Help on researching schools

Question

Hi All,

I'm still pretty new to this forum and I'm in the process of applying for b-school for the 2016-2017 cycle. One thing that I've read up on is school visits/talking to current students & alumni. I understand that this is valuable information on getting to know the school, classes, culture, clubs, etc. that would help me make a decision on which schools fit best and will also shape how I write my essays to show fit. The question I had was regarding how to go about this. I currently live in CA and plan on doing school visits, but am unable to visit the east coast schools I'm applying to.

1. How do I go about emailing/talking to current students and alumni to gather more information? Some schools have student profiles and emails. Should I just randomly email these students to get their thoughts?

2. When visiting schools, what is the protocol on introducing myself, attire to wear, and how to make the most of school visit?

Thanks in advance for all your input guys!

Mo2men · Answer

Hi,

Every school has a page for students ambassadors. You can pick the students whom you share the same concentration such as marketing, business analytics...etc. You can send her/him directly your questions. Try to pick more than one student as some do not respond. However, it may take some time before you get any response. If it goes well, you may ask nicely for Skype or phone call. Do not rush all questions in one email. let's the conversation develop.

To visit a school, there usually a certain procedure. There is usually a webpage to arrange for a visit. If not applicable, contact the school directly and they will be happy to arrange this visit. You will revive a full agenda before you go. You should go formal. During the visit, you will attend a class, go in a tour, talk to students. You should research you school before you go. Get more info about it. Do not consider the visit a first time to know the school. After school, you can email the students you met.

I hope it helps

dtn528 · Answer

Thanks for all the advice Mo2men! I guess I'll start emailing current students with questions

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi,

1. As a first step you can write to student connect emails/ submit forms and take the b-school administration's help in connecting you to people with similar profiles as yours. 
2. You should also visit cub webpages (say Finance, PE/VC and others if you are interested in a finance career) and reach out to people mentioned there. There email ids would mostly be published. This is a great way to reach out to a targeted set of people.
3.You can look at Linked in profiles of students and again reach out to the ones who can share relevant information with you. 
4. Writing randomly to students may still help in that they connect you with the right people, but it's a ineffective way to use your time and their's, so try the earlier three options first. 
5. You can also connect over student blogs, specially if you like what the student has written and want to talk more about it.
 Here's  more information on the various ways to contact the b-schools

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