I agree, Wisconsin should get more attention here. I applied to R1 and was accepted (ASAP specialization). For those interested, Wisconsin highly emphasizes the specialization model.
Website: https://www.bus.wisc.edu/mba/
Class ProfileClass of 2012 (Entering Class of 2010)
Enrollment 118
Average GMAT 675
Average Years of Professional Work Experience 4.84
Average Age 28
Percentage of Female Students Enrolled 41%
Percentage of Minority Students Enrolled 17%
Percentage of International Students Enrolled 16%
Class of 2012 GMAT Distribution
80% Range 620-720
Specializations: https://www.bus.wisc.edu/mba/specializations/ * Applied Security Analysis
* Arts Administration
* Brand and Product Management
* Corporate Finance and Investment Banking
* Entrepreneurship Certificate (formerly Entrepreneurship Specialization)
* Innovation Certificate (formerly Strategic Management in Life & Engineering Sciences)
* Marketing Research
* Operations and Technology Management
* Real Estate
* Risk Management and Insurance
* Strategic Human Resource Management
* Supply Chain Management
Deadlines:R1: Nov 12
R2: Feb 4 (Final for Arts Administration)
R3: Mar 15
R4: Apr 28 (Apr 1 for Intl)
Essays (source: https://www.bus.wisc.edu/mba/checklist/a ... essays.asp)
School of Business MBA essay questions:
All candidates are required to complete the general essay and the two essays which are specific to their chosen career specialization.
General Essay
The Wisconsin MBA considers academic integrity to be the foundation of any well functioning academic community. Thus, it is imperative that we maintain high and exacting academic integrity standards if we are to succeed in building a community of business leaders of tomorrow. As the conduct of business is based first and foremost on trust, so our success depends on our ability to trust each other.
Please respond to the statement above. Do you agree/disagree? How does this statement reflect in the larger business context? More specifically, how does this statement reflect in both your short and long-term career goals?
The following questions are specific to your career specialization. Based on the career specialization you selected please address questions 2 and 3:
Applied Security Analysis
2. Why specifically do you believe you are a good fit for a career in money management?
3. Please describe your history of interest or participation in the area of investments.
Arts Administration
2. How will the MBA in Arts Administration advance your career goals in arts and cultural management? What specific skills or abilities do you hope to gain and what do you think you will bring to the program?
3. Identify and describe a key issue facing the marketing, management, development, creation, or support of arts and culture today. Explain why you think this is a critical issue to arts administrators, and provide your recommendations as to how this issue might be addressed. Include specific examples from your own experience if applicable.
Brand and Product Management
2. We would like to understand why you are interested in pursuing an MBA and, more specifically, why you are interested in the Center for Brand and Product Management. As part of your explanation, please address the following areas: a. Why is this a good point in your life to pursue the MBA? What personal qualities and past experiences have most directly influenced your decision to seek a career in brand management? What challenges have you had to overcome (either professional or personal) and what have you learned from those challenges, that have led you to this point in your life? b. What are your short- term career goals (immediately following the MBA)? What are your long-term career goals (10-15 years out of the program)? What would you consider one of your “dream” product management positions (in terms of industry, company or product) to be?
3. Give an example of a product that is marketed particularly well. Why? What is an example of a product that is not marketed well? Why and what would you do to improve it?
Corporate Finance & Investment Banking
2. Explain why you are interested in pursuing your MBA at this point in your life. Specifically, how will this degree impact your future career and describe your professional short term career goals.
3. Please describe why you should be admitted to the Corporate Finance & Investment Banking (CFIB) program, and why you believe CFIB is a good fit for you
Marketing Research
2. Please describe any research you conducted on graduate programs and career choices. Why did this lead you to choose the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research? What specific types of industries and marketing research responsibilities are you most interested in pursuing after graduation?
3. What do you think it takes to be successful in marketing research? Why? How does your past experience demonstrate your ability to be successful as a marketing research professional?
Operations and Technology Management
2. Briefly describe three critical operations or technology management-related issues facing global businesses today (you may narrow this down to an industry with which you are familiar). Also describe why you think they are critical, and what you as a manager could do to address them.
3. Why are you, and what made you, interested in operations and/or technology management?
Real Estate
2. Why are you interested in Real Estate as your area of concentration? What specific aspects of real estate most interest you, and why?
3. What specific qualities and skills do you bring to the study and practice of real estate? Given your short and long run goals (Question #1), in which qualities and skills do you think you need strengthening? How do you see your development in the next two years? Please be as specific and concrete as possible
Risk Management and Insurance
2. Who are the individuals and/or what are the events in your life that have led to your specific interest in pursuing a degree in risk management and insurance? Please explain.
3. In what area of risk management and insurance are you most interested? Provide a discussion of the current key issues associated with this field and the skills you bring to efforts in addressing those issues. Be as specific as possible.
Strategic Human Resources
2. In what way, or in what area of Strategic HRM, do you hope to make your biggest mark and why? In answering this question, also elaborate on your earlier discussion of your short- and long-term career goals. What type of organization would you like to work for after completing your MBA? Ideally, what roles and responsibilities would you take on? Now, jump ahead 15 to 20 years, and consider the same questions. What would you like to be doing and in what kind of organization?
3. Thinking of the plans you have described, what are your reasons for choosing to do an MBA in SHRM at the University of Wisconsin? What is it about our program that will help you achieve your goals? Given what you would like to do, what are the advantages and disadvantages of our program relative to other programs?
Supply Chain Management
2. List three critical supply chain management challenges facing business today and select one to discuss in depth. Explain why the issue is important, including suggestions for how to address this challenge and examples from your own experience if applicable.
3. Successfully managing a business’ supply chain requires continuous innovation and leadership. What personal qualities and experiences will make you an effective leader in this field? What skills and experiences do you hope to gain and/or improve from the Grainger Center and MBA program?
If anyone else has anything else to add, let me know.
close
15 Feb 2011, 02:11
Could anyone of you who has interviewed please share your experience? (types of questions, how long the interview took, etc.) 
