{"id":58197,"date":"2023-07-07T18:04:39","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T01:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/the-imd-mba-experience-is-unique-from-the-start\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T06:51:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T13:51:03","slug":"the-imd-mba-experience-is-unique-from-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/the-imd-mba-experience-is-unique-from-the-start\/","title":{"rendered":"The IMD MBA Experience is Unique from the Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In IMD\u2019s top-ranked MBA program<\/a>, the unique learning experiences begin before applicants are even admitted.<\/p>\n

Candidates submit the usual application form, transcripts, test scores, and a recommendation letter. Top applicants are then invited to take part in an assessment day, held either online or in person.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more or less a full day that simulates MBA program activities. In addition to a brief individual interview, groups of six to 10 applicants analyze and present a case, present a position on a challenging issue, and take part in other sessions modeled on course experiences. \u201cIt\u2019s fast-paced, with lots of things happening. \u201cWe want to see applicants in action, how they behave in a group setting, how they behave under pressure, how they lead, how they listen to others,\u201d explains Anna Farrus, IMD\u2019s Director of MBA Recruitment and Admissions.<\/p>\n

At the same time, applicants get \u201ca very good indication of what they will experience in the first six months of the program.\u201d Farrus said. \u201cYou cannot hide in our MBA program. If you are not comfortable in articulating your ideas, you are going to be cold-called,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Participants also get to know and connect with potential classmates and receive individualized feedback from the staff who observe and assess them during activities. Assessment days are \u201csuch a learning experience.\u00a0 I often receive emails and messages on LinkedIn from applicants who are grateful for the experience even if they are not admitted.\u201d<\/p>\n

IMD also offers a second admissions pathway, with a simplified applications process and a similar Challenge Assessment Day, where invited participants team up to analyze a business problem and present a solution. Some are then invited to interview, and participants are filtered down until ultimately, the top candidate wins a place in the class and a scholarship.<\/p>\n

This process allows students of different professional academic backgrounds to compete their way into the class. There are Challenge Assessment Days for women, for younger applicants with less career experience, and one specifically for Danes that provides a full 97,500-franc scholarship.<\/p>\n

This unique experiential assessment is possible only because of another feature that sets IMD apart: a small class size that allows for personalized attention. With just 100 to 120 students, the faculty-to-student ratio is high. The staff gets to know each student and helps them through their MBA journey, producing a program that is highly individualized to interests and needs. \u201cWe don\u2019t produce a program that is the same for everyone. It\u2019s very personalized,\u201d Farrus says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Experiential Learning and Self Knowledge<\/b><\/h2>\n

IMD\u2019s strong focus on leadership development is evident in its full name: the International Institute for Management Development. Leadership is emphasized on a level Farrus says she hasn\u2019t seen elsewhere. \u201cIt\u2019s about leaders who are self-aware, so we give them access to 20 hours of psychoanalysis. It\u2019s completely confidential; the relationship is strictly between the student and the analyst.\u201d The point is for students to get to know themselves well, \u201cbecause we think as a leader if you don\u2019t know yourself, how can you know others, how you respond, what triggers you? That self-knowledge is super important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MBA program features what Farrus calls \u201can extremely practical, super hands-on approach.\u201d About 40 percent of course content is project-based. Experiential learning begins at the very start of the program. While they are taking their first courses in business fundamentals, they are also assigned to work with a start-up company in Switzerland, addressing an aspect of the firm\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

This provides early, immersive entrepreneurial experience, which students welcome. Like many business schools, IMD is seeing more and more of their students graduate and launch their own ventures.<\/p>\n

IMD\u2019s leadership has also strengthened its emphasis on sustainability; the program begins with a weekend in the Alps that features sessions on the subject, and sustainability is woven through core courses because it\u2019s a concern of every business today.<\/p>\n

Both the emphasis on leadership and the practical hands-on focus are rooted in IMD\u2019s unique history. Originally founded by business executives, \u201ctoday we call it a university institute that was born from the industry,\u201d says Farrus. \u201cWe still work very closely with companies, especially in Switzerland,\u201d but the institute\u2019s reach is now global, with 40 nationalities represented in a typical MBA class on campuses in Lausanne and an offering of Executive Education in Singapore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Getting In<\/b><\/h2>\n

IMD offers a total of seven application deadlines for its MBA program. Because the program starts in January, the cycle starts early with admissions deadlines for the traditional admissions pathway on January 15, February 15, April 15 and June 15. Remaining deadlines for 2024 admission are August 15, September 15, and October 15 . The Challenge deadline for young leaders was May 15. The Women Leaders Challenge deadline is July 15, and the deadline is September 1 for the CO-RO scholarship challenge for Danes.<\/p>\n

All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships<\/a>, and many are available, based on need, merit, background and other factors. One notably generous opportunity is the Backpack scholarship for women, which provides a full scholarship and living expenses for women who face difficulties because of where they live or specific challenges they have faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want anyone not to be able to come to IMD because they are missing 5,000 francs,\u201d Farrus notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the last thing I would say to potential applicants is, we\u2019re here to help. I root for candidates; I want everyone to be successful. If you have any questions, any doubts, reach out and ask me or one of my team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post The IMD MBA Experience is Unique from the Start<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post The IMD MBA Experience is Unique from the Start<\/a> appeared first on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In IMD\u2019s top-ranked MBA program, the unique learning experiences begin before applicants are even admitted. Candidates submit the usual application form, transcripts, test scores, and a recommendation letter. Top applicants…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58197","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\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59025,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58197\/revisions\/59025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}