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FEBRUARY 2, 2000 B-SCHOOL Q&A: ADMISSIONS Meet UC Irvine's Admissions Director A Conversation with Barbara Craft, Director of Admission and Marketing at UC Irvine's Graduate School of Management
Q: Barbara, you've been leading UCI's MBA admissions effort for the last year, now entering into your second application cycle. But you've worked in admissions for a total of twelve years, in the undergraduate, masters, and executive education levels. What, so far, about UCI's process is different from the other admissions processes that you've supervised in the past? A: Prior to [my] arriving at UCI, David Blake, the dean who's fairly new here as well (he's been at UCI for about two years), did a complete reorganization of the Graduate School of Management. He took what was a silo approach to programs -- where there were particular directors for each of the MBA programs who handled everything from admission and marketing to the scheduling of course work to advising students -- and changed that to create more of an overall approach to each of the particular functional areas. So we now have a department of admission and marketing that oversees admissions, marketing, and the application process for all four of UCI's MBA programs. When [accepted applicants] get through [the admissions] process, they're then passed on to Students Services which takes care of those students while they're here, spending their time at the Graduate School of Management. This is a very different approach for me and I think one that works particularly well because as a department, we're able to fully concentrate and give all of our focus to our MBA audiences as a whole. It works really well, too, in terms of being able to find a good fit for our applicants.
Q: In what way? A: On occasion, we'll have someone walk in who feels that they're really interested in our full-time program, but perhaps the fit for them is much better in our fully-employed MBA program. They may be in a successful position, have an awful lot of career progression and a wealth of experience, and [earning an MBA] on a part-time [basis] may be more valuable for them at this time in their life. So now [under the school's new holistic approach], we're able to represent the school as a whole and present all of the options. I'm finding that that has an awful lot of value. Q: UCI's part-time, fully-employed, and health care programs are highly regarded. However, let's focus on the full-time MBA program given that it is the school's largest. A: As far as changes here, within our full-time program, we have, in addition to being able to promote GSM as a whole, a case manager approach to our applications. In other words, when someone applies to our program they are assigned an admissions representative that they work with throughout their application process. They're also assigned a student representative who is one of our current MBA students. This enables [candidates] to have a student contact as they're going through the application process and getting to know the school. Q: What exactly does that entail? How much of a relationship do students have with applicants? A: They have an awful lot of a relationship with them. We have a formalized ambassador program. We have a number of students who work in admissions and marketing. They go through a formal training program and orientation to help them know how to promote and represent the school, and work with particular applicants. We try to pair [students with applicants who have] similar backgrounds. For instance, if we had someone from India applying, we'd try to make their contact one of our current students who may be from India as well and have some similar experiences. Once a student is admitted or, in some cases, once a [prospective] student has applied to the program, our student ambassadors will send them an e-mail message. That current student will welcome [the applicant] to GSM and let them know that they're available for any type of phone or e-mail conversation. Or, if the [applicant] is going to be in the area, [the student ambassador is available] to take them on a tour of the campus or meet for a cup of coffee. Q: Is every UCI applicant assigned a student that they can speak with? A: Yes. Every applicant is contacted by one of our ambassadors. Q: Let's step back for a minute and talk a bit about UCI's approach to education. The school has developed a niche in information technology. Can you describe some of UCI's unique offerings? A: We like to say that we're teaching tomorrow's MBA today. Business is being conducted very differently out there [these days]. UCI faculty and staff have put a lot of time and effort into understanding and training [to both learn and teach] the way business is being conducted today and [will be] tomorrow. Our faculty feels that teaching the theory of business without teaching the tools is not a proper way to teach the MBA. As far as our scope on technology, we're not in the business of training computer programmers here, but [we are] making sure that every single one of our students understands the impact of technology on today's business and how business is being conducted differently. Q: Given the school's slant, should GSM's applicants have a specific technology background? A: No, not necessarily. Our students come from all walks of life -- engineering, accounting, entrepreneurial ventures, human resources... But regardless of the discipline that they may be coming from, our applicants need to have an understanding [of technology] once they've graduated. So we integrate technology throughout the curriculum. A student has a choice of whether they'd like to focus on the area of information technology. But he or she can almost tailor their own MBA. They certainly need to take the core [courses] -- in order for us to award the MBA they need to have X number of accounting, finance, and marketing classes, etc. But we now make part of our core requirement two Information Technology Management (ITM) classes and three ITM labs. The labs aren't like chemistry labs. Our labs take place in a regular classroom, where students are on their notebook computers. We do have a notebook computer compliance program where every one of our students must have a notebook computer. The GSM has had that for years, they're one of the first in the country to mandate the notebook computer program. But as far as the labs are concerned, there might be something like a marketing lab. So, if you're someone who really wants your MBA with a specialization in the area of marketing, you would choose to take your ITM lab in the area of marketing, database marketing, and understanding systems technology systems. Q: Are there any tech core competencies that you suggest students at least come in with to ease their transition into the program? A: Yes. Students should be at least familiar with the Microsoft Office suite. And they should be familiar with a word processing package as well as some basic spreadsheet work, some database work. I always encourage students to brush up on their presentation skills or things like Powerpoint presentation software, because that will be helpful for them as they're going through the program. But we do some training for our students. We have an internal system called the Catalyst System, which is a student-based management system that we train our students on as part of their orientation to the program. So there is a training period to get folks up to speed on what they'll be expected to perform over the next two years at the GSM. Q: A lot of folks have been taking stock of UCI's offerings. That's evidenced by the school's steady rise in applications over last three years. In 1997, GSM received 693 applications. That total increased to 824 in 1998. And last year, UCI's applications peaked at 882. How is your office managing this increase in apps? A: There again technology is helping us. Our [prospective] students have the ability to apply online, of course. They can inquire about the program online, through the Web. If they inquire through the Web or e-mail, [their request] is dumped directly into our database, which is downloaded to the mailing house each night, and those applicants are sent publications and materials on the program immediately. Prospective students then can apply either online, by paper, or they can download our application from our Web site. We do ask that [prospective] students manage their application themselves. In other words, they should send [their application] in complete by, for example, having their transcripts sent to them in sealed envelopes and including those as part of their application. They should also collect their letters of recommendation and include them as part of the package, so that they're sending it to us as a whole. Once we receive an application, we send confirmation that we've received the application along with a code. And that code enables [our applicants] to check their application's status through our Web site. We have an application status checker directly on the Web, and this has been a wonderful feature for us at admissions. Previously, we used to get an awful lot of telephone calls from people asking us whether we'd received their applications, or GMAT scores. Now, [the status checker] allows them to check on those types of things themselves. We also schedule interviews online. Q: Where do the majority of the school's applications come from, still primarily from the state of California? A: We have been branching out. I've been here just a year, but in this past year we've seen more applications coming from the East Coast as well as the Midwest. We've also seen some Canadian applications. And we receive a large portion of applications from our Asian neighbors. Q: Is that a concerted game plan that the school has put in place, to increase its student enrollment from other parts of the United States and abroad? A: Yes, it is. This year was the first time that we attended all of the MBA Forums, except for Toronto. This is the first year that we've done an East Coast reception for prospective students -- that was a new event for us. And our dean and assistant dean did an Asian tour this year, where they did some information sessions and visits with corporations. And we have plans in place to hit Europe next fall. Q: UCI's Class of 2001 includes 35% women and 25% international students. However, at just 3%, the school enrolled an extraordinarily low percentage of underrepresented minorities. Why is that? A: That's definitely a concern of mine. When I entered this position, that [low minority figure] jumped out, as well as our previously lower number of female applicants. We brought up [our female enrollment] considerably this last year. (Editor's Note: UCI increased its female class representation from 27% in 1998, to 35% in 1999.) We have a new associate director of marketing, who is now going to concentrate on our underrepresented minority population. And we have plans in place to get much more involved with those audiences. I don't believe there have been as many efforts [before this], or a person appointed directly to concentrate on that. Q: What type of programming are you hoping to put in place to cater to underrepresented minority applicants? A: In particular, we'll be doing some events here on the campus as well as getting involved with things like the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the National Black MBA Association. So we're really planning to get involved with some of those organizations as much as possible. A few of our Ph.D. students are helping in this area as well. Q: Will the school's efforts to increase its demographic student body make-up, in essence, make it easier for a female African-American student from Boston to get into the program over, say, a Caucasian male from San Francisco? A: We will evaluate all applicants equally. Our efforts will be to attract more underrepresented minorities to applying to UC Irvine. But all of our applications are treated equally as far as evaluation. There will be no changing of standards for those particular people. Q: Let's talk about the evaluation of the application, beginning with the "admissions triangle:" the GMAT, GPA, and work experience. Over the course of just 12 months, the school has seen a sizable increase in its [enrolled] applicants' GMAT scores. Last year, the Class of 2000's average GMAT came in at a respectable 650. And this year's Class of 2001 averaged a score of 664. As an average, 14 points is no small increase. Is that the result of the school's conscious efforts to increase its GMAT standards? A: Yes, we have been raising the bar across the spectrum, in terms of not only the GMAT but also GPA and work experience. Our [average] work experience is up considerably. And in receiving more applicants we have the ability to [raise our standards], which is really exciting. You get your pick when you're at this level of interest. I like to refer to it as the "admissions circle" versus "triangle," because, in addition to things like GMAT, GPA, and work experience, we also strongly consider someone's letters of recommendation, their personal essays, and interview. We interview every one of our competitive applicants, and the interview becomes a very important part of the [evaluation] process. We're looking for things in our interviews like, how do they present themselves? What are their contributions? What could they contribute to a class as a matter of expertise, as [something unique]? How have they contributed to society? I always like to know how someone has given back. Q: You're referring to the subjective facets of the application. The admissions triangle just refers to some of the statistically-oriented parts of the file that help give an initial look at the competitiveness of an applicant versus the rest of the pool. Does the school's rising GMAT credential increase the need for applicants to do well on the exam? A: We look at the overall application. We look at the overall person and we've certainly [admitted] some people with less than 664 GMATs and less than five years of professional experience. We look for a nice balance. If someone has less work experience, we'd want to see the quant side of things be higher. We'd want to see a very strong, competitive undergraduate institution and major and GPA, as well as a strong GMAT, if they're lighter on the work experience. If their work experience is much more extensive, they may have some room on the other factors. So again, we like to see just a nice balance in the overall applicant. If their basic "triangle" is not there, then the interview most likely would not be granted. Q: The school's GMAT scores range from 600-770 [for the middle-80%]. How important is it for applicants to at least fall somewhere within that range? A: It's quite important, in that other applicants will. When we have this type of popularity and interest in our programs, most people that are applying fall within that range. And they have all these other factors [to consider] as well. So we always encourage people who are asking us about our program to definitely look at the profile of our entering class. I wouldn't encourage someone to apply that wasn't at all close to that profile. If they had a 500 GMAT, knowing that our average is 664, then I'd encourage them to step back and perhaps take some extra time to prep for the GMAT. We're going to take the best-quality applicants that we can get. Q: Do you frown upon applications that show that the candidate has retaken the GMAT several times? A: No, we do not. In fact, at times we'll recommend that somebody retake the GMAT to make their file more competitive. We look at their best GMAT scores. We realize that sometimes folks have a bad day, or perhaps they went in taking the test just to see how well they could do and where they needed to go from there. In that [sort of] case, they've taken it again and increased their score considerably. We'll take the best score, but it does need to be within the last five years. Q: Many admissions officers are attaching more emphasis on applicants' work experience. Is that also the case at UC Irvine? A: Absolutely. Q: When focusing only on the admissions triangle criteria, which do you tend to look at first? Which factor tends to hold the most importance? A: We really look at all three. I'm not trying to avoid your question but really, when we review a file, we review it carefully. We look at the GMAT, we look at the GPA, we look at the institution [the applicant] attended, we look at the rigor of the program that they were involved with, we look at the type of coursework that they were taking, and we look at their work experience. We look at [the work experience] not only in terms of years, but also in terms of what kind of work experience it was. Was it substantial work experience? Did they progress throughout it? Were they promoted? Did they have salary increases? What level of responsibility did they have? Did they have international business experience? So we're evaluating not just the basic stats. We go deeper. Q: The "admissions circle" that you referred to encompasses both the data-driven facets of a file as well as some of the subjective criteria, including the interview, essays, and recommendations. The school seems to place a lot of importance on establishing contact with its applicants. How important has the interview become in making that evaluation of whether an applicant will fit into the school's culture and learning style? How many folks in general do you interview a year? A: Everyone who has been admitted to our program has received an interview. Not all of those are in-person interviews, because some of our international applicants or those that live further away may have difficulty getting here for an interview, or we may not have somebody in their area to interview them. Being from the East Coast, if I was back east, even visiting, I would try to meet up with one of our applicants to schedule an interview, because we much prefer to interview in-person whenever possible. But that's not always possible and [when it isn't], what we will do is a phone interview. Q: Who does the interviews at the school? A: Our interviews are conducted by our admissions representatives, all of whom have masters degrees. They are full-time GSM employees that work for admissions and marketing. My staff and I will interview at forums if we have applicants to review at that time. Q: What do UCI's interviews look like? A: Along with our interviews, we try to also schedule an opportunity for the applicant to meet with one of our student ambassadors and have a tour of the Graduate School of Management. That typically will happen either before or after the interview, so that they have that personal student contact. And all of our ambassadors make sure that they give [the applicants] their business cards with all of their contact information. The applicant is then in an interview with one of our admissions representatives, and it's really [designed] to be an exchange of information. So while we're asking pointed questions about [applicants'] professional experience and some of the organizations they may have been involved in or the business or international experiences they may have had, we also want it to be a personalized interview and for the applicant to ask questions of us. Because what we're looking for is a good fit -- not only from our standpoint but from the applicant's standpoint. We realize there are a lot of programs out there and we want to make sure that they are comfortable with their choices. Q: How long does an interview tend to last at Irvine? A: Typically it's about 45 minutes. Q: And if they're in the area, you prefer applicants to interview on campus? A: Yes, if they're able to do it on campus. Sometimes they may even request to sit in on a class with one of our student ambassadors. Q: So it sounds like a good way to prepare for the interview may be to review my essay responses as well as the school materials so I'll be able to ask questions. A: Yes, I would encourage that. We're looking for how well people present themselves in the interview. How are their interpersonal skills? How's their business etiquette? Anyone who enters the Graduate School of Management and graduates is representing the Graduate School of Management. And we want good representation out there. Q: Do you try and gauge international applicants' English-speaking skills during the interview? A: Yes, especially during the in-person interview. The phone interviews are a bit more difficult. We really wish that we could interview absolutely everyone in person. International phone interviews tend to be tricky. We do ask some leading questions about the letters that they've written, and their experiences, [in an effort] to judge their language skills. If we feel that someone needs some additional help in language, we'll encourage them to take an English language class prior to starting. We have some alums abroad who have helped us in this area, where they've met one of our really strong international candidates for lunch or for breakfast to talk about their experiences at the school. Q: Do you make a note in the file that a particular applicant has made contact with a number of different people affiliated with the school? A: We do. We track our ambassador and applicant. Q: Does the level of contact that an applicant has with a school official -- be it a student ambassador or alum -- have any impact on his or her candidacy? A: No. It would not have impact on whether we would admit them or not. But we track it so we see that the [prospective] student has had interaction with people here, and with students here. Q: Is the interview weighted similarly if it is done in-person on campus, in-person abroad, or over the phone? A: Yes, it is weighted similarly. Q: So you don't attach any added weight to an applicant who has, say, traveled to Irvine to sit down with you to interview? A: We would be impressed by the fact that this person has taken the time to do that. But we would never discriminate against someone who was not able to do that. For many people that would be a big commitment financially. We do have people though, who fly from other countries and line up their interviews at all of their schools. In that case, we're happy that they've done that -- not only for us but for them as well. It's very difficult, when you've never been at a particular business school, to make a decision. I think it helps in their decision making process if they can come early, observe the campus [in person], and experience our faculty, students, and staff first-hand versus over the phone. So we encourage [applicants to visit and interview on campus], but we would never hold it against someone if they could not afford to do that. Q: The essays are another way for folks to demonstrate just who they are and the types of experiences they've had that could aid them in the UCI classroom. What is the school looking for in the essays? A: We are looking, in particular, for a person's thought processes. Can they write concisely? What kind of experiences are they sharing with us? Is it original? We look at grammar and content. And this is really the place where people have an opportunity to tell us what's unique about them that may not be coming through on something like a GMAT, a resume, a GPA, or a letter of recommendation. So [the essays] really provide that opportunity, in addition to the interview. {Editor's note: UCI's 1999-2000 application essays include: 1. "Explain your interest in obtaining an MBA degree at this juncture of your career, and how it integrates into your overalll professinal growth and development. How do you expect it to help you attain both your short and long-term career goals? Why do you want to obtain your degree at UCI's Graduate School of Management?" 2. "Discuss your major accomplishments, both personally and professionally. What particular strengths do you think you have which have helped you in this respect? What particular deficiencies have hindered you, and how have you addressed them?" 3. "How do you think your previous background, experiences, and education have influenced the person you are today? How have they helped to develop your leadership/managerial abilities? Give one or more examples of those abilities and how you view them." 4. "Please make any comments or provide additional information you feel will be beneficial to the Admissions Committee in its deliberations.") Q: How important is it to write concisely and adhere to the school's recommended word limits? (Editor's note: UCI encourages its applicants to answer all four of its essay questions within three pages.) A: Very important. It's critical to write well and to not have errors in your self-evaluation and in your personal statements, because these are documents that you have under your control. If any MBA applicant hasn't had someone proof read their self-evaluations before submitting them, we'd be a bit concerned about their judgment and level of professionalism, because it's such an important part of the application process. Q: There are a number of different ways to approach the essays. On a goals or career-oriented question, is it important for me to lay out the specifics or a blueprint of my hoped-for evolution, or should I present a macroview of how the MBA will help me get from point A to my intended point B? A: We see both approaches. We're really just evaluating not how they've approached [the question], but how well they've written their statement and what their goals and objectives are. So as long as they're incorporating [those factors] into their statement, the angle in which they move in on [the question] would not be weighed one way or another. Q: What particular red flags should applicants avoid at all costs? A: Make sure that your statement is well thought out. That it's grammatically correct, that you don't have typos. That you don't go in excess over the word limit. And that it's handled in a very professional manner and with real seriousness. Q: We spoke earlier about the increased importance placed on work experience in today's extraordinarily competitive admissions process. Does that make it necessary for applicants to look to professional contacts and supervisors to fill out their recommendation forms? A: We strongly encourage that at least one of the recommendations come from an immediate supervisor. [We'd like to hear from] someone who has mentored that particular person and who knows their work well and can comment very specifically on their career progression. Q: UCI has two required recommendations. Would you suggest that applicants sit down with their recommenders to talk over possible points for them to include in the recommendation form? Is an applicant going too far by providing his recommenders with a list of possible examples that should be introduced into his recommendation? A: I would hope that people choose recommenders who know them well enough so that they don't need to do that. Again, we do encourage that one letter of recommendation come from an immediate supervisor. The other one could come from a client, a colleague, or a fellow team member, [but it should be] someone who is going to know your work well and be able to comment on your work and you as a person, really without any kind of guidance. Q: For those who have only been out of school for a couple of years, is it still a no-no to ask a professor or faculty member to fill out one of their rec forms? A: Our preference is that they would ask someone very current. Often if someone is out of school a few years, to go back and ask a professor would be almost like a dated recommendation. Q: How much emphasis do you place on the recommendations come review time? So many recommendations just appear to be dripping with accolades that it's hard to come away with an objective feel for who the applicant really is. What's your take? A: Well, it's interesting, because we seriously evaluate the letters of recommendation. And we have denied admission based on letters of recommendation. We read them carefully and sometimes an employer might say something that would just tip us off to not admit someone. In that case, we wonder about the thing that [the recommender is] bringing to our attention, and also about the applicant's judgment in asking [that particular person to write them] a letter of recommendation. Q: Once you've received all of the different parts of my application, how is my file actually reviewed? A: A file is reviewed by an admissions counselor once it's completed. The counselor reviews and reads through the file very closely to determine whether the [candidate] will be called in for an interview. If the person is a competitive applicant then they will be invited for an interview. This all happens quite quickly: A file is complete, it's immediately passed on to an admissions counselor for an interview, you're placed on the interview schedule and come in for your interview... Prior to your interview your file is reviewed again by the admissions representative so that when you come for your interview, they know your background inside and out, so they can ask pointed questions. Once the interview is completed, your file is then passed onto the admissions committee for review. We meet as a committee on a weekly basis. So the week following the admissions committee meeting, you are informed of a decision. It's a rolling admissions process. Q: Can you explain exactly what that means? A: "Rolling admissions" means that we admit applicants throughout the year. And once they're admitted, we ask that they secure their place in the incoming class by paying a deposit, typically within about three weeks of their admission. Q: What is UCI's general turnaround time for response? Earlier you mentioned the school's efforts to integrate technology, such as the online application checker, into the admissions process. Has that helped to make the process more efficient? A: It has, yes. In fact, I'm quite pleased with our turnaround time. I tend to be a real stickler about customer service and reacting to interested inquiries and applicants, and making sure that they have a personalized approach to their admissions process. This is a big decision for applicants -- these are people who are leaving their careers for two years and trying to make a determination about which school they will attend. In fairness, I think we need to be responsive to them. So within 24 to 48 hours, we'll get back to people requesting materials. And once your application comes in completed, it's immediately passed on to the admissions counselor for review. Typically, it will be with an admissions counselor for a day, and passed on to our administrative assistant to schedule the interview. Most often, people are put on the interview schedule within two weeks from the time their file was reviewed. A lot of times that will depend on the applicant as well. If someone is applying from out-of-state, or out of the area, and they know they're going to be in California in Irvine four weeks from now and they request having the interview at the time of their visit, then we certainly will accommodate that. We'd much rather see them in person than by phone. Or if someone is traveling on business and won't be back for three weeks, then we will wait [to interview them until they return]. But we certainly try to shoot for getting someone on that interview schedule within two weeks. Q: Does the school employ a wait list? A: We do. Q: How many applicants find themselves there come decision time? A: Last year we probably had 25 or so on the wait list. But we have never had to draw from our wait list. Q: Do waitlistees have to wait to hear of a their fates until the summer? Or will their applications be reevaluated as the rest of the school's application process unfolds? A: If we can't make an admission decision on a particular applicant, we'll send a letter to let that person know, and rereview his or her file again at a later date, to make a decision. Last year, our class was full very early on, and most of the people who ended up on the wait list were people who just didn't get their applications in on time. Q: Briefly, what strategy do you suggest waitlisted applicants take to increase their chances of getting onto UCI's class roster? A: Apply early. As interest is skyrocketing with our programs, I'm encouraging applicants to apply early because the folks that hit our wait list last year primarily were people who applied closer to our final deadline, and at that time the class was already full. We had some excellent, highly qualified candidates come in late last year that we could not bring into our fall class because we were full. And we are really limited here in terms of space. 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