Here is an excerpt from the Q&A:

Linda Abraham: Can you give, perhaps, one or two guidelines for sending in updates, letters of recommendation, attempting to visit? Is there some guideline you can give waitlisted applicants to Cornell Johnson?

Randall Sawyer: Applicants that are on the waitlist, those who call us every day, or every fifth day, or every week, that is a little much. We can get those [types of] students. That is really the quickest way to come off the waitlist with a “deny” because I have a very dedicated team here at the Johnson School, and many of the students that are on this call have interacted with them. They work very hard to bring in a great class, but taking a phone call every week or needing to call that person back is very taxing because we have 200 people on the waitlist right now. So imagine us getting 200 calls every week to just talk about the waitlist.

The best advice that I can give is to return the waitlist sheet that you have; sign it and return it so that you will stay on the waitlist. And then when something new happens in your life associated with applying to business school, send us an update by email. You can send that to your file manager. Say, “Hey, I just got promoted at work,” or “I was employer of the month,” or “I’ve just completed my finance class”; something like that – something new and noteworthy. Send that, and the file manager will add it to the file, and then when we review the waitlist, we will take a look at that.

Linda Abraham: I’m going to add something here. Every interaction that an applicant has with a school demonstrates their judgment and their character. And applicants, if you are showing a lack of judgment in terms of your interaction by wasting the school’s time, as Randall said, it is going to lead to a “deny”. What you are submitting has to be adding value and perspective and insight into your qualifications and your fit with the Cornell Johnson School.

Randall Sawyer: If I could just add to that to reaffirm your statement, in every phone call, every email, every conversation with students, we are judging you and evaluating you. So if you come across unprofessional or professional, or if you come in or call in, and are rude to my staff, we will take note of that. So understand that there are a lot of eyes on you every time that you contact the office. I don’t want that to make people afraid; I want them to use that to empower themselves to be professional, and to understand that Marcie, the receptionist out front, she and I talk every day about students that come in. And the same goes for the file managers. If someone calls up and has a fit with them, I hear that as well, so be careful.

View the full Cornell Johnson Waitlist 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.



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• Following in the trend of curriculum overhauls, Cornell Johnson will be making significant changes to its executive MBA program to allow for more elective classes. According to a Financial Times b-school new bulletin, the top EMBA program will also be ramping up its career services resources.
• Another recent Financial Times article, “Kenan-Flagler: Maximum flexibility for unconventional MBA students,” discusses the ways in which UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School has reached out to students who, in the past, have had trouble matriculating, mainly by creating an online business program known as MBA@UNC. The program will begin in July and is geared towards students “who require maximum flexibility.” This includes out-of-state or international students, people with extensive job commitments, members of the military, people with young children, and other non-conventional MBA students.
• According to “The changing face of Executive MBA,” a BusinessReviewEurope.eu article, the “EMBA is no longer about spreadsheets and business plans,” but rather “the scope of the EMBA qualification has changed dramatically thanks to the introduction of a range of new teaching techniques.” Cambridge’s Judge Business School, for example, has implemented a number of electives geared towards entrepreneurship; other programs are focusing on building a global marketplace by emphasizing cultural sensitivity and networking. Leadership, of course, is still a main focus, but schools are teaching leadership skills “in more imaginative, if not downright, quirky” ways, like with HEC Paris’s “no-holds barred” MBA boot camp run by the French navy. Warwick Business School in the UK is putting its creative touches on its MBA program by introducing students to acting and directing techniques.
• A GMAC press release reports that the number of women GMAT test takers is at an all-time high. You can download the report on women in management education here.

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Top 30 U.S. Business Schools of 2010 (2008 rankings are parenthetical.)

1. Chicago Booth (1)
2. Harvard Business School (2)
3. Wharton (4)
4. Northwestern Kellogg (3)
5. Stanford GSB (6)
6. Duke Fuqua (8)
7. Michigan Ross (5)
8. UC Berkeley Haas (10)
9. Columbia (7)
10. MIT Sloan (9)
11. UVA Darden (16)
12. Southern Methodist Cox (18)
13. Cornell Johnson (11)
14. Dartmouth Tuck (12)
15. CMU Tepper (19)
16. UNC Kenan-Flagler (17)
17. UCLA Anderson (14)
18. NYU Stern (13)
19. Indiana Kelley (15)
20. Michigan State Broad (2T)
21. Yale SOM (24)
22. Emory Goizueta (23)
23. Georgia Tech (29)
24. Notre Dame Mendoza (20)
25. Texas-Austin McCombs (21)
26. USC Marshall (25)
27. Brigham Young Marriott (22)
28. Minnesota Carlson (2T)
29. Rice Jones (NR)
30. Texas A&M Mays (NR)

Top International Business Schools

1. INSEAD (3)
2. Queen’s (1)
3. IE Business School (2)
4. ESADE (6)
5. London Business School (5)
6. Western Ontario Ivey (4)
7. IMD (7)
8. Toronto Rotman (8)
9. York Schulich (2T)
10. Cambridge Judge (2T)
11. McGill Desautels (2T)
12. IESE (9)
13. Cranfield (NR)
14. HEC Paris (2T)
15. HEC Montreal (HR)
16. Oxford Said (10)
17. Manchester (2T)
18. SDA Bocconi (NR)

BW bases its rankings on employer and student surveys, as well as what they call “intellectual capital,” or school research output. For more information on how the rankings are determined, read BW‘s “How We Rank Business Schools.”

Other articles in the report that may interest you include:

• “The Best U.S. Business Schools 2010” – This article highlights ways that business schools are dealing with the sour job market—putting a new emphasis on job placement, reaching out to alumni for job leads, using technology to connect with recruiters, and bolstering career services departments.
• “Top Global Business Schools” – Read about how the Great Recession has affected the international MBA scene, why new schools have popped up on the top 10, why students are being drawn to emerging markets, and more.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• The Rankings, a free special report on how you should interpret the rankings in your own b-school quest.
• Internationalizing the MBA, a free special report that will help you determine whether an international MBA program is right for you.

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Are you thinking about pursuing an international MBA? Check out our new special report, Internationalizing the MBA, by Accepted’s internationally-based consultant and editor, Tanis Kmetyk. (P.S. It’s free!)

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Linda Abraham: Entreman asks, “What is the core strength of Johnson? Columbia is famous for finance, Harvard for entrepreneurs, what is it when it comes to Cornell Johnson?”

Randall Sawyer: I think that we’re a great general management program. When you make your way to Cornell and to our program, you are going to end up with a great general management degree. Underneath that we have our Immersion Program which is basically our strongest and greatest differentiator from other schools. First semester you take the core, and then the second semester we “immerse” you in your program, whether it’s brand management, investment banking, managerial finance, consulting, etc. We have nine different programs. And so we are known for four major programs: consulting, investment banking, entrepreneurship, and brand. But when you come to the Johnson School, you will have nine immersions. It will allow you to really get to know the subject matter–research, theory, and practicum– of what you want to go into once you come out with your MBA. I hear from recruiters all the time that the Johnson School students are the best prepared for their summer internships, regardless of their past experience. So it’s great when we know that we can take someone coming to us from perhaps the sales space, and turn them into a brand manager over six months of academic classes, and we know that they’ll be in the running to at least get an offer at the end of the summer for that first year internship. So I think we are known for those four programs I mentioned before, but over and above that, our biggest differentiator is the Immersion Program. It’s been widely successful for us over the last ten years and recruiters and students continue to mention that as the most important factor of coming to Cornell.

Linda Abraham: I have two questions here. One is from Aritchra and one is from Anna, and they are both interested in marketing and the Immersion Program, one specifically strategic marketing. The question from Aritchra is, “What internship opportunities does Johnson provide? And could you elaborate on the clubs, societies, and the extra-curricular activities?” And Anna asks relatedly, “How could students collaborate with companies on projects considering the remote location of Cornell?” And finally, Aritchra asks if she can get in touch with some students who are participants in these extra-curricular activities.

Randall Sawyer: Sure. First off, we have more than 70 clubs here. You go online to find those clubs, and each will have a contact or two by email which you can just click on and send a note to them on whatever you’d like to know. While we have a great number of clubs, we urge students to only join 2 clubs; one professional like the Marketing Association and one personal where you can have fun. One of the people who work for me, her husband is involved in the Beer of the Month Club. Other people are in the Yacht Club down at Cayuga Lake. There are 70 of them to pick from. We don’t want you to get too involved in the clubs in the sense of all your time because of academics, info sessions, recruiting interview schedules, working on your resume, practicing cases and so forth. It’s all very busy stuff and that’s why we say to please take one that is for professional advancement and the other which is for personal advancement. And when we talk about brand as a whole with the immersion both this past year and the year prior, we had 100% placement for summer internships for our Brand Immersion students. So every single one of them had at least one offer and took an offer, and spent their summer in a corporation somewhere. So that’s a very great record, and we are very proud of that. There was one student several years ago who applied for 12 different marketing jobs. We have somewhere in the 40 companies space for the brand folks. The student applied to 12, got interviewed by 10 and got 7 internship offers from those. So it’s a dynamic where brand for us if very strong, and I think for those students who are interested in brand, you have to be looking at the Johnson School in some way, shape, or form because obviously our record speaks for itself. I don’t know of any other school that has 100% placement; I don’t really track our competitors in that space. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t, but I know that it works right here at the Johnson School so we’ll keep it the way it is.

For the entire dialogue, please view the transcript or listen to the complete audio file on our website.

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This Cornell Johnson 2011 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 at http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/tag/2011-mba-application-tips. My tips for answering Johnson‘s essay questions are in blue below.

The essay portion of your application gives you the opportunity to candidly demonstrate your attributes and your compatibility with our rich and vibrant program. We require three essays and provide the option for completing an additional (fourth) essay. All re-applicants must complete an additional essay regarding improvements in their applications. Please observe the 400 word limit for each essay.

Essays Required for All Applicants:

1) Describe your greatest professional achievement and how you added value to your organization. (400 word limit)

Your greatest achievement needs to have had impact – saving money, raising revenue, increasing prestige, adding clients/customers, or contributing to the achievement of some organizational goal.

As you answer this question, keep in mind Johnson‘s general management, team, and project orientation. I am not saying that sitting in a lab in isolation and elegantly solving a long-standing mathematical problem won’t help you at all. But I suspect that working with multiple stakeholders on a marketing plan that resulted in gang-buster sales would have more punch.

2) What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why? How will the Johnson School help you achieve this goal? (400 word limit)

Goals question. Try to choose an achievement for #1 that can be a cornerstone of your future career, demonstrate your talent for it, or at least relate to it. Doing so will save you precious words when answering the “why” of this question. You still need to discuss your reasons for your goals, but if #1 partially answers the question or provides context, then most of #2 can focus on what you want to do and why you want to attend Cornell Johnson.

3) You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please write the table of contents for the book.
Note: Approach this essay with your unique style. We value creativity and authenticity. (400 word limit)

Have a little fun with the question. You can reveal something about your youth, influential experiences or people, challenges, hobbies, interests, passions… It’s Your Life Story.

Essay Required for All Re-applicants: How did you strengthen your application since you last applied to the Johnson School?(400 word limit)

This is the key question for all MBA re-applicants. Why are you a better applicant now than you were when they rejected you last time?

Optional Essay: Complete this essay if you would like to add additional details regarding your candidacy. For instance, if you believe one or more aspects of your application (e.g., undergraduate record or test scores) do not accurately reflect your potential for success at the Johnson School. (400 word limit)

Given how little Johnson requests, I encourage you to write the optional essay. Just make sure you are submitting an informative optional essay that complements the required essays and adds to the reader’s knowledge of you and your qualifications.  If you do not have something to explain, this optional would be a great place to explore in depth a non-professional interest or commitment of yours.

If you would like help with your Johnson, application, please consider Accepted.com’s MBA admissions consulting and essay editing and specifically our Cornell Johnson School Packages.

REMINDER: Cornell Johnson’s Stacey Thomas will be Accepted’s guests at an admissions chat on October 21st at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM GMT.

Cornell Johnson 2011 MBA Application Deadlines

*Submission of your application must occur by midnight on the application deadline to receive consideration in a specific round.

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

Top MBA programs in the U.S., including Wharton and UC Berkeley Haas, have reported that they received either an equal or lower number of applications in 2010 than in 2009.

The BW article cites GMAC data and reports that “in past recessions, application volume increased as applicants sought refuge from the troubled economy in business school, only to drop again during the recovery.”

Bloomberg Businessweek surveyed 30 top full-time MBA programs. Here are some of their findings:

• 10 of the 30 b-schools reported an average decline in application volume of 6.1%. 11 schools reported an average increase of 10.2%. Nine programs did not offer any information.
• Wharton’s applications fell 9%, to 6,819.
• Haas’ application volume went down 11%, to 3,626.
• Cornell Johnson reported a 12% decrease in applications to 2,002.
• Applications are up 16% at MIT Sloan to 4,782, up 26% to 1,531 at Washington Olin, up 21% to 3,506 at Duke Fuqua, and up 5% to 9,524 at Harvard Business School.

School’s explain that certain factors other than the recession or recovery contribute to its application status. For example, Olin experienced a jump up in U.S. News rankings, from No. 22 in 2009 to No. 19 in 2010. Duke Fuqua lowered its information session prices from $200 to $50. The Foster School at the University of Washington attributes its 16% application increase to new buildings and grounds, a new website, and the “growing appeal of the Seattle area.”

Also, when schools improve their global strategies, as did Fuqua and MIT in the last year, they’re bound to experience an application increase due to more international exposure and recruiting.

According to MIT Sloan’s MBA Admissions Director Rod Garcia, “Asia is where the increase is happening.”

NOTE: A drop in application volume can make this a great year to apply to business school. Fewer applications means less competition for spots. But don’t celebrate too much and don’t be unrealistic: If schools go from accepting one in twelve applicants to one in ten (which they can now do because of the decrease in application volume), then nine out of ten students will still get rejected.

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• Michigan State University has made headlines recently in the world of college admissions news. In the last few years, MSU has prided itself on being one of the largest universities to open undergraduate and graduate programs in Dubai. Last year, however, fewer than 100 students enrolled in the MSU Dubai program, not nearly enough to cover the costs of the international program. The university lost more than $4 million on its Middle East venture. One reason for the lack of success: MSU was fully responsible for funding its program; other programs, like NYU Abu Dhabi or Texas A&M Qatar receive full funding from host local governments—student tuitions, while helpful in these cases, are not relied upon for covering costs. MSU plans to continue running it’s Dubai-based graduate program in human resources and labor relations, as well as an executive training program. (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, “Low Enrollment Led Michigan State U. to Cancel Most Programs in Dubai” and NPR, “Michigan State to Close Dubai Campus“)

• Cornell’s Johnson School establishes new China partnership, announced a recent Johnson School press release. The “[a]lliance with Peking University will enable the best of China to collaborate with Cornell’s world-class MBA students and faculty.” Cornell’s new certificate program with Peking’s Guanghua School of Management (which is identical to Cornell’s program at China’s Nanjin University) will enable Chinese students enrolled in the program to study at Cornell for one week, and to participate in a biennial conference devoted to inter-cultural and multicultural interactions. There will also be a new MBA student exchange program. “This alliance will help establish our credibility and commitment to that market as the Johnson School spreads its footprint worldwide,” said Cornel professor Ya-Ru Chen. “Students from Peking will likely be senior executives or government officials, so providing this opportunity for connection with the Johnson School and our students will offer all parties an invaluable chance for networking and global learning.”

• Another recent partnership, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education, has been established between American and Iraqi universities. Since the Saddam Hussein era Iraqi universities have struggled to rebuild their reputations as educational leaders in the Middle East. A new program run by the State Department “seeks to build on the lessons learned from past missteps and involve Iraqi universities as equal partners in their revitalization.” Four American universities (the University of Cincinnati, the University of Kentucky, Ball State University, and Oklahoma State University) have already been to Baghdad to begin work on their collaborations. Other U.S. institutions have also made strides to build links with Iraqi universities. Partnership goals include encouraging Iraqi students to study at partner universities in America, strengthening Iraqi school curriculums, enhancing higher degree programs, and running faculty training programs.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• Internationalizing the MBA
• MBA Admissions Advice for Chinese Applicants
• B-Schools Search Globally for International Students

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Read on for valuable advice!

Q: Do you have any tips for MBA applicants on how to network effectively at MBA Fairs?

Randall Sawyer, Director of MBA Admissions, Cornell’s Johnson School of Business:

1. Dedicate time to self-reflection early in the process and present a brief description of your background and goals when introducing yourself at MBA Fairs. If you provide clear information about your goals, we can provide relevant details about aspects of the program.
2. Dress professionally. Business or business casual is appropriate.
3. Relax. Fairs provide an opportunity for making a first impression, but they are mainly informational.

Suzanne Ashour, Assistant Director of MBA & MS Recruiting, Robert H. Smith School of Business:

Take the time beforehand to research the schools in attendance or that you are interested in. This way you will make good use of your time at the fair and speak to those you really want information from. Come prepared with well-thought out questions that are short and concise to allow enough time to get your answers and allow others time to speak with that representative as well.

Alison C. Goggin, Director of MBA Admissions, NYU Stern School of Business:

1. Do your homework prior to attending the fair. Find out which of your potential target schools will be present and visit their websites to gather information. The most valuable conversations between Admissions Officers and applicants occur when the applicant has some knowledge about the benefits of a school and can ask targeted questions about his or her specific interests. Develop a few questions that go beyond the website information for your target schools.
2. Take advantage of other attendees’ questions. Admissions Officers often ask the group waiting to ask a question to listen in on what they are saying. You can learn some great details about a school this way – and possibly even hear the answer to your question.
3. Be respectful of the Admissions Officer and fellow attendees’ time. If you see that your target school’s table is busy, be mindful not to take up an Admissions Officer’s time with a long list of questions. Choose your 1-2 questions carefully and then step aside to allow others to ask questions. Most Admissions Officers welcome you to stay and listen, and you can ask further questions when the group waiting gets smaller in size.

Q: Are there any specific things applicants should not do at an MBA Fair?

Randall Sawyer: Avoid interrupting conversations or acting impatiently. We focus on responding to individual questions and this may require a short wait, but it provides more valuable interactions.

Suzanne Ashour:

1. Don’t monopolize a representative at a particular school.
2. Don’t lay out your complete background and resume during a time when others are waiting to speak to that school rep as well.
3. Don’t come in casual attire; Be professional.

Alison C. Goggin: Schools’ policies on accepting applicant materials at a fair vary greatly. Before providing any potential application materials, such as a resume, ask the Admissions Officer if he or she is collecting any information from applicants.

Q: What are the elements applicants should be exploring early in their research into schools?

Randall Sawyer: Coursework and opportunities for applied learning related to your career goals, student body (size, level of engagement, diversity), overall reputation of the school in specific fields, style of instruction (case/lecture), alumni connections.

Suzanne Ashour:

1. Is it an area I am comfortable moving to/living in?
2. Length of the programs offered and do they fit into career goals?
3. Cost of the programs? (This helps to focus your time at a fair to those you can afford.)
4. Get a basic understanding of the school/program and the mission to make sure it aligns with personal goals.

Alison C. Goggin: Applicants should research their specific academic areas of interest to see what courses, student clubs, and programs the school offers in these areas. Applicants also should make note of important Admissions information, like application deadlines, the class profile, required application components, and the schools’ interview policy and process.

Q: What questions annoy you?

Randall Sawyer:

1. Why should I apply to your school? We all love our schools and we could certainly provide a list of reasons why, but the best business school for you is the one aligned with your goals.
2. What is your median GMAT? (This information is listed in the class profile.)

Suzanne Ashour: Why would I want to get an MBA?

Alison C. Goggin: In general, Admissions Officers who attend MBA Fairs are accustomed to prospective applicants having varying levels of knowledge about our MBA programs. However, any basic topics, such as application deadlines or the class profile, are covered on our websites and can be found in the materials distributed at our table.

Q: Can you recommend good next steps for after the fair?

Randall Sawyer: Send a pleasant follow-up email to admissions representatives and alumni you meet during events.

Suzanne Ashour:

1. Send an email or contact the representative of the schools you are truly interested in as a follow-up.
2. Find ways in which to interact with those schools whether it is making sure to be on the mailing/emailing lists, reading and keeping up with news about the school, attend open events if feasible.
3. Indicate you attended the fair on the application when you apply.

Alison C. Goggin: Once you have made a personal connection with and gathered more information about potential target schools, begin to narrow your list to those schools you would like to explore further. Find out how you can contact current students or student clubs at those schools to learn more about the student experience. If possible, schedule a visit to your short list of schools as this is the very best way to see how you will fit into a school’s community. Most schools have information about contacting students and visiting readily available on their MBA Admissions websites.

*****

It’s always important to heed advice from those who know what they’re talking about. Mr. Sawyer, Ms. Ashour, and Ms. Goggin are three such people. Follow their advice and not only will you present your best face at the next MBA Fair, but you’ll make the most of the event as well!

The MBA Tour will be hosting upcoming events in:

New York, February 6

Washington, D.C., February 7



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