Risks and opportunities amid COVID-19 pandemic for International MBA applicants
The COVID-19 pandemic has bought in a great Imbalance in the working processes of many technical and business schools around the world. The placement season is particularly affected as companies have started revoking job offers institutes.
Keeping into consideration the situations caused by the pandemic of coronavirus, international applicants are vulnerable to many potential risks regarding admissions in business schools.
Many countries are sealing borders so as to ensure a proper lockdown implementation; selected students will not be able to present physically at the campus. The disadvantage of the proposal being students have to attend the online classes, which may not give them real-life MBA class experiences and the social life experience of the campus.
Other risks involve the vulnerability of the effects of the COVID-19 virus to your family members, which will surely compel you to step in the care taking and nursing roles.
Taking a step towards the major risk redirects the whole scenario of the pandemic to the job offers being revoked by companies. Due to unstable economic conditions, certain companies have started to rescind the job offers along with internships as well. Some institutes claimed the internship stipends being reduced by companies amid the COVID19 scenario.
International applicants are prone to risks like travel and visa restrictions that may lead them to an eliminated campus learning experience. Online classes will not be able to provide a real campus-based MBA class experience.
The social life of the campus will be missed by operating online classes. Along with this, international students may face difficulties like navigating medical facilities in a foreign land amid COVID-19.
The risk of long-term separation from family is persistent. Risks regarding the internships and job offer being revoked will be uncertain in the future as well.
There are some potential advantages to the situation as well. Business schools may be generous in providing admissions to candidates with borderline scores when the students have special vis and stay situations. Programs at the business schools may be more generous when it comes to providing scholarships and financial aid.
Economic instability will surely create some discrepancies in the recruitment process, and therefore students can avoid the heated-up recession period and then can subsequently join when conditions become more favorable.
What students can do in this time amid lockdown is they can improve their skills and professional habits that will help them at a time when they join the companies. It is also a good time to study GRE/GMAT since the scores can be asked by the institutes later. Other skills and learning experiences can be sharpened and acquired amid the pandemic.