北美TOP学校招办负责人采访录一(CMU)

rightaway

问：当你拿到一份申请材料的时候，首先看重哪一部分？而最不重要的又是哪一部分？您到底是怎么评审一份材料的？
答：I usually begin with the academic profile, Linda, then proceed to the professional profile and references, then the essays--to get a picture of the candidate's goals and thoughts on the questions we ask. We do invite many candidates for interviews--so the interview write-up is a key part of the review too. We're looking for the overall picture that the application file creates. I literally read the application FORM first, then proceed to the resume and academics.  

问：CMU的优势项目是什么？
答： Corporate recruiters rank CMU #3 overall, #1 in operations management, and #2 in e-commerce and IT. (Wall Street Journal)
     U.S. News & World Report ranks CMU #2 overall in MIS and Quantitative Analysis and #3 in Production/Operations Management.

问：请介绍一下你们的新院长好吗？
答： We have a new Dean! Kenneth Dunn arrived back at Carnegie Mellon in July. He was previously at Morgan Stanley--and before that a member of our Finance faculty.

问：个人的学术能力都包括什么？
答： Includes all of your past academic transcripts, as well as GMAT scores and TOEFL scores for non-native English speakers

问：CMU最吸引人的是什么？哪些地方需要改进呢？
答： One of the things I like best is the size of my class. It is small enough to allow for close relationships with most everyone. I really like the class, I feel that I get along better with them than other classes in which I have been a part.


问：你怎么看待那些曾经被放在waiting-list上的申请者再次申请？他们受欢迎吗？
答： We have reapplicants every year that are successful. we do like to receive applications from individuals who many not have been admitted in previous years. We consider them just like we would new applicants.  reapplicants that are successful do make substantive changes in the application to make themselves more competitive. They will need to submit an updated resume and work history, but the bulk of their application can be carried over from the previous year


问：CMU的气氛是合作还是竞争的？
答：More cooperative. You will hear "grades don't matter" everywhere. We're not allowed to tell recruiters our GPA, which really takes the pressure off and makes everyone willing to help each other out.

问：似乎GSIA在运营管理方面有比较强的实力，请详细介绍一下这个项目？
答：The operations area is a strength within our MBA program. We'd be glad to connect you with some students or alumni in Boston who you could talk with. Just contact us at the MBA admissions office. I am in the operations management club . We are the largest club in the school. We try to create an opportunity for people to learn about the many different avenues for ops. We also bring a lot of speakers in and host the largest ops case comp in the country


问：是不是再次申请GSIA，被视为该申请者对贵校抱有更大的兴趣和热情呢？
答：I think on a subconscious level we would consider a re-applicant to have relatively strong interest in the school


问：请问录取委员会什么时候做决定？如果被放在wait list上，申请人可不可以知道原因？
答：We did offer feedback appointments for candidates over the summer. There are limited opportunities for feedback due to high demand and a busy staff.

问：对于那些去年曾经被放在贵校的waiting-list上，但由于个人事务，放弃这种机会的申请者，今年再次申请会有什么负面影响吗？
答：No.

问：请问CMU的商学院录取委员会的email联系地址是什么？
答：mba-admissions@andrew.cmu.edu (or the one in my profile)

问：在申请人决定再次申请前，希望再考一次GMAT以提高竞争力，但是提升的幅度不是很明显，比如只长了２０分，这会不会有什么影响？　
答： it would not HURT your application. your GMAT is one part of the profile. we look at your application overall and what has changed overall

问：CMU是如何看待道德规范的？
答：We've always had an emphasis on ethics as can be seen by the fact that one of our essays for years has been on ethics. ethics has been part of our curriculum since 1972. For the past few years, one of our essay questions covers an ethical issue that the candidate has faced. There have been a number of ethics seminars and new class offerings recently. I think sometimes applicants have wondered about our ethics essay question and that now it will make more sense to them. ethics have been overlooked by just about every MBA program for years


问：CMU为国际学生提供财政资助吗？如果是，他们需要提供担保人吗？
答：Right now our financial aid offerings to international students are limited to loans that require US cosigners. We ask that all candidates regularly check the aid area of our website as changes happen through the year and we are working on that.


问：请问过去一年的录取率如何？
答： CMU Facts: In fall 2001, CMU received 1,300 full-time apps and admitted 366, for a 28.2% acceptance rate. (USNews)

问：如果申请人的GMAT数学分数很高，但语文却是平均水平，但又确信自己语文水平比考试分数所显示的要高，他该如何证明这一点？　
答：Pay some attention to your writing in the essays. We have an optional essay you could use to address that if you felt very concerned about it.  Essays are important there.


问：不久的将来，你们会不会增加录取人数？
答：Yes


问：CMU与其他技术见长的商学院例如MIT比较，有什么优缺点？　
答：Carnegie Mellon is unique in the course structure/flexibility. we're strong in technology, finance, operations and entrepreneurship, for example, and students can study an area in great depth -or- gain breadth by studying many areas they are interested in. e also believe we have a VERY cooperative environment, a great strength for our students. Faculty are amazingly accessible, remarkable for a top program. CMU has many strengths, many even that I feel are overlooked. Finance here is excellent (my concentration).


问：在递交申请之后多久才有可能收到面试通知？
答：You may hear about an interview within a few days or anytime up until you receive your admission decision


问：请谈谈CMU在entrepreneurship方面实力如何？
答：As far as entrepreneurship - CMU is known in many locations where VC is available. as far as p-burgh it is very much a hot spot. There are ample ops here, more so because I think that it is under appreciated.


问：CMU每年录取的新生大部分是什么专业的？　
答： Engineering was the undergraduate major of 45.4% of applicants accepted by CMU in the 2001-2 season. (USNews)

问：申请人是不是一定要在他们的短文中讨论道德问题呢？
答：Truthfully, we probably wouldn't look for applicants to discuss ethics. Every applicant has a different story to tell, so we try to keep our minds open regarding the contents of their essays (although they should answer the questions posed)

问：CMU庞大的校友网会不会对新生就业提供什么帮助？尤其现在经济不景气的情况下。
答：There is a HUGE!!!! alumni network. Almost all recruiters here are GSIA alum. we are not a large program, so we don't have huge numbers of alumni. On the other hand, perhaps because of our size and collegial environment, our alums tent to be exceptionally devoted to the school and students. our alumni have had significant success as entrepreneurs--approx 40% have been involved in startups. Our alumni volunteer to help career efforts in many ways from reviewing students' resumes, to conducting mock interviews, serving as alumni mentors for students, and just generally getting their company to recruit at Carnegie Mellon.

问：如果在二次申请中重新修改申请短文，会不会给录取人员带来麻烦呢？
答：I encourage you to revise your essays if you think you can improve them or add new information.
　

rightaway

问：如果一个人的工作性质决定了他并不会结识一些 CMU的毕业生，他应该怎么办？
答：The MBA admissions office can be a good resource for contacting our alums

问：CMU提供双学位吗？
答： CMU students can pursue an M.S. in computational finance and an M.S. in electronic commerce through both the business school and the computer science school. (WSJ)

问：请问现在出现了MBA就业不景气的现象吗？
答：There has been some slow down in recruiting, not because people aren't interested, but because the companies are not able to hire MBAs. Definitely, but, there are still jobs to have out there. Certainly there has been a slowdown in recruiting, although very comparable to the other top schools. I think our placement stats are higher than most, and certainly not any lower

问：在不同的轮次申请，会有差别吗？是不是前一轮总比后一轮录取的人多？
答：The best advice on timing is to apply as early as possible, but don't rush your application. Wait a round if you think that you can make your application stronger by polishing essays, improving GMAT, etc.

问：在申请人的简历中，你们是看重他过去所取得的成就还是他职业发展的历程呢？
答：We are encouraging people to do more networking -- as we say, people hire PEOPLE, not resumes! I don't think there is one preference. We look to see that the candidate has been making an impact in their professional life. We like to see growth in responsibility over time, evidence of teamwork and leadership experiences. Everyone’s path is different.

问：如果在当前的经济环境下，你的学生正在寻求一份工作或实习的职位，你怎样建议从而使他与众不同呢？
答：The current economy makes it harder for companies to engage in massive recruiting efforts -- many of them prefer to save their recruiting dollars and be approached by the students. It is a big paradigm shift for the students, to go from reacting to who is coming to recruit on campus, to being proactive in their job hunts. I think that the down slide in the econ means that you have to be more proactive. The economy has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years and so must job seekers. Many more jobs come from personal effort rather than on-campus recruiting. One of the things that the ops club has done is to hire a consultant to come in and teach six sigma methodologies, which resulted in several additional internships. We are trying to offer it again this year and to get the school to add it as a part of the curriculum. Obviously, one of the biggest efforts of all of the clubs (particularly now) is job placement

问：如果想申请一个联合学位，比如the joint degree program Master of Business and Master of Software Engineering (MBMSE)，是不是需要既考GMAT又要考GRE?
答：We offer the joint degree (MBMSE) and MBA/MSE. You actually earn the MBA with second option. To do the joint/dual degrees, you need to meet the admissions requirements for both software engineering and MBA. So yes, you need GMAT and GRE. you should contact the software engineering program to get their admissions requirements, too.


问：你怎样看待AWA的分数？如何看待GMAT的其他部分分数？　
答：Regarding AWA, when someone does really well on that, it is a plus in the candidacy

问：CMU的国际学生的比例是多少？
答： Only Wharton, Chicago, and Yale have a higher percentage of international students than CMU (39%) among the top 25 U.S. B schools.

问：是不是大多数毕业生在匹兹堡地区就业，而不是全国范围？
答：Across the country. Most people do NOT accept jobs in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is not the biggest MBA hiring market by any means. Students are recruited much more nationally. I tried to stay in Pittsburgh over the summer and there were somewhat limited on-campus recruiting offerings. The other thing about Pittsburgh is the cost of living is quite low.
Making salaries not appear as competitive as salary offerings in other cities, but truth be told, you can live better here due to that low cost of living.

问：CMU的QSRP项目如何录取新生？
答：We will recommend QSRP for anyone that we think will benefit from attending.

问：少数申请者会通过Consortium for Graduate Study而不是直接申请CMU，这样做是有利还是不利？
答：Neither an advantage nor disadvantage. If you'd like to have a chance at the Consortium Fellowship, you should use the Consortium app. Our review process is the same whether your app comes from the Consortium or directly.


问：CMU的申请竞争激烈吗？去年的录取率怎么样？　
答：Last year we received 1800 applications for the full-time program and our acceptance rate was around 25%. We had a great pool--the process was competitive.

问：GSIA在培养IT咨询师方面有什么优势？　
答：Right now consulting is hit very hard. However, in ordinary years, our students are very strong candidates for IT consulting. IT consulting recruiting is one that has decreased the most recently (or any consulting).

问：预计今年的申请人数会增加吗？
答：It’s a little early to tell, but our early recruiting events have been busy!

问：被录取的新生的GMAT的平均分是多少？想关的工作经验又如何呢？
答： You can find the profile for the entering class on our website at http://wpweb2k.gsia.cmu.edu/mba/newmba/class_profile.htm.

问：GSIA是不是有些侧重于发展中国家的联合项目？比如William Davison Institute of University of Michigan就是如此？
答：We don't really have formal programs emphasizing developing nations, but that is what a flexible curriculum and accessible faculty are for. I would add that last year's study abroad program was aimed at learning about business in countries with economies in different stages of development, focusing on Germany, Slovakia, etc. One of the faculty that I can think of with an interest in developing nations is Paul Goodman and he has done some interesting research in India.

rightaway

问：CMU最强的方向是什么？
答：The recognized strongest are Ops and IT. However, I'm in finance and think it is also excellent. I think that as much as I would like to say ops, we had a little bit of a dry spell.

问：你们会不会考虑那些刚毕业的或者工作经验不足两年的申请者？
答：I don't think any discipline lacks here. One of the things is that the students do a lot to make things happen. If you want something to happen all you have to do is to make it happen.
Yes, we are considering candidates of all experience levels. We prefer candidates to have at least two years of experience, but will consider candidates with less. Candidates with less experience need to be really strong on all the other dimensions. We are very open regarding work experience. While typical candidates benefit from having at least two years of full-time experience, others with less experience sometimes fare well in the admissions process. Lots of experience is generally a plus in a candidate's application -- they have more to share with their fellow students

问：ops 俱乐部会不会教授一些six sigma 的课程？　
答：They just hired 3 new profs so it should pick up.

问：CMU毕业生最大的五个雇主是哪些？
答：The top 5 recruiters of 2001 CMU MBAs were Booz-Allen, Deutsche Banc, McKinsey, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and A.T. Kearney. (WSJ)

问：如果申请者所在国家没有实行GPA算制，请问他该如何处理他的成绩单？班级排名重要吗？
答：We don't ask you to convert to a GPA; we ask you to tell us about your grading system and how you performed within it. (Change in application this year)
Class rank is usually not included in a student's transcript, so it is not made very important. If it is included, and a student ranked highly, it is a plus in their candidacy.

问：申请者毕业的院校以及所学专业的难度对申请有什么影响吗？
答：A fair amount of consideration. Institution and major are the lens through which we interpret the grades.

问：获得财政资助的机会有多大？可以免学费吗？获得资助的学生比例是多大？
答：Most of our scholarship funds are merit-based, so many admitted students are notified about scholarships about a week after they get their admission letter. We have a financial aid office for our graduate business students and we work very hard to put together a package that allows eligible students to attend.

问：录取委员会如何评审国际学生的学位？
答：About 35-40% of our students are international, so we see a lot of international transcripts.

问：你们接受三年制的学士学位吗？美国国内的或是国际的？
答：We will consider the 3 year degree. The BCom (three year from India) is perfectly acceptable.

问：已婚的学生比例有多大？学校怎么支持学生的家庭生活？
答：About one-third of our first year students are married.
There is a partners club for "partners" of GSIA students (spouses, significant others, etc..) This partners club can help with networking, job search, etc. for partners of GSIA students.


问：小班授课的规模是多大？
答： Class sizes are small at Carnegie Mellon--the average elective has about 35 students.
The core classes are a little bigger (70).

问：如果再申请之前已经拥有一个MBA学位，会有什么影响？
答：Having an MBA already is a little trickier -- the candidate needs to provide us with a compelling reason why it is worth his or her time/effort to get our MBA.

问：什么是AWC? 主要职能是什么？
答：AWC is a similar forum to this in that it allows students interested in CMU a closer look and an opportunity to meet with current students.  We offer tours, class visits, and lunch with current students for prospective students

问：申请者当中更多的是商业还是工程技术的职业背景呢？
答：Our MBA students are about 50/50 split of technical/non-technical backgrounds. About 25% of this year's class have business backgrounds, 16% economics


问：对金融和IB感兴趣的申请者，录取和以后求职的机会有多大呢？
答：You only NEED three classes for a finance concentration, but I am finding that there are at least two classes a semester in finance that I want to take. Finance/IB recruiting - much of the recruiting here (at least half I would guess) is for finance/IB positions. I meant two classes a mini... For example, next mini a class is taught by Joel Stern, who co-developed the Stern-Stewart EVA that many companies (including Alcoa, where I worked this summer) now use.

问：你为什么对这里的金融专业评价这么高呢？
答：There are a number of different finance topics that classes are offered in - options valuation, financial analysis, and various "studies" type classes.
It is easy to get a broad range of knowledge here because the classes are in "minis" so everything is taught twice as fast, so you can learn twice as much.

问：GSIA学生典型的一天是什么样子？
答：It always involves work and a group. Class and group meetings fill up most of my day. Many times it involves going out afterward

问：被录取后，有没有保证金的要求？
答：The deposit is $1000US, non-refundable. Well, the deposit, if you should indeed attend, is subtracted from your first semester costs.

问：CMU最有特色的是什么项目？
答：Well, maybe that we have an innovative environment. We license the FAST program and management game to other top universities

问：为什么CMU在SJ's recruiters-based ranking lists上位置如此靠前（第三名），但在其他地方却在１０名开外？
答：CMU has only been out of the top ten since the mid 90s, and I think that the WSJ ranking is unique because it looks at other things besides numbers (I know that that seems strange from a quant school), but we do not have the same numbers that other schools do. We do not make students take the gmats again. Unfortunately, most other rankings include measures that confound themselves with school size, making it very difficult for smaller programs to rank as highly. Also, the WSJ is ranking based on what recruiters say. These are the people that matter as far as getting a job

问：若我想申请财政资助，我需要在申请材料里提及此事吗？
答：No question

问：CMU在技术上非常优秀，在这一方面只有MIT可以与
之匹敌吗？
答：CMU and MIT have always competed. Recruiters ranked CMU over MIT in technology, according to WSJ. Right now CMU leads in comp eng and architecture (at least)


问：如果一个申请者从事过多份工作，或在多个领域工作过，这对申请来说是个劣势吗？
答：We want you to explain the path you've taken to us through your essays, and if you're concerned that something might be perceived as a weakness, you should plan to address it in an optional essay

问：CMU会不会审核申请者材料的真实性呢？
答：we haven't made plans to contract with an outside firm, but we do verify information on applications through our process. If I'm not mistaken (correct me if I am wrong, Laurie), we don't have a plan to audit applicants. HOWEVER, we have always read applications very carefully, and check out things that don't "compute". That’s right--we do check things out as we work through the process.I always say that if things don't add up or don't sound plausible, the easiest avenue for an admissions committee is to respond with a rejection.

问：申请的简历是不是应该与求职的简历完全不同呢?
答：Resume can be a standard job hunt resume.

greenfish

great! thanks so much!

valentine

Thank rightaway MM!

V.