Posted by Clear Admit on July 24, 2008, at 6:00 pm
Posted in:  General , MBA News , School: Yale In a note late last week to Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond and other members of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Counselors (AIGAC) board, Yale School of Management (SOM) Director of Admissions Bruce Delmonico provided several updates about interesting things taking place on campus right now.
For starters, the school is preparing to welcome former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to campus. Blair, who has been appointed the Howland Distinguished Fellow for 2008-2009, will teach a seminar on faith and globalization, to be jointly coordinated by the School of Management and Yale Divinity School. To learn more, check out this blog entry from the Clear Admit archives, which we posted back in March when Blair’s appointment was first announced.
Delmonico also shared that Yale will be welcoming ten new full-time faculty members to campus this fall, which he pointed out is “quite a large jump” for a school with fewer than 400 total students. Among the additions will be faculty in finance, marketing, operations, and other areas, including Gary Gorton, an expert in finance and banking from Wharton. Gorton will rejoin former Wharton colleague Andrew Metrick, an expert in venture capital and private equity who came to SOM this past year.
In other news, Yale instituted a new international student exchange program, partnering with schools in London, Barcelona, Bangalore and Beijing. The program, open to SOM students in the fall semester of their second year, is part of a larger effort by SOM to broaden its international programs. Up to 12 SOM students are expected to participate in this, the program’s launch year, three at each of the partner universities. A reciprocal number of students will attend SOM as part of the exchange.
Delmonico also shared that SOM became the 14th member of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which works to enhance diversity in business education and management by increasing the representation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in the enrollment of member schools. (We blogged on this, too, back in April.)
Finally, Delmonico also shared that Yale SOM has posted its essay questions and application deadlines for next year. Of course, you already knew that if you’ve been following our blog…
Posted by Clear Admit on July 24, 2008, at 2:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , General , MBA News , School: Chicago It’s always nice to be noticed. Which is why last week those of us here at Clear Admit were pleased when BusinessWeek’s Alison Damast pointed to our blog as a resource for tips on how to approach the provocative new essay questions released by the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business.
As readers of our blog already know, in addition to retaining its PowerPoint slide essay requirement, Chicago decided to include a few new essay questions in its fall 2009 application.
One calls for applicants to describe the decision-making process they employed when asked to choose between two equally important obligations – and how an MBA from Chicago GSB might have helped. The second asks applicants to reflect on a time they went against popular opinion, how others may have misperceived their motives, and, once again, how an MBA from Chicago might have aided them in the situation.
“These are challenging questions, ones that will require applicants to do some serious reflection over the next few weeks,” writes Damast. For guidance, she says, check out Clear Admit’s tips.
Thanks, Alison! We, of course, like to think we’re always providing our readers with the best information on how to approach the graduate management admissions process. Still, it never hurts to have others feel the same way.
Chicago GSB hasn’t officially released its 2009 application – it will do that later this month. But there’s no time like the present to start thinking about how to approach those essays…
Posted by Clear Admit on July 24, 2008, at 11:17 am
Posted in: GMAT Tips , Workbook Wednesdays Here is the answer to Wednesday’s Challenge Question from Manhattan GMAT. Check back next week for another Workbook Wednesday question!
Question
If n is an integer and n4 is divisible by 32, which of the following could be the remainder when n is divided by 32?
(A) 2
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 6
(E) 10
Answer
The prime factors of n4 are really four sets of the prime factors of the integer n.
Since n4 is divisible by 32 (or 25), n4 must be divisible by 2 at least 5 times. What does this tell us about the integer n?
If n is divisible by only one 2, then n4 would be divisible by exactly four 2’s (since the prime factors of n4 have no source other than the integer n).
But we know that n4 is divisible by at least five 2’s! This means that n must be divisible by at least two 2’s (which means that n4 must be divisible by eight 2’s). Thus, we know that the integer n must be divisible by 4.
Now that we know that n is divisible by 4, we can consider what happens when we divide n by 32.
If we divide n by 32 we can represent this mathematically as follows:
n = 32b + c (where b is the number of times 32 goes into n and c is the integer remainder)
We know that n is divisible by 4 so we can rewrite this as:
4x = 32b + c(where x is an integer)
This equation can be simplified, by dividing both sides by 4 as follows:
x = 8b + c/4
Since we know that x is an integer, the sum of 8b and c/4 must yield an integer. We know that 8b is an integer so c/4 must be also be an integer. Therefore, c, the remainder, must be divisible by 4.
Only answer choice B qualifies. The remainder when n is divided by 32 could be 4. It could not be any of the other answer choices. The correct answer is B.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 24, 2008, at 7:46 am
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Columbia Following up on Monday’s announcement of Columbia’s essay questions for the 2008-2009 admissions season, we wanted to offer our thoughts on each of this year’s topics.
Columbia has made some significant changes from last year’s set of questions. While they’ve retained the classic 750-word question about career goals/why Columbia MBA, the two remaining required essays ask applicants to draw on themes decidedly different from those in the past. The school has eliminated the long-standing 250-word essay about an applicant’s passions or interests that rounded out the set in previous seasons, leaving only 3 required essays totaling 1750 words. Gone too is the question about an entrepreneurial mindset that has long been a hallmark of the CBS application, with a new question about a failure taking its place. Finally, last year’s prompt asking students to read a Dean Glenn Hubbard speech and comment on the changing business environment has been replaced by a slightly different research project.
Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)
The general advice we’ve offered in the past on how to tackle this sort of question applies here. Because Columbia is very sensitive to the fact that it is often treated as a backup for Wharton and other leading programs, it’s especially important to convince the adcom of your interest in the program by packing your essay full of school-specific details about classes and clubs. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversations with members of the community or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to Columbia – will pay dividends here.
Essay 2: Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View the link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit)
In this new essay, Columbia asks applicants to share a story about a time reality subverted expectations. “Theory” here refers to one’s thoughts and preparation going into an experience, while the “practice” translates to how an event or project actually played out. This essay calls for a focused discussion of a single situation; professional experiences are certainly relevant, though volunteer or other extracurricular stories could be equally fitting. Given the school’s focus on experiential learning, it will be important that applicants demonstrate an appreciation for the sorts of lessons learned and insights gained from hands-on involvement, so it is important to select an example in which one is an active participant rather than an observer. Finally, while it seems quite possible to fulfill the question’s requirements without watching the associated video, it’s probably prudent to make reference to Columbia’s Master Classes and one or two of the selling points mentioned in the clip, perhaps in the essay’s concluding comments.
Essay 3: Please provide an example of a team failure of which you’ve been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)
Like any failure or mistake themed essay, the key here will be to summarize the failure and its context as briefly as possible, spending the bulk of the essay on reflection and describing the lessons learned from the experience. It’s generally good practice to close with a summary of a second, more recent experience in which the applicant has applied these lessons. In this case, however, Columbia asks candidates to think about the initial experience, and explain how you would act in retrospect, calling for the writer to double back and revisit the same situation in light of what was learned after the fact. To avoid an excessively abstract discussion, be specific in your details and explanations of exactly what you would change in your behavior and/or actions, and explore the full range of potential adjustments and improvements in your handling of the situation.
For more information about Clear Admit’s one-on-one counseling for Columbia applicants, simply email your resume to info@clearadmit.com to set up a free session with one of our admissions counselors.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 23, 2008, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: General , MBA News , School: Northwestern / Kellogg In a post last week, we pointed out that though summer may still be in full swing, students at some schools are already hitting the books. Specifically, we blogged about the start of Fuqua’s optional pre-term programs in language and math, which are now underway.
Fuqua is certainly not the only MBA program to offer pre-term classes for incoming students. Some schools, in fact, feature a mandatory pre-term that all students are required to attend.
One such school is Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, which offers a required orientation for all first-year students entering each year. Called “Pre-Term,” this program features three key components that together are designed to get students off to a strong academic start, build camaraderie from day one and help foster strong leadership skills.
Kellogg’s three-pronged Pre-Term begins with Complete Immersion in Management (CIM), an orientation program launched in 1969 as part of an effort to introduce first-year students to each other and to Kellogg’s collaborative culture. Organized for first years by the second-year class, CIM features speakers, diversity workshops and team-building activities, as well as social events and a community service project.
“CIM Week set the tone for my Kellogg experience — incredible, intense and inspirational,” said recent Kellogg graduate Andrea Jackson, from Salt Lake City, Utah. In her own second year, Jackson served on the CIM Executive Committee and led a community service day in Chicago for incoming students. “Introducing the new students to the Kellogg experience and values was as rewarding to me as my own CIM Week,” Jackson added.
CIM is the first portion of Kellogg’s two-week Pre-Term program for students in the school’s two-year MBA and Master of Management and Manufacturing (MBA) programs. The other two key components are Technology Education@Kellogg and Leadership in Organizations, one of Kellogg’s core classes.
Technology Education@Kellogg, or TEKcamp, is designed to help new students get plugged in and up and running in Kellogg’s networked environment. In addition to introducing students to the technology environment at Kellogg, TEKcamp also includes a range of sessions designed to help students review and or build their quantitative skill sets.
Leadership in Organizations, meanwhile, serves as students’ first real foray into academics at Kellogg. Beginning in the second week of orientation, this intensive core class consists of 10 three-hour class sessions, complete with a final exam.
The course is designed to help students zero in on issues related to leadership, teamwork, ethics and the competitive advantage that can be gained through people and how they are organized. A full-credit core course, Leadership in Organizations serves as students’ re-introduction into the classroom while also knocking out a core requirement before the first semester even begins.
Students in Kellogg’s one-year accelerated MBA program participate in a Pre-Term that, like the rest of their curriculum, is a condensed version of the two-year program. Pre-Term for one-year MBA students begins in June. Pre-Term for two-year MBA and MMM students begins two weeks prior to fall quarter, starting this year on September 2nd.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 23, 2008, at 11:53 am
Posted in: Deadlines , School: Yale The Yale SOM deadlines have had one alteration since we posted them last week. This change will result in an extra week for those interested in applying in the first round.
Round One:
Deadline: October 22, 2008
Notification: January 16, 2009
To see the full schedule for Yale’s application deadlines, as well as the 2008-2009 essay topics, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 23, 2008, at 8:19 am
Posted in: GMAT Tips , Workbook Wednesdays Welcome back to another round of Workbook Wednesdays, where we take a shot at one of Manhattan GMAT’s ‘challenge problems,’ the caliber of problem you’ll see if you’re scoring above 700 on the test. Check back with us on Thursday when we’ll work through the answer! Question
If n is an integer and n4 is divisible by 32, which of the following could be the remainder when n is divided by 32?
(A) 2
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 6
(E) 10
Posted by Clear Admit on July 22, 2008, at 2:30 pm
Posted in: Deadlines , Essay Topics , School: Duke / Fuqua The Duke / Fuqua deadlines and essay topics for the 2008-2009 application season have been announced. Check them out below!
Early Action
Application Deadline: October 15, 2008
Decision Notification: November 14, 2008
Round One
Application Deadline: October 27, 2008
Decision Notification: December 19, 2008
Round Two
Application Deadline: January 7, 2009
Decision Notification: March 10, 2009
Round Three
Application Deadline: March 16, 2009
Decision Notification: April 23, 2009
Short Answer Essays
1. What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA? How does it fit into your short- and long- term goals? If you are interested in a joint degree or the Health Sector Management program, please address in this response. (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
2. How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Duke MBA? (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
3. Discuss a person, event or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
Long Essay
1. Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen.
Upon graduation, a Duke MBA will be a leader of consequence – able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence? (required, two page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
Optional Essay
1. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).
Reapplicant Essay
All reapplicants are also required to complete the Reapplicant Essay below. Essays should not exceed two pages.
1. Write an essay describing how you are a stronger candidate for admission compared to the previous year’s application.
Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday, our regular examination of the offerings and opportunities at the leading business schools.
Today we turn our attention to options for studying health care in business school, with a particular emphasis on Wharton’s Health Care Systems Major and Duke’s Health Sector Management Program, the two oldest and best known health care programs among U.S. business schools.
Wharton’s major draws its faculty from the business, medical and nursing schools, as well as from practicing health care professionals, ensuring an interdisciplinary approach to the issues in the field. The Health Care Systems major differs from other majors at Wharton in that students must choose the major in their initial application to the school instead of in their second year. Health Care Systems further differs in that it aggressively integrates professional development and field work into the major.
For instance, all Health Care majors are required to complete a Field Application Project (FAP). In the FAP, teams of students spend a semester working with an industry partner to solve real world problems in the health care field. Given the amount of time these projects can take, students must work carefully to balance classes around the demands of their projects.
At Fuqua, students enter the HSM program from a variety of backgrounds; though the program does not require prior health sector experience, it does look for a strong commitment to the healthcare field among all participants. As with Wharton’s Health Care Systems major, application to Fuqua’s HSM program is through the MBA admissions process, with HSM applicants asked to indicate their interest in pursuing the HSM Certificate in a special section of the application.
Once enrolled, Duke HSM students spend the first year completing the standard core curriculum before beginning the coursework that leads to the HSM Certificate. To earn the Certificate, HSM students take three HSM core courses and three healthcare electives (see Figure “Health Sector Management Courses”). All six HSM courses count as elective credits towards the MBA degree requirements. This is a slightly heavier courseload than required by Wharton’s healthcare program, which asks students to complete two foundations courses and three healthcare electives.
Despite the prominence of the Wharton and Duke programs, they are far from the only option for MBA applicants seeking a career in health care. For instance, Columbia now offers the Health Care and Pharmaceutical Management major, Kellogg offers a major in Health Industry Management, and HBS hosts the Healthcare Initiative. Those business schools that do not offer formal health care concentrations tend to have a student club and/or a student-organized conference dedicated to supporting interest in the field, so regardless of the program, health care minded applicants should find plenty of resources.
For more on health care options, majors, student clubs or conferences, be sure to check out business schools’ websites and the Clear Admit School Guides!
Posted by Clear Admit on July 21, 2008, at 4:00 pm
Posted in: General , MBA News , School: UNC / Kenan Flagler The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business has named its own James W. Dean, Jr. to serve as the next dean of the school. Dean’s appointment is expected to be approved at a meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees later this week.
Pending approval at the July 24th board meeting, Dean will succeed Steve Jones, who completes his term at the end of this month. Dean’s appointment is scheduled to take effect beginning August 1st.
Dean’s recommendation follows a national search led by a committee comprised of faculty, staff, alumni and business leaders. Barbara Rimer, dean of the School of Public Health, chaired the committee and communicated its recommendations to Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost, and then-Chancellor James Moeser.
Dean, a professor of organizational behavior and strategy, has been a member of the UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty since 1997. His research, teaching and consulting have focused on the areas of leadership, organizational change, strategic decision making, international management and organizational performance improvement.
In addition to his teaching and research, Dean also has held several leadership positions during his tenure at Kenan-Flagler. He served as the senior associate dean for academic affairs for the past year. Prior to that he served as the associate dean of executive development from 2002 through 2007 and as the associate dean of the MBA program from 1998 through 2002.
In these roles, he increased the number and global reach of UNC’s non-degree program and led an innovative curriculum redesign of the MBA program. He also led the creation of corporate advisory boards for the MBA program and developed a strong professional team to guide its admissions, student services and career services.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 21, 2008, at 10:05 am
Posted in: Essay Topics , School: Columbia Columbia’s essay topics for the 2008-2009 season are quite similar to this year’s J-term application essays, with one notable exception: the removal of the fourth essay about applicant’s passions. Though the information isn’t yet available on the school’s website, an admissions representative discussed this on the Business Week forum, and we have confirmed it with the Columbia Admissions Office.
Essay 1 (Required): What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)
Essay 2 (Required): Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit)
1. View with Real Player: http://merlin.gsb.columbia.edu:8080/ramgen/video1/faculty/MasterClass-promo.rm
2. View via Google: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4698876883776961370&hl=en
Essay 3 (Required): Please provide an example of a team failure of which you’ve been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)
Essay 4 (Optional): Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
Posted by Clear Admit on July 21, 2008, at 2:27 am
Posted in: Admissions Tips As many applicants are finding out at this time of year, conducting thorough research on MBA programs is an essential step in formulating a list of target schools and crafting convincing essays. Surfing the web and speaking with friends and mentors are great starting points in identifying programs of interest. However, to really get a feel for a school and determine whether it’s a good fit for one’s goals and personality, applicants need to dig deeper and gain some firsthand experience with the program and the people. Visiting the campus is a great way to gather this kind of information, and it can also be advantageous in the application process. Although most formal campus visit programs will not start until the fall (when classes are in session), we’d like to offer a few ‘headstart’ pointers for getting as much mileage as possible out of a trip to your target program.
1) Make yourself known. Putting forth the effort to travel to a school is a signal of interest in the program that the adcom loves to see – but you need to let them know that you’ve made the trip. It is possible to communicate this in your essays and interview, but the simplest route is often to register for a visit through the admissions office. Not only will most schools arrange for you to sit in on a class and have lunch with current students, but many will also make a note of your visit and include it in your file. Be sure to take advantage of all that the admissions office offers in this regard; even if you have friends on campus, it’s wise to speak to as many people as possible.
2) Think it through. Before arriving on campus, you should think carefully about the sort of information you hope to take away from your visit. Whether your inquiries cover something as broad as the night life or as narrow as the syllabus of a particular course, your trip will be much more informative if you come prepared with a sense of the details you hope to glean from information sessions and conversations. Further, it’s a great idea to reach out to members of the community before you arrive; if there’s a club about which you are particularly curious, for instance, you could contact one of its leaders and arrange a conversation over coffee on the day of your visit.
3) Put your best foot forward. Even though your conduct and interactions won’t be on the record in the way that they would be when interviewing on campus, it’s important that you be aware of the impression you’re making. Because spending time on campus is a great way to forge ongoing contacts with students who could become allies for you in the admissions process, you’ll naturally want to put your best foot forward.
We hope that these simple tips will set applicants on the path toward a positive and productive stay on campus. For more tailored guidance on application strategy and school selection, feel free to contact us for a free initial consultation or check out the school-specific information in the Clear Admit School Guides.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 18, 2008, at 1:43 pm
Posted in: Deadlines , Essay Topics , School: Yale The Yale SOM deadlines for the 2008-2009 application season have recently been released!
The deadlines for the upcoming season are as follows:
Round one:
Deadline: October 22, 2008
Notification: January 16, 2009
Round two:
Deadline: January 7, 2009
Notification: April 10, 2009
Round three:
Deadline: March 18, 2009
Notification: May 8, 2008
Although the application itself will not go live until August, the Yale SOM essay topics for the 2008-2009 application have also been announced and are as follows:
1: Why a Yale MBA?
What is the impact that you wish to have on the world? How will your previous experiences and a Yale MBA enhance your ability, in the short-term and long-term, to pursue a career that will allow you to achieve this impact? (500 words maximum)
2: Leadership Example
Describe a professional accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The accomplishment should include evidence of your leadership skills, a description of the actions you took, as well as the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)
3: Personal Statement 1
Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
(1) A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership – leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way – is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?
(2) What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?
(3) Describe a situation in which your values were challenged. How did you respond to the situation and what did you learn from it?
(4) A phrase often heard among SOM graduates is that they aspire to lead a life that is an “SOM Story” – that of a broadly engaged, values-based leader who owns and solves hard problems that matter. How will you create your own SOM Story? Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or innovative solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
(5) The Yale School of Management is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests. What unique attributes would you bring to the Class of 2011?
(6) What is the most difficult feedback you have received and how did you address it? Looking forward, what skills are you most eager to build or improve upon in business school?
(7) Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?
4: Personal Statement 2
Choose one (1) of the topics listed in Essay 3, or create a topic of your own about a subject that is meaningful to you, and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number (or state the topic if it is not one of the ones listed) at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
Posted by Clear Admit on July 18, 2008, at 12:26 pm
Posted in: General , MBA News , School: Penn / Wharton In a recent letter to alumni, Serita Lewis, program director for the Wharton Office of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, provided several updates about goings on in Philadelphia.
Most of them we’ve already blogged about – the release of the 2011 application essay questions, upcoming admissions events around the globe and the departure of MBA Admissions Director Thomas Caleel.
But there were a few new tidbits of information that we wanted to share.
Confirming that Caleel has indeed stepped down and is no longer the admissions director, Lewis assured alumni that he will continue to remain an active part of the Wharton community, making appearances at admissions events to share his Wharton experiences with prospective applicants.
Meanwhile, a search committee has been created and is working hard to find Caleel’s replacement. During this process, Anjani Jain, vice dean of the Wharton Graduate Division, will serve as the interim director of MBA Admissions, and Senior Associate Directors Judith Hodara and Jackie Zavitz will lead day-to-day operations.
While mourning Caleel’s departure, the admissions office also is celebrating the arrival of two new staffers, according to Lewis. Tiffany Gooden and Kathryn Bezell will be joining the admissions team as associate directors in the next few weeks. Gooden’s focus will be on diversity recruitment initiatives, and Bezell will concentrate on the Volunteer Admissions Committee while also collaborating with staff on marketing, communications and alumni engagement efforts.
|
Comments closed