Bloomberg Businessweek
Go To Businessweek.com
During the past 20 years, the author has watch China move from being a developing country into an industrial superpower
Money Moves, 5/24: Chocomize Co-Founder Fabian Kaempfer talks with Bloomberg’s Deirdre Bolton about the business of customizing chocolate
The president's campaign has a new rule—no cell phones allowed
In honor of remote control inventor Eugene Polley, we recognize other influential but neglected inventors who have felt the sting of stolen glory
Forget Adderall. Traders now pop chia seeds to stay focused and energized
The Italian automaker and others are adding hybrid technology to elite cars
The storied bridge that links San Francisco and Marin County changed the face of California
Schools cultivate ties with startups before they're big successes
Dave McClure's traveling venture capital show scours the world for promising startups
(page 2 of 2)
How important is the GMAT in admission?
It’s a vital piece of the puzzle, but it’s only one piece. We don’t have any specific cutoffs. We don’t say that you must have a GMAT of 700 to apply, but we do look at it in conjunction with the academic record and the work experience. It’s sort of an equalizer and it helps us to gain insight into the candidate.
What is the most common mistake you find on applications?
It’s people not telling their story effectively—and more specifically, why the Anderson MBA makes sense for them. It’s not necessarily a mistake, but more a missed opportunity. They’ll think that they can respond to the essay question “Why do I want to get my MBA?” and use it to apply to different schools. That shouldn’t be the case. Each school is unique and offers unique things. I think being too generic and cookie-cutter is a missed opportunity.
We see all sorts of other mistakes—grammatical mistakes, typos. It’s not that someone is going to get dinged because they spelled a word incorrectly, but I wonder about their attention to detail, and about how effectively they can write a cover letter when they go to apply for a job. These things are signals as to the strength of the candidate.
What does the typical Anderson student look like?
I really think that Anderson students are confident, but not arrogant or cocky. They tend to play well in teams. People who are former athletes really do well at Anderson because of this. Even if they were athletes in non-team sports, they have the discipline and wherewithal to practice and get up at five in the morning and to be an expert in what it is they do. People who have that focus—yet can also have fun and give back to the community—do well at Anderson. Also, they tend to be people who dive in. If you want to sit on the sidelines and watch, you might not have the fullest experience because much of what you get out of Anderson is what you put into it.
What does diversity in the classroom bring to the program?
The diversity of both career and geography allows for more creative problem-solving. Different perspectives give different ways to arrive at solutions. Because we are such an experiential school, where people share in the classroom and work in teams, we construct learning teams for students. When they arrive, students are assigned to a learning team of five students from their sections and there are five sections of students. Growing up on the East Coast and now living on the West Coast for a long time, I see that there are different ways of thinking. Growing up in New York or Atlanta, people just bring a whole different set of life experiences to the Anderson community. It makes for a more dynamic, robust, and interactive classroom experience—and social experience, as well.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
We are thrilled with the new class coming in. I may be biased as an Anderson alum, but I think it’s an absolutely fantastic institution. And the more people hear about it, the more people come to visit. This is one of those things where culture is a difficult thing to describe. You have to feel it. So my advice is: Get on a plane and come out and see us.
