Jennifer, you entered the Michigan State program in 1989 as a student, graduating in 1991, and have been involved with the school since then. Has the school, type of applicant, and application process changed since that time?

The application is much different from when I started as a student. The most obvious thing is the work experience. When I was a student in 1989, about 50% of our students had none, and in this class [of 1999], only 3% do not. GMAT scores have gone up significantly as well, so we're getting a more qualified candidate. For fall '97, the average GMAT score was 614, and when I first started working in the admissions office five years ago, the average was about a 570. So it has been creeping up.

Another change is the diversity of the candidate. Out-of-state students have increased. When I was a student here, it was very much a Michigan program: About 20% of the class was comprised of international students, and the majority were from Michigan. I think we're becoming much more of a nationally and internationally recognized program. For this fall class, 23% of the student body was from out-of-state and 39% were international, so that's a big increase from what it used to be. We have gone to a very competitive tuition of $11,800 to attract out-of-state and international students.

The other way that applicants have changed is in the diversity of experience, we used to see quite a bit of business majors enroll. This year just 31% of the class is comprised of business administrators. Five years ago it was double that. There has been an increase of science, engineering, and humanities majors. So that brings diversity to the classroom.

Michigan State offers a full-time and accelerated 17-month MBA. How many spots are available in those two programs?

That's right. For the fast-track MBA program that starts in January, we start one cohort that goes up to 40 students. For our full-time program that starts in late August, the most amount of students we would want is about 140, broken up into three cohorts. We have about 46 in a class. We're proud of our class sizes, and we don't want them to be any larger.

What is Michigan State's official application total for its Class of '99. Is it up or down from last year?

Our applications for the previous fall class was 655 and that's compared to 659 the year before, so it has been just about even. We've been putting a lot of emphasis in increasing the class size, and so we've emphasized increasing our yield. We have what is called the MBA Exploration program, which happens three times a year. And it is one way that we encourage interested applicants to come to campus, meet with admissions and placement officers, meet with faculty in every area that we offer, and meet with current students. Normally, after that visit, we'll get a lot of people to apply and get the accepted to enroll.

What are the dates for the MBA Exploration program?

This year we're doing them on Jan. 29 and 30, Mar. 21, and Apr. 17. We've scheduled them on different days of the week to attract the most amount of people because I believe everybody should visit the schools that they're interested in attending. We try to communicate what an MBA can do for you and how Broad can help you achieve your goals. So you want to make sure that there's a very good fit between the candidate and the school. We're focusing on increasing the amount of people we interview. The MBA Exploration program gives us and applicants a good chance to do a lot of interaction.

We also offer individual visits and set up a customized day for individuals intested in making a campus visit.

Has the amount of people visiting the campus been increasing?

Yes, especially because we've made it obvious in the brochure and application materials that we do want to interview. That has been an incentive to visit us.

What is this year's class size?

141 students enrolled for the fall class. I think the January class (for the accelerated program) will be 30 to 35 students.

Michigan State's selectivity has been easing up -- the school is accepting more people than in the past. For example, in 1996, the school accepted 41% of the applicant pool, while in 1992 it was just 23%. You mentioned increasing the class size. Is that why you're accepting more applicants now than in the past?

The current class is by far our most qualified, so in no way should those admit numbers infer that we're opening up. I think the reason we're accepting more students is because of the changes we've made to our program. 1992 was the first year that we started a pure full-time program. Up to that point students could take most of the coursework offered at any time that they pleased -- there was no integrated curriculum or sequential learning available for them to follow. So there were a lot more applicants. You're not comparing the same two programs. Now, with the integrative and sequential nature of the curriculum, the program is much more focused. And it took about 2-3 years to communicate that we had truly changed our MBA program.

What was this year's yield?

This fall, of the students that we admitted, 51% enrolled.

Has that changed at all from last year?

The yield rate the year before was 49%. The numbers are deceiving because we had 141 enrolled this year, and in the fall of 1996, we had 134. We eliminated a professional accounting program that was designed for Michigan State undergrads who spend a fifth year in the MBA program. The PPA (Program in Professional Accounting) grew a little bit larger than we could accommodate in the MBA program, so we sliced that program off, and basically lost 30-40 students that we made up from outside students. Now, many more students are enrolling from outside the school's walls, whereas before, part of our enrollment number was comprised of students from the undergrad side. So our numbers are actually much better this year.

What are this years application deadlines?

We publish that we'd like to get the applications in by Apr. 1. We will however, accept applications up to June 15 on a space available basis. But I urge applicants to get their applications in as early as possible. We give very competitive financial aid to people, but as soon as we get qualified applicants, scholarships and assistantships are gone. You put yourself at an advantage by applying early. Last year we gave $1 million in scholarships and graduate assistantships (worth $8,000 each for in-staters, and $11,700 each for out-of-staters).

What are the different criteria assessed within the Broad application packet?

A completed application, which tells us background information about the student; three letters of recommendation -- two from an employer, and we'd like one from a supervisor; two required essays -- one which assesses the candidate's desire for an MBA, and the second that asks how they resolved a conflict. We also look at the resume, and we feel it's very important to assess the candidates' work experience; the undergraduate transcript; GMAT scores; and for first time for 1998, we will be requiring an interview. International applicants also need to submit a TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Language] score if they haven't attended a school in the U.S.

Is there any one variable that you tend to attach more weight to?

The first thing that you have to screen is looking at the GMAT and transcript. You want to make sure that the applicant will be successful in the program. Then the work experience is very important, and that can be assessed through the resume, how they answer the essays, and recommendations.

We have found that the interviews are quite important as well. And they are a two-way street. Our goal is to interview 100% of the students that are admitted. Broad has a very team-based curriculum, and we want to make sure that the applicant is a team player, that his or her personal skills fit well with the Broad curriculum.

Is Broad now using the Web as a way for applicants to fill out and return applications?

They can download the application from our Web site, but they cannot actually send it back to us via E-mail or pay via the Web. At this juncture, they have to print it out. We're planning on doing that in the future, though, and I predict that we could have something like that available within a year.

In 1996, Michigan State's average GMAT score hit an all-time high -- reaching 610. Are GMAT scores continuing to climb?

GMAT scores climbed to a 614 average, and I predict they'll continue to get better. Each year we've been successful attracting more applicants, as we become more selective, [the average GMAT score] will increase.

Do you evaluate the GMAT holistically, or in parts -- AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment), quant, verbal?

When I look at a GMAT score I look at every single part of it: verbal, quant, and the AWA. A student can have a good GMAT score, while doing poorly in one area. But, that's not good. We want to see a strength in every area of the GMAT. Low scores are always questioned. You're assessing the GMAT in concert with the academic record, and if the applicant, for example, did well in calculus during his undergraduate career, but did badly on the quant part of his GMAT, you start wondering a little.

How do you assess the GMAT if the applicant has taken the test several times?

I do like to put more emphasis on the most recent score. I'm not opposed to the applicant taking the GMAT several times. We want to see the applicant make some assessment on what went wrong on the test before taking it again. Did he or she make any effort to improve by maybe taking a math course if the quant was weak? Just retaking the GMAT doesn't say much about the applicant.

How heavily in your mind does an applicant's undegrad institution weigh? Is there a special weight that you attach to a candidate's academic transcript and GPA according to their undergraduate school?

No we don't attach a certain weight to it. That's just one of the factors. We welcome applicants from all schools. It offers diversity. Certainly the reputation of a school is noted, as is the curriculum and the applicant's major.

You mentioned that this is the first time that Broad is now requiring a personal interview. But, as I understand it, there are only two of you in the admissions office. How will you cope?

We also have graduate assistants we plan on using. Sometimes applicants feel when they don't interview with the admissions director that the session doesn't have as much weight. Well, let me emphasize that I put as much weight or more on a student interview because these are going to be their classmates, and I really value students' opinion. Being interviewed by a student is not a negative in any way.

What we're looking for during an interview are the things that we can't assess on paper, things like communication skills, interpersonal skills, and whether you're a good team player. As I tell every applicant, first I'm going to interview you and then you're going to interview me. It's definitely a two-way street.

How can applicants best prepare themselves for the interview?

I really encourage students to think backwards: Think about life goals and career goals, and then go backwards and decide what experience you've had. What does an MBA do for you? Why Michigan State? One thing that is really beneficial is researching the program and doing prepatory work. You can get a lot more information that way that is going to help you make a decision. Being enthusiastic also goes a long way.

You said earlier that Michigan State has two required essays in the app packet.

That's right. The first essay question asks what personal and professional goals you've established in the last five years. We want to uncover what your ultimate goals are and how Michigan State can contribute to your aspirations. We're looking for a good match. We're also looking for evidence of good writing skills.

The second essay question asks for how you have faced a work-related conflict. You're going to face conflict with a teammate or a person so we want to be able to assess your skills for resolving conflict.

My advice for writing the essays: Make sure it's thorough and complete. Read it a couple of times, and then come back and read it again. I'm really amazed by some of the carelessness I've found in some essays.

Are there any word limits on the essays?

We suggest a page, but I try to be open-minded. If it gets past 5-6 pages, that goes a little bit too far. Writing a master's thesis shows that you're enthusiastic, but, in all honesty, a long-winded book report is probably not going to get read. Sometimes I'll glance through it.

How do you want the three recommendations broken up? What questions should the recommendations answer?

One should come from a work standpoint. I believe supervisors are very beneficial for writing recommendations because they have worked with you personally and can provide objective feedback. The three recommendations should shed light on the different aspects of your life. In other words, they shouldn't all come from work. Get a client, a volunteer, or a former professor that you've stayed in touch with. If you've submitted three and none of them give a work point of view, then that's not acceptable.

Michigan State urges its applicants to have at least one year's worth of professional work experience. Is that a requirement? What's this year's range of work experience?

Last year, only 3 1/2% of the students did not have any work experience, and as the application pool gets more competitive, work experience will increase. Our ideal amount of work experience is 2-3 years. As far as maturity in the placement situation and contributing in the classroom, two years seems to be a good starting point. This year's class work-experience range goes from 0-20 years. Ideally, we'd like get our average amount of work experience up to four years. So in the future, I think we'll see more students have about two years of work experience as a minimum.

Do you allow accepted applicants to defer?

Yes. They can defer up to one year. But it's not automatic. If you ask us to defer, we will review your application and give you a decision within 10 working days -- that's our goal. If you've been admitted the first time, then generally you'll get admitted a second time -- probably about 90% of the people who request a deferral get deferred for one year. If it goes past one year, we ask them to submit a second application because we want an update on their situation.

Do you use a waitlist?

Up to this point, we have not used a waitlist but have talked about one for next year. It may be a possibility for the fall of 1998. We'll have to play with it. Our goal every year up to this year was to grow the size of the program. Next year we've made a conscious decision not to grow the size of the class, but instead increase the quality of the student body.

What about for the unfortunate who are not accepted into the program? Do you provide any type of counseling or feedback for rejected candidates?

Yes I do. If somebody calls in or sends us E-mail, I'll respond to every request. One thing that we do is for every student that is not accepted, we send a "Recommend Action Form," which gives a list of reasons why they weren't admitted and if they want to call for more information, we welcome that.

What's this year's tuition?

$11,800 for out-of-staters and $8,100 for in-staters. We have a block tuition that was implemented for the Class of 97. The block tuition allows students to take additional credits without having to pay more money (Editors Note: students can take a maximum of 17 credits per semester without incurring any further fee). That's really nice because students are able to take advantage of different facets of the greater university, whether it be at the School of Labor & Industrial Relations, advertising, or language classes.

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

It's very reasonable. East Lansing is a college town. Room and board is $6,190 -- that would be if you're off-campus sharing an apartment.

You mentioned that Broad distributed $1 million worth of scholarship money last year. What kind of financial aid and scholarship does Michigan State offer to offset the financial burden?

We do have financial aid that is awarded on a need-based system. All scholarship is merit-based, so no further paperwork needs to be filled out after you've completed your application. Once admitted, we tell you if you've received a fellowship. And we were able to award merit-based funding to 54% of the incoming class (Class of 1999). Normally a scholarship award ranges from $3,000 to $13,000.

Who are your toughest competitors?

Michigan, Indiana, U. Texas, and Ohio State were the four primary competitive schools this past year. The reason I believe students came here is because of our outstanding reputation for placement, the reputation of the school, the competitive tuition, and the smaller class sizes.

Jennifer, given your title, I'm sure you've had your share of wacky experiences with overzealous applicants. Can you describe for me one of the zanier applications you've evaluated during your tenure?

Hmmm. Well, I got one application last year from a person who was a comic-book illustrator. And he had drawn up a comic of himself going through the application process and meeting with me and the associate director. Part of the comic strip illustrated how he imagined a conversation with the Broad admissions staff might unfold. It was really funny. And he's a student in the program today. I kept the comic strip because I thought it was so creative. It looked good. So aspiring illustrators/cartoonists out there have an inside track!

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

Well, there's a lot going on at Broad right now. We have a new curriculum that has proven to be very effective for us thus far. It just started this fall, and it has improved the overall quality of the program in a lot of ways. The integrative nature of the program is much stronger, and there is now team-teaching across classes. We recently appointed two faculty coordinators to meet with first-year faculty on a regular basis and help push for more integration across the courses in the first and second semesters.

We're also offering more coursework in global business, technology and ethics. And I think the one thing that I really like about the curriculum is our increased emphasis on real-world applications. For example, we have what is called the Leadership Alliance Program, where student teams are paired with high-level executives and given a broad theme to study, such as globalism, technology, diversity issues, or ethics. That program has been very successful because it ties real-world applications to class material. The other advantage that I've seen is that it has also given students role models in the high-level managers with whom they collaborate. Students now can see what it is that has made the high-level managers successful.

During the third semester, we have a real-world case. So students learn how to go from a textbook case to a real-world case. Last year, for example, we worked with Kmart to devise a real-world strategy. I think all of these initiatives have really added to the experience of the students.

Jennifer, thanks much for walking me through the Broad admissions process today.