{"id":36853,"date":"2017-04-23T07:30:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-23T14:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=36853"},"modified":"2017-04-23T05:21:40","modified_gmt":"2017-04-23T12:21:40","slug":"how-forte-helps-women-get-into-business-and-stay-in-business-episode-200","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/how-forte-helps-women-get-into-business-and-stay-in-business-episode-200\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fort\u00e9 Helps Women Get into Business and Stay in Business [Episode 200]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Listen<\/a><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s episode is an extra special show. This is AST\u2019s 200th<\/sup> episode<\/em>! It\u2019s fitting that we welcome back Elissa Sangster, who was the very first guest on AST almost five years ago. Today she is the first guest to come back for a third time.<\/p>\n

This show should be valuable to you because of Elissa\u2019s critical role as head of the Fort\u00e9 Foundation in increasing women\u2019s representation in business school and business, and because of her profound insider\u2019s knowledge of the business school and professional worlds.<\/p>\n

Elissa earned her MBA at Texas A&M\u2019s Mays Business School in 1994 and immediately became the Assistant Director of its MBA program. She moved on to UT Austin in 1997 where she served in different roles including the Assistant Dean and Director of McCombs\u2019 MBA program. In 2004, she became the first director of Fort\u00e9 Foundation, a consortium of business schools and companies working to increase the number of women in business leadership positions. Welcome back, Elissa!<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you review Fort\u00e9\u2019s backstory for us?<\/strong> [3:00]<\/p>\n

The origins go back to 2000-1, due to a Catalyst research study on women in MBA programs, called \u201cThe Gateway to Opportunity.\u201d That research was looking at why there weren\u2019t more women enrolled in b-schools, and that was the motivation for creating Fort\u00e9.<\/p>\n

It started with five events back in 2002. I came on board in 2004, and we\u2019ve continued creating programs aimed at preparing women early in the process.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve understood that we need to reach out earlier in the decision-making process, too, so we\u2019ve created programs at the college\/university level that help women see what careers in business can look like.<\/p>\n

And we do professional development programs.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of lack of awareness, lack of role models \u2013 a lot of young women have no one in their influence set telling them that b-school would be a great fit. So we\u2019re taking that role.<\/p>\n

What is the Fort\u00e9 Fellows program?<\/strong> [6:40]<\/p>\n

It started in 2005. We asked our partner schools to give significant scholarships (averaging half of tuition) to two students each year. In 2005, we had about 35 students. For 2018, 1100 students received fellowships. There are now about 5000 alums. It\u2019s a great group.<\/p>\n

The benefits are beyond financial \u2013 it\u2019s about being part of a broader community. The fellows are involved in programming on their campus, programming for undergrads, etc. It\u2019s a community we know we can depend on.<\/p>\n

How do you become a Fort\u00e9 Fellow?<\/strong> [9:48]<\/p>\n

Each school makes their own selection. We\u2019ve given them general guidelines.<\/p>\n

We start communicating and bring them into the Fort\u00e9 community as soon as they receive the award.<\/p>\n

Another significant Fort\u00e9 program is MBALaunch (and Virtual Launch). Can you tell us about that?<\/strong> [10:35]<\/p>\n

MBALaunch<\/a> creates a very active community \u2013 they tend to bond and are very supportive and engaged.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a ten-month program that starts with a live kickoff event (with sessions on different topics). Then they\u2019re grouped, and they spend the next ten months working with their peers and a coach preparing for the MBA application. They address all parts of the application (essays, interviews).<\/p>\n

There are 570 participants this year. We want them to be competitive.<\/p>\n

We want them to apply to schools they might not have thought about if they did the process in isolation.<\/p>\n

Virtual launch includes access to all webinars. You don\u2019t attend the live launch, and there\u2019s no live coach, but you do get a peer support group.<\/p>\n

Are there any successes Fort\u00e9 can point to?<\/strong> [14:00]<\/p>\n

When we started, the average female enrollment at business schools was around 28%. We follow our 50 schools and track their averages (along with their total number of women graduates). In fall 2016, the average was around 37%. So it\u2019s a pretty significant increase.<\/p>\n

A good number of schools are maintaining averages in the 35% range in the last couple of years. And a few are nearing or over 40%. It\u2019s encouraging.<\/p>\n

Another new Fort\u00e9 initiative is Men As Allies<\/em>. What is this program?<\/strong> [16:20]<\/p>\n

The idea came from HBS, where they had a group called Manbassadors<\/em> that said they wanted to support women and have conversations about gender equity.<\/p>\n

We had a great conversation with them and thought there was a role for Fort\u00e9 to play.<\/p>\n

We built a toolkit and website (podcasts, interviews, etc), focused on MBA campuses and how men and women can build this kind of chapter.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also looking at ways we can grow this in the professional environment.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really excited about the response, and helping men and women have these conversations.<\/p>\n

Do you see Fort\u00e9 expanding to other professions, like STEM fields or top law schools (where women\u2019s enrollment still lags)?<\/strong> [21:20]<\/p>\n

No \u2013 though the law school statistics are interesting.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve talked about other industries, but we feel business is our niche and the area where we can have the most impact. There are some ways to replicate what we\u2019re doing in other fields, though.<\/p>\n

What does Fort\u00e9 offer women who have entrepreneurial ambitions?<\/strong> [23:30]<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve done in the past is focus on integrating entrepreneurship into our events as a topic \u2013 featuring women at different stages of the entrepreneurial journey and sharing their stories.<\/p>\n

What we haven\u2019t done much yet is have specific programming around becoming an entrepreneur<\/a>. This year we had a pitch competition at our conference \u2013 that\u2019s our first step. We plan to build out a program that supports MBA women \u2013 maybe similar to how we do the MBALaunch program, leveraging our networks to start thinking about the key points in the entrepreneurial journey.<\/p>\n

Is Fort\u00e9 active outside the US? <\/strong>[27:50]<\/p>\n

Primarily in Canada, Europe, and the US \u2013 our main centers are London, Toronto, and cities around the US.<\/p>\n

Where is Fort\u00e9 going in the future?<\/strong> [28:30]<\/p>\n

We\u2019re really looking to build up the entrepreneurship space.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re continuing to develop the college space \u2013 reaching out to women in college, no matter their major \u2013 to help them see how business skills relate to their future career goals.<\/p>\n

We have a program called Rising Stars for college women (working with our university partners) \u2013 we identify women who\u2019ve taken steps to achieve career readiness by college graduation.<\/p>\n

Our career readiness program is a way to help them achieve the success we know they can achieve.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also continuing to develop and grow our MBA activities.<\/p>\n

Do you have advice for someone considering an MBA?<\/strong> [31:25]<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such an individualized choice.<\/p>\n

I would suggest researching more about the industries people with MBAs go into. Identifying people with MBAs who have jobs you\u2019d be interested in doing is a good way to get perspective.<\/p>\n

When it comes to where\/when, it\u2019s individualized \u2013 do your research. School websites, podcasts, interviews<\/a>, etc, can be really helpful in giving personal stories that make it real and tangible.<\/p>\n

And any advice for someone who has definitely decided she wants to apply?<\/strong> [34:10]<\/p>\n

Come to the Fort\u00e9 Forum! Come with a list of questions \u2013 network with adcom reps. Getting a specific impression of each campus will help. Learn what each program has to offer and how they present it to students.<\/p>\n

Talk to your peers and alums from each campus. Visit campuses.<\/a> Look where grads are going. If you have a specific interest, don\u2019t recreate the wheel \u2013 go where a school has established excellence. Student experience and career outcomes are important to consider.<\/p>\n

Narrow it down! Don\u2019t apply to 20 schools \u2013 pick three to five<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Fort\u00e9 Foundation<\/a>
\n\u2022 MBALaunch<\/a>
\n\u2022 Men as Allies<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Shows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 What\u2019s Life Like as a Darden MBA and Entrepreneur?<\/a>
\n\u2022 Admissions Straight Talk: Interview with Fort\u00e9\u2019s Elissa Ellis Sangster<\/a>
\n\u2022 Fort\u00e9 Helps Women in Business Thrive: Interview with Elissa Sangster<\/a>
\n\u2022 Will Your Graduate Education Pay?<\/a>
\n\u2022 Make a Difference at Michigan Ross: An Interview with Soojin Kwon [Episode 185]<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Subscribe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Listen<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0<\/i>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/i>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s episode is an extra special show. This is AST\u2019s 200th episode! It\u2019s fitting that we welcome back Elissa Sangster, who was the very first guest on AST almost five…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[261,2042,976,1757],"class_list":["post-36853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-forte","tag-podcast","tag-women-in-business","tag-women-in-business-school","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36858,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36853\/revisions\/36858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}