Q&A with Rose Martinelli

Greetings from all of us at the Dean’s Student Admissions Committee! A very warm welcome to the class of 2009 – congratulations on your success, and best wishes for a wonderful and exciting time at the GSB! We hope to see you soon on the campus.

Our warm wishes also go out to all the prospective students out there, gearing up for this year’s admissions cycle. As you navigate through the exciting, challenging – and often times exhausting – process of b-school applications, we will try our best to assist you in all ways we can. This particular blog entry is another step in that direction. Rose Martinelli (RM), the Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions, answered some of the most important admissions related questions posed by 2nd year student and DSAC co-chair Saurabh Sharma (SS). We hope that the conversation below will help clarify the admissions process to all prospective students out there.

SS: Good morning Rose, and thanks for taking the time out for this chat.

RM: Good morning. It’s my pleasure.

SS: Let me start by asking some specific, application-related questions. I'll begin with a question that is probably on everyone’s mind. The Adcom recently came up with the application questions for the Class of 2010, and there has been one significant change – the PowerPoint slides. Can you talk a little bit about the motivation behind adopting such a non-traditional format?

RM: Well, as you know, the Chicago GSB has a reputation for challenging norms. In some respects that is what the PowerPoint is doing. Traditional essays, although helpful in the application process, tend to be confining. Essay questions do not allow applicants to fully stretch beyond the question and communicate their strengths, weaknesses, passions etc. The PowerPoint slide is our way of giving applicants a blank slate on which to communicate with us. There aren't many restrictions for an applicant, and they have free reign to communicate to the committee whatever they feel is valuable for us to know. An applicant can expand upon their application or they can go beyond it and reveal something completely new. This is their opportunity to express themselves without guidance or restriction.

SS: Compared to the usual essay questions, how differently should an applicant think about the slides? What is similar, and what is not – in terms of how the AdCom will be looking at the responses?

RM: In many respects we are looking for similar things in the slides as we would in the essays. We are looking for organized thoughts, strong communication skills, and the ability to convey ideas clearly. We will also be looking at an applicant's ability to be insightful and their willingness to express themselves in a new medium. In some respects, this question adds an element of risk to the application that has not been there before. There is no question to guide you, or any history to use as an example. Therefore, an applicant's success will largely depend on his/her ability to think and reflect on those things that capture who they are as a person and a potentially successful member of the GSB community.

SS: It appears that there is an option to attach a word document to provide an "explanation" of the slides. In what cases do you think this option might be used? Is there a restriction/suggestion on the length of this document?

RM: The word document is there as a safety net. We recognize that interpretation of material is not always consistent across languages, cultures, socio-economic differences, etc. The intent is that the slides will communicate the messages without explanatory notes. However, we want to ensure that the meaning conveyed in these slides is clearly understood in the evaluation process. If a notes document is included, it should not exceed one paragraph per slide.

SS: While reviewing applications, how would you weigh the actual content vs. the presentation style? Obviously, different applicants will have had different levels of experience creating slides and presenting ideas in that format?

RM: This question is not designed to evaluate the applicants’ PowerPoint expertise, but rather to reveal how people think and communicate their ideas. This question, like the rest of the essay questions, is designed to provoke critical thought and self-reflection, not just their creativity. It is the message within the slides that is important, not the presentation.

SS: Thanks for these responses. Let me now switch gears, and talk about the application process and GSB in general.
Hopefully by now, prospective students would have started thinking about their applications in detail. As they make up their mind regarding this significant change in their lives and decide upon their target school(s), what, in your opinion, should be the key aspects they consider?

RM: For applicants to be successful in this process, they must be effective at doing two things:
1) Self-reflection – Know why you are applying for an MBA. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and why you think an MBA will prepare you for the future. Know your goals and be able to communicate how you think you can achieve them.
2) Understand fit – Every school is different in terms of culture, courses and extra-curricular offerings, so make sure you know what makes an MBA from a specific school so important for you to achieve your goals. If you know yourself and you know how each school can help address your needs, you can make a compelling case in the application. If you do not fully understand or reflect on either of these points and rely solely on your credentials to carry you, chances are you will fall short in a very competitive application process.

SS: Wise words!
As you wrap up the admissions process for the class of 2009, what is your view of the applicants and the incoming class? How was this year?

RM: We had a great year, and are very excited to welcome the Class of 2009 to the GSB. This class is not only bright, but incredibly diverse in terms of background and future goals. We are eager to have them start the program and have high hopes that they will add tremendous value to the GSB community as students and beyond.

SS: I personally have been super-impressed by the knowledge and the helpful attitude of the Class of 2007. What is the buzz in the market, and among recruiters? What are the most common strengths of GSB grads?

RM: Recruiters are big on GSB students for two reasons: 1) Our students leave here with incredible critical thinking skills. They understand the fundamentals of business, are well-equipped to break down complicated problems to the bare essentials, and make smart, well-informed decisions. Which leads me to my second point: 2) Our students leave the GSB with tremendous confidence. They thrive in challenging environments and are not afraid to ask questions. Our entire community is about challenging one another, and companies appreciate people within their organizations who think differently and push for the best answers, not just the expedient ones.

SS: My final question for you – as they go through the application process, what are some of the avenues that prospective students can use to get to learn more about the GSB?

RM: All prospective students should visit our website. There you can learn about our people, our programs and our culture. Through our website they should check out our discussion boards, chats and this blog. All these things give a prospective student an in-depth and revealing look at the GSB through the eyes of our students and staff. I would also encourage students to visit the school. You can sign up for a daily visit or a GSB Live event starting in October. If you can not visit campus, then try to visit us at one of our information sessions being held all over the world. The more you interact with us, the more prepared you will be to write a compelling application. We are a school that is all about transparency, so take the time to explore and ask questions. We want you to be successful, so take the time to engage and get to know us better.

SS: Rose, once again, thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions. I am sure applicants will find your insights quite useful.

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums

Friday FAQ: What if I get a ding?

While the Round 2 interview invite deadline is rapidly approaching (February 21), the Adcom team is still working on their application reading and sending out invitations. So for those of you who are still waiting for that invite--don't give up hope!!

However, for a percentage of Round 2 applicants, next Wednesday will bring sad news, and more sad news will be delivered on March 28 to another group of applicants. We are of course speaking of the dreaded "Ding" (and no, we are not referring to deals given by Southwest Airlines). After spending countless hours researching and visiting schools, writing and editing essays, studying for the GMAT, and organizing everything from transcripts to recommendation letters, the receipt of a denial of admission can be very painful.

The goal of this post isn't to necessarily cheer you up (but you should take heart in the fact that the writer speaks from experience with the ding). The goal is to help you put things in perspective and hopefully to give some guidance regarding next steps.

"What do I do if I get a ding?"

The first thing to consider is deny feedback. Chicago GSB admissions has changed their approach to deny feedback this year. It will be offered during the summer months, but the sessions will be by invitation only.

If you get invited for feedback- SCHEDULE A SESSION!!! There's no reason not to take advantage of the offered slot to get advice on how to improve your application. If an Adcom tells you that you need to address a certain area, then be sure to point this out if/when you reapply, and of course don't forget to actually address the issue in your reapp! If you do reapply, make sure you continue to network with any current GSB students you've met during the process. Keeping a pulse on the GSB will help you craft compelling reapplicant essays.

If you're not invited for feedback- DON'T DESPAIR!!! Feedback is invite only due to time constraints. Lack of an invitation does NOT mean that your application was hopeless. There is simply no way that the Adcoms could give a sufficient amount of time to each and every denied applicant to address issues with their application. If you fall in this category, your best bet is to reach out to people in your network with business school experience who would be willing to critique your application and provide their own feedback. It's quite possible that he or she might see something in the application that you hadn't noticed before and will be able to provide direction in how to improve it if you decide to reapply.

You may also have to consider some tougher questions. If you have been admitted elsewhere, do you want to accept the offer, or do you want to decline the admit offer to take another shot at the GSB? Do you want to postpone your MBA plans and focus on your career?

The MBA application process involves a lot of self-assessment and reflection, and a ding usually prompts re-assessment. It is most important to keep things in perspective and stay positive.

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums

Friday FAQ: Interviews

Now that invitations to interview have started to be released for Round 2 applicants, it's appropriate to address the following frequently asked question:

"What can I expect in my interview?"

Interviews for admission to Chicago GSB are conducted by invitation-only and are 'blind'. This means that the interviewer has not read your application; he or she simply has your resume. A GSB interview isn't dramatically different than a first round job interview. You'll probably be asked:

• where you've been (i.e. "walk me through your resume" or some variation)
• where you'd like to go and how you plan to get there (i.e. goals and the usual why MBA and why Chicago)
• some behavioral-style interview questions (each interviewer has their own favorites to get to know you better)

It is not a stress or confrontational-style interview and you will not be asked technical questions. We'd just like to know a little more about you and get a sense of how you might fit in at the GSB.

A follow-up frequently asked question is:

"Should I do my interview on-campus or off-campus? Are the interviews different? Will they be evaluated differently?"

Interviews will vary a bit because each interviewer has their own style, but all Chicago GSB interviewers (Adcom professionals, 2nd year Graduate Assistants, and Alumni) have the same training and guidelines, so there will be an element of consistency. Interviews are evaluated the same and with equal weight within the context of your total application, no matter where the interview took place. So where you interview is all a matter of your preferences and what is within your time and resource constraints. If you haven't had a chance to visit campus previously, the interview is a great opportunity to come and see the GSB in person.

There is one potential area of difference. On-campus interviews are conducted by either an Adcom professional or a 2nd year Graduate Assistant. Your interviewer will likely be scheduled to conduct multiple interviews that day and will have to stick to the 30 minute time limit. 30 minutes is fairly short to cover all of the things I mentioned above, but your interviewer will do his or her best to keep things on schedule and allow time for your questions at the end. In comparison, an alumnus will probably have only one interview scheduled that day and may or may not be on a tight schedule. When time is not an issue, there may be more small talk, more time to dig deeper into the questions I mentioned above, more time for questions and conversation at the end. That being said, the differences will be pretty minor and shouldn't really influence your decision.

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums

Friday FAQ: What happens after I hit submit?

A question recently posted by "whatalife" at the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums:

"I would like to request the admissions committee to kindly explain the application reading process on the Chicago DSAC blog. There is some speculation and rumors flying around the various forums and it is unneccassarily increasing applicant anxiety.

It would be great if you could explain the process in as much detail as possible. For example, are the applications read in order or in a random fashion, how many people read an application before a decision is made etc."

All of us on DSAC remember feeling this way with our business school applications. You pour your heart and soul into your applications, you finally hit submit, and then it's just a black box until you get an email or phone call with good news or bad news. We understand your frustration, so we'd be happy to shed a little light on the process.

The first people who handle your application are the application processing staff members. They print out all of the parts of your application, create a file folder for it, and batch it up with other complete applications randomly. If anything is missing from your file, these are the folks that will email you or call you to resolve the problem. Applicants usually have a lot of questions about this stage: In what order are the processed (FIFO, LIFO, etc)? How are they batched? We assure you that this is done randomly. The completed applications are batched in groups (quantity depends on number of applications in a given round) and distributed randomly to the first readers.

The first read is usually done by a second year GSB student who has been selected and trained as an admissions Graduate Assistant. The application then goes on to the admissions committee (adcom) professionals where it gets read by 1 or 2 adcom professionals. The decision that comes out of these first 2-3 reads is "invite to interview" or "deny." Invitations to interview are released on a rolling basis. Decision input into the system takes awhile, and again, the process is random (no FIFO or LIFO order). For Round 2, this started on January 24th and will continue through February 21st. If you have not received an invitation to interview by February 21st, you will receive email notification that your status has been updated in the online application system, which will show the denial decision.

If you've been invited to interview, you will have your interview either on campus or with an alumnus in your area. Your interviewer will submit a report that is added to your file. Your complete file is then read by several additional adcom professionals before a final decision is reached. Admits will begin receiving calls a day or two before the decision deadline (March 28th for Round 2, May 16th for Round 3). Denials will be notified on the decision deadline via a status update in the online application system.

We hope this clears up the confusion, puts the rumors to rest, and alleviates some of the anxiety. Best of luck with your applications!

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums

Friday FAQ: Flexible Curriculum & Networking

The Chicago GSB has an approach to curriculum that is different from other MBA programs. There is only one truly required class, LEAD, the leadership class for first year students. In addition, LEAD is the only class with a structured cohort and learning team system. Other than that, the Chicago GSB curriculum is very flexible and highly customizable. There are many benefits to this system, but people often wonder about the trade-off. A question that comes up frequently is,

"If the cohorts exist for only one class and for only one quarter, are you still able to create a diverse network of friends at the GSB?"

The answer is yes. In fact, many of us feel that the flexibility of the curriculum actually enables us to interact and form friendships with even more people than we would under a more extensive and structured cohort system. Rather than taking core classes with the same group of first years, you may end up in an elective class with a mix of first and second years as early as your very first quarter on campus. Each class is a different set of people, and you can form study groups with different people. In fact, over the course of your 20 classes at the GSB, you could theoretically have 20 unique study groups with no repeats.

Beyond classes, there are many ways to meet people. Connections can start before classes do via Random Walks. Other connections are made through student groups, social events like LPF and TNDC, the GBC mentor program, ski trip, spring break trips, and job treks (Bank Week, Brand Week, and West Quest). Or just spend the lunch hour in the Winter Garden at HPC (pictured at right), which is the social hub of the GSB.

And of course, there are always the friends you make in your LEAD cohort and learning team.

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums

Friday FAQ: GMAT & GPA

This is the first installment of a recurring blog post we'll be doing weekly...Friday FAQ. Each week we will take a question that comes up often on the discussion forums and in information sessions. Topics will vary based on what's hot, but expect us to cover admissions, career services, curriculum, student life, the City of Chicago, etc.

By far, the most frequently asked question is....

"Is my GMAT or GPA good enough to get in to Chicago GSB?"

So it is the first one we'll tackle here. The short answer is: we don't know. And while this may seem like we're dodging the question or trying to hide something, it's the truth and there are many good reasons for it. Your stats are only one aspect of your application. Decisions are not made based on stats alone and there is no magic formula used by the admissions office, so the notion of offsetting a below average GMAT or GPA with something else is a little misguided. The admissions office isn't in the business of admitting stats. They want to admit well rounded applicants and those decisions are made based on essays, recommendations, extracurricular involvement, GMAT, GPA, interview performance (if invited) and overall fit with the GSB. Decisions are made based on a holistic assessment of all components of your application.

At the end of the day, a 'good' GMAT and/or GPA won't get you into Chicago GSB, nor will a 'bad' GMAT and/or GPA keep you out. In fact, what makes a GMAT/GPA good or bad anyway? It's hard to say. If you must measure your stats against some sort of yardstick, the best you can do is the stats of the latest entering class. The Class of 2008 had an average GMAT of 703, with 80% of the class scoring between 640 and 760. They also had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.5, with 80% of the class between 3.0 and 3.9. What does that tell you? That 10% of first years scored lower than 640 on the GMAT and 10% of first years had an undergrad GPA less than 3.0. However, it doesn't tell you what the lowest GMAT or GPA is (which for privacy concerns is not publicly available)....it could be anything because Chicago GSB has no minimum requirements for GMAT/GPA.

A typical follow up question is... "Should I retake the GMAT or take some classes to create an alternate transcript?" And the answer is always personal and entirely up to you. If you feel like you can significantly improve your score or grades, and have the time and the resources to do so, then by all means give it a shot. But don't forget to consider the tradeoff: your time and energy might be better spent doing research on the GSB and writing your essays.

Want to discuss this topic some more? Head on over to the Chicago GSB Discussion Forums