Re: Johns Hopkins Carey 2012 - Calling All Applicants
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04 Apr 2012, 08:01
Waaaayyy too quiet.
I wanted to share some of my thoughts on a recent campus visit. It was an informal visit with Mary Somers, who has been my admissions contact. First, the neighborhood... the East Harbor is very swanky. I've never spent any real time in Baltimore, and was pretty surprised by the area. I'd imagine it's probably one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Baltimore. It was a mix of high-end condos, corporate centers, and restaurants/supermarkets (whole foods). The Carey building itself is beautiful. They have a long term rental agreement with the people at Legg Mason. The facility was beautiful and very well kept... clean, professional security, hardwood floors ... ok, who cares? right, I'm just saying, it was well put together.
I've taken classes at Wharton, and the teaching facilities are similar. Classrooms are classrooms. I didn't see everything, but the place didn't seem huge, which is expected considering the much smaller class size compared to other MBA programs. If they grew, perhaps they could just rent another floor in the building??? Seems reasonable. I chatted with a few students, and they seemed great. I'm not one of these people who will draw huge conclusions from a single school visit (like, I meet one person who does X, and all of a sudden the school is strong in X in my mind... or I see some shortcoming, and that somehow represents a larger, systemic shortcoming... you hear that crap all the time... Power your "studies" people!).
The meeting went well. Ms Somers was wonderful. She was patient with my questions, and candid about the program and my chances of acceptance - without being TOO candid. It would have been nice to have done a kind of half-day thing where you sit in on a class, and perhaps meet with a student (as I'd done at other schools), but I didn't ask after this option either, so perhaps it is offered but I just missed it...
The next day I was in DC, and because I'm applying for a PT DC MBA program, I thought I'd visit the facilities. Oddly, I walked away from both the DC and Baltimore facilities with similar thoughts. Small, but sufficient, and situated in beautiful neighborhoods. The DC program is actually located in the same building complex as one of the SAIS buildings. To me this was a vote of confidence, as the SAIS program is so highly regarded. Integrating the schools physically, intellectually, etc., would help Carey get its footing there and strengthen the opportunities available to SAIS students. In fact, when I walked through the Carey building, I ran into some SAIS students, so there is some informal cross-pollination between those programs. SAIS has some interesting and high-profile MBA/MA partnerships with Wharton, Tuck and INSEAD. They really need to open up this to Carey as well (and conversely, let Carey students apply for a dual MBA/MA with SAIS). While, yes, Wharton, Tuck and INSEAD are very strong MBA programs, with whom probably most SAIS students would pursue MBAs with if given the opportunity, I think a number would probably choose Carey for - certainly - the program, but also for the convenience. Students don't love moving all of their stuff every year or two just to chase another graduate school degree. Some will want to be in DC for a year or two and then at Wharton in Philly for a year or two... but many just won't want to bother with all that and, if allowed, just sit for the MBA with Carey in DC. Who knows.
Annnnyyywwwayyy... as I was saying, the DC facilities were fine. Small, but - again - it's a small program. And because admin is in Baltimore, there is essentially only need for classroom space. It was exciting to see the Hopkins presence in DC. I guess its biggest competitor in that market is Georgetown, but I think they will overshadow this program quickly if they expand the Carey school in DC, and - more generally - as the Carey name is more known along the east coast.
So, all in all, a good two days. I will hear from admissions in a few weeks. Fingers crossed! If I got in, I'd certainly attend. I was very impressed - especially considering the program just launched its full-time MBA. I've visited about half of the top-10 MBA programs, and I thought this one - while certainly on a different level in the development of their program - stacked up very well. Very polished. Very professional. Lots of energy. They seem to be working hard and doing what they need to bolster the program and move it forward. I'd say, expect big things.
@sawtooth - I'd apply. Your decent GRE, previous master's from an interesting international program, and your international experience would - I think - make you a strong candidate. The one thing you left out was GPA. If that is strong in undergrad and grad, I'd say go for it.
@flamenco2007 et al. - I agree that people who want to go into banking and consulting should also certainly consider Carey. I was just trying to get at the fact that 50% of Columbia MBAs go into finance. Another large percentage into business consulting. That's fine - and similar across many of the top 15 programs. But for someone like myself who has no interest (beyond a passing or academic one) in banking and consulting, it was a tough sell for me to apply early decision only to network for 2 years with a group that largely would be working in an area that I wasn't professionally drawn to. Carey students are more all over the board, which I'd prefer.
That being said, it seems that people who are in banking/finance (or going into banking) would find ample opportunity to follow that career path through a Carey MBA. And they do have that finance master's.
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