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Admissions Director Q&A (New!) Below are links to Clear Admit's exclusive admissions director Q&A sessions.
Dawna Clarke (Tuck)
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Eighteen titles available! Understand how the leading programs compare and learn more about the MBA experience in and beyond the classroom through Clear Admit School Guides. As featured in the Economist.

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CATEGORY - SCHOOL: MICHIGAN / ROSS

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: Northwestern Kellogg, Michigan Ross and Columbia Business School Interview Reports

Welcome to this admissions season’s first edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight new and informative reports in the Clear Admit Wiki, an online repository of information learned by applicants throughout the admissions process. With several schools now conducting Round 1 interviews and HBS having just distributed a large number of Round 1 interview invitations, the roller coaster ride of questions and answers has begun. Several applicants have recently shared their interview experiences in the Wiki for such schools as Northwestern / Kellogg, Michigan / Ross and Columbia Business School. Let’s take a look at some of the queries these applicants faced!

One Kellogg applicant shared a “conversational” interview with a local alumnus:

1. [Describe your] leadership experiences.
2. [Explain] conflicts at the work place.
3. [Describe] tough decisions at work place.
4. [Explain a] situation during work when, you could see a solution that others could not.
5. What clubs will you get involved at Kellogg and why?
6. What unique traits will you bring to Kellogg?

Another Round 1 Kellogg candidate noted the following questions from his/her interview:

1. How do you find it beneficial working in a team?
2. [What do you] like about working in a team?
3. [What do you] dislike about working in a team?
4. [Identify] one situation where you made a difference as a leader.
5. [Explain] one decision that you are proud of.

Moving on to Michigan, a recent Ross applicant faced the following queries from an alumnus:

1. Tell me about your most significant leadership experience.
2. Tell me about a time you worked in a tough group setting.
3. What will you add to the Ross student body?
4. What extra-curricular activities would you join at Ross?

An admitted Early Decision candidate at Columbia summarized the alumna’s series of inquiries, “The questions were broadly why this [undergrad] school, why this company, why this switch, why MBA, why Columbia and a lot of discussion of my goals…I was also asked the standard ‘ethical dilemma’ question which I was prepared for.”

That just about wraps up this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays! Be sure to tune in next week for a glimpse at the latest posts to the Clear Admit Wiki. In the meantime, check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews. Also, if you would like to add your interview experience to the Clear Admit Wiki, simply create an account or send your reports to wiki@clearadmit.com.

Thanks to all the applicants who have submitted their interview reports! Best of luck to those in the midst of interview season!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Chicago GSB Renamed Chicago Booth School of Business in Recognition of $300 Million Alumni Gift

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business announced yesterday that alumnus David G. Booth (MBA ’71) recently donated $300 million to the school, the largest donation in the university’s history and the largest gift ever to a business school. In recognition of his generosity, the school will be renamed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Booth, the founder and chief executive of investment firm Dimensional Fund Advisors, built his firm and his fortune on the finance principles he learned at Chicago. His first course there, taught by Professor Eugene Fama, was life-changing, he said. Fama is the founder of the efficient market hypothesis, which states that investors do best by buying and holding widely diversified portfolios, the basic thinking behind index funds.

“I remember Professor Fama standing up the first day of class and saying ‘This is the most practical course you will ever take,’ and it turned out to be true,” Booth said in a statement announcing the historic gift. “We built Dimensional Fund Advisors around his set of ideas. I am hoping that others will join me in giving back to this amazing business school,” he continued.

The gift, which includes an upfront payment, an income stream from shares in Dimensional Fund Advisors’ parent company and equity interest, will help fund several new initiatives, including an aggressive push to attract and retain star faculty.

The school also will consider adding new faculty groups in academic areas not normally associated with business schools, expanding existing research centers and exploring ways to more ambitiously leverage the school’s intellectual capital. The school’s international presence, too, could grow beyond its existing campuses in London and Singapore.

School officials expressed tremendous gratitude to Booth and lauded the decision to rename the school in his honor. “Given the profile of our school and its role in the world, it is imperative that the person who names the school embodies its values and, moreover, is a person who is of great integrity and who commands respect,” Edward Snyder, dean of the business school, said in a statement. “In David Booth, we have a person who exceeds all the relevant criteria.”

Booth’s gift is almost triple the amount given to Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2006. That $105 million gift, made by Nike founder and chairman Philip H. Knight, had been the largest ever to a business school. Other notable gifts to business schools include $100 million to the University of Michigan in 2004 from Stephen M. Ross, $85 million to the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2007 from a combined partnership of 13 alumni and $60 million to the Darden School at the University of Virginia from Frank Batten Sr., retired chairman and chief executive of Landmark Communications.

To read more about Booth’s $300 million donation to the University Chicago, click here.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Ross School of Business Professors Provide Election Balance Sheet

It’s Election Day in the United States, and the country is poised to choose its next president in one of the most notable races in the nation’s history. For the still undecided out there – and apparently such people do really exist – you won’t want to miss this panel discussion held earlier in the month at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Ross professors convened on October 14th to chart Barack Obama and John McCain’s respective positions on taxes, healthcare, trade and housing – and to provide their views of the potential impact each candidate’s plan could have on the country as a whole.

Against the backdrop of an unprecedented economic crisis, the candidates’ positions on money matters have taken center stage this election season. “Economic issues have been absolutely paramount in this campaign,” said Joel Slemrod, Ross professor of business economics and public policy.

Slemrod, who also serves as director of the Office of Tax Policy Research at the University of Michigan, led the discussion of tax policy, comparing and contrasting the plans put forth by Obama and McCain.

Thomas Buchmueller, Ross professor of risk management and insurance, led a discussion of the candidates’ approaches to healthcare, noting fundamental philosophical differences. Each plan has its strengths, said Buchmueller, but also areas of concern.

International trade has been less an area of focus in the run-up to today’s election, in part because the United States’ membership in the World Trade Organization limits the power the next president will have in this arena. Still, each candidate has provided important indicators of the direction in which trade policy will likely move under his leadership. These were outlined as part of the panel by James Levinsohn, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan.

Finally, to discuss the housing crisis and how the next president should address the issue of regulation, the panel turned to Robert Van Order, a Ross adjunct professor and former chief international economist at Freddie Mac. Backing the federal bailout plan, as each candidate did, was the right move, Van Orden said.

To view a video of the entire panel, click here.

And don’t forget to vote!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Campus Chronicles: Michigan’s Monroe Street Journal

This week in our edition of Campus Chronicles we turn our attention to The Monroe Street Journal at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

The Monroe Street Journal reports the creation of two new electives within Ross’s MBA curriculum.  Designed to give students exposure to global business, these courses offer students another lens through which to consider current issues related to globalization.  The first course, Bridging in the Globalized World – Turkey and the European Union, allows students to consider a country separate from East Asia and India – regions normally considered in the context of globalization.  An array of issues will be considered, ranging from “cross-cultural management, global leadership, brand management in emerging economies, the effect of potential radical shifts in monetary and regulatory policy on local markets and foreign investments, and the diffusion of green technologies.”

The second elective course, Legal Strategies for Intellectual Property Rights Protection in China, considers the intellectual property rights challenges that firms confront in foreign areas.  Teaching students how to “plan their firms’ business activities so as to maximize the protection of their firms’ intellectual property (IP) assets in China,” the course will enable students to examine strategy surrounding a country with an increasing global business presence and legal systems significantly different from those found in Western countries.

On the Admissions side of things, Ross is prepping for the “Discover Ross” Prospective Student Weekend, which will run from October 30th to November 1st.  This recruitment event is the “first event of its kind for students interested in improving the representation of women in business school” and is open to any applicant committed to the advancement of women in management.  Over 60 prospective students will participate in the events, which include panels, workshops, and social events designed to provide information regarding the paths that Ross women have taken in the business world.  The Office of Admissions looks to make this an annual event, and students Ginny Lee and Sarah Klainer state, “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to provide a more intimate window into the programs, collaborative culture and community that make Ross such a special place to be.”

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Business Schools Brace for Record Round One Application Volumes

As round one application deadlines approach, business schools both here and abroad are bracing for a surge in application volume. Recent reports in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Asia Inc reveal what we’ve long known to be true: When business goes south, business school looks like a better and better idea.

“It’s a very predictable and reliable pattern,” Stacey Kole, deputy dean for the full-time MBA program at the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, told the Times. “When there’s a go-go economy, fewer people decide to go back to school. When things go south, the opportunity cost of leaving work is lower.” And for workers who find themselves laid off, the decision is made easier still.

Official application tallies aren’t yet available since deadlines for the first round of admissions still loom at many schools. But early reports indicate that final numbers will be high.

According to the Journal report, New York University’s Stern School of Business has seen a 20 percent increase in attendance at off-site information sessions this year, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management is reporting a 22 percent increase in applications so far, and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has seen campus visits by prospective students double.

As always, registration volume for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) provides an early indicator of application volume as well. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the test, registrations for the test through the end of September were 11.6 percent higher than in the comparable period of 2007.

In Europe, the same trends are playing out. “Actually, applications to MBA programmes at IE Business school this year have grown over 15 percent and diversity – the number of countries represented – has also increased,” Santiago Iniguez, dean of Instituto de Empresa Business School in Madrid, told Asia Inc last month. “In fact, the number of U.S. students expected for IE’s MBA programme starting this fall will increase over 20 percent,” he continued.

Still, not everyone sees a direct correlation between a sagging economy and a surge in application volume. Others rightly point out that uncertainty about what the job market will look like upon graduation could deter some from applying. And for some students, the credit crisis may make getting loans to cover the cost of business school more difficult.

Derrick Bolton, director of MBA admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, told the Times that he sees very little correlation between a Wall Street bust and an application boom. According to Bolton, application numbers at his school remained “pretty standard” even after some of Wall Street’s greatest declines, such as the market crash of 1987.

For those in good jobs now, meanwhile, the risk of leaving to go to school may seem too great, according to Peter Johnson, executive director of admissions for the full-time MBA program at the University of California Berkeley’s Hass School of Business. “If you are in a good position and you are not confident of how the picture is going to look two years from now, you may stay in that position,” he told the Journal.

And then there’s the issue of student loans, which have become harder to get due to the widespread credit crunch. According to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, 144 education lenders have suspended private and federal loans. But Kantrowitz says business school students should not be impacted as greatly.
“Graduate student loans are the most profitable [for lenders] because the loan balances are the highest,” he told the Journal.

Stefan Szymanski, associate dean of MBA programs at London’s Cass Business School said much the same thing in an article on topmba.com. “Banks are consistently willing to lend to MBAs because they know they’ll get their money back,” he writes. “And yes, even though the banks have stopped lending to almost everybody else, they seem happy to maintain their loan schemes right now – and they wouldn’t be doing that unless they saw an MBA as a sure-fire economic proposition.”

Friday, October 10, 2008

Citibank Cancels CitiAssist Student Loan Program at Several Business Schools

A piece in the Economix column of the New York Times earlier this week called attention to troubling news regarding the impact of the current credit crisis on the availablility of student loans to MBA students, particularly private loans administered through the CitiAssist program for international students.

The piece, entitled “Credit Crisis Is Bad News for M.B.A. Students” excerpted an email message sent to students Monday at MIT Sloan School of Management. According to that message, Citibank has exercised its 30-day option to cancel the CitiAssist custom student loan program with MIT Sloan, effective November 2, 2008.

The Economix column went on to explain that students who have already had their loans processed and approved by Citibank appear to be safe, but that those who still need to secure financing face greater problems. “The school is now helping students scramble to find alternate financing,” the Times reported.

The problem is not limited to MIT Sloan. The CitiAssist program is also ending at the Ross School at the University of Michigan, according to the school’s own website.

Information listed on the Ross site about the CitiAssist program indicates that of the 3,500 University of Michigan students who took out private loans in 2007, 68 percent did so through the CitiAssist program. But a bulleted point highlighted in red in the program description reads, “This loan program will end on 11/02/08. Priority date for applications is 10/15/08. Applications received after this date may not be processed.”

In a phone interview this morning, Randall Sawyer, dean of admissions for the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University, said that as he understands it, Citibank has removed its CitiAssist program from all of its schools for international students without a domestic cosigner. Harvard Business School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania have also historically been part of the CitiAssist program.

“It’s affecting us, though not on a huge scale,” Sawyer said, indicating that schools with greater numbers of international students could be facing a larger-scale problem. “It’s certainly something that we are talking about though,” he continued.

According to Sawyer, even students who have secured funding for this year may still be unsure about whether they will find funding for next year. “At this point we don’t have any official release about the situation,” he said, but he indicated that Johnson would do its best to help students find alternate sources of funding.

Clear Admit plans to stay on top of this unfolding situation as it impacts prospective MBA applicants. Watch this space for more details as they become available.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Admissions Director Q&A: Soojin Kwon Koh of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business

Soojin Kwon Koh transformed her interim position as admissions director at the Ross School of Business into a permanent appointment to the post in April 2007. As director of admissions and financial aid, Koh has been instrumental in increasing the “yield,” or enrollment of students accepted into Ross’s full-time program, in great part by forging personal connections with prospective students prior to enrollment.

Koh was named one of the “Forty Under Forty” by Crain’s Detroit Business last fall. Prior to joining the Ross Admissions Committee, she worked as a manager at Deloitte Consulting and as an analyst for each the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Holding a Ross MBA herself, she can fairly claim to understand both sides of the school’s admissions process. She is also a member of the Forté Foundation, which encourages talented women toward leadership roles in business.

Our thanks to Ms. Koh for making time to participate in the Clear Admit Admissions Director Q&A Series. Read on to learn more about Ross’s signature Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP), a new 270,000-square-foot slated to open in January and much more.

Clear Admit: What’s the single most exciting development, change or event happening at Ross this coming year?

Soojin Kwon Koh: In January 2009, the Ross School of Business will open its new 270,000-square-foot facility. The Ross School has been at the forefront of a fundamental change in business education – away from lecture-style classes and toward hands-on methods – and our new building reflects this. With more group study rooms and cutting-edge communications technology, the new facility will enable Ross students to work even more closely with one another, as well as with corporate and nonprofit partners around the world. It also will feature a 7,500-square-foot fitness center and a large winter garden to foster community building among students, faculty and staff. In addition, the new building supports our commitment to sustainability, incorporating many features that are both architecturally innovative and environmentally responsible.

CA: What is the one area of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?

SK: Action-based learning tops the list, without question. Here at Ross, action-based learning gives students hands-on experience with business challenges that real organizations face today. The centerpiece of our action-based learning opportunities is our Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP).

MAP is an opportunity for MBA students to work on real-time challenges facing real organizations – not just case studies. Each spring, first-year Ross MBA students devote themselves exclusively to MAP for seven weeks as a part of the core curriculum. Our students have worked on projects at more than 640 corporate, entrepreneurial and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Each year, we accept MAP proposals from sponsors looking to solve problems, identify new processes and target opportunities for growth. Students get to rank their top ten choices from among nearly 100 projects. Each project requires the application of core business knowledge, creative thinking and genuine teamwork. At the end of the project, teams present their analyses and recommendations to their sponsors in both a written report and a final presentation.

Examples of MAP projects this past year include
• Creating a market launch strategy for a new Eli Lilly product in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland
• Expanding the marketing of nutrition products in Cambodia for the Clinton Foundation
• Developing a market entry strategy for an agribusiness startup in the Czech Republic and Spain
• Creating new service pricing models for Rainforest Expeditions in Peru
• Identifying investment opportunities for Intel Capital in Slovenia and Croatia
• Developing a marketing strategy for baby care products for Procter & Gamble

Being able to apply what they’ve learned in their core business courses enables Ross students to really understand and own the knowledge. MAP also prepares our students to solve multidisciplinary problems, manage uncertainty and lead teams.

In addition to the educational benefits of MAP, it also enables students to explore an industry or function that they may be considering for a future career. At seven weeks, it is nearly the length of many summer internships. So students can “try out” a potential career track before their internship or gain additional experience in an area that they know they want to go into. MAP is truly an unparalleled educational opportunity.

CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks ‘submit’ and the time the committee offers a final decision (e.g. how many “reads” does it get, how long is each “read,” who reads it, does the committee convene to discuss it as a group, etc.).

SK: We begin reviewing applications after the application deadline. Only Admissions Committee (“AdComm”) members (i.e., professional staff) evaluate applications. Applications are randomly assigned to and reviewed by Admissions Committee members to conduct a “first read” to determine whether or not to invite an applicant to interview. At the first read stage, an applicant can fall into one of three categories: (1) move to second read and invite to interview; (2) move to second read and consider for interview; (3) remove from further consideration. Applications moved to the second review are assigned for review by a different AdComm member.

Interview invitations may be extended simultaneously with or after the second review. Applicants are strongly encouraged to interview on-campus, but they also have the option to interview with one of our alumni in their region. On-campus interviews are primarily conducted by Admissions Student Committee members – second-year MBA students who have been selected and trained by the admissions director. Interviews must be completed approximately three to four weeks prior to a decision notification date.

The second reader makes a pre-interview decision on the basis of the application material. Once the interview is completed, the second reader reviews the interview report and renders a post-interview decision.

All post-interview decisions are reviewed weekly by the AdComm. Evaluations are confirmed or changed based on the committee’s review. After all decisions have passed through the AdComm review, the director of admissions reviews all decisions. A final review is conducted by the associate dean for degree programs.

Applicants can access final decisions online on the notification date for the round in which they applied. The AdComm does try to personally contact all admitted applicants a day or two prior to the official notification date. There is no particular order for those calls/emails.

CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read the essays? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? One key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write them?

SK: Essays give the AdComm an opportunity to get to know an applicant and the unique experiences, perspectives and traits they may bring to the Ross MBA class. In conjunction with the interview, the essays enable us to assess “fit.”

We look at a number of things in the essays: (1) Did the applicant answer all parts of the question completely? (2) Did the applicant tell us something about him/herself that wasn’t already covered in the resume or interview? (3) Did the essay give us a better sense of whether their values, goals, priorities and interests are well aligned with ours? (4) Does the applicant have strong writing skills – not just good grammar but also professional and persuasive writing?

There are a few common mistakes that applicants make when writing their essays. Many times, applicants do not answer the question that was asked. For example, our second essay question asks an applicant to describe his or her most significant professional accomplishment. Many applicants make the mistake of providing an overview of their entire work history, content that was largely provided in their resumes. Many applicants fail to adequately research each MBA program and understand what the differences are. Some make the mistake of writing a single essay to use for multiple schools. On occasion, an applicant will even forget to “find and replace” a school name. As a result, we are unable to determine an applicant’s true fit with our program.

One key thing that applicants should keep in mind is to be authentic; tell us about you. Don’t try to tell us what you think we want to hear. We want to know what makes you unique – not just what you’ve done, but how you think, what you value, what you’ve learned from your experiences, why you’ve set certain goals and priorities. The essays that are most compelling and successful in the admissions process are those that demonstrate a deep self-knowledge.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Ross School of Business Pushes Fall Application Deadline Forward

As many of our readers have noticed, the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor has a much earlier round one deadline (October 10th) for this year’s cycle than in past years. Historically, the Michigan round one deadline has been in early November, but this year Ross has shifted application submissions forward by more than two weeks in an effort to provide greater flexibility and benefits for applicants.

By shifting the deadline forward, Ross can provide applicants in this round who are selected for interviews with more time to schedule them. Under the new timeline, interviews will begin as early as mid-October. All interview invitations will be sent by December 1st, giving applicants time to complete them before the holidays.

The deadlines for rounds two and three remain unchanged. They are January 2, 2009, and March 1, 2009, respectively.

Ross encourages applicants to the full-time MBA program to apply in round one, because those who do so and are placed on the waiting list will have two additional opportunities for review in the second and third rounds. Also, scholarship opportunities are greatest for those who apply early. Applicants admitted in round one will be considered for scholarship in both rounds one and two. Round three applicants, on the other hand, are not eligible for scholarship consideration.

Ross posted its class of 2011 essay questions in early July. To read the Clear Admit team’s analysis of them, click here. Ross is expected to post its full application online later this month.

Good luck – and don’t forget the new October deadline!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Michigan / Ross Essay Topic Analysis 2008-2009

Michigan/Ross’s essay topics remain unchanged this year. The school again requires applicants to complete the standard “career goals,” “significant accomplishment” and “challenging time” essays, as well as the slightly off-the-beaten-path essay asking candidates to describe the profession they would pursue were they not striving to receive an MBA. Here are some tips to consider when tackling each of these topics:

Essay 1: Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross?
This is a variation on the typical Career Goals Essay. For Ross’s essay of only 500 words, applicants are not explicitly asked to describe their careers to date. Instead, applicants might consider ways in which their work histories have led them towards pursuing an MBA at this time. Last year, the wording of this essay question gave applicants a helpful clue about how Ross’s adcom characterizes its school’s program. Though this hint does not appear in this year’s question, “action-based learning” remains a distinguishing element of the Ross education. This essay provides a great chance for applicants to demonstrate their understanding of this school’s unique approach, and doing so effectively will make a positive impact on the adcom. In specifically asking “What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross,” the essay also invites applicants to highlight any notable business relationships they may have. This is a good opportunity for candidates to illustrate their interpersonal skills and capabilities as both a leader and a team member.

As is the case with most schools, demonstrating an understanding of the unique merits of Michigan’s program is crucial to an effective response to this question. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities - whether through a visit to campus, conversation with alumni or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to Ross - will pay dividends here.

Essay 2: Describe your most significant professional accomplishment. Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took and the impact you had on your organization.
Applicants debating how to answer this question should think about several key elements of their professional accomplishments, identifying which of the projects demonstrate the most impressive aspects. Essay writers might examine the scope of their leadership responsibilities, the degree of innovation they brought to the project, the knack for strategic analysis that they demonstrated or the revenue they generated for an organization, to name a few. In addition, one should evaluate how relevant the accomplishment was to his or her current work and future goals. Remember that specific anecdotes will make a stronger impression on the reader than generalizations, and that an account of the steps you took which led to your accomplishment is just as interesting as the results

Essay 3: If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead? (for example, teacher, musician, athlete, architect, etc.) How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems?
One could approach this question from two different angles. An applicant might describe an alternative career that is closely related to the one he or she identified in Essay 1, but devoting this essay to more of a “fantasy” career is another great option. While some applicants may be in a position to debate two very similar career paths in an interesting way (while still coming across as fully committed to the goals put forth in Essay 1), for most applicants the second of these two options will be the more effective approach.

Taking the first cue from the examples Ross provides in the parentheses, it seems as though the admissions committee is interested in applicants’ passions, whether they are creative, idealistic, etc. Following this line of reasoning, this is a great opportunity for applicants to discuss their extra-curricular activities while still communicating their professional strengths. An investment banker who sings in a choir might make a great band manager in another life; an IT consultant who dreams of opening her own restaurant could let the adcom know that she founded a culinary club as an undergraduate and plans to do the same at Ross.

Essay 4: Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.
Applicants can answer this question with a story about a challenging episode in either their personal or professional lives. The choice between these two options depends largely on Essay 3; if that essay focuses on a personal interest, Essay 4 could round out the application by delving into a professional experience, and vice versa.

Whether the story is personal or professional, the major themes of growth and learning remain the same. After describing the initial challenge in detail, the applicant should comment on both his or her thoughts and actions in response. It’s very important to present both one’s internal and external reactions in creating a full picture for the adcom. This could be a story about recognizing a professional opportunity and struggling to bring others on board, or the challenge of leading a dissonant team. For those who are more inclined to tell a personal story, remember that no matter what the topic, the goal is to demonstrate one’s maturity and sincere interest in improvement.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Michigan / Ross Essay Topics 2008-2009

The Michigan/Ross essay topics for the 2008-2009 application season have been released! Below are the required and optional essays for those applying to the full-time MBA program.

MBA Full-time Essay Questions

Long Essays (500 word max)

1. Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross?
2. Describe your most significant professional accomplishment. Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took and the impact you had on your organization.

Short Essays (300 word max)

3. If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead? (For example, teacher, musician athlete, architect, etc.) How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multidisciplinary problems?
4. Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.

Optional Question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy?

Monday, June 16, 2008

Summer Reading Recommendations from B-School Profs

Whether you’re just beginning to think about business school as a next step or you’ve already been admitted and are deciding how to spend these last months of summer, BusinessWeek.com has some suggestions for a little light reading – straight from professors at some of the nation’s top MBA programs.

The professors’ recommendations include both recent books and classics - covering topics ranging from accounting to business ethics. In fact, some fiction even made the list. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the top picks:

• Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack (Skyhorse Publishing, 2007) – recommended by Stewart Friedman, practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business

• Freakonomics (William Morrow, 2006) by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, recommended by Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management Professor Adam Galinsky

• The Goal (North River Press, 2004) by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox, a novel that introduces the concepts of bottlenecks and variability through the story of an Israeli physicist who saves a man’s job and marriage, recommended by Wallace Hopp, the Herrick professor of manufacturing and professor of operations and management science at University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business

• How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living (Harper Paperbacks, 2003), also recommended by Kellogg’s Galinsky

• The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It (Oxford University Press, 2007) by Paul Collier, recommended by David Levine, the Eugene E. & Catherine M. Trefethen Chair in Business Administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

• More Than a Numbers Game: A Brief History of Accounting (Wiley, 2006) by Thomas King, recommended by Robert Howell, professor of business administration at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business

• Ten Deadly Marketing Sins (Wiley, 2004) by Philip Kotler, recommended by Kellogg Professor Tim Calkins

Happy reading!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: Earning a JD/MBA or MD/MBA

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday! Earlier in the year we looked at the options for students to earn Master’s degrees alongside their MBA studies through dual and joint degree arrangements. This week we’ll examine the opportunities for students interested in combining their business education with study in law or medicine. The growing demand for talented, knowledgeable managers in the health care industry makes the combination MD/MBA degree particularly valuable, and graduates who can analyze both the strategic and legal implications of a decision fill an important niche in the business world.

Wharton’s programs are typical of the JD/MBA and MD/MBA programs offered by leading business schools. As with most of the MBA/MA programs, candidates must apply to the two programs separately and admissions decisions are made independently. However, the longer length of JD and MD dual degree programs - typically four years for a JD/MBA and five years for an MD/MBA - mean that students have somewhat more leeway in deciding when to apply to the programs. For instance, students may apply to and begin both degree programs in the same year, or may choose to start the JD or MD first, applying to the MBA program in either their first or second year of study in the other program.

Kellogg’s MBA/JD program is differs slightly, in that the schools have managed to compact the three year law degree and two year MBA into just three years of on-campus study. The program also differs in that students apply through Kellogg only, though they spend their first year in full-time residency at the Law School.

Below is a summary of the JD and MD dual degree options offered by several of the leading MBA programs, along with links to sites offering more information about the dual degree or the law or medical school.

Chicago GSB:

JD with University of Chicago Law School
MD with Pritzker School of Medicine

Columbia Business School:

JD with Columbia Law School
MD with Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
DDS with Columbia University College of Dental Medicine

Cornell/Johnson:

JD with Cornell University Law School
MD with Weill Cornell Medical College

Duke/Fuqua:

JD with the Duke University School of Law
MD with the Duke University School of Medicine

Harvard Business School:

JD with Harvard Law School
MD with Harvard Medical School

Kellogg:

JD with Northwestern’s School of Law
MD with the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern

Michigan/Ross:

JD at the University of Michigan’s Law School
MD at the University of Michigan’s Medical School

MIT Sloan:

No JD or MD dual degree programs

NYU/Stern:

JD at NYU School of Law

Stanford:

JD with the Stanford School of Law
No formal MD dual degree, though students may pursue a medical degree separately from the MBA

Tuck:

No JD program; offers a Master’s of Science in Environmental Law through Vermont Law School
MD with Dartmouth Medical School

UC-Berkeley/Haas:

JD with either UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law or UC Hastings College of the Law

UCLA/Anderson:

JD with UCLA School of Law
MD with David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

UVA/Darden:

JD with the University of Virginia School of Law

Wharton:

JD with Penn Law School
MD with Penn Medicine, DMD with Penn Dental Medicine, VMD with Penn Veterinary Medicine

Yale SOM:

JD at Yale Law School
MD at the Yale School of Medicine

For more information on dual and joint degree options and on graduates’ career paths, be sure to check out the individual schools’ websites, as well as the Dual Degrees and Career Statistics sections of the Clear Admit School Guides!

Monday, June 09, 2008

Campus Chronicles: Summer Reading

With the end of the academic year, the student presses have fallen silent and it is time to put our weekly roundup of campus papers on hold until the start of the fall semester. However, for those applicants looking for some fun summer reading that has the added benefit of enhancing your MBA applications, the archives of student newspapers are a wonderful resource that is well worth exploring. As we’ve pointed out in past Campus Chronicles columns, student papers often offer excellent insight into the culture on campus and provide a great window on the events and controversies at each school, making them an important part of the MBA application research process.

Candidates beginning the application process might find it helpful to read through some of the back issues of a school’s paper. Information from the papers can become a valuable addition to MBA essays later this summer - perhaps you would like to help organize one of the conferences or speaker series profiled in the paper? Maybe the summaries of the multi-school case competitions or athletic matches stir your competitive spirit and inspire you to join one of these activities at business school? Alternatively, perhaps you’ve appreciated how helpful the student newspaper is to applicants and would like to contribute to its production as an MBA student? Each of these ideas for involvement can help you tailor your application essays to a school while adding flavor and interest. For applicants’ convenience, we’ve listed below the MBA programs whose student newspapers were regularly profiled in this year’s Campus Chronicles column.

Chicago: Chibus
Columbia: Columbia Bottomline
Duke Fuqua: Fuqua Times
Harvard: Harbus
Michigan Ross: Monroe Street Journal
MIT Sloan: Fifteen
NYU Stern: Stern Opportunity
Wharton: Wharton Journal

Happy Reading!