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MARCH 1, 2000 B-SCHOOL Q&A: ADMISSIONS Meet University of Pittsburgh's Admissions Director A conversation with Kelly Wilson, the Director of Enrollment Management at University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business
Q: To start us off, let's talk about the University of Pittsburgh's accelerated 11-month MBA program. The Katz School is generally regarded as the first top-flight accelerated MBA program. Given the hot economy, are you finding more demand for the school's degree, since folks only have to take a year off from their jobs? A: We are actually seeing a lot more people finding the 11-month [program] the opportunity that they want to pursue. Given the advent of startups and dot-com companies, [the 11-month Katz MBA] might be more of an enticement than a two year program. Q: Today, U Pitt isn't the only school to offer an accelerated degree. What has Katz been doing to maintain its comparative advantage? A: We're developing what we're calling our Signature Program, as a way for individuals to get really focused academic experiences in certain areas. Q: What does the school's Signature Program encompass? A: We're developing a series of them across many of the interest areas that we have, and I can give you an example of one. In finance, one of our Signature Programs is in valuation. So a student might come into the [MBA] program, indicate that that is the Signature Program they'd like to select, and after they complete their core courses, their elective courses are actually part of the Valuation Signature Program. So by signing up for the Signature Program, they are block-registered for a series of classes. When they graduate, they receive not only the MBA degree, but a certificate stating they completed this particular Signature Program. Q: How many different Signature Programs does the school offer or plan to offer? A: Our Signature Programs have been developed within a context of what corporations are looking for from MBAs, areas students want to embrace, and the expertise of our faculty. We currently offer three Signature Programs and one on the way. They include: Valuation, Engineering Product Design Management, which will begin in the fall, Information Systems, and Productivity Quality and Control. The goal of the Signature Program model is to channel students into professional paths that pull classes from various areas together to provide the student an in-depth course of study with a specific focus. For instance, the Valuation Signature Program combines finance, accounting, and economics.
Q: The MBA degree itself holds a lot of cachet with recruiters. How will a Signature certificate aid Katz grads? A: We really look at these types of [innovations] from a recruiter's standpoint. We have "Best Practice Partners," which are corporations we've partnered with to work with a professor on a given class, for instance. So in talking to those corporations and other corporate contacts that we have, we've been able to ask those people what types of things they're looking for, and what specific skills they look for from MBA students. [Their response] is the basis for how we've been developing our Signature Programs. Going back to the example of the Finance Signature Program, something very important to a particular group of employers is the ability for MBAs to work in the valuation area. So within our Best Practice Partners arrangements, we have corporations who are recognized as partners, who are aligned with our faculty in developing the syllabus for the class. They come and speak to our students. Through these corporate connections, we're able to target the types of things that we not only excel in as a school, but also the types of things that recruiters and corporations are looking for in an MBA. Q: The school is actually known primarily for its quantitative and operations forte. Would you say that those are the school's key areas of expertise? A: Finance marketing and IT are the key areas we excel in. Q: Kelly, you recently got an MBA from a two-year program. How different is the Katz one-year curriculum, compared to a traditional two-year MBA practicum? A: That's a great question. Beyond getting a student in and out of the program in a year, the one-year program allows you to go through the program realistically -- at the pace of business. The way the 11-month [program] is structured, our students may be learning something in statistics and applying it in a marketing-research class, for instance. The program is also much more integrated. And the recruiters on the other end [feel that] our students are ready to walk in the door and hit the ground running once they graduate. Q: What type of person best fits with the Katz environment, one that offers an accelerated learning process but not an internship experience? A: The students that apply to our school really have to be focused and they need to have given a lot of thought to what they want to do in their careers. You don't have the luxury of taking the first year of your MBA program to kind of figure out what you want to do. Our students really need to go through an exercise of self-assessment. And we begin talking to them about that quickly after they have given us their decision to attend our program. With regards to the internship issue.... For a career-switcher that wants to come to our program, we have dual degree options. They allow [the career switchers] to work through their MBA experience. There is an internship piece built in and then they come back and finish the second degree. So there are options for folks to do that, that our flagship, 11-month program, does not provide. That doesn't mean that there isn't corporate contact when the students are in the 11-month program. That occurs daily from our Best Practices Program. We have a CEO series where folks come in and share with our students information on what's happening today in business. And the ability for us to infuse corporate interaction that way allows our students to ultimately get the jobs that they're hoping to get. Q: Given the career focus that Katz students need to have at the end of their one-year experience, do a large percentage of the school's applicants tend to be a little older, with a higher degree of work experience? A: We hope our students are wise, but I don't think that that translates into us having older students with more work experience. This year's class [of 2001] has an average of five years of work experience, and is about 27 years of age. Q: However, I did notice that the Class of 2001's average amount of work experience increased by one year from the Class of 2000's. So it appears that your office is putting more emphasis on that end of the application. Is that a fair assessment? A: We prefer to have candidates with work experience. In the past we may have accepted students into our program without work experience. I'm not saying we'll [no longer] accept someone without work experience, but in an MBA program, the experience that an individual has really impacts the richness of the class. I know it did for me in my MBA program. But the backdrop to this is really the current population. Today, the individuals who are applying to business school fall into the population that has come behind the baby boomers, and it's dropped off a little bit. If you look at the segment of folks who are in college right now, they're kind of on the cusp of a much larger group. I've heard [that group] referred to as the "Echo Generation", "echoing" the baby boomers. So we're kind of at a dip on total number of applications right now [and that should rebound soon]. Q: At the same time, more than 20% of last year's class [of 2001] has little to no work experience.... A: Many of the folks that make up that percentage, to a degree, include students who actually are coming here to do the two-year (20-month) dual-degree program. Q: Is less emphasis placed on work experience if one applies to the school's dual-degree program? A: I wouldn't infer that. The people who may not have as much work experience, if they are applying to the dual degree program, may have the opportunity to do an internship, which may assist them in the long run. Q: As a percentage, how many dual-degree students participate in the Katz MBA program? Of the 12% of the students without work experience in the school's Class of 2001, how many are dual-degree students? A: Each incoming class is comprised of students seeking an 11-month MBA degree and students who will pursue a 20 month dual degree, such as our MBA/MS in Information Systems, our MBA/Master of International Business, or our MBA and Master's in Healthcare Administration. The proportional composition of no work experience for the 11-month MBA degree students is lower than the dual-degree programs. If an individual meets our academic profile, has demonstrated motivation, and has focused career goals but no work experience, we will have a discussion with that person regarding the benefits of our dual-degree programs. For someone without work experience, the internship opportunity that exists with the dual-degree program is a valuable component of the students' overall "package" that they will ultimately be marketing to corporate recruiters. These types of discussions are held so that our students get the most out of their graduate business experience at the Katz School. The end result may be that there are a greater number of dual degree students with no work experience. Q: Katz international students comprise 41% of the Class of 2000. That percentage fell by 9 points to 32% for the Class of 2001. Is that the result of a conscious effort to decrease the school's foreign population? A: No, that's more reflective of our strategy to reduce the size of the class. Q: Which has been considerably reduced, by almost 50 spots. A: Right. Ultimately, what we're looking for this year is a class of 175. We feel that's the optimum number of students based on the constraints of the program. Q: Why is Katz shrinking its class size? A: Five years ago, we re-launched our undergraduate school of business which was closed in the 1960s when we focused all of our resources (i.e. faculty) on our graduate business programs. This year, we will graduate the first class from our undergraduate program of 1,250 students. At the time we re-launched the undergraduate program, we had approximately 275 students in our MBA programs. Over the 5-year period, as we brought in additional undergraduates, we began to right-size the graduate program. This year, our goal is to bring in 175 [graduate] students. By 2006, we will have grown our faculty to a scale to teach all of our undergraduate, graduate, and PhD. students. We currently have 3 sections of full time MBAs. And we will continue to evaluate the relationship between our resources and the market we serve as we grow. When we get our faculty on board, we will certainly make a decision as to the optimal number of students for the full-time program. Q: Looking to the future, is there a particular amount of international students you would like to enroll into the Class of 2002? A: I don't believe that we have an actual number set. We want to get the best students we can, who can perform well in our program, and ultimately who can become employed in corporations that are meaningful to our students. Q: Is the Katz School experiencing a surge in international applications even though the school offers a one-year experience, not a two-year experience? A: Yes, we are. We're seeing international applications increase. And if you look at the GMAT data on test-takers, you'll see that the number of folks taking the GMAT domestically isn't rising as sharply as those taking the test internationally. So I would expect that we would see that increase. Q: Do you evaluate files differently depending on where they come from? Do you perhaps evaluate files on a country-by-country basis? A: We don't segment our files on the basis of country at all. We look at [applicants] as individual candidates and make our decisions based on the qualifications of the individual. Q: The admissions triangle -- which includes the GMAT, GPA, and work experience -- tends to be the first element that most admissions officers use to evaluate their candidates. Starting with the GMAT, what type of score signals to you that an applicant has the ability to compete? A: What we look at is not only the overall score but the [test's] component parts as well. So it's important in any MBA program that an individual has a quantitative score that demonstrates their ability to tackle the MBA program. At the same time, we wouldn't want to have someone with a very high quant score or a very low verbal score, and so there's really that balanced picture that we need to look at. Q: What's a healthy quant/verbal breakdown? A: A "healthy" breakdown is one that is balanced. If there is an imbalance, we would look to another aspect of the application file to further evaluate the applicant. For an international student with a verbal score that is significantly lower than the quantitative score, we will look to the TOEFL score, interview evaluation, and essays to discern additional information about the candidate. If someone has a lower quant score, we would look to a calculus grade. Q: Some test-takers achieve high overall GMAT scores but have skewed component part scores. Is the quant section more important than the verbal section, given the Katz School's heavy quant emphasis and the program's accelerated nature? A: [The quant] is important, and a skewed [GMAT quant/verbal breakdown] might signal to us to do a little more analysis on a candidate. We might want to have some discussions with that person and really probe and look at the rest of their application to see how [the scores] fit into the picture. Q: Do you ever suggest that an applicant retake the GMAT? A: Oftentimes you may hear a candidate say they didn't do as well as they would have liked on the GMAT. What we indicate is that if you think you did as well as you can, then you need to make the decision whether it makes sense for you to retake the exam. If you think that you've done the best you can without further preparation, such as [taking a] preparation course...we really try to leave that up to you. We do talk applicants through the process of how they might decide whether or not they want to retake the test though. Q: Do you feel that the GMAT is an adequate predictor of academic success in the program? A: My understanding of the GMAT is that it's a predictor of success in the first semester of an MBA program. You can point to folks whose GMAT scores demonstrate the work that they're capable of doing. You can also point to examples of individuals who demonstrate through their academic work that they may have had a bad day when taking the GMAT test. Q: What type of bearing does the GPA and an applicant's undergraduate institution have on your decision-making process? A: As far as the GPA and the college or university that the person attended is concerned, certainly we take into consideration a school that might be more selective than another one. But at the end of the day, [a school's academic standing] is one of a number of indicators that tell us that this person might be successful or might not be successful in our MBA program. Q: What type of work experience really grabs your attention? A: [We're looking for] someone with traditional work experience -- someone who has demonstrated that they've taken on some leadership responsibilities, has moved upwards in an organization if they've been there several years, and has been able to take on additional responsibilities and succeed. Q: Does the school's shrinking class put more emphasis on students' communication and teamwork skills? A: Clearly, communication skills in whatever-size program an MBA student finds himself in are needed and necessary. Q: Do you emphasize applicants' abilities to communicate during an interview and through their essays? A: Absolutely. We look for individuals who can -- whether it's written or verbal -- get their point across clearly and who have a logical progression in their thinking. Who can work in a group situation or interact in class, in order that they might get the most out of the program, and be able to contribute to the experience of the program as well. Q: Last year, the school interviewed a total of just under a quarter of its overall applicants, and about half of the folks that were admitted. Do you plan on increasing your office's interview effort? A: One thing we would like to do is to begin to interview and talk with anyone that we would admit into the program. I would like to [increase our interview efforts] and continue to use the opportunities that we have at different recruiting forums and on campus. Q: Currently, how are the school's MBA interviews set up? Are they conducted by invitation only? Or do applicants actually initiate contact with your office to schedule a sit-down? A: Right now, our interview policy is pretty flexible. We certainly welcome requests for interviews. At this point, we conduct informational interviews as well as evaluative interviews. Once we move forward, we may see the trend moving towards [doing] more evaluative interviews and trying to handle the informational interviews a little differently. We do get situations where, if we're reviewing a file and have not interviewed the person, and feel there is something we'd like to talk to the applicant about, we'll initiate an interview. So we do have the applicant initiating the interviews. But at the same time, we may initiate an interview once the admissions committee has looked at the file. Q: How important is the interview in the overall evaluation process? A: The interview is another way for us to get to know the applicants and for the applicants to convey information to us. It really points to collecting information about an individual through many channels. We've got the application data itself, we have the essays, and we've got the recommendation. And the interview becomes another channel for us to gain first-hand information about the candidates. Q: What types of questions should candidates expect when sitting down with you or a member of your staff for an interview? A: The types of questions we typically would ask are: "What has brought you to the juncture that you're seeking an MBA?" and "Talk to me about the path that you've traveled and how that has played into why you believe this is the appropriate time to earn an MBA." Also, we look for the applicants to demonstrate, through different examples, how they've stepped up to the plate to take the lead on something that may or may not have been assigned to them. Or we'll be able to glean their communication skills from an interview. In addition, we want to come back to the issue of what their future plans are and how they see the MBA playing into both their short-term and long-term goals. Q: The essays are another opportunity for you to gain insight into applicants' backgrounds and motivations for earning the MBA degree. What types of qualities are you hoping to pull out of the essay responses? A: We want to read about someone's abilities to take on various projects or assignments and understand how they've been successful in doing that. The thing that we want to see is someone being able to clearly articulate their information to us. Examples of successes and failures that they may have learned from are all good information to include in an essay. We also look for whether someone has a particular issue that they need to address. We have an optional essay for [applicants] to address an issue that they may not otherwise feel they have a chance to address in the process. So we look for any information outside the norm in that essay. (Editor's note: Katz requires applicants to complete two essay questions: 1. Explain your specific reasons for wanting to pursue an MBA and why you would choose to attend the Katz School at the University of Pittsburgh. Describe what qualities you possess, what responsibilities you have had, or experiences you have gained through your employment, extracurricular involvement, and community activities that will enable you to make a meaningful contribution to the MBA class. Discuss your specific career goals and how you think the MBA experience will add to your professional/personal development. 2. Recall the varieties of groups and group meetings that you have experienced in a work setting (or in college courses or activities if you do not have any relevant work experience). Discuss the issue of how goals and agenda items are established, how interpersonal conflicts are identified and managed, how work is divided and distributed, and how groups monitor their own functioning. Summarize what you have learned concerning what makes group meetings successful and satisfying.) Q: The Katz School enrolls a fair amount of younger applicants but also seems to put a high premium on applicants with work experience. Who exactly is the best person to complete a recommendation? A: We'd prefer to have recommendations from the professional arena. And we'd prefer them to be from someone like a supervisor, who has observations about the individual [in the workplace], as opposed to getting indirect statements from a president or CEO of a company who may not know the applicant. Q: What aspect of the recommendation do you feel is more important: the academic grid or the written response area? A: We look at both. But we pay close attention to [inconsistencies]. A recommender, for example, may recommend [an applicant] strongly [in the grid], but the written response may include some contradictory information. That would then give us a reason to probe a little bit further with the person on the issue. But across the board, rarely do we get a recommendation that isn't supportive of the individual. Q: What is the general turnaround time for a response? A: We typically will respond to someone within four to six weeks This year, we're making decisions differently than we have in the past, and our hope is that we can speed up that time a little bit. Q: How does the Katz School's wait list work? Does the school employ a wait list? A: The strategy behind our wait list is to identify candidates who can be successful in our program. Due to our volume of applications, we may not be able to make an admission decision on them right away. So we provide a date in which the application will be re-reviewed and then we inform [wait-listed] applicants at that point of our decision. Q: What can applicants do to move themselves off the wait list and on to the class roster? A: My suggestion for anyone on our wait list is to contact our admissions office and have a discussion with one of our staff to find out why they might be on the wait list and if it's something that they can control. For instance, they may choose to retake the GMAT if our discussion [reveals that their score is below the applicant pool's average.] So we might have some very candid discussion with folks, and I would encourage them to contact the office to inquire about what they might do to move off the wait list. Q: How do you contact those who are fortunate enough to learn that they should pack their bags for Pittsburgh? A: We send out an admission letter, and also we may try to call them or send them an e-mail to let them know that we were able to make a decision on their application and that we are happy to extend an offer to them. Additionally, we've got an online-application system, so the applicant can go online and check the status of their application. Now that doesn't tell them whether they're admitted or denied, but it does indicate that a decision has been made on their application. Q: Any final words of advise to aspiring Katz MBA students? A: My final words of advice would be to be prepared to hit the ground running. Do your homework before you get here, identify some companies that you may potentially want to work for, and have fun! 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. 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