This proved the case at an MBA fair August 12th hosted by Kaplan Test Prep in Chicago, Ahlm said. He noted that Chicago Booth had a table at the event directly across from the region’s other top MBA program, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

Ahlm, who replaced departing Admissions Director Rose Martinelli earlier this summer, was surprised by how much interest prospective applicants showed in Chicago Booth’s marking program because of what he called an unbelievably powerful stereotype that . . . → Continue Reading]]> In a post earlier this month to the Booth Insider, the admissions blog for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Admissions Director Kurt Ahlm shared his surprise at finding himself bombarded by questions about the school’s marketing program at recent MBA fairs.

This proved the case at an MBA fair August 12th hosted by Kaplan Test Prep in Chicago, Ahlm said. He noted that Chicago Booth had a table at the event directly across from the region’s other top MBA program, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

Ahlm, who replaced departing Admissions Director Rose Martinelli earlier this summer, was surprised by how much interest prospective applicants showed in Chicago Booth’s marking program because of what he called an unbelievably powerful stereotype that Chicago Booth is the choice for those who want to study finance, while Kellogg is the choice for marketing.

Calling this an “incredible inaccurate perception,” Ahlm noted that it is one his team has been working hard to overcome. “Based on the discussions I had last night it seems like Chicago’s reputation for having one of the best Marketing programs of any of the top business schools is starting to penetrate this steel curtain of misperception,” he continued.

For prospective applicants interested in learning more about the marketing program at Chicago Booth, Ahlm recommended visiting the website for the school’s Kilts Center for Marketing.

In a subsequent post to the Booth Insider, Assistant Director of Admissions Kelley Curtin also noted that the “Marketing at Chicago Booth” brochure for 2010 is now available. The brochure, which provides information about the school’s distinct approach toward marketing, notable alumni in the field, marketing companies who recruit at Chicago Booth and more, is available here.

We also ask them to delve into the nitty-gritty of the application process itself. What, exactly, happens to your application from the moment you hit “submit” through to the moment you learn – fingers crossed! – you’ve been admitted? Admissions directors have seemed more than happy to walk us through this process, and we’ll share with you what we’ve learned.

Essays, too, . . . → Continue Reading]]> This week, we will launch our fall Admissions Director Q&A Series, featuring interviews with admissions directors at each of the top MBA programs around the globe. In these question-and-answer exchanges, directors tell us some of the things they are most excited about in the year to come and draw attention to aspects of their programs that not all applicants may know.

We also ask them to delve into the nitty-gritty of the application process itself. What, exactly, happens to your application from the moment you hit “submit” through to the moment you learn – fingers crossed! – you’ve been admitted? Admissions directors have seemed more than happy to walk us through this process, and we’ll share with you what we’ve learned.

Essays, too, were part of the discussions we had with directors at each school. Mistakes to avoid, things to remember before you sit down to write them, who will read them, and how their views will be shared with the admissions committee as a whole – these all are covered.

Of course, we also hope the interviews will help you learn more about the admissions directors themselves. And at several schools this year, long-standing directors have moved on, opening the way for new faces in the position. As part of this 2010 series, we’re happy to get to introduce you to Ankur Kunar, the new director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School; Kurt Ahlm, who takes Rosemarie Martinelli’s place at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business; and Stephanie Fujii, who will replace outgoing Peter Johnson at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, among others.

So please stay tuned! Look for one to two posts each week as part of this updated Clear Admit Admissions Director Q&A Series. We hope you enjoy them and find them useful.

Over the last decade, most business schools have sought ways to provide relevant, hands-on international business exposure within the confines of a two-year degree. The solution that many schools have arrived at is study trips, which allow students to spend a few weeks exploring the business environment of another country over the summer or during a mid-semester break. Depending on the school, these trips may be organized through an elective course, by an administrative office, or through a campus student group.

For instance, the Chazen Institute at Columbia works with individual students and clubs to organize study trips to countries or regions of interest, . . . → Continue Reading]]> Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday, our weekly exploration of the details, distinctions and developments of the leading MBA programs.

Over the last decade, most business schools have sought ways to provide relevant, hands-on international business exposure within the confines of a two-year degree. The solution that many schools have arrived at is study trips, which allow students to spend a few weeks exploring the business environment of another country over the summer or during a mid-semester break. Depending on the school, these trips may be organized through an elective course, by an administrative office, or through a campus student group.

For instance, the Chazen Institute at Columbia works with individual students and clubs to organize study trips to countries or regions of interest, while Chicago’s International Programs Office coordinates short-term summer exchanges to such countries as Austria, Brazil, France and Germany. Several other business schools offer students academic credit for their travel abroad. At HBS students are able to earn 1.5 credits for their work abroad over the summer between the first and second year, provided they submit a final paper. At Wharton, however, study trips are often closely integrated into full-semester elective courses, with students participating in hands-on consulting projects with firms from outside the U.S.

At NYU Stern, the school’s one- to two-week long Doing Business In… (DBI) programs offer an appealing short-term alternative to spending an entire semester abroad. The program is usually offered in selected locations each year and takes place outside of the normal academic calendar, usually between semester breaks or during Spring Break, making it easy for students to fit the program in at some point during their MBA. Each DBI includes one pre-trip class session and either 4-5 or 8-10 full days of scheduled activities in the host country. Admission is by lottery, and classes are taught by the faculty of the host university; these faculty members also award the final project or paper grades for the course.

In addition to the DBI programs, Stern also offers students the unusual opportunity to study abroad for 1-6 weeks with one of four partner universities in Argentina, Denmark, Germany, or South Korea. These courses usually take place in early- to mid-May, making it possible to arrange a summer internship start date around completion of the course. The one-, two- and six-week programs may earn students 1.5 to 6 credits toward graduation. Although many MBA programs allow students to study abroad for a full semester or to travel abroad as part of a course, few provide summer exchanges through which students can earn credit toward graduation.

As knowledge of other cultures and business practices becomes more important to the daily life of business, it will become ever more important for students to gain exposure to international business during the MBA program. Since study trips range from informal and self-directed to formal consulting engagements for academic credit, applicants may want to consider the type of study trip that would best complement their prior international experience and keep this in mind as they apply to MBA programs.

For more information on the details of schools’ study trip offerings, be sure to consult the Clear Admit School Guides!

The news comes on the heels of several other changes among the staff at top MBA programs around the country. At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, veteran Admissions Director Rose Martinelli announced her own departure last month. . . . → Continue Reading]]> According to a Columbia Business School (CBS) spokesperson, long-time admissions director Linda Meehan is retiring from her post this week. Meehan joined the CBS staff in 1993 and served as director of admissions through fall 2009, when CBS appointed Mary Miller as the school’s new admissions director as part of a move to combine admissions for the MBA and EMBA programs. Meehan stayed on for the past year, focusing more of her attention on alumni affairs, but she has now decided to retire. 

The news comes on the heels of several other changes among the staff at top MBA programs around the country. At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, veteran Admissions Director Rose Martinelli announced her own departure last month. She left to become assistant vice president of enrollment for the University of Chicago, and Kurt Ahlm from the admissions office has taken over as director of admissions and financial aid.

Meanwhile, at the Haas School of Management at the University of California at Berkeley, Peter Johnson is leaving his post as admissions director in mid-August, a post he’s held for the past decade. Johnson heads to Europe, where he has accepted a position as vice president of student services at Central European University in Budapest. In his stead, Stephanie Fujii will assume the head admissions role. A Haas graduate, she has worked in the school’s admissions office for the past five years and as senior associate admissions director for the past three.

Finally, there have been some shifts at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. There, J.J. Cutler, who signed on as director of admissions in early 2009, has been promoted to deputy vice dean with oversight of both admissions and career services. Ankur Kunar, meanwhile, will serve as deputy director of admissions for the MBA program. Like Cutler, Kunar is herself a Wharton graduate.

Hidden within these encouraging statistics are some interesting new trends, the Forbes report continued. Specifically, more and more Fortune 500 companies are now hiring international MBA students from top Western schools to run operations not in the United . . . → Continue Reading]]> After last year’s dismal predictions of a job market meltdown, the landscape for new MBA graduates is experiencing an encouraging recovery, according to a recent Forbes report. According to the MBA Career Services Council, 60 percent of career departments at U.S. and European schools recently surveyed report more job postings this year than last. And some schools, such as New York University’s Stern School of Business, say that job postings in some sectors are up by as much as 70 percent, according to Forbes.

Hidden within these encouraging statistics are some interesting new trends, the Forbes report continued. Specifically, more and more Fortune 500 companies are now hiring international MBA students from top Western schools to run operations not in the United States or Europe but rather back in their home countries.

“With the rapid pace of globalization, corporate America has got the message that global growth requires talent with in-depth knowledge of the languages, customs and geography of other parts of the world,” Becky Joffrey of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business told Forbes. Recent Tuck students have been hired to run operations for Cargill and Samsung in Singapore, Israel and India, she says.

This shifting market was reflected in a recent hiring survey by international management recruitment firm Antal, according to the Forbes report. Antal’s Global Snapshot, which tracks employment trends in 55 countries, found hiring up more than 50 percent around the world since January, but up 65 percent in Brazil, 72 percent in China and 73 percent in India, Forbes reports.

“One of the key drivers behind this growth in emerging markets is a move away from the conventional expatriate model,” Graeme Read, Antal’s CEO, told Forbes. Whereas these countries used to import management expertise from the West, they are now taking control themselves and seeking locally born professionals who have trained at top business schools, Read says. “In countries like China and India, the ‘returner’ is becoming one of the most sought-after commodities in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” he told Forbes.

In response, top MBA programs are adjusting their career services budgets to reflect this new trend, according to Forbes. Harvard Business School (HSB) has upped it career services budget by 50 percent, placing particular emphasis on reaching potential new employers through international conferences. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, meanwhile, has tripled its career development staff so that they can spend more time traveling internationally to develop new relationships with potential employers in person.

For the complete Forbes story on new MBA hiring trends, click here.

The new blog replaces outgoing Dean of Admissions Rose Martinelli’s “Rose Report.” Martinelli announced earlier this week that she will be leaving her post as admissions director to assume a new role as assistant vice president of enrollment management for the University of Chicago. Kurt Ahlm, a senior member of the admissions team under Martinelli, will serve as Chicago Booth’s new dean of admissions.

In an introductory post to the Booth Insider, Ahlm pledged to continue Martinelli’s commitment to providing transparency . . . → Continue Reading]]> The admissions staff at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business yesterday announced the launch of the “Booth Insider,” a new admissions blog where prospective applicants can get all the latest news about the school and its admissions process.

The new blog replaces outgoing Dean of Admissions Rose Martinelli’s “Rose Report.” Martinelli announced earlier this week that she will be leaving her post as admissions director to assume a new role as assistant vice president of enrollment management for the University of Chicago. Kurt Ahlm, a senior member of the admissions team under Martinelli, will serve as Chicago Booth’s new dean of admissions.

In an introductory post to the Booth Insider, Ahlm pledged to continue Martinelli’s commitment to providing transparency in the admissions process. He also added that the new blog will not have just one voice, but rather eight different contributors from the admissions team. “With these different voices, you’ll be able to obtain multiple perspectives on issues affecting prospective students,” he wrote. He also invited input from readers about topics they would like to see covered. “If there is a topic we haven’t addressed, let us know!” he wrote. “We want t make sure we’re covering topics of interest to you.”

In a subsequent post yesterday, the Booth Insider shared news that will surely be of interest to all prospective applicants, namely the appointment of the school’s next dean. In case you missed Clear Admit’s post on the topic yesterday, Stanford Graduate School of Business Senior Associate Dean Sunil Kumar has been appointed to serve as the next dean of Chicago Booth, replacing outgoing dean Ted Snyder. Kumar, an expert in operations research, will assume his new role on January 1, 2011.

In the meantime, Professor Harry Davis will serve as interim dean of the school. Davis, a longtime member of the Booth community, helped create the Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) Program at Chicago Booth, a unique program designed to help first-year students develop and practice key communication skills.

Kumar, who was born in India, received his Master of Engineering degree in computer science and automation from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He also possesses a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Mangalore University in Surathkal. After receiving his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996, . . . → Continue Reading]]> Chicago Booth announced today that Sunil Kumar, Fred H. Merrill Professor of Operations, Information and Technology and an expert in operations research at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, will serve as the new dean of the program. Kumar will take the place of Edward A. Snyder, who served as dean of the program for nine years. Snyder stepped down from his post on June 30, 2010.

Kumar, who was born in India, received his Master of Engineering degree in computer science and automation from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He also possesses a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Mangalore University in Surathkal. After receiving his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996, Kumar joined Stanford, where he has served as a faculty member ever since.

Kumar expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for his new post, stating, “I am excited to become dean of Chicago Booth. I share the school’s passion for the pursuit of ideas that hold up under careful scrutiny. I look forward to helping strengthen and enhance Booth’s outstanding research environment and its rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education. I am eager to get to know the faculty, students, alumni, and staff of the school, and to engage with the business community in the city of Chicago.”

For more information on Kumar’s background and his objectives as dean of Chicago Booth, make sure to check out Booth’s press release announcing his appointment.