MIT Masters in Supply Chain Management
Abhay’s self-belief and hard work helped him to get into the MIT SCM program
MIT is a brand name that raises eyebrows and invites awe around the world. An MIT Masters Admission is a great achievement, not just because one is regarded highly professionally, but because one is also assured of the best education possible. Abhay Khare experienced this moment of exultation in December 2012, when he was offered admission to the MIT Master of Science in Supply Chain Management. Abhay comes from the shipping industry, and has handled commercial operations, ship-building, and supply chain management issues alike. This is the story of how he got his MIT Masters Admission. Please feel free to ask Abhay any questions that you have as part of comments for this page.
Shipping has been my passion since my college days. I graduated from BITS Pilani as a Marine Engineer in 2007, and have worked in this industry ever since.
The last six years have given me exposure to a variety of shipping practices, and also enabled me to travel to different countries on business.
From the basics of ship-building to sailing certifications and even commercial management, my job has taught me a lot.
Then, last year, I decided to gain further education in the area of logistics and shipping. I thought of an MBA, but an MBA seemed to me to be too focused on business management and not as much on commercial shipping, which is what interested me.
The MIT Masters in Supply Chain Management is the top program in this field in the world, but dare I even think about it?
Well, I could, and that is the first important lesson for anyone who is reading this. Just because a goal is lofty does not mean it is impossible.
Preparing a top notch application for a top school such as MIT does require you to be at the top of your game, however. This is where my association with GyanOne was really fruitful.
Admissions consultants provide advice and application help in various ways, but what I found most amazing about GyanOne was that the consultant assigned to help me had a deep knowledge of my industry.
A Master of Science application involves demonstrating a very good understanding of the sector one wishes to work for, and the MIT application was as open-ended as it can get.
To excel on this application, I needed not just good essays, but good ideas and a vision for the supply chain industry too. Besides, I needed to express my research interests in a way that could help demonstrate the value I would get out of the program.
GyanOne provided me consistently excellent advice on each and every aspect. Not only could I discuss the ideas I came up with, but I could also bounce off their validity with someone who was very experienced.
GyanOne also pushed me hard to consistently raise the bar in terms of the content I was putting in to the essays. For example, I began the essay on my area of interest by simply describing what I wanted to study.
Many revisions and discussions later, the essay included not just my interest, but also demonstrated a deep understanding of the supply chain industry, incorporated my experiences, and provided innovative solutions to some pressing problems facing supply chain management.
The GyanOne reviews were excellent and helped me to refine my application tremendously.
I could feel the buzz when I was submitting the application. I think this is very important – don’t submit your application until you feel you are ready. My suggestions to people looking to go a top school are as follows:
1. Don’t be afraid to dream. You can perhaps make it to better places than you think you can. Find someone to realistically evaluate your selection, but don’t just give up on places because you feel they are too tough to get in to.
2. Find an experienced advisor who can review your work. For me, the GyanOne reviews did that job very very well. They really helped because it is easy to get lost in your own thoughts and not be able to find the errors in your own essays and your application. An external perspective, preferably that of an expert, can help tremendously in improving the overall application.
3. Get started early! I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this. You will take time to create the application and will spend time reviewing and this takes time. Unless a last minute submission is absolutely necessary, try and avoid it.
Want to check out more on MIT Programs?
MIT Sloan Fellows Programs – For Leaders Among Leaders
Leave a Reply