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 Mar. 10, 1998, we spoke with Ann Scott, director of the MSM Program at Georgia Tech's DuPree School of Management (a runner-up in Business Week's 1996 rankings). Ann has worked in the higher education arena for the better part of 16 years, serving as director of Georgia Tech's Master's Program for the past 10. Before that, she was an assistant to the dean at Kennesaw College for a year, and then, director of admissions at the University of Georgia's MBA Program. At Georgia Tech, Ann has been the school's primary GMAC representative, a member of the Computer Adaptive Testing Advisory Group charged with monitoring and reviewing the GMAT CAT (Computer Adaptive Test), and the chair of the Professional Development Advisory Committee, which developed concepts for new program course work. Ann earned both her BA in history and her MBA at the University of Georgia. Ms. Scott was interviewed by Business Week Online Reporter Nadav Enbar. Here's the transcript of that discussion:

Ann, you've been a director of admissions and program chair for nearly the last 16 years -- 10 at Georgia Tech, and 5 at the University of Georgia. Has the admissions process changed much over that time? Focusing on your experiences at DuPree, are you now emphasizing different elements of the application today than in years past?

Yes, I am, and I think that is due in large part to the increasing sophistication of not only the applicants but of industry as well. When I first started reviewing files, we were placing less emphasis on work experience -- less on how a person's previous corporate experience or work experience could contribute to strong class discussion. As time has gone on, however, the feedback that we've received over the years from a variety of sources -- from the students, faculty, and alums -- has led us to place greater emphasis on the work experience that our students bring into the program with them. We find that the depth of students' professional background makes for a richer experience both inside and outside of the classroom. I like to tell applicants that they should be able to learn as much from their student peers as they do from their professors during lectures. Generally speaking, what the student is able to bring to the program has become more and more important in our evaluation of applicants.

We've always looked closely at essays, references, and the quantifiable part of things, like the test scores and grades. But, over the 11 years that I've been here at Tech, work experience has certainly grown in importance. The average amount of work experience for this year's class (Class of 1999) is 4.5 years. The first year for which I made admissions decisions (in 1988), 42% of our students had full-time work experience of greater than two years. Now, for the last class (entering in the fall of 1997), 90% of our students have two or more years of full-time work experience.

DuPree awards a Master's of Science in Management, not an MBA. Does the actual degree differ markedly from an MBA?

Actually, there are a number of programs that offer degrees named something other than an MBA (Editor's note:For example, Northwestern's Kellogg School awards a Master's of Management in Manufacturing (MMM); Carnegie Mellon offers a Master's of Science in Industrial Administration (MSIA), and Purdue has a Master's of Science in Management (MSM)). The Georgia Tech program is accredited by the AACSB (International Association for Management Education -- the premier accrediting agency), and we consider our program to be virtually the same as an MBA. It does, however, tend to have a more technical, quant focus -- particularly during the first year of the core curriculum.

The DuPree Program attracts a very diverse group of applicants. We'll get students who have strong quant backgrounds, who want to make a change in their careers, pursuing the general management area. And at other times, we'll attract students who come from liberal arts or humanities backgrounds, who want to leverage some of the strengths of the program by delving into its more technical course work. Within the second year, by selection of electives, students can make the program either as technical or nontechnical as they want. So folks on both ends of the spectrum can excel in the program. We do find however, that, for a large number of our students, coming to DuPree gives them a real good opportunity to earn a more technical degree.

Does the degree's name tend to confuse employers about what DuPree grads offer?

It has not been a problem for us at all, at least according to the success that we've had in our placement area. We have a number of employers who come back year after year -- among those are the Big Four accounting firms. And that really helps to sustain our placement rate as well as spread the word about our program. This year, for example, 20% of our students got jobs in marketing.

We will talk to employers who are new to us and describe the curriculum to them. Once they have a better understanding of how the program works and they are more comfortable about our students' backgrounds, then they'll usually come here to interview. Bottom line, our graduates are as qualified as MBAs at other schools, and our placement record attests to that.

Ann, you alluded to DuPree's rather heavy quant focus, specifically during the first year. Though you mentioned that there is a fair amount of diversity in the class, is it safe to say that a heavy math-science culture permeates the program?

Not really. We generally have around 40% of the class coming from engineering or computer science backgrounds, and another 35%-40% coming from business backgrounds. The remaining 15%-20% have liberal arts, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences backgrounds. So there tends to be a pretty even mix with students who have technical and nontechnical backgrounds.

What do you feel is the school's chief draw, academically speaking -- its tech initiatives, interdisciplinary certificates, flexible curriculum, or finance concentration?

I think the main reason that students select the DuPree Program, in an academic sense, would be because of the school's technological strengths. Students like the opportunities we have to offer in information technology and operations management. They can select those concentrations because they are able to not only take classes within the School of Management but are also able to take classes at any school or college in the Georgia Tech fold. So, if students want to take classes in engineering, public policy, international affairs, or within the College of Computing, they can. The flexible curriculum gives them the opportunity to be well-rounded.

How many students take advantage of the opportunity to take course work outside of the School of Management?

We don't officially track that, but I would say probably 30% of our students take at least one class outside of the School of Management. One thing students will tell us that they like about our curriculum is its flexibility. Whether they take classes outside of the School of Management or not, they just like the fact that they have that option, instead of being limited to management classes.

I understand that the school plans to move to a semester system for the fall of 1999. Will moving to a semester system impinge on the curriculum's flexibility?

That's really the one issue that we were very conscious of when planning for the changeover: We wanted to make sure that we did not lose any of the flexibility in the curriculum. Right now, our students take 12 classes during their second year -- one required course and 11 electives. Once we implement the semester system, second-years will be able to take 10 classes, all of them electives, with no required course work. Students will be taking less total classes because the duration of each class will be longer (class duration will be stretched from 10 weeks to 15 weeks apiece).

Why is DuPree moving to semesters (from a quarter system)?

It was determined by the Board of Regents of the state of Georgia. They decided that all of the public schools under their jurisdiction would move to a semester system, thinking that standardizing school schedules would be more efficient, and make it easier for students to manage.

Does the school plan to increase its class size in concert with the curriculum renovation?

We have talked about that. One of the things that our students like is DuPree's small class size of about 100 people. They like it because it means that they have smaller core classes. We run two sections of each core class -- with about 50 people in each section. That not only gives students a chance to get to know each other on a personal level, but it also allows them to develop close relationships with the faculty. Generally, I think the small student-faculty ratio (42:200) gives students the chance to really know everybody in their classes -- both students and faculty. The small class size also makes the faculty more willing to sit down and spend time with individual students. Increasing the size of the program is sort of a trade-off. We'd like to have it, but I don't think we'd ever increase the size significantly because individuality is such a vital part of the curriculum.

Do you have any target number or date in mind for increasing the program size?

Right now we're in the process of a dean search, and making some of those goals would be part of the dean's agenda. We're going to keep the current size intact for right now.

Speaking of the dean search, how's it going?

We're actually working on restructuring the program before committing ourselves to a dean search. We're waiting because we want to make sure that all of the reporting structures are in place so that we can advertise the position appropriately.

We have been a School of Management for about nine years, one of seven divisions within Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College fold. We would like to be the DuPree College of Management rather than the DuPree School of Management because the reporting structure would be a lot smoother and more direct. The faculty actually recently voted to approve the switchover, and now the proposal goes to the Board of Regents for their approval. We anticipate that we will become the College of Management on the first of July. And we're really excited about that because becoming an independent entity gives us a more direct voice in our own governance -- with the dean reporting directly to the university president.

How long has DuPree been without a dean?

We have an interim dean right now who is one of our faculty members (Lloyd Byars). It's been just over a year that we've been without a full-time dean.

The School of Management was given a big lift in 1995, when Tom DuPree donated $20 million to enhance the program. What type of projects has DuPree's gift to the school been plugged into?

First, let me clarify that Mr. DuPree gave $5 million to form the DuPree Center of Entrepreneurship in 1994, and in 1996, he gave another $20 million. We are using some of the gift resources to renovate several of the college facilities. One thing that we're doing right now is working with the info-tech task force to refocus and redefine where we want to go in a tech sense -- in terms of how best to use technology to support the school as well as use it in instruction. The entire initiative is aimed at enhancing our current information technology infrastructure.

What specifically does that mean?

We're going to be working on more multimedia instructional uses, on integrating Web-based instruction so that when faculty are teaching, they can access the Web immediately and use that kind of resource in their teaching. We'll also use some resources to help fund additional info-tech support staff who can aid faculty, students, and administrators in their computer use.

Has the DuPree gift had a positive impact on the School of Management's application numbers?

I don't know whether the DuPree funding has provided us with any sort of increase in the application pool or not. I think it's something that is helping us in terms of supporting students and the school as it is.

What was DuPree's official application total for its Class of '99.

It was around 500.

Has that been holding steady or fluctuating?

It has been about the same, our numbers have been very similar (Editor's note: In 1996 the school received 585 applications, 636 applications in 1994, and 624 in 1992).

What was your acceptance-to-yield ratio in 1997?

We accepted around 45% of our application pool last year. Of that 45%, we yielded around 40%, for 100 students -- which is our target. Obviously it's too early to tell on the yield for this year (1998). As far as the amount of folks we've accepted, we're probably a little bit lower on the percentage

Are you focusing your marketing or recruitment on any type of student (minority, female, humanities) to diversify the student body?

We're fortunate because the pool of applicants that we get is fairly broad, and it really is representative of background, in terms of the type of diversity we want in the class. We do general marketing but have not found it necessary to do any target marketing to students. We get a number of students with engineering backgrounds simply because of the reputation that Georgia Tech enjoys. Then, we get a variety of folks with nonengineering backgrounds because people want the opportunity to have a more technical degree.

Is it too late to apply to the program for this fall's class?

No. Georgia Tech, being a state institution, tends to have a late application deadline. Our first deadline date, which is the optimal deadline if you're pursuing a graduate assistantship -- and final deadline for international students -- was Mar. 1. For domestic students who want to apply for entrance into the fall of '98 class, our final application deadline is the 15th of May.

What has the turnaround for response been like?

We generally will have a decision out no later than 6-8 weeks after the applicant has applied -- that's only if all of the test scores and supporting documents have been received. Generally, the things that tend to hold us up from processing an application are missing GMAT or TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) scores.

What is your policy, as far as how many people you accept per deadline? How do you generally space acceptances out?

We work on a rolling admissions basis here, with only two application deadlines. The first deadline is designed primarily for students who want to be considered for GRA (Graduate Research Assistantships). We really don't set a target for the number of students we want to accept for each deadline.

O.K., let's run down the different elements within DuPree application packet that applicants need to complete.

Sure. They need to complete the MSM application form -- which has candidates complete their bio information and talk about their extracurricular activities, and also gives them an opportunity to touch on their work experience, professional background, and responsibilities managed in the work environment; we have two required essays and one optional; two letters of reference; the GMAT; academic transcripts; and for international students, the TOEFL.

What elements of the application hold more weight with you? The GMAT and undergrad transcript? Work experience?

It really depends on each application and how it comes together. We don't have specific weights that we place on any portion of the application. We really try to look at each file to see what particular strengths that person can bring to the program. We look at a file to see whether or not an application would be academically successful. Beyond that, we look at materials to see what types of things they can bring to enrich the class.

I understand that DuPree requires all of its students to have completed at least one course of college-level calculus. Given the diversity of the DuPree student body, do you provide refresher courses or training for the less mathematically inclined?

All of the students who come into the program have had at least one calculus class under their belts. But we also have a math review class for those who are weak in their quant work. For example, if we have some people who have been out of school for a number of years, we'll have them take our five-day review class (in general calculus) to reorient themselves. It gives students a chance to find out what types of material they are weak in or need to review.

Do many people take advantage of the prep courses?

Twenty-five percent of the class take one or more of our review courses (offered in computers, statistics, and calculus). It varies from year to year. Sometimes, 15% of the class will take them, and sometimes 20% will. Recently they have been taught by some of our PhD students who have been through the MSM program. That's been helpful because they know what the incoming students will encounter in the course work.

Are there any other requirements that must be satisfied to gain entrance into the program? A certain level of computer literacy, perhaps?

No. It used to be that we would have required computer courses in the program, but students would complain that they weren't learning anything they didn't already know, so we discontinued them. Now we offer a computer review course, which teaches people the general specifics on spreadsheets, presentation software, and we have a day where we introduce students to the Georgia Tech computer system. Based on feedback that we have gotten from students, we've found that the optional computer prep classes have been sufficient.

Does the School of Management have a laptop requirement?

We do not currently require that students own a laptop, though we are investigating that possibility. It may become a requirement when we change over to the semester system. Georgia Tech requires that all of its undergrads purchase a computer, however.

The DuPree's heavy, first-year quant focus must dictate that you scrutinize the GMAT to ensure that all of the students can pass muster. Do you keep any sort of a cutoff in mind when assessing the exam? How do you evaluate it?

There's no cutoff. We do look at the quant portion of the GMAT quite vigilantly, however. We also look at how a student has performed academically in his or her quant-based classes as an undergrad. We also look at how students do on the verbal and AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment) portions of the GMAT. Because we find that many of our applicants do have strong quant skills, we want to make sure that they have strong communication skills as well. Moreover, part of our current curriculum has a required communications class in it.

Delving further into communication skills, we should note that interviews at DuPree are not required, but is the school attaching more importance to them -- especially given the school's small class size?

It's something that really helps us in evaluating applications. One reason that we do not require interviews is simply because we feel people are not able to visit our campus or the places where we recruit. We do encourage students to participate in a telephone interview if that is the case, however. It's important to interview because sometimes information comes up in the interview that is favorable to the applicant and gives us a better picture of what he or she is like. Using the recommendations and the other subjective parts of the application does help us create a picture of the applicant, but talking with the candidates on an individual basis provides us with a wealth of information that we just cannot determine otherwise.

How many people are interviewed in a given admission cycle?

It's not a number that we track since we do not require interviews. It's more of an opportunity for a student to sell him or herself to us. Over the course of time we probably end up talking with about 50% of our applicant pool.

So, it's not considered a red flag if applicants forgo the interview?

No.

Do you interview anyone who requests one?

Yes, without fail. We don't use a cutoff or anything. I think it's important to be consistent throughout the process, so we do not become more selective of who we interview as the cycle moves forward.

How can applicants best prepare themselves for the interview?

The best advice that I can give about preparing for an interview is to make sure that you have read our brochure and supporting material. It is of concern to us when people come in to speak with us about the program and it's clear that they don't know why they should be considering Georgia Tech. That's my pet peeve. We want students to be able to sell themselves to us and talk about why we should be considering them. Knowing who we are and what we are as a program can only strengthen their interview.

If people do take the time to prepare for an interview then they're going to have a list of questions, they're going to have a series of issues that an interview can answer. I want to learn about the applicant, and the applicant to learn about Georgia Tech. I think admissions is a two-way process, and I want to make sure that I admit the best possible pool of applicants. Asking the right questions to educate themselves is the applicants' obligation, and we monitor that.

Is the interview informational or situational?

It really is a bit of both. I try to provide information about the program in response to specific student questions. Then, I will focus more on questions that I want to learn about the students, such as what the student thinks the "fit" is for them.

What is "fit"?

Fit is a lot of different things. Fit is No. 1: Do I think that the person is going to be happy at Georgia Tech? Do I think that the person is going to be successful. Will he or she contribute to the various aspects of the program -- both in its academic and social contexts -- and be able to work with his or her other fellow students? Fit is also: Can Georgia Tech do for that student what he or she wants? Can we provide the focus and the academic credential in an area that the student wants? So, some of it is tangible and some of it is intangible. You gauge whether the applicant "fits" in with the school through the interview as well as through the written elements of the application.

A written element of the application, one that can further help you discern what an applicant is all about, is the essay. What do the essays get at?

The essays represent a chance for us to learn something about the applicant that is not covered anywhere else. They cover a lot about motivation. Why is the student selecting Georgia Tech? It is really giving us a sense of why this person is considering pursuing graduate management education. What do they hope the degree will do for them? It's also an opportunity for them to again sell themselves -- talk to us about their unique characteristics and strengths.

Are there enforced word limits?

We tell students that each essay should be no longer than one typed page.

Do you require your international applicants to complete more essay questions than your domestic applicants?

No.

Let's move on to the recommendations, another of the written elements in the application. How do you like the two required references broken up?

I strongly prefer that they are either from a current or former employer, or a professor. As you stated, we require our applicants to have two recommendations submitted, and it doesn't matter if they have one of each (employer or academician) or if both are from an employer or both from academicians. How they choose to split up their references is something that provides us with additional info about the applicant as well. If a candidate who is 15 years out of school, sends in two academic references, that's going to ring some bells for us. You wonder if they don't want their boss to know that they're planning on going back to school, or if they really just didn't think about their recommender selection very carefully.

We try to discourage applicants from providing us with personal letters of reference. For example, I got a letter from a candidate's father one time, and it was a great letter, but it didn't carry a lot of weight. Those applicants who are working in their family business present us with a tricky situation. And that's something we have to work out with that applicant on an individual basis. Also, references from clergymen tend not to carry much weight either.

DuPree's average amount of work experience is comparatively high, at 4.5 years for the Class of '99. Is that the result of the school placing more emphasis on it, or something else?

It's a combination of our increased emphasis on it and also the changing application pool. I think that people applying to MBA programs have become more savvy, and they recognize that greater emphasis is being placed on applicant's attributes by admissions committees. So, today's applicants have more work experience than those from just five years ago. There's probably a bit of self-selection happening out there.

How many students are currently enrolled without work experience?

We do admit students into the program every year without work experience. That probably ranges from about 3%-5%, So, it's fairly small.

What can applicants with little to no work experience do to bolster their chances of acceptance?

Obviously, for those folks with little to no work experience, the rest of their application tends to be stronger to compensate for that shortcoming. We find that the people we admit into the program coming directly out of undergrad tend to have real direction. They have a sense of why they need to come to school now rather than later. Generally, when I interview these students, I'll ask them: "Why don't you want to go out and work for a couple of years?" If the responses are very clear -- that lets me know that they will not be at a disadvantage in the classroom. Class participation is so much a part of our program, and we want to make sure that if a student does not have full-time work experience that he or she will not only be able to understand what's going on but also contribute to the class discussion.

Do you allow accepted applicants to defer?

Yes, we do. We will allow students to defer automatically for one year. After that, they have to reapply. In a given year, we'll probably have maybe five students defer.

Does DuPree utilize a waitlist?

No, we don't.

Any plans to do that?

Not really. We have been fortunate because we do not set a specific class size and say we have to have X number of spots available. Based on the application pool, we select the best students to enter the program. Since we're not forced to be a particular size, we have not had to go to a waitlist.

So, in the absence of any sort of waitlist, DuPree's admissions office either accepts or denies an application the first time it has been reviewed, without delay?

Right. Because we only have the two deadlines, we're able to get a sense of what our pool is like. And since we use a rolling admissions process, we're able to see the pool as we go. If we're on the fence with a particular application, then we will have a wider group of people read through the file.

Ann, many applicants feel that they are left in the dark when it comes down to how their application is reviewed. Can you explain to me how the decision-making process works at DuPree?

Basically what we do is we have an admissions committee read each file. Sometimes we will have two people read a file and sometimes we'll have four people read it, according to whether the decision is clear-cut or not. Who the extra people are tends to vary depending on the questions we might have about a particular file. I read all of the files and have the final decision. Sometimes faculty will read them, at other times the director of the Career Services Offices will take a look, and sometimes we'll have students assess them. In some cases, I have actually gone to the dean and had him review the file. We're asking for people's opinions on whether the applicant is suitable to the MSM program. As I said, I have the final authority on making decisions, and my decision is largely based upon the evaluations of the different people who have had a chance to take a look.

Ann, you yourself were once an MBA student at the University of Georgia. Can you explain how you went about applying to the MBA program to give folks an idea of how it can be done right?

Well, I went to school so long ago, and would hate for anybody to follow my path... So, the advice that I would give would be to go out and work, garner that professional experience. I learned an extraordinary amount during my first two years on the job and have always regretted what I might have learned had I known those things while I was in school.

DuPree students get quite a bang for their buck. What's this year's tuition?

We have not set tuition for 1999 yet. For out-of-staters, tuition is $11,040, and for in-state residents, it's $3,255.

A lot of students have raved about the Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) offered at Georgia Tech. Can you tell me a bit about them?

Certainly. Basically, GRAs allow students to go to B-school virtually for free. Students can get GRAs both with DuPree and also at other places around campus. In any given quarter, probably 30%-40% of the student body is on some form of GRA. The ones that are offered at the School of Management are merit-based, while the ones offered at other areas of the university tend to be awarded based on the skills, work areas, and backgrounds that students have. There have been some students who have been awarded GRAs from places like the Bursar's Office to the Advanced Technology Development Center -- a small-business incubator center.

How does one go about securing a GRA?

Two different ways. For a School of Management GRA, students can apply during the application process. For GRAs offered through other areas of the campus, we provide students with names and contacts of places, and they will apply for those jobs on their own. Sometimes students will just knock on doors. So, it can come down to a matter of determination and tenacity.

Currently students with GRAs pay only $245 a quarter in tuition, and then they receive a stipend as well. GRA awards average $2,000 a quarter. So, if you consider that you're an out-of-state student, your tuition is reduced from $11,040 to $735 a year -- that's significant savings.

Besides the GRAs, what other kinds of financial aid and scholarship is out there for DuPree students to apply for?

The main source of aid does tend to be coming from loans, and part of that is because of the relatively low debt students incur from going to school here. There are not many scholarships available. However, we have a Regent's Opportunity Scholarship available that is set up to assist underrepresented groups in coming to Georgia Tech. It's awarded through Georgia Tech and is a need-based award. There is a not a set number of Regent Scholarships available, and our students compete against other grad students (enrolled in other programs within the university) for them. Usually students in the School of Management will receive probably five of those a year.

So it sounds like tuition is comparatively cheap, especially for those with GRAs in their hip pockets. What's the average amount of debt students accrue over their two-year stay?

For students who have a GRA, I would estimate that they have probably under $5,000 in debt after graduation, although that is not something that we survey students on a formal basis about. That figure is based on informal feedback I've encountered.

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

It's probably going to run around $10,000 in total expenses (room board, insurance, entertainment, etc).

How close is DuPree to the city?

We are in the center of the city. When the school was founded over 100 years ago, Georgia Tech was located outside the city. But due to the city's outrageous growth, it has moved outward, up around the campus since that time. Let me reassure folks out there, though, that Georgia Tech is nestled in a campus environment with grass and trees surrounding the area. It's not an urban campus, even though the city surrounds us.

Do most students live off campus?

Yes, most grads tend to live off campus. However, since the 1996 Summer Olympics were held, all of our dorms were upgraded, and we have two large dorms designed for graduate students.

Do most of DuPree's applicants come from the Georgia or the Southeast region? Can you break down the geographic makeup of the school's more recent classes?

No, they tend to come from a wide variety of places. This last year (1997), about 30% of our students were international and 37% were from the Southeast region. Then the rest of the country was distributed fairly evenly.

Let's switch to career services and job placement for a minute. As I understand it, one out of every five grads at DuPree takes a job in info systems or operations management. Is that the case?

Generally speaking, yes. In some years, it's actually higher than that. Info tech and operation systems are our more popular areas of study.

Is the school branching out from that area, or does it feel that that's its niche?

I think that we will, to a certain extent, always feel that technology is one of our niches. We feel another strong area is entrepreneurship. Many of our students will go into entrepreneurial firms or to starting their own business in information technology. So it's under the same umbrella.

Are grads' pay packages increasing?

They are. We are finding that not only are their starting salaries increasing but that their signing bonuses and other benefits are also growing and diversifying. The average salary for our Class of 1997 was $56,100. Most of our students find that they fall in love with Atlanta and decide to stay in the area after graduation. In fact, many students will turn down higher-paying jobs to stay here (Editor's note: In 1997, 40% of the graduating class remained in the Georgia area, and during other years, nearly 80% of the class has decided to stay put.) We're fortunate because we have a growing local economy and there are a lot of Fortune 100 companies with regional headquarters here that provide many job opportunities for our students.

Is the number of DuPree's recruiters growing in concert with the school's increased pay packages?

It is. We tend to add companies every year. We don't really want to increase the number of companies too much because we really don't want to have more companies coming here than we can handle. We try to increase it a little bit and make sure that we are bringing the right companies on campus -- those tend to be info tech, operations management, and financial firms. We're also finding that companies are coming to us because they know that our students have extremely strong quant skills. Finance firms are particularly looking for students with engineering backgrounds. This past year, marketing was extremely popular, with a number of our grads going into a variety of marketing and general sales positions. Roughly 80 companies physically came to campus to use our facilities over the last year.

Who are Georgia Tech's toughest competitors?

It tends to vary from year to year. We have a lot of competition with many of the local schools, especially Emory and the University of Georgia. We also overlap with Purdue and Carnegie Mellon, particularly because of the orientation of our programs.

Thank you, Ann, for your time and insights.

You're welcome. I hope prospective applicants will find this helpful.


For more information, you can contact the DuPree School's Admissions Office at (404) 894-8722 or check out the school's Web site at www.iac.gatech.edu/dupree