kaplan's "road to business school" fair.

Question

has anyone been to kaplan's "road to business school" fair?

there are a few sessions coming up in August, and I'm just wondering what you guys' opinions about it if you've been there before? is it worth checking out?

ebonn101 · Answer

I went to it last year in LA. It was alright. If its in your town and you have the time then worth attending, but you won't learn anything that you can't learn yourself online.

A fair number of schools will have one or two current students attending, and its always helpful to network with them, hear their opinions about their school, and get a business card in case you want to ask further questions or seek advice when applying later on.

highwyre237 · Answer

I haven't been, but am debating going to the one in Boston. Regarding the schools that will be at each city, their website states "Participation varies by city - check your location's agenda for participating schools." Has anyone been able to track down an agenda? I learned about this even through Tuck's website, but they arent listed as a participating schools...

KapTeacherEli · Answer

Hi Highwire,

I think some of the agendas haven't been finalized yet (I know, we're cutting it to the wire!), but expect panels of admissions reps for both presentations and Q&A, as well as some opportunities for GMAT prep questions and a chance to network with those representatives, existing students, and other aspiring applicants.

P.S. I'll be at the Boston one--say "Hi" if you see me!

kingfalcon · Answer

Thanks, Eli. Any other hints of what programs will be there? I'm also in the Boston area and am trying to figure out whether that time could be better spent writing essays (which of course depends on what schools will be attending).

highwyre237 · Answer

with the amount of essays you're writing, you shouldnt even waste time posting this question lol.
Thanks for the post Eli, keep us updated!

kingfalcon · Answer

Ha! You're tellin' me! I'm definitely thinking I may end up dropping one or more, but I figure I might as well shoot for the stars since it's still early!

KapTeacherEli · Answer

The agendas are still a WIP, I'll let you know as soon as they're live. Meanwhile, are there any particular schools you're curious about? I can probably confirm they'll be there on a case-by-case basis.

highwyre237 · Answer

For Boston - Tuck (I know they arent listed, but they claim they'll be there), Cornell, Duke, Stern

KapTeacherEli · Answer

Yes to all four in Boston!

highwyre237 · Answer

Perfect, I'll see you there

KapTeacherEli · Answer

Whoops, I have to make a correction!

Unfortunately, Stern and Cornell will not actually be at the Boston Road. But Tuck and Duke will, as will a other great schools such as Emory and Georgetown. Sorry again for the confusion, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Regards,

racerk123 · Answer

The fairs tend to be a waste of time. I think the individual school information sessions are much more valuable.

KapTeacherEli · Answer

Sorry you feel that way--but I'd encourage you to give it a chance! We have an online fair on Sunday, 8/19. There's no overhead, so if I'm wrong and it isn't useful to you, you can just log out. But I'm sure you'll get some valuable insight from it!

Ward2012 · Answer

Is there an agenda available online for New York somewhere? why is it so hard to find? There's no link to any agenda for any of the cities on the kaptest website for the fair.

highwyre237 · Answer

I went to the Boston one on Mon, there was never an Agenda for it available online.

All in all it was fine, surprisingly not crowded, so plenty of time to interact with Adcom and student reps.

noteworthy Schools there

Dartmouth Tuck - Spoke with them, great interactions
Duke Fuqua - Great talk with student rep, some clarifications on essays from an adcom
UCLA Anderson
UT McCombs
CMU Tepper
Emory Goizueta
UNC Kenan-Flagler
USC Marshall
IU Kelley - Great talk with their Adcom, got an app fee waiver!
Georgetown McDonough
ND Mendoza
Vandy Owen

All in all a great turn out from the 10-30s and a few randoms and local schools. I didnt wait longer then 5 mins to speak with anyone. If you are comfortable with the app process, feel free to arrive late and skip the panel, it was fine, but not worth skipping the chance to grab dinner before the fair.

If you are wondering about 1 or 2 schools on their list, go to the schools respective events pages, they should list the fair there.

Ward2012 · Answer

Stayed for five minutes and left. Turns out the portion with the school tables was not scheduled to start until 7pm.

If I had known this beforehand, I would have stayed at the office later and shown up at 7. Instead I chose to leave rather than delay my evening by an hour. I'm going to the school's own info sessions anyway, and will see them then. I used my time better this evening to work on my essays.

There was a large amount of Kaplan staff milling around doing nothing. You would think someone from Kaplan would have had time to send an email with the agenda to all registrants or post it online on the website.

highwyre237 · Answer

Yeah, the panel was pretty useless. For everyone else planning on attending one of these, show up an hour late.

kaplan's "road to business school" fair.

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