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Low GPA, 5 GMAT Attempts & a PR Career — Yet She Got Into Wharton — Transcript

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0:02Hello everyone, welcome, welcome,
0:03welcome. Thank you so much for joining
0:06this session. Now today we have uh
0:11joining us here today. A little about
0:14today's session. Now if you're breaking
0:17into an ultra elite MBA programs like
0:20Wharton, Booth, and Yale, you know that
0:23it's a challenge for anyone. Uh, but
0:26doing so with a low GPA, a
0:29non-traditional background in public
0:30relations, and no fancy recommendation
0:33letters, well, that's almost unheard of.
0:36So, today I'm joined by Exena, a global
0:39senior communications manager at Opera,
0:42who defied the odds to earn admits from
0:44some of the world's top MBA programs.
0:47Now, journey is inspiring. From working
0:50full-time during undergrad to earning a
0:53scholarship for her masters at Bonei,
0:56she's overcome countless challenges.
0:58We'll discuss how she crafted a standout
1:01application, tackled obstacles like a
1:04lowprofile industry and multiple GMAT
1:07attempts and what drives her passion for
1:10a US MBA. So, let's get started. Cena,
1:14thank you so much for joining us here
1:16today. It's lovely having you here. Um,
1:18and yeah, let's just give a quick little
1:21intro and dive right into the questions.
1:24>> Yeah, sure. So, hi everyone. Thank you
1:26so much for having me here today and for
1:28listening to all my blah blah. I got a
1:29lot for you. So, get ready for that. As
1:32said, my name is Cassia. I'm originally
1:34from Russia, but for the past quite some
1:36years, I have been living abroad.
1:38Currently based in Dubai, United Arab
1:40Emirates. That's a short overview. I'm
1:42happy to walk you through my entire
1:44experience, but I'll give you a chance
1:45to be to ask me questions. Awesome.
1:49Lovely place you're staying there. By
1:50the way, I love Dubai. [laughter]
1:52>> Yeah, nice.
1:54>> It's definitely nice. Um, okay. Let's
1:56just talk a little bit maybe about your
1:58background and your earlier journey. So,
2:02can you share a bit about the
2:04background, your undergrad experience
2:06and what it was actually like balancing
2:08your full-time work with studies?
2:12>> Yeah, sure. So as I said I'm coming from
2:14Moscow and I was studying in Linos of
2:16Moscow State University which is like
2:18number one university in Russia and I
2:20think it's top 75 in the world currently
2:23very competitive environment and I was
2:25doing economics coming from
2:27mathematically focused school so I
2:29thought that's going to be my journey
2:30but then uh when I was admitted I was
2:32only 17 we do it quite early in Russia
2:34so I was really young to make like you
2:36know this life-changing decision what
2:38I'm going to do in life when I grow up
2:40so it turned to be I chose a little bit
2:42wrong and I realized it quite soon. So I
2:45decided not to waste four years of my
2:47life by studying something that probably
2:49I won't use fully in my career and I
2:52actually like knocked on the doors of
2:54probably every single public relations
2:56marketing creative agency there was in
2:58Moscow and begged them to give me unpaid
3:02internship just to like be a coffee girl
3:04anything just give me a job and um for
3:07the first three months I was working in
3:09the summer for the PR agency and I
3:11managed to you know showcase what I can
3:13do. I was really like working 16 hours a
3:15day to prove that I deserve this spot
3:18and I was offered in the end uh to have
3:20a proper position. So I was studying and
3:22working doing bachelors which was more
3:25common in Russia than it is in the
3:27states or I would say in Europe but
3:29still not so common. It was quite
3:33daunting experience to be honest and
3:35that's where I got my horribly low GPA
3:39because classes were attendance based
3:41and participation based and well I
3:43wasn't attending I was working so
3:45>> that was the year but yeah balancing was
3:48hard but I also needed to support
3:50financially myself and my family since
3:52I'm not coming from let's say fancy
3:54background so I had to start earning
3:57money quite soon as I think quite some
3:59of the viewers today that happens And
4:02nothing bad about it like you can still
4:04make it work. Look, it happens.
4:06>> That was the reality.
4:09>> Yeah. So that can be your obstacle. You
4:12don't have to put it as one. And then
4:14after graduating, I already had like
4:16three years of experience which was
4:18compared to zero of my peers was quite
4:20something. So I decided to proceed with
4:24getting masters at Bonei. Proni is like
4:26one of the leading European schools and
4:29also one of the leading European MBAs. I
4:32was getting masters in marketing
4:33management there and I got 100%
4:35scholarship.
4:36>> Oh wow.
4:37>> So I was studying there for free
4:39basically and uh there I already started
4:42to work with Ketchum which is like
4:45leading PR agency in the world and I was
4:46managing Google's PR and social media in
4:49Russia for quite a while. Um, and
4:51currently I'm at Opera managing over 15
4:54markets with like global communications
4:56and also some marketing and social media
4:58support. And yes, I'm apparently going
5:00to one of the top MBAs quite soon.
5:04>> I like just crazy. And by the way, guys,
5:08got what 2.9 GPA in undergrad. And you
5:11said it's lower than that. If you go
5:12into like exact numbers,
5:15>> it's like I think it was something like
5:172.86
5:18or [laughter]
5:20So like with such a low GPA, you managed
5:23to get into like one of these tops. So
5:26nothing nothing is impossible guys, you
5:28know, like even like let your scores not
5:30be like your downfall like you can make
5:33things work. But the fact that you like
5:36literally got three years of workex uh
5:39during your undergrad, immediately went
5:41for masters is crazy. And how long did
5:44you work for um after you were done with
5:47your masters?
5:48So I think currently I have like seven
5:50years of experience
5:52>> which I' say it's a little bit maybe too
5:56much for an MBA. So I would suggest to
5:58like apply maybe a little bit earlier
6:00than I thought of this but to my defense
6:02I did apply last year and I didn't get a
6:04single interview. So I'm also a relicant
6:06everyone. So there are like many things
6:08that went wrong with my candidacy but
6:11here we are again. Nothing is
6:12impossible.
6:13>> Exactly. Well, let's talk uh a little
6:16bit actually about um the lowinccome
6:19side. So, you you said that you come
6:20from a lowinccome family and also that
6:24you come from like and this is what I
6:26mean I I've known about like you come
6:27from a non-traditional industry such as
6:30public relations. So, did you ever feel
6:33discouraged about like applying to top
6:35MBA programs and how actually did you
6:37keep yourself motivated throughout this?
6:40>> Yes. So it was tough you know when I
6:43applied first time last year I didn't
6:45know that MBAs are apparently for like
6:48all these consulting and fintech dudes
6:50like I had no idea about that. I thought
6:52MBA is just you know logical step in
6:54your career if you ever dream to become
6:55some C-level professional. I really like
6:58so that you know that didn't discourage
7:00me back then because I just didn't know
7:02you know the rules of the game and after
7:05being rejected I reached out to a couple
7:07of MBA consultancy firms and all of them
7:10like as one told me you don't stand the
7:13chance like close warden close Stanford
7:16Harvard like M7 just close the schools
7:19you go to like top 20 max that's your
7:21best case scenario and like no no way
7:24and the main reason was that apparently
7:26PR people don't get into MBA's problem
7:29programs and like again here we go I'm
7:32really happy about that because you know
7:33I think all of you guys who are applying
7:35you hear like so many things your GPA is
7:37too low your GMA is too low you have
7:39like I don't know coming from very
7:41competitive country like let's say India
7:43or I don't know something is wrong
7:45without your portfolio your CV like so
7:47many things are wrong about you trust me
7:49everything was wrong about me and like
7:51it still works I think that what is
7:54important if you are coming from
7:56non-standard background. So not
7:59consulting or finance.
8:00>> Mhm.
8:01>> You need to make sure that like
8:03throughout all your application you
8:05focus on business outcomes. So you
8:08should make sure that like it's clear
8:10what you do business- wise because if I
8:13start talking about how many amazing
8:15press releases I wrote that again
8:17doesn't give any understanding of me as
8:19a leader in the future. So try to find
8:21some kind of like tangible outcomes of
8:23your work as much as you can. M I
8:26understood. So I mean do you think like
8:29I mean with your work experience and
8:31like in your application the way you how
8:34exactly would you have did you position
8:36your experience to show value in your
8:39applications other than what you just
8:40mentioned?
8:42>> Yes. I think first of all add numbers
8:46everywhere and um you can take a book
8:49let's say Harvard best essays there is a
8:51book like that and every essay is like
8:52oh my god it's so romantic it's breaking
8:54your heart it's such a story
8:56>> well you don't necessarily have to do
8:58that I know a bunch of people who got in
9:01including myself whose essays were not
9:03like breaking anyone's heart but they
9:05were very like focused on details and on
9:07data so put in your mind that like the
9:11person on the other screen they members,
9:12they don't know your industry at all and
9:15they don't really care about every
9:17single tiny detail, but they want to see
9:19that your work was bringing some value
9:21to the company, to the society, to
9:24whoever you take. So try to focus on
9:26those like big picture results and for
9:30example within CV when you put your
9:32bullet points like ensure everyone has
9:34some kind of number. I'm coming from
9:36public relations. That's basically like
9:38again media relations, social media,
9:40like events and stuff. So, it's really
9:43hard to find numbers there. But I would
9:45put anything. I would put like event
9:47that had that budget and that number of
9:49attendees. I don't know. I got this
9:50number of likes. Like my management
9:53approval ranking went from 75% to 95%.
9:56So like try to find any single number
9:58you can especially if you're coming from
10:00like the poets side of poets and cos
10:03that's your ticket.
10:05justify your results and try to like
10:07measure them even if you think they're
10:09unmeasurable. Like you really have to
10:10come up with some idea on how your work
10:12is like positively returning on the
10:14investment.
10:15>> That's true that I mean you this thing
10:18and I I mean we have I've done I've
10:20talked about this in a lot of other deep
10:22leaves like quantifying your work is the
10:24best
10:26>> that works for any job experience uh
10:28even if it's in public relations or any
10:30other
10:30>> Exactly. And the same applies to
10:33leadership overall. So like again you
10:36can be a leader even if you I don't know
10:37bake donuts.
10:39>> It can be your job and you can still be
10:41leader. You don't have to be sea level
10:43management to be a leader. Maybe I don't
10:45know you helped avoiding some kind of
10:46conflict. Maybe you led some
10:48negotiations. Maybe I don't know in some
10:50tiny tiny aspect you gained the
10:52authority and managed to like recommend
10:54your idea to sea level management. It
10:56can be like as little as I don't know
10:58the font of the press release. Literally
11:00just try to find somewhere where you
11:02showed this leadership and again if you
11:05are applying to an MBA most likely you
11:07did because you seem to be very kind of
11:09ambitious individual.
11:11>> Exactly. Exactly. And someone here
11:13commented very talented which I
11:15completely agree. I think [laughter]
11:18>> uh and guys if you're watching this of
11:20course like and subscribe to our
11:22channel. This helps reach the I mean
11:24help helps this video reach a wider
11:25audience. And also if you have any
11:28questions foria during this session,
11:30just feel free to post them in the
11:32comments even after the session ends and
11:34will of course respond to them. Um,
11:37okay. So we talked about your work
11:39experience a little bit regarding your
11:41application. Let's also uh go back to
11:44your GPA. Now with a 2.9 GPA, what steps
11:48did you take to address that weakness in
11:50your application?
11:52So I think I had to prove that I wasn't
11:55dumb when I was studying. So it wasn't
11:58because I was I don't know lazy or head
12:01in the clouds. It was like I had a solid
12:03reason. So first of all I knew this is
12:05like a very big shortcoming of mine. So
12:08I addressed it in additional essay
12:09section. I literally said like hey guys
12:11I know I have this low GPA. I'm not
12:13blind. You're not blind. We all see
12:14that. So here in really don't be afraid
12:17of your weaknesses and most likely at
12:20will see them. So like don't try to hide
12:22them. They will see them. Just find a
12:23good explanation. And I had that
12:25explanation. I said, "Yeah guys, I
12:27actually screwed up there. I was
12:28working. I didn't do them classes. My
12:30GPA went really low. It happens." But
12:34here comes my GPA for masters, which was
12:36really good. Again, it's not that
12:38valuable for at home because they
12:40consider undergrad GPA. But still, I was
12:42like, see, I found the field I'm
12:44interested in marketing. And here I was
12:46like top performer. And second is GMAT.
12:49Of course, I think GMAT is super
12:52important and I think that is like the
12:54only part of your application that is
12:56well fully transparent and fully under
12:58your control. You don't know how your
13:00essays are going to be perceived or
13:02recommendation letters. GMAT is easy.
13:03Like it's basically a number. You just
13:05need to get a good number and
13:08>> I would definitely recommend with a low
13:10GPA to focus on like really good GMAT
13:12score to prove that you know you can
13:14handle like rigorous education and you
13:15have this mental capability. M and when
13:19did you take your GMAT? Last year I
13:21presume, right?
13:23>> Uh yeah, so I took two attempts when I
13:26was applying to masters which was like
13:27five years ago and I got to 710 old
13:30scale. I think that was like 10% 10
13:32percentile that's the word. So which was
13:36really good back then but for MBA well
13:40not so good. So this year uh in spring I
13:44took three attempts and I got to 695
13:49which is two 98 percentile for GMAT
13:52focus
13:54since the scales also changed so it's
13:56like a mess. I think it's something like
13:57750 old scale.
14:00>> Yeah. Yeah. It's a definitely a good
14:02score. So you said you got a 695.
14:05>> Yeah.
14:06>> And you attempted it thrice la last
14:08year.
14:09>> This year. Yeah. I I had first attempt
14:11which was online. I do not recommend to
14:13take GMAT online. That's much more
14:15stressful than than physical GMAT.
14:18>> Yes, it was a horrible experience in
14:20many ways and like
14:22>> I think it just puts so much extra
14:24stress on you that they like I don't
14:26know take your chair and put it up so we
14:28can check what's behind the chair and
14:30like I don't know and it happens every
14:31every section of GMAT. So you're kind of
14:34out of control. You cannot solve. You're
14:35like too stressed.
14:37>> That's true. the proctor is having a lot
14:39of trust issues with you. So you've
14:40[laughter] got
14:41>> Exactly. So like if you want to avoid
14:43this extra level of precise attention
14:46put right into you every second like if
14:49you want to be more chill I would
14:50recommend to go into the test center but
14:53regarding GMAT yeah I took many attempts
14:56so I would suggest in my opinion I would
15:00suggest to like solve solve I don't
15:02think there is any other way to do that
15:05that's like any standardized test you
15:07just have to solve if you don't know
15:10what's going on if you won't understand
15:12something again here comes gymat club or
15:14your friends reach out to others ask
15:16them to explain to you but I don't
15:19recommend to spend three months reading
15:20books like spend a day understand the
15:23basics go and solve and there is nothing
15:25better than that
15:27>> and what materials did you use by the
15:29way I I mean other than GMAT club and
15:31solving questions
15:33>> yeah I I think like the only book that I
15:35read was like reading
15:37comprehension/critical
15:38reasoning bible it's called this way I
15:40think it's really good start because
15:42it's explaining the logic behind GMAT
15:45and
15:46>> I would say for non-American people this
15:49logic is not always logical. [laughter]
15:51So you you you have to like really get
15:54into the way of thinking that they use.
15:56We didn't have like critical reasoning
15:58at school. Let's say I have no idea what
16:00to do that. So it takes time to
16:03comprehend what's going on. But then
16:05after that I basically just bought like
16:07a bunch of practices among like mba.com
16:10all practices they had and all kind of
16:12like training exams that you can take
16:15and so on and so forth. And then it just
16:17solved. So, I would spend like one hour
16:20per day solving. You just get there and
16:23put a timer on and like do that. That's
16:25it.
16:26>> I see. You know, I haven't actually had
16:27the chance to ask you, but what did you
16:30study in an English medium back in
16:32school and undergrad or like this was
16:35something you like learned along the
16:37way? Because taking the GMAT, you your
16:39English skills like are different,
16:41right? And coming from like Russia, I
16:44don't know. I mean I haven't come across
16:46but like it the kind of English you need
16:48is you need a lot of knowledge or a lot
16:50of practice from like a young age. So
16:52did you have that or you kind of learned
16:55along the way?
16:57>> I think mostly it was learning along the
16:59way and then of course my masters abroad
17:01helped me because when you are you know
17:04studying English talking to people who
17:06are foreigners and don't speak a word of
17:08Russia you kind of have to learn you
17:09know there is no other way for you left.
17:11So exposure is important but I also
17:14think GMAT is not that much about like
17:17like I is not about grammar knowledge or
17:19anything but mostly about trying to read
17:22between the lines and like even if you
17:25don't understand what they're talking
17:26about you still should be able to answer
17:28the question somehow.
17:31>> So the logical reasoning like you kind
17:33of mastered that and really helped you
17:35to get a good score.
17:36>> Exactly. And I would also suggest that
17:40don't apply with low GMAT score
17:42especially if you are coming from very
17:43competitive background such as let's say
17:45India like really don't do that it's
17:48better to take another year apply to the
17:50second round but I applied with a low
17:53GMAT score didn't get anywhere so don't
17:55do that won't do you any favors and it's
17:58better just like
18:00>> take time and get ready
18:02>> that's true that's true well we talked
18:05about like the GMAT and the GPA. Let's
18:07talk about I think the other main
18:10components of your application which is
18:13the essays and the recommendations. Now
18:15of course those were definitely critical
18:17to your story. Um what was the toughest
18:20part about crafting those and how did
18:22you ensure that they reflected your
18:24strengths?
18:26>> Yes, I would as I said just to repeat
18:28like ditch the idea that it has to be
18:30emotional poem. I thought so. I thought
18:32it should be heartwarming, unbreaking.
18:34And my first basis were like three
18:36paragraphs about my hard upbringing.
18:39Apparently that doesn't work. So, so try
18:41to focus instead on like strong
18:43narrative throughout. So, I would say
18:45that all your essays should convey one
18:48key theme and idea. For me, it was
18:50social impact. And I walked through it
18:53like in different aspects. So I told the
18:55stories how I helped the communities I
18:57was born in, how I helped the student
19:00communities I was studying in, what
19:02volunteering work do I do, what social
19:04projects that I lead and at the same
19:06time I also highlighted those ideas
19:08within my work experience.
19:11>> So it was about very different stories
19:13but it all came together about like
19:16corporate social responsibility and
19:17social impact which are my long-term
19:19goals. So trying not to talk about very
19:23different things. So try not to be like
19:24feminism, environment, AI. You should
19:27have a general idea and it should be
19:29also the idea that you prove proof proof
19:33I hope that's the verb to yourself and
19:37to others that you know how to deal with
19:38that. So like you cannot say I'm all
19:40about feminism. I want to do that my
19:42entire life and then you have like zero
19:44examples from your entire experience how
19:46you supported this goal of yours.
19:48>> So it should be something that you
19:50already worked on. You're not coming to
19:52MBA with this like fancy new idea.
19:55>> And I would generally say that like try
19:57to avoid very basic fancy topics as I
20:00just named like sustainability,
20:02environmental friendly, that's all cool,
20:04but everyone is going to do that. So
20:05unless you have a really solid track of
20:08record in this field,
20:09>> don't do it just because it's fancy and
20:11it sounds like in the agenda.
20:13>> No, for sure. Um, also, I mean, I'm just
20:16going to bring up like a few live
20:17questions here and guys feel free to ask
20:19more. Um, someone said here, inspiring
20:22journey. Wish you the best. How did you
20:24handle rejections and failures last year
20:27and come back with such great outcomes?
20:31>> Oh, you know,
20:33didn't handle that well. I mean,
20:34[laughter] I I never give up. I think
20:36that's my rule in life. Like, if I
20:38really want to do something, I'm not
20:39going to give up. But to be honest with
20:41you, my rejections came in when I was
20:43like on a very important event with all
20:46sea level management of my company. and
20:48like I had to run to the bathroom to cry
20:50a couple of times. So, it wasn't pretty
20:52honestly. [laughter]
20:53But I guess it's okay. It's just yeah,
20:57it hurts. But I think it's really really
20:58important for yourself to know that no
21:01can tell you what you can do. There is a
21:04saying on some like fancy Instagram
21:05quotes that goes if someone tells you
21:08can't do it, do it twice and take
21:10pictures. And like really [laughter] so
21:13so you know as long as you know that you
21:17are worthy like yeah it takes time maybe
21:19it wasn't the right time maybe it wasn't
21:21the right school you never know but I
21:23believe everything is for the best and
21:24if you work hard enough everything is
21:27going to be fine just like ensure you
21:28put the maximum effort you can like work
21:31on your maximum potential and then it's
21:33going to be all right against the odds
21:34like here I am living example of against
21:36the odds thing the game
21:38>> exactly and you know fall uh like a
21:40followup to this. What do you think
21:42exactly worked for you though? Um I mean
21:45obviously there were a lot of like
21:47negatives but what were the positives in
21:49your application that made you stand
21:51out?
21:52>> Yeah, I think a couple of things. First
21:56of all, consistency. Again, consistency
21:58is the key. And I managed to find
22:02stories supporting my passion about
22:05social impact throughout my entire
22:07journey which helped to build this
22:10narrative. Then second I had very clear
22:12goals. So initially when I applied I had
22:15a goal of something like I'm just going
22:16to be cool like sea level manager at
22:19Google. You know that's all fun and nice
22:22but MBA want some like tangible results
22:25again. So I worked through the entire
22:28like application of mine and I built the
22:30goal which was much more tangible which
22:32is like related to let's say improving
22:35digital access and internet penetration
22:37across some specific region in the world
22:38and I had backup why I came up with this
22:42idea. So I traveled there I talked to
22:44people I did a lot of projects there and
22:45that's how I saw the need in the market.
22:48>> So it was all like a logical flow in
22:50there. It wasn't just a random as I said
22:53don't do random ideas. I I initially
22:54wanted to do that. I was like, I'm gonna
22:56write about feminism now.
22:57>> Oh, really?
22:59>> That doesn't work this way. So, like
23:01don't just come up with something that
23:03you read in other essays or something
23:05that you randomly see online. Try to
23:08>> understand what's important within you
23:10because even if you go through this part
23:12and like you write this amazing, let's
23:14say, environmental essay, you're going
23:16to crack on the interview in five
23:18seconds. So, it's not going to work. If
23:19you don't believe in that, like it's not
23:21going to work.
23:22>> That's true. And I think this is the
23:23most important thing you should just ask
23:25yourself, analyze, and it takes time.
23:27It's not easy figuring it out.
23:30>> It's not something you you know about
23:31and you're like, "Okay, now I'm going to
23:32do the MBA." Like you really have to
23:34think about this. Um
23:36>> but yeah, also like regarding your
23:38international background um or like the
23:41[snorts] experience with um managing
23:43communications for global brands such as
23:45like you said Google and Opera, like how
23:48did that like play a significant role in
23:50your application?
23:53I'm not so sure about that because
23:55honestly these brands are again like
23:58well Google yes but this was again in
24:00Russia then Opera is great company but
24:03that's not like BCG or McKenzie or Mata
24:06in your CV so I didn't have that like
24:08screaming big companies but what was
24:11important is that you might not have
24:13such a great company in your CV but
24:15within my let's say rather small company
24:18I have much higher role and more
24:20responsibilities is so like let's say in
24:22mata there will be I don't know 300 PR
24:25managers and in my company it's going to
24:27be like two so the responsibilities that
24:30you get in the way of like exposure to
24:33let's say investment relations
24:34partnership management governmental
24:36relations like 15 markets across the
24:38globe can you imagine like in meta some
24:41lowlevel manager literally managing 15
24:44markets that's like a lot and I think if
24:47you're coming from the company that's
24:49not so fancy and so big You might even
24:51gain something from that if you really
24:53had a lot of responsibilities and you
24:55managed to prove yourself as a leader in
24:57that environment because honestly it's a
24:59little bit easier to thrive in this
25:02environment than in like three billion
25:04people company.
25:06>> Yeah. As long as you you've made some
25:08impact in your work, I think like
25:11>> that's the best thing that stands out
25:13for sure.
25:14>> Exactly. [snorts]
25:14>> Um okay. Um someone here also asked like
25:18regarding your experience of the
25:21interviews which was something I was
25:22going to come to. So um how was your
25:25interview? Actually we mentioned like
25:27your why don't you actually tell us
25:29where all you got admitted and where all
25:31you applied to and then talk about like
25:33each interview process.
25:35>> Uh absolutely. So I was reapplicant at
25:38Harvard and I didn't get again in and I
25:40was like well that Harvard loss I guess
25:43so I wouldn't be too sad about that you
25:45know um but yeah I also interviewed at
25:49Warden Yal Booth and MIT and I'll tell
25:52you about the experiences right away. I
25:54just wanted to like do a very short
25:58summary of what is working when you have
26:00like low GPA low profile industry no
26:04connections and all that. I kind of put
26:07a couple of bullet points that I think
26:09would be helpful. So I just want to
26:10summarize it real quick. So yeah, first
26:12of all, hi GMAT really really that's
26:15something under your control. So work on
26:17that. Make it really high. I would say
26:19if you're coming from competitive
26:20country like India, you probably should
26:23aim like top 3%. So 97 97 percentile.
26:27Yeah. And if you're coming from less
26:28competitive, let's say Europe, then
26:30maybe top five 8%. But that's like to
26:33make sure you make the maximum out of
26:35your GMAT score. I wouldn't suggest to
26:37apply with lower scores unless you have
26:40some like incredible background and I
26:41don't know you in bed the Tesla. But
26:45second I think important to quantify the
26:48results as we discussed. So everywhere
26:49you can CVS essays especially if you're
26:52coming from poets side of this equation
26:55please make sure to quantify everything
26:57like as much as you can make sure that
26:59there is an impact and I think third is
27:03try to find like the inner passion so
27:06again make sure that you don't come up
27:09with a random fancy story but try to
27:11find something that speaks to you and it
27:13goes through your entire life
27:15educational and professional like all
27:16your experience
27:18>> and coming to the interview interview.
27:20So first of all guys breathe in, breathe
27:23out. Everyone is super friendly like
27:25literally [laughter]
27:26I had amazing experience with every
27:28interviewer. It was like chill and nice
27:32and fun. And my number one advice would
27:34be well
27:37ensure you're yourself. I know that many
27:40of you me too want to like write down
27:43the stars, memorize the replies. I'm
27:46gonna be like perfect right now. And I
27:48did a couple of trial runs with friends
27:50and I started that. I'm like, "Hi, my
27:51name is D." And they're like, "Who are
27:54you?" You know, so they said, "You have
27:57this like drive, you know, you're funny,
28:00you're like talkative, you're energetic,
28:03and you just killed it. You just like
28:04took and like killed it in a second."
28:07>> Yeah. because you you try to and
28:09especially like I'm young. I'm looking a
28:11little bit like
28:13doll style. So, I wanted to be
28:15professional. You know, my goal was like
28:16I'm going to be very professional. I'm
28:18going to wear a suit. I'm going to speak
28:20straight without smiling. And that's how
28:22I almost ruined my interviews. So, I
28:24didn't do that, guys. And I don't
28:26recommend you to do that. Like, close
28:28all those notes. Close all those
28:30thousands of replies that you prepare in
28:32advance and just be yourself. Try to
28:34show the personality. Try to show if
28:35you're like maybe curious or maybe shy
28:37or maybe funny or maybe like too
28:40talkative or maybe I don't know you
28:42raise some important questions in life
28:43you're very philosophical that's great
28:45to show who you are and that's like the
28:47best you can be all other roles are
28:49taken so cliche be yourself that's the
28:52only role you get [gasps] so generally
28:55speaking interviews were really nice
28:57then what is important I think prepare
29:01your like screw-up stories um couple of
29:04my interviews asked for many of those
29:06stories. So I would give a perfectly
29:08prepared story and it would be like
29:10another one and I'd be like, okay, I'm
29:13scratching my brain. It's like, okay,
29:14this is the one. I'm like, okay, great.
29:16Give me another one. So [laughter] try
29:18to make sure that you have great scrub
29:21stories. And by that I mean be honest
29:23about that. Like don't try to say once I
29:26sent an email and there was like a tie
29:28point there. No one is going to believe
29:30that. I mean, you must be really bad at
29:32work. If that's like the only mistake
29:33you've ever made, you you're probably
29:35not doing anything. So, try to find like
29:38literally kind of screw-ups that you
29:41made, be open about them. The only
29:43important part is like always have a
29:44learning. So, I did that, that went
29:47really bad. Like now I don't do this
29:49anymore. And that's the steps that I
29:51take further not to repeat that mistake.
29:53Tada.
29:54>> But be ready to speak about bad stories.
29:57That's important. That's
30:00>> And I would also add to that that if you
30:03find their stories, try to make them
30:04funny. Try to like, you know, bring this
30:06person with you into that situation like
30:08tell oh my god and they were looking for
30:09me at that corner and like I see this
30:11CFO coming my way and because you know
30:15they're not going to remember every
30:16single part of every story, but they're
30:17going to remember the emotions you gave
30:19them. So try to make them laugh, try to
30:21make them relax, try to chat with them.
30:24And on that note, to add up, prepare
30:27eight questions minimum for the
30:28interviewer. You would probably say,
30:30"Eight questions, that's too many." But
30:33you see how talkative I am, and I still
30:35had time to ask eight questions. You're
30:37going to have time. Try to find
30:40questions that speak into their
30:42experience that are like really thought
30:44through.
30:45>> I definitely do not recommend something
30:47like,
30:48"What is your favorite club? What is
30:50your favorite class?" Like, try to be
30:52more creative than that.
30:54And I think I wanted to add something
30:57else here. Uh yeah, what worked for me
31:00amazingly and what all my interviewers
31:02kind of like picked up that was really
31:04great is try to predict their questions.
31:07So always are going to be questions.
31:09Why? Why now? Why yell? Shortterm,
31:12long-term goal, how is it all fitting
31:14together? That's five questions right
31:16there. You can just take and make like a
31:18full reply to them all. That's what I
31:20did. So I created a very clear story. I
31:23was like, my short-term goal that I miss
31:26those skills, this is how I'm going to
31:28take them at Yale. My long-term goal is
31:30that those skills I need for that and
31:32that's how I'm going to take them from
31:34Yale. This shows like basically you just
31:37take the speaking time for yourself. So
31:39you don't allow for too many dig deeping
31:41questions because like you're speaking
31:42here and on top of that obviously that's
31:45your story. It's ready. It's like
31:47polished. you named amazing clubs and
31:49societies and professors and you sound
31:52so well prepared that they're like the
31:54puzzle is in their head. They're like
31:56that makes sense and that exactly what
31:58happened at all my interviews like all
32:00interviewers were like
32:01>> wow you really thought this through that
32:03makes sense like the program is really
32:05faked for you you know so yeah
32:07[laughter]
32:08>> that that's what you want about it but
32:10that's a really good way of uh summing
32:12it up at least with the way you prepared
32:14for your interviews like best way um but
32:17of course
32:18>> uh the interview process I think was a
32:20little different for each school
32:22especially Wharton because Wharton has
32:25Uh, so how was that experience like?
32:29>> Okay, Warden, I'm really happy that you
32:31admitted me. I'm so sorry I have to take
32:33it. I hated it. [laughter]
32:35I hated team based discussions and that
32:38was because it's very unpredictable
32:40environment which I think doesn't really
32:43reflect how it works like in usual
32:46workplace because you don't have any
32:47seniority and you have very limited
32:50amount of time. you don't know each
32:52other and in my TVG everyone was like me
32:55so everyone was blah blah blah blah blah
32:57and they were like six people blah blah
32:59blah blah blah and that was tough I you
33:04probably won't have the role that you
33:05want I know that you think I'm going to
33:08keep time I'm going to write down ideas
33:10like you blink the roles are taken
33:12literally like it takes five seconds and
33:16um you probably won't be able to share
33:17all those amazing ideas you thought of
33:20maybe not even 5% % of them but my life
33:23hack what I would recommend a definitely
33:26take practice sessions I had three they
33:28were none of them were similar to
33:30reality but [laughter]
33:32uh but I think what helped me is that I
33:34realized my gap so for example I didn't
33:36know water resources well and then I
33:38spent like a day literally studying all
33:41water resources and doing my real TBD I
33:44turned out to be almost the only one who
33:45knew them and like I managed to take the
33:48conversation on this part and I was like
33:50Okay, I know everything about wood and
33:52resources now. Like we go. [laughter]
33:54So I think it gives you like a chance to
33:57understand your gaps and feel them and
33:59you never know when you're going to use
34:00them. That helped me a lot. That was the
34:02only chance to speak for me during like
34:04the entire TBD. Second, try to show
34:08something different. So for me it was
34:09again I was like the funny one, you
34:11know, so everyone was really stressed. I
34:13was just making some jokes and I was
34:14like, "Oh, come on guys. It's going to
34:15be all right. Let's do that. Let's do
34:17this." So maybe I didn't contribute to
34:20the discussion that meaningfully, but I
34:22definitely contributed to the vibe. So
34:23it was more like everyone was laughing.
34:26Um, and then you get 10 minutes after
34:28for one-on-one session with the
34:30interviewer. And I think that also what
34:32helped me a lot because I am not sure I
34:35was initially that liked by
34:37interviewers. So I honestly I didn't
34:39think I did well during TBD. But these
34:4210 minutes I used them like nine minutes
34:45of those I used to ask questions and I
34:48had very detailed and very like creative
34:51questions.
34:52>> So
34:53>> the interviewer who was with me
34:55initially came with a little bit like
34:58>> but in the end
34:59>> they were smiling and laughing and
35:01sharing their experience passionately.
35:03So that's something you can also do you
35:06know if you don't feel so good about
35:07yourself try to build that connection
35:09try to like bring the person into better
35:11mood and
35:12>> let them speak about themselves happily
35:14>> and yeah the fact that you were able to
35:16do that in 10 minutes like is really
35:18like incredible especially with the fact
35:20you got an admit afterwards means you
35:22did something amazing. Um and yeah like
35:26just a disclaimer and this is mainly for
35:28our users here in GMAC club. If you guys
35:30are going to get an interview invite and
35:33you have no idea what to do, we are
35:34having a session which you'll know about
35:36next week where we are literally giving
35:38free interview prep uh advice for every
35:41school including the schools that got
35:43>> so nice. I paid money. [laughter]
35:46So guys, use that free.
35:49>> Yeah, this is completely free and you
35:50get to do mock interviews as well like
35:52what you did with people. So this is a
35:54great opportunity for those who might um
35:58but yeah this was majorly about
36:00interviews. Um anything else about
36:03interviews that sort of stood out for
36:04you that you feel like sharing? I feel
36:06like you did cover a lot about uh the
36:09interview process.
36:11>> Yeah, I think that I would add that if
36:13you are not a native speaker, accents
36:16can be hard guys really.
36:19So if you think that there are some
36:21particular accents that are really hard
36:23for you to comprehend, I do recommend
36:26you to find practice groups with those
36:28people. So that's what I did. I found
36:30some accents that were like really hard
36:32for me and I literally jumped into their
36:35TBDs being like the only one person who
36:37is not that that accent was having that
36:40accent and that helped me a lot you
36:42know. So like
36:44>> if you have this problem, if you're
36:45non-native speaker, try to find people
36:47with accent and practice with them. Not
36:49to be in an awkward situation during the
36:51real TV like what what what did you say
36:53again? So [laughter] yeah, no, that's a
36:56really good point. Um but I mean it's
36:58not something you know you can fix like
37:01like you know in a go like this is part
37:03of you, right? So you just have to wing
37:05it and do your best. Uh
37:07>> yeah, exactly. But that helps you to
37:09understand others because
37:11>> yeah, you know, if others speak with
37:14accents that you don't really understand
37:16well really take time to practice
37:18because it might be a little bit
37:20confusing during TBD if you find a
37:22person from the part of the world that
37:23you've never heard of and let's say
37:25they're random. Let's say they're
37:26Australians and you're like
37:28>> what was that again? [laughter] So yeah.
37:31>> No, for sure. Well, okay. I mean, we
37:33managed to cover at least the
37:35application part of things. Um now I
37:37think coming to like the question that I
37:38actually was wanted to ask you before
37:41this live session started but now I'd
37:43like to ask that now. Why US? Like you
37:46mean you did your masters in Europe. Um
37:50and you know of course like this is
37:52common knowledge but with the
37:53geopolitical issue with like your
37:56country and the US
37:58why you wanted to go there anyways what
38:00was your motivation to do that?
38:04>> Yeah. Yes. First of all, I already had
38:06the degree from European business
38:08school, so I knew how it's like and I've
38:10spent quite some years in Europe, so
38:13this is pretty kind of common for me
38:16already. I want to try something new. I
38:18guess the perk of the US MBAs is that
38:21you can equally be accepted with them
38:23into like top positions both in Europe
38:25and US and with the European business
38:27school. You kind of going to lose for
38:30like candidates who had MBA in the US.
38:33So I would say that in that sense it's
38:35kind of better. So it fits both worlds.
38:38Maybe the exception will be LBS but
38:42apart from that I wouldn't say that much
38:44at least from like what I gathered so
38:46far. And then on top of that I'm really
38:49interested in working for like leading
38:51tech companies who are mostly based in
38:54AI and Silicon Valley. So this is the
38:57perfect market and like the perfect way
38:58to enter that market for me.
39:00>> Oh no. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Well,
39:02[snorts] okay. Um, and regarding uh the
39:06experience, so was there a specific
39:10aspect other than what you mentioned of
39:12the USMBB experience that appealed to
39:14you more than the European alternatives
39:18other than you know the being in the
39:19tech like getting into that tech side of
39:22things? Mhm. [clears throat] I would say
39:24that generally, you know, the network
39:27because if you look at, let's say,
39:28Wharton, they have what, like 200,000
39:32graduates. So, I mean, that's quite a
39:34lot. And also the class sizes and
39:36everything. So, if you really want to
39:38build this huge network of like best out
39:40of the best, I think that's a great
39:42opportunity for that. European schools
39:44are more niche. And again let's say I
39:47wouldn't expect many Americans to go to
39:49European schools especially if we take
39:50like more traditional you I mean
39:52European Union like ashes or sad or
39:55bakonei and I was studying masters in
39:57bone and I think my class was like 90%
40:00Italians and it was English like English
40:02taught masters program
40:04>> so I wouldn't expect that much of
40:06diversity in Europe and for me it was
40:09also interesting to work and study with
40:11people who are coming like literally
40:12from all over the world. M understood.
40:16Um also I mean um once you're done with
40:19your MBA are you planning to then stay
40:22in the US? Like what are your postmbba
40:25goals?
40:27>> So my postNBA goals well as I said I'm
40:29generally interested in corporate social
40:31responsibility and integrating it as a
40:33core department in the company so that
40:35companies think of how to help the
40:38others in terms of both like investments
40:40and technological aspects.
40:42But short term I want to learn more
40:44about product development within tech
40:46companies and B2C products because I
40:48think that if I want to bring those
40:50technologies to underserved regions
40:52across the world then well I need to
40:54know at least how they function and I
40:55need to make sure that I can improve
40:57them I know how to build them better to
40:59serve the regions that are not let's say
41:01US or Europe those who got like 90%
41:03internet access rate because if you take
41:05let's say Kenya it's like
41:08>> 30% internet access rate you know so
41:10things are different across the globe up
41:12and that's what I want to do short term
41:13and long term I want to do I want to
41:15become a CMO and basically lead
41:17corporate social responsibility at um
41:19tech direct
41:20>> oh how nice um but uh also like how what
41:23has your experience in uh communications
41:27like prepare you for this career that
41:29you want in product development in big
41:31tech
41:32>> yeah I think generally communications I
41:35think I think it was Warren Buffett who
41:37said that if I was down to my last
41:38dollar I would spend it on PR I actually
41:40agree with that Because PR is like
41:43company reputation and I mean you can be
41:45building reputation for decades and then
41:47let's say their Samsung phone burns
41:50somewhere and like your reputation is
41:52tanking this very second and depends on
41:54how you handle that situation like the
41:57future of your entire company depends on
41:59that. So I think it's really important
42:02to be able to always think of the aspect
42:05of how you're perceived as a brand
42:07>> and I think it's really helpful from
42:09what I learned before. But generally
42:11working with tech companies, you also
42:12get a better understanding of like the
42:14world of technologies work and different
42:16regulations and government relations and
42:18so on and so forth. So I think I should
42:21be doing fine in product development.
42:24[laughter]
42:25>> Awesome. Well, I mean we mostly covered
42:27everything here. I guess my uh last few
42:30questions would most mostly be now
42:32advice that you personally have for
42:36people who are applying. Um so what
42:38would you what kind of advice would you
42:40give you know for those who feel like
42:42they don't have like the perfect profile
42:44uh or a high GPA or even a traditional
42:47background?
42:48>> Sure. I have a list of those guys. I'm
42:50ready. So first of all, yeah,
42:54>> make sure that you believe in yourself.
42:56Try to find someone who also does like
42:57that's really important. Try to find a
42:59friend, a family member, an MBA
43:01consultant. Like it doesn't matter who
43:03it's going to be. It should be someone
43:04who believes in you really much. And
43:07when you don't believe in yourself, that
43:09person going to stand by you and say
43:10like, "Yeah, you can do that." And I
43:12mean, I wouldn't be able to do it
43:13without people who supported me in this
43:15way like you know, not by reading my
43:17essays, but like literally saying you
43:18can do it. So again, if you need me,
43:20feel free to reach out. I'm going to
43:21tell you you can do it in case you're
43:22ever not. Then
43:25>> find like 20 30 people who did it and
43:28ask how. That's my first rule in
43:29everything in life. That can be career,
43:31that can be open your own company, that
43:33can be I don't know getting a permit or
43:34stay in Dubai. Doesn't matter. Find
43:36people who did that. Ask them how they
43:38did it. Very simple rule. Then focus as
43:41we said data results. Did emotional
43:44feel. You can have a little bit of that.
43:46But like first of all it should be
43:47tangible results of your entire journey
43:50like what did you do well? What was your
43:52value ever
43:53>> in university when you're working I
43:56don't know in the community you're
43:57serving like what's your value to this
43:59world in general
44:01>> then GMAT again is the only predictable
44:04part of this application. So that's
44:07something you know how it's going to be
44:08perceived. You don't know about anything
44:10else about your essay about like
44:12nothing. GMAT is something a you can
44:14change. It's not a GPA. you can still
44:15change it and B it depends like 100% on
44:18you. So please put all the efforts you
44:20have into GMAT. It's really important
44:22and like stupid to lose that because
44:25that's something that's just like 100%
44:27under your control. Then recommendation
44:30letters I think in my honest opinion I
44:33think they're like 20 25% of the success
44:37and I would tell you that like please
44:40put effort there. Uh don't write your
44:43own. I know everyone tells you that.
44:45They're like, "Oh my god." But like,
44:46come on. Who will know? They will know.
44:48And they will know not because they're
44:49sneaky people, but because it's really
44:51clear to see what's your writing style.
44:53And I'm coming from public relations, so
44:55I'm telling you. We see that. We know
44:57when it's AI. We know when it's copied.
45:00We know like we know. I'm not even any
45:02ATCOM member, but I still know when
45:04people do that. So, don't do that. And
45:06try to find the advocates who can speak
45:08for you and like do really extensive
45:11prep with them. So I did like
45:13recommendation guides. I did like hund
45:16rules of good recommendation letters. So
45:18I really prepared them for that and I
45:22took many calls. I sent like thousands
45:24of thank you letters. I sent flowers and
45:26wines to my recommeners. So you know you
45:29kind of have to go all in in that and
45:31try to ensure that those are people who
45:34can speak warmly about you. I think it's
45:36more important than anything is that
45:39they really should be rooting for your
45:40success. So if it's someone who may be
45:43more senior but will write something
45:45like senior is an amazing candidate for
45:46the MBA program. I highly recommend her.
45:49That's not the recommendation letter. So
45:51better find someone who maybe not that
45:54senior but someone who like really cares
45:56about you. Someone who can be like oh my
45:58god you're not going to believe what did
46:00during her amazing journey at opera. She
46:03was like the star. So you want that
46:05vibe. Try to find out. It took me a
46:07while but try to find out really.
46:10>> Then uh next
46:14I know you probably don't expect that
46:16that but it is going to take a bunch of
46:19time for you to fill all the fields in
46:21the application. So don't think it's
46:23going to be recommendation CV uh essays
46:26and that's it. There are like a thousand
46:29other things in there. They're like your
46:31salaries from all the years. I don't
46:32know the context of other people who
46:34need to be your references,
46:36recommenders. There are extra essays,
46:38short-term goals, long-term goals, video
46:40essay questions, behavioral assessment.
46:42So, you cannot complete the application
46:44when they have never opened them before.
46:47>> Try to put enough time to like complete
46:50all these sections that probably are not
46:53as basic as like essay or whatever you
46:55already know is in there.
46:57>> And I think I have like a couple of last
46:59ones out. So if you reapply as I did,
47:03improve each aspect. I am
47:06>> not kidding. Improve each aspect of your
47:08application. So take it step by step.
47:10>> Retake GMAT, do some important project
47:12at work, re- choose recommenders,
47:14rewrite essays from scratch, not not
47:16just rewriting.
47:18So really try to work on every single
47:20aspect of your application. Try to
47:22improve like at least a little bit every
47:24single one of them. That what I think
47:25helps. then don't prolong ex your
47:28applications unless you expect some
47:30crazy major improvements. So there is no
47:32need to apply next year if nothing is
47:34going to change in your life and like
47:36you'll get I don't know plus 10 points
47:38on GMAT. So
47:40>> don't prolong your experience. Seven
47:42years is too much in my opinion. Try not
47:45to just like scratch that as much as you
47:47can. Uh be yourself on interviews that I
47:49think we already discussed. And last but
47:52not least, don't apply to one two
47:54schools. Don't be like I'm only
47:55[clears throat] going to Harvard. I did
47:56that. That doesn't work. So, [laughter]
47:58so don't do that. Choose like reasonable
48:01amount of schools, different variety.
48:03Even if you're not, let's say you apply,
48:06I don't to Berkeley and you don't want
48:08to go there, then you can use it as
48:09negotiation for other schools and
48:10scholarships. So,
48:12>> just always apply for at least some
48:14number of schools, not like one or two.
48:17>> Exactly. Well, someone here said, "Your
48:19journey is a perfect portrayal of not
48:21giving up, which
48:25Well, yeah. I mean, also I mean you
48:27you've definitely given a lot of solid
48:29advice. Um is there something that you
48:32would have done differently uh if you
48:34had a chance um in your MBA application
48:36process?
48:38>> I think first round of course yes like
48:41last year and that's why I did a lot of
48:43things differently but I would say that
48:46I wouldn't be stressing that much. I
48:48know it sounds like impossible to do but
48:50I didn't sleep I didn't eat. I made
48:51myself feel horrible like don't do that
48:55really especially about the interviews.
48:57So I understand application process is
48:59harsh but interviews I promise you guys
49:01they're all real nice people. They all
49:03care about your journey. They all are
49:06like fun, engaging, smiley. So it's at
49:10all not an interrogation. They don't
49:11like and this year this month what did
49:14you do at 2 p.m. you know? No, there is
49:16nothing like that. So just at least for
49:19the interviews don't stress out that
49:21much like not worth it really. It's
49:23going to be great.
49:25>> Yeah. You shouldn't show you should be
49:27you should feel confident as well.
49:28Right.
49:29>> Exactly. [snorts]
49:30>> If I if I would have given an interview
49:32I would personally be like okay this is
49:33just any other conversation I'm having
49:35with a person.
49:37>> True.
49:37>> Breathe and calm down. [laughter]
49:40>> Exactly. One thing I feel like also
49:42students should know is if a school
49:44doesn't take you, it's not as if you're
49:46not good enough. Maybe you're just not
49:48the right fit for that school for that
49:50particular year. So schools always look
49:53for candidates. So don't feel bad if you
49:56didn't get in. I think that's the
49:58>> exact like don't ever feel bad because
50:01honestly I mean there's going to be a
50:03great school for you. Don't you worry
50:04about that. And maybe that's again the
50:06sign from the universe. I don't know if
50:08the stars are in the right position or
50:09whatsoever. Like whatever you believe
50:11in, but maybe that's just not the right
50:13school for you, man. Maybe by rejecting
50:16you, they actually redirect you to much
50:18better school that will be a better fit.
50:22>> Exactly. Oh, okay. [laughter]
50:25You finished the sentence. Okay.
50:26Awesome. Well, um I think the last bit
50:28that I would ask was uh for, you know,
50:30for applicants from countries with, you
50:33know, unique geopolitical challenges, uh
50:36what would you say is the key to
50:38overcoming those barriers?
50:42>> As bad as it sounds in some way, like
50:44it's good to have international
50:45experience. That's true. So if you're
50:47coming from the country that is let's
50:49say not perceived as economically
50:50thriving or politically thriving country
50:53in the states then maybe it's really
50:55good to try to expose yourself a little
50:57bit internationally at least within your
50:59own region even like not focus on not
51:01like was born in one city raised in one
51:03city graduated in one city never ever
51:05moved anywhere. So at least like travels
51:07or experience exchange programs whatever
51:10like internships whatever you can take
51:11try to do that and then again show that
51:14you know how to work with people from
51:15different backgrounds and I think that's
51:18what MBA programs are looking for you
51:20should be able to work from people all
51:22over the world and you shouldn't be
51:24having any issues with that so try to
51:26find those like tiny pieces in your
51:28experience that can prove it maybe I
51:29don't know you mentored a foreign
51:30student in the university or you had a
51:32foreign colleague coming for internship
51:34in your office and you helped them to
51:35settle So try to find a little bit of
51:37this like cultural aspects that can help
51:40show that you are an international
51:41candidate after all.
51:43>> No, that's solid advice. Um well CI
51:46managed to cover pretty much everything.
51:48Of course it will been awesome to get
51:50more questions guys. I can see you guys
51:52are watching but you guys are always so
51:54shy to ask your stuff. So no worries. Uh
51:57you guys can obviously comment even when
52:00the session ends. And if you want to
52:02reach out to SA on LinkedIn, uh we will
52:05definitely put it somewhere in the
52:06description and in the comments as well
52:08so that you can find her LinkedIn
52:10profile. Uh but yeah, I mean thank you
52:12so much SA for doing this. Uh it was
52:15incredible. I wish the best with your
52:17MBA journey in the US. Um and yeah, this
52:21was amazing. Also um just FYI guys,
52:24we're having a live GMAT quiz right
52:27after this. So, hop on to our channel if
52:29you want to solve GMAT questions and get
52:31an incredible score.
52:33>> You better do, [laughter] guys.
52:37>> But yeah, thanks. Thanks once again, SA.
52:39And yeah, just good luck and best of
52:42luck for your journey.
52:44>> Thank you. Thank you so much for having
52:45me. Feel free to ask any questions,
52:47reach out in case you need any help or
52:49like you want someone to look at your
52:50essay. Always here to help. So, good
52:54luck. You're going to make it. And thank
52:55you, Si, for taking the time. Yeah, of
52:58course. Thank you so much. Take care.
53:00Bye. Bye.

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