Anyone attending MBATour in NYC on Sept 6th ?

Question

I have never visited these information events and had a few doubts:

1) Is it advisable to wear formal attire in such events ? I am asking because, I have heard that along with the student representatives, sometime adcoms can come to these events. And if yes, how formal ? Formal shirt/trouser or business suit ?

2) What would you hope to get the most out of these events ? I was thinking if these are student representatives of the schools that I am interested in, I could ask questions like 
 a) How is the assimilation of International students ? 
 b) Do you have a A club or B club in the school ? 
 c) A few questions on placement/internship opportunities in relation to my short term goals.
 But, if it is a adcom member, I don't know what to ask ? Will it be stupid to ask, My GMAT score is this, my GPA is this, my work ex it this, etc, so based on this what are my chances of getting in ?

Any comments/ suggestions ?

3underscore · Answer

Asking AdCom to make an assumption on GPA and GMAT and a summary is a bad idea. They look at a lot more than that, and will tell you that they can't decide on such minimal information, that everyone has an opportunity (which, fair to them, is the truth). They probably get it quite often, but the only people who make assumptions on that basis would be people on BusinessWeek.

Schools will likely have students along as well as some admissions staff. Business Casual therefore is suitable, Formal is not going to present a problem to them.

Try and ask things that you want to know - actually caring about what you ask and finding information you need really shows, canned questions are not so great I would think.

rgajare14 · Answer

Thanks 3underscore. My total inexperience in attending such events had left me with no clue. I had also spoken to a Tuckie today and he gave me a background on such events too. Your responses also helped.

jb32 · Answer

Don't ask stupid questions you can find on the website of the school. If you can find the answer somewhere then don't ask the question. I went to the MBA Tour in Houston last night and I don't think I heard one intelligent question. Most people asked about the 'minimum GMAT', given my profile will I get in, etc. Don't be that guy. Do some research about the schools you want to see and ask a well informed question. If you can't think of anything intelligent, then ask a leading question that will get them to talk about a program or class they may not have mentioned.

For instance, "Can you talk a little about your rolling admission process?" (If they have one, of course)

For instance, "Can you talk a little about your rolling admission process?" (If they have one, of course)

solaris1 · Answer

Don't have very high expectations. I attended a similar "Inside the MBA" event in New York a few weeks earlier and the few recent grads that were there with their school tables were totally mobbed. There was a line 10-15 minutes deep to get in a minute or two worth of face time with the admissions representatives. Half the people are there are just starting out with their application journeys and are completely ill informed about the process and schools. One guy on my table told me stone faced he was interested in Wharton, McDonough and Thunderbird - and of course, that made total sense because they're all very similar schools. :roll:

So don't worry about preparing intelligent questions, just ask what you want to know, even if it's somewhat daft. There's going to someone else with a truly ridiculous question ("so, what career should I pursue after my MBA?") and at the end of the day no one on the admissions committee is going to remember you. But obviously, if you ask any "profile evaluation" questions of them - the response is going to be the same "we evaluate each applicant holistically" across the board. Things may be different at the MBA Tour since it's an all day event unlike Inside the MBA, but I just wanted to give you fair warning beforehand. I'll be spending my $5 at the local Irish pub.

rgajare14 · Answer

Guys,
Thanks for all your responses. I finally decided you not go to the event. I thought about it. I have a lot of work to do on my essays and recos. I also spoke to a friend who is at Tuck and gave me pretty much the same background that you folks gave. After hearing that, I thought I can utilize my time better. Thanks again.

Anyone attending MBATour in NYC on Sept 6th ?

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