply, the more will be your chances to receive a scholarship from the university.
Another recommendation I'd like to give the applicants is to carefully and precisely write the essays that the specific universities are asking them to submit. This is because, even though the admissions committee will take a comprehensive look at your application, in my opinion, the essays will ultimately be of the most importance. Thus, they must be finished withh utmost care and precision.
#5) How was Tanmay’s mentorship important while writing down the application?
Tanmay has been an incredible mentor throughout the application process of my study abroad dream. I chose to work on my applications with Tanmay mostly because I was certain that I would receive individualized coaching and support on every aspect of the university application, which has been true throughout my entire time with him.
Tanmay consistently encouraged me to put in more effort each day so that we could submit our application well before the first deadline. In addition, he responded to any questions I might have 24/7 and would do his best to answer them, which kept me cool and collected anytime there was an issue on my end. Be it the IELTS exam prep, the interviews preparation or what and what not to write in my essays, he has always been extremely helpful at every step of the way.
#6) How did you prepare for the interview after submitting your applications to Canadian & UK B-Schools? What all steps did you take to make yourself ready for the interview?
The interview is always the last and most important phase in the admissions process because it evaluates a candidate's presence of mind, body language, and understanding of their area, among other things. Tanmay therefore did everything possible to make sure I was very well-prepared for the B-School interviews. He served as my mentor and provided me with a lengthy list of potential B-School interview questions so I could read them and adequately prepare for the interview. As a result of what he suggested, I wrote responses to those questions, read them out in front of a mirror, and then appeared for mock interviews with Tanmay.
During our mock interviews, Tanmay would pose all the potential questions I might be asked during the real interview, and I would have to respond to each one as best I could. After the mock interviews, Tanmay and I would analyze them to see how well I did and further what could be the do’s and don'ts during the actual one. As a result I cracked all the three B-School interviews I gave - Schulich School of Business (York University), Sauder Business School (University of British Columbia), Desautels Faculty of Management, (McGill University).
#7) What questions were asked to you during the interview?
Following are some of the questions I was asked during my interviews:
Q1) Please introduce yourself, mentioning your educational background and areas of interest. (Practiced in mock interview)
Q2) Since you will be a B.Tech graduate, why do you want to earn an MiM degree? Why now? (Practiced in mock interview)
Q3) How did your interest develop from the tech side to management side during your college years?
Q4) What is the most challenging thing you believe you will be facing coming to Canada for your masters? Away from your home country. (Practiced in mock interview)
Q5) What are your plans post your MiM degree? Short term, long term goals. (Practiced in mock interview)
Q6) Do you think you can handle the additional stress and pressure throughout the year given that the course has a one-year duration and there is so much to learn?
#8) How do you think you performed in the interview?
Before every interview, especially the one for the Schulich School of Business, which was the first interview and my target B-School, I was incredibly apprehensive and nervous. Just before the real interview, Tanmay conducted 2 mock interviews. He also calmed me down by assuring me that I was well-prepared for whatever questions they would pose and that all I needed to do was be assured and confident in my responses.
In general, all of the three interviews I gave were of the same type where the interviewers initially pose different questions to get to know me and my personality a little better apart from the written essays, and then they are really keen to know if I had what it takes to be the part of their cohort. These interviews went for about 20-30 minutes depending upon the interviewer. In the beginning of the session, I used to feel worried, but as the interview went on, I became more at ease, confident and enjoyed responding to their questions.
#9) What are your final ‘Dos’ and ‘Don'ts’ for a study abroad aspirant?
Following are few things which I believe a study abroad candidate must do to increase the chances of getting an admit from their dream university:
ALWAYS write your SOP/essays on your own. You can/should take help and consult from your mentor but the writing and ideas should be yours so that there is uniqueness in them. Later, when the interviewer asks questions from your profile and SOP there is no discrepancy there and you're confident.
In any case, finish your application early and apply as soon as possible.
Get yourself familiar with the University’s values and morals so that you can talk about them during the interview - this creates a positive impression on the interviewer.
You should always check the university’s website/application portal to know how do they want you to submit your resume (Chronological or Reverse Chronological Order)
Ask your teacher/professor to write a strong recommendation letter for you as it is an important aspect of your application.
Following are some of the don’ts:
Do not lie about projects or publications in your résumé.
Do not wait for R2, R3 deadlines to apply. Apply as early as you can.
Stick to the question asked in the interview (or in the SOP) and try not to divert from it, as there are no right or wrong answers exactly. The adcom simply tries to understand your perspective about a certain topic.
Lastly, the word count for each written essay must not be exceeded; else, your application won't be accepted (the application portal shows an error). In order to fit all of your ideas into the allotted word count, try to be clear and concise.
Below are few more inspiring success stories from Faith Career ✨
Smriti Dhawan's journey from Ambedkar University to the London School of Economics (LSE) – https://www.faithcareer.org/post/progress-story-smriti-s-mpp-offer-letter-with-35-scholarship
Nikhil Bhonsle's story of bagging MBA offers from 5 B-Schools in the UK with scholarship, without a GMAT score - https://www.faithcareer.org/post/5-mba-offer-letters-in-4-months-without-gmat
Yashashwat Srivastava’s progress story of making it to the University of Glasgow, UK - https://www.faithcareer.org/post/progress-story-yashashwat-s-mim-application-journey
Mimansha Dublish's MIM journey to ESCP Europe (ranked 5th for MIM in the world) - https://www.faithcareer.org/post/escp-mim-mimansha-s-story-of-perseverance-success
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