Advice for Chinese MBA Applicants

January 30, 2024 :: Admissionado Team

As a Chinese applicant to American universities, you’ve no doubt heard all about the many challenges you’ll face in the admissions process. You are also probably all too familiar with the many pitfalls you need to avoid: cookie-cutter applications, perfect test scores with no outside accomplishments, and a perceived “lack of personality.” Honestly, it can be disheartening.

But look, that’s not the whole story. Admissions consultants often spend so much time avoiding those common obstacles that they miss the advantages of being a Chinese applicant. Admissionado’s ability to find those oft-overlooked advantages is fundamental to our outsized success in China. Uncovering buried treasure in all the right places is our specialty, and we’re happy to share the map.

Diverse Perspective & Experience

This one is so glaringly obvious, it hurts—and yet, it is still drastically overlooked and underutilized. Let’s zoom out for a second: As a Chinese applicant, you grew up in a country wildly different from the U.S., in a city wildly different from any U.S. city, and you speak at least two of the world’s most important languages. You grew up in a different culture, with different norms, different beliefs, different foods, and different customs. Alright, alright, we know what you’re thinking, “Yes, duh. But who cares? And can’t thousands of my Chinese peers say the same thing?”

To the first point: adcoms care! Those factors together mean that you already have a wealth of unique contributions to make to a university, just built into your background. You bring a diverse perspective, language, culture, and network. That’s significant because it means you can add a valuable perspective to the classroom, to student groups, and to campus in general. And to the second point: Yes, thousands of your Chinese peers can say the same thing, but many of them won’t. Many of your peers won’t recognize how valuable this inherent diversity is, and so they will fail to take advantage of it, allowing you to swoop in and stand out.

Admissions committees need international students to create the diverse, enriching campus environment they’re after—but more than just having those students present, they need those students to actively contribute to campus life. This is the point that many of your peers will miss. So, once you identify both what makes you unique and how that translates to unique actions you can take on each campus, you’ve just struck gold.

Leveraging Your Diverse Perspective

How do we use your built-in diversity as an international student? There are three major steps here.

First, reflect: Dig into your background and uncover the nuggets of uniqueness stashed away there. How has your upbringing differed from that of an average American, and what can you learn from each other? How does Chinese culture differ from American culture, and what are the overlaps?

Second, research: Once you’ve identified what makes your perspective unique, research the school you’re applying to and figure out exactly how those aspects of your experience translate to concrete contributions to campus life. What groups will you join or establish, what classes will you add a unique perspective to, what events will you attend, improve, or create?

And third, write: The final piece is communicating to the admissions committee that you have something special to contribute as a Chinese student, that you have a plan for making an impact, and that their school would be gaining something valuable with you as a student.

Reflect, research, write. This can be hard to grasp abstractly, so here’s an example: A Chinese student I worked with in Beijing wanted to study psychology in college. In reflecting on her background, she realized that being in China meant she’d been exposed to very different views on psychology than her American peers, due to Chinese attitudes towards mental health and Chinese internet controls. Leveraging this, she used an NYU essay to show how her background had given her both a more nuanced understanding of how mental health is treated in other parts of the world, and a yearning for accurate, globally-informed university courses on psychology. She would bring her distinct voice to psychology classes, and a deep commitment to opportunities like the HCOP Internship at NYU’s Rusk Rehabilitation Center. Needless to say, this approach worked and earned her admission!

Huge Potential for Stellar Stories

As a Chinese applicant, you have a slight edge over your American counterparts in the unique stories department, for two reasons: 1) Your international background gives you a bucket of material that the admissions committee will be less familiar with; and 2) Your path in choosing to leave your home country for college lends itself to introspection.

First, on material: Remember all those factors that added up to give you a diverse perspective? Well, those also give you a treasure trove of unique material—you have a lifetime of experiences that are less common in the broader applicant pool, so you have greater opportunities to craft totally original essays on original topics, purely by telling stories that might seem entirely unremarkable to you. Think about it this way: you’ve experienced a life that is mostly foreign to the admissions committee, so your average story about growing up in your hometown inevitably contains some material unique for your reader. Your average American counterpart’s equivalent story wouldn’t be as compellingly unique; they would have to dig deeper.

And second, on introspection: Your decision to leave your home country for college means you’ve (presumably) already given a lot of thought to your future, which means you’ve already done a lot of the introspection necessary for compelling essays and interviews, even for more specific questions like, “Why our school?” You’ve already made this huge decision to study outside your home country—dig into what you’ve learned about yourself, the kind of life you want, and your ideal college experience, and communicate it. That’s powerful stuff.

Leveraging Your Unique Stories

We can use the same reflect, research, write approach when writing compelling story-based essays. Start by actively dredging up all the material that you may have overlooked—dig into the stories lurking in the shadows of your experiences, from your childhood and family dynamics to local traditions, and catalog them all. Journal, reflect, brainstorm, and then write them all down, so you have them at your disposal.

Then, ensure that all the precious time you’ve already spent on introspection when deciding to leave China for college gets put to use by digging into what you’ve already learned about yourself, the life you want, and your ideal college experience. Do this by reviewing any past journal entries; replaying past conversations with teachers, friends, and parents about your decision; and reviewing your opinion on study abroad at various points in the past.

Let’s look at another example: A different student we worked with wanted to write her personal statement about her tight-knit, multi-generational family. This is not a unique topic on its own, but she realized that her background gave her an interesting angle: While her family was a big, traditional Chinese family, she had grown up more internationally, which made navigating a fairly universal problem—the deteriorating health of a grandparent—much harder. The health scare exposed cultural differences within her own family, and her reflection on these topics demonstrated her maturity and readiness to grapple with big philosophical questions (i.e., her ability to study at a liberal arts college). She made the narrative more captivating by adding references to Chinese dishes important in her family traditions, and leveraged the introspection she’d already done by incorporating realizations she’d had when discussing her decision to study in the U.S. with her family. What could have been a cliché topic blossomed into a compelling story on identity, family dynamics, and cultural differences.

Understanding of Pitfalls

Remember those common pitfalls of Chinese applicants that we referred to at the beginning of this article, the ones we’re pretty sure you’ve heard about before? Well, recognizing those oft-discussed challenges just happens to be a huge opportunity: As soon as you understand the pitfalls that plague other Chinese applicants, you are well-positioned to both avoid them and, as a result, set yourself apart from many of the other Chinese applicants who are not as adept at avoiding them.

For example, if you’ve read much about the admissions process for Chinese students, you may have read that certain admissions committees have become wary that some Chinese applications appear forged in some way, with forged transcripts, recommendations, or essays. While it is frustrating and unfair that a few bad applicants have tainted admissions committees’ views, it also presents a unique opportunity for you, the conscientious and principled applicant. It means that if you can start by proving to be a sincere and authentic applicant, you’ve already set yourself apart from many of your competitors. Those other guys probably aren’t cheating either, but unless they know to make a conscientious effort to avoid the perception of cheating, they’re at a disadvantage compared to you.

And that’s just one example. Generally, the better you understand the often-discussed mistakes other Chinese applicants make, the better you can avoid them and craft an exceptionally powerful application yourself. If you can pair this with the first two advantages, by showcasing your diverse perspective and how it will contribute to the school, all in brilliantly compelling essays—then you’re really onto something big.

The Competitive Edge of Chinese Students After Getting an MBA in the USA

The competitive edge is simple: international credibility. If you want to get a job in the U.S., of course, it’s easier now that you are located in the U.S. and seem less foreign. But even if you want to go to a different country—to Canada, Australia, even back to China (including Taiwan, HK, etc.) – once you have studied abroad, employers will assume that you are able to perform to an international level. This will convert into more jobs, more dollars, and, of course, more options in the future.

Overcoming Cultural Barriers in American Classrooms

One common challenge for Chinese and other Asian students is the cultural difference in classroom participation. Many Chinese students are taught to memorize but not question. The trick for helping Chinese students overcome this is simple: practice your English. If you are not confident in your English, you will find it even harder to raise your hands and participate. Practice English every day—if you aren’t speaking English at your current jobs, it is that much more important to practice. Without that background, you may never overcome the intimidation to participate in U.S. classes.

Evaluating Chinese Business Schools

Some business schools in China, like CKGSB, Fudan MBA, and Peking University, are top-notch. However, they are not truly global, as most students will be Chinese. One main reason people choose MBA programs in the U.S. is to get connected outside China. If you are satisfied with a mostly Chinese network, these programs can be great. If you aspire to a career in international business, consider a more global program available in Europe, Asia, or the U.S.

When choosing a business school, prioritize reputation. Go to the best school you can get into, as reputation matters significantly in the business world. For example, even if a school like Kellogg is known for marketing, if you get into HBS, choose Harvard for its global reputation. The school’s prestige will carry weight in your career, no matter where you are in the world.

Conclusion

Navigating the American university admissions process as a Chinese applicant comes with unique challenges, but also unique advantages. By leveraging your diverse perspective, unique stories, and understanding of common pitfalls, you can craft a compelling application that stands out. Reflect on your experiences, research the schools you’re applying to, and communicate your strengths effectively. With careful preparation and a strategic approach, you can turn your background into a powerful asset in the admissions process. Remember, your journey is unique, and your story is worth telling.