An inside look at the impact of COVID with Darrell Nabers [Show summary] Darrell Nabers, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Loyola University of Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine, shares how the school is adapting its program and admissions policies to life in the time of COVID-19. Changes to Loyola Stritch's program and admissions practices as a result of the COVID pandemic [Show notes] Our guest today is Darrell Nabers, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Loyola University of Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine. Darrell earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Whittier College and Golden State University, respectively. He then held various admissions positions from 2000 to 2005 before joining the University of Chicago's admissions staff where he served in different roles until 2015. He joined Loyola Chicago Stritch in 2015 as Director of Admissions and became Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment in February 2019. Darrell was a guest on the podcast last year for Episode 325. Our latest interview focuses on the changes to Loyola Stritch's program, and specifically its admissions practices as a result of the COVID pandemic. How is the Loyola Stritch medical school program different today due to COVID-19 than it was a year ago? [2:19] It's very different. One example would be the fact that I am speaking to you from my home and not from my office. We as a staff have been working from home since March 20th. There have been discussions about when we'll return to the building. They have not yielded a decision, and because we're part of a larger institution with an undergraduate campus and the graduate campuses, that has to be a unified decision. As a health sciences division, we have been able to advocate for our third and fourth year students to get back into their courses, which has happened. So we have third years who are doing mostly didactic-structured content for the first couple of months before they begin their rotations. The fourth years had to take a pause on their clerkship training when the COVID crisis hit, and this allowed them to make up the clerkships before we had third years overlapping with them. That's a difficult thing to do, to have two classifications overlap and then the third shift. Once the fourth years make up the clerkship rotations in the next few weeks, then the third years will move into theirs, but they're currently participating in clinical simulations and exercises and mostly virtual content, but we'll be back in the clerkships soon. And then of course, the fourth years move into their sub-I’s and electives. For the first and second years, we are virtual. So there's an asynchronous curriculum which allows students to log in and conduct their coursework. There are also live lectures that are provided through a virtual platform. The goal is to bring both groups back at some point this year. We have preliminarily determined the early part of October for the first years to be back on, to actually be on campus for the first time. It's just going to require attention to the different health mandates by the state. Our main campus made a plan early to bring undergraduates back to campus, and then this last week we were told that they're not going to have students on campus for the foreseeable future. So again, I think a lot of things are in flux. When it comes to the decision to reopen the school, talking about changes, obviously we'll be wearing hospital-grade masks, we'd be wearing PPE, and the building will be tied to a hospital, so when we're within the medical school, we'll be wearing masks. There'll be compulsory daily screenings, temperature checks, a questionnaire, and an application that all of us will have on our phones to check in. And obviously, if there are symptoms, if anyone's symptomatic, then there's self-isolation protocols that we have for students. And then for staff, obviously we have protocols for staff and facul...

Accepted Admissions Podcast

How Loyola Stritch Is Adapting to COVID-19

ISB Are you considering applying to the Indian School of Business AND switching careers post-MBA? Then you’ll want to read the following excerpt from our recent Q&A with Mr. V. K. Menon, Senior Director of Placements at ISB, as he discusses important information for career switchers at the ISB. Question: I have often read about ISB students making career shifts after years of being in one position. How does the one-year program help students to make such dramatic career shifts? How does the school assist students in considering different choices? VK Menon: As we said at the start, around 70% of the guys shift their careers in some way. Either they shift their function or they shift their industry or their geography or they might shift two of them or they might shift all three... The important thing is look at it from the eye of the recruiter...The recruiter says fine, you've got three, four years of experience in whichever domain you've been working in. We will give you credit that you have got to a premium MBA program. We will give you credit that you have done well in your undergrad...But now you should tell me why we should take you over somebody else we can get from the market who is coming from a similar experience background? Now this is the question you have to answer when it comes to the interview. How ISB prepares you for that is again going back to the question which was asked some time back. Right from the time you join, you will be connected with learning - as we call learning and development experts. These are all people with vertical experience across verticals. That is sales and marketing, technology, finance, etc. and these people will handle and guide you through the process. They will tell you what you need to do to be able to answer that question which we discussed. They will connect you will alumni. They will connect you with industry leaders and experts. There are programs which are specifically designed for industry people to come and give you guidance. So this whole process is orchestrated by the career advancement services group. Question: What if I want to change industry being from a family business background? VK Menon: This is also another very interesting question because hidden in the question is another question....Will the companies think that I may not stay with them? There are all kinds of fears which are there in the minds of people who are coming from that background. But what I have seen is, as far as the company is concerned, the company is looking for certain skill sets. That's number one. Number two is by and large, most companies these days promote an entrepreneurial culture. They want people who are risk takers, who can think differently, who can come up with solutions, who can take responsibility and move forward quickly in a flexible way. So all these are requirements. Now what I have seen is, unless you are coming in from a family industry which is directly competing or something, which I haven't had many cases like that, but if you're coming from an industry, a family - a background where you have your own industry or your family has an industry, these recruiters are quite comfortable taking you because their assumption is that since you have your own industry or participated strongly in it, you will have this in-built characteristics, risk taking, responsible, flexible, move ahead fast, all these entrepreneurial characteristics which become very favorable. So I have seen a lot of people from family backgrounds get very nice roles. For more questions and answers on switching careers at the ISB, check out the 2014 ISB Career Shifts Q&A transcript or audio file. You can also view Accepted’s Career Changers 101 page for more information. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast...

2014 ISB Adcom Interview on Career Switching Available!

ISB Thinking about applying to the Indian School of Business? Then check out our recent Q&A with Mr. V. K. Menon, Senior Director of Placements at ISB for valuable information on career prospects for ISB grads post-MBA. Read on for an excerpt: Question: Can you explain how well ISB graduates are placed in terms of being work ready on the first day? Do ISB and companies that hire consider that the PGP is robust enough to deliver work-ready managers with minimal training? VK Menon: Let’s look at how we operate. The ISB Program is a one-year program. So right when we were setting up the school the question arose, should we go in for a one-year program or should we do a normal two-year program like many other business schools? The research we conducted showed that if people had more than three years of experience they were in a very advantageous position if they went in for a one-year program, and so we chose the one-year model. The tradeoff of the model is that in a typical two-year model, you get about 720 contact hours. These are hours which you spend in class with the professors, 720. In a one-year program, that is the one that is done by ISB, you have around 680 contact hours. So there is a tradeoff of about 40 contact hours, but the advantage is that you get back to work one year earlier.     So that’s how we formulated the design. Having formulated the design, the other thing which we had to do was that we had to do away with all the breaks....This one year is split up into eight terms and each term is one and a half months. In each term, you will do about four to five subjects which means that it’s a very tight program and the program rolls on term after term for one complete year. Now, the interesting fact here is that close to around 70% of the students who join the PGP Program of the ISB change their careers. They either change their function or they change their industry or they change their location or they change all the three. So the question which was asked becomes very important. How is it that we make these people ready to be operative from day one, how is that we prepare them not just on that curriculum but also on the get-ready-to-industry concept? Now for that we have a complete -- under the Career Advancement Services, we have a Learning and Development Department. The Learning and Development Department is headed by vertical specialists....So it is their role...to ensure that you take the right subjects, you go to the projects which you need to do. You may have to choose certain projects which are specifically designed for you. You may have to kind of go out and work with certain industries. You may have to do special sessions from industry experts who are brought in for getting you ready to go to market. So there's a whole set of activities which are done by the Learning and Development Department. This department is not in any way associated with the academics that go on. The academics is a stream by itself. The Learning and Development Department just ensures that the student is job ready, job fit for both the interview and for the job, if and when the job is given to you. So that’s the way in which we train students to be ready on day one. Going by feedback of companies which have been recruiting, and we’re very sensitive about feedback, we get back to the companies and we are in close touch with more than about 1,000 companies worldwide. So the feedback suggests that the graduates of ISB have performed exceptionally well when it came to really handling assignments post graduation. For the complete conversation, please check out the 2014 ISB Career Opportunities Post-MBA Q&A or listen to the audio file. You can also view our ISB B-School Zone for more information. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go,

2014 ISB Adcom Interview Available!

Alex Salter- Recruitment & Admissions Manager Are you confused about the difference between London Business School’s MBA and its Masters in Management (MiM)? Are you considering applying for the MiM program but have questions about the program’s curriculum, student life, job prospects, etc.? Are you looking for winning tips on how to best present yourself in London’s MiM application? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then you’ll want to check out our recent Q&A with London Business School MiM reps Ivan Anderson, Client Services Manager at the Masters in Management; Alex Salter, Recruitment and Admissions Manager at the Masters in Management at London Business School; and Daniel Lay, Career Services Recruiter Lead for the Masters in Management at London Business School. Read on for an excerpt. Question: What are the main differences between the MiM program and the conventional MBA program? Alex Salter: With regards our MiM program, it really is a pre-experience program for more recent graduates in the last couple of years. The MBA at London Business School, I can certainly say you will be required to have a minimum of two years work experience and it's actually unusual to see students on the program contributing at that level. The average work experience on that program has risen year and year. At the moment it's just about six years work experience. So we really are filling the gap in the market. People are graduating more recently looking for that practical business experience, whilst they might not have the practical experience themselves. It may only be in a number of internships that they have undertaken. Ivan Anderson: ...Also, I definitely think the differences between the MBA and the Masters in Management specifically is that we equip individuals who come from various different undergraduate disciplines with the skills and the knowledge, as well as, the tools that they need in order to really begin and to make their impact on the business world. Versus the MBA which is slightly different where individuals either use the MBA to shift careers or to move up to the next level within their career. Versus the MiM which is designed to really give young professionals that are just entering the market the extra competitive edge that they need in order to really make an impact. For the complete conversation, please check out the 2013 London Business School MiM Q&A transcript or listen to the audio file. You can also view our London Business School MiM B-School Zone for more information. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

2013 London Business School Masters in Management Adcom Interview Available!

Waitlisted? Have you been waitlisted to your top choice MBA program? Are you looking for tried and true tools that will help you gain acceptance from the waitlist? Check out the transcript from our recent Q&A, 2013 All You Need to Know About MBA Waitlists Q&A with Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted.com, for advice on all aspects of the MBA waitlist. During the Q&A, Linda answered the following questions (and others): What is the ideal frequency of emails to the waitlist manager? Is there strategically a good time when to send my letter, i.e. right away versus waiting until round two responses go out? Is it acceptable to say that you have registered for an online class recently? There won't be a grade to report back, but would this effort make a difference? Most schools say a visit to campus does not affect decisions because they don’t want to penalize people who cannot make it. But, can a campus visit help show interest and passion that may help a waitlist candidate? Is it true that schools do in fact rank the waitlist? If so, when do they typically begin that ranking? Do you suggest we sit tight for schools like HBS who say to send in nothing? For the complete conversation, including answers to these questions, please check out the 2013 All You Need to Know About MBA Waitlists Q&A transcript or listen to the audio file. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

2013 MBA Waitlist Q&A with Linda Abraham Transcript Available

"We want to see...personality." Thank you to Niki da Silva, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, and Leigh Gauthier, Director of the Career Center at Rotman, for joining us for our first ever Toronto Rotman Q&A! The chat offered MBA applicants an excellent window into the Rotman admissions process – see the below excerpt for more on that. Linda Abraham:  Can you speak a minute about the video question, what to expect? I'm sure that's one of the more innovative aspects of the application process. Niki da Silva: Yes, absolutely. It's certainly something that we were getting lots of question on. We really looked pretty carefully at what our process had been in the past, and historically had four relatively lengthy essays, and really felt as the MBA landscape has changed, and of course the Internet and chat rooms, and all of that has existed and created this culture or feeling that there was a right answer to those questions, or there was a marking guide. We wanted to do something that would be beneficial for us as an admissions committee in actually cutting through and cutting to the core of what makes candidates different and distinct and allow them an opportunity to speak to that in a pseudo-live way. So there's no pressure to research and rewrite and edit. And certainly, we still do have two essays, but wanted to give a new medium, create a new medium for candidates to really present who they are, what they're all about. We want to see their personality. We want to see their passions and their interests, and how they answer what really are first-date type questions. We're asking people to reflect on how their colleagues might describe them, or someone who really inspires them, and to do so in a way that is, essentially, live. The expectation is, as part of the admissions process, the third essay question is this video response where candidates create a profile, log on, can go through as many times as they want, sample questions that are not recorded, so they get comfortable with the technology. They get comfortable with their responses. You [calm] any nerves, you quell any fears that you have about the technology. And we did feel that so many of our candidates – and we do Skype video interviews for anyone that we can't see face-to-face – that our candidate pool, they're comfortable with the technology, so we provided a platform to talk to us. So you log in, you get to practice as many times as you want, and then you get two questions. One is a question that goes to everybody, and then the second question is chosen from a random bank of at least 20 questions. And I think, in terms of what to expect, it's just an opportunity, and I would encourage candidates to take it as an opportunity to be comfortable in your own skin and show us who you are, and feel that you'll have an opportunity to actually differentiate yourself as a candidate and be admitted based on your unique story. Linda Abraham: And when you say that candidates can practice, they just practice using the technology, they don't really practice their responses? Or they can also practice their responses to the questions? Niki da Silva: Yes, that's a good point to clarify. They get a sample question so they can practice that particular sample question multiple times as they get comfortable. It doesn't count; it's not recorded, but it is an accurate reflection of how the video pops up, they get the question, their screen starts counting down in terms of 45 seconds, and 30 seconds left, and then their webcam starts recording, and then they get to also see, there's a timed count down for when their response should be completed by. Every candidate I know who has submitted the video essays so far has done at least one or two rounds of the sample question, just to get comfortable with it and figure out how it all works, and ensure that their webcam is positioned as they want it, and the volume and everything is all working.

Toronto Rotman MBA Admissions Committee Interview Available Online

"...there's definitely a great community just among all of us." Thank you to Consortium representatives for another outstanding Q&A! As always, the Consortium team and partnering school reps offered loads of insight into the Consortium admissions process and the ways in which the individual programs support the Consortium mission. See the below excerpt for more on this: Linda Abraham: Elva asks, "What percentage of your students in each of your programs are Consortium students? How does your program help candidates live up to the mission of the Consortium?" Allison Jesse: Okay, I'd like to start with the mission part because I think in terms of the Consortium's mission, we have core values at our particular school, UNC Kenan-Flagler, and I'm sure many of my colleagues can also speak to something similar at their business school. Leadership, integrity, teamwork, excellence, all of these things mirror what the Consortium is all about....in terms of Consortium members, it's about 7%. Cindy Jennings Millette: Well, I certainly agree with what Allison said. The culture in business school, definitely being able to kind of give back in that leadership experience and team skills and all that, definitely melds really well with what the Consortium has. And we also have a culture at Berkeley, we have four defining principles, one being, "Beyond Yourself” and “Student Always," and I think both of those really do mirror what the Consortium mission is. Right now, we have 20 students in each class that are Consortium members, and I do think that what's really great is we see a lot of these people in different roles throughout the leadership on campus, including in our MBA association, so that's someone who's a Vice President of, Admissions, and Student Services, and all of that. And then also in the different clubs, the industry-focused clubs, you just see students being very involved, as we see a lot of our students being involved, and that kind of drive to give back you definitely see throughout the community. Jon Fuller: So, our MBA class each year is about 500 students, give or take. And this year, we have about 45 Consortium students....So not quite 10%, 8 -- 9%...So it's a very healthy number, and it's definitely a presence that's well-known and well-regarded on campus, and very similar to what Cindy was saying. Instead of..."How does your program help candidates?" It's really how do our students help candidates live up to the mission? Because they really hold one another accountable. We have a really strong and connected culture between MBA 1s and MBA 2s, which I won't go so far as to say is unique to Ross, but it always surprises me as to just how well-enmeshed they are with one another. And so the MBA 2s really take the role, in saying, "Hey, you know, we have this fine tradition here at Ross of not being passive individuals in our MBA experience, and taking on those leadership roles, and really stepping up to the opportunity." And sort of demonstrate the mission by living it, and demonstrating it to others by their actions and the ways that they're involved and the ways that they try to educate their classmates who come from, not just other U.S. backgrounds where they may have had more or less engagement, or opportunity to experience a diverse environment, but also with our international students where you really might have a monolithic culture, which is really kind of the antithesis of what you find here in the United States. So they're not just engaged with the U.S. students, but also, it's a great opportunity to demonstrate that activity or that perspective to our international students as well. Rabia Ahmed: Sure, so I think one of the really nice things about the Consortium, in general, is that during OP, as Rebecca mentioned, the entire Consortium family gets to come together, and so you meet not only the students that are going to be in your class, but also in all of the other Consortium schools,

Consortium MBA Admissions Committee Interview #2 Available Online

"300 to 400 companies would come and recruit." Did you miss our recent ISB MBA Q&A? No problem! Read the excerpt below on the Indian job market for ISB MBAs and then check out the full transcript for more details. Thank you VK Menon, Senior Director of Placements at the Indian School of Business, for an insightful conversation about ISB! (P.S. We invite you to read the Q&A transcript even if you DID attend the event – an excellent review for those planning on applying to ISB!) Linda Abraham: "How does the Indian job market look for a person graduating in 2014 from ISB?" Probably a question of interest to a lot of people on the call. VK Menon: Okay. Actually, this is my personal take – but I have a very different take on this whole thing. I don’t think we should confuse the macro with the micro. That is, I’m not so concerned about how the economy is doing, or how certain sectors are doing, or how the global economy is, or whether we are in a recession, or whether we are in a buoyant mood. Yes, those are all factors. But end of the day, when you graduate out of a premium b-school like the ISB, it is what happens to you that’s important. For a small group of people, (700 is not a very large number in a collective world landscape), so in a small group it all depends on how you prepare for the job you want to join, and given that over the years the reputation that is built by premium schools is strong, and close to 300 to 400 companies would come and recruit. Your chance of getting a job which you want is high, subject to your preparations levels being strong and your commitment levels being strong. So I really don’t bother too much about the macro-environment, or how the environment might go. Wherever it goes, the war for talent will be there. Good students will get lapped up, so, those are all reality....over the last ten years I have seen various ups and downs of the economy, but always the demand for talent and the demand for the right talent, and good talent has been constant. For the complete conversation, please check out the Indian School of Business MBA transcript or listen to the audio file. For additional tips on how to ace the ISB application, visit our Indian School of Business B-School Zone. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Indian School of Business MBA Admissions Committee Interview Available Online

"We want you to be involved." Thank you to Jon Fuller, Senior Associate Director Admissions, and Diana Economy, Associate Director of Admissions at Michigan Ross for an outstanding Q&A! In the following excerpt you’ll read about Ross’s strengths and what distinguishes Ross from other top MBA programs: Linda Abraham:  "How is Ross' program different from other top programs? Is there anything in particular?" Now, I know that you know the Ross program best, so let me rephrase that question if I could and say "What do you think Ross is particularly strong at?" Jon Fuller: Not that we're a one-trick pony with the action-based learning component, but that is definitely something that I think is a big differentiating factor to our students’ experience within our program; is that, again, through MAP and a lot of other experiences, such as through our institutes and centers, through student life experience, and the clubs and organizations that our students lead and develop, there are many, many opportunities to take theory and put it into practice, and to put it in practice in a context that actually has significant impact and significant weight to it. ...Our philosophy is "Why should you wait until you graduate from your MBA program to actually try some of these things out, to try some of these learnings out and apply them to the real world?" There’s a safety net in some ways for you to test yourself, to test your boundaries, and to experiment, but at the same time, there are real stakes involved... ... I'm always struck by is the engagement of our student body in terms of actually making the Ross experience their own, and really shaping and having a significant role and actually providing direction to the school. We have over seventy different student organizations and clubs. All of them are student run. Of course, there may be a faculty advisor and there is staff support to these organizations, but the students have ultimate say in terms of what the programming is...We tell people, we want you to be involved...and if you don't see something here that exists that is of interest to you, then make it happen. ...So students are very active. It is not a passive existence, or a passive experience that they have, and I think that's a real distinguishing feature to the extent that that happens, at the Ross school. Diana Economy: I think our alumni base is very much a distinguishing factor. I noticed that both as a student as well as an alum. I think to further Jon's point about the connection that students have with one another through their experience here and co-creating this great experience that develops these very strong bonds that they continue on as alum. I think our alumni feel very strongly about giving back. Of course, University of Michigan's got one of the largest living alumni bases anywhere. And as a Ross graduate, you're not just a part of the Ross school of business graduate community; you're part of a larger University of Michigan community. You could pick up the phone anywhere in the world and call somebody who was a law school alum or an undergraduate alum or a med school alum, and you're part of that broader network. Which of course, when you go to business school, you're not just preparing for that first job out of business school, but essentially for your whole career. Having that strong alumni base is something that we feel is very strong here. For the full Q&A, please view the Michigan Ross MBA transcript or listen to the audio file. You can also boost your Ross IQ by visiting our Michigan Ross B-School Zone. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Michigan Ross MBA Admissions Committee Interview Available Online

“Be prepared!” We had an excellent Q&A last week with admissions members from Cornell Johnson. We hope you enjoyed it! In the following excerpt, Cornell adcom members, Christine Sneva, Ann Richards, and Eddie Asby talk about their interview pet peeves. Read on for valuable advice about what NOT to do: Linda Abraham: What are your greatest pet peeves during an interview? In other words, what mistakes do applicants make? Christine Sneva: In terms of preparation, treat the interview as if it was a job interview. Dress professionally, prepare, and remember what you're going into. This is an interview that is assessing your fit with our program, that we know. You don't need to know everything about the program, but we really want to know, genuinely, why you want to be here, how you see yourself being a part of the community, how you came to that conclusion. In an interview, you really also get a true sense of someone's goal clarity. So we'll ask you other schools that you may be applying to. We'll also ask what it is that you want to do, how you've prepared for that career. These are all questions that, through resources like Accepted.com and other ways, that really push you on these questions, not so you anticipate them and know this question, but really know why you want to get an MBA, and why is it important that you do this at this point in your life...But also, remember, it's only 30, maybe 40 minutes, so we can't have a two-hour interview or a day's worth of interviews where you want to really try to get to know someone. So that's where other pieces in the application really come in and are really also very important Ann Richards: I would just add that really take the time to be prepared. I think the thing that bothers me the most, or my pet peeve regarding interviews, is we've read your application, we've put in this time, and we've identified you as somebody that we think has real potential at this school, and invited you to interview. And if you show up here, and you don't know about the school or you seem disinterested or you're not taking this seriously, I feel like we've wasted our time, and you may have wasted your time. So be prepared, as Christine said, it's not hard to find out what kind of questions we're going to ask in the interview, and make the most of your visit here. Don't ask us questions that are easily answered by just visiting our website. Eddie Asbie: I have just one piece of advice. I always just want to make sure the prospective students remember that the minute that you walk through the door, it's like you're being interviewed. Or if you are reaching out to current students, alums, just remember to keep yourself in a professional manner at all times....[Y]ou never know if that receptionist is part of the admissions committee. But then, also if you're walking with current students, [they] will even kind of look at you to see if you are going to be the best candidate to represent our school. Being a part of a business school, this is something that you're investing your time, your money, but also this is a lifelong affiliation that you will have from the minute that you walk in, [if you have] any kind of communications, keep it in a professional manner. For the full Q&A, please view the Cornell Johnson transcript or listen to the audio file. Boost your MBA interview IQ by reading up on the resources on our Business School Interview Prep 101. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Cornell MBA Admissions Committee Gives MBA Interview Advice

Thank you to the Consortium MBA panelists (including reps from CMU Tepper, Rochester Simon, Cornell Johnson, and others) for an insightful Q&A. The following excerpt offers important tips into what NOT to do when completing your Consortium MBA application: Linda Abraham: Kurt asked, "Could the member schools talk about a few common mistakes they see applicants make during the application process?" Evan Bouffides: Well, there are certainly a lot of pitfalls and mistakes that could be made. As far as the most common ones, I would say, going back to a point I made earlier, we really, as business schools, want to know that you, the applicant, have given careful thought to the notion of going back to school, getting your graduate degree in business, that it's the right moment in time, that you've really thought about what you would like your life and your career to look like afterwards. I think sometimes students don't present with as much focus...and maybe the reason for that is they're trying to second-guess what admissions officers want to hear. We really want you to craft a good argument for yourself that goes something like this, "Here's who I've been so far in my life professionally, and maybe even personally speaking. This is where I want to go, and this is how the MBA is going to get me there." Monique Moreland:I think one of the biggest pitfalls is that people need to take this process as seriously as if they were applying for a job. This is a serious process. From the application to the interview to the interactions with the staff, it's just as important as if you were looking for a job. As was mentioned before, we all talk with each other and so does our staff. If someone comes in and is rude to our receptionist or things like that, that doesn't look very good for you as an applicant, a Consortium applicant or an applicant in general. So my best piece of advice, take this process very seriously. It's just as important as it will be when you're applying for a job. Stefanie Bascom: Sure. I agree with everything my colleagues have said. I'll take a pretty easy one: proofread, proofread, proofread. There's several applications every year–we've all experienced it–where someone is taking an essay on why they want to attend a certain business school, and they have another university name in there. This is not the best thing that we want to see. We certainly want you to be excited about coming to our school. This is a chance for you to show how you've researched the school, who you may have spoken with at the school, any alumni or current students, if you attended an event. So we really do expect you to know as much as possible about our business school prior to the application, and so that can come through in the essay Ann Richards: I have to second what Stefanie said about that carelessness because the way that we look at it is if you're sloppy in your application to us, you're going to be that way with employers as well, and that's not how we want you to represent our program. So I really want to second Stefanie's comments and everybody else's. The unique piece of advice that I think I have is to really take this MBA application opportunity to think about what it is, why it is you're going to business school. It's not just to get a better salary. It's not just to change a job. We have all created our applications in a manner so that it really forces good candidates to be introspective, to think about what drives them, what motivates them. Take advantage of this opportunity. This is probably the first time in your adult life that you've really had the luxury to think about, "What is it that I want to do? What am I good at? What skills do I need to develop?" And if you really think about that, if you use this as an opportunity to really think about what drives you and what you want to do, your application will be so much stronger. For the full Q&A, please view the Consortium MBA transcript or listen to th...

Consortium MBA Admissions Committee Interview Available Online

Thank you to Lindsay Haselton, Associate Director of MBA Admissions, and Adrian Aguirre, Associate Director in the Office of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at UCLA Anderson, for an informative admissions Q&A. Read the following excerpt for tips on making UCLA connections before applying to the program: Linda Abraham: How many people do you recommend trying to connect with at UCLA, in terms of recent students, alumni, professors, etc., before applying? Lindsay Haselton: We do get asked that question a lot, and I think it is great to be able to get a feel of the culture of the school that you're entering or planning on applying to; so we do provide a number of different ways that you can do that. I think most commonly, first of all, would be an event. So we host a lot of events on campus and off campus where we have alums and current students hosting information sessions or sitting on panels, and they're a really good chance to be able to ask questions about what it was like actually going through the student experience...The other way is by reaching out to our student clubs, and I know Adrian had told you a little bit about the leadership opportunities that you will have in the program. We have 45-plus different clubs—so what applicants often do is they will go to our website. We have a list of all of the different clubs, and you can email the leaders in those clubs and ask them questions that are relevant to their career interests, or perhaps, just hobbies on the side.... Adrian Aguirre: And if I could add just an extra thought. I want to make sure folks don't misunderstand the reason why this is important. We're not keeping track or scoring you for how many alums or students or faculty you have contacted. But it will definitely have an impact on the quality of your application, particularly in your essays for example, because the more informed you are and the more grounded your plan for the future is, the better it's going to be perceived, and we think the more you're going to be excited and enthused about the whole process. So it's not so much for our sake; it's really for you as an applicant to do part of your due diligence and to realize if this is the right school for you, what are some of the reasons that you feel that way.... Please view the full transcript or listen to the audio file here and see our UCLA Anderson B-School Zone for more advice on how to create the most impressive UCLA Anderson application. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. //  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

UCLA Anderson MBA Admissions Interview Available Online

Some of the benefits of pursuing a European MBA. Thank you so much to Marie-Laurence Lemaire, HEC Paris Senior Development Manager, Jeroen Verhoeven, ESADE MBA and Executive Masters and Associate Director of Admissions, and Lisa Piguet, IMD Assistant Director of MBA Admissions and Marketing for an outstanding panel discussion about the European b-school experience. In the following excerpt, our panelists discussed some of the benefits of pursuing a European MBA. Linda Abraham: Diego asks "Why choose a European MBA instead of a U.S. MBA? What is the main difference/advantages?" Marie-Laurence Lemaire: Yes, this is a tough one…Well, a simple question, what do you want to do after your MBA? If you want to work in the U.S. and be happy with your job…stay in the U.S. and you will be happy. You will get a great education, because you have great schools there, highly ranked and so on, so that's fine. But if you want to have a really strong diversity, get mixed up with different cultures, people coming from all over the world to have a very rich sharing of experience from people coming from countries that are so remote, sometimes you don't even know where they are on the map, an MBA in Europe is really the place. I'm sure in Spain, in Switzerland, as well, this is happening, but really the major difference between doing an MBA in Europe or doing an MBA in the U.S., [is] if you want to make that jump into becoming international and to have that experience, an MBA in Europe would be the big difference that it will make on your CV. Lisa Piguet: Sure. I'm American, I actually can relate to the person who asked that question….The one thing about the U.S. is that you have a different kind of…education process there. But [regarding the] international focus of Europe, the programs here, it's very different…for example, I would be sitting in a class of 90…but everybody spoke like me. They might have considered themselves Mexican, for example, or Argentinean, but in fact, they were born and raised in the U.S. just like I was. But in the European schools…you'll actually see the true international diversity that is represented worldwide. So in our program this year, we have 46 nationalities with 90 MBAs, and they're true…we have one Swiss….There are still a lot of multinational headquarters here and a lot of people want to work in those companies, with the hopes of going elsewhere. I think Europe is one of those places you can do that. Like Marie said, if you really want to stay in the U.S., you're probably going to attend a 2-year program and you probably will end up staying in the U.S., more likely than not….If you want a global career, my advice is to go to Europe. Jeroen Verhoeven: I'm completely in line with Lisa and Marie…but I would also link that somehow to back home in the United States, [you] somehow have a differentiating factor. There are a lot of top, top schools in the U.S., but there's also a lot of different people who go to those schools. If you can present yourself in front of a group to having said, "Okay, I've done my MBA in Switzerland, in France, in Spain," it is definitely something different. It will make you stand out. Standing out, I think, is very important when you're looking for a job….Competition comes from anywhere, anytime.” So in order to be successful in that fast-changing, interconnected world, having that cultural savviness, hopefully with some additional languages, as well, that can really give you the added advantage to land a job also back home, not even including all the interesting options that we might offer in Europe…I think there are a lot of additional advantages, apart from the cultural richness that you can have, studying here in Europe…from a business perspective, there's also a clear added value to considering European options. For the complete discussion, please see the 2013 European Virtual Panel transcript and mp3 audio file. Still not sure where you should apply,

2013 Virtual Panel European MBA Admissions Adcom Interview Available Online

We hope you enjoyed our recent Wharton Lauder MBA Q&A. We certainly learned a lot about the Wharton Lauder application process and about how these two programs work together to offer students a unique learning experience. In the following excerpt, Marcy Bevan, Director of Admissions and External Affairs at the Lauder Institute, discusses the career path of the typical Lauder graduate…though as you'll see, "typical" doesn't exist at Lauder. Linda Abraham: What is the typical career path for the Lauder graduate, or is there a typical career path for the Lauder graduate? What are the kinds of positions that they typically go into? Marcy Bevan: The reason we don't discuss this on our website is because there's no such thing as "typical." There are too many variations to start talking about it. Our students have access to the Wharton Career Center, so they can go through the regular recruiting program for them. There are multinational companies which do come to campus to interview. Our students also have access to recruiters when they do their Summer Immersion programs in specific locations. So they will go visit some of the companies they might end up wanting to work for. While it's not the time to interview for a job, it's a time to start making relationships. Our students go all over the world to work. Sometimes it corresponds with the language in which they focused, and sometimes it does not correspond. Sometimes it's right after graduation, and sometimes it doesn't happen for years after graduation. They do consulting, banking, non-profit work, private equity, hedge funds, and work as general managers for companies, a lot of entrepreneurs in the crowd these days. People wanting to start their own businesses. Some of our graduates have done so, very successfully, starting when they're in school, and continuing when they're out of school. And successful ones, too. For the complete discussion, please see the Wharton Lauder transcript and mp3 audio file. For soup-to-nuts advice on writing your MBA goals essay, please see MBA Goals, a resource kit loaded with expert advice on mapping out your career goals in your MBA application. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast.  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Wharton Lauder MBA Admissions Director Interview Available Online

Thank you to Hima Bindu, the Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Indian School of Business, for an excellent Q&A. Hima covered a wide range of topics, providing advice on all aspects of the ISB admissions process. Read the excerpt below to learn about the differences between the elite ISB program and those offered at IIMs (or Indian Institutes of Management): Linda Abraham: Jiyan asks: How does the MBA program compare with similar programs offered at IIMs? Hima Bindu: IIMs are also very good programs, and ISB is also a very good program. There is no comparison between both because it's like comparing apples to oranges. I know it's a very old saying, but that is the truth. IIMs have phenomenal achievements to them. They've been pioneers in management education. On the other hand, ISB has been a pioneer in the one year program. It is for a peer group with 3 to 8 years work experience. ISB is ideally suited for a person with between two to eight years work experience. The faculty you get at ISB is from across the world, so they get different global perspectives. The research centers at ISB also contribute a lot to making the curriculum very cutting edge. I think these are the major advantages you get at ISB, but IIMs are also good programs. You can view the full ISB transcript or listen to the audio file here. Still not sure if an MBA is right for you? Read Accepted's FREE special report, Why MBA, to help you determine if pursuing an MBA is your best move, as well as to learn how to answer the "Why MBA?" essay question that most b-schools include on their application. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast.  Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Indian School of Business MBA Adcom Member Interview Available Online

MBA admissions chats conducted by Linda Abraham with admissions directors at top MBA programs and other leaders in graduate business school admissions.

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Accepted Admissions Podcast

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