Last minute MBA admission - how to secure a place in a B school?

With the countdown for closure of MBA admission in full swing, many students are preparing for their final leap into the world of management. Lucky them. And for some of you, it may be a worrisome time, looking for last minute admissions to an MBA college.

Well, you may have heard of the age old adage ‘beggars cannot be choosers’. Not to sound crude, but some of you still looking at MBA college at this time of the year for admission in 2013, will need to pull up your socks if you want a sure shot way of entry to an MBA college.

Here are some pointers that may assist you in securing a spot in one of the MBA/ PGDM colleges for the 2013 – 2015 batch:

• Aim for lesser known programmes: Most of the hot spot MBA programmes and consequently colleges, must be full by now. If you want admission this year itself, try opting for a programme other than the top 10 popular programmes. Chances are, that the quota for those seats are still vacant, ensuring your admission for sure.
   
• Non elite B business schools: They may not be in the same league as the IIM’s or Narsee Monjee, but some of the private B-Schools are equally good in terms of curriculum and placements. Try opting for the less popular management schools, but make sure you research on its credibility before taking admission.
   
• Look out for empty slots: Most of the B schools assume that a certain number of students will take admission for granted. But the actual picture may be quite different. When the day for final admission closes, there are chances that some slots remain empty due to student’s taking admission in another B-School. MBA programs often have high fixed costs, and nobody wants to have an empty chair in the classroom. So if you have a list of preferred colleges, keep tab on announcements that may favour your admission.
   
• Late application: Once you decide to submit a late application, be friendly but persistent with your calls to the admissions office. Try to make a connection with the person who answers the phone, since he or she might able to quickly get your case in front of a key decision-maker, even if the application deadline has already passed. In your phone calls, emails, and essays, do everything you can to make it clear that the MBA program is actually a top choice for you; as with any MBA application, be sure to clearly explain why you’ve chosen that particular program, and make sure that your essays are polished and error-free.

If you get a little bit lucky and you play your cards right, you might be among the blessed few who receives an acceptance in the last minute, ensuring a spot in 2013 admission to a B school of your liking!