Applying to B-Schools in USA via the Consortium

Every business school in this day and age wants to foster a diverse cohort. Representation matters everywhere- be it in B-schools or the corporate, be it female representation or Indian American representation. The schools and corporations are pushing to move beyond a white male-dominated environment and give equal opportunities to students from every community. This is one of the underlying principles behind the Consortium.

What is the Consortium?

The Consortium is a group of schools in the US with a mission to improve the representation of the underrepresented minorities- African-American students, Hispanic students, Native-American students, and the like in business schools and at the workplace. The Consortium is essentially a partnership; a non-profit body between the business schools and corporates who come together with the mission of improving the representation of students from the aforementioned minority groups.

Who can apply via the Consortium?

Anyone who is an American citizen, permanent resident of the US or a green card holder can apply via the Consortium. The person has to be from an underrepresented minority group and/or be working in a field in a field that advances the representation of these underrepresented minorities. The Consortium also allows students who have shown a commitment through work and/or community activism to advance The Consortium’s mission and support the causes of underrepresented minorities.

What does the process look like?

There are 30+ schools that are part of the Consortium and it includes only 3 out of the top 10 US schools. An applicant can apply to a maximum of 6 of these schools through the consortium. The application consists of a common set of questions of the Consortium and one set of questions for each of the schools you are applying to individually. Note that the individual schools do not have access to the consortium application. It is important to remember that the consortium effect only comes into play when you have been selected by the school itself.

What are the components required?

There are some common questions as well as some individual school specific questions when it comes to applying via the Consortium. For the latter, you can refer to the school. However, when it comes to the Consortium specific questions, there is a core essay that asks you about your career goals and three more supplementary essays to build an understanding of how you have worked towards the mission of the Consortium in the past and how you plan on doing so in the future. Expect essays like

What will you do post MBA with respect to community service and leadership involvement to demonstrate your continued commitment to The Consortium’s missions of diversity and inclusion?

And

What have you done pre-MBA in your business, personal, or academic life to demonstrate commitment to this mission?

What is the benefit of applying via the Consortium?

If you do get selected, the first and the most important benefit is a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend. 70–80% of people who get selected via the consortium get a tuition waiver sponsored by the partner schools. Secondly, you also get access to a networking program dedicated solely to the consortium students before you start your classes. That program allows you to network with companies, recruiters and even get internships before you step foot into the college. Thirdly, you have lifetime alumni support from these 30 schools, which basically translates to a lifetime of formal or informal mentorship from Consortium alumni.

Drawbacks?

Although it sounds like a dream come true, the first drawback that comes to mind is the application process getting lengthier- writing school specific as well as consortium-specific essays. Apart from that, 7 out of the top 10 B schools in the US are not a part of the Consortium.

Applying via the Consortium is an amazing ROI if you end up getting into the school you applied to.

Reach out to us at CrackAdmission to get guidance on how you can ace your consortium application.