Calling all Cornell (Johnson) Fall 2011 applicants!

Guys

Any of you applying to Cornell? I have some queries that can only be resolved by the admissions office, but they are not replying to my mail. I even called them to ask and one lady said she'll "reply within 15 mins", but never did. I called them back, but when I started speaking, the lady just hung up. I've absolutely no idea what to do about them?
Any of you guys tried to speak with them? Anyone has had similar experiences?

2012mbaseeker, were you able to find out whether Cornell has an aversion for those without very clearly defined career goals?

ariel, are you able to provide any insight on this matter? i'm torn b/w asset management and consulting. how soon do you select your immersion focus? have you found that most of your classmates have well-defined career objectives and is your program receptive to those who don't?

thanks
a.s.

I'm not quite sure where the rumor that some schools are welcoming of students with undefined career objectives is coming from. That is simply not true. It is not true of Cornell, or any other school I'm aware of. While you don't have to necessarily cite a specific company you want to work for, you better be sure you know what you want to do post-MBA (or at least be convincing enough that you do).

If you don't have clear career goals, it's very hard, even impossible, to come across as an ambitious and focused person who will drive results (and those are the type of people schools want).

That being said, most people don't quite know what they want to do - that's a part of the whole learning experience (it's ok when you're here, not quite ok during the admissions process).

alwaysmiling, I'd suggest that you read up on both career options (Vault and Wet feet might be good sources) and see which one is the one you're more interested in. The trick is that you have to come up with a convincing enough argument - what is your experience so far, what portion of it can you transport to your chosen field and why you want to get into that particular field. It should all make sense, beyond that there are no right or wrong answers.

Regarding immersions, you're expected to declare an immersion in October, but that is not something you should worry about at this point. No one will hold you to whatever you wrote in your application. You can say investment banking in your application, then decide that the strategic marketing immersion is the right one for you, etc. Regarding your question on clearly defined objectives - most of my classmates have an idea of what they want to do but few of them are dead set on a specific path. You're expected to at least know what's out there, but no one expects you to know what you want to do for the rest of your life upfront (caveat: again you're off the hook only AFTER you get that admit call). That is not to say that the school is receptive of applicants who don't know what they want to do. You'll be well served to have a convincing argument about a specific career path. Your chances of getting into a decent school (ANY decent school) without having a clearly articulated career path are slim at best.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about your particular background and how you can position yourself to make sure you have a story that makes sense - I'm happy to help as much as I can. Same for anyone else out there wondering about the same thing.

Hi Guys,

I read someone saying on this forum (in some other thread) that he applied for 2 year MBA at Cornell but at the time of interview, he was offered an AMBA (though he did not accept that).

Can someone please explain how this works? Is this is a normal trend at cornell that if a candidates applies for 2 year MBA but if the adcom finds him/her suitable for AMBA (but not for 2 year MBA), the adcom offers AMBA OR that would just be one off case?

Ariel,

Thank you for responding. I totally agree with you with regard to the importance of having clear career goals. B-school apps often make me feel like I need to have a very specific career/life plan (talk about pressure). However, I know that that's not necessarily the case.

I'm relieved to know that one does not have to choose an immersion immediately upon arriving on campus. I appreciate you offering your help. I've been through Vault, Wet Feet, & CareerLeader products. The only way I'll really be able to make a decision is by working in those fields - but as you noted, my current focus needs to be on getting into school. Thanks again!

I am applying for R1 in AMBA.
As per program description, AMBA is not designed for people who wants make big career change. but how about career change from technology consulting to management consulting?

Can anyone provide information about last years' campus recruitment for AMBA in management consulting ?

Thank you in advance.

I will be applying for AMBA in R2.

I have 8 years of experience in the field of IT/Tech consulting & services and I want to pursue my career in the same field at a larger capacity.

What are the placement stats at Cornell for IT/Tech consulting? Are there significant differences in the placements for 2 year MBA and AMBA, in terms of recruting firms or recruiters' preferences etc.?

Ready4MBA and ballubalraj, I'm sure you have stumbled upon this - it is the official employment report for Johnson:

https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/career/E ... tFacts.pdf

I will try to get you more details on employment stats, I know this doesn't give you much.

I wouldn't say that tech consulting to MC is a big career change. AMBAs are recruiting right now (on top of full course load + an ongoing internship), so life is busy for those guys. A lot of them expect offers by the end of the year or early next year. The type of resources they have are very similar to the two year MBAs - we go to the same corporate briefings, use the same career advisors, etc - however the timing is different and sometimes the types of positions they would apply to (though not always). For instance a pharma might see AMBAs as more atractive than two year MBAs when it comes to their reasearch labs, etc.

PM me if you're interested and I'll make sure you are put in touch with the right people.

Rebranding at Johnson:

https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/news/Joh ... 92310.html

this is sort of a big deal at the school right now, so I thought I'd share with you as interview invites will be rolling in this fall and this is a good thing to know.

Thanks Ariel for sharing this.
Will there be a new logo for Johnson (in this link, it is same as Cornell's)?

Hey guys,,

Count me in for round 1. Right now working on my essays.

Regards,
Kalyan

You can actually see the new logo in the new brand image article I pasted. The old logo is everywhere else (even on the home page: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/). They're currently working on a new site for the school but I'm not quite sure when that will be launched.

just submitted my application for R1... good luck all!

Hi Ariel,

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions on the forum! I was wondering if you may shed some light on the Park Leadership Fellowship program, specifically, 1) if their "leadership" designed course is much different from a customized Immersions option that focuses on leadership, and 2) if these fellows are identified/known by the class, or if they blend in seamlessly with the other students.

Thank you in advance!

Count me in for R1. I'm a reapplicant this year, and I've noticed the essays are identical to last year's.
In case of Cornell, they only keep application file for one year (unlike other school who keeps them for 2 years)
so technically, we could re-apply with exactly the same essay.

In my case, I was accepted for an interview, waitlisted, and then dinged almost as late as May.
I haven't asked them what the reason for my denial was (which was stupid) but I don't think it was because of my essay.
In fact, I think one of my essay was pretty well written. My guess is that it was probably more of my GPA and lack of commitment after being waitlisted (I panicked).

Having said that, what do you think about using the last year's essay once more?
Wouldn't someone at the adcom remember my essay and say, "hey, this guy didn't put additional effort to his essay"?
I'm saying this because Cornell's third essay requires creativity, and my last year's unique format might be recognized.
But then again, they don't keep any record, and they read thousands of essays.

Any opinions?

Which essay(s) are you thinking of keeping? All three?

First and third. I plan to update my second essay.
Any suggestions?