Posted by Clear Admit on May 17, 2007, at 2:57 am
Posted in:  Admissions Tips A few weeks ago, we published an entry to inform Class of 2010 applicants about the merits of beginning work on one’s resume early in the season. To follow up on those comments, we wanted to offer some general tips on getting the most mileage out of this document in the admissions process.
1) First things first. Because you’re applying to graduate school, it makes sense to lead this document with a section detailing your academic history. This is also the format that many business schools’ career offices instruct students to use when applying for internships or full-time jobs post-graduation.
2) Keep it simple. While you’ll certainly want to describe your professional responsibilities and achievements in some detail, remember that this document needs to fit on a single page (with rare exceptions). Rather than overwhelming the reader with information, try to identify three or four discrete projects or accomplishments to complement a few concise statements about your day to day responsibilities in each position. Remember that it’s also important to be as specific as possible about the impact you’ve had on your organization by quantifying the results of your efforts.
3) Round it out. Don’t discount the importance of your interests and outside activities. Schools like applicants who are well-rounded and demonstrate a track record of involvement outside of work and the classroom, so formal extracurricular activities are a logical category to include. At the same time, information about your less structured information and hobbies is also relevant, as these details can lend some more color to your candidacy and help the adcom get to know you better. Remember to be as specific as possible; many business school applicants are interested in “travel” or “film,” so specifying a region you especially enjoy visiting or your favorite movie genre will be the key to setting yourself apart.
We hope that these general guidelines serve as a good starting point for Class of 2010 applicants in translating their experiences and achievements into this brief but important document. For more tailored guidance, contact us to learn about the Clear Admit Resume Guide and our free initial assessments.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 16, 2007, at 3:30 am
Posted in: Events , Pre-Matriculation Tips If you are like most business school students, you will get your first taste of accounting in pre-term or during your first semester. Maybe you think of accounting as a ‘necessary evil’ that some CPA does so that a business knows how much tax it owes. As a result, you may end up spending hours in classes making sure you absorb enough to pass the course – without actually taking away anything useful. Unfortunately, while introductory accounting courses usually focus on important aspects of how to do accounting – such as T-accounts, credits, debits, transactions, contra accounts, etc. – they are less likely to teach why you might care enough to learn and use the material.
Accounting is actually about much more than determining a company’s tax burden. Would you like to track how much money a company makes during a period of time, broken down by category of sales? How much it spends on operations in order to bring in those sales, organized into a variety of useful categories? This is all found on the Income Statement, which also includes the net income (also known as earnings or profit), which is what’s left over after you subtract expenses from sales.
Would you like to know what assets a business (or a division) has, conveniently organized into such categories as cash, accounts receivable, inventory, and property, plant & equipment? How about its liabilities, including what it owes to vendors, lenders, and other creditors? This information can all be found on the Balance Sheet, which also shows how much equity shareholders have in the business (just like when you subtract the remaining principle of your mortgage from the value of your house to determine your equity). If you want an overview of where the company’s cash comes from and goes to during that same period of time, you can find all the details on the Cash Flow Statement, which is organized into three sections – cash flows from operations, cash flows from investment (i.e. investment in the business’s infrastructure), and cash flow from financing activities.
There are also a host of very simple tools that you can use to easily determine such issues as how long inventory typically sits on the shelf, how likely a business will be to pay its bills in the near future, and (if it’s a public company) what the stock market believes about whether the business’s income is likely to stay flat, rise, or fall in the future, and compare all of these results to the company’s competitors.
If you’d like to get more of the big picture on accounting so that you actually understand the relevance of those T-account credits and debits you’ll encounter in b-school, you might be interested in checking out Telestrat’s Pre-MBA Prep Course in early June. The first of these four 2-hour online courses provides more detail about financial statements, and the second is about the various tools that you can use to quickly and easily evaluate what’s going on, plus some insight into some of the various ways that companies manipulate their financials to defraud investors.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 15, 2007, at 2:50 am
Posted in: School: Chicago , School: Northwestern / Kellogg , Trivia Tuesday It’s time once again for Trivia Tuesday, our weekly foray into the unusual, uncommon, or just plain interesting programs at the leading business schools. This week we’ll follow up on our earlier posts about pre-term at Kellogg, Tuck, and Wharton with an examination of Chicago’s Random Walk program.
Prior to the school’s mandatory pre-term program, Chicago second-year students organize an optional program called Random Walk. Similar to Kellogg’s KWEST program, Chicago’s Random Walks offer incoming students a choice of over a dozen group trips to domestic and international destinations. The purpose of the trips is to “party, play and bond with” a group of first-year students prior to the start of the school year. The trips typically include 8-12 first-year students and 2-4 second-year group leaders. In Fall 2006, 14 Random Walk trips went to destinations as diverse as the glaciers of Alaska, the beaches of Costa Rica, the plains of Africa and the mountains of Peru.
Random Walk participants report that the trips were remarkable experiences, and several say that the friends they made through Random Walk remained their closest friends throughout business school. In fact, although Random Walk is a student club and not an official Chicago GSB program, Dean Ted Synder said in a recent online chat that going on a Random Walk trip is one of the three things he recommends all incoming students do to prepare for success at the GSB.
Beginning in fall 2007, the Random Walk trips will expand to include a greater number of partners. In the past, a limited number of partners were permitted to sign up for a Random Walk after all admitted students had the opportunity to choose a trip, leaving very few available spaces. Recognizing that partners are also making a major transition in the move to Chicago, the Random Walk organizers are working to expand available spaces and to organize special “significant other” Random Walks that are targeted to students traveling with their partners. The first of these partner-inclusive trips will be led by two second-year students and their partners; participants will travel to Costa Rica for horseback riding, canopy tours, and whitewater rafting.
For more information on Chicago’s Random Walk program, be sure to check out the Admit Weekend issue of the Chibus or the Clear Admit School Guide to Chicago!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 14, 2007, at 3:19 am
Posted in: MBA News , School: MIT / Sloan Welcome to Monday! To get the week started, let’s check in on a couple of news items from the MBA world.
To start, MIT Sloan’s Leaders for Manufacturing Program (LFM) announced the addition of five new corporate partners, including Amgen, Pepsi Bottling Company, and Spirit AeroSystems. Students participating in the LFM Program earn an MBA and a Masters of Science in Engineering in just two years of full time study. Because participants must forego the typical MBA summer internship in order to complete their dual coursework, the program instead arranges internships during the academic year with one of LFM’s two dozen corporate partners. In return for the internship support, all LFM partners provide generous fellowships for the program’s students. This arrangement allows the partner companies to benefit from the new ideas of the LFM students and get an inside track in recruiting the program’s specially trained managers. For LFM students, the internships provide an opportunity to apply academic lessons to the real world, build a professional network, and offset the cost of the degree program. The program, which began in 1988, now boasts 26 partner companies and enrolls 45 to 50 new students each year.
One of the big news stories of the last week was the end of McKinsey’s 11 year reign as the company where MBA graduates would most like to work. Fortune Magazine’s annual ranking of the 100 most desirable MBA employers placed Google on top for the first time ever, bumping McKinsey down to the number two slot. Commentators believe that part of the reason behind Google’s upset is the growing demand among MBA graduates for a high quality of life outside of work – something they have a better chance of finding with Google’s beautiful California location and well-known corporate perks than they would at a traditional investment bank or consulting firm. To see the full list of the 100 most desirable employers – which can be sorted by respondent’s gender or by industry, region, and other variables – click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 11, 2007, at 8:35 am
Posted in: Fridays from the Frontline , General Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our round up of new and noteworthy activity in the MBA blogosphere! This week, posts about endings and beginnings abound. Let’s see what MBA applicant and student bloggers are up to…
Firstly, a big congratulations goes out to MBA_Salsera, who finally received an offer and a scholarship from Georgetown! Hopefully now she can join other applicant bloggers as they relax, anticipate new experiences and make moving arrangements. Asian Gal reflected on her leisure reading habits this week, in response to MBA Podcaster’s recent book recommendations. Forrest Gump also posted about reading material this week; he urged applicants to go beyond schools’ websites to learn about their different cultures, making special note of Chicago’s ChiBus. Meanwhile, Ipoel’s thoughts roamed into her post-Anderson future, as she posted about the pros and cons of pursuing investment banking post-MBA.
While admitted students are waiting anxiously for the fall, a few current student bloggers are beginning new terms. DomoDomo was enthusiastic about his INSEAD courses, in particular one taught by the “INSEAD gem” Kevin Kaiser. Likewise, J-Term Johnny is about to start his summer term at Columbia and blogged about his upcoming course load.
Rather than beginning new classes, most bloggers who are just finishing their first year of MBA study are about to begin their summer internships. FromCali’s post this week expressed some bewilderment about the lack of fanfare at Ross when her MAP project ended, but her attention was shifting towards her upcoming internship. Also beginning a summer internship this week was Perpetual Motion, although thanks to the Wharton Venture Award he and his partner will essentially be working for themselves!
Getting ready to spend the summer at home in Madrid, Rubeo Boy took a fond and reflective look at his first year experiences at Stern. MBA Gladiator said the last few weeks of his first year at Yale SOM have been his best yet, and the photos he posted this week seem to support that statement. Mbwana sounded pleased too, as he posted an appreciative ode to his Stanford classmates. There was good feeling coming from Yale’s administration as well, as evidenced by Dean Podolny’s letter posted on Jerry Blank ‘s blog. Sounding downright giddy herself, Noelle finished up at IESE and looked forward to the next several months off.
Last but not least, applicant readers may be interested in Patxi’s advice on how to obtain letters of recommendation. For a glimpse of the finish line, they should also watch blogger Nate Johnson’s Commencement speech at Ross. Congratulations on an excellent job, Nate!
That does it for this week’s Fridays from the Frontline. Thanks for checking in, and have a great weekend!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 10, 2007, at 1:18 pm
Posted in: Events , General , MBA News While most accepted applicants are busily plotting a departure from their place of employment and scouting out exotic summer travels, we wanted to alert our readership to a series of online courses that should help ensure a smooth transition back into the classroom – especially for those of you who fall into the “non-traditional” category or lack an undergraduate background in business.
Telestrat’s Pre-MBA Prep Course offers online lessons in accounting (financial statements and financial analysis), valuation and corporate finance. Described as a ‘crash course’ in MBA topics, the online seminars focus on giving new MBA matriculants a high-level view of where they are going so they can hit the ground running when they get to school. In addition, the seminars are taught by HBS and Wharton graduates who know what it is like to enter a top program without an undergraduate background in business. Given the level of competition for post-MBA jobs at leading firms (not to mention the scarcity of GND at leading schools), it makes sense to enter b-school with the tools to ensure success in the rigorous curriculum.
Telestart’s courses take place in early to mid-June, which looks to be excellent timing for those applicants who are looking to get up to speed in advance of pre-term. The current offerings are as follows:
Course 1 - Basic Accounting: Financial Statements
June 5, 2007 – 12pm-2pm EDT
I. Accounting Basics
II. Balance Sheet
III. Income Statement
IV. Cash Flow Statement
Course 2 - Intermediate Accounting: Financial Analysis
June 7, 2007 – 12pm-2pm EDT
I. Reading Financial Statements
II. Ratio Analysis
III. Accounting Fraud
Course 3 - Valuation
June 12, 2007 – 12pm-2pm EDT
I. Time Value of Money
II. Discounted Cash Flow Method
III. Comparable Multiple Method
IV. Calculation of Discount Rates
Course 4 - Corporate Finance
June 14, 2007 – 12pm-2pm EDT
I. Capital Budgeting
II. Net Present Value (NPV)
III. Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
IV. Relationship between risk and return
V. Optimal capital structure
For more information on these courses see the Telestrat MBA-Prep Course web page. Also, stay tuned to this blog in the coming weeks, as we’ll be posting a handful of short articles with pre-matriculation tips on basic MBA disciplines like accounting and finance. Our hope is that these articles will help our readers get up to speed as they prepare for business school.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 10, 2007, at 3:25 am
Posted in: General , MBA News , School: Chicago , School: Dartmouth / Tuck With competition at top graduate programs on the rise, more and more applicants are turning to admissions consultants for guidance. This demand has fueled explosive growth in the admissions consulting industry, and while most consultants are ethical, experienced professionals, it can be difficult for applicants – and admissions officers – to sort out the good from the bad.
In response to the rapid, unregulated growth of the admissions consulting industry, Clear Admit and other leaders in the field have joined together to establish the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC). AIGAC’s primary objectives, as explained in today’s press release, are to ensure high ethical standards, commitment to principles of good practice, and continued professional development among admissions consultants. AIGAC will also promote industry growth and cultivate communication channels between applicants, graduate school officials, and other organizations related to the field.
Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond has been an integral part of AIGAC’s planning. In conversations with Linda Abraham of Accepted.com, Ricardo Betti of MBA Empresarial and Maxx Duffy of Maxx Associates, it became clear that a professional organization was needed to help support the growing industry of admissions consulting while ensuring high ethical standards. After much planning, AIGAC is now ready to issue a Stamp of Excellence to qualified members who operate in accordance with the organization’s principles.
Feedback from around the MBA community has been positive. Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions at Tuck, anticipates that AIGAC “should significantly alleviate concerns regarding issues such as improper coaching of essays,” and Chicago’s Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions Rose Martinelli has this to say about AIGAC:
“An organization like AIGAC assures both schools and candidates that there are industry standards in place and consulting firms linked to this organization are following ethical practices. It also opens the door for sharing best practices within the counseling industry and for closer engagement between the counselors and the schools.”
We at Clear Admit couldn’t agree more, and are excited to be part of the founding of this industry-leading initiative.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 9, 2007, at 4:00 am
Posted in: School: Stanford , School: Yale , Which School Wednesdays Welcome to another edition of Which School Wednesdays, where we take a look at some of the tough choices that admitted students are making about which MBA program to attend. This week, we found a couple of conversations around the web that consider the pros and cons of attending programs that have just been thoroughly revamped.
First, this question came up for blogger MBA Babe as she made the very tough choice to matriculate at Stanford instead of Harvard. She attended admitted students’ weekends at both schools and debated key points, including her first impressions of potential classmates, curriculum flexibility, the weather, the alumni network, and more. These are typically the important considerations, but MBA Babe’s thoughts on Stanford’s recent curriculum changes were particularly insightful: “I have read and heard bits and pieces about the new, more personalized Stanford curriculum, but [the idea of] feeling like a guinea pig makes me a wee bit nervous…. I like that you have a lot of flexibility in choosing your classes. While you have to take, let’s say, a finance class, you have a choice of 3 different finance classes to fulfill that requirement…. Also, they are trying to take all the competencies and bring them together in a couple leadership classes and seminars. Innovative? Yes. Reinventing the wheel/I won’t know anything when I graduate and hence no one will want to hire me? No.”
While MBA Babe considered how Stanford’s recent changes would affect her experience there, a similar question arose on the Business Week Forums. Deciding between Yale and Darden, ebuesing recently solicited opinions about the two schools. Second year Yale student daddylew offered the following thoughts about the program’s recent restructuring: “A number of sweeping changes have been made in the last eighteen months, so it will take time for them to really start having an impact on the school. We developed a brand new curriculum, which is the first of its kind at a major business school. We’ve ramped up faculty recruitment…. We’re launching new centers such as the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance…. We’ve significantly expanded the school’s infrastructure (career development, club support, technology, case-writing, etc.), and are in the process of raising money for a new campus. That said, I wouldn’t expect a massive transformation overnight — it will take a few years for the results to become tangible.”
Both Stanford GSB and Yale SOM are going through some exciting changes right now, and the next two class years will play a major role in shaping the long-term direction of the schools. This scenario is ideal for anyone who is eager to explore new ideas and help guide his or her program’s newest developments; meanwhile the element of the unknown may be less appealing to those who are more risk-averse. As with so many other aspects of the decision process, the key here is to know your own individual style and objectives! Good luck to everyone who is still debating, and we’ll see you next week for another edition of Which School Wednesdays!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 8, 2007, at 10:10 am
Posted in: MBA News , School: Penn / Wharton The Wharton s2s discussions boards are abuzz after the school’s first-come, first-served feedback sessions for denied applicants filled in a matter of hours yesterday. Although the feedback sessions have always been popular, both applicants and administrators seemed overwhelmed by the volume of requests that came in on Monday morning. The Admissions Office increased the number of staff members taking incoming calls, but applicants reported encountering repeated busy signals or voicemail messages as they tried to get through. By early afternoon, the Wharton Adcom Blog reported that feedback sessions were full, though on the discussions forums, the operations staff assured worried applicants that anyone who left a voicemail that morning would have a session scheduled for them.
Wharton has offered feedback sessions for a number of years as a way of ensuring that even those applicants who were rejected have a positive experience with Wharton. However, the limited, first-come, first-serve system instituted within the last few years may signal a shift in the office’s approach to the applicant pool, and certainly means that fewer applicants are able to schedule feedback sessions now than in the past.
For students unable to schedule a feedback session – with Wharton or any other school – be sure to check out the many resources for reapplicants, including the Wharton Adcom’s advice and our prior blog entries. Reapplicants looking for more personal feedback are also invited to email their resume to info@clearadmit.com for a free initial consultation.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 8, 2007, at 5:23 am
Posted in: School: Stanford , Trivia Tuesday Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday! As our regular readers know, Trivia Tuesday is our weekly examination of the programs and policies, details and distinctions of the leading business schools. Today we turn our attention to Stanford’s Certificate in Global Management, a specialized program that supplements the traditional MBA curriculum.
Established by students and faculty in 1994, the Global Management Program (GMP) is the student-facing arm of the Center for Global Business and the Economy. Complementing the faculty research that the center facilitates, the GMP offers both academic and experiential opportunities for students interested in global management.
As part of the GMP’s offerings, Stanford MBA students have the option to pursue a Certificate in Global Management, which among other benefits, serves as a signal to employers that the student studied business issues spanning geographies and cultures. To earn the certificate, students must enroll in the course “International Business” and complete 16 additional credits (usually equivalent to four courses) that have a global focus.
To fulfill these elective requirements, students may choose from among 30 or so courses across the full range of GSB disciplines, as well as from Stanford University courses in history, foreign language and international culture. About 30% of recent GSB students pursued the certificate, reflecting the global focus of the school and student body.
For more information on Stanford’s specialized academic programs, be sure to check out previous Trivia Tuesday entries, the school’s website, and the Clear Admit School Guide to Stanford!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 7, 2007, at 10:51 am
Posted in: MBA News , School: Chicago On Saturday, the Chicago Graduate School of Business announced the receipt of one of the largest cash gifts in its history. The gift comes from Charles M. Harper, retired chairman and chief executive of ConAgra Foods and a 1950 graduate of the GSB. Harper asked that the amount of the gift not be disclosed, though University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer calls it a “landmark” gift.
In recognition of Harper’s gift, the GSB’s Hyde Park Center has been renamed the Charles M. Harper Center. Originally opened in 2004 at a cost of $125 million, the Charles M. Harper Center provides classroom, study group and faculty office space for over 1,000 full-time MBA students and over 150 faculty members. Harper’s gift comes in the final year of an aggressive $300 million capital campaign by the Chicago GSB that seeks to increase support for faculty and expand the availability of graduate fellowships.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 7, 2007, at 7:54 am
Posted in: Campus Chronicles , School: Cornell / Johnson , School: Harvard Academic and personal integrity were central themes in the most recent issue of the Cornell Business, Johnson’s student newspaper. Although the paper was written before the Fuqua cheating scandal broke, the articles offer information and commentary that is particularly relevant in light of recent events. With the end of the semester approaching, one student writer considers the pressures to cut corners and examines the Johnson School’s approach to dealing with improper behavior. Another article takes a closer look at the University-wide code of conduct to understand how changes to the code are made and how proposed changes could impact students at the Johnson School. As final emphasis of the importance of ethical behavior in the classroom and the business world, the lead prosecutor in the criminal trial of Enron’s chief executives spoke recently to a packed room of Johnson and Cornell Law students. In other Johnson School news, two articles in the paper provide good advice for securing a dream job or internship, though they deal with very different time frames. The first article discusses Camp $tartup, a week-long summer camp run by Johnson that introduces 13-19 year old girls to the basics of finance, operations and marketing and helps them begin their own businesses. The second article is targeted to students are already enrolled and professes to provide the five best piece of job/internship advice you will ever get. Finally, with graduation just around the corner, one Cornell second year offers some parting words of advice and encouragement to his classmates.
Meanwhile, students are Harvard are also busy with end of year activities. The student written HBS Show was a big event on the Harvard social calendar recently. Several articles in the latest Harbus discuss the show, though from very different points of view. The lead article, written by the HBS Show head writer, is a cheerful narrative of the transformational experience of working on the performance. Approaching the same night from another perspective, one student offers an (admittedly) cynical recap of the show from a spectator’s point of view. In other student event news, the HBS rugby team took second place in the MBA Rugby World Cup hosted by Duke University, competing against 20 rugby teams from 18 schools in 5 countries. For those students seeking a slightly more gentle way to pass the time than rugby provides, a recent workshop by Snappy Dance Theater helped participants learn to use dance as a tool for building trust and stimulating creativity. Finally, two Harbus articles question the status quo at HBS. In one, a student asks whether HBS is a leader or just a follower in the sustainability movement, and in the other, a partner tries to demonstrate that not all HBS experiences are created equal.
That’s the news from campus for this week! For applicants still weighing offers of admission, remember to check out student newspapers to get an insider’s view on campus culture, events and intrigues – they’re a great resource!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 4, 2007, at 8:13 am
Posted in: Fridays from the Frontline , General Welcome to another installment of Fridays from the Frontline! This has been a good week in the MBA blogging community, featuring spring-like weather in many locations and news of final exams and projects wrapping up on some campuses. Let’s take a look at the recent posts…
Now that applicant bloggers are in a transitional period, some are focusing on the fast-approaching future while others are reflecting back on the past year. Ipoel didn’t waste any time getting involved at Anderson; she attended the UCLA Knapp Business Plan competition and came away with positive impressions of entrepreneurship there. Suser posted a slightly more ambivalent take on USC’s admitted students’ weekend, though she remains committed and positive about her choice to join the program. Meanwhile, MBA_Salsera continues to wait (and worry) about her place on Georgetown’s waitlist.
For readers who are at the beginning of the application process, Rungee has posted some detailed thoughts on essay writing and preparing for the GMAT, while HairTwirler explains how she decided to which schools she would apply.
This was a relatively quiet week among first and second year student bloggers (perhaps related to final exams and projects!). Always with an eye for marketing, Patxi shared her thoughts on the new Financial Times ad campaign from LBS. Benny wrote about an impressive recent visit to Tuck by Home Depot CEO Frank Blake; he also addressed the pending legislation on H1-B visas, extremely relevant to many members of the MBA community.
DomoDomo kept us up to date this week on his and fellow blogger Hallonman’s field trip to India with INSEAD. Ed Starr’s posts this week were full of exotic photos and enthusiastic impressions of his trip to Israel and an LBS trek to Dubai.
Meanwhile, student bloggers who stayed back on the home front had plenty of fun this week as well. UCLADawg recounted the impressively…um, authentic… dishes on order at Anderson’s annual North American Food Festival fundraiser. Life on the East Coast seems equally enjoyable for MBA Gladiator, whose photos show life at Yale SOM to be full of soccer, hockey, communal YouTube viewing, and competitive hula-hooping. Along similar lines, Nagendra is thoroughly enjoying this season at Oxford, posting a helpful reminder to incoming MBA students to plan course loads that won’t interfere with the cricket season.
Academic and professional posts were few and far between this week. However, on a closing note, two exceptions came from Mbwana at Stanford, who posted brief thoughts on energy in Tanzania and entrepreneurship in India. For the time being, it seems as though spring fever has swept through the rest of the MBA blogosphere! Enjoy the sunshine this weekend, and join us next week for another Fridays from the Frontline!
Posted by Clear Admit on May 3, 2007, at 8:22 am
Posted in: MBA News , School: Dartmouth / Tuck , School: Duke / Fuqua International students graduating from MBA programs this year may find it more difficult to work in the U.S. after graduation thanks to a recent blackout on H-1B visas for temporary professional employees. Although many advocacy groups voiced concerns about the program in the last two years, the situation has become more urgent this year. Under the current regulations, there is a limit of 65,000 H-1B visas issued each fiscal year, with an additional 20,000 visas available to applicants with a U.S.-earned Master’s degree. Requests for visas this year shot well above the 65,000 limit on the first day that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services accepted applications. As a result, the agency has now instituted an eighteen-month blackout on new H-1B visas, which could make the work authorization process extremely challenging for students in the MBA classes of 2007 and 2008, if not beyond. In response, many groups are organizing to urge Congressional action, including the Tuck Career Development Office, which has set up a website with information on the situation and possible solutions.
As expected, the coverage of the Fuqua cheating scandal continues in the press this week. Fuqua Associate Dean Mike Hemmerich reported Tuesday that for many of the students found guilty of the most serious offenses, the cheating was not confined to the single take-home test mentioned in the original news reports. Once the professor noticed the similarities on the test, other assignments from the class were examined, adding to the severity of the charges against several students.
With many of the news reports on the Duke scandal focusing on the ethical behavior of business students, this may be a good time to highlight some of the work being done to ensure that ethics and social responsibility are part of the education of all MBA students. Two recent articles showcase the local and global initiatives underway in this arena. First, the newest issue of the Tuck alumni magazine, TuckToday, presents an in-depth piece on Tuck’s efforts to shape ethical leaders, profiling the school’s ongoing efforts to include substantive discussion of ethical questions within the MBA curriculum. On a broader note, a recent BusinessWeek interview with U.N. Global Compact advisers Dr. Angel Cabrera and Dr. Manuel Escudero illustrates the growing international movement to make ethics education an expected part of all business school programs.
|
Comments closed