Edited by Nadav Enbar

MEET THE ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR
A Business Week Online Q & A

For nearly a decade, Business Week's Best Business Schools rankings have been the leading source of sound and reliable advice for students seeking a Master of Business Administration degree. One of the topics that is of most concern to the thousands of students with whom we have communicated over the years is the admissions process: How do you best prepare for business school? On what basis do admissions officers judge you? How important -- or not -- is it to interview at various schools? Do your interests -- and your personality -- fit in with the goals and culture of the school?

The answers to these questions are especially important given the increasingly tough competition for the relatively few slots available each year at top b-schools. For the top 25 schools in Business Week's rankings, the number of applications is up 44% in 1997 vs. the level in 1993. In no small part, that's because salaries for MBAs have taken off, too.

Where do you get the best advice on how to enter this fray? From admissions officers, of course. Hence this series of Business Week Q & A's with these key officials at top schools. We'll add a couple of new transcripts here every week for six months or more. So come back often to check out our latest -- and let us know what you think#151; and let us know what you think!

On November 25, 1997, we spoke with Shannon Dahill, acting director of admissions at the University of Washington Graduate School of Business Administration (a runner-up in Business Week's 1996 rankings). Shannon has been with the University of Washington MBA Program for two years. She began as an assistant director for recruiting and marketing and, after one year, was promoted to Senior Associate Director. For the past five months, Shannon has been the acting director of the MBA program. Ms. Dahill has a BA in History from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Baylor University (1995). Prior to obtaining her MBA, she worked with the Texas A&M Cooperative Education office for two years, during which time she assisted in placing students in companies throughout the United States. She gained experience in MBA program administration as a graduate assistant in the Baylor Graduate Admissions Office, where she worked primarily on MBA recruitment issues. Ms. Dahill was interviewed by Business Week Online reporter Nadav Enbar. Here's the transcript of that discussion:

Shannon you earned your MBA in 1995 from Baylor University. Could you shed light on what it was that you did as an applicant that led to your acceptance ... Could you give us a rundown, or an expanded checklist, maybe, of what you did and what you would advise applicants today to do with respect to the admissions process?

Well first of all, the main thing is to prepare in advance. I knew that I was going to be applying for an MBA, so I took time to prepare for the GMAT. I also really thought out who I was going have do my recommendations. You want to make sure that that person knows you well and knows your skills well. So those were the two primary things I focused on. Then it was getting the application in my hands to prepare and spend time on the essays. I'd also suggest making sure that you make an early enough deadline to be competitive with the pool.

How early did you start the process?

I would say it was probably about a year in advance. I certainly took the GMAT pretty early and felt pretty comfortable with that. Then I started researching programs about a year in advance.

B-school attendance and popularity is going through the roof. And, I presume that much of that is due to a changing perception on the part of the customers -- students and corporations -- about the value of the degree. Much of that perception is molded by marketing and recruiting, two things you've been involved with at Baylor and at the University of Washington. What types of things have you put into play that have increased the school's branding?

Well, we first focused on customer service. We're trying to provide a more timely response to application inquiries as well as quicken the turnaround for response for applicants in general -- to quicken that process. We're also personalizing it quite a bit. We want applicants to get a lot of attention while going through our application process.

Can you give me an example of how Washington personalizes the application process?

We have students who do phone-athons -- who contact applicants to answer any questions the applicants may have or simply fill them in on what's happening here at the school. And we do phone-athons probably once a month, November through April.

Are these phone-athons part of a recruiting measure or more of an applicant follow-up type initiative?

Both. In November, December, and January, we're calling people who have expressed interest in our program whose applications we have not yet received. February, March, and April are when we follow up with the applicant to say, "this is where we're at."

We also have a student contact network for applicants who have received a call from a student who has no similarity of interests with the applicant. For example, if an applicant is interested in our entrepreneurial program and wants to talk to a student in that concentration, he or she can contact the network to be set up with someone currently involved in that aspect of our MBA program. When the two connect, the student can answer any questions the applicant may have about the curriculum or student life in general.

Have those initiatives paid off? What are the application totals for the class of '99? Are they higher than the previous year?

Yes. We had a huge increase last year -- about a 30% increase in the number of apps. We had about 1,107 this past year (class of '99).

In which demographic population area are you seeing the sharpest growth -- women, international students, minorities, older applicants?

I would definitely say that we had a large increase in our international enrollment. We focused heavily in international recruiting last year. We also had a number of applications from the older crowd. In terms of women, it has been relatively stable and in terms of minorities, it has been relatively stable as well. The average age of our students is 29, which tends to be a little higher than at other schools.

Any reason why Washington students are a bit older than the rest of the pack?

I don't think there's any specific reason. We're looking for applicants with strong work experience and a good background. The older average age is for 1997 only. So it's not something that we're trying to establish. It's just a function of this year's app pool.

You mentioned that women and minorites are holding stable as a class percentage...

That's correct. Women comprise 37% of the first year class, and for the total class it's 32%.

Washington's female class makeup is comparatively high versus other upper-echelon schools. Any reason?

I think that we have a small program that fosters a lot of cooperation and strong bonds among the students and I think that's attractive for students who are women. We try to personalize a lot of attention during the admissions process, and women appreciate that. We do not do any specific targeted marketing.

Are the University of Washington's minority recruiting efforts being affected by any legislation? Of course, you're aware of the recently-enacted Proposition 209 in California, which forbids the state's schools from specifically catering to minorities. And Texas was flirting with similar legislation this year as well. Is Washington wrestling with the real possibility of similar constraints looming ahead?

We are wrestling with it, and so we do approach minority recruiting very conservatively. And that hurts us in some aspects. Our minority population isn't as high as we'd like, but we have to be very careful in terms of that. I believe there is a lawsuit pending at the [University of Washington] law school here concerning affirmitive action, and we're waiting to hear about that.

What is the percentage of minorities at Washington?

14% for the first year class and 14% for the total class. And, those percentages include Asian Americans.

Can you break that out?

If you're excluding Asian Americans from our minority enrollment, then 3% are non-Asian.

Many admissions officers complain that there's really no standard for calculating minority class makeup. Some schools include Asian-Americans in their assessment while others do not. Thus, many clamor that applicants, when looking at class profiles, are comparing apples with oranges. Are Asians a minority in the Washigton program?

I don't think that they're a minority in the Seattle area, but within the program they are not as heavily represented as white males are.

Do you have a number for what percentage of Washington's MBA class is comprised of in-staters versus out-of-staters?

I'm thinking that it's about 41% in-state versus 59% out-of-state.

What are the percentages for the number of applicants Washington accepted and the number of applicants who accepted the school's offer of admission?

31% of those who applied were accepted into the program, and of those offered admission, 43% accepted our offer.

Has the yield changed at all from last year?

Actually, it was a little lower this year. 145 students were enrolled this year, and we had 150 students enroll last year.

And what is your target?

We would like to see about 150 students per class each year. We can go a little higher than that, but we'd like to target it around 150.

What are this year's application deadlines?

Well, our first deadline is on December 1. Then, after that, it's January 16, February 20, and March 27.

And the turnaround for response?

It takes about six weeks for a response.

Can you give me a rough idea of how many seats or spots generally get filled per deadline at Washington?

No. We really don't break it down that way. We get the pool of applications in and admit until the seats are full. There's no target of admits per application deadline. That means it's better to apply as early as possible because on December 1 we have a total of 340 offers that we'll be making. But when February comes around, considerably less space will be available.

Do you carry applicants over to the next deadline if you feel you need to reevaluate their merits against the next pool of applicants?

In some cases we hold applicants over for the next deadline. And, in some cases, we'll put some on the waitlist and evaluate them every six weeks depending on what our yield looks like.

Okay, it's time to get down and dirty ... Tell me what's included in the University of Washington application packet. What has to be completed before you can evaluate an applicant's file?

Well, we need the application and data sheet, a resume, two recommendations, three essays with an optional fourth, the GMAT, and two sets of transcripts.

The interview is not in there...

They're strongly recommended but not required.

Can you list these in order of importance? I understand that the school is now placing more importance than ever on candidates' responses on the essays and the interview. Is that correct?

Yes, that's definitely correct. We look heavily at work experience and evaluate that based on the resume, the first essay, and the recommendations. The first essay is critical in addition to those recommendations. The first essay is the general "why our school" question. What skills developed in the past do they (applicants) want to enhance with an MBA? And then, what do they want to do with those skills when they graduate -- in the short and long term?

How does the interview factor in?

It allows more depth, as far as the scope of their work experience is concerned, and gives us a feel for their team orientation. It also allows us to probe a little deeper into their career plans.

We'll delve deeper into the importance of the interview in a bit, but first, is Washington now using the Web as a way for applicants to fill-out and return applications?

We are exploring that right now. We do have a downloadable version in Adobe Acrobat format. But we're also exploring making available our application on the Web that can be accessed, completed, and sent back to us automatically. That will probably be implemented next fall.

Will this be an internal venture, or are you looking to be outsourced?

We're still trying to decide. We're currently drawing up a proposal and doing research on that. We're aware that other b-schools are now working with people like Snap Technologies and CollegeScape to make their applications available of the Web. So we want to be out there with the big boys; getting our application put on the Web is one initiative that does just that.

How do you evaluate the GMAT -- holistically or in parts (AWA, Analytical Writing Assessment, Quant, Verbal)?

We mainly look at the entire score. And if an applicant has taken the GMAT more than once, then we'll only look at the highest score. We look closely at the quant score on the GMAT and also look closely at the verbal score for international applicants.

Do you keep some kind of cut-off number in mind when evaluation applicants' GMAT scores?

No, we don't have any cut-offs.

What about for international applicants who have low verbal GMAT scores accompanied by high TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Language] scores?

If the TOEFL is extremely high but their GMAT verbal score is weak, we have to find another way to assess the person's verbal skills through perhaps a phone interview. In some cases, we do go to other countries and do some interviews.

How heavily in your mind does an applicant's undergrad institution weigh?

We look primarily at the GPA as a predictor of future academic performance ... so the past academic performance is the predictor of future success. In terms of the school, we don't take that into consideration. Sometimes we do take into account majors, for example, engineering and science as opposed to liberal arts.

The GPA is not an academic measurement used by foreign institutions. How do you predict their future academic performance?

No it's not, but we do evaluate their transcripts to get a fairly good idea of their past performance. We send their transcripts down to the main University of Washington Admissions Office and they do an evaluation for us.

Let's revisit the importance of the interview at Washington. You mentioned that they're not required...

That's right, they're not required.

Who administers the interviews and where do they usually take place?

Well, we have an alumni interview network and we use MBA alums to do interviewing. We also do interviews on campus, and in some cases we interview at MBA Forums that are being held this year in places such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. We have also participated in the Asia Tour for the last two years, and have set up international interviews on those recruiting trips. This is our second year doing that. Last year, as part of the Asia Tour, we went to Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, and Jakarta. This year we are going to Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, I think Jakarta, and Singapore, and there's an option to go to Taipei and to Vietnam. We only send one representative to all of these places who participates in the MBA fairs there, and conducts interviews as well.

What should applicants do to prepare themselves for the interview?

We use a behavioral interview technique. In behavioral inteviews there is no right or wrong answer. We ask the applicant about particular situations that he or she has experienced to get a feel for how they react to specific things. We want them to be themselves.

Is it safe to say that the inteview is more of a back-and-forth conversation?

Yes, it is.

Do you, specifically, interview?

Yes I do.

How long does the inteview usually last?

About 30 minutes. In some cases, second year students train for us. So in that situation, after the second-year has conducted the interview with the applicant for about 30 minutes, they'll (the applicant) then meet with an assistant director of admissions or myself.

What's the thinking behind this practice?

First of all, students are wonderful evaluators. With the right training they really help us with the admissions process and take a lot of stress off of my desk. The student interview gives the interviewee a chance to ask some questions of students. Afterward, they speak with us to talk more about the program and to go over any concerns they may have with their application. We do a brief follow-up with the applicant after the student interview because we feel it makes the interview balanced.

What do you generally ask during the interview?

We generally ask them to give an example of a teamwork effort that worked particularly well and what their role was. We ask them about some skills and experiences that they would look for in a candidate that would be taking over their job while they go to school. We also ask questions to get a feel for their abilities to balance personal and professional life.

Is it to the detriment of an applicant not to interview?

No. But I would advise candidates to really take a look at their strengths and weaknesses on the application and decide whether the interview would be a strengthening point. Some people don't interview well, and others do, and in that case it would help them.

Three essays and a fourth that's optional ... Has this changed?

No. Actually last year we had two optional essays and this year we made them into one.

Are there any word limits placed on the essays?

We try and limit the number of words used to express the main idea in the essays. Applicants choose two of the five essays; three are required. Let me try and explain it as clearly as possible: Every candidate has to answer the first question, then for the other two, they can choose between the five questions that we provide. For the first essay question, we ask for a word limit of 750, and for the second and third essays we ask for about 500 words. But we're not sticklers about the word limit. We want quality essays and if it's going to take 1,000 words to complete it, then we're happy to read that.

Can you give me a quick rundown on the essay questions that applicants may choose from?

Sure. They get to choose one that asks how they would view their role as a student at the University of Washington. Another asks how they've affected change. One asks how they came up with a creative solution to a problem. There's another one that asks them what kind of risk they've taken. That's really about it. We also ask them to write a proper business letter in response to a particular situation.

And the optional essay question? What does it entail?

Just if there's anything that the candidate would like the admissions staff to know about that they do not feel was properly addressed by the different elements of the application.

Shannon, you mentioned earlier that Washington requires its applicants to submit two recommendations.

Yes.

Many of the directors with whom I have spoken have intimated that they strongly recommend receiving recs from a direct supervisor, not necessarily from a CEO or big name. Do you feel the same way?

Most definitely. It's more important to have somebody that knows the candidate's skills well and can talk about them ... let us know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Oftentimes, the highest person in the organization doesn't know anything about the candidate.

So, that said, is it inappropriate for a candidate to get a recommendation from a professor? Or say from a family member if they're working in the family business? Or a client, if they're an entrepreneur?

That's fine. Basically, we want a recommendation from somebody who knows the candidate well. Personally I don't know if I would have my own uncle submit a recommendation for me if I were working in the family business, but it's up to the candidate. As an entrepreneur, having a client speak to your skills is fine. Bottom line, we want a solid feel for the candidate's skills.

Hand-in-hand with the Class of '99's comparatively high average age of 29, Washington's student body has an average amount of work experience of 5.3 years. Obviously, that's a sign that the competition for acceptance into the program is becoming stiffer. Does this preclude those with little to no experience from entering the program?

No, not at all. Again, we just happened to admit these candidates that have strong work experience. They were the candidates that decided to accept our offer of admission. We did admit students that have two to three years of work experience. And our placement office would actually be happy to see the average work experience go down a bit.

Why's that?

Sometimes they (students) have too much experience. I think that in some cases lifestyle becomes very important when students have more work experience and are a little older in age. And so, career positioning is just a little weaker than for candidates who are a little younger and have less experience.

So you're saying that some of your older students may be over-qualified for some jobs that career service tries to place them in?

No, I wouldn't say that they're overqualified, but they are perceived in a different way. It just makes placement more challenging.

Can an applicant with little to no work experience get into the University of Washington MBA program?

Certainly. I think about 2% of our class this year has less than one year of work experience. So it's not impossible. They need to show us that they do have the skills that can be used by companies, and how the MBA is going to augment those skills. It's very important to show us that they are well rounded and have balanced work life and family issues. That's where extracurricular activities come in.

Do you allow accepted applicants to defer?

No. Generally we have them reapply. But the reapplication process is much less painful than the first time around. They don't have to supply us with transcripts unless they have taken any new coursework since applying. They also don't need to give us any new letters of recommendation, but that's their prerogative. They don't necessarily have to rewrite the essays, but it's probably a good idea to update them.

You said earlier that if you need more time to evaluate a candidate, sometimes you'll roll him or her over to the next deadline or put him or her on the waitlist. How many candidates are generally waitlisted each year?

We waitlist about 40 students per year.

Is the waitlist just a protracted pathway to denial? I mean, how many candidates generally are accepted off of the waitlist?

We admit about 15 students off the waitlist.

So there's hope?

There is definitely hope.

What should folks on the waitlist do to better their chances of acceptance?

Certainly I would take a look at the GMAT score average of the class profile that we provide for the general public. So they can certainly look at how they stacked up to the pool and consider retaking the GMAT. They can also keep in contact with us, tell us that they're interested in attending the Washington MBA program. If that's the case, then they should set up an interview. Those types of things help to let us know that they are still on the waitlist -- you know, it creates a better awareness for the admissions committee.

Do you provide counseling for the dejected rejected?

Yes we do. And that's one area of the application process that we really want to personalize. And, in some cases, we do encourage them to reapply.

How does the feedback session work, as far as scheduling and amount of time spent going over an applicant's file?

They can give us a call or make an appointment to come into the admissions office here on campus, but it's (the feedback session) generally something that we can do over the phone. We spend about 15 to 20 minutes going over the application point-by-point and primarily focus on the areas that were weaknesses and on how the applicant can strengthen those areas.

What's this year's tuition?

This year's tuition for in-staters is $5,232. For out-of-staters, it's $12,966. The tuition has gone up just slightly from last year.

What would you estimate the annual cost of living to be in the Seattle area?

I would estimate living expenses, including housing, transporation, and everything else, to be between $11,000 - $12,000 a year.

What kind of financial aid and scholarship help does Washington offer to offset a one-year price tag that can go as high as $24,966?

Well, first of all, for out-of-staters -- international students are not included -- they're eligible for Washington State residency after just one year, so that allows them to pay in-state tuition should they decide to go ahead and apply for residency. We also have scholarships and the Office of Financial Aid gives out federal grants as well.

What kind of scholarship help is offered to ease the financial burden? Can you quantify the range in scholarship award?

Unfortunately, our scholarships do need to be augmented quite a bit. I would say that awards range from $500 to $2,000. So it is one area that we are trying to beef-up.

How many students have some sort of scholarship or loan?

I would say probably about 60% of our students have some sort of scholarship, loan, or grants ... but that is a rough estimate.

What are the primary industries that recruit at Washington? For example, the technology sector has been growing by leaps and bounds in and around the Washington area.

I know that computer-related services is very high, consulting is very high as well, and electronic or computer management is very high as well.

Washinton's grads have been receiving, over the last couple of years, a rising return on investment, with starting pay packages jumping 29% for the class of '96 grads over their predecessors of two years earlier. Is this upward trend continuing?

Yes, starting salaries are continuing to climb, though they might have stabilized a little bit. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that the northwest region is doing well right now -- I mean, companies like Microsoft and Boeing can't hire enough people right now. We can't churn 'em out fast enough! But, Microsoft and Boeing are not our main hirers, Intel and Hewlett-Packard hire more of our MBAs than Boeing does, and smaller software companies (taken in the aggregate) hire more than Microsoft. But, the industries led by Boeing and Microsoft can't hire fast enough.

What is the Class of '97's starting pay package?

The mean is about $53,556 and that's the data I have right now.

Speaking of the technology sector and the booming industry, does Washington have a mandatory laptop requirement?

Right now we do not, but we are looking into adding that for the fall of 1999.

Who are your toughest competitors as far as sparring for applicants is concerned?

It changes from year to year, but generally it's UT Austin, USC, UCLA, Michigan, and Cornell -- which is often surprising being they're so far away. UT Austin is pretty far south but there are similiarites between us: We're both state schools, have lower tuition, and an orientation toward technology.

Shannon, you've been in the admissions business long enough to have seen some pretty interesting things. What's the strangest form of ingratiation you've ever experienced when reviewing an application?

Hmmm. Well, we always get some pretty creative resumes, but beyond that I believe that last year we had a candidate who wrote his essay on creative problem solving and included an LP record of an Elvis single called "Are You Lonesome Tonight." The filpside had "I Gotta Know" on it. And we still have it, so obviously that candidate made a good impression! But, I should add, that the Elvis song was used in the context of the essay and helped to flesh out the candidate's essay. But we certainly played it.

Would you like to add anything else before we wrap up?

I think that any candidates that are looking into MBA programs need to do research and visit campuses. There are a lot programs in the U.S., all with different strengths and weaknesses. Candidates need to consider size and start early in the admissions process. They should go to campuses, talk to students, and get to know what the culture is like at the b-school. They would probably get a lot better return on their money if they spent more time upfront doing a lot of research.

Shannon, thanks for all of your insights today.

You're welcome.


For more information, you can contact the University of Washington admissions office at (206) 616-4966 or check out the school's Web site at: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~bschool/mba