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FROM News Penn State: Making the Most of a Preview Day |
You’ve been invited to a Smeal MBA Preview Day. It’s time to prepare, especially if you’ve also been invited to interview. Consider ways to maximize your visit. You’ll receive a schedule for the day in advance. Review the schedule and determine whether there is anything else you might like to see or anyone else you might like to meet. Let us know as soon as possible what those activities may include so we can advise you or even make arrangements for you. You’ll be meeting with staff from admissions, career services, employer relations, and student services. Make a list of any questions you have for each of these areas. Where are you in the admissions process? Are you just starting to consider MBA programs or have you decided that Penn State Smeal is one of your top choice schools? What questions do you need to have answered to narrow down your choice of programs? What is your greatest barrier or barriers to pursing graduate business education? Are you concerned about costs, do you have multiple priorities and stakeholders to consider, or are you exploring academic readiness or employment issues? Be prepared to talk with current students and staff about class sizes, teaching styles, support services, and anything else you may be curious about. Consider your background, our curriculum, and your short-term and long-term goals. Are any questions coming to mind for you? Hopefully you have some questions about your future! Questions related to goal planning, employers visiting campus and graduate outcomes are good places to begin when you meet with our career services and employer relations team. The student services team supports our MBA students in their overall student experience, from classroom to career. Direct any questions you may have about life inside and outside of the classroom to our student services staff. What questions do you have about housing, co-curricular activities, academic advising and scheduling, global and leadership immersion programs, or any other questions related to a student’s MBA experience at Smeal? You’ll have three opportunities to meet and talk with current students. Your first opportunity will be during Coffee Buzz which occurs between morning classes and just before you sit in on a class during your visit. Talk with current students about your academic and career interests. You’ll begin to expand your network very quickly as our current students connect you with their peers. Lunch will be hosted by current students. Faculty and staff will not be present during lunch. We encourage our current students to talk openly and honestly with prospective students because we want to make sure incoming students are a good fit with our program. It’s good to ask about challenges, concerns, and even disappointments. To close the day, you’ll have ice cream at Berkey Creamery with a group of current students. Your final session includes time with our program director and faculty liaison. Ask any questions that arose throughout the day, during your class session, and about academics. This is a great time to learn more about why classes are structured the way they are and how you might make the most of a Smeal education. Preview Day is exactly that – a preview. If you met a great student contact, email them with follow up questions. If you don’t remember who you met, work with an admissions staff member and we’ll get you in contact with the right person. Throughout the day assess your comfort level about whatever is most important to you. Be sure to have fun too! Brenda Fabian MBA Associate Director of Admissions |
FROM News Penn State: Ways MBA Aspirants Can Maximize the Holidays! |
Across the world, many holidays are celebrated at the end of the calendar year. Holiday celebrations often come with time off, travel, and opportunities to connect with family and friends. Aside from taking a little time to rest and relax (a crucial part of staying healthy and productive!), the holidays can also be a good time for reflecting on the business school search and application process AND doing a little work to get ahead in the new year. Some Ideas… While students often leave university campuses in mid-December and don’t return until early to mid-January, staff is often working during some of the break. Don’t assume you can’t plan a visit just because students are gone! While it is IDEAL to visit when students are on campus and classes are in session, getting the time off from work or other obligations just may not work for you. Depending on your situation, this could be a good time to get some one on one time with an admissions officer or program staff—especially if you live close enough that could again visit in the spring when classes are back in session. If this is your only option, planning a campus visit during down time is much better than not planning one at all. Not all programs will offer this—and options may be limited—but it can never hurt to ask. (Side note: Many schools will shut down completely for about two weeks—please be patient with us if email response time is delayed during this time). Maybe you haven’t seen Uncle George or Cousin Sara for awhile but they’ll be coming to town for a visit. While they are family first, they might also have had illustrious careers, have graduate degrees, and could be a wealth of professional information! Take the conversation to the next level. Sometimes we overlook great resources that are right in front of us. One word of caution—people might just need a break from work and might not want to talk about their career while they are decompressing during a holiday break. Be sensitive to this, and offer up the suggestion to connect after January 1st if the middle of Christmas Eve dinner doesn’t seem like the best place to talk about career goals. Traveling? Others are too! Schools might have current students or alumni also going to a city near you who are willing to meet you for coffee. Start with the admissions office and inquire. Sometimes the stars align and you can connect while on the road. The internet is 24/7. Have you been meaning to get on LinkedIn and start making some connections, exploring career opportunities, digging deeper into social media to learn more about b-school, what alumni are up to, etc.? Curl up in your pajamas and snuggle in with your tablet. No one says good research can’t be conducted while eating some potato pancakes or drinking a cup of egg nog! Take time for reflection. The start of the new year is a good time to clarify what you need to do as you prepare for your journey into the world of the MBA. Depending on where you are in the application process, you’ve likely already done a lot of thinking and planning. There’s always, however, a next step to think about and plan for. Best wishes for a happy and healthy end to 2015! Stacey Dorang Peeler, MBA Admissions Director Stacey Dorang Peeler at the GMAC Conference in 2015 |
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