MBA Tour - is it really useful at all?

Question

... for those of us who have gone to many of our target's school's infosessions already?

I'm looking at the schedule:

8:30AM Registration Opens
9:00-9:45AM Panel Session: How Admissions Decisions are Made
9:50AM-2:55PM Business School Presentations
3:00-5:00PM MBA Fair

The "How Admissions Decisions are Made" will just be a rehash of the "holistic" methods again, nothing new.

The B-school presentations are probably good, but some schools I want to see won't be there (Northwestern, Stanford), and I've seen the 5 hour version of Berkeley and will see UCLA very soon.

The MBA Fair sounds kinda boring... probably just pick up brochures and do the "career fair" 3 minute chat thing.

So the question now is, what's the point of going? Can anyone convince me?

aviroop · Answer

On the same boat here.. the word 'holistic' is now my # 1 hated and overused word. Unfortunately I used that bloody word today while describing a work process.. felt like slapping myself and then heard it again in the Columbia session

I am sposed to attend the mba fair on 8th september, but after attending 3 school sessions, I dont see much benefit.
Cornell is showing up, so probably I can visit, pick up some brochures and let the ad-com know how "committed" I am, but I dont want to waste my Saturday.

So probs.. go there for one hour and eat the brains out of Cornell, make fun of USC and count how many people queue up for Wharton

I am turning into a total misanthrope.

shmegs · Answer

Nice use of vocab

. I'm thinking of doing something similar, go show up meet the adcoms from schools I'm interested in and then leave.

aviroop · Answer

shmegs - are u also attending the LA fair? I am finding the info sessions to be a bit of a bore - more than the session, its the series of never ending questions that bore me to death.

shmegs · Answer

No I'll be attending the fair in Bangalore on 4 October. Haha at least you won't be listening to "How is school X better than IIM?"

adcxaway · Answer

I'm attending Columbia's event next week (even though I've submitted my application) just to show some dedication towards Columbia. However, I've run into a little problem, I'm trying to come up with something I can do that would make me memorable and endear myself to the attending ad coms.

I was thinking of coming in a white pimp suit (complete with cane) and a harem of girls. However, I thought this might not appeal to the female ad coms...

I've thought about coming in with a birthday cake, but I can't seem to find out when the attending ad com's birthday is. Can anybody give some tips on this?

aviroop · Answer

how about a velcro suit.. (next step is obvious) and an impromptu lap dance on the female ad-com.
might work

adcxaway · Answer

that is a good plan... if only I had the body and stature to go with it....

but seriously, how memorable and how can i endear myself at an event? I need to be able to differentiate myself from the crowd... 

Maybe I could go in and say "I would just like to ask, with my profile, what are my chances with Wharton?" 

but how important is making a splash at the event?

shmegs · Answer

It would be great to have an adcom remember you. But in all honesty how many people will an adcom remember? Maybe 10-30 or something like that... I would say the best way to make an impression will be to speak about why you want a MBA and make sure that your passion comes across.

kidderek · Answer

yea

prob a big waste of time

kryzak · Answer

So it looks like there's not much benefit in going then...

ncp · Answer

Other than answering the "How did you come to know of us" question on the online application.

kryzak · Answer

well, considering I'm visiting UCLA twice, Stanford/Haas uncountable times, meeting with numerous students and alums, and going to their infosessions and class visits... I don't see how showing up at their booth at the MBA tour would show more interest

vikramjit_01 · Answer

I think they are good to go if you can't visit do a campus visit. But be prepared because its difficult to ask more than a few questions.

ncp · Answer

I am planning to show up just for a couple of hours atleast. 

mNeo, kryzak etal : may be I can meet you after all.

riverripper · Answer

I am planning on attending one of these. I don't know if any of my top 4 choices will be at it but my 2 or 3 of my backups are going to be there so since I am not going to be spending much time visiting and stressing over them at this point it is worth the trip.

I think the more you put into learning about schools the better off you are. I know some schools actually ask what events, tours, and things you attended to learn more about the school. The more things you list the better off you are going to be since you are showing a genuine interest. 

Informal visits and talking to students is great but anything that puts your name through the admissions office is going to be better.

mNeo · Answer

I am fairly sure that this tour is going to be a big waste of a Sunday that I could have used in writing an essay. But my wife is planning to apply to some of these schools later. So we'll have to go (After all, she has joined me in all my info sessions).

So I don't see me gaining much from this event except for "getting to meet prasad, kryzak and whoever else is coming to the SF one".

kryzak · Answer

True, except I'm doing formal visits and my name is sent through to the admissions office for every event all my top schools are hosting...

I'll consider coming if mNeo, ncprasad, and others are there... we still haven't figured out a way to find each other...

aviroop · Answer

Athe ad-com to announce ur GMATCLUB ids on the mic so that u guys all know who ur are - and so does the ad-com

2 birds with one stone

aviroop · Answer

crap..slept through the whle day today.... missed the darn mba tour thingy... neways no biggie.

MBA Tour - is it really useful at all?

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