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FEBRUARY 18, 2003 B-SCHOOL Q&A: ADMISSIONS Making It into Maryland [Page 2 of 2]
A: Yes. Our objective in asking that question was to assess the growth a student might have experienced from, let's say, their high-school days, undergraduate days, their time in the workplace. [We're assessing a person's] level of maturity. Q: Would it be better for students to choose something from their professional lives rather than their academic lives? A: Not necessarily. We're just interested in getting to know the student better. So something from high school or from undergrad might give us greater insight into the student. Q: The next one asks: "What's the most valuable lesson you've learned, and who's responsible for teaching it?" What are you trying to get at with that question? A: Maryland's program is very team-oriented. I would say 60% of the work here will involve some level of teamwork. We're trying to assess the writer's ability to appreciate the contribution of others. Q: The third one is a pretty unique question: "Imagine you'll be taking a 72-hour car ride with two other individuals. If you could choose your travel companions for this journey, who would you choose and why?" What's the best answer you've heard to this question this year? A: I don't know if there's a best answer. We've gotten some interesting answers. The fun associated with that question is the imagery that one can conjure up. For example, Jesus Christ and George Carlin or Albert Einstein and Oprah Winfrey. The admissions committee will often attempt to get in the car as well. Just imagine the dialogue that takes place. Q: Obviously, you can have some fun with the people you choose -- but, really, what are the serious things you're concluding about a candidate from this question? A: We're looking for what attributes they look for in teammates. That allows us to gain insight into how a person might choose a member of the team. Do they choose people who think exactly like them? Or do they choose people who think opposite? Do they recognize their own strengths and choose people who complement their weaknesses? Q: Who's the most common individual you get for that question? A: Albert Einstein. Q: How do interviews factor into the process? A: Interviews are very important. At Maryland, interviews are by invitation only. But once the invitation has been extended, the interview becomes a required part of the application. Q: How do you decide to whom to extend an invitation? A: Candidates who present themselves well in their application. Candidates who spark the interest of the admissions committee. The interview is a very good thing at the Smith School because it basically says you've piqued our interest, now continue the sale. Q: What percent of applicants can expect an interview request? A: Last year, around 40% to 50% of the applicant pool received an invitation to interview. Q: And of those, how many people got into the school eventually? A: Sixty percent. Q: What types of questions can a person expect on the interview? A: Why are you interested in the MBA? Why are you interested in the MBA at this point in time in your professional experience? What do you do for fun? Think back on your last performance-review evaluation with your employer. What were the things that your employer said were your strengths? What were the areas that need to be developed? What steps have you taken to develop those areas? Q: Who does the interviews? A: There are four professional staff members who interview, and there are 10 [student] admissions ambassadors that facilitate interviews, as well. Q: You're the first reader on all applications. What's the first thing you look at in an application, and then how do you evaluate it and pass it on to the committee? A: Usually I flip to the resume to look at the quality of work experience as well as the progression of work experience. I then look at the GMAT score, paying close attention to the quantitative performance and to the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score. If the candidate is international, I look at the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. Then I review the undergraduate transcripts or the undergraduate evaluation that's produced by our International Programs Office. I will then flip to essay No. 1. And if everything seems to be in order, I pass the application on, so that the applicant can be scheduled for an interview. After the interview, there's an evaluation from the interviewer or from another member of the admissions committee. Then the application comes back to me. If we've all agreed on the decision, then the decision is released. If discussion is necessary, we meet as a committee to make a decision. Q: The committee comprises both students and staff members? A: That's correct. Q: What other schools do Smith applicants apply to? A: We see a number of cross applicants with Georgetown, the University of North Carolina, Darden, University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt. Q: Are there any common pitfalls that will get applicants rejected time and again? A: It's necessary that an applicant do research on the schools they're interested in. Something that will not go in the applicant's favor is during the interview, if you're asked if you have any questions, or what attracts you to the Smith School, the only thing that you can talk about is its proximity to D.C. That's not an advantage for the applicant. Also, making simple mistakes in the essays can hurt an applicant. For example, writing: "I'm very interested in the Kenan Flagler School at the University of Maryland" might be a problem. Q: How do you look at employer recommendations? A: The Smith School prefers recommendations from employers over recommendations from academicians because we feel the employer has a better perspective of who you are now, vs. who you were three to five years ago. [We also prefer] people who have supervised you, vs. people who've worked directly with you. Q: I would imagine that recommendations are overwhelmingly positive. How do you get real insights into applicants? A: Sometimes it's what the recommender doesn't say that raises the red flag. We've also changed our recommendation letter to ask more pointed questions. For example: "What value has this applicant added to your organization?" And so it causes the person providing the reference to be a bit more specific instead of producing a generic comment. Q: When you say that oftentimes what a recommender doesn't say is damaging, do you mean by that if a recommender simply turns in a very generic recommendation, it will be less helpful than a recommender who speaks very specifically about certain things that this applicant did? A: Yes. For example, if we ask someone to respond specifically about teamwork and the response is about this person's ability to excel in isolation, that's a red flag.
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