Admissions Q&A: Queen's

Kerri Regan explains why teamwork and individualized coaching are critical to the Queen's B-school experience

View Slide Show

Teamwork is key at Queen’s School of Business. The Kingston (Ont.) school uses a team-based learning approach to create a business microcosm where personalities are forced to set aside any differences and collaborate on presentations, projects, and assignments. The teams, which consist of six or seven students from a variety of backgrounds, work together during the core of the 12-month program.

Students also benefit from coaches who contribute to individual support systems that help the MBAs get the most out of their experiences. Queen’s students each select a personal coach and also work with a team coach, a career coach, and a lifestyle coach. “Students have an opportunity to talk with them about any number of things in terms of their own personal development,— says Kerri Regan, the manager of recruitment and admissions for the full-time MBA program. “It could be working on interpersonal skills, or you may feel challenged in making decisions, or something of that nature.”

Another cornerstone of the Queen’s experience is being a part of a diverse student body. According to the school’s website, 41 percent of the Class of 2012 is international, significantly more than most top-tier U.S. programs. What does this add to business education at Queen’s? Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Victoria Taylor talked to Regan about diversity, being part of a team, and the application process at Queen’s. What follows is an edited segment of their conversation.

How long have you had your job?

I’ve been in this role for almost five years.

And have you seen any major changes in applicants over those five years?

Generally, the application pool for us in particular has diversified significantly, partly because when I joined the program, we were just coming out of the era when we were an MBA for Science & Technology program [now the full-time MBA program]. I definitely think we have seen a strong diversification in terms of the [applicants'] backgrounds. Many more students are coming from the arts and humanities and business backgrounds, more so than we would have seen five years ago.

What makes Queen’s special?

We’re clear in our messages about what the Queen’s experience is really about, and that would be our team-based model. It’s something we have been doing for a number of years. The extensive use of teams within our program structure is something that people identify very specifically with Queen’s. I think people who are applying are looking for that element. What I also think is very strong is the effort we make to talk to students. There’s this really strong sense of community we’ve created.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the team approach?

Absolutely. It’s not unusual for teams to be part of a business program. I guess the differentiator for us is that you don’t pick your teams. We build the teams based on diversity and [applicant] profiles with the specific goal of giving students an opportunity to hone their leadership skills. The other dynamic is that you don’t move around and work with different teams, so you have to take your performance in that particular team to the maximum level. We provide students with a lot of resources to help them do that. They have a coach who is also there to act as a sounding board. They have their own office, and we try to replicate what happens in the real-world environment.

Queen’s is very diverse. How does that affect the program’s dynamic?

I think students end up becoming a lot more aware of what businesses are doing differently in different parts of the world. Having the international perspective is so important to our students. For our international students, it’s a great opportunity to understand how business is conducted in North America. And ultimately, most of them are looking to remain in Canada after graduation.