UNC Admission Q&A

飞雪

I just saw the Admission Q&A of UNC, but could not read the full article. Anyone who subscribe BW magazine online could do me a favor to post the transcript here? Thanks a lot!

chipmunk

Q: Sherry, Kenan-Flagler dipped to No. 18 in BusinessWeek's 2002 MBA rankings. Has that affected the school's ability to attract students?
A: Not in a negative way. We've gotten positive statements from the market -- from recruiters and alumni on return-on-investment, on specific programs, and on the school overall. Those statements have been a net positive. This year, we're benefiting from a lot of enthusiasm for our new dean.

Q: Since we last spoke, the school recruited a dean from Australia, Steve Jones. Robert Sullivan, the former dean, left for the University of California at San Diego's new B-school. How has the change affected the school spirit on campus?
A: Steve has a lot of very positive qualities, one of which is his enthusiasm for the program. As a double alumnus, I can appreciate the level of passion that a fellow alumnus brings to the job in addition to his tremendous professional background. He has a sincere desire to give back [to the community] and to add value to the school.He also brings a McKinsey-trained consulting mind, and he has helped us focus. At the moment, a team is leading a strategic review of the school, and his leadership is making that more productive.

Q: How has the new-found focus affected your office?
A: Our focus in admissions is a lot sharper. We're zeroing in on the attributes that are most closely correlated with success down the road. We're trying to align the post-MBA expectations we have for our students with what we see on the front-end.

We're still admitting many of the same kinds of students, but we're doing a better job of spotting people who may have been on the margin and looked less appealing because of a single indicator that doesn't determine success down the line. For instance, there's a point where every candidate is smart. The dean doesn't want us to worry about increasing an average or a statistic, such as the GMAT score or [undergraduate] GPA of the class, if we're not also looking for proven teamwork and leadership abilities and a track record of getting things done.

We want to enroll people who can handle a rigorous curriculum, and who are driven. It's not that those things weren't always part of the package, but we're emphasizing them more.

Q: Does UNC assign different weights to parts of its MBA application?
A: It would be easier if we did sometimes. But no, we don't. Still, if you see something that's severely out of line, it probably carries more weight than something else that's in the average range.

Q: Word on the street is that application volume is lower in 2003 than it has been in years. What trends are you noticing at Kenan-Flagler?
A: Unfortunately it's hard to say, since I changed the admissions deadlines from last year. This year we have four deadlines, down from five in 2002. If the deadlines were exactly as they were in 2002, then applications are flat. My sense is that we're certainly down, vs. two or three years ago. But the first deadline is such a small percentage of what we'll get overall that it's not a big enough sample to forecast. I can't say we'll see applications down 20% or 30%. After the second deadline in early December, I'll have a much better idea.I'm optimistic that we'll enroll a strong class. I've been on the road with my staff since August, and we've done a lot of interviews, fairs, and forums to get in front of people early. The applicants I've interacted with have been very strong and knowledgeable about what it takes to be successful. The economic situation is not news to them, so they're coming to the table a lot more prepared and realistic.

Q: In 2003, your office accepted 36% of applicants, more than in 2002 (30%) and 2001 (24%). Are you likely to accept more applicants still in 2004?
A: Our philosophy has always been to go after the best candidates. There are ways that admissions offices can play with their pool and admit only the people they think are going to accept the offer, or recruit in areas where they've got a good track record. I have a responsibility to bring in the best students I can get and to not play games. I don't worry about the percent we admit. I worry about the quality of the students who enroll. I feel that every year the quality of the students gets stronger.

Q: Last year, some 40% of your applicants were from outside the U.S., but your class ended up just 26% international. Is there a policy to enroll fewer students from abroad, perhaps given the difficult economic environment?
A: We had a big drop-off two years ago in international applications, but in 2002 to 2003 we saw them rebound. We don't have a policy, but we have a responsibility to give all of our candidates, and particularly our international candidates, as much information as possible about their prospects of working in the U.S. after they graduate.

When I travel, I'm clear with them. I tell them, "This is what it was at graduation. This is what it was 90 days later. Here's where we are now." Right now, 86.2% of all U.S. and permanent residents from the class of 2003 have found jobs, vs. 69% of foreign nationals. Only a candidate can determine if the investment is worth it. I always ask them, "How are you going to measure your return-on-investment?" If a candidate says, "I've got to have a job at graduation in the U.S. making x amount of dollars," that gives me pause. I need to know that such a person has a backup plan.

And that's not just in terms of what kind of job a student may get but also of financing the MBA. Both may be contributing to lower enrollment of foreign nationals. It just works out that way. We're also trying to balance the class, and some countries have an disproportionate share of applicants.

Q: Which countries send the most applicants?
A: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, Argentina, and Mexico. You can draw a line after Brazil, and that top group would be where we see the heaviest concentration of foreign applicants.

chipmunk

Q: Kenan-Flagler's mid-80% range of GMAT scores is 600 to 740. The average is 668. What should an applicant do if he/she has scored below a 600 on the GMAT?
A: It depends on what else they've done. We want to enroll people who we think have the qualities to succeed. You need to ask yourself what you show in the application -- such as course work or things you've done on job -- that demonstrate that you're capable of excelling in a rigorous program with lots of quantitative work. It's helpful to hear from supervisors who have witnessed the applicant's abilities in these areas.

Don't worry so much about a 600 or 590 on the GMAT, but show the admissions committee that you can do the work. Don't focus all your attention on explaining the GMAT and forget to present your other qualities.

Q: How many people, on average, don't make it past Kenan-Flagler's first year of the MBA program?
A: Maybe one or two students a year. If a student doesn't make it past the first year, it's an admissions problem.

Q: This year, your office is allowing people to interview without pre-screening from early August to January, after which you choose whom to interview. Why?
A: We're trying to give people more flexibility. We'll make decisions on candidates who haven't completed an interview -- wait-list or deny -- but we won't admit a candidate without an interview.

Q: At Kenan-Flagler, admission interviews are by invitation-only after January. What pre-interview advice do you have for applicants?
A: Understand why you're doing this. What are you trying to achieve? You don't have to have nailed down the name of a company [you want to work at after the MBA]. But you need to have a strong sense of where you see your career going and what gaps there are between where you are now and where you need to be. That gap is what you're trying to fill with the MBA.

Then do a self-assessment, and if you're very clear about what you're trying to accomplish, doing your interview and writing your essays shouldn't be difficult.

Our interviewers are members of the admissions committee, and they're also reading applications. The person you interview with may or may not have read your application, but they're all familiar with the applicant pool. And they are all trying to assess an applicant's leadership, individual accountability, team mentality, and communication skills. An interview lets us see how you think on your feet and present yourself one-on-one.

Q: Your office requires MBA hopefuls to write three essays. What don't you want to see in these essays?
A: I'm very disappointed when I read essays that don't reveal the person. It's your statement and your message to us. Your personality can shine through, as can your weaknesses, strengths, and motivations.

In addition to looking for all of those attributes, we're looking for a personal and organizational fit. We're very clear at Kenan-Flagler on the values that drive us. We're celebrating our 50th year, and we have a legacy of being an environment where collaboration is valued. We're looking for people who want to be a part of that. We want to know that they're going to be active members of this community.

[Editor's note: The following are Kenan-Flagler's three required essays for the 2003-04 admissions season (1) Please describe your career progression to date, highlighting leadership and management positions and reasons for changing employers or career paths. How will your professional experience, which combined with an MBA degree, allow you to achieve your short-tem and long-term goals? (2) What obstacles or major challenges have you overcome to achieve your goals? How do these life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? (3) Which of UNC Kenan-Flagler's core values -- excellence, leadership, integrity, community or teamwork -- has been most important in your career developement to date? How do you expect this value to contribute to your future development?]

Q: A lot of applicants wonder how to strike a balance between talking about their strengths and their weaknesses. Are you concerned when an applicant shows too much room for improvement?
A: Being a sincere and mature person is about understanding your weaknesses. If you identify weaknesses, then have a plan for fixing them. There are some weaknesses that may be deal breakers, but most of us have strengths. If you have to present your weaknesses, do so in terms that show how the MBA can address those weaknesses.

Q: Who should write a candidate's two required recommendations, and how long should the letters be?
A: It's most helpful for us if the recommendations are from people who have supervised the candidate at work. We recognize that sometimes getting a recommendation from a current employer isn't prudent, but if that's the case let us know why not. Don't worry about it, because it happens fairly often. We're looking for someone to confirm what the candidate is telling us in the application. Choose the person who knows your work best and can provide examples. Take the time to equip the recommender with a list of your most recent accomplishments and by explaining why you're seeking an MBA.

If you're asking a recommender to advocate for you, equip the person with your mindset and self-assessment. It would be great for a recommender to know your career goals. I would tell the person, "Here's a list of the things in my application that are very strong, here are the things that are average, and here are the areas where I'm less competitive. It would help me a lot if you would shore up the areas where I think I'm weaker." You're not telling them what to say, but you're giving them an honest assessment of where you are.

Q: The school currently offers 45 full-tuition scholarships to MBAs. What does it take to be awarded such a scholarship?
A: Every award is a merit fellowship. We don't have any need-based scholarships. We look at all candidates we admit through the first three deadlines, then identify those who are the cream of the crop and who add critical dimensions to the class. Sometimes we match a student with an award that fits with a donor's intentions. For instance, one donor wants the award to go to someone who was a college athlete. Another is designed for people who want careers on Wall Street. Most are quite general and open to both domestic and international students.

chipmunk

Q: Kenan-Flagler's last application deadline is March 5, 2004. What percentage of the class is accepted by then, and is it too late to apply after this deadline?
A: Until last year, I would say we would probably have been 95% full. But last year was the first year we were making significant decisions on the wait-list after the deadline. Every other year, I spent the summer hoping that people would drop off the list because we were over-subscribed.

We don't place a premium on applying by the first deadline. But I tell people to avoid applying at the last deadline because even if we love you, we might not have room for you.

Q: How does Kenan-Flagler manage its wait-list?
A: We review the applicants on the wait-list at every subsequent deadline. If you're placed on the wait-list during the first admissions deadline, you'll be folded into the second round to be considered again, and you could be admitted, denied, or placed back on the wait-list.

Look at your application, and make sure everything you've told us about yourself is current. Don't feel as if you have to mount a whole new campaign. But if you've got something that's clearly different from what we saw when we made the [wait-list] decision, we'd be more than happy to see that. During the admissions season it's difficult for us to have time to give feedback, but most candidates can figure it out. You may have completed another class since submitting the application, or have gotten a promotion, undertaken something in the community, or engaged in a social activity that demonstrates leadership.

Also, at all stages, candidates can ask us not to carry their application forward. They always have the option of saying "Thanks, but no thanks."

Q: Your office doesn't handle admissions for the school's executive MBA and PhD candidates. Where can people interested in these programs find more information?
A: For more information about the executive MBA program, candidates should e-mail emba@unc.edu. To apply, they can go to the executive MBA Web site. Applicants who have the most experience, who want to stay employed, and who know specifically what they want to achieve, are the easiest people to refer to the executive MBA. You're clearly going to have more seasoned classmates in the EMBA program.

飞雪

Thanks!!! Chipmunk!!!