School Info Sessions

Question

I would appreciate any tips on attending program info sessions that school have these days. Specifically, is it advisable to introduce yourself to admissions committee members or even ask them for contact details, and get your name remembered when it is decision time ?

Any other experiences or comments ?

For those who already attended, did you find these useful ?

Any other experiences or comments ?

For those who already attended, did you find these useful ?

dszpiro · Answer

As someone who has been conducting Executive MBA program admissions events and information sessions for more than a decade, I will say that it is always a good idea to introduce yourself to the Admissions Staff hosting these events. Indeed, the purpose of these events is to make contact with potential applicants and start to foster a relationship.

When Admissions Committees review files they look for evidence that the applicant is truly keen on attending that school. Often, applicants apply to many schools and their applications take on a generic "cookie cutter" form. Experienced Admissions Committee members can tell right away if someone is simply copying and pasting the same sort of content or essay question answers across applications. Ideally, you want to demonstrate to the Admissions Committee members that you are sincerely interested in attending that school and that you have put in the effort to understand that school, what it can offer you, and how that fits with your careers goals. Meeting admissions staff, attending school information sessions, and talking with school representatives are all activities you can mention in your application that help demonstrate your sincerity and can distinguish your application from others.

Good luck!

Danny Szpiro
Assistant Dean for Executive Education
The Johnson School
Cornell University
[email protected]

serbiano · Answer

Thanks a lot for the advice! I am certainly going to make it to some admissions events.

Any applicatants that went to one such event recently want to share their experiences?

thisguy310 · Answer

As an attendee, I think my biggest advice would be to arrive early. A lot of the adcom members get there early and its a great opportunity to chat informally without other people waiting behind you to talk with that person!

Also, don't ignore any adcom members - Don't just try to talk to the Dean or the Director to make an impression. I think its just as important to talk to every member and any alumni or current students there to really get a feel for the program.

Dress professionally. I think first impressions are huge. If this is your first time meeting the school and potential class mates, dress for success. You'd be surprised how many people come in jeans, shorts and a t-shirt.
 
Network with your competition... urr classmates. Get to know them, why they're looking into bschool, how the essays are going for them, etc.

Follow-up. If you had a great conversation with one of the adcom members, shoot an email thanking them for their time. If it was just a casual quick conversation... maybe not so much.

serbiano · Answer

Great Tips! Thanks! Great idea about coming to an event early !

Jerz · Answer

An important corollary: treat everyone you meet as though they're part of the adcom. If you're a jerk to a student/alumni/staffer/person handing out nametags at the door, you can bet dollars to donuts that the feedback will make it back to the person reviewing your file.

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