Live Chat December 21, 2009, 2:51PM EST

Chat Transcript: Notre Dame Admissions

(page 3 of 3)

Brian Lohr
Notre Dame

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vietdevil3: Do you focus on the undergraduate institution of candidates? For example, will the fact that I attended Augusta State University, a lesser-known school, weigh against me?

BrianLohr: Absolutely not. In the two-year program we have nearly 120 undergraduate institutions represented, including my alma mater Westminster College in Pennsylvania. The most important thing is that you demonstrated a high level of academic achievement, regardless of where you went to school.

bobcat: Carly, how is it that you chose Notre Dame over other schools, given that you must have had many options as a West Point graduate?

NDCarlyDaCosta: While researching a number of schools, I kept being told that I need to look at "fit." I didn't know what the heck "fit" meant until I started to research Notre Dame. Given my undergrad's values, small-school feel, academic rigor, alumni network, and history, I was immediately attracted to Notre Dame, as it is a mirror image. Its class size of 150 is wonderful. I get to know my classmates. The alumni network is not just graduates but the entire school. Everyone is very willing to help you if you need it.

bobcat: Average work experience for business school students seems to be around five years. Is it an advantage or disadvantage to have roughly 10 years of experience, including five in middle management?

BrianLohr: There are really no magic numbers. What I can definitely say about candidates with more experience is that they add a great deal to the classroom environment. From a program perspective, that's a plus. On the career-development side, companies are looking for the best candidate, and selection criteria are based on a wide variety of factors. Amount of work experience is just one among many.

vietdevil3: Do you think two years of work experience is sufficient?

BrianLohr: It really depends on the quality of that work experience. Opportunities to manage people and budgets and exposure to senior leadership are important no matter how long you've worked.

cho1121: Are students allowed to skip core classes based on previous academic experience (for example, accounting), and would you recommend skipping such core classes (with the risk of not getting to know your peers as well)?

BrianLohr: Right now we don't allow students to waive core courses. However, the senior director and associate dean, in conjunction with the curriculum committee, are crafting a policy to address this issue. We should have something nailed down by next fall.

cho1121: Going into fit, what type of students would appreciate the Notre Dame experience?

BrianLohr: Students who enjoy small teams, personal attention from world-class professors, and individual career coaching, and who want to belong to the greatest alumni network in the world, would fit in well at Notre Dame. But I may be biased.