• 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.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Become a part of Accepted’s social media network and stay up-to-date on the latest admissions events and news. Follow Accepted.com on Twitter and Like us on Facebook now!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

To review the entire dicussion, please read the full transcript or download the MP3.

Here is an excerpt from the Q&A that we found particularly illuminating:

Linda Abraham: The next question is, “How important is it that I rank my schools on the Consortium application?”

Karen Marks DARTMOUTH: It makes no difference; it’s not a factor in admissions decisions. It comes into play during the fellowship component, but in terms of your admissions decision, it doesn’t play in at all.

Jon Fuller MICHIGAN: When the Admissions Committee gets an application, the rank list is electronically blacked out, and that is not actually released until we’ve already made our admissions decisions. That is just our own internal process for that. So just as it was mentioned, the ranking plays no factor in admissions decision or in membership; it really only comes up from a fellowship perspective.

Shana Basnight EMORY: I would just advise that you do your due diligence before you lock in your ratings because once you do, they are set in stone and you can’t change them. So whether you get a chance to visit different campuses or talk to different alums that have attended different schools, do as much research as you can before you completely drop the Consortium application and put in your rankings because you only have one chance to do them.

Jon Fuller MICHIGAN: I think candidates spend some time thinking about whether there is a way to increase the likelihood of them getting a fellowship by how they rank a school, and there is  a lot of agony that goes into that. The advice I give to candidates is that if Ross is your first choice, then you should rank us first. If another school is your first choice and we’re your second choice, then you should put us second and you should put that other school first. Because just as it was mentioned, it’s an individual decision based on the school; it just goes down the rank order of the process that is explained relatively well through the

Consortium documentation that is available on their website. But don’t try to over-think because it just doesn’t work. So rank the order in terms of your enthusiasm of how much you want to attend that particular program.

Rebecca Dockery CONSORTIUM: I’m going to give you an Amen!

Jon Fuller MICHIGAN: Thank you!

Kellee Scott USC: Just to add a little more relief hopefully to this effort with the rankings, the process is that you are only allowed to hold one fellowship that you can call Consortium, but that doesn’t stop other schools from offering you school based scholarships if you qualify for them. So the rankings may say that you are only allowed to get one scholarship that is called Consortium, but if school #3 and #4 really want you, that doesn’t stop them from offering you aid outside of the Consortium scholarship, or offering you any kind of merit based money outside of the Consortium scholarship. So you are not limited in this process; the rankings do not limit you in any way.

View the full Q&A transcript or listen to the mp3 recording of the event now!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

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.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

UNC Kenan Flagler 2011 MBA Essay Questions

Some applicants seek the MBA as a career enhancing tool to accelerate advancement in their current field. Career switchers want the MBA to help launch new career paths. UNC Kenan-Flagler recognizes each of these motivations as legitimate reasons to pursue the MBA, and we encourage both types of candidates to apply.

UNC Kenan-Flagler encourages you to assess your known talents and potential skills, understand your personal style, and confirm your values and interests. If you do this prior to beginning your MBA studies, you will be better equipped to navigate the many options the MBA program will provide. There is not enough time to do all the activities and take all the courses that will be available to you. It is important, therefore, to make your choices based on your own development plan. Think of the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA application as a first step toward uncovering the unique attributes and goals that will inform your development plan. Please be thoughtful and reflective in your answer

Essay One (Required)

What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)

Rather than list Strength 1, Strength 2, and Strength 3, I recommend you start with an anecdote that illustrates ideally 2-3 or your strengths and then analyze how they have contributed to your career success. Remember to describe your achievement in terms of impact and to quantify as much as possible. Another approach: Describe the accomplishment anecdotally and then go into the characteristics that contributed to it.

In both cases, also include a paragraph about a trait that you would like to use in future projects and successes.

Essay Two (Required)

Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)

What do you see yourself doing immediately upon graduation and what would you like to do ten years from now? Describe why this path attracts you. What experiences have convinced you to pursue it? Why do you need an MBA, especially one with UNC’s approach to business education, to proceed down your chosen path.

Essay Three (Required)

What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)

Everyone has a story. What’s yours? What makes you unique? What hobbies and experiences will differentiate you from the IT guy, consultant, real estate developer, or banker that the adcom just read about? How will your perspective contribute to the classroom and community at Kenan-Flagler?

Essay Four (Optional)

If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)

This is pretty straightforward. Just answer it. You may also want to highlight professional preparation that you have already had in quantitative areas.

Essay Five (Optional)

Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)

My favorite: The optional essay. A gift allowing you to give the adcom one more reason to admit you.

If you would like help with UNC’s Kenan-Flagler essays, please consider Accepted.com’s MBA admissions consulting and editing services or our UNC Kenan Flagler School Packages. All non-rushMBA essay serviceschool packageare 10% OFF with our Early Bird Special. End July 31.

UNC Kenan Flagler 2011 MBA Deadline

* Requests for admissions decisions before the decision release dates cannot be granted. You are urged to apply early and to submit the personal information and resume portion of the application. UNC Kenan-Flagler’s class size is small, and admission is very competitive.

The admissions office must also receive official GMAT or GRE (if applicable) and TOEFL scores by the application deadline in order to consider your application in that cycle.

Decisions are also posted online by 5 p.m. on the decision mailing dates.

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

Yes, the rest of the country is still plagued and angered by unemployment rates and bank bailouts, but b-school students are beginning to see the “light at the end of what is now a pretty short tunnel,” as Tracy Handler, a spokeswoman for the MBA Career Services Council, puts it.

For example, 20% more banks interviewed at UVA Darden this year than last, and so far, job offers from banks to Darden students have risen 33%. At Duke’s Fugua, investment banking internship offerings have doubled since last year, more banks are interviewing at Duke, and more students are attending the Wall Street field trip. UNC Kenan-Flagler has seen a 67% increase in investment bankers visiting the campus this year.

Jeff Fischer, Kenan-Flagler director of career management, explains the b-school job market well: “The MBA population is like the end of a whip. When cycles swing up and down, students are the ones who swing up and down the most in terms of employment.”

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• GMAC: MBA Employers Express Job Market Optimism
• Good News for MBAs: Job Opportunities Abound!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Fortunately, assuming the FT is correct in its allegations, top MBA programs are addressing these criticisms and are cleaning up their acts. B-schools are tweaking their curriculums—with some changes as major as adding new classes—to transmit to their students lessons of the financial crisis. Classes on ethics and the history of financial crises are some of the new offerings at now conscientious b-schools.

Jake Cohen, dean of the MBA program at Insead explains how the economic crisis is achieving a goal otherwise overlooked in the past: the bridging of private and public sectors. Teaching MBA students about the impact of the public sector and its relationship with the private sector is now an integral learning point for current MBAs.

Harvard Business School is an example of an institution that is taking specific measures to educate its MBA students about the impact of the financial crisis. HBS has added new courses, including “The Evolution of the US Financial System” and “Managing the Modern Financial Firm.” Risk management, until now, has been a relatively undervalued focus in an MBA course of study.

Anderson School of Management at UCLA is also making significant changes to its syllabi. A first-year finance class that used to focus on stocks and bonds now includes discussions on credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligations, and mortgage-backed securities.

Kenan Flagler’s Dean James Dean is taking a more conservative approach. He explains:

“We don’t want to make knee-jerk changes, we want to be thoughtful about it. It would be a bad mistake to throw out some of the fundamentals for something that looks important now but will not be as important three or four years from now.”

I think we can all agree with Dean in hoping that these crisis-related objectives will be irrelevant in a few years.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

The chat will take place in the Accepted chat room.

During Accepted’s most recent MBA admissions chat, we hosted a busy event with the Consortium. Here are a few excerpts from the transcript.

Linda Abraham (Oct 20, 2009 7:05:14 PM)
To all the school reps, does the applicant ranking influence the evaluation of the application?

WendyHuberUVA (Oct 20, 2009 7:06:22 PM)
Linda, applicants should apply as if the schools do not see the ranking. Rankings are only looked at when we are deciding fellowships, they are not used in the admission decision.

JacquelynnDayROCHESTER (Oct 20, 2009 7:09:08 PM)
Linda: While we do consider an individual’s rankings, we look at the application as a whole, therefore we encourage students to focus on submitting an overall competitive application

RTorres (Oct 20, 2009 7:05:50 PM)
What happens with applicants that apply to the Consortium and to the specific MBA programs at schools when they are not accepted into the fellowship? How are their MBA applications handled? Are they still considered by the schools?

ErinNicklesburgWISCONSIN (Oct 20, 2009 7:07:59 PM)
RTorres: Each applicant is evaluated independently by each school in terms of both admission and Fellowship decision. An offer of admission does not indicate a guaranteed Fellowship offer, as they are separate. The admission offer will stand regardless of the Fellowship offer. If a Fellowship offer is not given, the applicant will go into the general merit-based aid pool.

AmyPR (Oct 20, 2009 7:12:34 PM)
What is the difference between the November application date and the January application date? Do chances of acceptance increase one date vs. the other?

LaurieShunneyCORNELL (Oct 20, 2009 7:15:21 PM)
AmyPR- Competitiveness for admission and scholarship may increase in later rounds. In general, we recommend submitting the strongest application possible. If you are prepared to apply during the November round, it may help.

By Linda Abraham, founder and president of Accepted.com.

My comments are in red. The essay questions are identical to last year’s, as are my comments, with the exception of one new question for essay 4.

Some applicants seek the MBA as a career enhancing tool to accelerate advancement in their current field. Career switchers want the MBA to help launch new career paths. UNC Kenan-Flagler recognizes each of these motivations as legitimate reasons to pursue the MBA, and we encourage both types of candidates to apply.

UNC Kenan-Flagler encourages you to assess your known talents and potential skills, understand your personal style, and confirm your values and interests. If you do this prior to beginning your MBA studies, you will be better equipped to navigate the many options the MBA program will provide. There is not enough time to do all the activities and take all the courses that will be available to you. It is important, therefore, to make your choices based on your own development plan. Think of the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA application as a first step toward uncovering the unique attributes and goals that will inform your development plan. Please be thoughtful and reflective in your answers.

Essay One (Required)

What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? Do you have other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)

Rather than list Strength 1, Strength 2, and Strength 3, I recommend you start with an anecdote that illustrates ideally 2-3 or your strengths and then analyze how they have contributed to your career success. Remember to describe your achievement in terms of impact and quantify as much as possible. Another approach: Describe the accomplishment anecdotally and then go into the characteristics that contributed to it.

In both cases, also include a paragraph about a trait that you would like to use in future projects and successes.

Essay Two (Required)

Briefly describe the career path you intend to pursue immediately after b-school. Explain why this career option appeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at this time. (500 words maximum)

What do you see yourself doing immediately upon graduation and for the first five years after you graduate? Based on UNC’s instructions, you need to have a clear direction and goal when you arrive or you will be lost. Describe why this path attracts you. What experiences have convinced you to pursue it? Why do you need an MBA, especially one with UNC’s approach to business education, to proceed down your chosen path.

Essay Three (Required)

What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)

Everyone has a story. What’s yours? What makes you unique? What hobbies and experiences will differentiate you from the IT guy, consultant, real estate developer, or banker that the adcom just read about? How will your perspective contribute to the classroom and community at Kenan-Flagler?

Essay Four (Required)

Kenan-Flagler has five core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork. If you could add one value what would it be and why? Be sure to explain how you have lived this value.
(300 words maximum)

New Question. This excellent question gives you the chance to show what is important to you. The question is very clear. What do you value that is not listed as one of Kenan-Flager’s core values? Why do you feel it is important. And finally, when have acted — invested time and toil– as a result of this value you hold dear. Feeling and opining strongly are not enough. Action counts.

Essay Five (Optional)

If your GMAT quantitative score is low, or if you have not had coursework in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting, please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)

This is pretty straightforward. Just answer it. You may also want to highlight professional preparation that you have already had in quantitative areas.

Essay Six (Optional)

Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you in order to evaluate your candidacy?
(300 words maximum)

My favorite: The optional question. A gift allowing you to give the adcom one more reason to admit you.

If you would like help with UNC’s Kenan-Flagler essays, please consider Accepted.com’s MBA admissions consulting and editing services or our UNC Kenan Flagler Comprehensive Packages.

UNC Kenan Flagler 2010 MBA Deadlines

*Parts I and II must be received by midnight EST