Arizona’s MBA Admissions Assistant Director Answers Our 5 Questions
In our latest installment of the MetroMBA “5 Questions” series, we speak with Kimberly Winchell, M.A., the University of Arizona MBA Admissions Assistant Director at the Eller College of Management. Winchell talks about what makes an ideal MBA candidate, advantages at Eller, and the perfect holiday gift, below.
1.) Who is the Ideal Candidate for the Eller MBA Program?
“The ideal candidate for the Eller MBA program is someone who is looking to make strong connections with faculty and their peers while developing their business knowledge and leadership skills.”
2.) What’s One Clear Advantage Arizona Eller Students Can Expect Compared to Other Schools?
“Here at Eller MBA, we offer a boutique style program which means each student gets individual attention. This means strong connections with faculty, staff, alumni and many opportunities to get involved.”
3.) For Those on the Fence on Enrolling in Eller’s MBA Program, What Alternatives are Offered at the School?
“All of our MBA programs focus on teamwork, and the ability to communicate effectively with others. Our business communication classes are renowned for preparing students to be successful in their careers, whether it is Negotiation, or Crisis Communications, Eller MBA graduates are ready to problem solve.”
4.) Are There Any Changes We Can Expect Coming to Arizona Eller Soon?
“We have some exciting new features to our programs including a student ambassador group, and mentor programs. We are also growing our dual-degree options for students interested in pursuing more than just their MBA.”
5.) With The Holidays Coming Up, What’s One Perfect Gift You Could Give an MBA Prospect?
“An excellent GMAT score! What I actually hope for all prospective students is that they find the program that is the best fit for them, one that will allow them to grow both personally and professionally.”
5 Questions With University of Georgia Admissions
In the newest installment of the MetromBA “5 Questions” series, we speak with Patricia D. Zettek, Ph.D., Director of the Full-Time MBA Career Management Center at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, and Deirdre Kane, Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions about the UGA experience, Southern culture, and more.
What is something unique about the Terry College of Business MBA experience that people may not expect?
“Candidates to our program are most often surprised by three main things:
1.) Our flexible curriculum
2.) Our personalized and customized approach to supporting our students, academically and professionally
3.) Our welcoming and diverse program culture.
We have years of experience and the strength and size of our alumni network (310,000 and counting) to support our students in being successful while in the program and after they graduate. Our career management staff knows our students well and this one-on-one attention makes a big difference by the end of the program. Students learn and practice skills they need to land their next job or internship, and also to manage their careers throughout their lives. Faculty get to know the students, and truly take an interest in their success.”
What kind of student is the ideal Terry College of Business MBA?
“We look for humility, self-awareness and the willingness to learn new things about themselves—people who have experienced a setback or two—and learned from it. The ideal candidate for the Georgia MBA program has more than just the great test scores and GPAs sought by all full-time MBA programs, we look for the students that demonstrate a roll up the sleeves and get things done attitude. These are the people who do well here.”
What do you find business school applicants often overlook during the pre-MBA process?
“I think some people limit their choices by looking only at certain things, rather than the whole picture. They may focus tightly on one factor—school rank, tuition cost, employer relationships, average salary—rather than fully thinking through what they want and need from their MBA experience. Visiting campuses, talking to current students and meeting members of the staff could offer a very different view than the one that takes into account only one or two factors. MBA programs vary widely and there is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Find a few that fit your needs and go after them.”
“We look for humility, self-awareness and the willingness to learn new things about themselves—people who have experienced a setback or two—and learned from it” – Patricia D. Zettek, Ph.D. and Deirdre Kane
What do you find most business schools are lacking?
“Lacking is a pretty strong word. I consider business school an excellent investment in a candidate’s future. I understand why you might ask though, because if you listen to the media, the MBA has been dying out since the 1940s, but that’s just not true! There continues to be a need for professionals trained to understand the complexities of our business environment and committed to doing things right. Overall MBA programs and program staff are committed to the success of their students and genuinely interested in providing their students with the best experience and the best opportunities.”
What is your favorite restaurant near UGA?
“I think Athens is one of the South’s most underrated food cities. We’re known for music and football, but not until recently have we been noticed for our food scene. Thanks to chefs like Hugh Acheson, who calls Athens home, we have many farm to table gems, like Last Resort Grill, The National, home.made, and Heirloom Café. And everyone should check out Weaver D’s, Ted’s Most Best, Clocked, The Grit, Taziki’s, and Viva Argentine! The list is long and there is something for everyone!”
Southern-inspired specialties are abound in Athens, Georgia, including at home.made, founded by New Orleans-born chef Mimi Maumus – Photo via homemadeathens.com
For more information on the UGA Terry MBA admissions, click here.
Admissions Tip: Top 5 MBA Interview Questions
Interviews, interviews, interviews … it’s all anyone seems to be talking about these days, and with good reason. Wharton is scheduled to release its interview decisions tomorrow, Harvard Business School has already sent its invitations out, as have many other top schools.
Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, Clear Admit has prepared Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile its very own Top Five list of the questions that most often make their way into MBA admissions interviews at leading schools.
While these refer primarily to questions asked as part of blind interviews, they can certainly also come up as part of non-blind interviews. In those cases, you’ll want to be prepared to go deeper into some of the specific experiences you shared in your application. For a quick refresher on the difference between blind and non-blind interviews, click here.
For detailed insights into each school’s interview process, the questions they ask, and how to tackle those questions, access Clear Admit’s Interview Guides.
Top Five MBA Admissions Interview Questions
Walk me through your résumé.
The real trick with answering this open-ended question is to gauge how much detail is too much. Imposing a structure can help. “It’s best to err on the side of brevity,” says Alex Brown, who asked this very question of many hopeful Wharton applicants during his time working in admissions at the Philadelphia school. “Think of this résumé walk-through as simply laying the groundwork for deeper discussion of your background and accomplishments.” A good idea is to develop a two- to three-minute run-through, beginning with where you grew up and went to college, what you studied and perhaps something you enjoy outside of work. Then move into a concise overview of your work experience, beginning with your first job and continuing to present day, making sure to explain why you made the choices you did and what you learned in each major role. “This kind of high-level overview gives your interviewer the perfect opportunity to ask for more detail about specific points if she wants it,” Brown says. If you have a gap of three or more months due to unemployment or some other cause, you should be prepared to address it, Brown warns, although in a short résumé question as part of the interview, it may not come up.
What are your career goals?
With any luck, you will already have a well-honed response to this question, developed and refined as part of the process of writing your application essays. “If you are looking to shift industry or function, this is your chance to explain your reasoning and that you have carefully thought through what may be involved in successfully making the transition,” Brown says. Keep in mind why the adcom is asking this question, Brown suggests. “They want to know how focused you are on the MBA and whether you are in a position to take advantage of the resources business school offers or at risk of getting overwhelmed,” he says. Present a very clear post-MBA goal, Brown recommends. “Schools prefer to admit students who can explain exactly what kind of job they want to pursue beyond graduation and articulate how it will set them up to obtain their long-term career objectives,” he says. Schools are also looking, with this question, to see if your goals make sense and are feasible in light of your past experiences; are you able to articulate a clear path and plan?
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Why X school?
Here, schools want to see if you have really done your research on their program and whether you are a good fit with their culture. So, do your research. “I recommend a three-pronged approach to make a truly compelling case for your interest in a given school,” Brown says. Start with academics, he says, naming specific courses and professors that you are interested in. “Remember, your interviewer wants to see that you have really researched the school.” Second, mention specific clubs, conferences and other special programs that will help position you for your career goals. “Even better, show how you would contribute to the school community, such as by organizing an event to share specific knowledge you bring with your future classmates,” Brown suggests. Third, show that you have a good understanding of the school’s community, culture, class size and location and have thought about how these fit with your personality, goals and background. “If you have visited campus or talked with current students or alumni—definitely say so, lead with this.” Brown stresses. “Beyond showing that you’ve invested time in getting to know the school, this also helps your interviewer have a mental picture of you on campus.” he says.
Give us an example of a time you took a leadership role.
The way interviewers ask this question can vary—sometimes you’ll be asked directly about your most notable leadership experience and other times you’ll be invited to describe your general leadership style. “It’s important to keep a few basic principles about leadership in mind,” Brown says. “A leader is someone who has a strong vision or point of view and is able to see things others are not,” he continues. A leader must also have excellent communication skills. Choose an example that demonstrates these points. An ideal leadership example will describe a time when you negotiated with and persuaded key stakeholders, such as clients or a supervisor, to buy into your vision and then delegated the work and managed colleagues or juniors. “If you encountered obstacles along the way, share how you dealt with them,” Brown says. “If possible, you should also show success through quantified results,” he adds. As important as a successful outcome is demonstrating how you drew on the help of others where necessary. “No one is successful on their own,” Brown says. Show that you understand that strong leadership means teamwork and playing well with others, he says.
Tell us about a time you failed.
As tempting as it may be to say that you’ve never failed at anything…that is not what that adcom is looking for here. “In fact, this is a favorite question for those who appear to be ‘rock stars’ on paper,” Brown says. But rock stars make mistakes, and having an example in your back pocket of a time things did not go according to plan can show humility as well as your capacity to learn and grow. “The best answer to this type of question ends with a more recent experience where you took the lesson you learned from the failure and put it into play, affecting a better outcome.” he says.
These five questions certainly don’t cover everything your interviewer is likely to ask you, but they do touch upon some of the things you’re most likely to be called upon to share as part of your MBA admissions interview. You can take some of the anxiety out of the interview process by giving each one some thought, drawing on some relevant experiences from your past, and practicing the responses you would give. Don’t practice too much so that you appear overly rehearsed—since it’s important to seem both authentic and genuine—but prepare enough so that you’ll be ready to truly put your best self forward.
