Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Jul 2010
Affiliations: Veritas Prep
Posts: 1910
Given Kudos: 3
Re: Is there any benefit to networking with former Dean?
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17 Jun 2015, 16:53
Networking your way into business school can be a tricky road. Recognizing that in the corporate world, it's all about who you know, when it comes to acceptance into an academic program, there are some do's and don'ts. If you are friendly with the Dean, it is certainly fine to meet with them to explore what they think are good qualities to highlight, what they see as desirable traits for successful applicants, etc., but I would stop way short of asking for a favor specifically regarding your admission. The truth is, the Dean will likely have some positive influence, but your visit with him or her is essentially asking for their endorsement implicitly, so there is no need to be direct. My guess is, if you know the dean of the school, you will benefit from an admissions perspective. Regarding networking with alumni, especially prominent alumni, you should be careful here because you never want to do anything that the adcoms would regard as taking advantage or trying to seek an extra advantage that the typical applicant doesn't have. Can successful alumni (aka donors) have an influence on your admission? You bet they can. The key is in their endorsement coming unsolicited from you (or at least seemingly so). Don't ever have an alumnus or alumna write a letter of recommendation that seems in any way that you arranged it. Best case would be for these folks to reach out to the dean or admissions director personally to explain they "understand" you are applying and because they know you well, wanted to express their endorsements. If you can pull this off without making it seem like you are pulling strings, you could benefit again.