ESMT Scholarships for Academic Excellence and More

In the past open day sessions and emails from our readers, we are often asked about MBA financing options. One of the common ways to finance your MBA study is to get a scholarship from the schools. Business schools want to attract the right candidates from various regions and those with unique experiences and qualities. As you research about the school, do look into their scholarships and apply from one of them.

I am currently doing my 1-year MBA at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin, Germany. The school was founded in 2002 by 25 corporations with the purpose of offering the distinct European business experience in a classroom environment. I am in the fifth intake with 38 other students from 21 countries. Most, if not all, of us including myself, were offered a scholarship to finance our MBA.

A total of 11 scholarships are available for the full-time MBA program. In particular, I would like to share two relevant ones; mainly because they relate to GMAT score and Asian focus where majority of our readers are from. For others, please visit ESMT scholarships website.

ESMT Asia Scholarship

ESMT awards one prestigious scholarship to an outstanding male or female candidate applying to either program from an Asian country.

Program: Full-time MBA

Number of scholarships available: two

Value: € 25,000

Eligibility: Candidates with permanent residence in a South or East Asian / Australasian country

Requirements:
Candidates are required to submit a scholarship essay along with their complete application to the ESMT Full-time MBA program. Candidates will be expected to actively promote the school in the respective regions throughout and after their studies, e.g. by participating in the ESMT mentoring program.

ESMT Academic Excellence Scholarship

ESMT offers special-tuition scholarship to male and female candidates applying to the ESMT Full-time MBA program with an exceptionally strong GMAT score and a record of academic excellence at undergraduate level.

Program: Full-time MBA

Number of scholarships available: two

Value: € 25,000

Eligibility: All candidates with a GMAT score of 700+ are eligible to apply

Criteria: Candidates are to provide proof of a valid GMAT score (not older than five years) and a short essay (max. 300 words) stating why they qualify for this scholarship.

For more information on the scholarships, please contact the ESMT Head of Admissions, Ms. Stephanie Kluth at mba@esmt.org.

If you want to learn more about the full-time MBA program and my experience studying and living in Berlin so far, you're free to contact me at my Gmail address.


Jimmy Low

What does an MBA mean?

By now, most applicants would know which schools have accepted or dinged them. For those who have been accepted, congratulations - for those that were dinged all round, don't give up hope, there's always this year's applications coming about.

By and large, most people would do an MBA to further their career. Some have aspirations to become a manager, some want to get into management consulting, and others dream of being a baller in Private Equity/Venture Capital or a Hedge Fund. There are a select few who believe that doing an MBA will transform them into entrepreneurs.

Well, that's not what an MBA is about. It's not about turning you into a PE/VC/HF/Investment Banking baller making the benjamins. Nor is it about turning you into a jet setting high flying management consultant. It however, is about teaching you the basics of management, but it's not going to magically make you into Manager of the Year...

An MBA is about wealth creation, and there's no better wealth creation than entrepreneurship. Many people say, "Hell yeah, I'm a risk taker, I'm cutting edge, that's why I'm going into finance/etc." Well, I'm sorry, you're not. You're just another wage earner, though a high wage earner, who doesn't have the guts to go out there and start something on your own. You're somebody who's doing the MBA to get a more "secure" future, hedging your risks.

To me, an MBA isn't about going into finance, or management consulting (you've missed the real money making PE/VC/HF/MC/IB boat, it's gone, gone without you). It's not about becoming another mid-level manager lost in a billion dollar company. What's the point? You can probably do that without an MBA. For me, an MBA is about learning management, not to manage somebody else's company, but to start and manage my own company...

GMAT Scholarships from QS World MBA / Beat the GMAT

Dear GMAT Malaysia Followers,

This is a repost from QS Top MBA email.

The QS World MBA Tour is excited to share a special GMAT scholarship opportunity from one of our partners, Beat The GMAT.

Beat The GMAT recently launched its fifth annual GMAT Scholarship Competition. The website will be distributing six GMAT prep packages worth over $8500. Each package includes a $250 voucher for GMAT registration fees, as well as a full GMAT test prep course—courtesy of donations from: Grockit, Kaplan, Knewton, Manhattan GMAT, The Princeton Review, and Veritas Prep.

For those of you not familiar with Beat The GMAT, it is one of the world’s most popular business school prep communities, serving 1 million+ applicants each year. It is also one of the largest distributors of GMAT scholarships, having awarded $60,000 in prizes to 28 people since 2006.

To learn more and to apply for this scholarship, please visit: http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/scholarship


Jimmy