Top MBA Recruiters: Nike
“Just do it.”
Simple and unimaginably iconic, it’s perhaps the world’s most popular corporate slogan, attached to the world’s most lucrative sports business company. Headquartered in the Portland, Oregon metro area, Nike’s annual revenue exceeded $32 billion in this year and the company employs more than 62,000 people worldwide. Forbes currently estimates that the brand is the 18th most valuable in the world.
Healthcare Management MBA: Philadelphia
Philadelphia is dominated by the healthcare industry. In fact, in 2013, health care accounted for 22 percent of the jobs in the city, or about 146,000 jobs and $6.7 billion in annual salary. It makes healthcare far and away the city’s largest employment sector. And it makes sense considering Philadelphia’s largest employers include the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, Independence Blue Cross and Pennsylvania Health, just to name a few. Continue reading…
Deadline for ’17 Forté MBALaunch Program for Women Extended to Nov. 11th
Great news. If you are a woman planning to apply to business school next fall—for enrollment in fall 2018—there’s still time left to take advantage of a great program from the Forté Foundation designed to help you craft the strongest application possible.
Forté recently announced that it is extending the deadline for applications for its 2017 Forté MBALaunch Program until Nov. 11, 2016. MBALaunch is a comprehensive 10-month program to guide promising female MBA applicants through each step of the application process, providing both a proven roadmap and an unparalleled support network to help you gain admission to your top school. Created by the Forté Foundation, it is designed to support the organization’s mission of increasing women’s access to business education and the business world at large.
MBALaunch applications are currently being accepted for women seeking to apply to MBA programs in fall 2017 (for enrollment in fall 2018). The deadline to submit is Nov. 11th. To be considered for MBALaunch, you must have a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate solid academic standing. Post-undergrad work experience—between two and seven years—is also preferred.
The MBALaunch program begins with a day-long kick-off event in major cities throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, followed by online webinars, advisor meetings and monthly in-person peer group sessions in your host city. Host cities include Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Toronto, and the kick-off events will take place in late January and February.
Interested applicants who do not live in or near one of the MBALaunch program cities can still take part as long as they agree to travel to the closest city to attend the kick-off event in person. After this first event, these participants will join the MBALaunch “Virtual City” group for the rest of the program.
How the Program Works
MBALaunch brings together hundreds of prospective female MBA applicants, creating a valuable network of peers who share the same goals. Intensive GMAT test prep is baked into the program, helping women conquer what many report is one of the greatest obstacles to applying. Two months of GMAT test-prep webinars target the most difficult testing areas, helping Launchers improve their scores and strengthen their candidacy.
The eight remaining months of the program are devoted to helping Launchers build their strongest possible MBA applications. Participants receive valuable feedback on essays and résumés from MBA alumnae. They also get to work closely with admissions consultants, business school representatives and Forté experts to hone their admission interview skills. Along the way, Launchers also learn about resources for financing their MBA and grow both their network of MBA alumnae and their networking skills.
The cost of MBALaunch is $500 (plus travel to the closest program city for the kick-off event if you don’t live in one). Compared to admissions consulting fees and GMAT test prep courses that can run several thousand dollars, believe us when we tell you it’s a steal. Not only that, participants who successfully complete the program receive application waivers from more than 25 Forté schools, as well as discounts from leading GMAT test prep providers and admissions consultants if you feel you still need more preparation. In total, these offers allow you to recoup the entire $500 cost.
How to Apply
Okay—so how do you apply? Complete an online application form, pay a $25 application fee and submit your resume along with answer to two essay questions. The final deadline round, just extended from October 30th to November 11th, applies to applicants for all cities.
Learn more about the Forté MBALaunch program.
This post was originally published by clearadmit.com
LBS Adds New Video Submission Element to MBA Application
London Business School (LBS) this fall has introduced a new video submission element to its MBA application. In a blog post last week David Simpson, admissions director for the MBA and masters in finance programs, shared his team’s thinking behind this newest addition to the LBS application process.
“This was not a decision we took lightly,” Simpson writes, adding that they’ve been giving it some thought for a couple of years. In fact, the team piloted the process last year with a handful of candidates, primarily those whose English-language skills warranted assessment. “But this year we are going all-out and using the videos to help us learn a lot more about you,” Simpson says.
Earlier in his post and in past interviews with Clear Admit, Simpson has stressed the importance of the LBS alumni interview. “We gain a HUGE amount from the interview process and love having our alumni conduct them, so that you can learn a huge amount about life at LBS, too!” he writes.
Like many other top business schools, LBS recently reduced the number of written essays it requires of its applicants, keeping just one, about candidate’s aspirations. “A top MBA is a career and indeed life-changing experience,” he writes. LBS’s remaining question on future goals is key, he continues, even though, given the transformative nature of an MBA, those aspirations will change during your studies.
LBS Adds New Video Element for All Invited to Interview
But as it drops a written essay, the London school has decided to add a video submission for all applicants who are invited to advance to the alumni interview portion of the application process. Round 1 LBS applicants who made it to the interview stage all received an invitation to participate in the new video element.
But have no fear, reassures Simpson. “We are being very thoughtful about how we use this exciting new addition to our process,” he says. A video component has its limitations, and he and his team have set their expectations accordingly.
LBS recognizes that factors ranging from cultural differences, diverse professional backgrounds and differing personal comfort levels with being in front of the camera mean that not all applicants will approach the video submission feeling on equal ground. “Some people will feel a lot more comfortable than others filming themselves answering questions,” Simpson recognizes. But even those who are apprehensive should rest assured, he says. “We are NOT looking to use this as a tool to disqualify candidates or ‘catch you out’.” (For those unfamiliar with the term “catch you out,” is just means to expose error or shortcoming in someone.)
In fact, you don’t even need to worry too much about timing your answers just right, Simpson says, adding that they won’t deduct points. “We just want to see how you perform on both the prepared question and the unprepared section,” he says. “We love meeting candidates at events, but it’s not possible to meet you all, so this helps us see you in action.”
LBS partnered with Kira Talent, an online platform that allows higher education institutions to interactive video and written components into their application processes. Kira Talent’s other customers include Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, INSEAD and the Foster School of Business, among others.
“First round applicants have all now submitted, and we can’t wait to watch all the videos!” says Simpson.
Round 1 LBS applicants who have taken part in the new video component, don’t forget to share your experience with others in the Clear Admit Interview Archive!
This post was originally published by clearadmit.com
Smith Alum Talks EMBA, International Work Experience
For Robert H. Smith School of Business EMBAs, gaining global working experience is nothing out of the question. One EMBA, Alain Desvignes, served as director of operations at Zürich water-treatment company Ozonia, French development organization SUEZ Group and was also responsible for the operations across Asia while earning an EMBA at the Smith School in Beijing. Continue reading…
Brexit And The International MBA
The shockwave of the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union in late June, 2016, caused an immeasurable amount of ripple effects—many of which are, still, difficult to quantify. Stocks immediately descended upon hearing the news of UK voters opting to the leave the EU by a close margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. Just four months after the move, the value of the English pound fell to its lowest rate in 31 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The long-term effect of the vote will take years—potentially decades—to determine. And one of the many areas potentially feeling those drastic effects is the MBA market in London.
As the financial epicenter of the world, London’s prestigious business schools have potentially a lot to lose when it comes to the value of the MBA, not mention the overall cost of earning one. Economic analysts have already speculated that the price of earning an MBA will diminish because of the value of the pound, but small purchases (like the brand new Apple MacBook Pro) will be more expensive in the U.K. than other markets because of the Brexit effect. So concerns, to put it lightly, are all over the map.
According to reports, new U.K. prime minister Theresa May has already gone on record saying that the number of international students joining the UK will be reduced in light of the vote, which was significantly driven by immigration concerns.
“As Home Secretary,” writes Bloomberg reporter Lance Lambert, “she implemented visa changes that made it harder for students from abroad to stay in the country after graduation. A crackdown on immigration was at the heart of the ‘Leave’ movement calling for Britain’s exit [from the EU].”
A crackdown in such a manner could drive a significant portion of potential students to competitive U.S. business schools, making the all-important talent pool more shallow in the U.K.
This isn’t the first attempt from May to curtail international students in recent years. As Home Office Secretary, May imposed tighter restrictions on student visas, which went into effect in 2015. The Chartered Association of Business Schools notes, “Non-EU first-year students studying business and administration in the country last year dropped 8.6 percent to 60,190, the lowest level since 2009-10.”
Of the £3.25 billion business students enter into the U.K. economy, £2.4 billion comes from international students—roughly 73 percent of the total amount. And with the potential £51 billion loss in revenue from British banks, the prestige of joining the finance industry in England may begin to deflate.
Not all news is dour, however. Considering the long-term effects haven’t yet played out, there remains some steady optimism that the negative effects won’t be as disastrous as some speculated.
Andrew Likierman, dean of London Business School, spoke with Bloomberg, saying, “In all of the dealings I’ve had with politicians … our students are precisely who they want to attract to the U.K.” He hopes the moves won’t eliminate top-tier talent from entering the country, rather, weed out the potentially weaker applicants.
“This isn’t the first time people have gotten anxious about globalization. This is just the latest of that manifestation,” Likierman says. “What we’re offering students from all over the world is to get a very global view of business. And the demand for that isn’t going away.”
With preparation for the full move still in its early stages (the U.K. doesn’t officially leave the EU until March 2017), how it will play out is exceptionally uncertain. John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, has gone on record saying that May and her cabinet are still in a “make it up as they go along” type of strategy, which probably doesn’t espouse confidence. The long-term success of the move may be predicated on how the country handles working with international markets, which also affects the value of its academic institutions and the aforementioned MBA programs.
If anything is certain, it is that MBA students will have a large opportunity to learn about the changes government initiatives have on businesses, both domestic and international. It’s just a matter of whether or not students will be in London to learn about it.
