Cornell’s class of approximately 300 students is known to be close-knit and collaborative. Most first-year students choose to spend their second semester in an Immersion Experience, a unique combination of course and field work that positions them to thrive in their summer internships.

In this post, I’ll break down Johnson’s essay questions, along with the admissions office’s guidance, and offer my tips on responding to each.

Ready to get to work on your Cornell Johnson application? Read on.

Cornell Johnson application essay tips

Goals Statement – Use this short-answer section to succinctly share your short- and long-term goals. If you’re invited to interview, you will have the opportunity to elaborate on your statement further, and you should be prepared to connect your prior experience with your future aspirations.

Goals Statement Prompt: A statement of your goals will begin a conversation that will last throughout the admissions process and guide your steps during the MBA program and experience. To the best of your understanding today, please share your short and long- term goals by completing the following sentences and answering the enclosed short answer question (350 words maximum):

Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].
Targeted Job Role:
Target Job Company:
Industry:

In 5–10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].

Targeted Job Role:
Target Job Company:
Industry:

Please share how you plan to utilize the resources available at Johnson, as well as any personal resources to transition to your immediate post-MBA career goal.

Consider your goal for the position you want to secure immediately after you graduate from Johnson. The adcom wants to know that you understand the industry and role you are targeting. You must clearly comprehend the skills required to land the job. Additionally, you must conduct a skills gap analysis. Consider the skills you have already developed to some extent in your career and those you still need to acquire. Yes, the career office will be your partner during your MBA journey, but the adcom needs to know that you are aware of the challenges ahead of you with respect to your job search. 

This essay enables you to convey your motivation for a goal that is achievable, even if it might be a stretch, by presenting a clear outline of your plan for developing the necessary skills and enhancing your existing ones. What experiences have you had that have laid the groundwork for transferrable skills? As you have researched and learned about the Johnson MBA program, what opportunities have you identified that will allow you to develop the skills you don’t yet have? Speak to Johnson students and recent graduates to learn about the recruiting process, positions available, and the qualifications, if any, that students must have to enter your field of interest. As you prepare this essay, connect the dots between what you have done and what you want to do.  

Again this year, Cornell offers you the option of writing either the Impact Essay or The Unique Trait that Defines Me essay. Applicants must limit their response to 350 words.

Impact Essay: At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve.  How do you intend to make a meaningful impact on the Johnson community?

Your two-pronged answer to this prompt should first be backward-looking, to convey elements of your background and previous experiences that are the basis for some of what you can contribute. Offer one or two meaningful examples of how you have made an impact previously to serve as the building blocks for your response to the second part of the school’s question: what impact will you make at Johnson? Based on the research you’ve done on the program, consider opportunities outside of the classroom that resonate with you, and share specific examples that connect with your demonstrated impact in the first part of the essay, preparing you to be an active contributor at Johnson. Share two or three ideas of how you see yourself engaging with the community to make it better with you as a member.

The Unique Trait that Defines Me: What is something unique about you that others will remember you by, and how will this trait help you contribute and engage with the Cornell MBA community?

A trait can be physical or behavioral. For this essay, consider a trait or distinguishing quality about yourself that manifests in a pattern of behaviors. Johnson wants to know who you are and how you will make an impact on its community. For this essay, what is something about yourself that has made a difference in your life in terms of how you engage with others or how you have positively affected a situation?

Begin by explaining the trait and how it manifests in your daily life. For instance, perhaps you have an inclination to care for others. Whether showing compassion for or being present and attentive to someone, consider what has inspired you; perhaps it was your family upbringing or simply a personal drive that resulted from a difficult life event. 

Next, describe an example of a time when you demonstrated your care for others. Provide enough context to set up the situation, and share details about the actions you took. Finally, highlight the outcome and the positive impact you had on others in this situation.

As you reflect on this trait, think about how you can imagine demonstrating this trait within the Johnson community. What will the potential impact be? How will your classmates benefit from your involvement in their lives? How will they remember you?

Optional essay (required for reapplicants): You may use this essay to call attention to items needing clarification and to add additional details to any aspects of your application that do not accurately reflect your potential for success at Johnson (350 words maximum).

If you are reapplying for admission, please use this essay to indicate how you have strengthened your application and candidacy since the last time you applied for admission. Please also review our Application Guide for additional information about reapplying (350 words maximum).

Use this space to address any meaningful issue you feel has not yet been addressed in your application. For example, if you believe your grades require explanation, you have a gap in your employment history, or you have chosen a nontraditional recommender, this is the space to provide clarification.

If you are a reapplicant, use this essay to demonstrate that you have made considerable efforts to improve your candidacy. Perhaps you have boosted your GMAT score, taken on more leadership roles, reached out to additional Cornell students and staff to understand the program and how you will fit into it, and/or researched your career goals in greater depth.

Park Leadership Fellows Program Essay (optional): The Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program is a two-year, full-tuition fellowship award for Two-Year MBA candidates who have demonstrated outstanding leadership potential and who are committed to making an impact within their communities. Each year, fellowships are awarded to up to 25 incoming students with the expectation that they will participate in additional leadership and personal development activities outside of our regular curriculum, serve in leadership roles within the school, and complete a public service project by the time they graduate. The Park Fellowship is only available to U.S. citizens applying for the Two-Year MBA program.

Candidates being considered for the Roy H. Park Leadership Fellowship will be notified after their admissions interview with an invitation to join us for one of our virtual Leadership Exploration and Assessment Day (L.E.A.D.) events. Candidates invited to attend a LEAD event will be required to submit a response to the Park Fellows Essay.

Park Leadership Fellows Program Essay Prompt (500-word limit): Describe a past formal or informal leadership experience and how it informs your goals for growth as a leader. How would the Park Leadership Fellowship assist with these goals?

The Park Leadership Fellowship aims to bring a strong contingent of socially responsible leaders to Johnson. Up to 25 Park Fellowships are awarded each year, which means that nearly 9% of each incoming class will earn this award (and since 65% of the class is made up of U.S. citizens, approximately one-fourth of them could earn full sponsorship of their two-year MBA!). 

The best essays in response to this prompt will share not only a leadership experience but also one in which the leadership role was somewhat difficult (e.g., leading volunteers or people outside of your organization). Of course, your story also needs to demonstrate that you had a clear and lasting impact on your community.

Johnson Cornell application deadlines

Source: Cornell Johnson website.

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Cornell Johnson directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Cornell Johnson class profile

Here is a look at the Johnson MBA Class of 2026 (data taken from the Cornell Johnson website):

Enrolled: 282

Median GMAT: 710

Median GPA: 3.4

Average age: 28

Average years of full-time work experience: 5.3

Women: 41%

Underrepresented minorities (Black/African American, Native American, and Hispanic American): 22%

Countries represented: 34

International origin: 35%

U.S. military: 9%

You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are in life. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your Cornell Johnson application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want a member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with expertise tailored specifically for you. Schedule a free consultation today!

Related Resources

• Crafting Compelling MBA Goals Essays, a free guide
• The Business School Selectivity Index: GMAT Scores, GPAs, and MBA Acceptance Rates, a free tool
• How to Get Accepted to Cornell Johnson MBA, podcast Episode 586

The post Cornell Johnson College of Business MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2025-2026], Class Profile appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Show Summary

In this episode, Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, shares an overview of the admissions process. He provides insights into the application process at Cornell Johnson, including the testing and test waiver policy, the interview process, and advice for re-applicants. He offers details on the new essay questions for the upcoming application cycle and shares his thoughts on using AI for essays.

Show Notes

Welcome to the 586th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. Before we speak to our wonderful guest today, I want to invite you to take advantage of a fantastic tool at Accepted, and that’s the MBA admissions quiz. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at these programs? Accepted’s MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/mbaquiz, complete the quiz and you’ll not only get an assessment of your chances, but tips on how to improve your qualifications and it’s all free.

It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk, Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. Eddie earned his bachelor’s in communications from the University at Buffalo and a masters from SUNY Buffalo in Student Personnel Administration. He joined the Johnson School in 2012 as Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid and became the Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship in June 2021, almost exactly three years ago. 

Eddie, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:13]

Linda, thank you so much. It’s always great to see you and be on the podcast.

It’s great to have you. I’d like to start with some general questions about the Cornell Johnson MBA and then move into more specific admissions topics. Can you give us an overview of the Cornell Johnson full-time MBA program for those listeners who may not be that familiar with it and focus on its more distinctive elements? [2:22]

One of the things that I love most of course is this community and being able to talk about what Johnson has to offer. So just to highlight our program, first of all, for anyone who doesn’t know where Cornell is located, we are located in Ithaca, New York, and as mentioned, I do oversee our two-year residential MBA program. With our program, this past year we enrolled a class of about a little over 280 in our two-year residential class. So you’re getting students from various different backgrounds, various different experiences, who are of course looking to build upon their business fundamentals.

But within our program itself, I think when I think about our size, I think about our location, the type of student that we have here I think is, one, really intentional about applying to the program, but also being a part of a collaborative community like ourselves. When I think more about the program itself and kind of things that I believe set Johnson apart, especially within our curriculum is one what we call our immersion learning program and the immersion is an opportunity for our students to really be able to immerse themselves throughout their particular career path in that spring semester of their first year.

So I think looking at it, we see a lot of career switchers in the MBA space, and if you’re looking to make a career switch from one industry to the next, this gives you that opportunity of taking advanced level courses, focusing on that one particular area, company visits and working with business practitioners out there and just having an opportunity to network with alums. And really, what it’s designed to do is prepare you for that Summer internship, we have an immersion focusing on investment banking. We have one focus on management consulting, corporate finance and marketing.

There’s a customized option as well for you, but once again, I think this one part of our curriculum that I think once again makes us really unique. But I also think, and that comes to mind too, is the fact that we actually have an association with a tech campus. So there are multiple programs here at Cornell, MBA programs in particular, but there is an opportunity for our two-year residential MBA students to really partake in what our Cornell Tech MBA program offers. It is a one-year MBA for students who primarily are looking to bridge the gap between business and the digital technology side of things. And if you think about it, not everyone can speak the tech language. Not everyone can speak the business language, and it gives you the opportunity of really tapping into that community and into that curriculum itself.

A few different options. There’s a one plus one program where the student does one full year in Ithaca, one full year over at Cornell Tech. We have seven week intensives, in the spring semester of your second year. There’s an intensive focusing on the FinTech space. There’s one focusing on culture and media technology as well. So just once again, just a couple different options for you with the tech campus.

So you have the intensive and you have the immersion. The immersion is second semester of first year, and it’s the whole semester. Is it different classes? Is it a project? Experiential learning? Is it both? What is it, and is the idea to prepare for the internship? [5:59]

The immersion is in spring semester of your first year. And once again, whatever immersion you identify and that you partake in, this is you’re focus in classes. Classes once again, advanced level classes, definitely the hands-on experience. So working on actual projects, whether it is Fortune 500 company, whether it is a smaller business in the Ithaca area, you are doing site visits as well. And once again, we want to make sure that it’s much more than just learning from the classroom setting, but it’s actually doing and really understanding the work that is done within that industry. So that is the immersion itself.

Whereas the intensive, once again, that is the semester right before you get ready to graduate. You are spending, once again, seven weeks on the Cornell Tech campus. You are taking, once again advanced level courses, either focusing on the FinTech side of things, whether it is focusing on more of the digital tech side of things and taking elective classes, networking with the Cornell Tech students. Also, an opportunity to work on projects as well. But that also just gives you an opportunity to really have the best of both worlds between both campuses and of course towards your personal professional goals.

What’s new otherwise at Cornell in terms of the program and things like that? [7:53]

Going back to the immersion piece of things, this past year we actually just started the management consulting immersion in the program. So if candidates look on our website, they’re going to see some changes within the immersion. So one, seeing this new addition to the management consulting immersion on there. There are a couple of immersions that we actually moved to spring intensives here in Ithaca. So there was a sustainable global enterprise immersion, an operations immersion as well as the investment research and asset management immersion that have been moved to the second year for more of an intensive experience. So that’s probably one of the changes that you’ll see within our program itself. One of the other things that I’m happy to share, which we are getting ready to launch is actually a deferred admissions option as well. I know that some of our peers have deferred admissions options out there, but one of the things that I think of here at Cornell, we have an amazing undergraduate business program.

We have seen some strong candidates who are seniors in undergrad, or maybe in their first year of a graduate program without work experience where we would be looking for them to finish their undergraduate degrees, graduate program if they’re coming right out of school, go get some work experience and then have an option of enrolling into our program at a later time. So something that we will be launching soon, it will be a part of the admissions process this year. I would say candidates to be able to look out a little bit more for that. And then, the last thing that I would say is just kind of going back to what I had mentioned before about our one plus one program, an opportunity for students who are looking to expand really in the tech sector to do one full year here in Ithaca. So pretty standard that first year going through their core curriculum, going through the immersion, followed by their summer internship, and then in their second year spending their entire second year over at Cornell Tech focusing on the startup curriculum.

Is the deferred admission program just for Cornell undergrads or is it going to be open to all undergrads? [10:25]

It’s going to be open to all undergrads out there. So yeah, anyone listening out there, if you’re interested in a deferred admissions program and once again feel like this is a right fit for you, this will be open to all candidates.

As you were talking about Ithaca, I was remembering that when I was a high school senior, I was actually very attracted to Cornell, but I don’t think I had a very good reason. I think I just had a certain romantic association with Ithaca and the mythology aspect of it. But it’s absolutely gorgeous. How would you respond to concerns from potential applicants that it’s remote and the location might hamper internships, job search, and experiential learning opportunities? [10:48]

I would say first of all, I truly believe that Ithaca is a hidden gem. I believe that once a candidate gets here on campus, just comes to visit, talks with our students, they fall in love with our community. And that’s what I would encourage candidates to do. I definitely have heard that many times, and I can see of course what the concerns may be from somebody. But one of the things that I want candidates to keep in mind is that, one, we are an amazing competitive program with a global brand in a global reach. I believe that our students and our alums are very passionate about being here, the resources, the support that they have within the community and within administration as well. I think that from a recruiting standpoint, I believe that companies know the strength of a Cornellian and the quality of the education as well as their work experience.

So we have companies who are coming here that are excited to come here to recruit our students, but also to our alums. Our alums are always finding ways of giving back and they work for the best of the best companies out there and they are coming back to recruit. So with the location itself, I also believe that this is a two-year, educational experience. For a two-year, educational experience, you can’t beat this opportunity to be at Cornell. After two years if you want to go back to a large metropolitan city or some other location, hey, you have that option. But once again, I would welcome you all just to come and visit, talk to our students about what they love or our alums, what they love about Ithaca, maybe things that they wish that they had while they were here, but I can guarantee you a Cornellian will be really excited about their overall experience and once again, give you a reason to consider Johnson.

One of the big changes taking place in the world today is AI, ChatGPT, et cetera. How is Johnson responding to the growth of AI and business specifically and society? [13:41]

This is a conversation that we continue to have, one from the curriculum standpoint, as well as even in the admissions process, there’s always ongoing conversations with our leadership, with our faculty about, “Okay, how are ways to incorporate this within our curriculum?” And I know that there have been discussions of adding courses, and really being able to think about ways that it can be a benefit to us in the work that we do. I talked about this recently at a conference as well as about my personal thoughts on it as well, and I do believe that this is a technology that’s moving fast and that we have to stay on top of it. And my thoughts to candidates, especially if you’re using it in the admissions process, I’m not opposed to using it as a starting point, but I think one of the things about admissions in particular is making sure that your authentic voice is still heard throughout this process.

And that’s where I think candidates really set themselves apart, is when you can really tell that this is someone who is very genuine, authentic, they really understand why they’re a good fit within our program and it’s really coming from them versus an auto-generated process. So once again, that’s if you’re going to use it, once again, I would say really be thoughtful of your approach, but also make sure that you are showing us who you really are, because I will say that this year I felt like there was a difference in some of the things that I saw in the application process, and for some it really wasn’t beneficial, I would say.

I’ve done a little experimenting with AI, and I think that one thing that really sets applicants apart is their use of specifics and their analysis of what a particular experience or event means to them. AI can’t do that unless you give it the specifics but the applicant has to come up with their interpretation, their understanding, their analysis of that experience, or it’s going to be terribly superficial. [15:47]

The last thing that I will say about that too, about your voice being heard, a lot of schools have really cut down the amount of words for an essay and just say it is 300 words, 300 words for many candidates is not enough. You really want to probably share so much more about what your goals are or what your passions are or how you’re going to make that impact. And we’re looking for, I can speak for us, we’re looking for some specifics about our community and ways of making that impact, et cetera. So I think that once again, this is where you really want to be thoughtful to be able to find or to add as much detail as possible, and once again, have that authentic genuine voice heard.

Can you review Johnson’s testing and test waiver policy? [18:37]

With our test waiver policy, one, it is a test waiver option. So what that means is in your application there is a question asking, “Are you requesting a test waiver?” You will indicate yes or no. But then if you say yes, there is a brief statement that you’ll have to answer about how you see yourself flourishing in our program. And what we’re also looking for is, one, the rationale behind this, but once again, how you see yourself flourishing. But also what we’re looking for is documentation proving that you can handle the rigor of the quantitative core within business school. So whether you provide academic transcripts, which of course you have to. Academic transcripts, whether it is based off your work experience, whether it’s certifications, et cetera. But after you’ve hit submit of your application, within about five to seven business days, our team will review your test waiver requests and then we will let you know if it has been granted or not.

If it has not been granted, we will notify you, same thing as if it has, but we will notify you and then your application will be incomplete until you submit a test. One of the reasons why we’ve done it this way, we really want candidates to really think about why they’re asking for this and also have full confidence in their quantitative ability. As you know with business school, especially when that first semester with the core, many candidates getting back into the swing of the educational setting, there are many who don’t come from a quantitative background that we want to give a chance too in the program, but we also don’t want to set anyone up for failure. So really be thoughtful as far as if you’re asking for the waiver request, but also be prepared to, if it is denied, to submit a test.

If somebody submits their application, let’s say a month before the deadline, and you get back to them in a week, I guess they still probably wouldn’t have time to schedule the test for that deadline. It’d have to go to the next deadline, is what you’re saying, correct? [20:57]

It really just depends on what that timing looks like. There are times where candidates are able to retake the test within the month and we’re still able to review them. Their final decisions may not be on the same timeline, but we’ll hold their application in incomplete status until they provide the documentation.

Do you have any plans to accept the Executive Assessment for the full-time MBA program? [21:39]

At this time, no. And we’ve gone back and forth as far as what our requirements will look like. I think it is still up for discussion, probably not for this cycle coming up, but potentially in future cycles.

Before I turned the recording, we were discussing changes in the essays for this year. What are the essay questions going to be? [22:05]

There’s always that goal statement essay probably in every application out there, but for those of you that might not be familiar with it, it is more of what are your short-term and your long-term goals, and really how do you see Johnson getting you to that next step towards those goals. But also, with that goal statement, it’s actually also a fill in the blank. So as a fill in the blank response, “My short term goal is to be a consultant at this firm focusing on healthcare.” For example. And then once again, in paragraph form, we give you the opportunity to elaborate further on your goals and how do you see yourself getting there?

Is there a word limit? [23:07]

All of our essays have a word limit of 350 words.

That’s one of our first essays. The second one is choose one of two essays and one of them is our impact essay, which we’ve had for the last few years. And really that essay is an opportunity for you to elaborate further as far as how do you see yourself making an impact within the Johnson community. And I always say ways of really answering this is to really think about the things that our community, that they’re doing right now, whether it’s initiatives, whether it’s clubs and organizations, whether it is research with faculty members, et cetera, and really think about, once again, ways that you see yourself making an impact within our community.

The second essay that you can choose from is called the unique trait that defines you. So what we are thinking of is, or with the prompt itself is, what is a unique trait that people would remember you by? And this is more of an opportunity for, one, for you to share more about who you are or whatever makes you unique. Maybe there’s a story behind it as far as what your grit is, your determination, and how that trait may help you move forward in the MBA process or within our community. It’s kind of more of an open-ended, I would say, question. And I think for many it can be open for interpretation, but once again, I think that a lot of candidates have a lot of great unique traits or stories to share, and they’re always looking at ways of telling it in the MBA process. Once again, the essay would either allow you to do the impact essay or once again, the unique trait that defines you essay.

Is it a unique trait or unique experience? [25:14]

Unique trait, yes. We’ll see the essay goes this year, but we’re really excited to add another option in there for candidates. And then, of course, there’s always that optional essay for candidates to explain further on things that they would like the admissions committee to know, whether it’s about academic performance, work experience, recommendations, you name it, any additional information that they feel would be helpful towards their candidacy or to clear up for the admissions committee.

The first essay, the goals essay is unchanged. The main change is that you’re adding an optional, the applicants will have a choice, right? They can choose to answer the impact essay that has been part of the application for several years, or they can answer the new essay question about the unique trait. The optional essay is the same. Why have you added the choice? [26:03]

Every year we look back at the overall admissions process, what are we getting out of our essays as well? And we really want candidates to really have that opportunity, once again, to tell us who they are. Candidates have some great stories that they seem to be dying to tell us in the process that really do set them apart or make them once again, unique opportunities. So even with the impact essay two, there have been times where someone may have missed the mark, but having this other option out there for candidates really to be able to think about talking about the community or once again, really being able to highlight their unique self gives us a better sense of also who they are as a candidate and once again, how that experience may be able to truly make an impact on our community here at Johnson.

Getting back to the specific questions, is the optional essay really optional? When you were describing it, it was an essay to provide explanation or context for something else in the application. Can it be used to introduce something that the applicant wants to share with you? [27:31]

It truly is optional, and I do believe that the majority of candidates who use it have used it to the best of their ability and for the right reasons. But then there are some who, there’s another essay that they really wanted to put in there or tell us something else about themselves that may not have been a part of the admissions process. But once again, I would look at it as far as are there clarifying things that you want the admissions committee to know? So for example, if you were out of employment for six months, a year, and maybe it was, we’ll say for example over the last year or so what people have been going through in the tech industry, maybe it is just elaborating further about you losing your job. Or maybe because your academics, maybe it’s that sophomore year where your grades really dropped and you wanted to explain because you were working full time, maybe you were taking care of a family member due to health issues.

Once again, reasons like that I would say are what we typically see in the optional essay. So what I say all the time to candidates, use your best judgment in this entire process. For the most part, what we’re looking for is for you to answer the question versus going off on a tangent in different areas. But we also understand life happens and to cover your bases, you want to use the optional essay to explain.

What is the interview like at Cornell Johnson? [29:34]

I think our interviews are fun and conversational. We really want candidates to know that one, we’re not here to try to trick you in asking the toughest questions possible. We want to know why an MBA. We want to know why our program. We want to know why this is the right time. I always say that those are three standard questions every candidate should be able to answer. But once again, to really think about even your goals and how you see yourself being a good fit, what leadership looks like. And really think about it, because it’s a huge investment of your time and finances. But with our process, interviews are either conducted by an admissions representative or one of our trained second year students who go through pretty intense, I would say training process. Interviews can either be conducted in person here in Ithaca or from a virtual standpoint really doesn’t matter which direction a candidate goes into. All we ask is that you come prepared for the interview.

But once again, they’re half an hour. We just want to know more about you, career progression, maybe why you made some of the decisions that you made, or how are you leading projects? How are you leading teams? How are you making that impact within your organizations? Et cetera.

Are they blind interviews? [31:02]

So your interviewer actually has your resume in front of them, along with some brief notes from the initial reader. The notes could highlight strengths, it can highlight areas of concerns. For example, if a candidate, kind of going back to the optional essay, if there is a year gap, let’s say for example, on the resume and it’s nothing mentioned in the application, that’s a good opportunity for the interview. We noticed that there was this gap. Can you explain further? Career switchers, once again, a lot of career switchers that are out there. So these are the two documents that our interviewers will have in front of them at this time.

What advice do you have for re-applicants? [31:51]

For re-applicants, I would say one, first of all, don’t give up. I know that it is a stressful process probably of going through it again, but really I would say take a step back and really do some self-evaluating. A lot of times candidates will ask us, they want some direct feedback right away from their previous application, but we want you to go back and do your due diligence and really think about what were those strengths? What were those areas of improvement? Were your career goals clear? Should you have gone and taken a test or really prepared a little bit more from the quantitative side of things? Was it really a lack of knowledge of the program? And typically, when a re-applicant goes back and really thinks about the process, they’re really able to identify actionable items to really be able to improve their candidacy for the next time. So I would say also just think about how your application has strengthened since the last time you submitted that application.

But I would encourage you to reapply. We’d love to see applicants because it shows that you’re committed to Johnson, but also that you’re determined to improve your candidacy. Just please just don’t submit the same application from the previous year, which we do see that every year. Just please be thoughtful, and your goals might not change, that’s fine. But there are things that you can do to really improve your overall application from the previous year.

I’m applauding. Every so often I talk to an applicant and they’ll say something like, “I raised my GMAT. Why do I have to change my essays? My essays were good. The rest of my application was good.” Even if it was good, you are a different person today than you were a year ago. If you want to come across as dynamic and growing, then talk about what you’ve been doing lately. [33:42]

Absolutely. Linda, I love that advice. I try to remind candidates too. You have to keep in mind the applicant pool every year changes. We’ve been fortunate just to see an increase in apps over the last couple of years, and it just makes it more competitive. We have to make tough decisions. But when I do see someone who has really given it their all in the process, that is the one that I want here because it also, it shows me kind of their work ethic and potentially what they would do here in our community versus someone who, once again, taking the easy way out and just resubmit the same documents over and over.

I think when you also show self-reflection, when you improve the application and you critically analyze what happened last time and managed to improve upon it. I was so happy to hear you say, “Don’t submit the same thing.” [35:06]

Yeah.

What advice do you have for first time applicants planning to apply this cycle? [35:25]

Well, one, I’m excited for you. And I think that this is a great opportunity for you to, one, from a personal side, just be able to go back and really think about what your accomplishments have been. I think I tell candidates all the time, at the end of the day, in this process, you really have to sell yourself on what you’ve done well, why you’re a good fit in our communities, and really show leadership leadership potential throughout this process. So I would say, one, start there as far as being able to sit back and really think about why this all makes sense. But of course, as you go through this process, doing your research, this could be a great opportunity whether you love to travel or not, to go and visit different schools to see more about the community, what the town looks like, are the students happy there? Opportunities to get in relationships with faculty and staff throughout this time.

But I would say really continue to have those conversations, whether it’s with the admissions team and know that my team is always available to just have a conversation about who we are as a community, but really connecting with our students as well as our alums. If you go onto our website, we have our student ambassadors page where you can connect with a current student to really learn more about why they chose Johnson or why an MBA really made sense to them in this process. So once again, doing your research on the school, talking to our students is a great start. But then, kind of going back to, I would say either the academic preparation or looking at taking a test as well. Really think about what that preparation looks like. For many students, and you’ll see this on our profiles, our average student has about an average of five years of work experience, but of course there are some in the class who have more than five years of experience, and getting back into the swing of the educational setting can be really tough.

So there are students who are, whether it’s picking up old books, whether they’re taking online extension courses, whether they’re taking quantitative courses at a local institution, whether they are preparing for the GMAT or the GRE as well, give yourself enough time to really prepare because I feel like that’s one of those areas that’s pretty stressful for a lot of candidates. And then too, check out where we’re going to be. We travel the world for various recruiting events where you have the opportunity of meeting us, meeting other peer schools, meeting with our alums, just to continue to learn more. So I would say that’s probably a starting point for anyone who’s looking at an MBA. And then of course, I would say listening to sessions. If you don’t want to travel, if there are various podcasts out there, YouTube webinars, you name it, there’s a lot of options for once to get in person in virtual sessions.

You’ve given a ton of suggestions. Would you have any additional suggestions for somebody planning to apply in 2025, 2026, or later? [39:00]

I would say for anyone really thinking about it, I would say especially if you know your career goals, continue to talk to professionals out there in the industry. So maybe there is a company right now that you are really excited to work for. Maybe they’re doing something innovative out there, and it really does pertain to your goals, whether it is a family member, whether it’s a friend, whether it is reaching out to us to make those connections for you, have a conversation with them and really understand, are there things that you could be doing right now to put yourself in that position? Once again, as I’ve mentioned before, there’s a lot of career switchers that we see, whether they tell us in the application or whether they get here and they change their mind. But what we want you to do is to really be able to say like, I’ve been thinking about this.

I’ve been taking those steps already. I know that there’s companies out there that have pre-MBA opportunities out there already. So if you find yourself in that type of position, I would say continue to find out what these opportunities may be. And then I would say, as I already mentioned, continue to attend these sessions, whether it’s just a basic fair, whether it’s an alumni panel, an admissions panel, whether it is just a dinner that a school may be hosting to let you know more about the program. Some of this information may sound repetitive, but you’re going to hear from different admissions representatives. The way they may talk about it might be different. You may hear different stories from our alums and our current students, curriculum will change from time to time. Admissions processes would change. So once again, if you are looking at applying in a few years, once again, keep doing what you’re doing, make sure that you stay on top of what’s happening in business school and the business world.

That’s a great answer. I’m going to mention a couple of things. One, you talked about speaking to professionals, and we actually had a podcast with one MBA who wrote a book on coffee chats, and you can find that at accepted.com/437, but it was a good interview that covers what to ask and how to go about doing it in a way that’s not imposing on the other party.

The other thing I wanted to suggest is when you do meet with alumni or you have a great experience or an achievement at work, write down what you did, what you felt, what you learned, what you didn’t like, what you liked. If you want to call it journaling, you can call it journaling. If you want to call it taking notes, call it taking notes. But whatever you do, write it down. Because when you get to actually responding to essays or interview questions, reviewing those notes you’ll go, “Oh, yeah, this could be really good material for this particular school or essay question.” That’s just another suggestion. 

What would you have liked me to ask you? We’ve covered a ton here. You’ve been great. [41:38]

What comes to mind are the don’ts, I think, in this process.

I would say the don’ts are, and we all see this every year as putting other schools names throughout the application process, and whether it is the essays, we want to make sure that, once again, you’ve done your due diligence on why Cornell Johnson is the school for you. And we see it many times in an interview. I have seen it in our impact essay, even if it’s very specifics about clubs and organizations, and it’s not the actual name of our club organization, but I know that school a couple hours away has that exact same club organization, and that’s their specific name.

So once again, I know that a lot of candidates feel that you can probably copy and paste certain elements of essays to answer various different questions. But once again, I would say that is one thing that you want to do is make sure that you are being, once again, going back to being authentic and genuine about the process itself.

Another don’t, I would say is, and that I see is really throughout virtual interviews. So I’m sure you’re going to work on your pitch. I am sure that you have your whole intro down. But what I notice a lot of time is that candidates will have on their screen, their notes, and you can see their eyes scrolling back and forth. Or I see candidates with glasses, for example, and you can see through the reflection that they have their notes up as well. So we really want you to be very confident and be present throughout this process. Know your story, you know where you’ve come from, your work ethic and what makes you unique. And you don’t have to come up with this out of this world story, but there might be things that have happened that have got you to the point of where you are, whether it is the struggle, the hustle, the grit, the determination that you have, and be able to share that, but also have fun, show a sense of humor as you go through this process as well. So those are a couple of things that come to mind.

Where can applicants and listeners, potential applicants learn more about Cornell Johnson’s MBA program? [45:52]

They can learn more on our Johnson website, which is johnson.cornell.edu, and that will take you to our homepage where it lists all of the various programs that we offer, our admissions process, as well as ways for you to contact us and our students as well.

Relevant Links:

• Cornell Johnson Full-time MBA
• MBA Admissions Quiz

Relevant shows:

• Do You Have the Spike for Toronto Rotman MBA?
• So You Want to Do an MBA Outside the U.S.
• How to get Accepted at Michigan Ross
• Former Wharton/Lauder Admissions Director 
• How to Get into HEC Paris MBA?

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The post How to Get Accepted to Cornell Johnson MBA [Episode 586] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Our consultants receive a lot of questions from clients about applying to MBA programs through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. I’ve heard myths that suggest that applying to one (or more) of the 22 Consortium schools through The Consortium’s application is disadvantageous. But as the former director at two Consortium schools, I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth — provided you meet The Consortium’s minimum qualifications.

Though the requirements, participating schools, and corporate partners have changed over The Consortium’s 57-year history, not only is the organization the best deal in town but it also gives its members an alumni network that extends throughout the 22 member schools.

The Consortium history and mission

Initially, The Consortium provided opportunities for young African-American men to have a fair chance at rising up the corporate ladder via the MBA. Later, The Consortium added Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and women to its mix. Membership came along with the fellowship.

However, after the Supreme Court decided the Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger cases, The Consortium opened its doors to offer membership to selected applicants that further The Consortium’s mission to promote the “inclusion in global business education and leadership . . . of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans.” Members do not need to belong to one of these groups but must demonstrate the mission through community and professional action and impact. Thus, membership is no longer race based but rather mission driven. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability to succeed in a Consortium member school’s MBA program.

Consortium member benefits

Like the undergraduate Common App, candidates can apply to up to six schools with only one application for a fraction of the cost that the candidate would incur by applying to each school separately. The Consortium membership grants the candidate access to the orientation and corporate partners. Many members receive internship offers before the start of school.

To summarize the benefits:

1. Applicants can use a single application for up to six schools at one low cost.
   
2. Members gain access to a vast alumni network of 22 schools, including mentorship from among the approximately 9,000 Consortium alumni (formal or informal).
   
3. Students gain access to corporate sponsors at orientation if selected as a member.
   
4. If selected as a fellow, students receive full tuition and a stipend.

READ: The Consortium Application: Tips for Your CGSM Essays >>

Consortium member schools

* School’s class profile presents a score/GPA range rather than an average.

To learn more about applying through The Consortium, please contact me for a consultation.

By Natalie Grinblatt, the former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed more than 70,000 applications, interviewed more than 2,500 candidates, and trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs, including those at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Top MBA Application Essay Questions: How to Answer Them Right
• The Consortium Application: Tips for Your CGSM Essays [2022 – 2023]
• What the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Can Do for MBA Applicants – podcast episode 395

Can the Consortium Help You Get Accepted and Fund Your MBA? [Episode 532]

[powerpress]

In this episode, the Director of Recruiting at CGSM details the benefits – and opportunities! – available to Consortium members, what it takes to become a member, and why applying in Round One may not always be an applicant’s best strategy.  [SHOW SUMMARY]

There’s an organization that can help U.S. citizens and permanent residents get accepted to top MBA programs, fund their MBA, and even provide career support post-MBA – provided the applicants support the organization’s mission. Let’s learn all about it from the Consortium for the Graduate Study of Management’s (CGSM) Director of Recruiting.

An interview with Bianca Keys, director of recruiting at the Consortium for the Graduate Study of Management. [Show Notes]

Welcome to the 532nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. 

Sometimes I’m asked, is the MBA worth it? And my answer is, it depends on your individual circumstances. But I’ve got good news. We’ve developed a tool that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances and by how much. Just go to accepted.com/mbaroi and check how much you’re likely to benefit, or not, from earning an MBA. And using it won’t set you back even one cent, it’s free. 

I’m delighted for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk to talk with Bianca Keys, Director of Recruiting at the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. Bianca earned her bachelor’s degree from Lindenwood University and her master’s in Business Management and Leadership from Webster University. She has worked in enrollment management, DEI training, and admissions in different capacities since 2008. She became CGSM’s Director of Recruiting in September 2022. 

Bianca, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:53]

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

I’m delighted to do so. Now let’s start with something really, really basic. What is the Consortium? [1:59]

All right. So, the Consortium, we are pretty much an alliance of top graduate business programs and also top corporate partners, and we’re supported by alumni and students. We were founded in 1966 by Washington University’s professor, Sterling Schoen. And his one driven mission was actually inspired by him noticing a lack of African American men in leadership in American corporations.

So, with the partnerships of some corporate partners and some founding schools, they were able to pretty much create this alliance to give African American men the business skills to be able to secure positions in American corporations. So, now we’ve grown.

And I assume it’s no longer limited to African American men. It’s now African American men and women, right? [2:59]

Yes, men and women. And our target pops are African American men, Native American and Hispanic American, but our applications are open to all.

How does one become a CGSM member? [3:16]

In order to become a member, you would have to, of course, apply. And three of our requirements are that you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident of any race or ethnicity, you must demonstrate a commitment to our Consortium’s mission, and hold a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or equivalent. So, to be approved for Consortium membership, an applicant must demonstrate the commitment through their resume, our essay, and their letter of recommendation.

I have in front of me your mission, so I’m just going to read it off. “The mission of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an alliance of leading American business schools and some of our country’s top corporations, is to enhance diversity in business education and leadership by helping to reduce the serious underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both the member schools’ enrollments and the ranks of management.” 

So, again, there’s no racial requirement in terms of membership as long as you support and identify with and support and have supported that mission in the past. [3:59]

Yeah.

All right. So, one of CGSM’S benefits is the ability to apply through CGSM and pay one application fee, and I think it goes to a maximum of six schools, correct? [4:33]

There’s no max anymore.

There’s no max anymore, ooh! [4:44]

So, two things, two updates. We’ve removed rankings. So, there are no rankings, and you can apply to as many member schools as you would like. So, from one to two schools is $150, up to six schools which is $300, but each additional program is $25. Yeah, so they can apply…

And so, in the past with our ranking system, the top ranking school, they were the only school that was able to offer a fellowship opportunity. And now if you applied to all six schools or more, they have the opportunity to offer you… they each have an opportunity to offer you a fellowship. And we empower the student to be able to make the better choice of what school best fits them.

Wow, that’s a big change. When did this change take place, like last year? [5:38]

This last application.

Last cycle. Should’ve interviewed you then. No, I’m teasing. That’s great news. I somehow missed that announcement. Okay, good to know. Good to know. So, there’s no more ranking and there’s no more maximum, and multiple schools could offer a fellowship. [5:43]

Yes.

Now you apply for membership at the same time that you submit your application, correct? [6:00]

Yes. It’s a one stop shop,

It’s a one-stop deal, one application. So, it is possible to use the CGSM application process and ultimately not be approved for CGSM membership, is that correct? [6:09]

Yes, that is possible. But the application is still considered an application, so you won’t get rejected from the member school just because you didn’t get membership. They still go through their standard process of admissions. And a lot of times they’ll offer you other fellowship opportunities or scholarship opportunities that they may have available at the schools.

And the schools don’t even see your decision in terms of CGSM membership. They don’t see the membership essay, correct, the membership application essay? [6:46]

They don’t see any of the membership application essays or letters of recommendation. All they see is the decision once we’ve made it.

Now I saw on your website that Stanford partnered with CGSM last year and became the 22nd school to become a partner school. Have any other schools partnered since then? [7:02]

Yes, I’m excited to say that…

Well, you got lots of news today. [7:17]

Yeah, I do. I do. Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, they are our newest, our 23rd school, which we are so excited to have them. They will begin July 1st, actually, and they will be on our application this upcoming cycle. And this upcoming cycle is for students fall 2024, that will begin fall 2024.

What is the benefit of applying through CGSM as opposed to just using the school’s portal? Portals, I should say. [7:45]

We, one, save you money. An average application for any grad program can be up to about $300 for one application, where six applications is $300 applying through us. So, it’s definitely a win for the students. Whether they get membership or not, it’s saving them money and they are allowed to go by our application deadlines as well. So, if maybe Columbia or one of the schools, maybe their application deadline may be September 15th, they still would recognize the application on our deadline, which our Round One is October 15th.

And I believe it’s also easier to apply. Aren’t there fewer essays required or is it pretty much the same at this point? [8:50]

Right, so it is the core essay which asks the applicants to discuss their MBA goals, and then there’s a second core essay that the applicants are able to detail any additional information that they may want to add that they weren’t able to explain in the application.

Right. And is there typically a supplemental per school essay, or do the schools ask for their own essays in addition to the Consortium essay? [9:20]

Sometimes they ask for their own supplementals that are added in addition. We are going through that process of application updates as we speak.

But it’s not all schools that do that? [9:38]

No, no. No, no.

Usually the student has the mission essay and then the two GMAC format essays.

Are you worried about CGSM’s applicants using ChatGPT and preparing their essays? [9:51]

Oh, the ChatGPT.

You got it. I’m asking everybody this question. [10:03]

And that’s a good question. So, with it being such a newer phenomenon right now, I just want applicants and students to be mindful that there are advantages and disadvantages to using ChatGPT, because what we’re looking for is consistency in their demonstrated commitment to the mission. And I doubt it if they’ll be able to convey that in an interview based off of a ChatGPT essay.

So, a lot of the admissions advisors and committees, they’re looking for authenticity. They’re looking for unique perspectives and their applicant’s ability to be able to express themselves. So, I don’t know if they can… It probably is a good tool to help guide them in forming their essay, but I don’t think it should be something that can express exactly your commitment.

I’ve played with it a little bit, and sometimes there are outright errors in it. It’s wrong. [11:09]

Right, right.

And other times it’s just very generic, and it has to be generic. You’re not going to get a lot of authenticity. But it does sometimes help. [11:17]

Yeah, yeah.

But to rely on it blindly I think is a big mistake. [11:28]

Yeah. Yeah. Especially if you don’t check.

Absolutely. Absolutely. [11:35]

Attention to detail.

Are there other elements to the CGSM application? We discussed you pay a fee. You have the core essays. You might have supplemental essays. Are there short answer essays or anything like that or is it pretty straightforward? [11:40]

Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward. If the school has any changes or supplements to each essay, that may be the different shift or change. But pretty much transcripts, resume. We always advise students to make sure that your experience, if you’re a part of organizations like Forte or MLT, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Teach for America, making sure that that’s actually on your resume. That definitely helps. Your test scores, GRE, GMAT or Executive assessment, letters of recommendation. One for the mission, and then there are two for the schools. Yes. And making sure you get the right recommender.

What makes a right recommender? [12:41]

Someone who can explicitly… Especially for the Consortium mission letter of recommendation, somebody who can explicitly pretty much show your demonstrated commitment to our mission and they know about that.

They’ve observed it. [13:01]

Yeah, they’ve observed it, and they can actually speak to it. And they’re not saying, “Well, I don’t know about their demonstrated commitment, but Jane is a great person and we love her personality. She’s very professional.” It’s like, what?

That’s not the question. [13:17]

So, definitely communicate with your recommender about expectations. And with us, it doesn’t have to be your supervisor with the Consortium mission letter of recommendation. It can be as long as it’s not a family member. It could be anyone who can speak to it.

That you’ve somehow supported that mission. Makes sense [13:40.

Yes.

What are the non-admissions benefits of being a CGSM member or fellow, and what is the difference between being a CGSM member and fellow? So, there’s really two questions there. Why don’t we start with the non-admissions benefits of membership, and then we’ll get to the difference between being a member and a fellow. [13:46]

So, the non-admission benefits are pretty much the early access to corporate partners. A lot of our students, we just had OP, our orientation program this past June, and it was amazing. It was amazing.

I know you’re working very hard on it. [14:20]

Yeah. Oh man, it was definitely a job, but it’s worth it. And just to see all of the students that we worked with from the beginning up until that point, from all their stress points, their pain points, to see them, they made it, and they’re at the orientation program. So, them having early access to our corporate partners.

They also have access to our system that is… We have a platform that is called Hello Fellow that allows them to join different groups that are industry groups. And our corporate partners have access to them as well, and they’re able to apply to positions that are open to those corporate partners.

Also, at our orientation program, we had a corporate open house that’s not like your traditional job fair. All of our corporate partners actually already had our students’ resumes, they already had a student look book, they’ve already seen the students and they already know the students prior to them even coming to the expo.

So, they definitely have a great advantage by being a Consortium fellow. And then the camaraderie, the support that they have with each other, there’s nothing like it. I love how each campus had… they call themselves CFAM.

Campus family, yeah. [15:53]

Yes. Each campus, each Consortium cohort on each campus, they’re so close. A lot of our alumni mention that the connection, that’s like a trending thing with us here at the Consortium is connection. Being able to connect students with not only each other, but also with our corporate partners and with our top MBA programs.

So, they have lifelong connections with all three of those different entities, and they enjoy being able to talk with someone who understands them, someone who may be going through the same even issues at their jobs or anything like that, and that connection. And if there’s a job loss or anything like that, we do provide the support to help those students to be able to reconnect with corporate partners and find another opportunity.

So, just to clarify, the orientation program is open to all Consortium members, not just fellows, correct? [16:54]

So, Consortium fellows, you’re applying for membership, but the membership allows you to become a Consortium fellow. So, whether you received a fellowship or not, you are considered a Consortium fellow.

So, you’re a Consortium fellow whether you get a scholarship or not? [17:16]

Right.

Got it. And all the fellows/members can go to the orientation program. How long is the orientation program? [17:26]

So, it’s a four-day conference, and it consists of a lot of hands-on career development. We have diversity theater, which is amazing. A lot of our corporate partners, they have private interviews with a lot of the students. So, a big portion of our students leave with internships or career opportunities.

For next year, for next summer, or for this summer? For next summer? [17:56]

Yes. For this upcoming year –

For summer 2024, let’s say? [18:03]

Yes.

And what is diversity theater? [18:06]

Oh my goodness, diversity theater. This was actually my first year to experience it. Hearing it from other coworkers and staff was not the same as experiencing and seeing those difficult conversations displayed on stage.

So, there’s actors that are on stage, and they may act out a scene where some coworkers that may deal with microaggressions or different challenges that you may face at work and how to address that, and just having those conversations amongst your peers. And it really was eye opening for not only the students, but for staff, for a lot of our corporate partners and admissions representatives as well. So, it was pretty amazing, and we have it annually as well.

And it seems like the orientation program is very much career oriented. Is there any prep for the actual study of the MBA, or is that assumed that the schools will handle that? [19:09]

So, the schools, the admissions representatives and career services representatives are present. So, they do have an advising session that they get to work with them and meet with them one-on-one for prep with the corporate partners, but also any questions that they have about the upcoming program that they’re about to start in the fall. They have all of that one-on-one time, a lot more one-on-one time than they would normally get during the school year.

Sounds like a very busy four days, very full. [19:54]

Yeah, it is very full.

Okay. How does CGSM help its fellows in career placement, both during and after the MBA? [20:00]

So, during the MBA, again, we have the Hello Fellow and our annual program, our annual orientation program and career forum. Like I mentioned before, they have the opportunity to interact with the corporate partners. The corporate partners get to review their resumes and their backgrounds early on before even meeting them face-to-face. Our alumni network, our Hello Fellow system, allows them to, again, engage with these corporate partners.

And then our student and alumni relations department, they are amazing with connecting with the students. They engage with student liaisons as well in providing that support that they may need throughout the year. And if there’s a student, like we just had tech layoffs recently. And our alumni development department, they were able to help and assist with reengaging with those students or those alumni to be able to help them to get placed in other career opportunities.

A few weeks ago you had the OP. It was mostly geared towards people starting the MBA in 2023, but it also had people who started the MBA in 2022. Is that correct? [21:18]

We had some second year. Like if something happened last year, I know dealing with the pandemic and other issues, some students were not able to attend last year, and so they were given the opportunity to attend this year.

But it’s usually just for the people about to start the MBA, the OP? [21:48]

Right, it’s usually first year students.

What do you see coming down the pike for the Consortium? [21:54]

Oh my goodness. Continued growth, continued engagement with a lot of the students. We’re working on increasing our exposure and engaging. This year we shared a lot of our OP activities on our social media and got a lot of good feedback and engagement. So, definitely I think we have a good momentum right now to be able to get all of the good things that we do at the Consortium out to the public and to the world.

What advice would you give to someone applying to apply via the Consortium in this, the 2023-2024 application cycle? [22:34]

Definitely begin your MBA journey. And beginning your MBA journey does not start with the application. It starts with the preparation.

Yes, that’s right. [23:13]

Definitely starts with the preparation. So, researching a lot of the schools that you’re interested in, finding out if you’re interested in the Consortium, finding out what that Consortium culture looks like on each campus to see what best fits you. Also, looking into preparation for GRE, GMAT, or the Executive Assessment and finding out what the class profiles are for each school that you’re interested in so you can have a good idea of where you stand. And don’t rush your application. Don’t rush it.

Yay! [23:54]

I always have some overzealous students that want to, “I’m getting it in for Round One.” Wait a minute. Make sure that you’re submitting the strongest application and that this is the right time for you to start a program. There’s no rush. There’s no rush. There’s no rush. Make sure you have the strongest application. Utilize all resources that you need to support you through your application process.

We always advise students to attend our events. We have member school webinars that are… We actually have one coming up on July 10th, which will have Washington University, University of Rochester Simon, and UCLA Anderson. And they will be talking about their MBA programs, but also talking about their Consortium cohorts on their campus as well.

And we also have our MBA application preparation seminars, which is MAPS, which will be in person this year. So, we will be in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and DC.

Wow. You’re getting around. [25:16]

Yes.

Not all Consortium schools require a test score. Does the Consortium require a test score even if the school does not? [25:21]

So, for membership we don’t require a test score. But if you are applying and they offer a test waiver, we would need to have that test waiver submitted, or you would need to submit that in the application. And then we just confirm it with the member school whether that test waiver was actually approved. Yeah. And then if it wasn’t approved, then they would have to submit a test score.

Are any of the programs or any of the partner schools entirely test optional? Do you know off the top of your head? I wasn’t sure as I was thinking about it. [26:03]

I don’t think so. Well, it depends on the school and what policies they have in place this upcoming school year.

I think most of them have a test waiver option, and I also would have to go through each one. [26:19]

Yeah. I always advise students to talk with them early about it, because last year I ran into the issue of students who just missed it. It was like they just missed the test waiver window. So, definitely talk with your school of interest to find out when that test waiver timeframe is and get that in if that’s an option for you.

Wonderful advice even if you’re not applying through CGSM, by the way. [26:51]

Right, absolutely.

What would you have liked me to ask you? [26:56]

These were all great questions.

What would you like to share that I haven’t asked? [27:02]

I would like to share just my… In my position as Director of Recruiting, what my passion and desire and vision is for the Consortium moving forward is to be able to expand our exposure to those who definitely need the opportunity, to be able to expand our exposure to those areas, because sometimes we are in this collegiate bubble.

Aacademia. [27:37]

Yeah, absolutely. And to be able to… We do so many great things.

You do. [27:45]

And just being able to see just the energy that I get from the students, just being around them, and just the positive nature of it all, being able to give that to others who don’t know about the Consortium. So, that’s my mission and goal is to increase exposure and to really share about the great things we’re doing here at the Consortium.

Well, today in this podcast, you did it. [28:14]

Thank you. Thank you, Linda.

You’re very welcome. Bianca, I want to thank you so much for joining me today. Where can listeners and potential applicants learn more about CGSM? [28:21]

They can check us online at www.cgsm.org or on our LinkedIn page and our Instagram page and on Twitter.

Relevant Links:

• The Consortium for the Graduate Study of Management
• Applying For Your MBA Through The Consortium: Best Deal In Town
• MBA ROI Calculator   

Relevant shows:

• How to Get an MBA at Columbia Business School – a podcast Episode 528
• How to Get Accepted to NYU Stern – a podcast Episode 525
• How to Get into Dartmouth Tuck – a podcast Episode 514
• How to Get Into Georgetown McDonough’s MBA Program – a podcast Episode 512
• How to Get Accepted to UNC Kenan-Flagler Full-Time MBA Program – a podcast Episode 496

Subscribe:

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The post Applying for Your MBA Through The Consortium [Episode 532] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

U.S. STEM MBA Programs: An Overview

STEM certification programs have proven application bonanzas for top business schools. STEM certification may have begun pre-pandemic as a way to alleviate uncertainty in the visa process, but the programs have proven to be a robust inducement for MBA applicants, particularly from foreign countries. According to Poets & Quants, “At Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, the move to designate its entire MBA program STEM in early 2021 paid dividends this year. . . Its applications rose by an incredible 21%, an increase of 450 to 2,555, even though Cornell presumably felt the same domestic squeeze as its peer schools.”

[List of top STEM OPT U.S. Business Schools >>]

Cornell’s new MBA class has students from 43 countries, a dramatic rise from 30 countries from 2021. Cornell is receiving roughly double the number of international applications as domestic applications. Poets & Quants also reported strong upticks in foreign student enrollment among 27 B-schools surveyed: “In the top 10, the average gain was 10.2 percentage points, or 36.6%, with Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business the biggest by points — 18, or 72%, to 43% — and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania the biggest by percentage: 84.2%, or 16 points, to 35%.

“Across all 27 schools, the average gain from 2020 to 2022 was 14.6 percentage points, or 69%. The biggest gain was at CMU Tepper, which doubled its total from 28% to 56%; notably, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School gained 23.5 points, or more than 200%, to 35%. Three other B-schools more than doubled their international ranks in two years.”

Are you an international MBA applicant? We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top MBA programs! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOU GET ACCEPTED >>

The GMAC’s survey from 2019 was the first to inquire about a program’s STEM-certification, and found that these programs were more likely to report growth in international applicants. A total of 195 of the 804 U.S. programs responding reported that their programs were STEM-certified (24%). Among them, the most common program types were Master of Data Analytics (28%); Master of Finance (22%); and Master of Information Technology (14%). And while a majority of both STEM-certified (53%) and non-STEM (57%) programs reported declines in total applications during this period, STEM-certified programs fared better among international applicants. In the 2019-2020 academic year, 43% of STEM-certified programs grew their international applications, compared with 26% of non-STEM programs.

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Given ongoing concerns over visa status and one’s ability to work in the U.S. after business school, programs that are STEM-certified are sure to be more appealing to this applicant pool.

While some MBA programs – such as Chicago Booth, Wharton, Virginia Darden – now offer specific concentrations that qualify international students for STEM OPT, others – such as Berkeley Haas, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, and Rochester Simon – qualify MBA graduates of all majors in their MBA programs for this extension.

During 2021, MBA programs have seen a rebound in international applicants, and many schools (NYU Stern, Darden, and Yale) are touting this return. Still, they are maintaining their STEM certifications because it will pave the way for their graduates to get jobs and stay in the U.S. long enough to pay off or pay down their loans. Despite its cost, the MBA degree continues to pay robust dividends right off the bat. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article: “At about 98% of universities that offer master’s of business administration programs, graduates typically made more money two years out of school than they had borrowed, a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal student loan data for nearly 600 programs found.”

STEM MBA Programs

Name of MBA Program	Majors That Are STEM Designated	MBA Essay Tips
Arizona State Carey	All MBA Platforms	Tips
Babson MBA	1) Business Analytics and Machine Learning 2) Quantitative Finance	Tips
Berkeley Haas	All Majors	Tips
Brigham Young Marriott	Management Science and Quantitative Methods	Tips
Carnegie Mellon	All Majors	Tips
Chicago Booth	All MBA programs	Tips
Columbia Business School	MBA and EMBA programs	Tips
Cornell Johnson	1) Two-Year Management Science MBA 2) One-Year Management Science MBA 3) Tech MBA 4) MPS in Management 5) MPS in Management - Accounting Specialization	Tips
Dartmouth Tuck	STEM track	Tips
Duke Fuqua	Second Major in Management Science and Technology Management (MSTeM)	Tips
Georgetown McDonough	Management Science major	Tips
Harvard Business School	Management Science track	Tips
Indiana Kelley	Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing or Supply Chain and Operations	Tips
Lehigh University College of Business	Business Analytics (a concentration within 1-MBA)	Tips
Michigan Ross	STEM track	Tips
MIT Sloan	MBAn	Tips
New York University	Tech MBA Two-year full-time MBA	Tips
Northwestern Kellogg	Management Science MMM Program for Dual Engineering/MBA Degrees	Tips
Notre Dame Mendoza	MBA/Master of Science in Business Analytics Dual Degree	Tips
Pace University	MBA in Information Systems	Tips
Purdue Krannert	MBA-STEM	Tips
Rice Jones	All MBA Programs	Tips
Rochester Simon	All Specializations	Tips
Rutgers	STEM designation	Tips
Stanford GSB	1) All MBA majors 2) MSx	Tips
Syracuse	FT MBA, M.S. in Business Analytics, MS in Finance, MS in Marketing and MS in Supply Chain Management	Tips
Texas McCombs	14 of the 22 concentrations for the full-time MBA program	Tips
University of California, Davis	All Majors	Tips
University of California, Irvine	Analytics in Digital Leadership concentration	Tips
University of California, Los Angeles	All Specializations	Tips
University of California, Riverside	All MBA Programs	Tips
University of California, San Diego	1) Full-time MBA 2) FlexEvening 3) FlexWeekend	Tips
University of California San Francisco	1) Financial Analysis, MS 2) Information Systems, MS 3) Full-Time MBA 4) Marketing Intelligence, MS 5) Energy Systems Management & MBA 6) Environmental Management & MBA (4+1), BS/MBA 7) Financial Analysis & MBA (4+1), BSBA/MS	Tips
University of Connecticut	1) Business Analytics 2) Digital Marketing Strategy 3) Financial Analysis and Investments	Tips
University of Delaware Lerner	Major in Business Analytics	Tips
University of Georgia Terry	Only open to U. of Georgia undergraduates; includes 45 majors	Tips
University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler	All MBA Programs	Tips
University of North Texas Ryan	MBA in Business Analytics	Tips
University of Washington Foster	Management Science	Tips
University of Wisconsin - Madison	1) Specialization in Operations and Technology Management 2) Supply Chain Management	Tips
USC Marshall	Specialization in Management Science	Tips
Vanderbilt Owen	Finance Concentration	Tips
Wharton	1) Business Analytics 2) Business, Economics & Public Policy (BEPP) 3) Business, Energy, Environment & Sustainability (BEES) 4) Operations, Information & Decisions (OID) 5) Quantitative Finance 6) Statistics	Tips
Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)	Full-time MBA	Tips

We’re going to do our best to keep this table current. However, please do not rely on this table; confirm the STEM designation yourself to make sure that the MBA programs you apply to really have that designation. And if you find out a school has attained STEM certification and is not on the list, please let us know by emailing blog@accepted.com.

If you would like to learn how to get into top MBA programs that offer STEM OPT eligibility and are a good fit for you, register for a free consultation with me. 

At Accepted, we’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too! CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

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By Jennifer Bloom, admissions consultant at Accepted for 20 years and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at guiding you to produce application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Want Jennifer to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• STEM Applicants: Why Your Statement of Purpose is So Important
• Top MBA Application Essays: How to Answer Them Right (school-specific essay tips)
• The Questions You SHOULD Be Asking – ANSWERED!, a podcast episode

The post Top STEM MBA Programs: A Comprehensive STEM-OPT Eligible List appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

If you are a recently laid off and otherwise competitive applicant, MBA programs want YOU!

Are you a tech worker who just got laid off from Meta, Twitter, Facebook, Stripe, or a similar company? Were you thinking of getting an MBA before and/or since the layoff? Well, what started as a trickle with Northwestern University–Kellogg School of Management and MIT Sloan has turned into a river, and may turn into a flood.

Here is a list of the changes full-time MBA programs are making to accommodate and attract recently laid off workers.

MBA Programs Seek Laid-Off Workers

School	Who's Eligible	Accommodation
Cornell MBA & Johnson Cornell Tech MBA	Qualified candidates who have recently been laid off by a U.S. company, applying for the January 2023 MBA deadlines	Application fee waiver & GRE/GMAT test waiver
Dartmouth Tuck	Any worker laid off since Aug. 1, 2022. For more info visit tuck.dartmouth.edu	Can request a GMAT/GRE test waiver. Deadline: March 1, 2023
Duke Fuqua	All applicants	Added new round with Feb. 13, 2023 deadline -- Can take test for this deadline prior to Feb. 28
Georgia Tech Scheller	Professionals who have been affected by recent layoffs, applying to the full-time program	A select number of designated fellowships, application fee waiver & test waiver
Indiana Kelley	Laid-off tech employees	Application fee waiver & GRE/GMAT test waiver
MIT Sloan	Laid-off workers	Extend its Round 2 deadline to Feb 23, 2023
Northwestern Kellogg	Employees who were laid off this quarter at a company in the tech sector and are applying to full-time graduate degrees, including the two-year M.B.A., by a mid-January deadline.	Waive GMAT/GRE
NYU's Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA	Class entering in May 2023 (applying either to its Jan.15 or final Feb. 15 deadline)	Waive entrance exams
Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business	Open to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or those who currently reside in North America	Round 4 added with a deadline of May 1
SCU Leavey School of Business	Those who work in the technology industry, especially those affected by recent layoffs, applying to the following on-campus graduate programs: • Part-time Evening MBA • Executive MBA • MS Business Analytics • MS Finance and Analytics • MS in Information Systems	1) Waive application fees 2) Lift GMAT/GRE requirement for those with tech backgrounds 3) Award scholarships of at least $3,000 4) Accept applications for the Spring Evening MBA through January 20, 2023
UC Berkeley Haas	Prospective candidates who have been laid off between June 1, 2022 to Feb. 2, 2023 , applying to the full-time MBA program	Application fee waiver & deadline extension to Feb. 2, 2023
UCLA Anderson	Recently laid off due to a organizational restructuring or downsizing and apply by R2 Jan. 4, 2023 deadline	1) Can submit test scores and recommendations by Feb. 4. 2) Application fee waivers. 3) If admitted through this process and later find new employment, may be eligible to switch to Anderson’s part-time fully employed MBA program.

* If you know of other schools that are taking special steps to attract laid off workers this cycle, please email blog@accepted.com and let us know.

Here’s the background.

Kellogg Waives GMAT/GRE for Sub-set of Applicants

On November 14, 2022, Lindsay Ellis of the The Wall Street Journal broke the news that Kellogg is waiving its test requirement for “employees who were laid off this quarter at a company in the tech sector and are applying to full-time graduate degrees, including the two-year M.B.A., by a mid-January deadline.”

Kellogg, like many top MBA programs, experienced a surge in applications when COVID hit due the soaring unemployment rate. At the same time, and due mostly to difficulties in accessing a test, it waived its test requirement. That year, applications to Kellogg and other top-ranking M.B.A. programs, including University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Columbia Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management, rose significantly.

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Since then Kellogg restored the test requirement and unemployment took a deep dive. This past cycle, like many other top MBA programs, it experienced a drop in applications. With a very tight labor market and the test requirement back in place, Kellogg experienced an 18% plunge in application volume last year. Many in admissions expect either flat application volume this cycle or a further drop depending again on the economy.

Quoting the WSJ article, “Accustomed to jobs with six-figure salaries, big equity packages and other perks, many tech workers have had a particular incentive to stay on the job in recent years.” Now, with tech workers losing their jobs by the thousands, MBA programs are seizing the opportunity to recruit students from an already talented pool of candidates. 

Kellogg’s associate dean of degree programs, Greg Haniffee, said that the school decided to waive tests earlier in November after Twitter began cutting its workforce in half. Again from the article: “These folks were high performers and are now at a pivot point in their life,” he said. “If they’re considering business school, removing this barrier could benefit them.”

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Kellogg’s offer to waive the GRE or GMAT requirement for applicants recently laid off from the tech sector is open to Kellogg’s Round 2 applications for full-time and part-time programs. In a blog post from November 14, Hanifee wrote that these newly available candidates “can apply to Kellogg by providing their transcripts, resume and application which will also include a brief essay on their work experience and most recent role as well as what they hope their transformation will be and how it will advance them. . . We hope this offer will allow some people to speed up their career transformation process.”

Unlike in 2020, when Kellogg waived the test requirement for all applicants, Kellogg is treading more carefully now by targeting a select applicant pool with proven capabilities who will be competitive job seekers. These recently laid-off workers had demanding roles until just a few weeks ago, and their skills, when combined with an MBA, will probably be in demand. It’s understandable that Kellogg is comfortable relying on their transcript as evidence of academic ability (or lack thereof). They probably don’t need the test score. 

Kellogg’s move presents an opportunity for laid-off tech talent who would do well to consider what may be a rare and perhaps fleeting offer. Kellogg is already a techie haven, with seventeen percent of its newest MBA class coming from tech, and one-fifth of its 2022 graduating class having gone into the sector.

As Accepted founder and CEO Linda Abraham noted in Poets and Quant’s “For these recently laid-off workers, who until the last few weeks had positions that were demanding and whose skills when combined with an MBA will probably be in demand, Kellogg is comfortable relying on their transcript as evidence of academic ability (or lack thereof). They don’t need the test score. Getting these kinds of jobs is in and of itself a test.”

With this move, Kellogg is hoping to boost its pool of qualified applicants while easing the decline in application volume.

MIT Sloan has its own approach to attracting and accommodating recently laid off workers.

Work with a seasoned consultant to polish the presentation of your work experience and your entire application >>

MIT Sloan Offers Later Round 2 Deadline to Laid-Off Workers

In an interview on November 17 with Linda Abraham, who is also the host of the Admission Straight Talk podcast, MIT Sloan’s Assistant Dean of Admissions, Dawna Levenson announced that MIT Sloan will extend its Round 2 deadline to Feb 23, 2023 for laid off workers. The move gives potential applicants who were not anticipating a layoff and are interested in the MBA time to prepare for the GRE or GMAT, take the test, and submit an excellent application this cycle.

In addition to having the data point that the test score provides, MIT Sloan may also be attempting to avoid the criticism that Kellogg received for its test waiver. In a lively discussion on LinkedIn about Kellogg’s move, many felt that it is unfair to require the test for some applicants and not for others. People who worked or work at those same companies and applied for Round 1 must take the test. Employees of those firms who were not laid off still must take the test. With its extended deadline, MIT Sloan is getting the data it values, showing understanding for recently laid off workers, and probably increasing its applicant pool.

The complete interview with Dawna Levenson aired on November 29.

With so many changes in the world of MBA Admissions, why not get expert guidance that is tailor-made for you? Our consultants have helped thousands of applicants get ACCEPTED to top MBA schools–and they can do the same for you. Check out our menu of MBA services to pick the one that is just right for you! We’re here to help you GET ACCEPTED.

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For 25 years, Accepted has helped business school applicants gain acceptance to top programs. Our outstanding team of MBA admissions consultants features former business school admissions directors and professional writers who have guided our clients to admission at top MBA, EMBA, and other graduate business programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more. Want an MBA admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• Why MBA? The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay
• Northwestern Kellogg 2022-23 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
• From Example to Exemplary, a free guide to writing outstanding admissions essays
• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide

The post MBA Programs Seek Recently Laid Off Tech Workers appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

The Cornell Executive MBA Program has three required essay questions, and the word count for all three is short. While no one is going to be counting individual words, the short word count guideline is a clear indicator that you should work on clarity of thought with all of your answers. Cornell interviews every applicant to its program, so if you are concerned that the essay format doesn’t give you enough opportunity to share everything you want to share, rest assured you will have the opportunity to discuss more in the interview.

Cornell EMBA application essays

Cornell EMBA essay #1

In a concise statement, tell us why you are seeking an MBA. Specifically, what are your short and long-term career goals? And how will an MBA earned through an Executive MBA program at Cornell University help you achieve your goals? (400 words max)

You first want to identify why you need an MBA, linking your past/current career experience with your short and long term goals and what about an MBA degree will allow you to achieve them. Then you need to relay “Why Cornell?” and “Why EMBA?” For the former, be convincing about the reasons Cornell is the best choice for you, and show you have done your homework – “location” and “reputation” won’t cut it. The admissions committee wants to know what you anticipate the program will be like, what you will get out of it, how the program fits with your career vision, and what the entire experience means to you as a person. For the latter, by making the choice to apply to an Executive MBA program, you are of course signaling you will keep your job while going to school. Indicate why that format is the best fit.

Cornell EMBA essay #2

Describe your first experience as a leader in a professional setting, and your current leadership role. Explain how your first experience in a leadership position influenced your style and how you act as a leader today. (400 words)

This essay wants you to showcase how you have grown as a leader, built upon strengths, and learned from mistakes. Perhaps your leadership style was influenced by a mentor or someone you admire, or perhaps it came from seeing someone lead with a style you were determined NOT to emulate. Explain what you learned from that very first experience, what you decided to continue doing as you moved forward in leadership roles, what you decided to stop doing, and how you evolved your style over time. You don’t need to have direct reports to successfully answer this question – leadership comes in many forms in a professional setting, and no doubt you have had the chance to exhibit it at some point – so don’t worry if that is the case.

Cornell EMBA essay #3

What else would you like us to know? Please use this statement to address potential concerns such as gaps in employment or prior academic difficulties. You can also use this statement to highlight any achievements or significant life events that are not included elsewhere in the application. (250 words)

If there are flaws in your application, they will be noticed. You want to be in control of the narrative surrounding those blemishes rather than letting admissions committee members draw their own conclusions – they are much easier to address upfront than in an interview situation. Be as honest and direct as possible. Keep in mind the admissions committee members are human, too, and they have flaws as well! If you opt to share additional accomplishments, make sure they truly add to your application and the type of student you will be, so that the additional information enhances your candidacy rather than comes across as bragging.

For expert guidance with your Cornell EMBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top MBA and EMBA programs and look forward to helping you too!

Cornell Executive MBA Americas

*After May 15, applications will be accepted on a rolling and space-available basis.

Cornell Executive MBA Metro NY

EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership

Source: Cornell Johnson EMBA website

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Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide
• How to Get Accepted to a Top EMBA Program: The Experts Speak, a podcast episode
• EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
• School-Specific EMBA Application Essay Tips

The post Cornell EMBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines [2022 – 2023] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

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Tune in to hear all that Cornell Johnson’s dynamic MBA program has to offer, and more [Show Summary]

Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, dives into this dynamic program that equips students for careers in finance, tech, healthcare, and more. 

Interview with Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management [Show Notes]

Welcome to the 488th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. Before we speak with our wonderful guest, I want to invite you to take advantage of a fantastic tool at Accepted, the MBA Admissions Quiz. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at those programs? Accepted’s MBA Admissions Quiz can not only give you a quick reality check, but also tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it’s all free. Use the calculator at accepted.com/mbaquiz.

It gives me great pleasure to have, for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. Eddie earned his bachelor’s in communications from the University at Buffalo and a masters from SUNY Buffalo in Student Personnel Administration. Between his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he worked at SUNY Buffalo and while in grad school, he served as an Admissions Advisor at the University of Buffalo. He joined the Johnson School in 2012 as an Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid and became the Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship in June 2021. 

Can you give an overview of the Cornell Johnson full-time MBA program, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:16]

We’re located in Ithaca, New York, which is in central New York. Our MBA program is a general management MBA program that allows our students to really get the basic business fundamentals while also expanding personally and professionally throughout their career goals. We are known for elements of our program, such as our immersion learning program, which gives our students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their particular career paths. This happens in the spring semester of their first year. It gives students that hands-on experience while taking advanced level courses in their particular immersions so they can ultimately be able to hit the ground running with the internship itself.

We also have Cornell Tech, MBA program located in New York City. If you are looking for a residential two-year program, there are opportunities for our program to collaborate with the Cornell Tech campus in New York City. 

There are a lot of other great features like flexibility in the program to work with other departments. Our program really gives you the opportunity to customize the program the way you best see fit. We understand it’s a business school, but we also understand the direction that our students are going into spans so many different industries, whether it is hospitality, healthcare, tech, or anything else. We have some great programs here at Cornell that allow students to be able to tap into other areas.

Is there anything new at Cornell Johnson that you’d like to highlight? [4:49]

I will say that within my time here at Johnson, we’ve done a pretty good job of making sure that we stay relevant with what’s happening and changes to our curriculum. One of the new exciting things that I would like to share is the opportunity to do a 1+1 program, which is a full year here in Ithaca, along with a full year at Cornell Tech.

This program gives our students, who are applying to the two-year residential MBA program, the opportunity of going through the standard core in the first semester and during a tech-focused immersion experience in the second semester. Then in the second year, you would join the Cornell Tech students, focusing on their startup curriculum where you’re spending that entire second year at Cornell Tech. That’s in Manhattan on Roosevelt Island. 

The type of student that we’re looking for is someone who is looking to bridge the gap between business as well as the digital economy and someone with technical experience under their belt as well. You’ll start hearing more about this program in our publications and presentations. We have a group of about 15 or so second-years who are piloting this program right now. We look forward to continuing this as an option moving forward. It’s a great opportunity for students to have the best of both worlds between both campuses.

Is the 1+1 program something that an applicant would apply to before being accepted to Cornell? Or is that something they decide upon while at Cornell? [6:58]

Great question. For our students who started this week, it’s going to be an internal application. Once we launch the application in the summer of 2023, this will be a question on the application. Anyone who’s applying this year won’t see that in the application.

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Can you touch on immersions, intensives, and performance learning? [8:22]

We believe it’s really important for students to have hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn from business practitioners. We want you to be actually working on projects in your career path and getting feedback. That experience is a semester-long immersion. There’s an immersion in digital technology, investment banking, operations, and the list goes on. It’s a customized immersion. If you’re taking advantage of the investment banking immersion, that entire semester is focused on advanced-level courses in investment banking and a week on Wall Street, working with business practitioners so that once you get to the summer internship, you’re able to hit the ground running and capitalize on that experience. Hopefully, you’re walking away with a full-time offer. 

So the immersions are geared towards a particular career path and not so much an area of study? [9:52]

Typically, yes. A lot of our students are very intentional when it comes to their immersion, especially if they know where they want to end up. This is really helpful for someone who’s making a career switch.

Moving on to the intensives. We have three intensives: sustainable global enterprise intensive, FinTech intensive, and digital marketing intensive. The digital marketing and the FinTech intensives run for seven weeks on the Cornell Tech campus. They’re offered in the spring semester of your second year.

Of course, there are a couple of required courses along with elective courses that you’re taking in these particular areas as well over those seven weeks. Once you’re done with the seven weeks of these two intensives, you have the choice to stay on the Cornell Tech campus and finish out the rest of the semester before graduating or spend the remaining seven weeks in Ithaca. 

When it comes to the SGE intensive, this is delivered here in Ithaca. One of the benefits of this intensive is that you have the opportunity to take this intensive either in your first year or your second year. You can actually do it twice. It really gives you the opportunity to work on various projects and take advanced-level courses. 

The performance learning piece is that hands-on piece. We have great world-renowned faculty members students will learn from, but we also want them out there. Students get this through the immersion, the intensive, even the experience with Cornell Tech, working on these actual projects and spending time on Wall Street, connecting with our alums and working on various projects. Having that experience provides that performance learning and that hands-on piece for our students.

What do students do for the rest of the second semester after completing their seven-week intensives? [13:39]

This is where students have the opportunity to customize their program. There are students who are taking courses over at the law school, the hotel school, or somewhere else. There are students who take advantage of global opportunities and will study abroad for a semester with some of our partner schools internationally. There are students who are taking advantage of the Cornell Tech campus. 

Where do Johnson MBA graduates get jobs both geographically and in terms of industry? [15:37]

As much as we would love to keep them here in Ithaca, there are many great options for them. Our alums are going all over the world. If you go onto our website, there are career management stats on there and you will see that a lot of our students are going within the financial sector. When we talk about finance, it can be income investment banking, asset management, consulting, general management, marketing, and tech. Tech is, of course, the hot thing right now, but there are so many students who are also going into the healthcare sector and real estate. They’re entrepreneurs. Yes, there’s finance and consulting, but there are many other outcomes as well. 

As far as location-wise, I think our largest alumni base is located in New York City. It’s because that’s where a lot of students want to go afterward. San Francisco is a great location with alums, Boston, D.C., Minneapolis, Texas, then, of course, internationally. They’re all over the world. You’re not restricted to just one location. I have full confidence in our program and our career management center to really prepare you for whatever industry, function, or location you want to pursue. I will encourage candidates that as they go throughout this journey, to make sure they stay in touch with our students about what their recruiting path looked like and how Johnson prepared them. 

What don’t people know about Cornell Johnson that you would like them to know? [17:51]

That’s a loaded question there. One of the myths I’ll start with is our location. I think that everyone knows Cornell the brand. It’s a global brand. But the location piece is something that some people may say, “I just don’t know about a smaller town versus a larger metropolitan city. What is there to do? The recruiters come there.” You have to keep in mind that we have some of the best of the best here between our students, faculty, administration, and, of course, our alumni base. We have such an amazing program here. I believe that recruiters know that. They know the quality of a Cornell student and what our brand brings. We always get asked, “Do companies come there?” Absolutely. Also, our alums want to give back, and this is a way for them to give back by representing their company and bringing in Johnson students. 

It’s also a beautiful place. It has so much to offer. I’ve already talked about what our program offers from a curriculum standpoint, but when I think about the social side, this is a true community. Ithaca and Cornell support each other from the local businesses to the location on the lake and in wine country. If you haven’t come to visit, definitely come. 

Another thing is there’s flexibility in the program, but I don’t think candidates know the strength of our entrepreneurial opportunities. We have strong entrepreneurial suites here, whether it is our Big Red Ventures, which is a student-run opportunity for students who are looking to further their entrepreneurial side or just connecting with some faculty members who have strengths on the entrepreneurial side of things. Keep in mind that it’s also a partnership with Cornell as a whole. I’ve seen students who have taken on opportunities and partnered with engineers here or even from the legal side.

Is the school supportive of MBA students starting a business while doing their MBA? [21:01]

Absolutely. Yes. It’s a good feeling knowing I work for an institution that truly supports and values the students but also will give them the tools necessary to be able to pursue their passions. 

Do you see Cornell Johnson accepting the Executive Assessment in the future? Who in your opinion should take the test, and who should seek a waiver? [22:23]

We are not currently accepting the Executive Assessment. We may potentially in the future. Every year before the application launch, we go back and really evaluate what our processes look like and what elements in the application have been helpful versus things that we should take out. I’m sure that next year during this time, we’ll go back and reevaluate. 

The waiver is not for everyone. We want to have full confidence that you’re going to come into our program and that you’re going to succeed. I know that there are a lot of students who may not have a quantitative background or come from a business background or maybe they’ve been out of school for some time. When it comes to the waiver, you should be someone who’s confident in your ability. What we will look at is, of course, your academic performance. We’ll look at the type of institution that you came from, what your major was, the consistency of your grades, but also the challenging courses, especially from the quantitative side that you’ve taken that hopefully gives the admissions committee confidence that you’re going to come into the program and really succeed. We will also look at your work experience and will want to dig deeper into that experience. Hopefully, your recommenders speak on your abilities from the quantitative side, but those are some of the things that we are looking at when making a decision on granting a waiver or not.

If you’re someone who struggled academically, I’m going to encourage you to take the test. It’s much more than just taking the easy way out. I actually had a conversation with a candidate the other day who was trying to tell me that they were so busy and just couldn’t take the test because of work. I told the candidate when I see that there are candidates in the military, or single parents who are working full time and taking care of their kids who are studying for the test, personally, I have no sympathy for the one saying they don’t have the time to take it. That’s just me being very transparent. If you are questioning where you are when it comes to your preparation for business school or even just the next steps, I welcome the conversation to discuss if the waiver is for you or not.

We’re rooting for all of our applicants and of course, our students. We have a very competitive applicant pool for this incoming class. We enrolled a class of about 300 in this class. When you have thousands of applications for 300 spots, there are certain things and certain elements within an application that can really eliminate someone. I’m proud that we take a holistic approach, but still, that test can make or break a decision, especially if there are concerns already. If you’re an average candidate and are deciding between the test or not, I would encourage you to definitely take the test.

What do you hope to learn from the essays and written materials in the application that the test and the transcript don’t tell you? [27:59]

We have one required essay. That’s our impact essay. Impact and the sense of community is very big here within the Johnson community. We want to make sure that you’ve done your due diligence throughout the process to get to know who we are. Our question really focuses on how you see yourself making an impact within an elite program like ours. A great way of answering that is showing where you see yourself contributing or making an impact. For example, if you are a marketer and are interested in Battle of the Brands and being a part of that committee or making that overall experience a great experience for your classmates and yourself, that’s something very specific that you have learned about our curriculum. That impact essay is something that means a lot to us. It shows that you’ve done your due diligence on getting to know who we are as a community, but also that you’ve had the opportunity of touching base with students and alums or even faculty and staff along the journey. 

We also have a Park Fellowship Essay. This is an optional essay open to those who are US citizens to be considered for a two-year full tuition fellowship, which also has a leadership component to it. We try to identify about 25 students in each cohort. It really focuses on the leadership component and how you’ve developed as a leader and how you see yourself being a leader while in business school. I will encourage everyone who qualifies for the fellowship to at least take the time out to fill out that additional essay. 

The last piece is the optional essay. If there are any red flags in your application or anything that you believe the admissions committee really needs to know, whether it’s gaps in your work experience, academic concerns, or reasons why you didn’t use your supervisor as your recommender, briefly use that optional essay.

Do you still require a goals statement? [31:19]

Yes. Our goal statement is pretty much fill-in-the-blank. There’s a fill-in-the-blank portion that allows you to write in brief paragraph form what your short-term and long-term goals are. I can’t stress enough that you really should take that time to really be able to articulate what your goals are. In reality, we know that candidates are going to get to business school and still explore options, but you should have a sense of what you want to do and how you’re going to get there. 

If you’re making a career switch, I’d recommend you start doing some networking and research towards your goals. Whether it is connecting with members of our communities or connecting with our career management center to think about ways to prepare for that path.

What happens to applications after applicants hit submit? How are they processed and evaluated to determine who gets an interview invitation? [32:53]

Once an applicant hits submit, it then goes to one of our admissions and application coordinators, who will make sure that everything that we were asking in the application has been submitted. If something is missing, we will reach out to the applicant to let them know that it is missing. Once an application is complete, it is split up between one of our assistant directors, associate directors, and a member of our admissions committee who will do an initial read on your application. We will do a thorough review on every aspect of what we’ve required in the application. The person who has read your application will do a thorough write-up on your goals, academics, strengths, and weaknesses. Ultimately, once that read is completed, they have the option of making one of three decisions: invite you to interview, waitlist without an interview, or flat-out deny.

If they decide to move you for an interview, you are automatically receiving that notification from us. If it is a waitlist or a denial, it then comes back to members of our team, where we take a second look to confirm if we agree with that decision or not. Of course, if you move forward with an interview, you will go through an interview. Your interview will either be conducted by an admissions representative or one of our trained second-year students who go through an intense training process. Once that interview is completed, there is a full write up that is completed by the interviewer regarding your overall candidacy along with their recommendation. Once the interview write-up is done, it then comes back to the committee, and there are multiple members of the admissions committee who meet every Wednesday, who will do a full review of your application and make a final decision. 

Is the interview blind? [35:27]

For our process, the interviewer will have a copy of the resume along with some brief notes from the application. As I had mentioned before, the person who does the initial read will take down notes, but then there may also be some questions that we want the interviewer to ask. The person conducting the interview will have these two documents in front of them as they are having these conversations with the applicant.

When the interviewer completes the interview and makes the recommendation, is that based only on the interview or do they look at the fuller application as well? [36:04]

That is all based off the interview.

What is the interview like? [36:21]

We make our interview process very conversational and ultimately a fun process. We want to know why an MBA, why Johnson, and why this is the right time for you to apply to business school. We also really want to know who you are and what makes you unique. Of course you’re going to have those opportunities to talk about what your goals are, but there are a lot of things in the interview that I find to be fascinating about candidates, whether it is their background or their love for sports or music. I’ve had some of the best conversations after seeing what someone’s passionate about.

I used to be big for the Big Brother Big Sister program. It means a lot to me. When I see that on a resume, it’s a great conversation starter. I’m also a diehard sports fan. I love the Buffalo Bills. If I see someone’s love for sports, it sparks different conversations. 

At the end of the day, we want to know that you’re a good fit for our community and that you’ve done your due diligence to understand why an MBA makes sense for your goals. It’s conversational and we want people to have fun.

What advice would you have for re-applicants to Cornell Johnson? [38:48]

I would say do some self-reflecting. Go back and look at your application and do a thorough review of your overall candidacy and make sure that your goals are clear. Are you that candidate that should have taken the test? Is there more outreach that you could have done throughout that process? Doing some self-reflecting and being honest with yourself is key for a re-applicant. Get in touch with our team. Your desire to be here says a lot. It shows that you’re committed to our program. It shows that you’re serious about this. 

What I will say about a reapplication is you want to be able to show what has changed since you’ve last applied. I firmly believe if you submit the exact same application, you’ll probably get the exact same results. As a re-applicant, just take your time, do your due diligence, and get to know us on another level.

What would you say to an applicant who’s interested in applying to Cornell Johnson this year but is also concerned about the possibility of a recession? [40:03]

I think the timing is definitely important. You have to really go back and think about where you’re at. What’s most important to you? Is it getting more experience? Is it the financial side of taking two years off? Is it thinking about where you are in your career and whether it’s the lack of movement? Maybe it is opportunities that you have that will present themselves within this year or even in future years? 

You have to really think about if this is the right time for you and trust your instinct. Continue to attend various sessions. Learn about what’s changing within the MBA itself. You know what’s best for yourself when it comes to what you need for professional growth, whether it’s happiness, the financial side, or something else.

What candidates do you not get enough of? [41:24]

I would probably say it has to be specific industries. We get a lot from the financial sector. I always say that I would love to see more in the healthcare sector or even hospitality in the program. Of course, there are some coming from that area or looking to transition into that area. But from an applicant standpoint, there’s so much that’s happening in healthcare right now. There are a lot of great opportunities out there. 

Let’s pretend I’m an applicant thinking ahead to 2023-2024. What is the one thing you would advise me to do to prepare myself to apply? [42:21]

I would say stay connected. This is a great time for you to do some self-reflecting and explore and maybe even travel to get to know different schools. I’ve heard a lot of applicants talk about friendships that they’ve made with Johnson students along the way doing their research. Of course, you can start thinking about taking the test. You can start thinking about growth within your career and taking on new initiatives, which, of course, I would encourage you all to do. Take on new leadership opportunities. 

But I will say just stay connected. There’s so much that changes in our program every year, whether it is the curriculum or new initiatives, and we want to make sure that when you get ready to apply or even think of applying, you’re confident that we’re a good fit for you. 

What would you have liked me to ask you? [43:47]

Linda, you asked great questions. Something I would like to close with is I love the work that I do. I love this admissions team. I love this community. We have a community, especially within our leadership, that truly supports our students. An MBA is very expensive, and I know it’s tough to think about taking two years off, but it is worth the investment. I’ve seen many students and alums who have really been able to progress in their careers and take on new opportunities and also continue to have the support of their classmates and leadership even after they graduate. That is what I would say to any applicant thinking about Johnson. 

Where can listeners and potential applicants learn more about Cornell Johnson’s full-time MBA program? [45:33]

https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/

Related links:

• Cornell Johnson Full-time MBA
• Cornell Johnson MBA Essay Tips
• MBA Admissions Quiz
• Accepted’s MBA Admissions Consulting Services

Related shows:

• How to Get Accepted to UCLA Anderson
• University of Michigan’s Ross MBA Program: Everything You Need to Know
• When Should I Plan to Apply to Grad School? NOW!!!
• Get Accepted to UW’s Foster School of Business

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The post How to Get Accepted to Cornell Johnson MBA [Episode 488] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

The Financial Times has released its global rankings of the best MBA programs and has considerably shuffled the deck. Several top-ranked programs fell several notches, while others rose considerably. For the first time since 2011, Wharton has returned to its status as #1 in FT’s list. 

Other programs that made giant strides in the rankings include Columbia Business School (ranked 8th in 2020), and Kellogg (Northwestern), now #5 (11th place in 2020). One reason for such huge fluctuations was that five of the top U.S. programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, and Columbia) were not listed at all last year at all, skewing that year’s results. 

Other highly rated programs that suffered serious tumbles in the rankings include London Business School, Tuck (Dartmouth), and UVA Darden. In fact, 69 of the 91 schools ranked fell in the rankings, many of them by double digits.  

Compared with last year, many of these schools’ rankings looked like riders on a roller coaster, with some plunging far below and others rising by as much as 20 points to unprecedented heights. 

As we have cautioned before, it’s vital to keep these rankings in perspective. They are based on many variables that have little or nothing to do with the quality of the curricula per se.

Do you see yourself in one of these top programs? Find out how working one-on-one with one of our Admissions Consultants can help get you ACCEPTED!

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Related Resources:

• Top 10 or Bust: Dispelling 2 MBA Myths
• Top MBA Programs Get STEM-Certified to Attract Int’l Students
• B-School Selectivity Index: Discover the Schools Where You are a Competitive Applicant

The post Financial Times Ranks Wharton as #1 in 2022 Rankings appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Looking for the best possible admissions advice?

How about admissions advice from the admission committee members themselves?

Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted and host of the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast has a collection of highly enlightening interviews with directors of admissions and adcom members of top business schools!

Listen in as Linda asks her adcom guests pointed and to-the-point questions about the schools, the admissions process, how to get in, and…how to get rejected.

Listen, enjoy, and apply successfully!

For a varied menu of thought-provoking and informative conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, MBA students, and more, check out the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast:

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The post From the Mouths of MBA Adcom Members: How to Get Accepted appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

One of the key pieces of an MBA application is the letter of recommendation. This letter, usually written by managers, gives the admissions committee an insightful perspective on the MBA candidate. However, since each program has their own unique form, and candidates are often hesitant to ask managers to fill out multiple recommendations, applicants often limit the number of programs to which they apply. Recommenders frequently cannot dedicate enough time to such letters, resulting in less thorough and perceptive recommendations.  

According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the Common Letter of Recommendation was born out of the need to save recommenders and alumni time by enabling them to complete one, common, set of questions. Since the questions stay embedded in each school’s existing application system, few major changes are necessary. The Common LOR was developed by a group of leading business schools in conjunction with GMAC. These programs are leading the way, with the support of GMAC, to collaborate, collect information from industry professionals, and collate information from candidates worldwide.   

Benefits of the Common LOR 

• Delivers deeper understanding of candidates by applying the best practices from top programs and using the most up-to-date science in executive assessment 

• Allows for a wider diversity of prospective students and a greater number of applicants by enabling them to ask for multiple LORs. 

• Reduces recommenders’ time demands so they can devote more consideration to crafting a thoughtful and attuned letter. 

Common LOR sections 

The Common LOR is comprised of the following four sections: 

1. Personal Information About the Recommender 

2. Leadership Assessment Grid: Made up of 12 competencies and character traits that lead to successful leadership. They are divided into these five groups: 

• Achievement 
  
  
• Influence 
  
  
• People 
  
  
• Personal Qualities 
  

• Cognitive Abilities 

3.  Recommendation Questions (Open-Ended Questions for Recommenders) 

• Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant, and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. 
  
  
• How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (e.g., what are the applicant’s principal strengths?). 
  

• Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. 
  
  
• Is there anything else we should know? (Optional) 

Schools currently using the Common LOR form 

The widespread uptake of the common LOR is due in part to the longstanding lobbying of admissions professionals. Anna Ivey, former president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), welcomed the development of more schools embracing the shared LOR model: “Applicants have for years found themselves in quite a pickle because they have had to dump so much work on their recommenders. In some cases, their recommenders have had to write more words than the applicants do in their essays. That has created all kinds of distortions, despite good intentions. 

“Any convergence around common recommendation questions not only makes the application process easier for applicants and their recommenders, but also helps preserve the integrity of those recommendations and the application process. Cutting down on the duplication and extra work for recommenders will make it more likely that recommenders write their letters themselves, and that’s a great outcome.” 

We can help you take advantage of the common LOR to get the most from your recommenders and supercharge your application. Our experienced consultants also work with recommenders to provide guidance in crafting compelling letters that will set you on the road to getting ACCEPTED! 

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Related Resources:

• Navigate the MBA Maze, a free guide
• MBA Recommendation Letters: 10 Tips for Writing them Right
• Ingredients of a Great MBA Letter of Recommendation

The post The MBA Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR): An Overview appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

With the unprecedented reality of a worldwide pandemic, it is reasonable to be concerned about the MBA admissions process. Universities have emptied out their campuses, and both students and teachers are rapidly trying to adjust to remote learning and a host of other modifications in traditional education. Additionally, job prospects are dwindling as the economy dips and layoffs begin. The lack of clarity around MBA programs with deadlines in summer 2020 or fall 2020 can be anxiety-provoking, so here at Accepted, we want to provide you with the best guidance possible as you consider your application options.

You’ll find below a roundup of MBA deadline extensions and changes. Check back soon for more advice and insight into pursuing an MBA during the current health crisis.

<< How Will COVID-19 Impact Your Admissions Journey? [Watch the Webinar] >>

Surveying the deadlines

Here’s what you need to know: [Please note that this list is not all-inclusive, and that the schools listed below may change their policy again in response to change circumstances; please check school websites for updates.]

Chicago Booth

The Chicago Booth Round 3 deadline remains April 2, 2020. However Booth will continue to accept applications through May 31, 2020 with decisions released on a rolling basis.

For all Round 3 applicants, test scores can be submitted as late as July 1, 2020. Admissions decisions will not be made until the score is received.

Check out Chicago Booth’s website for more information.

CMU Tepper

CMU Tepper is waiving application fees through July 31st and is accepting applications on a rolling basis from June 1 – July 31, 2020. They are also allowing applicants with “robust quantitative backgrounds” to apply without a GMAT or GRE. (They will need to meet other requirements to start and stay in the program.)

Check out CMU Tepper’s website for more information.

Columbia Business School

The deadline for August admission at CBS has been extended to June 1, 2020. The deadline for submitting test scores has been extended to July 1, 2020.

Check out Columbia Business School’s website for more information.

Cornell Johnson

Johnson is maintaining its application submission deadlines, but allowing applicants to submit test scores later.

• One Year MBA Applicants: Application deadline is April 15, 2020. Test scores must be submitted by April 30, 2020. If not, your application will be moved to the 2020-2021 application cycle.

• Two-Year MBA Applicants: The application deadline is April 8, 2020. You will have until June 1, 2020 to submit your test scores. If you are unable to do so, your application will be moved to the 2020-21 application cycle. 

Check out Cornell Johnson’s website for more information.

Dartmouth Tuck

Tuck is maintaining its Round 3 deadline and adding a Round 4 this year for applicants who need additional time. Round 4 will work on a rolling basis, and applicants can submit any time between April 1 – June 1, 2020.  The applications will be processed as they come in, and Tuck will provide decisions within “several weeks” from submission from May 11 – July 1, 2020.

Tuck’s criteria and required materials, including required test scores, are unchanged.

Check out Dartmouth Tuck’s admissions blog for more information.

Duke Fuqua

Duke Fuqua’s new Round 4 application deadline is May 19, 2020.

Duke has also postponed the orientation start-date for the Class of 2022 by approximately one month in response to the pandemic.

Check out Duke Fuqua’s website for more information.

Georgetown McDonough

Georgetown has relaxed its testing requirements and added a rolling admissions deadline of June 24 (following it’s Round 4 deadline of April 27th).

Check out Georgetown McDonough’s website for more information.

Harvard

The deadline for Harvard Business School’s 2 + 2 Round was postponed to June 1, 2020 in light of COVID.

Accepted Harvard Business School students have the option to request a deferral to start their full-time MBA studies later than this fall. Deferral requests must be made between May 15th and June 1st.

Check out Harvard Business School’s website for more information.

Indiana Kelley

Kelley will accept applications from domestic candidates on a rolling basis after its April 15th deadline.

Applicants who were unable to take the GMAT or GRE are welcome to submit their applications. Final admissions decisions will be made once test scores are received by the school.

Check out Indiana Kelley’s website for more information.

Kellogg

There are currently no delayed start dates for any of Kellogg’s programs. Decision release dates are similarly unchanged. Day at Kellogg for newly admitted students will take place virtually instead of in person.

While Kellogg’s Round 3 deadline of April 8, 2020 still stands, it will accept applications on a rolling basis through June 1st. (Applicants who submitted by the Round 3 deadline will receive admission and scholarship decisions on May 13th.)

Updated April 14: Kellogg is waiving the GMAT/GRE/TOEFL/IELTS requirement for those applying to Round 3.

Those who were either waitlisted or denied in Rounds 1 or 2 will be able to submit an appeal to have their application reconsidered.  Kellogg will provide instructions on how to file the appeal “in the coming days.”

Check out Kellogg’s website and admissions blog for more information.

Michigan Ross

Ross is extending its Round 3 deadline. Soojin Kwon wrote: 

“The priority deadline will remain March 30, but we will accept applications until May 29. Applications received after the priority deadline will be evaluated on a rolling basis. International applicants are highly encouraged to apply by the priority deadline.”

Applicants taking advantage of the extended deadline are reminded that scholarship funds are still available.

Ross is accepting applicants without test scores, though scores must be received by the program before a final admission decision can be made.

Check out Michigan Ross’s website for more information.

MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan has added an Extended Round 3 Deadline and will accept applications until June 15, 2020 on a rolling basis.

Check out MIT Sloan’s website for more information.

NYU Stern

The March 15 deadline has been pushed to May 1st, 2020. International applicants should strive to apply sooner to allow time for visa arrangements.

Check out NYU Stern’s website for more information.

SMU Cox

SMU Cox is waiving the GMAT/GRE requirement for all graduate programs beginning May 2020 and August 2020. It’s also extending its deadline to August 2, 2020 .

Check out SMU Cox’s admissions blog for more information.

UC Berkeley Haas

Haas is opening a new Extended Deadline of May 4, 2020. Applicants for this deadline will receive decisions on June 4. 

Haas has also announced the launch of The Cal Advantage Program, which will enable UC Berkeley seniors and alumni of all undergraduate and graduate programs to apply to Haas for fall 2020 entry. Cal Advantage applicants will enjoy a shortened application process, featuring one essay, one recommendation and optional test scores. Applicants to this program must apply in May or June of 2020 (click here for more info).

Check out UC Berkeley Haas’s admissions blog for more information.

UCLA Anderson

UCLA Anderson extended its application deadline to June 1, 2020.

Check out UCLA Anderson’s website for more information.

UNC Kenan-Flagler

UNC Kenan-Flagler will delay start of its full-time MBA program to August 31, 2020. It has also extended the Round 4 deadline through July 13th. Decision will be made on a rolling basis. 

Check out Kenan-Flagler’s website for more information.

UVA Darden

Darden is transitioning to rolling admissions for the 2019-20 application cycle with a final deadline of July 15, 2020. The sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive Darden’s decision.

UVA Darden already accepted any graduate admissions exam including the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT. In light of COVID19 and closed testing centers, it will evaluate your application with an ACT or SAT or country-specific university entrance exam.

It encourages you to apply even if you are missing one or two elements in your application. Darden will begin the evaluation process, but hold your application until all elements are submitted. 

Check out UVA Darden’s admissions blog for more information.

Wharton

Wharton extended the Round 3 and Advance Access application deadlines to:

– Round 3: April 15, 2020

– Advance Access: May 27, 2020

Round 3 and Advance Access applicants can submit applications without having sat for a standardized test. However, if you do have scores to report, please do so.

Check out Wharton’s website for more information.

Yale SOM

Giving Round 3 applicants an extra ten days to submit their test scores. So if you submit your application by SOM’s Round 3 April 14 deadline, you will have an additional 10 days to submit your GMAT/GRE scores (until April 24). You will receive an answer by May 19.

In addition, Yale SOM is adding a Round 3 Extended deadline of May 27, 2020. You will receive an answer in the second half of June.

Check out Yale SOM’s admissions blog for more information.

We’re going to do our best to keep the changing deadline information current. However, please do not rely on this post; confirm the deadlines yourself because the situation is so fluid.

In addition, if you find out a school has changed their deadlines and is not on the list, please let us know by emailing blog@accepted.com.

The consultants at Accepted are here and ready to help guide you! All of our experts are available to work remotely and business is in full swing in spite of the current global circumstances. Check out our services and let us help you get accepted!

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With 30 years of career/admissions experience at four universities, including Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business and College of Engineering, Dr. Karin Ash has met with thousands of recruiters seeking to hire the best students from leading schools. She has served as a member of the admissions committee, ensuring that the applicants who ultimately enroll are a good fit for the program and prime candidates for employers. Karin has been a Consultant with Accepted for 8 years and has facilitated students’ entry into top engineering, data science, MBA, and other STEM graduate MEng, MS, and PhD programs. Her clients have been accepted into MIT, the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, and USC. Want Karin to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Get Your Game On: Prepping For Your Grad School ApplicationGet Your Game On: Prepping for Your Grad School Application, a free guide
• How to Write Your Master’s in Engineering Statement of Purpose
• How This Student Got Accepted to MIT’s Engineering Program and Landed a Job at Apple, podcast Episode 460

Related resources:

• School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips
• How Will Coronavirus Impact Testing? [GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, ACT, SAT, TOEFL]
• 7 Steps to MBA Acceptance in 2021, free webinar

The post MBA Deadline Updates: How Will COVID-19 Affect the MBA Application Process? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

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Interview with Dr. Patrick Reed, Director of Cornell’s Master’s in Engineering Management Program [Show summary]

Dr. Patrick Reed is Director of Cornell’s Master’s in Engineering Management Program, and in today’s episode he shares information about the on-campus and distance programs, and the kind of applicant who is right for this  program versus a traditional Master of Engineering program or MBA.

Learn about a versatile degree option that combines engineering with management- and offers a distance learning option! [Show notes]

Our guest today, Dr. Patrick Reed, got his bachelor’s in engineering at the University of Missouri and his MS and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois. Dr. Reed joined Cornell University as a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2013. He has joined me on AST, however, in his capacity as Director of Cornell’s Master’s in Engineering Management (MEM) Program. 

What is the Engineering Management Program at Cornell? Can you provide an overview of the on-campus program? [2:03]

It is a Master’s of Engineering degree that is typically one academic year but can be 1.5 years. It is a blend of engineering and management. We provide students with training in the combination of management-oriented courses, some of which come from the business school, and then specialization in various engineering disciplines. We typically get students from all around the world. Students learn about project management, product management, leadership, state of the art data analytics, decision analysis, and get lots of training in entrepreneurial opportunities and transitioning technologies to market.

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Cornell recently announced a distance learning version of the Master’s in Engineering Management program. How is that structured? [3:35]

It follows much the same motivation. We want to train individuals to have depth and breadth in terms of engineering background and skill as well as the breadth to transition those skills to an organizational or institutional context. It utilizes the eCornell format which is a professionally produced format – we have a professional studio. The curriculum is a bit more limited than the on-campus, with a mix of product management, leadership, and analytics. The core differences are that there is less diversity from a curriculum perspective since the program is not on campus, it is a part-time program that is two years versus one year, and most students in the distance program are working, further along in their careers, and doing this as part of professional development. 

What are the most significant differences between the MEM and an MBA? [6:58]

MEM is first of all an engineering degree, and what we are intending it for are individuals who have a deep understanding of the fundamentals of engineering and what they are interested in is moving into management of those technologies or products into market. So they are still involved in project management and the design phase and getting into the technical components. The MBA is a stronger focus on less technical components as opposed to marketing or the business side of things. As part of the core curriculum they have to learn about project management, take a course in organizational or institutional behavior, and one course in accounting or finance. We also have specializations so there is lots of flexibility to take more than the minimum. 

What are the academic requirements to gain admission? [9:10]

We do require an engineering degree, and in the cases of applicants outside of engineering, we accept computer science degrees or someone with a highly quantitative background like physics or applied physics. Sometimes people don’t have an undergrad degree in engineering, but have taken additional course development in mathematics to understand the engineering side of the curriculum. The GRE is also required for our on-campus admission but not for eCornell.

Do you prefer that applicants have full-time work experience? If so, how much? [10:22]

Experience through an internship or something more substantial is always a benefit. A lot of folks are junior in the on-campus program and want accelerated access to managerial roles. The way I think about admissions is that candidates are always welcome to have experience. It’s not strictly required for on campus, but for eCornell we are looking for at least 2-3 years of professional experience.

What else are you looking for in the admissions process? [11:47]

We want someone with a lot of enthusiasm, which is clear in their admissions process. We want to make sure they have the academic rigor to handle graduate level coursework and are capable of handling the 50/50 split. We spend a lot of time with applicants on a personal level. Every applicant is interviewed, as we want to get to know folks and understand their individual stories, as well as how they fit in as an individual but also within the broader cohort. It is always nice to see they know about our program and requirements and have a fairly clear idea of why they want to come. We don’t expect someone to have a super precise goal, but being able to express some of the ambitions you have for what you want to do both in the program and outside helps an applicant stand out.

<< Read: Masters in Engineering Admissions:
9 Things You Need to Do to Get Accepted >>

What if an applicant is interested but doesn’t have an engineering undergrad degree? Can she take specific classes? [13:39]

It’s not unheard of to have someone with a math or economics background and they take some more courses in mathematics, physics, and basic mechanics. A lot can be determined from a conversation with our program about the right fit since that is nontrivial. The person should want to take those classes anyway as part of their career progression.

Can you describe the application process for both programs? I noticed an SOP requirement for both and an additional writing sample requirement for the distance learning program. [14:49]

For on-campus it is a standard online graduate process, just like anyone applying to any graduate school at Cornell. It requires the GRE and a statement of purpose, that is carefully read by me. The application goes to the graduate school and then us. We begin review in January, and it’s a two-stage admissions process. I screen the applicants and nominate for a follow-on interview. We interview every candidate and then finalize the decisions.

The major difference with off campus is it is a different set of individuals we are seeking. We reach out to folks and companies. We do not require the GRE. It is helpful to read some technical documents or writing examples because it puts me in the context of where they are in terms of how they are communicating the types of problems they are considering.

Advice for the SOP: When does creative become weird? [16:57]

There is a lot of leeway. If you are thinking about how to write this essay, think of someone that has to read 400 or more of these and read them carefully. Creativity can show itself in many different ways. It is always nice to feel at the end of the essays I know a person better, have a sense of what they are excited about, and that they are conveying relevant information. Connect with the program as well. It gets weird when they paint a very creative picture of an analogy or metaphor, but I don’t know them any better at the end of it. You don’t want an ad where nobody knows what is being advertised.

Is an interview required of all admitted applicants? If not, who is invited to interview? [18:49]

On campus has a preliminary interview before admission, the second step in evaluation. It is conversational, but some of what we want them to do is a timed read on a recent topic and then talk about it to get a sense of how they think about an interesting concept. It is important for us to bring folks into the program who are going to be a good fit – there is a lot of dynamic discussion, and we need to make sure on both sides of the equation it’s a good fit.

The distance learning program folks have more experience and are more senior, so we don’t do an interview as much as reaching out and connecting to understand where they are at.

How many people are in the program? [20:57]

We have a cohort of approximately 55 for on campus. It fluctuates a bit but 55-60 is typically the cohort size. For online cohort our target is 35. Our on-campus program has been around for 30 years so there are over 800 alumni.

Do graduates have access to the larger Cornell network? [21:57]

One of my priorities when I took over directing the program in 2015 was to maximize the strength of the alumni network. We have many exciting events. At the Cornell Tech campus in NYC we had an anniversary event. It’s been amazing to see folks in all sorts of different positions. We have spent a lot of time reaching out and building mentoring and connections within the curriculum. Alumni have pitched projects on campus.

What are typical positions that grads go into? [23:04]

Going into consulting positions is very common. Product management is another. There is also a large demand for analytics. We have emphasized increasing the breadth and depth of analytics that people get trained in. People go into everything from quantitative analysis at a financial institution to online distribution, supply chain, business logistics, and on the engineering side, things like renewable energy, biomedical or something else more disciplinary. 

On campus there is an option for a joint MS/MBA. Whom is that option right for? [24:37]

There are some folks where they have the ambition of leadership or an executive position like the CTO track. People choosing this option are a bit more senior and have very specific executive or entrepreneurial plans.

Are the MEM programs STEM-certified? [25:46]

I’m not 100% certain of the classification for visa purposes but would assume so.

What question would you like to answer that I didn’t ask? [26:31]

What a day in the life of an engineering manager is like. One of the things is thinking about the new technology or new idea and trying to promote it. One fallacy you get in engineering is that a good idea just propagates itself into the world, which isn’t true. A day in the life of an engineering manager is understanding what the idea does and then navigating the complex process between the marketing and design team. They need to speak the technical and the managerial, filling a gap that exists. So essentially they’re spending their days bridging that gap.

Related links:

• Cornell’s Master’s in Engineering Management
• Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need to Know
• Accepted Admissions Consulting Services

Related shows:

• NYU Stern’s New Online Masters in Quantitative Management
• How to Launch Your Career in High Tech Product Management
• Innovative Education in NYC: All About Cornell Tech
• The Berkeley MFE: One Tough Program with Amazing Opportunities for Grads

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The post How to Get Into Cornell’s Master’s in Engineering Management Program [Episode 351] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Harvard Business School has taken the top spot away from Stanford Graduate School of Business in the Financial Times 2020 global MBA ranking. 

Although the Financial Times ranking is designed to favor non-U.S. programs, 15 of the top 25 MBA programs are based in the U.S. This result comes despite the decline in applications to U.S. MBA programs – now in its sixth straight year.

The 2020 top 5 schools have not changed since last year, although their rankings have. Following Harvard are: #2 – University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (up 2 spots); #3 – Stanford Graduate School of Business (down 2 spots); #4 – INSEAD (down 1 spot); and #5 CEIBs in Shanghai, China (unchanged). 

Volatile rankings

Financial Times global ranking methodology is based on 20 different metrics, including some that are inclined to favor non-U.S. schools. Some metrics that add to a school’s position include the percentage of students, faculty, and trustees who possess passports from a country where the school is not located, whether students and alumni worked in foreign countries, whether students had international class experience, and whether the school has a requirement to learn an additional language before graduation. 

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A new metric was added this year – Corporate Social Responsibility. This metric has a weight of 3%, and is based on the percentage of teaching hours from core courses devoted to CSR, ethics, social, and environmental issues.  

The FT’s most heavily weighted metric is salary data (40%). its use of “purchasing power parity”, or PPP  favor schools whose grads go to work in countries with lower cost of living. This hurts U.S. schools since most grads of U.S. MBA programs want to live and work in the U.S. 

The ranking does not take incoming student quality into account. GMAT and GRE scores, as well as undergraduate GPA’s, are ignored. 

<< Watch: Linda Abraham and Marco De Novellis of BusinessBecause discuss the value of MBA rankings >>

FT’s ranking is known to be volatile, which reduces its credibility because there are few year-to-year changes at schools that explain big changes in the rankings. This means that there were big winners and big losers again this year. 

Twenty-seven of the 91 returning b-schools had double-digit increases or decreases in their standings. Fully half of the MBA programs ranked by FT five years ago (39 of 78) have felt double-digit changes, and 23 of those changes have been adjustments in 20 or more spots.

Top 25 International MBA Programs

2020 Rank	School	2019 Rank	Y-O-Y Change
1	Harvard	2	+1
2	UPenn Wharton	4	+2
3	Stanford GSB	1	-2
4	INSEAD	3	-1
5	CEIBS	5	---
6	MIT Sloan	8	+2
7	London	6	-1
8	Columbia	9	+1
9	HEC Paris	19	+10
10	Chicago Booth	7	-3
11	Northwestern Kellogg	14	+3
12	UC-Berkeley Haas	10	-2
13	IESE	12	-1
14	Yale SOM	11	-3
15	Nat’l Univ. of Singapore	17	+2
16	Dartmouth Tuck	15	-1
17	Duke Fuqua	19	+3
18	Virginia Darden	23	+5
19	Cambridge Judge	16	-3
19	Hong Kong UST	18	-1
21	Oxford Said	13	-8
22	New York Stern	25	+3
23	Cornell Johnson	27	+4
24	ESADE	21	-3
25	IMD	22	-3
25	UCLA Anderson	26	+1

Do you see yourself in one of these top international programs? Find out how working one-on-one with one of our Admissions Consultants can help get you ACCEPTED!

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Related Resources:

• Navigate the MBA Application Maze: 9 Tips to Acceptance, a free guide
• Top MBA Programs Get STEM-Certified to Attract Int’l Students
• B-School Selectivity Index: Discover the Schools Where You are a Competitive Applicant

The post Financial Times Ranks Harvard as #1 in 2020 Global MBA Ranking appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Poets & Quants just released its 2019-2020 rankings of the top 100 U.S. MBA programs.

There were some minor changes in the top 10  – most prominently is Stanford GSB climbing two spots, passing Harvard Business School and UPenn Wharton, to claim the #1 position. It’s the second time in 10 years that Stanford has claimed the top slot.  

Other highlights include:

• Yale School of Management just barely broke into the top 10 by securing 10th place. 
• Purdue’s Krannert School of Management dropped 10 spots from last year, from 38th to 48th.
• Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business jumped 12 spots from 62nd place last year to 50th.
• UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management experienced a massive jump, from 94th to 71st place.

P&Q ranking methodology

P&Q’s rankings are based on the rankings of five highly-influential business publications, and are weighted based on P&Q’s assessment of each ranking’s methodology and credibility. The five included in P&Q’s ranking are U.S. News (weight of 35%), Forbes (25%), The Financial Times (15%), Businessweek (15%), and The Economist (10%). Combining the rankings in this way lessens the irregularities that are frequently seen in a given year. This allows applicants to get a better idea of a school’s overall reputation, which typically changes little from year to year.

Top 25 U.S. MBA Programs

2019 Rank	School Name	2018 Rank	Index
1	Stanford GSB	3	100.0
2	Chicago Booth	4	99.6
3	Harvard Business School	1	99.2
4	UPenn Wharton	1	98.8
5	Northwestern Kellogg	5	96.2
6	Dartmouth Tuck	9	96.1
7	MIT Sloan	6	96.0
8	Columbia Business School	7	94.8
9	UC-Berkeley Haas	8	94.4
10	Yale SOM	11	91.1
11	Virginia Darden	12	90.8
12	Michigan Ross	10	89.7
13	Cornell Johnson	13	89.6
14	Duke Fuqua	14	89.5
15	UCLA Anderson	15	88.1
16	New York Stern	16	87.6
17	Carnegie Mellon Tepper	17	84.5
18	Texas-Austin McCombs	18	82.8
19	Southern California Marshall	22	82.5
20	North Carolina Kenan-Flagler	19	82.5
21	Washington Foster	21	81.0
22	Emory Goizueta	20	80.6
23	Indiana Kelley	25	80.1
24	Georgetown McDonough	23	76.9
25	Rice Jones	24	74.6

Watch: Linda Abraham and Marco de Novellis discuss MBA rankings

Do you want to be a member of a top-tier MBA program? Explore our MBA Admissions Consulting Services and work one-on-one with an expert advisor who will help you GET ACCEPTED!

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Related Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Competitive MBA Applicant, a free guide
• Business School Selectivity Index [Can I Get Into My Dream School?]
• Highlights of Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2019 MBA Rankings

The post Poets & Quants Announces 2019-2020 MBA Rankings appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Bloomberg Businessweek released its 2019 MBA rankings this week, and the administration at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business is celebrating! Tuck rose an astonishing 17 places in this year’s ranking to take the #2 spot just under Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. This is Stanford’s second year in a row in 1st place.

Who are this year’s winners and losers?

Poets & Quants analyzed the winners and losers in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking. University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business gained 8 spots last year, and has continued on its rise, jumping another 4 places this year to end up in 5th place.

When there are winners, there are also losers. Eleven of the top 20 business schools dropped in their rank this year. The biggest loser is the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, which fell 9 spots, taking it out of the top 20, to #22.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the 2019-2020 ranking is based on data from 26,804 surveys of MBA students and alumni, as well as recruiters. Participants from each school were questioned on their goals and experiences, salary, and job placement. Businessweek also conducted interviews at business schools worldwide.

Businesweek’s Top 25 MBA Programs

2019 Rank	School	Y-O-Y Change	2018 Rank
1	Stanford GBS	---
2	Dartmouth Tuck	+17
3	Harvard	---
4	Chicago Booth	+1
5	Virginia Darden	+4
6	UPenn Wharton	-4
7	MIT Sloan	-3
8	UC-Berkeley Haas	-2
9	Columbia Business School	-2
10	Northwestern Kellogg	+2
11	Cornell Johnson	-1
12	UCLA Anderson	+5
13	NYU Stern	+5
14	Yale SOM	-3
15	Carnegie Mellon Tepper	-3
16	Washington Foster	---
17	Michigan Ross	+1
18	UNC Kenan-Flagler	+5
19	Georgetown McDonough	+1
20	Duke Fuqua	-5
21	Texas-Austin McCombs	+1
22	USC Marshall	-9
23	Emory Goizueta	+1
24	Georgia Tech Scheller	+3
25	Indiana Kelley	+3

Do you see a top MBA program in your future? Learn what these rankings mean for you and how you can secure your spot at your top choice b-school when you work one-on-one with an expert Accepted advisor. Explore our MBA Admissions Services for more information on how we can help you get ACCEPTED!

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Related Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Competitive MBA Applicant, a free guide
• Business School Selectivity Index [Can I Get Into My Dream School?]
• Big Changes in Economist 2019 MBA Ranking

The post Highlights of Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2019 MBA Rankings appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Chicago’s Booth School of Business remaining at the top of The Economist’s ranking of the world’s top MBA programs for the second year in a row is only one of a few stable things in this year’s ranking, according to the Poets & Quants website. This is the seventh time Booth has taken the top spot in The Economist ranking in the past nine years.

This year’s ranking shakeup is widespread. Nineteen of the top 100 MBA programs faced leaps or falls of at least 10 spots since last year. Seven schools have dropped out of the ranking completely, leaving room for seven new schools.

The biggest winners and losers

HEC Paris made the biggest gain in the Top 10. It jumped 10 places to #3, behind just Chicago Booth (#1) and Harvard Business School (#2).

UVA Darden (#9 in 2018) and Columbia Business School (#10 in 2018) are no longer found in the Top 10 (they’ve dropped to 16th and 15th, respectively).

University of Maryland (#81 in 2019) and Northeastern University (#82 in 2019) are no longer ranked in the Top 100.

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Why are these rankings so volatile?

The Economist looks at 21 different metrics to determine their rankings. This is the most metrics of any ranking. They place heavy emphasis on compensation and career placement, including salaries, pre-MBA versus post-MBA pay increases, and the percent of grads who find jobs through the career management center. These comprise 45% of the methodology.

The Economist also relies quite a bit on student satisfaction, which is determined by an annual survey of current MBA students and recent alumni. These survey results comprise 20% of the ranking and are composed of:

• New career opportunities (35%)
• Personal development/educational experiences (35%)
• Increasing salary (20%)
• Potential to network (10%)

The Economist’s Top 25 MBA programs

2019 Rank	School	YOY Change	2018 Rank
1	Chicago Booth	-	1
2	Harvard Business School	+1	3
3	HEC Paris	+10	13
4	Northwestern Kellogg	-2	2
5	UPenn Wharton	-1	4
6	UCLA Anderson	+2	8
7	UC Berkeley Haas	+4	11
8	Stanford GSB	-3	5
9	Michigan Ross	-2	7
10	IESE	-4	6
11	Duke Fuqua	+4	15
12	Dartmouth Tuck	-	12
13	SDA Bocconi	+11	24
14	Cornell Johnson	+6	20
15	Columbia	-5	10
16	Virginia Darden	-7	9
17	New York University Stern	-	17
18	USC Marshall	+10	28
19	MIT Sloan	-3	16
20	Washington Foster	+2	22
21	Yale SOM	-7	14
22	INSEAD	-3	19
23	Georgia Tech Scheller	+8	31
24	Warwick	-6	18
25	London Business School	+2	27

Is a top MBA program in your future? Learn what these rankings mean for you and how you can secure your spot at your top choice b-school when you work one-on-one with an expert Accepted advisor. Explore our MBA Admissions Services for more information on how we can help you get ACCEPTED.

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Related Resources:

• Are You a Competitive Applicant at Your Dream School? [The MBA Selectivity Index]
• Do MBA Rankings Matter?
• Are You a Good Fit for Your Target MBA Programs?

The post Big Changes in Economist 2019 MBA Rankings appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Forbes has released its 2019 rankings of full-time MBA programs in the U.S. and one-year programs internationally. These rankings are based on responses from more than 100 schools and 17,500 alumni around the world. Graduates’ earnings in their first five years after graduation from business school were compared to their opportunity cost, which gave Forbes a five-year MBA gain – the basis for the final rank.

The alumni survey reveals that an MBA from one of the top schools continues to be very valuable, and pays for itself in approximately four years. Alumni from the class of 2014 at the top 25 U.S. programs boosted their salaries from an average of $73,000 before their MBA to $193,000 last year. Salaries have gone up on average 10% each year since graduation.

Top 10 U.S. business schools

Rank	School	Location	5-Year MBA Gain	Years to Payback	Pre-MBA Salary	2018 Salary	Tuition	GMAT
1	Chicago Booth	Chicago, IL	$94.4K	3.9	$83K	$245K	$149K	730
2	Stanford	Palo Alto, C	$90.8K	4.2	$86K	$250K	$144K	732
3	Northwestern Kellogg	Evanston, IL	$89.6K	3.9	$76K	$215K	$150K	740
4	Harvard Business School	Boston, MA	$86.5K	4.1	$88K	$230K	$161K	730
5	Pennsylvania Wharton	Philadelphia, PA	$84.7K	4.1	$92K	$230K	$158K	732
6	Dartmouth Tuck	Hanover, NH	$82.7K	4	$84K	$233K	$153K	720
7	Columbia Business School	New York, NY	$80.9K	4.1	$82K	$230K	$160K	740
8	MIT Sloan	Cambridge, MA	$80.9K	4.1	$80K	$215K	$154K	730
9	Cornell Johnson	Ithaca, NY	$78.3K	4	$68K	$195K	$142K	700
10	Michigan Ross	Ann Arbor, MI	$78K	3.9	$72K	$180K	$140K	720

Top 10 one-year international programs

Rank	School	Location	5-Year MBA Gain	Years to Payback	Pre-MBA Salary	2018 Salary	Tuition	GMAT
1	IMD	Lausanne, Switzerland	$168.9K	2.7	$82K	$200K	$85K	680
2	INSEAD	Fountainebleau, France; Singapore	$154.7K	2.6	$79K	$195K	$90K	710
3	Cambridge Judge	Cambridge, United Kingdom	$153K	2.4	$67K	$183K	$65K	700
4	SDA Bocconi	Milan, Italy	$135.5K	2.5	$60K	$165K	$57K	665
5	Oxford Said	Oxford, United Kingdom	$127.3K	2.8	$76K	$177K	$71K	690
6	IE Business School	Madrid, Spain	$104.3K	3.2	$58K	$149K	$79K	686
7	Indian School of Business	Hyderabad, India	$90.5K	2.4	$15K	$62K	$37K	710
8	Warwick	Coventry, United Kingdom	$83.8K	2.9	$53K	$139K	$48K	660
9	Mannheim	Mannheim, Germany	$83K	3	$51K	$125K	$42K	680
10	ESMT Berlin	Berlin, Germany	$86.2K	3.4	$49K	$118K	$49K	650

Do you need help choosing the best business school for you? Get matched with an Accepted advisor today who will guide you through the process of finding, applying to, and getting accepted to the ideal MBA program for you. Explore our MBA Admissions Consulting for more information.

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Related Resources:

• Navigate the MBA Application Maze: 9 Tips to Acceptance, a free guide
• A Conversation About Today’s MBA Marketplace, a podcast episode
• Do MBA Rankings Matter?

The post Forbes 2019 Best Business Schools: Booth Tops the List appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

AIGAC (the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants) recently released their 2019 MBA Applicant Survey, which substantiates the idea that today’s applicants continue to consider human interaction to be a competitive advantage. More and more, applicants see the importance of talking to current MBA students when selecting schools and making decisions. Current applicants continue to view growing in their careers as a priority, but not at the expense of making a positive impact on the world.

Additional survey findings include:

• Applicants applied to more schools this year: 4.5 schools this year compared to 3.8 last year.
• Due to the standardization of letters of recommendation, fewer candidates are being asked to write their own letters of recommendation.
• Working with an admissions consultant boosts self-awareness and improves communication skills prior to entering an MBA program.
• Selected social media outlets are being used more by applicants. More than 50% of applicants used LinkedIn as part of their school research this year. The use of Instagram increased from 19% last year to 25% this year.
• Female applicants expressed that schools got to know them less well than did males. With a score of 5 representing a school that got to know them best, females rated schools at 3.07 while males rated them at 3.20.
• The schools that ranked highest in getting to know applicants are:

1. 1. Vanderbilt University – Owen Graduate School of Management
   2. Cornell University – Johnson Graduate School of Management
   3. UVA – Darden School of Business
   4. Dartmouth College – Tuck School of Business
   5. UNC – Kenan-Flagler Business School
   6. Duke University – Fuqua School of Business
   7. Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper School of Business
   8. Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management
   9. UT Austin – McCombs School of Business
   10. Georgetown University – McDonough School of Business

The survey was completed by almost 1,000 applicants between March 16 and April 7, 2019. Of these, 778 applied to at least one school. Females made up 37% of the respondents. 58% of survey respondents reside outside the U.S.

Are you applying to a top MBA program? Not sure what your next step should be? Explore our MBA Admissions Consulting Services and work one-on-one with an expert advisor who will help you get ACCEPTED.

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Related Resources:

• Choosing an MBA Admissions Consultant, a free guide
• MBA Selectivity Index, discover the schools where you are competitive
• How Can an Accepted MBA Admissions Consultant Help You?

The post AIGAC 2019 MBA Applicant Survey Results Released appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Times Higher Education (THE) in partnership with the Wall Street Journal recently released its analyzed reams of data about graduate management education and produced a ranking of “high-achieving global MBA programs.”

The study ranked the programs in 20 separate performance indicators, leading to an aggregate score indicating the strength of each program and school. These scores were then combined into the following 4 scores, called pillars, shown below with their weights:

• Resources – Faculty per student: 11%; Teaching qualifications: 6%; Career support staff per student: 4%; Career support effectiveness: 4%
• Engagement – Learning engagement: 5%; Interaction with teachers and students: 5%; Student recommendation: 5%; Real-world relevance: 5%; Research in teaching: 5%
• Outcomes – Salary difference: 12%; Network: 12%; Social good: 5%; Entrepreneurship: 5%; Opportunities: 5%; Worth: 5%
• Environment – International students: 4%; Female students: 3%; International staff: 2%; Economic diversity: 2%

Top 10 Two-Year MBA Programs

Rank	University	Country	Resources	Engagement	Outcomes	Environment	Overall
1	Stanford Graduate School of Business	United States	79.1	94.1	91	40.4	82.7
2	Cornell University: Johnson	United States	85.6	92.1	83.3	39.8	80.9
3	Vanderbilt University: Owen	United States	85.4	93.1	89.1	18.6	80.7
4	University of Chicago: Booth	United States	74.4	94.2	86.9	37	79.6
5	Duke University: Fuqua	United States	71.5	92.7	85	34.1	77.5
6	University of Virginia: Darden	United States	67.1	93.5	88.6	28.7	77.3
6	Yale School of Management	United States	67.1	93	85.1	40.9	77.3
8	Carnegie Mellon: Tepper	United States	73.3	91.9	77.9	26.7	74.1
9	Purdue University: Krannert	United States	53.1	89.8	82.2	54.7	73.5
10	China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)	China	67.5	86.9	76.7	45.7	73.2

Analysis of the Rankings

You probably noticed that there are prominent names missing from the THE/WSJ top 20: Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT, INSEAD, LBS, and UCLA to name a few. These schools declined to participate. In fact, the global MBA rankings only include 54 schools, which reduces its value automatically.

In addition, the THE/WSJ ranking produces results that make me question their credibility. (The basic problem with rankings is that if they don’t match our preconceived notions, credibility is lacking. And if they are credible and congruent with common knowledge and opinion, what’s the value in the rankings? Strengthening confirmation bias?)

However, for a scathing and thorough critique of these rankings, I will point you to Poets and Quants’ John’s Byrne, who wrote “The Wall Street Journal’s ‘Where’s Waldo?’ MBA Ranking.”

Do you need help choosing the right MBA program? Work one-on-one with one of Accepted’s expert advisors to select the best programs for you, build a personalized MBA strategy, and create an application that will get you ACCEPTED. Learn more about our services here.

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Related Resources:

• Navigate the MBA Application Maze: 9 Tips to Acceptance, a free guide
• B-School Selectivity Index: Discover the Schools Where You are a Competitive Applicant
• 3 Ways to Determine Which B-Schools Are a Good Fit for You

The post Times Higher Education (THE) Unveils Its Long-Awaited Best Global MBA Programs appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

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Interview with Cornell Tech’s Dean Matthew D’Amore and Admissions Director Dr. Raymond Lutzky [Show Summary]

The Cornell Tech campus and programs on Roosevelt Island in New York City have INNOVATIVE stamped on them. Hear from Dean Matt D’Amore and Admissions Director Dr. Ray Lutzky about the inception of the program, the innovative degrees currently being offered, how to get in, and what the future holds for Cornell Tech’s lucky students and graduates.

Get to Know Cornell Tech [Show Notes]

Our guests today are Dean Matt D’Amore, Associate Dean at Cornell Tech and Professor of Practice, Cornell Tech and Cornell Law; and Dr. Ray Lutzky, Senior Director of Enrollment and Admissions at Cornell Tech. Since they both have bios and resumes longer than my arm, I’m going to do away with the details and simply welcome them.

Dean D’Amore: Can you give a little background or brief history about Cornell Tech? [2:10]

Cornell Tech grew out of a 2011 competition from Mayor Bloomberg, who wanted to incentivize a first-class technical campus in NYC, and solicited bids from major academic institutions. Seven or eight schools ultimately submitted bids, including Columbia, NYU, MIT and Stanford, and Cornell won out in a joint bid with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. We were awarded land to build a campus and started from there. The academic curriculum is a combination of seven masters programs and a small PhD program with applied sciences in technical areas.

Normally I ask for an overview of the one or two programs my podcast guest represents. However, you both work with seven masters programs and several PhD programs. We’re going to focus this episode on the master’s options: Johnson Cornell Tech MBA, MS of Engineering in Computer Science, MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Master’s In Operations Research and Info Engineering, LLM in Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Technion-Cornell Dual Master’s Degrees in Connective Media, and the Technion-Cornell dual Master’s Degrees in Health Tech. I’m going to suggest that we not get an overview of each program and I’m going to ask what these very different programs have in common. What makes them Cornell Tech programs? [4:06]

Studio is what ties all the programs together. The Studio curriculum is 1/3 of all our one-year programs. It is a cohesive interdisciplinary program based around product development and the basics of figuring out whether to launch a company, how to launch a company, and provides students with the basic skills and insights to help them decide if they want to found a startup when they graduate as well as the tools to do so.

It sounds like Cornell Tech is very entrepreneurially-focused. Do established companies want graduates from Cornell Tech? Or is it a mix? [6:01]

We’ve been experimenting and looking at ways of working with established companies in addition to startups. With the studio program, part of our mission is to inspire and help students to spin out companies, and we have done 40-50 companies in the past five years. We also have curriculum that’s built around established companies, where practitioners come to campus and ask questions like, “How might we bring banking services to rural areas?” “How might we better educate people about retirement options?” All one-year students do Product Studio in the fall with faculty, practitioners, and sponsor companies to work on broad challenges to come up with a product. In the spring students have two studios to choose from, either Start Up Studio or “Big Co” Studio. Start Up Studio is focused on figuring out how to build a company. “Big Co” Studio students typically at least short term work at Amazon, Google, banks, other tech companies, and we want to be able to teach them about how to innovate within the big company environment.

Fall studio is a matching program based on a bidding system and area of interest so we don’t have all computer science students on one project – they are matched on interest and program. In the spring it is a bit more ad hoc. Students are encouraged to form teams, but there is a push to be interdisciplinary since that is what teams are like in the real world.

Dr. Lutzky, What are the qualities you seek in applicants? An Applicant to the LLM program and the operations research program bring very different skills, training and background. What makes for a successful Cornell Tech student? [12:16]

It is an iterative process and we look at a lot of data. A key characteristic we want people to have is a “build stuff that matters” imperative, those who want to create an impact beyond the strong technical skills of a math background or a practicing attorney in the law program, for example. We want students who can survive and thrive in the interdisciplinary format as we are challenging the paradigm of being in a graduate program.

We look for fit above all else. This school values fit more than other institutions, I think, and almost all students are interviewed and assessed on fit. We want students with a strong tech background and a strong academic transcript, but we often find we need to interrogate more. For some of our programs we offer a technical assessment, and we also assess teamwork, leadership, and whether or not applicants have learned things about themselves in the process. If a student does everything on their own or is pulling more weight than others in a team that is not a good fit.

How do you discover these qualities let’s say in the Cornell Tech MBA, whose R3 and last deadline for this cycle is Jan 3? [15:09]

This is the oldest program at Cornell Tech and one of the most exciting in my opinion. It’s a year-long program, and students spend 10 weeks in Ithaca and the rest of the time at Cornell Tech, but there are different characteristics of the application process than for our traditional MBA program offerings. We ask for a creativity statement as opposed to a personal statement. We ask applicants to pay close attention to the question being asked! For those offered interviews in person or via video we do a case, and while we are looking for excitement about the topic, more importantly we are looking at critical thinking skills and to better understand how the applicant dissects a problem and uses resources to come up with a solution. On top of that, having the right skills and work experience is important – students tend to be a bit older, with an average age of 29 – but then again we look at cultural fit. In a one year accelerated program they need to have a good sense of what they want to do so they can start their job search in earnest shortly after starting the program.

Dean D’Amore, Cornell Tech has an LLM program in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. I can see how that fits with Cornell Tech’s mission, but wouldn’t an LLM in Intellectual Property be enough? What is distinctive about this LLM program? [17:26]

A number of schools offer an LLM in IP, but IP is really just one part of what lawyers for tech companies and emerging growth tech companies need to know. Focusing narrowly on IP wouldn’t get our students where we want them to be. We have a great IP professor who teaches IP and an Internet Law class, we have classes on high growth corporate transactions, which don’t involve IP at all except to figure out how much IP is worth, how to value a company, set it up right from the beginning, and get to a point of steady state. Helping students understand corporate lifecycle is really important to what we are trying to do. It’s a very focused, applied kind of program where we are giving students the toolkit to know what agreements look like, how to draft them, and have the opportunity to look at other types of law they might be interested in. We’ve also worked on courses for general applicability. Digital Health Law, for example, is really important.

We are looking for students who want to do a deep dive in technology, business, and innovation that is specialized but where we will get the full set of tools to succeed in that career path, and not everyone wants that, but students who do I think will be really happy here.

What advice would you give to applicants? [23:50]

Dr. Lutzky: I would say it’s very clear when an applicant is very passionate about what we do. When applying, doing the research is very important. Don’t contact the admissions office just to ingratiate yourself. If you want to engage do so in a meaningful way that adds value to your understanding of the program. With the exception of the Master of Law and MBA programs, a strong background in tech is expected. No one is coming in to switch careers and the level of instruction is so high it is to reinforce what they want in their careers and move along in that direction. While we request several traditional things like the GRE, transcript, and recommendation letters, fit truly is the most important thing. Applicants self-select between engineering degrees here and those in Ithaca because they are in fact quite different.

Dean D’Amore: I will add a little gloss for the LLM programs. We want folks who deepen their area of expertise in the field of tech law and want to serve the vibrant community in NYC. Not everyone who applies is strong in all those areas. We have very strong lawyers who don’t have that much experience in tech. Those students apply because they want to deepen their experience in technology. We have people who are deep in tech knowledge but need to brush up on law. You need to come in with demonstrated interest in technology, great legal skills, and be able to demonstrate to us you can achieve what you want in that time. I will say there are a few more degrees of freedom in LLM.

Roughly, what percentage of students founded startups at graduation and what percentage go to more established companies? [29:24]

One of the things we are most proud of is our outcomes. We’ve had a nearly 100% placement rate every year, which results from a combination of the startup piece, dedicated career management team, and faculty in LLM that are helpful with placements. About one out of every six students spins out. We also offer four awards of $100K to spin out, which is somewhat like an incubation model. Most of our students are looking for fulltime employment, and starting in the fall we are curating that experience for them. We call them “Anti Career Fairs” because students have schedules curated for them based on vetting by the career management team. We also infiltrate global tech hubs, and there are tenant companies – Citigroup has a hedge fund, and Ferrero Roche, for example. Bottom line we are driven by our placement rate because we are determined to have economic impact and build stuff that matters. You will continue to see strong placements and improvements like Accenture, Google, and one startup was recently acquired by Adobe. Stay tuned for more! We also have a wonderful partnership with Mastercard – they send people here for the exact purpose to bring them back to the organization and innovate within the context of a large company.

Any plans to add additional masters or PhD programs to your menu? Perhaps a data analytics masters? [33:46]

Dr. Lutzky: We do have many things on the drawing board, and have no shortage of good ideas, but we are looking into some things around “built environments,” as well as technology and infrastructure in cities. A lot of faculty are interested to go in this direction because it connects what we are already doing in engineering, big data, analytics and social impact.

Dean D’Amore: You may also see additional joint programs in the future. All of our programs have a home department in Ithaca. We are looking at things like a JD/MBA or two year MBA with one year here and one year in Ithaca.

We also have a great relationship with Technion in Haifa, Israel, and we deliver two dual degrees already. The partnership is solidified through the Jacobs Technion Cornell Institute, which focuses on research, entrepreneurship, and faculty collaboration between our two great institutions.

What would you have liked me to ask you? [36:52]

Dean D’Amore: We didn’t touch on our alumni piece. If you graduate from law school you have a great network of lawyers. If you graduate from a particular undergrad program you have a great network of people in your discipline. Here your alumni group is your cohort of lawyers, engineers, computer scientists, business folks, entrepreneurs, future investors, innovators, information science folks, so you have a depth of network from the day you graduate that can advance your career in hopefully productive ways. The ability to network across disciplines gets magnified when you look at the alumni community.

Dr. Lutzky: It is not often the city of New York gives you 12 acres to build something cool. I am biased, of course, but I think it is one of the coolest campuses in the world. Our students and faculty live here, and we have only built on 5 of the 12 acres so far. Anybody coming to New York needs to come to Roosevelt Island to see what we have created. It is an incredible environment for our graduate students.

Related Links:

• Cornell Tech
• Accepted Admissions Consulting Services
• Cornell Tech Launches Campus on Roosevelt Island
• Cornell Johnson MBA Essay Tips

Related Shows:

• What’s New at INSEAD
• Do You Fit With Cornell Johnson?
• Focus on Fit

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The post Innovative Education in NYC: All About Cornell Tech [Episode 289] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.