Marshall's applications have been increasing lately. In 1995, the school garnered roughly 1,500 apps, and for this past year's class (class of '99) the school received 1,835. Now I know that USC has been doing a lot to spread the word about its MBA program -- from the $35 million gift to the school in 1996, to the inception of some innovative coursework such as PRIME (Pacific Rim Education program), to a relatively new push at branding the school. What do you feel are the main factors that have contributed to the school's climb in applications ?

I think part of that is just attributed to the state of the economy. The general economy is good, but it doing especially well in the Pacific Rim. The biggest boost in our applications has come from the international market. For us, that includes Japan, China, and Korea. International applications at Marshall are up 30% from the previous year; that's 700 out of 1,800 applications. The previous year we were closer to 500 international applications.

I think PRIME is really helping on the international side. We're the only school that sends its entire class abroad. And while abroad, PRIME students are able to spread the word about Marshall face-to-face with prospective international applicants. So we use PRIME as a marketing tool. PRIME went to six cities and three countries last year, and this year it will go to eight cities and four countries (including China, Japan, Mexico, and Indonesia). Admissions piggybacks on the PRIME program by having small receptions at different times during the program.

How big is this year's class and how many people does the school need to admit to fill it?

This year we admitted 634 applicants for a class size of 260. That's a 41% yield.

Has the yield changed at all from last year?

It changed slightly from last year's 46% yield. We tend to average between 45% and 48%. That change in yield may be a result of the stiff competition we face in California. Our competition is Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford. And, on the East Coast, it's NYU. We're beginning to attract the same students that are looking at some very good schools and that has placed us in a very tough bracket. I think our yield fluctuates depending on how other schools utilize their waitlist.

Marshall is really trying to take advantage of its proximity to Mexico and relative proximity to the Pacific Rim. What types of efforts have you made to cater to the international candidate, which I understand comprises about 25% of the Class of '99?

Other than PRIME, we also utilize the GMAC Forums. We have what's called the IBEAR (International Business Education and Research) Program, a one-year MBA program designed for mid-to-senior-level international executives. There are roughly 50 students each year, and about 60% of the IBEAR participants come from the Pacific Rim. Many of the alumni -- IBEAR has been in existence for 10 years -- speak highly of their university experience. So that helps to spread the buzz about us abroad.

In addition, we also do receptions in major cities around the world like Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Hong Kong.

USC's female class make-up is about 29%. Does the school target women applicants?

Actually, women comprise 28% of this year's class. It was 31% last year. There was a small fluctuation there, but we're always around 30%. To recruit female applicants, we utilize the Graduate Women in Business club, and someone from admissions is always with them to talk with prospective applicants. We also hold receptions in New York, San Francisco, and LA, and we try to make sure we have a broad cross-section of applicants.

Keith, let's talk about the minority class make-up at USC . This year's class is 11% minority. Having been a Consortium Fellowship award winner, you must be quite involved in Marshall's efforts to bolster minority enrollment. Can you tell me a bit about the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (an 11-university alliance that funds, with the help of many American businesses, 180 fellowships to promote minority graduate business education. The eleven participating schools include: Rochester, USC, Indiana, Berkeley, Wisconsin, Washington University, Michigan, NYU, UNC, Texas, Virginia)? What was the process like for you?

Let me start by saying that the Marshall School has the largest number and percentage of Hispanics and African-American students enrolled in its MBA program. A total of 39 African-American and Hispanic students are enrolled in the first-year class -- that's 20% of the domestic student population. Twenty-six of those students are Consortium Fellows and 13 are students without any type of fellowship. We do outreach to this particular market through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.

Nine of the eleven schools that are part of the Consortium allow candidates to fill out a common application; it allows them to apply to b-school at a discount. Each school reviews the common application (you can apply to up to 6 schools). If a person is admitted, then they automatically become a part of the fellowship round held in March every year, when the 11 schools decide which of the consortium admits also qualify for fellowship. In the past, of the 1,000 that apply to the Consortium, about half are admitted to one of the 11 programs, and of that, about 300 are offered fellowships. Roughly 200 accept them each year.

I sit on the board of the Consortium and Dean Westerfield is the chair for the next two years. That gives us very good exposure to the total marketplace. Marshall has 26 Consortium Fellows in this year's class (of '99) and has 13 in last year's class (of '98).

The 26 Consortium Fellows received a full-tuition award?

Yes. Consortium Fellows go through a double screening. The first part is getting accepted into the MBA programs -- and we look at them no differently than other applicants. We get about 300 to 350 applicants from the Consortium and admit about 20% of that pool. We then take another look at the Consoritum Fellowship, and 50% of those that were admitted would qualify. So there's a finite amount of money that we're allotted and we take the best candidates.

What other initiatives are you involved in to increase minority enrollment?

We do a generic outreach with other programs. For example, I take part in forums with Wharton, Stanford, UCLA, and USC in downtown areas to pull this segment together and give out general information about b-school -- what it's like, and how you can become a successful candidate.

We also are putting out our first Marshall Minority Weekend where we have prospective minority applicants interact with the 50 minority students currently enrolled in Marshall. Professors show the visitors the case method and also introduce them to the PRIME program and other international activities. It's a general way for us to inform minority applicants about what Marshall has to offer.

What's your stance on Prop 209 [a bill passed this summer by the State of California barring any public school from targeting minoirty applicants]?

I think it makes us have to be a lot more proactive in the marketplace because our name implies that we are part of the public school system. USC is a private school, however, so we want to tell people that we are strongly interested in having minorities here. Personally I think that minority enrollment and diversity are very important to all of the UC schools. Berkeley and UCLA are very interested in attracting quality minority applicants -- it's not the schools that have passed Prop 209, it's the electorate. I think this anti-affirmative action is a political wave that's happening across the country. Houston voted against a similar measure this year, and we're going to have to wait and see what happens across the country.

We are planning to expand the size of the class to 300-350 students for the fall of 1999, and we're very interested in maintaining our 15% - 20% minority enrollment.

What are this year's application deadlines? Last year, I know the school had five -- any reason for this rather unconventional set-up?

We use five cycles so that we can notify applicants in a more timely fashion. It allows our office to be more efficient and gives students a particular timetable to expect a reply back.

The first cycle was on November 3rd, and the decision period will be on Dec. 15. The second deadline is on Dec. 8, and they'll receive information from us on Jan. 26, 1998. The third deadline is on Jan. 12, and they will recieve information back on Feb. 23. The next deadline is on Feb. 17, with a Mar. 30 response date. The last deadline in on April 1, with a reply slated for May 11.

The January deadline is also for students who want to be considered for fellowship, and Feb. 17 is the recommended deadline for international applicants.

How many seats or spots generally get filled per deadline?

It's tough to say what is filled when. We have 250 to 260 available spots, and we try to fill them all over the course of the year. We admit 600 people to fill 250 spots. You'll find the most number of spots will be filled in the second and third deadlines. The Dec. 8 and Feb. 17 rounds tend to be the most popular. People in last round, simply by the numbers game, will be at a disadvantage.

When do you suggest applicants get their applications in?

I suggest applicants get their applications in within the January and February deadlines. We're going to move the first deadline to Nov. 8 for next year (class of 2001). Applicants usually work on their applications on the holidays, so we receive the highest number during January and February.

What connotes a completed application? What are the different criteria that are assessed?

There are three parts: The academic portion, which includes the undergraduate degree, GPA, transcript(s) and courses taken, as well as the GMAT score; the professional history, which includes the applicants' work experience -- and we take into consideration the quality of the work experience, not just the number of years (Editor's Note: Marshall's average work experience is 4 1/2 years); and the story the applicant tells, which is articulated through two required essays and an optional third.

For the essays I'm looking for clarity of purpose. Why are you looking for an MBA? How do you see yourself fitting into the Marshall progam? What goals have you set for yourself? For the optional essay we allow them to articulate anything about themselves that they feel our essay questions haven't allowed them express. It may be something unique about their extracurriculars, an undergraduate experience, or a particularly tough time that they've been through. Maybe they're the first person in their family to go to college and their grades are not up to par. Well, that's an example of something that we should know, the optional essay can uncover that.

I noticed that you did not stick the interview in there.

It's no longer mandatory.

What variables in the application package do you and the rest of the admissions staff tend to emphasize when evaluating a file?

I think we take a holistic approach. If you look at our GMAT range, last year it was 480-750. So we don't hinge our decisions on the GMAT. But, people on the low end of the spectrum have to offer something else that displays their ability to be successful in the Marshall MBA program. Maybe they told a good story in their essays and their candidacy was supported by positive recommendations that said some very solid things about their aptitude for managerial success. Work experience may also compensate for academic weakeness. We've turned down people with high GMAT scores because their communication skills were not good. So it's really a combination of things that we assess when reviewing an application. There is no formula that we follow.

You mentioned the GMAT range was 480-750. What do you feel to be an acceptable GMAT score? Many students get freaked out if they don't reach that 600 and above area.

10% of our class scored less than 580 on the GMAT, so it's a very small minority of the class. One or two students at the most have a score of 480. We want to make sure that candidates can handle the work, and to assess people in a way that will combine the different variables available to us. For example, a person may have a low GPA, but may have taken some tough courses during their undergraduate career. Basically, we want to make sure that everyone can survive the first year, which tends to be heavily quantitative. The GMAT is a good predictor of success in our program.

And with respect to the GMAT, what type of score do you feel demonstrates that a candidate will be able to hack the rigors of the first year?

Prospective students should be concerned about putting forth their best effort. If their scores are not reflective of their best effort, then they should be concerned. The 80th percentile is where they should be -- in the 590 - 660 area. A person should be concerned if they score less than that because they then represent just 10% of the class, and there are very few who will be accepted. If the applicant takes the GMAT more than once, we will only look at the highest score.

Do you evaluate the GMAT holisitcally, or in parts (AWA -- the Analytical Writing Assessment, Quant, Verbal)?

Being the finance major that I am, I always quickly look at the quant score. We look at the GMAT in parts and on the whole. We want to be comfortable with the GMAT because it's an indication of how a person might do during the first year. We also tailor how we evaluate the GMAT score depending on the type of applicant that we're reviewing. For example, if we're evaluating an applicant who is an engineer who hasn't done well on the quant section of the GMAT, our antenna goes out. If it's a psychology or English major, we want to make sure that they can handle the quantitative end.

Our minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score for international applicants is 600. We also look at their GMAT verbal score to see how they might handle the work in an English classroom.

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

It's important, but it's not the deciding factor. If they went to a school that isn't considered a major collegiate institution, we expect their GPA to be high because the coursework is less difficult or extensive than at an Ivy League school, for example. But, since we get the majority of our applications from the UC (University of California) system, one of best public school systems in the nation, we don't have that sort of problem.

In recent years, Marshall had begun to require the interview. The school interviewed 100% of its domestic candidates in 1996 and 6% of its international candidates. You mentioned that you are no longer requiring the interview, however. Is this because of the higher demand placed on you and your admissions staff from increased applications?

At this point in time, we just don't have the resources to interview everyone who applies. Instead, we intend to talk to every applicant that we are looking to admit. So of the 2,000 applications, we'll admit 600. Of those, we'd like to speak with them either on campus, through alumni, or on the telephone.

Not every person will have to have an interview to be admitted. We interviewed at all the MBA Forums this year. We'd go a day ahead of time and interview the people in the area who are already in our inquiry database. For instance, I'm going to the MBA Forum in San Francisco, and while I'm there I'll be interviewing 50 people. Of those, many have not applied yet.

Basically, getting an interview with Marshall in the future will be a good indicator that they are on the short list for admission.

What sort of advice can you give to applicants about preparing for the interview? Is it informal? A two-way conversation? What are you looking for?

The applicant should look at the interview just as they would a job interview. They should be professional, come prepared to talk about their highlights and personal history. They should be able to coherently discuss their academic performance in college or talk about the things that they've accomplished in the workplace. They should focus on their workplace experience and on any extracurricular activities that give us an indication of their leadership abilities and communication skills. They should have three things they've prepared to leave with us, three bits of information about them that they want us to remember. And we assess their ability to get that information across to us.

I generally ask three primary questions: Why do you want an MBA? Why Marshall? And why now?

Who interviews? There must be an extensive team out there to handle the large number of applicants.

We have more than 100 alumni across the country who conduct interviews. There are four of us, including myself, in the admissions office. Currently there are no student interviewers, but, with the demand that we're facing, we are considering them for the future.

How about in the international arena? Who interviews outside of the U.S.?

As I mentioned, we interview at MBA Forums. We also have a smaller base of alumni that interview for us in the major foreign metropolitan cities such as Tokyo and Seoul. We're trying to expand that. Last year we made a number of telephone calls to international admits. Also, during PRIME, we expect to be interviewing potential admits. Our goal is to see everyone we'd like to admit in person.

How and when can an applicant set up an interview?

The applicant calls our main office number [(213) 740-7846] and they will generally be speaking with a member of the admissions staff. What they have to do is send in a resume and then we will put them on the list of people to be considered for interviews. Email requests can also be made [uscmba@marshall.usc.edu].

Have the essay questions changed at all?

They have changed. One asks the applicant to talk about how a Marshall MBA would help achieve his or her goal in both the short and long term. The second one asks them to describe themselves to the class of 2000. For the second essay, we're interested in the personal characteristics and attributes that the applicant brings to the classroom. The program is heavily driven by teamwork and cooperation, so it's important that we find people who fit into the Marshall framework.

Do you impose word limits on the essays?

No, we don't have word limits, but we request that applicants write no longer than two pages for each essay. And I realize that an applicant can fiddle with the different font sizes to adhere to the two page limit request, but doing that does not shine favorably upon them. One of the biggest mistakes is not reading the directions. I recently received a letter from an applicant apologizing for having written six pages for each essay, and requesting that we not hold that against him. Let me tell you, when we start reading thousands of applications, it's not a good idea to add to our burden by not following directions. It tells me that you're not looking at Marshall seriously.

What type of recommendations do you prefer to read?

They should come from the workplace. There are circumstances, however, that do not allow an applicant to have his or her immediate supervisor write them a recommendation. We understand that. Applicants should have professional relationships with clients or colleagues who can talk about their most current experiences in the marketplace. We're looking at applicants' ability to make decisions, and selecting a recommender who doesn't say positive things about them, or getting a big name who doesn't know you, or getting a family member to write your recommendation, gives us an understanding of that decisionmaking ability.

Is getting a recommendation from a professor acceptable?

It's okay if that professor is someone that you really worked with on a particular project and who can help us judge the applicant's abilities. Again, our students have between four and 12 years of work experience, so if you're getting a recommendation from a professor, you should make sure that it adds another dimension to your application.

What's this year's range of work experience?

Less than 2% or our class has 0-1 years of work experience, and at the high end, we have someone who has 15 years of professional experience. We do get a number of applicants who have a significant amount of work experience who are looking to change careers.

Okay, so the percentage of the class with no work experience is roughly 2%. What have applicants with little to no work experience done to bolster their chances of acceptance?

Number one, they have to have done extremely well on their academic side, because that's what they have to offer -- that they have the brain power to succeed. They generally tend to fall into one of two categories: joint degree (JD/MBA program) students -- lawyers tend to go straight to professional school out of undergrad; and the other 1% have gotten accepted based on their extracurricular achievements.

When you're working in teams, your teammates are looking to see what it is that you bring to the party. It's tough for students with little to no work experience to get their voice heard within the class and within the team.

Do you allow accepted applicants to defer?

Yes. Last year, for instance, we had 26 people get deferrals. Two years ago it was 47. So, we do grant one-year deferrals -- and they're for one year only. Applicants looking for a one-year deferral must submit a valid reason for the request.

How many applicants are waitlisted?

Two years ago it was purgatory because we only admitted one or two people from the waitlist. Last year we admitted maybe 20-25 people off of it and had about 100-125 people on it throughout the course of the admissions cycle. So it is possible to get off.

What should waitlisted applicants do to put themselves in a good position for admission?

Be patient. They should submit any additional material that might help their candidacy that we are not aware of. They can submit an additional recommendation if they feel it would help improve their chances. Basically, they should stay in touch with the school.

Do you offer any counseling to rejected applicants?

We do offer counseling to people who have received a negative response from us. But we only do them after the admissions cycle is over. The month of September is when we would talk or schedule appointments for those people. The feedback session usually lasts about 30 minutes. We'll look at their file and talk with them over the phone if they don't want to come in. We'll discuss how they can improve their file if they're thinking of reapplying. Submitting the same application over again is not going to improve their chances of acceptance.

What's this year's tuition?

This year it's $21,266. That's a slight increase from last year. We expect a 3% increase in tuition annually.

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

The Financial Aid Office budgets one year's worth of living expenses to be about $10,700.

Other than the Consortium Fellowship, what other kinds of financial aid and scholarship help does Marshall offer?

We offer fellowships to the general applicant pool as well. Every application is considered for a fellowship. About 20% of the class received some type of free money from the school. Whether it covers half of the tuition, a third, or full tuition depends on the strength of the application that we're looking at. International applicants are considered for that as well.

Other than that, there are loans as well. We suggest that applicants plan for their MBA application. They should have some savings, share an apartment with a roommate, cut down their living expenses, and not get into debt before they're about to start school.

Many of our students are encumbered by loans, but at the end of their two years, many jobs present opportunities for people to be reimbursed for their second year of the program. In many cases companies, especially consulting firms -- where one-third of the class tends to go -- pay for the second year.

Marshall's forte is in entrepreneurship and real estate management. Are these areas continuing to grow? Are there other departments that the school is putting more emphasis on?

I wouldn't say our forte is in entrepreneurship and real estate management. We have a strong finance department, and our dean was a faculty member at Wharton. I don't think that we're recognized enough for our finance and marketing concentration, or for our overall focus on international business, especially given what we're doing with PRIME.

How is work on Popovich Hall coming? When will the new building be ready and what will it be equipped with?

It's coming to a campus near you in 1999. We're going to be breaking ground on it on the 20th of this month (November). It will have six-tiered classrooms completely wired for networking, the Internet, and online services. It will enable us to be more competitive with schools on the West Coast, particuarly UCLA, Stanford, and Berkeley. We will have the latest and greatest building on the West Coast.

Keith, who are your toughest competitors?

Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA on the West Coast, and on the East Coast, NYU and Georgetown. People look at Georgetown for its international opportunities because they're located in Washington D.C. NYU tends to be like a sister school to us: They're also in a metropolitan area, they also offer an entertainment concentration, and New York and LA have a lot in common.

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

Before we finish, I'd like to add that our students' average starting salary has increased from $57,200 for the Class of 1995, to $70,000 for the Class of 1997 -- that's a 20% increase. It increased 17% from last year. The quality of students at Marshall has risen as well. And that, I think, is the most important change here. We're attracting more recruiters because of this increase in student quality. In addition, the faculty has improved in certain departments.

When I came here as a student in 1992, we had a staggered schedule for classes, and now we have three 10-week terms to handle the courses in the core program -- that's a result of student feedback, and faculty listening to each other as well as to the students. So students do have a say in how things are done around here.

Keith, thanks for shedding some light on the Marshall application process and its MBA program.