Are letters of recommendation really useful when you apply to business schools abroad? How important is it to obtain quality letters of recommendation when you formulate a plan to study abroad?

According to international education counsellor Karan Gupta, "Letters of recommendation are just part of the application process and are generally not given too much weightage. Nonetheless, you have to make sure your recommenders give you good letters of recommendation. While a good letter of recommendation may not help you get admission, a bad letter of recommendation will make sure you get denied."

Karan answered these and other related queries during a chat on December 14.

For those of you who missed the chat, here's the transcript.

Part I: Will a one year MBA get you a job?
Part II: Want an MBA abroad? Get work experience

Part III: Should you do a second MBA abroad?

omkar asked, where in India I find the book "How to get in to top mba program by Richard Montauk"

KARAN answers, Visit Crosswords or ask www.rediff.com.

NITIN asked, HELLO MR KARAN I HAVE DONE B.COM (HONS)FROM ST XAVIERS COLLEGE,NOW I WANT TO DO MBA IN MARKETING FROM BANGKOK,HOW TO MOVE AHEAD?

KARAN answers, I think the American University has a presence in Bangkok. You can do your MBA there. But remember, job prospects are very difficult if you graduate from a university in Bangkok.

dinesh asked, Hi ,this is dinesh ,i did my BE. Computer Eng in 04 ...nw working in a telecom company as a systems consultant since couple of yrs .i would like to go for MBA in IT/systems ...which country u preferred and college ?

KARAN answers, Don't compare countries, instead compare universities. You will find excellent schools in the US, Europe, etc. Hence, you should compare schools and not countries.

Somesh asked, Hi karan, I hav done my B.tech in Biochemical Engineering & have 2.5 years of work exp. Currently i am doing my MBA in finance through distance mode, but i wish to do some good regular course abroad ranging between 3 month to an year at cheap cost tthat can add value to my MBA.

KARAN answers, Consider a specialised leadership or marketing course at Harvard Business School.

Parag asked, This is a Bit off Topic Question,My question is ii am doing PGDBA through distance learning,Will this be considered if i did want tto switch on my career from IT to a management ffield,If so how do i start of switching onto it

KARAN answers, Yes, in most cases, it will be counted. You will need an MBA to make the final switch.

pankil asked, Which European Universities are good for Enterpreneurship and Finance Specialisation in MBA?

KARAN answers, Again look at the rankings -- LBS, Insead, IE, HEC, etc.

xac asked, hey karan, is a part time program worth for a working proffesional??

KARAN answers, Yes.

techie asked, I found the MBA offered by Robert Kennedy College in Switzerland [Images] (with Univ. of Wales) to be very interesting and affordable. Do you think it is a well-known or accredited MBA? Could you please help?

KARAN answers, No. This is not a well known programme and most people will have difficulty in finding jobs after they graduate.

Amit asked, Which Business school would you rate better. National University of Singapore or Melbourne School of Business.

KARAN answers, Melbourne Business School.

bharat asked, hi i am bharat .i Done M.B.A marketing from Pune university and i have 3.5 years of exp in banking and insurance now i want to do an M.B.A (fin) from abroad now i am preparing for GMAT kindly sujest me how should i go abut it

KARAN answers, Buy the official guide to GMAT and start preparation from this book.

Itsme asked, Hi Karan, I am a Phd From IIT, I did my BE, MTech and PhD from IIT. But i am interested in MBA from US/Europe universities. I hav few doubts. Will MBA after PhD really help or one shud go for PDF? I am basically interested in consulting job.

KARAN answers, I think an MBA from a highly reputed world renowned business school will help you become a global consultant.

Ranjith asked, Are there good prospects after doing a MBA from NUS, NTU or HKUST?

KARAN answers, If you graduate from NUS, you will have a good chance of getting a job in Singapore.

LakshyaMBA asked, Hey Karan.. Could you please let us know the preferred MBA destinations by Indian Students in Europe and a brief about the institutes there?

KARAN answers, France [Images] -- Insead, HEC; Spain -- IE, ESADE UK; -- LBs, Oxford, MBS, City, Warwick.

polpot asked, hi karan, how is london metropolitan university for an MBA ? i have 3 yeras work exp in the IT field.

KARAN answers, LMU is an average university. Most students have difficulty in getting jobs from LMU after they graduate.

sundaresan asked, Is there any difference in studying in any accredited University in USA for MBA in terms of recognition and employment potentials. Does the ranking of a University really matter?

KARAN answers, Yes, the reputation and accreditation of the university matters. The rankings may not matter that much. Employers prefer to recruit people from 'well known' universities.

prashant asked, hi, i m currently pursuing my 2yr mba(finance) course from india, but before i start working i would like to pursue a 1yr mba from abroad and specically in a field related to capital market or in stock exchange. what are the possible places where i can go and what is the cost involved

KARAN answers, If you are looking for a one year MBA, you look at universities in Europe and not USA.

Sun asked, Hi Karan, How about MBA from Australia and Singapore, how do they fare, jobwise?

KARAN answers, It depends on the universities in these countries and not on the country itself.

RAJ asked, Hi karan.. I am an MCA 2005 passout. I have just under 2 yrs of work exp(Jan'05 till date). Do you think that an MBA would give my professional graph a steep inclination? If so, pls list me some B-Schools that would be ideal for me..

KARAN answers, I would recommend you wait for one more year before you apply for an MBA. Once you have 3 years of work experience, take the GMAT and you will know which B schools to target.

surup21 asked, how much do references matter when it comes to an MBA application? i am reffering to references from my superiors. I haev been teaching parttime to POst graduate management students for past 3 years along with working in the field of marketing, would this experience help in getting me in a good B school?

KARAN answers, Letters of recommendation are just part of the application process and are generally not given too much weightage. Nonetheless, you have to make sure your recommenders give you good letters of recommendation. While a good letter of recommendation may not help you get admission, a bad letter of lecommendation will make sure you get denied.

gogetter asked, Any Idea Abt MIP Italy [Images], How's the college . and Hows's the MBA at the University

KARAN answers, MIP is an upcoming university and is ranked no. 21 by TopMBA. It has a small class and Italian will be taught as part of the course, but the course is in English. The project is for 3 months and the total duration of the course is 15 months.

KARAN says, Thank you very much for attending this chat. Please look out for the next Study Abroad Chat by Karan Gupta. Have a great day!