Calling All 2011 U Maryland - Smith Applicants

This forum is chock-full of advice, so search around for tips on how to get off the waitlist.

My interview is coming up shortly (tomorrow actually). Care to share your interview experiences? Any insights into the types of questions?

I interviewed mid-Feb and got admitted last Friday w/ $$ (yay!). There weren't any curveballs really - why MBA, why Smith, some good examples of teamwork/leadership from work. It was a good experience visiting campus and interviewing; everyone was super nice.

Good luck!

what is ur prof? gpa/gmat?

29 M, 650 GMAT, 3.3 GPA from USC, 7.5 yrs w.e.

does anybody have any advice/knowledge about this:
if i can't get into the full time mba program should i apply to the part time program? it seems that they accept a lot more people for the part time than the full time program- lower gpa+lower gmat

Congrats on the admit, rha! No money for me, though. Do you have an idea which school you are leaning towards as of now?

Hey there, I was admitted to UMD in February as well Its a very good school, but my mind is still not made up on where I'll end up. There are so many factors that come into play when making this decision and I still haven't received a decision from 2 other schools.

I wasn't really looking at PT programs. I guess you have to decide what exactly you're looking for because the PT program won't give you the closeness to your classmates, career opps, etc. that a FT would. So I guess you have to figure out what is important to you and if you want to start right away just to start.

I'm also still waiting to hear from other schools before I make up my mind but I do like Smith's program. Unfortunately, I can't make it to Admitted Student Weekend next week.

The full-time MBA experience is very different from the part-time. You should initially decide if you want to do full-time or part-time, and then apply to programs you're interested in (some schools don't have part-time programs).

If you want to go full-time, don't apply to a part-time program just because it's easier to get into.

@joytastical: I applied before Dec 15th Deadline and got admit mail on Feb 10. Man, I should have seen this post earlier. I was in taipei from 25th to 27th .. could have met you.

I am still waiting on the admission packet, deposit timeline and other information. Till date all i have received is an admit mail, admit student weekend mail and submission of financial proof mail. There is absolutely no information on any award (yes or no) and certainly no clue on when the admission packet will arrive.

Hope i get the details soon and then i can make up my mind to join as Smith is an expensive school.

Cheers..

@trying700

You were in Taipei just this past weekend? Ha, what are the odds?! Too bad about the missed opportunity. Perhaps later this year then.

The adcom said they are trying to arrange some more dinners for admitted students to meet alumni, other admits, and current students, but there will be only one admitted student's weekend this March. Unfortunately I don't plan to attend, since I'll be in the middle of moving back to the states. Anyone planning on attending that?

I didn't start this thread until recently because I was too obsessed about sending in the perfect application to also write anything else that required brainpower, online chatting with friends obviously excluded.

From what I read on the FAQs, notification for any award money will be emailed with the admissions recommendation email. So I would assume that no notification means no award.

Please let me know what other mail you receive, since it took 2 weeks for my first letter to arrive, so I had been a bit on edge about my mail.

Cheers!

Yes, just for the weekend. Had another MBA interview and thought would be a good idea to mix interview with pleasure and it was a good break to take from this busy schedule.

Well i have received one more mail other than admit mail.. informing me about the admit student weekend on march 12 and the admit student website details. Other than there has been no communication from them. I am yet to receive official admit letter, admission packet, details on fee deposit deadlines etc.

Yes, chances on any kind of award looks bleak now since most of the admits have got the notification with their admit mails or shortly after that.

Lets see how it goes..would be great to meet you later this year.

Cheers...

Was just admitted with $$. Applied R3 1/15/11, interviewed Wed, 3/2. Very excited. This was my first response from any school and it's a great one!

Profile:

26 M; 700 GMAT; 2.6 GPA from top liberal arts school; 5 years work experience consulting/marketing;

With my GPA I must have impressed them elsewhere.

@trying700: Were you applying to an MBA program in Taipei as well? Do you speak Chinese or is the program all in English? Very curious, never thought of Taiwan as an option.

@kilian: congrats on the admit! They really got back to you so quickly, I'm surprised, and with your GPA. Goes to show it can be overcome. I also have some questionable areas on my UG transcript and quite ecstatic that it didn't get in the way of my admissions to the schools I applied.

@joytastical: The interview was for Georgetown University, USA and they gave Taipei as one of interview venues. Since i have never been to that part of the world "yet" i took this opportunity to explore the city and amazing food it has to offer. I love travelling, though langue was an issue occasionally but loved my short stay there.

Thank you! The turn-around was incredibly quick - I really thought it had to be some kind of mistake. It's extremely reassuring that the mistakes I made in school 6-9 years ago were overshadowed by the efforts I have made since. Hope the other schools that I applied to feel the same way!

I was actually embarrassed to post my gpa on here, but figured what the hell, it might motivate someone who otherwise wouldn't apply. I did address my low gpa head on in both my optional essay and in my interview. I didn't want to draw additional attention, but felt that there was no way they could "miss" it and I needed to have my story told. I didn't want them to draw their own conclusions about why it was so low. People change a lot from 18 to 27.