Calling all Cornell (Johnson) Fall 2009 applicants!

raabenb ...congrats!!!

Will those that have not been shortlisted be notified or is it like inferred?!

I believe that you can get an interview invite up to the notification deadline (that happened to some people last year) so you probably won't get an official ding before that date.

There is certainly no need to panic yet though since the decision deadline is still over a month away.

Interview is scheduled for this Monday (Nov 3). I have to drive allllllll the wayyyyyyyyyyy back up to Ithaca.

raabenb i am interviewing on the 3rd as well. Where are you driving up from? Im flying in from Davenport Iowa.

Ryan

This is a quote from Randall Sawyer talking about the admissions process. Since this has been asked about several times in the past few days I think people would benefit from reading it.




Randal Sawyer: I take this aspect very, very seriously. We look at everyone twice – regardless of TOEFL, GMAT, work experience, GPA. There is nothing in your file that indicates that you won’t get read twice, except for an incomplete file.

So basically, say you hit the submit button yesterday. We take your $200 and it gets deposited. When my team came in this morning, we printed out your application and put it on the shelf. We wait for your other materials – we go online and get an official copy of your GMAT score, put your recommendation letters in your file, etc.

When your application is complete, it goes to one of two or three groups. The first read is done by either one of my readers (I have two paid readers), one of my professional team at the associate level or higher, or one of my 50 JAG students. JAG stands for Johnson Admissions Group – a select group of second-year students committed to assisting in the recruiting and evaluation of applicants. Many of them will do a first read.

We look for about 22 different variables associated with your application. One of my readers makes a recommendation – either “yes, interview” or “no” or “can’t decide.” After the first read is done it goes on a separate shelf and one of my professional team takes a second read. If they agree and both people who’ve reviewed the application say yes, we send out an invitation to interview. If they can’t agree we take it to committee. Or we deny.

My committee meets twice a week, for anywhere from 30 minutes to eight hours. It’s a group of eight and we will come to a consensus – it is not a vote – as to whether or not to invite to interview or deny. Once there’s a decision the file goes back to the admissions staff, who will contact the student and invite them to interview. The prospective student gets to pick a slot that fits with their schedule. Once the student is interviewed, the interviewer – one of my team – makes a recommendation: don’t recommend, recommend with reservation, recommend, recommend with confidence, or highly recommend.

As a benchmark, highly recommend is maybe 1 in 50 or 60 applicants. That is literally saying to the committee, “This person is an absolute rock star we have to have them.” Recommend with confidence is a student saying, “Yes, I want this person in class with me next year.” Recommend with reservation is “There’s something that doesn’t click or doesn’t sound right to me.” And don’t recommend is “no way, no how, not a chance.”

We usually get a three- to four-page dossier of the interview with a recommendation. The interviewer picks one of the five designations and then it goes to committee and we talk about that student and decide whether or not to make that offer. I want to make it clear that there is no vote – this is not a voting system. We are going to talk about you and decide whether you are a good fit for Johnson. I think it’s fairly callous to be voting on someone’s future.

I really want to be transparent in the application process. If a student is not a good match – if he or she needs a higher GPA or GMAT score – I will tell them on the road. We are going to be completely frank. I will not say to them, “Oh yeah, you should definitely apply.” We are up 57 percent in applications over two years, and we do not need that extra $200. There were 2,100 students last year that did not get an offer from us, and that’s no fun.

Another one from Randall Sawyer regarding the interview.

https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/oct2008/bs20081023_316382.htm

During every business-school admissions interview, there's a moment where the tables turn. Usually, it's near the end, after you've been probed ("What sets you apart?") and prodded ("How was the workforce?"), and you're ready to head home. "So," the questioner chirps, "do you have anything to ask me?"

This is, of course, an optional request. But it's also an opportunity to make an impression, or blow your chances, says Randall Sawyer, director of admissions at Cornell University's Johnson School of Business. "You have to be prepared," says Sawyer. While asking smart, informed questions can set you apart, soliciting information that's readily available on a school's Web site ("What's your class size?") might irritate your interviewer.

What constitutes a "good" question? BusinessWeek recently spoke with several private consultants and deans of admission, all of whom recommended a variety of questions. Following are a selection, and some tips on how to ask them. And remember, these are general guidelines; the most impressive inquiries are case-specific.

What to ask deans, board members, and other officials:

In your opinion, what really sets this school apart?

Officials know this is an important inquiry, especially if you're choosing between multiple schools. To win points, Sawyer suggests prefacing your question with some original thought (e.g., "I've read that Professor X just received the Nobel prize" or "As an entrepreneur, I was impressed with your 'Fund My StartUp Program"). Otherwise, you may get the retort: "Well, what do you think sets this school apart?"

Can you talk a little about the student job search?

When you're about to drop $100,000-plus on an MBA, you're entitled to ask about career prospects, especially during the current financial crisis. But tread carefully, says Chioma Isiadinso, the CEO of Expartus, an admissions consulting company. Putting an official on the spot ("Can your school find me a job?") is awkward and offputting. Before you broach the subject, show enthusiasm ("I've heard great things about your alumni network") and emphasize that you're willing to be proactive.

For students, current and former:

How have you most benefitted from attending this school?

This question is crucial, especially if the interviewer pursued your concentration. According to Sawyer, it shows that you're "in the game, and interested in success." Be careful with phrasing, though: "How have you most benefitted?" is much more engaging (and much less skeptical) than "Have you benefitted?"

What was your favorite class? Who were your favorite professors?

O.K., these two are pretty obvious. But they're still good bets, says Dawna Clark, director of admissions at Tuck School of Business. Students (and former students) love to impart wisdom, especially with like-minded interviewees. Give them time to shine, and everyone wins: They'll get to relive a positive academic experience, and you'll pick up some inside information.

What's a typical day like?

Beyond engaging your interviewer, this question shows you care about more than academic factoids, says Linda Abraham, president of Accepted.com, an online hub for college counseling. After all, you're applying for an experience. It's only human to care about the little things, like when and where you'll eat, sleep, learn, and let loose.

For anyone:

Is there anything else I can further address?

This should be your final question, says Beth Flye, the assistant dean and director of admissions at . It's proactive, it's accommodating, and it's a great way to hint that you're eager to attend (as opposed to, say, asking when you'll get your acceptance letter). Also, on the off-chance that you made a mistake on your application, this request could spawn a shot at redemption.

dharmabum, how'd your interview go?

It went well I thought. I hit most of my talking points, which is good. My pace was measured, but I was engaging. I was pressed on all of the things I expected to be pressed on (Quant Score, Career Goals, Experience) and I think I had pretty good answers for all of them. My interview went quite long (~65 minutes), which either means I talk too much or we had a good conversation. If you have more questions I'm happy to chat through PM.

Congrats on getting it finished Dharmabum!

Now back to panicking that my interview only lasted 30 minutes... I can't believe it's almost 7 weeks until decision day... argh

so...if they only meet in committee twice a week does that mean that interview invites only go out on tuesdays and thursdays? Not that I'm nervous about it or anything....where would you get that idea?

Why Tuesdays or Thursdays specifically and not Mondays and Fridays?

And I *am* nervous about this (a little) an outright rejection (a "dong" I believe it's called in these parts) at Cornell would shatter every last bit of confidence I have left in me

I'm just being dramatic. *nervous laughter*

Based on those of us that have received invites, they've all been on a Tuesday or a Thursday.... but that's just 2 days that they've been sent out so it's probably not significant.

Either way I wouldn't worry about it yet. If you look at last year's thread invites seemed to go out completely randomly and were definitely slow at times.

Hang in there I know you'll both make it!

The impression I got during my visit was that they want people to make the trip out for the interview. The students especially were very in favor of it. So that's my plan - come in from Texas if I get one (appying R2).

In comparison, Kellogg gave me the impression that they don't care either way.

Apologies if this has already been discussed. Good luck with the interviews, everyone.

talked to one of the admissions people last night at an event, she said that they were "just starting to send out the interview invites, most of them will go out in November, but we'll be sending them out right up until the decision day."

looks like it's the same deal as last year.

seemed like that's when people were getting them, and he says they meet twice a week so the schedule kinda made sense. Maybe not though, who knows.

I know what you mean about getting rejected, I'd feel especially bad about it because I wasn't really looking at Cornell until they invited me to an event last year to hear more about their school. Once I met some Alums and the Admissions director I decided to do more research and loved everything I found out. Now if they don't at least interview me I'm gonna feel like I've made a terrible miscalculation.

Thanks for the intel!

I got an interview invite email yesterday! Submitted 10/6

Congrats Markkm... maybe there is something to this Tuesday/Thursday thing after all.

Completely off topic, but did anyone see The Office with all the Cornell references (and one Dartmouth reference) last night? I'm trying to forget about my applications for now and they have to bring it up... jerks