MBA Insider: Admissions Q&A October 21, 2010, 1:30PM EST

Admissions Q&A: University of Washington

Foster's Erin Ernst explains why the Seattle-based B-school is looking for applicants with "a history of going above and beyond"

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The small program and unique culture at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business (Foster Full-Time MBA Profile) not only reflects the innovative and collaborative business environment of Seattle. It also provides students with opportunities to engage in that environment. As director of admissions, Erin Ernst, puts it: "We have a smaller program, but it makes a really huge impact. We're really sort of the powerhouse MBA in this region."

And when applying to that powerhouse, it's necessary to demonstrate that you can handle the academics as well as being involved in the program outside the classroom. In a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek's Sommer Saadi, Ernst discussed how to do that through the application, but she also stressed how important it is to reach out to the school in other ways.

Beyond tips on applying to Foster, Ernst gives some in-depth information on the school's project opportunities, mentor program, and career services. Here is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Are there any suggestions you have for students when they're trying to distinguish themselves from other applicants?

Applications are up, particularly for domestic candidates, and they have been strong applications. So they don't have to know exactly what they want to do following the program or have it mapped out to a "T," but [they do have to show] us that they've put a lot of thought into their career. What really makes someone stand out is telling us about talking to professionals in the fields that are interesting to them, that they've started networking. If you can show you have that ability to reach out and talk to people before you start an MBA, that can really set you apart—and also showing that you understand our program and how it's going to help you succeed.

What is usually the number of years of work experience you expect from an applicant and the mean age of your students? Are people usually coming in with a lot of work experience?

I urge candidates not to focus too much on the average years of work experience, because we don't have a minimum and we don't have a maximum. There's really a wide range of students who come in. People reach that point at different times. But we tend to have an average age of about 29 in our program, and average work experience of about five years.

Does that goes back to the idea that you want to make sure your applicants have a focus and know what they want to get out of the program?

I think the decision to stop working and really throw yourself into two pretty intensive years of career development takes a lot of thought, and people reach that decision at very different times in their lives. Some people who come to me think they're too young or too inexperienced, and some people who come to me think they're too far along in their career. But really, those people tend to have similar ideas about wanting to make a career change, or they feel they've come to a dead end in their current company. So there can be a pretty wide range of ages in the program.

Are there other major characteristics you look for in an applicant? Are there certain areas of the application process that have heavier weight than others?

There's not necessarily one piece that carries more weight than another. Here at Foster, we have a smaller program, so it's really important that every student who comes into this program wants [to] and can make an impact. We look for people who have shown a history of going above and beyond, people who are able to balance many things. Someone might have really great grades and a great academic background but hasn't been involved in other things. We like to see people who can balance activities with school. One of our essays actually addresses a student's plans for involvement in this program, so that does make an impact.