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FEBRUARY 22, 2000 B-SCHOOL Q&A: ADMISSIONS Meet Wake Forest's Admissions Director A Conversation with Mary Goss, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Services at Wake Forest's Babcock Graduate School of Management
Q: Mary, what attracts applicants to Wake Forest's Babcock School? A: The biggest thing is our personalized approach and the small, intimate nature of our program. We enroll about 114 students a year. Over the past three years, we've reduced our class size. It's called the 3/38 program. We have three sections of 38 students in a class; we used to have two sections of 55 students. That [means we have] one of the smallest class sections in the nation, [among business schools]. It allows students to interact with the faculty and with other students more, and it gives them more opportunities to defend [their] analyses in class and to improve their communication skills. We're also offering career concentrations for second-year students in information technology and E-commerce. The curriculum is [still] heavier in management than technology, but [these new concentrations] have created a great deal of interest from potential students and recruiters. We just started an entrepreneurship program, as well. Entrepreneurship has always been a part of the Babcock School, but the school has made a concerted effort to focus in this area over the last year when we established the Angel Center for Entrepreneurship. Through a gift from a donor, the school was able to hire additional faculty in [entrepreneurship], as well as a director for the center. The Babcock School is strong in all the different functional areas, as are a lot of other MBA programs. But we're known for having a better understanding of cross-functional dynamics. The first-year curriculum is designed, sequenced, and integrated in a way that not only grounds the students in all the basic functional areas, but allows them to understand the different linkages between them. A lot of these changes to the curriculum and the program are a direct result of us talking to recruiters and businesses to see what they wanted from Babcock graduates. Q: Have the school's innovations affected applications at all? A: We're about 10% ahead of where we were at this time last year. But I've seen a huge increase in the quality of the applications. People are taking the Babcock School more seriously than they did in the past. The applicants have more work experience, better undergraduate records, and better standardized test scores. Q: A 10% increase at this stage must be pleasing, especially since Babcock faced dwindling application numbers at the end of the millennium. In 1997, the school received a total of 610 apps; in 1998, 582; and in '99, 550. What do you feel was the cause of that dip? A: I'm not sure what the dip was caused by. One of the reasons could be that we are attracting a different type of applicant than we had in the past. Seven years ago, we weren't thought of as being among the top ranks of the MBA schools. We got a lot of applications, but they were from people who weren't qualified. Now that people see us in rankings and read about our [students'] average GMAT scores and work experience, fewer [unqualified] people apply. As we raise our reputation, we'll get more applications from more highly-qualified candidates. Q: How do you ensure that the Babcock MBA program will be a diverse one? A: We start [recruiting] years before a student would get [to campus]. We're working on increasing the number of minorities in the class, which is 6% of the class now, and much lower than we want it to be. We work closely with the National Black MBA Association to find creative ideas to attract minority candidates. For the past three years, students, faculty, and members of the administration have attended the National Black MBA Conference. We attend college fairs sponsored by various professional organizations, such as the National Society for Black Engineers, to raise awareness among the minority population. This year, we mailed information [about the MBA program] to alumni from all the historically black [undergraduate] colleges. We ask them to consider the Babcock School as a source for an MBA education. We also look for diversity in gender, education, geographic background, and work experience. We do that part when we look at the entire applicant pool, and on a weekly basis. I read every single application, so I know where we may be lacking in diversity.
Q: Where else is the school focusing its recruiting efforts? A: The international population. We've been successful recruiting students from Asia and from India. For the first time, we went to South America this year. We sent someone from my admissions staff down there, and we also have alumni there. They were able to talk about the Babcock School and their experiences with prospective students from their home countries. And that's what a lot of these international students want to talk about. They want to hear from someone like themselves who will be going to a foreign country to go to school. Q: What is the breakdown of Babcock's applicant pool, domestic versus international? A: The applicant pool is 50% international. Q: The international component of Babcock's curriculum is highlighted throughout the school's Web site. For example, 10% of Babcock's first-year students intern abroad. What should an applicant highlight to show that they've got a global business edge? A: If they have any foreign language skills, they should highlight them in the application. They should highlight any time that they've gone overseas during college, with work, or for pleasure. Q: Applicants can apply traditionally with a hard copy application. They can also apply by downloading the application or completing one through Embark or Multi-App. How does Wake Forest prefer to receive it? A: At this point in time it doesn't matter and there isn't a preferred way. Although many applicants like to do it electronically. One thing is, if they're applying to a lot of different schools they can do a common application and then personalize it for each individual school, [with a method] such as Embark offers. Another benefit of sending it electronically is that the minute a school downloads their application, notice is given to the applicant that it was received. And so that's cut down on a lot of phone calls and anxiety on the applicants' part, [who used to be left] wondering if the application had ever been received. Q: How do the majority of Babcock's MBA candidates apply? A: About half are applying electronically this year. Last year, the majority of applicants used hard copies. Q: At what time does an applicant have the best chance of being admitted? A: The best time is the first application deadline on Dec. 1. But by March 15th, we still have space in the class. After March 15th, applicants start taking a chance. They may be incredibly qualified, yet we may have no room left in the class for them. Q: Once the application arrives in the admissions office, how is it evaluated? A: I try not to make any up front notions of what any applicant is going to be like. I take a quick glance through the whole application, and that means looking at GMAT scores, undergraduate transcripts, and [responses to the] essay questions. I also look carefully at the types of recommendations and [the applicants'] extracurricular activities. Then we go over it again to look for particulars. Q: What qualifications does the average accepted applicant have? A: Quantitatively, they have an average GMAT of 633, four years of work experience, and have demonstrated leadership ability. They are people who give back to the community. They also express in the application and through an interview why they want an MBA, and how much they're actually going to contribute to the experience while they're in the classroom. Q: Does Wake Forest evaluate the GMAT holistically, or is it broken down into parts? A: It depends. For international students, we tend to break it down into parts because we want to see the verbal scores. International students tend to score higher on the quantitative part of the GMAT, so in those instances we also look at the TOEFL scores. We also look closely at the essays. Q: What do you consider to be a good quantitative GMAT score? What rough percentile does the school prefer? A: Applicants that score above the 75th percentile tend to do well academically here. Q: How is it viewed when an applicant has taken the GMAT more than once? A: I'm okay with applicants taking it more than once. Sometimes, I view it as a good thing. The fact that they're willing to go back to try to improve their application in any way is a positive thing. We look at the highest of the test scores. Ninety-five percent of the time, people who retake the GMAT score higher. Q: What kinds of things is the school looking to learn from the academic transcript? A: You look at what type of school they went to, and what their major was. Someone who graduated with a molecular biology degree may have taken more difficult classes than someone who graduated with a history degree. Hopefully we'll see some type of progression as the college days go on. A lot of people take that first year to feel out what college is all about. And while their grades may not be spectacular that first year, we're looking for an improvement. We look at the type of classes the applicant took. Classes that we like to see, and that are helpful in the MBA program, are accounting, statistics, and economics. Applicants don't have to take those classes as an undergraduate, but they need to take them before they start the MBA program, and should receive A or B grades. The applicant's ranking in the [undergraduate] class is important, too. Someone may have a 3.2 GPA, but graduated 99th out of 125 students. That tells you something about the grading scale at the school. Q: What does Babcock want to learn about an applicant on the three required essays? A: We're looking for essays that are focused. Ultimately, we want the essays to provide us with an insight into the candidate that goes beyond the GPA and GMAT scores. We hope that the applicant will utilize the opportunity to tell us what motivates them, what makes them tick. We want to understand how they've reached their current place in life and in the workplace. What has contributed to their successes and failures? Since some people aren't able to make it down for interviews, the essays allow the applicants to provide us with information about themselves and to share personal experiences that they feel are pertinent to their application. (Editor's Note: The 1999-2000 Wake Forest application includes three essays: 1. "Discuss your career to date and the factors that have influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree now. Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest, in particular? How would an MBA from Wake Forest help you to achieve your career goals? Please discuss your short-term and long-term career goals." 2. "What do you consider to be the most important emerging trend or significant event in business, government or society, and why?" 3. "What would you like the admissions committee to know about you that might not be apparent from the application materials? Discuss any matter beyond the information already requested that you believe will help the admissions committee in considering your application.") Q: One question asks applicants about what they feel are the most important emerging business and economic trends. What are some of the more interesting answers you've read? A: A lot of applicants mention the importance of the Internet in businesses today, and technology. A lot of them focus on globalization. Those things are good, because a lot individuals live within their own little worlds and don't take a bigger look at things. Through that essay question about the current and emerging trends, we make them look at the big picture. Q: What common mistakes do applicants make on the essays? A: The biggest mistake applicants make is when they're unfocused and ramble without getting to a point. That all boils down to their ability to communicate their thoughts in writing. Which is an important business skill [to have]. Of course, [we also see] silly things, such as putting the wrong school name in the essay. Q: Who should write the applicant's recommendation? A: The recommendation should be from a manager or supervisor, someone who understands [the applicant's] career aspirations and can provide some insight into their managerial potential. A lot of applicants feel that they can't approach a supervisor for various reasons, and [in those cases] we suggest they ask a previous supervisor, colleague, or a customer. Q: With 6% of the class having less than one year of work experience, Wake Forest must place a lot of weight on the applicant's extracurricular activities... A: Extracurricular activities are factored in several ways. First, it's a matter of what type of extracurricular activities the applicant took part in. Second, we look at why the applicant was a member. Then we ask, 'What type of leadership role did they play in the organization?' If they headed up a blood drive at their college or built a house with Habitat for Humanity, or were an elected officer in student government, those things help to demonstrate leadership abilities. And that's one of the qualities that we're looking for in students. Extracurricular activities for those who have work experience could be through company-organized programs or community events. Q: Sixty-one percent of the admitted class was interviewed in 1999. How should applicants prepare for a Babcock interview? A: Candidates should have a current resume ready because we'll go over it with them in the interview. They should be prepared to discuss their work experience, progression that they've made in their careers, and the reason behind their career choices. They should also be able to articulate why they want to come back for an MBA. They should be ready to discuss what's important for them in an MBA program. They've got to be able to talk about what they're going to contribute to the classroom environment. Everyone that's admitted into the program is admitted because we feel they'll be contributing to the classroom environment. Q: What other questions should a candidate expect to be asked? A: A lot of them are about work experience. I always ask why they chose the undergraduate school that they attended. I like to hear that [answer] because I like to hear what's important to them in a school. For a lot of people, they say, 'I chose that program because it was a small intimate program,' or 'I chose that program because that's where my best friend was going.' So it's important for me to understand why they're choosing to apply to the Babcock School. I always ask about their interpersonal skills on the job. If they've had management experience, I ask what it's like to manage people, and 'What's the most difficult part of your job? What do you like most about what you're doing right now? If you could change one thing in your current position, what would that be?' Those questions seem to open us up for a lot of discussion in other areas. Q: What's something an applicant should avoid doing or saying during an interview? A: One of the biggest mistakes an applicant can make is lack of eye contact. They can be giving me some absolutely incredible answers to my questions, and may have wonderful work experience, but if there's no eye contact, it doesn't make for a very good interview. We need to place this student when they graduate. So [we ask ourselves], 'Will this candidate be able to interview with different companies?' If they don't have interpersonal skills, and I consider eye contact a big interpersonal skill, then they're not going to be successful when they're interviewing with companies. Q: What does Babcock consider compelling work experience? A: Advancement on the job. Not necessarily in title change, but the type of responsibilities that an applicant has been given. Dealing with clients or showing examples of working on a team are the types of things I like to see. [I ask myself]: 'What is the impact that that individual is making in an organization? What types of changes have been brought about because of things they've done or initiatives they've started?' Q: What about the length of time spent at a job? Is it okay to have staggered work experience? Or is it important to show consistency? A: As long as it shows career progression. Certainly you don't want a lot of job-hopping. But if someone can explain to me why they left the position or why there was no growth with the company, then I have no issue whatsoever with them moving on to another job. As long as they are able to explain the reasoning behind it. It's not like 20 years ago, when it was terrible to stay with a company for two years and move on. These days it's acceptable to do that. And in many companies, that's the only way for people to move on with their careers. Q: How many people are placed on Wake Forest's wait list every year, and how many make it off? A: That varies year to year. In 1999, about 50 people were placed on the wait list, and we took 10-15 people off. Q: What should an applicant do, if they're placed on the wait list, to better their chances of being admitted? A: They should keep in constant contact with us to tell us what they're doing, and to get feedback on how to improve their application. The thing we pride ourselves on and the thing that I love about my job is walking an applicant through the whole application process. And if they're waitlisted, we can talk to them and say, the weakness in your application is your GMAT score, or [tell them] the things that they can change. We want to help them change those things. [They should] show us that they have a general desire and interest in being a part of the Babcock community. A lot of times we'll take people off the wait list trying to round out the class. Q: How late might applicants be told that they have been taken off of the wait list? A: They can hear as late as the end of July. We've had summers, and this is like I was saying before, it changes year by year. One year I had 15 enrolled students drop out over the summer. It just happened to be a fluke. The following year I expected the same thing to happen, and one person dropped out over the summer. That year, I wasn't able to take anyone off the wait list. And I don't do sympathy wait lists -- I won't put someone on the wait list just because I want to make them feel better. The people that I put on the wait list are people who have a lot of strengths in their application, but I have to get a better sense of the applicant pool before I admit them. Q: How does the school assess an applicant's fit with the Babcock community, culture, and environment? A: It's hard to assess fit for the Babcock School unless the applicant comes to interview. I tell all applicants that no matter what schools they apply to, that they should go to visit and to interview. There's a place for everyone, and the applicants are the best ones to assess [a place's suitability]. Also, what people say during an interview is an indication to me whether they're going to be a good fit or not. For instance, someone came in and said that they did not believe that teams worked. Q: Do those applicants make the cut? A: No, they don't. During the first year of the MBA program, every student is assigned to a group for the entire year. So we need students to believe in the team concept. Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | FEBRUARY
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