Karl Ulrich, a Wharton professor of entrepreneurship and e-commerce, will assume the new role, Robertson announced. “As vice dean, Karl will be a steward for innovation opportunities, providing a vital channel to the Dean’s Office for ideas originating from across all divisions of the school,” he wrote. He added that implementing just two or three additional ideas each year could be transformational for the school.

Ulrich, who joined the Wharton faculty in 1993, has since helped redesign the . . . → Continue Reading]]> In a letter to the Wharton School community last week, Dean Thomas Robertson announced the appointment of a new vice dean for innovation, a position newly created to help ensure that the very best ideas for improving Wharton’s research and teaching are identified and implemented.

Karl Ulrich, a Wharton professor of entrepreneurship and e-commerce, will assume the new role, Robertson announced. “As vice dean, Karl will be a steward for innovation opportunities, providing a vital channel to the Dean’s Office for ideas originating from across all divisions of the school,” he wrote. He added that implementing just two or three additional ideas each year could be transformational for the school.

Ulrich, who joined the Wharton faculty in 1993, has since helped redesign the school’s programming and curricula. He also co-founded the Weiss Tech House and the Integrated Product Design Program, institutions focused on fostering innovation.

The holder of more than 20 patents, Ulrich also co-authored a textbook on product design used by a quarter of a million students worldwide. His most recent book, co-authored with Christian Terwiesch, is Innovation Tournaments: Creating and Selecting Exceptional Opportunities, which will strongly inform the work he does as vice dean of innovation, Robertson wrote.

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.

The video, entitled Navigating the Business School Trilogy, aired on August 9th as part of MBA Pod TV, MBA Podcaster’s YouTube video channel. In this most recent episode, Richmond offers a comparison of what many consider to be the top three MBA programs in the country: Harvard Business School (HBS), Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He examines what sets the schools apart and provides insight to prospective applicants on how to . . . → Continue Reading]]> Do you have your sights set on the upper echelon of MBA programs? Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond shares valuable tips on how to target top schools Harvard, Stanford and Wharton as part of a recent video by MBA Podcaster.

The video, entitled Navigating the Business School Trilogy, aired on August 9th as part of MBA Pod TV, MBA Podcaster’s YouTube video channel. In this most recent episode, Richmond offers a comparison of what many consider to be the top three MBA programs in the country: Harvard Business School (HBS), Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He examines what sets the schools apart and provides insight to prospective applicants on how to approach the application process at each school.

Through his work at Clear Admit, Richmond has worked with candidates who have applied to and been accepted at all three of these top programs, and he provides valuable advice to prospective applicants who likewise are considering targeting the trilogy. For starters, don’t think you can get away with cutting and pasting from one application to the next, he warns. Each of these top schools is going to require individual attention and work.

Richmond also brings school-specific expertise, having himself spent several years working in the admissions office at Wharton. Though they share top rankings, the MBA programs at HBS, Stanford and Wharton are actually quite distinct from one another, and many applicants may find that it doesn’t actually make sense to apply to all three, Richmond says.

Whether you are considering applying to one or all of the “trilogy,” you won’t want to miss this valuable free video.

Upon completion of 24 months of study, Wharton/Lauder students receive a joint MBA/MA in International Studies. Lauder participants begin classes three months earlier than students in the traditional MBA program, completing one month of intensive language study and a two-month study abroad/in-country immersion program before beginning Wharton classes in September. Once MBA classes begin, Wharton/Lauder students lead an especially busy life, since they must complete Wharton’s full core curriculum and course requirements alongside the Lauder M.A. requirements. To . . . → Continue Reading]]> Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday, a weekly look at the programs and resources that differentiate the leading business schools. This week we will explore Wharton’s Lauder Program, examining what it is, what completion of the program entails, and what kind of student should consider applying.

Upon completion of 24 months of study, Wharton/Lauder students receive a joint MBA/MA in International Studies. Lauder participants begin classes three months earlier than students in the traditional MBA program, completing one month of intensive language study and a two-month study abroad/in-country immersion program before beginning Wharton classes in September. Once MBA classes begin, Wharton/Lauder students lead an especially busy life, since they must complete Wharton’s full core curriculum and course requirements alongside the Lauder M.A. requirements.

To apply to the program, prospective students must complete a supplemental application and demonstrate near-fluent language proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Russian, Portuguese or Spanish. Because of the language proficiency requirement, the Lauder program is only appropriate for students who have already developed strong foreign language competencies (although the Arabic and Portuguese language tracks tend to be more willing to offer space to less proficient speakers). Once enrolled, the curriculum is tailored to MBA students who seek to develop the capacity to conduct high-level business in another language, whether in the U.S. or abroad.

Though demanding, the Wharton/Lauder joint degree program is an excellent way for students to prepare for global business leadership, integrating language and in-country immersion into the MBA experience. For more information on the Wharton/Lauder joint degree program, be sure to check out the information in the Clear Admit School Guide to Wharton!

Bloomberg BW surveyed 30 of the top U.S. MBA programs about application volume. Of those, 10 reported decreases in volume averaging 6.1 percent. Eleven reported increases averaging 10.2 percent, and nine schools declined to provide information.

Among the top schools where fewer candidates applied in 2010 than in 2009 were the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley . . . → Continue Reading]]> According to a recent article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the number of prospective candidates applying to MBA programs at 10 top U.S. business schools is down this year compared with 2009. Indeed, Bloomberg BW is declaring that the recent boom in MBA applications that went hand in hand with the economic crisis “appears to be over.”

Bloomberg BW surveyed 30 of the top U.S. MBA programs about application volume. Of those, 10 reported decreases in volume averaging 6.1 percent. Eleven reported increases averaging 10.2 percent, and nine schools declined to provide information.

Among the top schools where fewer candidates applied in 2010 than in 2009 were the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley and Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Business.

Admissions officials at both Wharton and Haas attribute the decreased application volume to the economic recovery, according to Bloomberg BW. At Wharton, for example, application volumes have returned to a more normal level following a peak during the downturn, according to Ankur Kumar, deputy director of MBA admissions at the school. “We are really normalizing to the level of applications we experienced before the events of the past two years,” she told Bloomberg BW.

At some of the schools where application volume is still on the rise, meanwhile, adcom officials expect things to change soon, according to the Bloomberg BW report.

“I really think this is the high-water mark, and we won’t experience this windfall that we’re experiencing now,” Rod Garcia, director of admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management, told Bloomberg BW. At Sloan, applications are up 16 percent year-over-year, to 4,782, and up more than 50 percent for the past three years. “I think this is probably going to be it in terms of increases in applications. … The only question is, is it going to be a moderate decline or a big decline?”

But at other schools, admissions officials point to factors beyond the economy that have contributed to increased applications volumes – such as better rankings, greater visibility for their programs here and abroad and reduced applications fees – suggesting that booms there could continue longer, according to Bloomberg BW.

Washington University’s Olin School of Business, for example, has sidled up the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of top MBA programs to No. 19 from No. 36 five years ago. At the same time, the school has eliminated its application fee and simplified its application process. There, 2010 application volume was up 26 percent compared to 2009.

For the full Bloomberg BW article, click here.

The campus, the school’s second, will enroll 200 students when completed in spring of 2012. ISB’s first campus was established in Hyderabad in 1999 with the help of top international business schools including the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and London Business School.

A number of ISB’s initial investors have contributed an additional $42.9 million (2bn rupees) for construction of the new campus in Mohali. It will be home to four separate institutes focused on healthcare management, public policy, manufacturing excellence and innovation and physical infrastructure management, according to the . . . → Continue Reading]]> Construction work began this week on a new 70-acre campus for the Indian School of Business in Mohali, Punjab, the Financial Times reported.

The campus, the school’s second, will enroll 200 students when completed in spring of 2012. ISB’s first campus was established in Hyderabad in 1999 with the help of top international business schools including the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and London Business School.

A number of ISB’s initial investors have contributed an additional $42.9 million (2bn rupees) for construction of the new campus in Mohali. It will be home to four separate institutes focused on healthcare management, public policy, manufacturing excellence and innovation and physical infrastructure management, according to the FT report.

MIT Sloan School of Management will provide academic support to two of the institutes, the BML Munjal Hero Honda Institute of Manufacturing Excellence and the Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management. Wharton, meanwhile, will support the Max India Institute of Healthcare Management. An academic association for the Bharti Institute of Public Policy is still being finalized.

Savita Mahajan, who is deputy dean of ISB, will serve as chief executive of the Mohali campus, the FT reports.

For the full FT article, click here.