Chat Transcript January 21, 2008, 2:23PM EST

Chat Transcript: Vanderbilt MBA

MBA aspirants interested in Vanderbilt's Owen B-school asked questions of the admissions director and a first-year student. Here's a transcript of the online chat

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John Roeder
Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management

The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management accepted fewer than half the applicants who applied to its program in 2007.

Recently, John Roeder (JohnRatOWEN), director of admissions at Vanderbilt's Owen, and first-year student Neeraj Rao (NeerajRaoOWEN) took questions about getting into Owen from BusinessWeek.com reporter Francesca Di Meglio and an audience of MBA aspirants. Applicants, especially those who turned in their applications for round two on Jan. 7, had lots of questions about their chances of getting into the top-tier MBA program.

Here are edited excerpts of the conversation:

vidit_leon_2: I applied to Owen for the second deadline of Jan. 7. When can I expect to hear from the Owen school?

JohnRatOWEN: The second-round applicants will be getting a decision by Mar. 7 regarding both admission and scholarship.

vidit_leon_2: What is the placement rate?

JohnRatOWEN: Last year the placement rate for the class of 2007 was 87% receiving an offer within 90 days of graduation.

bvosters: How much of a disadvantage will I have if I apply in the third round? I was unable to make the Jan. 7 deadline.

JohnRatOWEN: Every year is different. Last year, the third round was quite competitive, but we usually enroll about one-third of our students in each of the three rounds. Also, it is O.K. to submit your application before the third-round deadline to get a jump on the rest of the round.

TF87: I have a BA from Vanderbilt and a JD/MBA from another university, and I am in private equity. I love my job but feel like the MBA leaves a little to be desired on the quantitative side (financial modeling, analysis, etc.). Would Vanderbilt's MS Finance be better suited for these skills or does the university have any executive education offerings that may be of interest?

JohnRatOWEN: This really depends on what you are looking for after the degree. If you are looking to further your career from the level you've already reached, the MSF may not be the right solution. We offer executive education options at Owen, which may be more applicable to your current situation.

Ramit_Sharma: What matters more to the Owen admissions committee: a person who has worked with a larger corporation, but has had few leadership opportunities, or a person who has worked with a small startup, but has had many leadership opportunities?

JohnRatOWEN: As part of your application, aim to help us understand the nature of work, level of challenge, supervision, and progression of responsibility. We are evaluating an applicant's ability to achieve results. We value both the large corporate experience and the startup. There is a lot to be learned from the startup experience, and we want to ensure that we have both backgrounds represented in the classroom. Remember that leadership can come from below or from the side; you don't have to be the project manager to demonstrate leadership. Leadership can also be demonstrated through extracurricular activities.

TheChief: When can applicants who have been accepted in the first round expect to receive a package in the mail?

JohnRatOWEN: The first-round domestic candidates went out last week, and the international admit packets went out this week.

vidit_leon_2: What are options for financial aid, and how much scholarship can we expect to get?

JohnRatOWEN: Business school is probably the single most significant investment you will make in your personal and professional development. We are committed to helping students afford the Vanderbilt MBA program by offering a significant number of merit-based scholarships. All applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships; about 50% of our incoming class received some sort of merit scholarship last year.

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