MBA Insider: Admissions Q&A July 1, 2008, 9:45PM EST

Ivey's Two-Interview Process

At the University of Western Ontario, prospective students meet with both admissions and the career management team to ensure a good fit

Niki Healey
Director, MBA Admissions & Recruitment
Richard Ivey School of Business
University of Western Ontario

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In noting her transition from business school student to teacher to admissions director, Niki Healey admits to her passion for business. As her teaching role ended, the launch of Ivey Business School's 12-month MBA was announced, and Healey made her way into the director role earlier this year.

She recently discussed the school's distinct case-based program and the opportunities it offers candidates willing to think outside the box with BusinessWeek project assistant Daphna Behar. Here's an edited transcript.

How did you end up in the Ivey admissions office? Were you always interested in business?

I'm an Ivey graduate from 2003. I have always been passionate about business. I basically jumped from one side of the classroom to the other—I took on a teaching role. Ivey hires directly out of the program, and it is a unique opportunity to teach students two years behind you and to be on the other side of a case-based learning experience. It was a lot of fun. You are barely older than the kids in the classroom, but it is such a challenging position. Right when that role finished, Ivey was going through a strategy review and was going to announce the launch of the 12-month MBA. They were looking for someone to take on recruiting in the summer of 2005, and I moved into the director role earlier this year.

Have you seen any changes in the most recent application cycle, and if so why do you think that is?

We've had a significant increase in applications, partly because this is no longer a new program, with unanswered questions about what our placement rates will be like and what our MBA experience will be all about. We have graduated three classes, so there is less of that "early adopter" mentality. Soemthing we continue to do, and have always done from an admissions perspective, is to build relationships with the right candidates.

Who would be considered as the "right" candidate?

A big part of it is knowing whether or not case method is something you will excel in, and that you will be challenged by. It is not the right learning style for everybody. So what we try to do with our recruiting activities is to highlight the case experience. We show them the classes, and try to explain and relate the case-based experience. That process allows them to say "this is really for me, it's engaging" or "this isn't really the right learning style for me."

What are some main distinctions between Ivey's case-based program and a more traditional learning environment?

Our case-based program is primarily an experience where faculty act as facilitators instead of lecturers. Our faculty members would say the best teaching experience at Ivey is when they say the least and a discussion happens. They like to compare themselves to conductors of an orchestra. The less they have to step in, the better. Students are really learning by experiencing the class. The focus is highly action-oriented. So it's not just enough to say "here's what I would do," but you are pushed by faculty and by peers to say, "this is how I would do it—here is how I would implement these recommendations."

Team-based learning is another big component. It is not like going to a lecture, a more passive experience where information is being thrown at you. Our students will read a case on their own, prep the case, and then be a part of a larger group discussion. So this is a three-tiered process, which is important in the case-method program.