Popovich Hall at USC Marshall

This post about USC’s Marshall School of Business focusing on management consulting is part of a series of interviews about top MBA programs called “MBA Career Goals and the B-Schools that Support Them.” Please subscribe to our blog to ensure that you receive all the interviews exploring the elements at each school that support career goals in finance, consulting, general management, entrepreneurship, marketing and more.

Here is the interview with USC Marshall:

What kind of background and skills do you like to see in applicants expressing interest in a career in consulting?

For a career in consulting, students do need a business background. If they want to practice in a particular industry, they need industry experience. But as a baseline, they need to understand how business operates.

What aspects of your curriculum do you feel are best suited to students who want to eventually pursue a career in management consulting?

Marshall has a considerable number of classes in management, as well as courses in financial modeling—all topics from which consultants draw knowledge and learn to formulate and apply strategy.

In addition, the school provides opportunities for students to secure consulting internships.

While the above coursework provides the foundation for a career in consulting, Marshall has also changed its curriculum to allow for more flexibility and greater choice of electives. With this variety of courses, our students tend to be very well rounded—which serves our graduates well when they act as consultants across industries. In addition, since we train our students to develop a global perspective and as mandatory part of curriculum the students visit companies in different countries via experiential learning trips–Marshall students learn to appreciate the dynamics at play in different corporate cultures. This helps our students succeed as consultants.

Which school clubs and extra-curricular events are most relevant to people interested in management consulting?

The Consulting and Strategy Club includes professional development and networking and relationship building. In addition it provides case and interview preparation.  The L & O Club (Leadership and Organization Club) is for those students who are interested in management and leadership development.  The club also is a hub for students who are interested in pursuing management rotation programs, corporate HR, and human capital or HR consulting.

Also there are clubs that pertain to certain industries.

Consulting Certification Program

In addition to the support of a dedicated career services advisor, Marshall Consulting Club’s Case Certification Program prepares candidates for case interviews.  Members receive a set of around 60 practice cases and access to a library of hundreds of additional cases from major consulting firms as well as our peer business schools, two days of mock interviews and advice and guidance through the entire interview preparation process. The process culminates with candidates interviewing with top-tier professional consultants who make a final decision on awarding the case certified status to the candidates.

High Profile Events: Global Consulting Challenge

For 10 years, USC Marshall has been hosting the Marshall MBA Global Consulting Challenge, an annual case competition that challenges the problem-solving of MBA students from the world’s leading business schools. Students get to showcase their skills and connect with executives from top companies and industry executives who assess their performance—introductions which can put our students top-of-mind for job interviews and professional opportunities.

The Global Consulting Challenge has allowed students to meet with executives from companies such as Cingular, Intel, Toyota, Twentieth-Century Fox, AT &T, Electronic Arts and Hewlett Packard.

An outgrowth of this competition is an ongoing student consulting practice that operates out of the Consulting Club.

Since management consulting is a very broad term, can you break down some of the sub-categories in the field that USC Marshall excels in?

• Information Technology
• Management and Strategy
• Operations and Supply Chain
• Energy
• Financial Services
• Human Resources and Organizational Behavior
• Pharmaceutical and Healthcare

Which management consulting firms recruit the most USC Marshall graduates?

• Deloitte
• Ernst and Young
• IBM
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers
• KPMG

What kinds of positions do your graduates focused on consulting generally go into?

Normally, our students receive offers and take positions as senior consulting associates.

Thanks to Amy Blumenthal in Media Relations at the USC Marshall School of Business for granting us this interview.

By Eliot Sloan, Accepted.com editor.  Eliot is a college writing professor specializing in the personal narrative, a journalist, writing coach, and admissions counselor. She has helped applicants gain acceptance to Ivy League schools and other top programs.

Linda Abraham: Art asks, “What strengths do you believe separate your school from some of the other MBA programs?”

Grace Kim: There are great programs out there, ours being one of them. Academically, any school that you go to, you will get a great academic education. So it’s really about fit – where do you fit culturally? What sort of experiences are you looking for as you are going to graduate school? I think that makes the difference as far as distinguishing factors from schools. Because when you go to an academic environment – a college, a graduate program – there are certain standards that everyone maintains to give you that type of education. But the other component is – what kind of network do you want to have? What type of culture? What type of experience? And that is what is unique from school to school.

So we always encourage our applicants, whether you are starting the application process or you’re thinking about schools, or even during the application process, to really go and visit the schools that you are going to apply to because that will give you a very good idea what the school is about and what the students are about. When we say teamwork and camaraderie, what are we talking about? How do people interact in class? What is the relationship between the professors and teachers? You will be able to get that kind of feeling and sense for the school when you actually visit. So we encourage our applicants to always visit the schools. Most schools have a visitation program. We certainly have one here; it’s called the Ambassador Program. Anyone can come Monday-Thursday. There is a morning class or an afternoon class, and a student will host you and take you around. They’ll give you a tour, answer any of your questions, and introduce you to the professors and other students so that you really get a feel for the school and what the unique characteristics of the school are. So we encourage you to do that. Feel free to call us any time in your application process to schedule an appointment.

You can view the full transcript or listen to the audio file here and see our blog post, USC Marshall Application Questions, Deadlines, & Tips, for more advice on how to optimize your USC Marshall application.

Still not sure if Marshall is the best b-school for you? Download Accepted’s free special report, Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One, now for valuable tips on choosing an MBA program based on your individual qualifications and experiences.

To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Popovich Hall at USC Marshall

Situated in sunny Southern California, USC’s Marshall School of Business offers its students remarkable opportunities to develop their careers in a global context. If you have questions about Marshall’s strong ties to media and entertainment, its in-depth international focus (especially in the Pacific Rim and Latin American countries), its extensive “Trojan Network” for job opportunities, and its strong entrepreneurial concentrations, then you’ll want to tune in to our Marshall Q&A with Kellee Scott, Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions. The event will take place on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:30 AM PT/1:30 PM ET/6:30 PM GMT. Join us then to learn more about how you’ll fit in to this world-class teamwork-based program!

Register now to reserve your spot for the USC Marshall MBA Q&A.

What time is that for me? Click on the link to find out the exact time for your location.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Poets and Quants (“GMAT Scores Slip At Many Top Schools”) did an analysis of the median GMAT score at the top 25 US business schools and discovered that median scores are slowly dropping. MIT Sloan, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Carnegie-Mellon’s Tepper School, North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the University of Southern California’s Marshall School all reported a 10-point drop in their median GMAT scores.

Poets and Quants analysis also reveals that a larger percentage of students were accepted to some b-schools this year than in 2010. USC’s Marshall School accepted 38% of applicants, in comparison with 22% last year, Georgetown’s McDonough School accepted 49% of its applicants, up from 42% last year, and Michigan’s Ross School accepted 32% of its applicants, up from 25% last year.

Implications for MBA applicants:

This is an excellent year to apply to business school.

While you still can’t slap together a mediocre application and expect to get accepted to a top-tier MBA program, if you know why you want an MBA and where you would like to get it, now is the time to apply. If you are competitive at your target schools, invest the time in your MBA essays, work with your recommenders, and submit for the round 2 deadlines.

You may also want to apply to an additional “reach” school or two. However, don’t get too cocky. This data does not imply that all your target programs should be “reaches” or that the GMAT no longer matters.

There is just a little less competition to enter the MBA class of 2014, especially for those not coming from super-competitive cohorts in the applicant pool.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Look no further – the MBA book of all books is here, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, written by Accepted.com founder, Linda Abraham, and editor Judy Gruen. And now, for a very limited time only (Monday, Dec. 5 – Tuesday, Dec. 6) you can purchase this must-have book for $10 OFF the cover price by using coupon code SMARTIES at checkout. That’s almost 2/3 off the list price!

In MBA Admission for Smarties you will learn how to:

• Determine “fit” with a program.
• Establish your post-MBA goals and present them in a compelling goals essay.
• Write dazzling, memorable application essays.
• Secure winning letters of recommendation.
• Optimize your MBA application resume.

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So what are you waiting for?

Be smart. Buy MBA Admission for Smarties now!

(Non-U.S. residents should buy MBA Admission for Smarties from Amazon.com where international shipping is available. Sorry – no coupon available to ship outside the U.S.)

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

This USC Marshall 2012 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access the entire series by clicking on the link.

My tips for answering Marshall’s essay questions are in blue below.

1) What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will USC Marshall help you achieve these goals? (750 words) If interested in a dual-degree program, please address in this essay.

This is a straight-forward MBA goals question. As always with this type of question, connect the dots. Let the reader see that your goals grow organically from your experience and are achievable given your experience and an MBA from Marshall.

2) How will other USC Marshall MBA students benefit from your background, experience, leadership and teamwork skills? (500 words)

What can you contribute to your class? Where at Marshall do you want to contribute. In which clubs and organizations do you want to invest your talents?

I suggest you choose 1-3 examples from your past where you contributed to your school, club, church, or company and show how the very qualities you utilized then you intend to use at Marshall. Is Social Enterprise calling your name? Then perhaps Marshall Net Impact is where you intend to have impact? Perhaps you are a vet. Can you contribute to the Marshall Military Veterans Association. How will you contribute?

3) Select three from the following and describe: (250 words each)

a) A challenging international experience
b) A personal or professional setback
c) An entrepreneur you admire
d) Your family, including any ties to USC
e) Your most significant accomplishment
f) A situation where your professional ethics were challenged

The first issue you must address when looking at #3: “Which three do you choose?” Answer: the three that, when combined with your required essays, allow you to present the most impressive, textured, and comprehensive picture of you.  Try to present experiences that are from different areas of your life.

4) Optional Essay: Please add any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider in evaluating your application. (250 words)

Please see ”The Optional Essay: To Be or Not to Be.”

For Re-Applicants:

If you applied within the past two years, please answer the following:
1) What steps have you taken to strengthen your application since your last submission? Also, please reiterate your short term & long term goals. (750 words)

2) Select two from the following and describe: (250 words each)

a) A challenging international experience
b) A personal or professional setback
c) An entrepreneur you admire
d) Your family, including any ties to USC
e) Your most significant accomplishment
f) A situation where your professional ethics were challenged

Show that you have grown since your last application. Reveal that you have addressed weaknesses. Demonstrate increased leadership. Present evidence that you have improved enormously since your last application. For more information, please see:

• Take 2: How to Reapply Right to Business School
• Re-applicants

If you would like help with your USC Marshall MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our USC Marshall Application Package which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Marshall MBA application.

USC Marshall 2012 MBA Deadlines

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

We had an excellent conversation about admissions, student life, and MBA curriculum last week with USC Marshall‘s Kellee Scott, Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions, and Ashley Dyer and Michael Fowler, Associate Directors at USC. To review, you can read the whole Marshall Q&A transcript, listen to the full audio clip online, or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes and catch as many of the MBA Admissions Q&As as you want.

Here is a particularly good section from the USC Marshall School of Business Q&A about writing the application essays:

Linda Abraham: Steve asks, “I know that it is very important for a prospective applicant to tell a good personal story about why they want to pursue an MBA, why they want to go to USC, and what they want to accomplish post-grad school. I want to know how important these types of questions are for you and how we can tell a better story.” I’m going to paraphrase that. If you can think of some of the application essays that you’ve read, without revealing particulars which might violate confidentiality, what made them memorable or forgettable?

Ashley Dyer: People who knew their story and it came together as a whole story. I think sometimes people forget that they’ve lived it, and there are large gaps when they tell their story. Have somebody read your essays to make sure your story is fluid and makes sense to somebody who hasn’t lived it. Be honest, be candid. Let us get to know you. A lot of people will try to tell us what they think we want to hear. We really want to know who you are and you only have so many essays to do that, so let us know who you are.

Kellee Scott: And I’ll add, as far as telling your story, realize that most stories are: I went to school, I got a degree, I worked a little bit, and now I’ve decided to go for my MBA. So there is a traditional story that everybody tells, but I think what really stands out is a candidate who can tell us something a little different and something that makes them pretty unique. For example, I had a particular story that still resonates with me from somebody that was pretty much coming from the typical engineering background. But in one of his essays he talked about fly fishing, which as far as I’m concerned has got to be one of the most boring things I’ve ever heard. But he told the story of why he took that up and how it helped him get close to his father which was very interesting. He even used the process of fly fishing as an analogy to the different levels of emotion he was feeling learning his father. Not everyone has to get deep like that, but again, it was an interesting story that resonated and still sticks with me. This happened about four-five years ago, and I still remember the story.

Michael Fowler: I would like to say that it is important to connect everything in your whole story. Not just coming out with: this is what I want to do. We are not looking for things to be detailed in the sense that we want to hear that in three years you’re going to be doing this, and in two years, you’re going to be doing this. But we really want to get to know you as an individual a little bit more; what your goals are and what it is that you want to do. One story in particular that I actually remember very vividly is one individual who talked about his experience going shark diving. Going shark diving is fascinating in itself, but he was really able to wrap that into what it was that he wanted to be able to do in the future. He talked about how he was really able to connect with people there who helped foster his business growth and his business acumen, and also helped him decide that business school is the right thing for him to pursue.

Kellee Scott: I would just ask yourself what you are passionate about and how that leads you to getting this MBA to follow your passion and your dreams. Everything is a business. Even when you are doing your hobbies it’s a business, so there is a way to tie it all together.

Linda Abraham: I would like to point out that “passion” is a word that is frequently used in admissions, and I’m not sure it means the same thing to admissions officers as it means to applicants. My definition of passion in admissions is “action + commitment”; it’s not just a feeling. It requires both action and commitment. So if you feel passionately about something but have done nothing, that is an emotion and it is not going to get you too far in an admissions context.

View the full Marshall Q&A transcript or listen to the mp3 recording of the event now or subscribe to the Apple iTunes MBA Admissions Podcast. If you like the podcast, please leave a 5-star review.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Situated in sunny Southern California, USC’s Marshall School of Business offers its students remarkable opportunities to develop their careers in a global context. With Marshall’s strong ties to media and entertainment, an in-depth international focus (including insights into the Pacific Rim and Latin American countries), an extensive “Trojan Network” for job opportunities, and strong entrepreneurial concentrations, you probably have lots of questions about where you’ll fit in. Join us on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/6:00 PM GMT as Kellee Scott, Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions, and other USC adcom members share their knowledge about the Marshall MBA and this teamwork-based program!

Register now to reserve your spot for the USC Marshall MBA Q&A.

What time is that for me? Click on the link to find out the exact time for your location.