BW-online: Michigan State's Team Spirit

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Esmeralda Cardenal is director of MBA admissions at Michigan State's Broad Graduate School of Management. Cardenal became head of admissions in February, 2003, after working in MBA admissions at the Yale School of Management, where she was also associate director of minority and student affairs

Cardenal is currently earning her MBA from Michigan State's weekend MBA program. She earned her bachelor's degree in business management from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. On Jan. 12, Cardenal talked with BusinessWeek Online reporter Mica Schneider about this year's recruiting season at the Broad school. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

Q: What inspired your move to Michigan State from Yale?
A: When I first interviewed for the position, I wasn't that sure that I was going to make the move. But when I saw the campus and did more research about the program, I thought it was going to be a pretty neat challenge. There's a lot of openness here and acceptance of new ideas. It's a small program that's improving every year and becoming a top MBA program.

Q: Why did the full-time MBA class size decrease by 9% last year?
A: First, we wanted to be focused on our strategy, which is to be very selective. We wanted to increase the average GMAT score and keep the percentage of domestic students high. We were aware that would mean a sacrifice in class size.

Also, we usually enroll between 100 and 110 students each fall, so having 97 students was just 3 people below that usual figure. Three people asked to defer, which is why we were down.

Q: What's the reasoning behind Broad's policy of keeping its domestic student population so high at 70%?
A: The strategy and mission of the school is geared toward the U.S. market. The 70% U.S. and 30% non-U.S. split is the norm at most business schools in the U.S. In general, U.S. schools are more local than European schools.

We recognize the challenge, especially with the current economy, of placing international students in jobs. But we want a diverse class, and we have an abundance of resources for international students. For instance, one member of our career center staff is dedicated to helping international students get jobs in the U.S.

Q: How has MBA application volume been this season?
A: This year I bumped our first-round deadline up by one month, to Nov. 15. Despite that, we saw a 20% increase in applications in the first round. It's too soon to predict how the rest of the year will be, though historically our second and third rounds are the strongest.

Q: Why do you think applications rose so high, especially since peer schools haven't reported similar rises?
A: We did a couple of new things this year. First, we changed all of our publications and revamped our Web site and view books. We also have a lot more personal contact with prospective students. We've added student diaries, and we host periodic online chats. We've also increased our initiatives to attract women. We also have a new supply-chain management lab, some new faculty members, and a new MBA curriculum.

I wanted to increase awareness of the school outside of the Midwest, so we signed up for the BusinessWeek calendar and we have 21 events scheduled there at all times. That has brought new people to our events. All those things together got more people to apply.

Q: With more applications to review, how competitive will MBA admissions be this year?
A: Comparing our first-round data to past years, I see higher-quality applications. We were able to admit a good percentage of the class already -- about 30 people for a class of 100, that's a lot. Last year, we had admitted just a handful from the first round. I'm really surprised to see the kinds of people who are applying. I hope that will be a trend for the year. The second deadline [was Jan. 13], and we're swarmed.

Q: When's the best time to apply? June 1 is your last application deadline. What percentage of your class will be filled by then?
A: Everyone in admissions can tell you that the earlier the better. But wait until your application is ready. Don't sacrifice the quality of the application by rushing to get it in early. Once you submit it, that's it.

By June 1, usually 90% of the class is filled. If you're looking for financial aid, apply by March at the latest.

Q: What are you doing to increase Broad's yield (the share of admitted applicants who enroll) of 40%?
A: We had a slight decrease in yield this past year. Some people decided to work for another year because they didn't feel confident quitting their job to go to school.

We're trying to stay in close touch with admitted applicants from Day 1 so that we know what they're going through, and we have a student and an alumnus follow up with them. We want to know why they would decline the Broad School. If it's for personal reasons, there's nothing we can do. But if it's a career concern, we try to help them come here.

Our career-services office starts working with them from the moment they send in their deposit, instead of waiting until they arrive for classes.

Q: What makes an applicant a good match for the Broad school?
A: We look for someone who has exercised leadership in the past and who will be a leader in the program. We want someone who's enthusiastic about themselves and the world. Also important is someone who is able to work in and manage teams. We want someone to take advantage of our resources, such as TeamLab, and to take courses on team leadership and management.

In those classes, we teach MBAs how to form and manage teams. For instance, in a new elective course on teams, MBAs get to hire business undergraduate students, train them, get feedback from them in 360 surveys, and even fire them.

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Q: Why is Michigan State so focused on teams?
A: Great leaders are those who are great working in teams. We want to shape people who will be leaders in their companies and societies. About 20% of the work they do as MBAs will be in teams.  

Q: What's an example of a career goal that wouldn't fit with Broad's profile?
A: One is investment banking. We have some students who want to do investment banking, but the main investment banks don't come to campus to recruit. We would be happy to have the students on campus, but they have to do more of an independent job search. Of course, they have the support of our career office, and they can also participate in the career trek to New York City to visit Wall Street firms.

Q: What advice do you have for banking-focused MBA applicants?
A: Clarify why you want to attend this school. Let us know that you understand that you'd need to do a little bit of homework if you want a job in that industry. We do have more people going into banking these days, and more people interested in finance than in our previous core strength -- supply-chain management.

Q: With proximity to Detroit, it's not surprising that people researching B-schools may see the Broad school as a gateway to the auto industry. Is that a fair assumption?
A: Broad used to be known for supply-chain management with a focus on manufacturing. But to think that only the auto industry comes to recruit is a misconception. We actually have more people interested in finance and marketing, even though we've got the best people in supply-chain management in the world at the school. While Ford and GM are great supporters of the school, we have students going into other areas.

Q: What piece of the MBA application carries the most weight at Broad?
A: The GMAT and work experience are the two things that carry the most weight. We've had to deny people with strong GMAT scores who lacked good, quality work experience. We look at the [undergraduate] GPA as well, and at individual courses, the schools they went to, and the rigor of that curriculum.

Q: How does your office respond to GMAT scores that are below its average of 646? Will you look favorably on applicants who retake the GMAT to improve their scores?
A: Usually, we'd bring in students with below-average GMAT scores if they have very good work experience and a good undergraduate GPA. If they have a poor GPA and GMAT score, then I'd be concerned about that person going through the program.

Q: What's lowest GMAT score you've accepted?
A: The lowest I took was a 550, and that was someone who had outstanding work experience, an outstanding GPA, and an outstanding interview.

Q: What can an MBA candidate do to prepare for his or her Broad interview?
A: First, if you want to come to campus, we'll offer an interview. We also offer interviews at every event we have. If the interview is not going to be in person, then MBA candidates must be invited. And they have to submit their application to be considered for phone interviews.

To prepare, do your homework on the school. Be ready to talk about your professional experience, giving us specific examples of your leadership experience, ways you've had an impact, and examples of areas where you were successful. You need to know your r閟um?and to be prepared with examples of things you've done. You'll be asked about working in teams. If you haven't worked in a team before that's fine, but let us know that.

There are no trick questions, so try not to arrive nervous. We want to get to know you, so we want it to be as simple as possible for you to tell us about yourself.

Q: What are the "common set of questions" that you ask all Broad interviewees, as alluded to on your Web site?
A: First, why do they want to come to the Broad School? We usually ask them about a time at their job when they had a challenging experience, or when they were working in a team when something did or didn't go well. What could you have done to change that situation? How do you position yourself in the team -- are you the team leader?

Q: Would you share an example of a terrible interview? Is there any recourse for applicants who leave an interview knowing that it wasn't their best performance? Do you offer any second chances?
A: One time I was interviewing a fellow with an extremely good r閟um? I was excited to interview him, but he never gave me specific examples and often answered my questions with two- or three-word answers. The interview was horrible. It seemed like he didn't even know his own r閟um?

Other bad interviews are when people don't answer the questions we ask and go off on tangents. When a person can't articulate what they're saying, sometimes due to language skills, it causes a bad interview.

If a person is sick we can definitely schedule another interview for them, but that's very rare.

Q: Who are the best people to write an applicant's two required recommendations?
A: They should always be professional recommendations. It has to be from their current adviser or someone who supervises them. Don't get the CEO of a company to write a recommendation unless the CEO was your supervisor. A former supervisor is O.K., too. If you're running your own business, having a client write a recommendation is good. Stay away from having a family member or a friend write your recommendation.

Q: What's the best length for each recommendation letter?
A: One to two pages will be plenty. But the letter should have specific examples.

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Q: What tips can you offer applicants as they sit down to write Broad's two required essays?
A: Try to answer the question, and stay away from cutting and pasting your essays, which is one big mistake that people make. A lot of schools have similar questions, but make sure you're answering the question you're being asked by the school you're writing the application for. Be sincere. Be honest. Be specific. This is the only way we get to know applicants, so the more specific you are, the better.  

In this past round, some applicants met our required length but never gave us examples or reasons as to why they made the decisions that they had.

An example of a good essay was one applicant's narrative of what he did to help people on September 11 in New York City. That person was memorable.

[Editor's note: Michigan State's 2003-04 application asks MBA applicants to respond to the following questions: 1. What kind of professional position do you see yourself in after completing the Broad MBA? How will the curricular and programmatic offerings of The Broad School contribute to this goal? Where do you see yourself personally and professionally three years after graduation? (JD/MBA applicants should write an essay that answers: Why are you applying for the JD/MBA Program? How does this program fit with your professional career goals?) 2. Please share an example in your workplace or community that demonstrates your leadership and original thinking. Show how your actions brought about a positive change and how you used your leadership abilities to navigate through the situation. 3. (Optional) Is there other information that you believe is important to the assessment of your candidacy?]

Q: When should an MBA candidate write (or not write) an optional essay?
A: It won't hurt you if you don't write an optional essay. Currently, 60% to 70% of applicants use it. Some people have a great experience that would be neat to share. Others use it because they think it's going to help them or if they need to explain something. We're not going to punish anyone for not doing it.

Q: Which characteristics of your student body does your school hope to change or improve in the coming years?
A: The student body is diverse. We have more students from more backgrounds, whereas in the past a lot of people came from engineering backgrounds. About 40% of our students are from the Midwest. We've had a good percentage of students coming from the West Coast recently, and 13% of the class is comprised of underrepresented minorities. We've also increased female enrollment to 28%. About 29% of the class is from abroad, and instead of having a big portion of people from one country, we have people from more countries.

Q: How do you manage your school's wait-list?
A: I'm trying to keep the wait-list to a minimum. We're constantly reviewing the wait-list. We try to keep it small and admit or deny people on the list as we go. There are very few people on the wait-list from the first round, and they'll be reviewed again in the second round.

Q: What's the best strategy for someone who is placed on your wait-list?
A: Visiting the campus always helps. Keep us informed of any changes or promotions. If you're on the wait-list, find out why and try to correct the problem. If it's the GMAT, retake it. You can call us at any time and find out why you're on the wait-list. As soon as the problem is corrected, you'll probably be admitted.

Q: What services does the B-school offer partners and spouses of MBAs? What job opportunities are available locally?
A: About 36% of our students are married. And another big portion come with partners. We have the S3 club, which stands for Spartan Spouses and Significant Others, and is very well organized for the partners of MBA students. You'll find that spouses can find a lot to do here, which is one reason why a lot of people choose Michigan State. There are jobs in the area and here at MSU, which is a great institution to work for.

Q: What changes do you plan over the reasonably near term in your admissions office?
A: I'm trying to revamp all of our minority initiatives. We're signing partnerships for Management Leadership Tomorrow, which aims to increase the number of students of color in management, and we're trying to recruit more Native American and female students into the program. I'm also increasing the number of graduate assistants I've got to 10. We're recruiting more overseas, for instance, in Latin America, and in more cities in the U.S., including 25 cities this fall. My focus is to increase the awareness of the school because once people find out about it, they like it.

Q: When admitted applicants approach you saying they're on the fence between your school and another, what's your pitch?
A: I usually try to find out why they're on the fence. You have to do a lot of clarifying and answering their questions. Usually that solves it for them.

Q: Which B-schools are you losing MBAs to?
A: Other Big 10 schools, such as Indiana, Michigan, as well as Carnegie Mellon. We may also lose one or two to the University of Southern California or one to North Carolina. Especially last year, people decided to work for one more year or changed their plans about getting an MBA.

Q: You also head up financial aid for the B-school. Which admitted MBAs have the best chance of getting a scholarship?
A: It's all merit-based, so the people with the highest GMAT scores and best work experience are the ones who get scholarships ranging from a few thousand dollars to full tuition. A handful of students, called Broad Scholars, get a full-tuition scholarship every year. In this first-year class, we have four Broad Scholars. And we've offered the scholarship to three people from the first round this admissions season.

Q: Where should someone go for more information about Broad's weekend MBA program?
A: Lucy Millett is my counterpart, the director of the weekend and executive MBA programs. I became a weekend MBA student this past summer. It's a great 17-month program, and it's very intense. I have no life outside of school and work, but it's good. So sometimes when I talk about the school enthusiastically, it's because I live it.