Judith, as director of admissions and then assistant dean of admissions for the past 18 years, have you seen a noticeable change in Michigan's admission's process?

I've absolutely seen a difference. I think first of all, the emphasis on bringing in a wide variety of individuals has broadened over the years and we've been able to diversify our classes in many ways -- international, domestic, minority, academic backgrounds, work experience, and other types of accomplishments. We've certainly seen the pool change as our criteria has changed. For example, a greater amount of work experience following the bachelor's degree. At a certain time, going back a couple years, there might have been a 50-50 split. Now its about 98% with full time work experience.

Michigan's apps have shown a tremendous increase over the past five years . In fact, the totals have increased 54% from 1993 to the present (2,692 to 4,153). What can you attribute that to?

I would say that the application increase is due to many different things. Really, a recognition on the part of companies as well as our alums, and then to prospective candidates, that Michigan indeed is providing the kind of academic excellence and experience that is expected of MBAs. This has been over a long period of time. We're meeting quotas in terms of excellent teaching, professional development opportunities, teamwork, global opportunities ... I believe all of these opportunities made available in our program have contributed to the surge in applications.

Have you seen a change in the type of student that applies these days? Do you see older people, for example, entering the fray in greater numbers?

There are, I believe, a few older students matriculated in our program. I can't quantify the change, but the range is broadening on the higher end. There are people looking to make a career change, and the MBA would work for them. There is a greater number of individuals with more full-time work experience, and with more significant accomplishments, not only in a professional role but also in the community ... so that has expanded. It's a much richer, more talented pool in that regard.

Is age a hindrance to success in the admissions process?

The age of an individual would not hinder one's chances of acceptance in the Michigan program. I think what we look for more is the reason for an individual wanting to earn an MBA and make a career change, and the reality that it looks like it could work -- based on [the person's] accomplishments and what he or she hopes to accomplish. Is there some connectivity so that hopefully one's experience in the MBA program is worthwhile? In no way would we simply say no to an individual based on what their age might be.

How about a rise in international applications. Is there one?

Yes. We have seen an increase in international applications and a greater diversity of our international candidates. And this has pleased us because we value having applicants from every part of the world. We certainly know that Michigan is well-known in Asia and [name recognition is] increasing in South America.

From which areas are you seeing a sharp rise?

I'd say still a significant number are coming from Asia, but our most recent rise is in Latin America. The school's global perspective really is reaching out all over the world.

What efforts are Michigan making to cater to the international applicant?

We have a number of international exchange programs throughout South America, Asia, and several in Europe. So that provides students with opportunities to exchange, and helps get the word out about us -- students can participate in about 14 exchange programs. Then, we are a part of global MBA programs that are especially designed for companies like Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong and Daewoo in South Korea.

Would you also include MAP [Multidisciplinary Action Projects, in which students receive hands on, in-company learning] in this programming?

Part of it. There are international MAP possibilities. The Davidson Institute, which provides opportunities for students to have internships in the emerging economies including, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Vietnam. And we have an Africa Corps program in South Africa that also provides internship opportunities. Those are all international and special opportunites. So it's not just one thing, it's not just one program, but an array of programs that demonstrate to the world Michigan's capabilities, and shows the world the strengths of the students and the opportunities available to them.

Last year, Michigan accepted roughly 28% of its applicants, eighth-highest in the top 25. Have you become more selective this year, given the increased number of applicants?

We believe so. We're targeting a slightly larger class this year -- 10 more positions -- for an incoming class of 430. Our previous target had been 420. We have received about 4,150 apps for those particular positions. So we've experienced around a 20% increase over last year. The pool is not only 20% larger but we've had a diverse pool allowing us to be more selective So that pleases us.

What are this year's application deadlines?

For the upcoming '98 class, December 1st is the early decision deadline. And January 15th is the second decision. March 1st is the final decison deadline.

Do you urge people to apply by a certain deadline?

Not really. Those are all separate deadlines. I think strategically for the applicants' sake, it's probably best to apply earlier. That way, they will get an earlier decision and be able to make their plans earlier -- in terms of housing, financial aid ... or in making appropriate plans to decide which school to attend.

Do you try and fill a certain quota for each round?

We are looking carefully at trying to manage that because there are now three decisions (1997 was the first year to have three application deadlines; previously there were only two). We are trying to manage this as we project what might be coming in the pool so that we know there will still be spaces available in decisions two and three. And we managed well this year.

About one-third [of the class was accepted] in the beginning, and maybe a little more in the second group. I think it's safe to say that we didn't have a third left by the third pool. All of it depends on the size and strength of the pool. We're not going to let clearly strong people slip by because they're in the first group.

Okay let's focus now on the actual application process. Can you tell me what are the main factors that are taken into consideration when reviewing an applicant? GMAT? Interviews? GPA? etc.

A strong academic record of achievement, a strong record professionally and personally, the candidate's focus and goals, their knowledge and desire based on their particular expertise, solid interpersonal skills, integrity (a much as we can get from the application), and their participation in the community.

What is required to complete an application?

A transcript, two recommendations, the candidate's response to essays (there are three essays with a fourth optional essay that gives the candidate the ability to communicate something they need to tell Michigan admissions staff about their academic background or qualify any other "weakness"), GMAT, interview ... and then the rest of the app, which will certainly give us an idea of the person's background, their resume and or TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Languange] which is required of international students.

Can you prioritize them by most important to least important?

We don't weight factors.

University of Michigan interviews nearly 100% of its applicants. In fact, 98% of admitted applicants were interviewed in 1996. Is it detrimental if a candidate cannot schedule an interview?

This year it will be safe to say that we interviewed 100% of our admitted applicants. In our application we urge the interview. We don't require it, we don't say you have to do it to complete the application. But we urge it. It can be arranged with a school representative at an MBA Forum, it can be arranged with an alum, scheduled on campus, or over the telephone. So it can be arranged a lot of different ways. This year, we probably interviewed three-quarters or more of the applicant pool.

Do you yourself interview applicants?

Yes I particpate.

What do you look for?

I'm looking for career focus and goals. I'm looking for a strong sense that the individual can communicate well, will answer the questions asked. I'm certainly looking for an indication that the person is interested in Michigan -- as far as programming is concerned. In other words, have they done their homework?

What's the biggest blunder candidates frequently make during the interview session?

Not answering a question that's asked. And some people will answer it, but they will ramble. They will talk on and on. And you will often either have to stop them or won't have enough time to provide a good exchange of knowledge. The interview, we feel, is a good opportunity for the candidate and interviewer to learn more about each other. So rambling answers or not answering the questions at all is not productive.

Are you interested in knowing whether U Michigan is the applicant's first choice? I mean, do you ask?

No, I don't ask. I think it's an important issue, and we hope that the person sitting across the table from us feels that our school is their first choice. Certainly it [posing the question] can be a good way to see how a candidate can think on their feet. But, the most important thing is to ensure that enough information is shared both ways that we both have enough info to make a solid, informed decision ... based on the interview itself. In other words, Michigan may not have been a person's first choice, but the interview could change that person's mind. Same could go in the other direction.

In an article written in UMich's paper, The Monroe Street Journal, Dean White was quoted as saying that US News & World Report places too much importance on straight numbers for its rankings. How much weight does the GMAT carry for an application?

It's one important dimension but there is no numbering [prioritizing] of the different facets of our application. We do know that there are a number of indicators that can predict a candidate's ability to succeed in the MBA program. The GMAT is a good indicator of first-year success. It is one criteria that we use, but it's not the only one.

So, an applicant with a 750 GMAT can and has been rejected?

Yes.

For what reasons?

Perhaps unrealistic goals. Perhaps weak recommendations, or essays that maybe were poorly written and/or essay responses that do not answer the question ... there could be a weak academic record. Perhaps the individual does not have any full-time work experience or there is no indication of accomplishment for what they have done professionally. So in other words, that individual may not have brought a lot to the program except perhaps that GMAT score. Michigan has a lot of teamwork in and out of the classroom -- informational study groups, team projects -- and we expect to bring people in who can contribute to the program as well as absorb and benefit greatly from our school.

Along those same lines, how much of a factor is a candidate's GPA? Is it an important predictor of success in the Michigan program?

Absolutely, that' s one element. I do believe that's what we'd like to see -- a strong academic record. If indeed we don't see that, there are other things that can offset it: the GMAT, a strong background ... However, if there isn't enough to say that this person can cope with the workload and the academic rigor, then we may not accept him or her. You've got to prove your worth to the committee. They [someone with a low GPA] would need to take some additional coursework. As an example, suppose an individual with an economics major as an undergrad simply had a weak record. Taking additional economics courses to show that now they can do strong work is a positive. Sometimes an individual may take coursework that they have not studied as an undergrad, liberal arts major. That's one way to assess whether they are right for us.

Is there a GPA cutoff?

No, except good academic standing. The process is competitive and so an individual who may have a 2.0 average on a 4.0 system may have to show some outstanding achievement subsequent to the undergrad experience. Sometimes an individual has not done well in undergrad but has earned a graduate degree. That's an indication that the individual overcame his or her troubles.

How important is work experience?

It's a very important factor. Because of the team emphasis and the interactive nature of the classroom, it's expected that everyone is coming in prepared (academically) and has experience enough to contribute. So not only has the person worked full time for x years, but what is their track record? What have they accomplished? Is there evidence of upward mobility? Promotion within an organization or an industry? We can see that from their resume and from usually what recommenders will communicate. So that's very important. If we see someone who has been working for 5-10 years without moving and not going anywhere, then that's not very impressive, so we're looking within that, not just how many years.

Is there such a thing as an applicant having too much work experience? So much that it is detrimental to the admissions process?

I think only if the individual does not present a good case as far as focus and reason for the MBA. Are they looking to stay in the same professional area, or are they looking to make a major job change? Is there something about the world or economy that caters to this? For example, each year we have a number of physicians in our program. They are not planning to leave the medical profession. What they want to do is prepare themselves for the changing medical industry to have the medical and business knowledge to grow with the industry. So in that case, we have seen people who have been physicians for a number of years, and that makes perfectly good sense.

Okay, what about recommendations? Do you frown on recommendations written by undergraduate professors? Should recommendations primarily come from professionals?

They should primarily come from professionals. We ask for two recommendations. The reason is again because most of our candidates have been out working for several years. So we would expect to get recommendations from people who know the applicant on the job. Who recognize their abilities. Occasionally we will receive recommendations from people from the community or a professor because the individual had accomplished something very unique. So for somebody who has been working for a number years, an academic recommendation is not very appropriate. But, for candidates who feel they cannot ask a supervisor, they should really let the admissions office know why they do not have a supervisor recommendation through the essay ... at least they've let us know what the situation is so that we're not just guessing about their situation. If a person is an entrepreneur, then often what we will see will be from clients or a co-worker.

Should an applicant feel uncomfortable about a recommendation that is glowing? What are you looking for?

I think an applicant is wise to ask people to recommend somebody who knows him or her well and is wise to think of people who will speak well of them but speak honestly. And hopefully, they will provide enough info to impart details about the candidate. Just to say that Jon Doe is a wonderful person doesn't say anything. A candidate should be thinking: 'Who can I ask that knows me well, that knows about my accomplishments, that will help to show that I can bring something special to the MBA program?' That's the kind of thing that can make a difference. If it happens to be a gushing response with a great deal of detail to back up all of the excellent check marks, then, of course, that's fine.

What's the turnaround for response?

We make an effort -- we do say in our application, that if a person gets their app to us by December 1, they will have it returned by February 15. If they get it in by January 15, they will have a return response by March 15. And if they wait until the third decision date, they will have a response by May 1. So we publish the deadlines so that the candidate will have that info and those expectations and we stick by it.

Our decision can be three things: admit, reject, offer for the person to be on the waitlist. And in the waitlist letter comes a deadline stating when they will hear back from us on the final decision. The outlying final date is August 15 for this year. And that's the final, but we will sometimes tell people earlier as we move through the waitlist.

Do admitted applicants all get a telephone call?

We make that effort. We'll leave a message on the message machine. It's exciting. It's great to tell people that they've been admitted before they've received their letter. It's great when I catch them at work to tell them the good news. They'll be so happy but have to contain it and end up whispering, 'i'm so excited' while going berzerk inside.

Do you allow accepted applicants to defer admission?

Rarely. If there are extenuating circumstances (personal health reasons that are documentable) we will consider it and maybe defer, but we do not just defer everyone.

How many do you defer on average, per year?

It's not that many. We might get maybe 25-30 (estimate) requests. I think the word is out there that we don't defer many. Probably we receive on the high side of 50 defer requests, and we admit maybe 5-10.

How about the less fortunate? Do you offer tips on how rejected applicants can improve their applications?

If they ask. They may write us.They would have to make contact with us. And we feel that it's quite a help to them to know where they were weak and where they can improve. It's a good way for them to find out if there is any chance or are they whistling in the dark. And we try to talk through their areas of improvement compared to the admitted folks for that individual to understand if it looks like they have a chance. We do not discriminate who we will provide feedback to -- between those who have a legitimate chance or those who don't.

Michigan has received some notice for allowing its students to have quite a hand in tailoring the curriculum. Does this also hold true for the admissions process? Do you welcome student opinion about the admissions process?

Absolutely. In fact we have a core group of students who are part of our interview team so that they can give input. They, themsleves, apply to be a part of this team and are selected and volunteer their time in their second year. They are not paid dollars. First of all, the change that occurred several years ago, to have an early decision deadline was brought up by our student team. It came down to a flow issue ... we instituted the Jan. 15 deadline to allow for a smoother application process.

And, we've always had student input in looking at our essay questions. We ask them, 'What do you think? Should they be changed?' One of the essays is a question relating to our community here. It asks If they [applicants] were choosing what they could bring what would it be. And that was a question that students gave input on.

What's the tuition to attend Michigan this year?

$24,000 for non-residents and $18,400 for residents. Non-residents includes people from other parts of the U.S as well as internationals.

The percentage of Michigan students taking out loans was among the top five in 1996 for our top 50 schools group. How many students took out loans this year?

About 45% are on financial aid -- loans and scholarships. Of the 45%, about 80% are on loans

Do you provide financial assistance or scholarships for international applicants?

The right answer is no ... The application alerts the international candidate that they need to have enough money for their two-year needs at Michigan. The reason for this slight qualification is that we do have a small amount of scholarship money for international candidates. Once admitted, they can compete in a pool for it. So some international candidates, after they've been admitted and proven solvency, will be offered a scholarship which will range from $10,000 for each year towards tuition, or it could be, for a very few, up to full tuition. And this is totally merit based.

U Michigan has about 130 faculty members and 125 electives, 8th and 9th largest respectively of our top 50 schools. Is this growing?

I think that the number is about right. You're in the right ballpark.

How about lifestyle issues? Is U Michigan good for families?

Ann Arbor's a great place for families. It's a very cosmopolitan city but with a smaller university-town atmosphere. As far as coming to this school, we're probably looking at a third or more of our incoming class coming with a spouse and many with children. We have an SOS club (Spouses and Significant Others of Students) and this is a very important support group for those individuals. There is a bit of orientation for them at the beginning of September, so they can meet each other, begin networking, plan activities, and that's proven to be very helpful. International students are also wondering whether they should bring their wives. When they learn about SOS, with international spouses involved, it really helps them a lot. So it's certainly a very friendly community and town and very conducive for families. People from all over the world settle in.

Fill in the blank: you should come to Michigan if you're most interested in what?

You should come if you're interested in global opportunities with a very strong, broad general management education presented through an innovative curriculum, with outstanding professors, teaching in state-of-the-art facilities. I think that in the broad general management area there is a great deal of strength in the marketing arena, the corporate strategy arena, and operations management. Upcoming programs would be our finance area as well as our law-history communication arena (the arena that provides courses that help to strengthen communications skills). Executive skills is another area. Those are not courses but are professional development opportunities -- seminar opportunites.

Fill in the blank: you should stay away from Michigan if you're most interested in what?

One of the areas where we're working on making some strides is the coursework in the non-profit area. But that's an area that we're working on in terms of trying to broaden the coursework. If you want a non-team approach .. then you should probably stay away from our program.

Who are Michigan's toughest competitors? In other words, with which schools do you most often compete with for students?

Very definitely, our major competitors would be Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, and Chicago. But our number one competitor is between Wharton and Kellogg.

Okay Judith, we're winding down here. I'd like to ask you a more lighthearted question that may take you a few moments to answer... What's the funniest or strangest attempt at ingratiation you've ever received from an applicant?

Hmmmm. The strangest event that comes to mind happened several years ago when an individual -- with the application -- sent a scrapbook of original documents. It contained everything: Her sunday school certificate, her girl scout award ... going way back from the college years! So you can imagine the size of the envelope with the application.

We sent it [the entire application packet] back to the individual and didn't send a letter explaining why we had returned it, becuase it seemed fairly obvious. And lo and behold, it came back again. At that point I wrote a letter and thanked the person for it, but also explained that these were important original documents of hers and we had no way of storing them. And ended with. 'Should you return this again I regret that we'd have to destroy it.' And it didn't come back. And, of course, this happened before the era of video!

We see more and more video cassettes every year. We do see indications of publication work as well. It could be articles in magazines that people have written or co-authored, and maybe even a book. And those are acceptable; it clearly shows what the individual could bring to the program.

Those types of items should be sent only if the individual thinks that they are unique in terms of accomplishment and they can only show it through the video or book. Some individuals bring protfolios that will show some things, and that's a good way to handle it. That way they don't have to send many copies and can share it in the interview. And frankly, that shows some courtesy.

Would you like to add anything else before we end?

The one thing I would certainly like to emphasize is that applicants or prospective applicants should feel free to call us or contact us if they need more info. And more importantly, try to come and visit! Many people have never been to [University of] Michigan or even Ann Arbor. It's a wonderful town. It comprises a set of terrific people, and many ammenities that people would be interested in, but are not sure would be available. The best way to see what is available is to visit.

Judith, thanks very much for your contributions.