THE IVORY TOWER Minority B-School Faculty Growing—Slowly The number of underrepresented minorities on U.S. business school faculties is up, but the PhD Project, which advocates diversity, says it's not nearly enough
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B-SCHOOL FORUMS
Visit BW Online's interactive forums for wide-ranging discussions about management education. Search through over 1,359,000 posts for topics that interest you. Join in today! Here are a few samples of recent messages:
Getting into B-School — Strong Entrepreneurship Programs
From: vaker2000 To: All
Any recommendations for bschools strong in entrepreneurship?
Maybe one with high percentage of grads starting their own businesses during the program or post graduate?
From: delat80 To: vaker2000
INSEAD class is full of entrepreneurial-minded students. Higher age average means more chances of significant entrepreneurial experience in class. 50% of students open their own business at some point after the MBA. Although it is extremely fast-paced (1 year program) entrepreneurial resources are incredible. Singapore campus let´s you take advantage of booming Asian entrepreneurship opportunities as well as the most professional government-backed entrepreneurship sponsor programs available in the world.
From: stickerpro To: vaker2000
You should check out Babson. I did not apply but have heard a lot about its entrep programs.
From: vaker2000 To: stickerpro
Thanks Guys
From: bx1981 To: delat80
Check this out: http://knowledge.insead.edu/insead-knowledge-teaching-entrepreneurship-110120.cfm?vid=522
Note, however, thatsome of the programs, like Babson, tend to focus more on Franchise type start-ups, while programs like Booth and Stanford focus more on more classic start-ups. I wouldn't target Babson, unless the otherwise great MBA programs are out of your reach. I'd definitely take a top 20 program with a to 20 entrepreneurship program over Babson...but that's me.
I'm at Chicago, and the entrepreneurial curriculum is great and there's a growing on-campus start-up community. The curriculum is definitely better than at other schools (better faculty, programming, etc.), for better connectivity to start-up minded students, I'd target Stanford and Berkeley, followed closely my MIT. These are largely a function of their location - Bay Area and Boston are much better start-up environments than say, Chicago.
Getting into B-School — Is 10% Extra Than Word Limit OK?
From: dawg To: All
Hi, i am completing my HBS applicaiton. i want to ask a very simple question, will 10% extra than world limit on all the questions create a negative impact on application? does it mean rejection?
From: ghunar To: dawg
For what it's worth an admissions consultant recommended 5% to me.
From: Personal MBA Coach To: ghunar
This depends on the school. 5% is safer, but for HBS, you should stick to the word limit as much as possible. 10% is definitely too much for them.
-Scott
From: JinShil2 To: dawg
The best answer you will get is by emailing the ADCOM directly.
Generally speaking, anything above 10% is considered a no no. Even 10% might be cutting it too close.
I would not go much above 5%.
From: charlesriveredit To: dawg
10% more words isn't going to make a big difference in the content of your essays, is it? Pare it down to 5% at most.
From: jdawg007 To: dawg
Why even go to 5%, they give a limit that suggests more than just compliance, it suggests that they value brevity. Nothing you want to say is more powerful than the brevity that they're asking for. Just tighten it up and get it down to the limit.
From: HBS2012MBA To: jdawg007
I highly discourage you to go beyond the word limit. Not even 5%.
From: mossy695 To: HBS2012MBA
Wow everyone seems to be freaking out about word limits -- do you think they count the words? Especially if you upload a PDF where they can't simply use the word count function? From what I understand they generally look for the actual length of the essay, in terms of like inches or centimeters. If you happen to use a bunch of words with a lot of characters, it makes for a longer essay than one with a bunch of shorter words. Further if your total essay cumulative words are within the cumulative word limit (ie, you have 2 essays w/ 400 word max and your total word count is 795), you should be fine even if one is 410 and the other is 385.
While I certainly understand the merits of "following the rules," 5% overage on a 400 word essay is literally an extra sentence. (Shorter than the previous sentence making that point). I'm sure everyone has fat to cut but lets be realistic here.
From: Techsan3737 To: dawg
No...being concise is a key skill in business. Get to the point.
From: FrancescaBW To: Techsan3737
Hi,
You might find some advice about the word limit in this story about how to write an impressive admissions essay. I did the reporting on this, and I spoke with admissions directors at top schools about it. It might help you improve your essay in other ways, too.
Here's the link -
How to Write an MBA Admissions Essay http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2009/bs20090713_703433.htm
Let me know if you have specific questions. I'd be happy to answer them. I personally think the schools appreciate it when you follow the directions they give you as closely as possible. Good luck!
All the best, Francesca Bloomberg Businessweek
Getting into B-School — Performance + GMAT vs. GPA
From: GoGators To: All
I'm a non-business undergrad (science background) with a low UG GPA (3.0). I have been working at a not-for-profit for a little over 2 years and have performed well (solid recommendations). I got a 760 on my GMAT. How big of an impact will my UG GPA play in my application, especially at a top-20 school? Does it hurt to come from a non-profit background? Does being in the Southeast effect my chances of admission to a solid program in the northeast?
From: jumbalaya112 To: GoGators
Crapshoot. You probably left out the most important factor - gender/race.
If you're an Asian male (which I'm guessing because you studied science undergrad) then you're in trouble at HSW.
From: MBAPodcaster To: GoGators
Your GMAT is great so you have a strong shot at a top 10 for sure. Curious if quant or verbal was stronger? If your quant was weak you may need to show them that you've got the quant skills (see more below on that). The non-profit will help, it's unique and compelling. Your geographic region should not be a factor. How competitive was your undergrad school? Top 10?
You may want to consider 2 things:
1) take some exec education classes to show that you're capable of getting strong grades. If your GMAT quant was low try taking some quant/finance/math focused classes. There are some great online classes from Berkeley and UCLA Anderson for pre-MBA applicants (check out our podcast for more info on that: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/Preparing_for_an_MBA.asp?iEpisode=79
2) work with an admission consultant to help you develop a strong story and brand identity for your application. Get your story together. The essays will probably make or break it for you since you're an "on the fence" candidate so you need all the help you can get. Some of the top admission consultants offer our listeners free consults, check out: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/gmat-discounts/
Good luck! -MBA Podcaster
From: enigeni To: MBAPodcaster
@MBAPodcaster: I am from a small country in the Balkans and would like to pursue a top MBA in the US. i won the Diversity Visa Lottery and i've decided to give it a try to the States this summer As an undergrad i had a not so good gpa of 3.1 but rocked at my masters in finance&accounting at an american uni here, with a gpa of 3.9 :) I'm also an ACCA member(something like an european version of CPA) and got a B.Sc.(honours) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University. Do i stand ANY chance at all of getting into a top 10 MBA??? Your "Getting into ..." videos made me even more willing to experience the life of a business grad. Got also 5 years work experience in banking,audit,non-profit...&GMAT score of 760!!! :) Thanks!
From: MBAPodcaster To: enigeni
Hi Enigeni- Congratulations on winning the 'lottery' and on your achievements to date. You absolutely sound like a compelling candidate for a top 10 program. Your GMAT score is stellar, even without factoring in extra credit for being a non-native speaker; your work experience is solid (investment banking or commercial banking? was it related to the non-profit or was this separate?). Your undergrad GPA is low but you can explain the situation in your optional essay (maybe it was a maturity issue your first couple years that brought your overall GPA down?), specially in light of your strong GPA post undergrad. Also, I would want to know how old you are. Some of the top 10 schools (ie: Harvard, Stanford) will be hesitant to let in someone with a master's degree in finance, specially if you're over 26, 27. For the other top 10s who are more lenient on age, you need to have a great story as to why you need an MBA now and why your other master's degree isn't enough and how this MBA (at their school in particular) will help you achieve your goals and plans. The whole story needs to fit together so you don't look like you're going back just to add a brand name school to your resume. Good luck to you! -MBA Podcaster
From: enigeni To: MBAPodcaster
Thank you :) My UG gpa was low due to illness. 5( out of 35) subjects in which i scored poorly brought it to that level, while for the remaining subjects gpa is 3.82. I worked part-time for UNDP & World Bank while working full-time @ Raiffeisen Bank. It's been two years now at Deloitte and i'll start as a visiting assistant professor as well for few months before heading to the States. I am 29 years old so i will apply to more 30+ frendly programs. Darden, Haas, even Georgetown's McDonough are more than ok to me! Thanks for replying! Keep it up with the good work guys!
From: HBS2012MBA To: GoGators
A high GMAT will help with your low GPA. Past geographical location does not matter so long as your experience is in line with your future goals. I came from Georgia and am at HBS. You're gmat and gpa should be good enough as long as you write solid essays and have exceptional letters of recommendations. See stanford's website for examples of what makes a good letter. Good Luck!
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Diversity in B-schools is one of those things that, as Shakespeare wrote, is more honored in the breach than the observance. As Francesca Di Meglio reports, just 3.5 percent of U.S. business school faculty are members of underrepresented minority groups that combined now account for about 30 percent of the U.S. population. There are good reasons for this—the sorry state of the PhD pipeline, growing competition among b-schools for the few minority PhDs the nation's doctoral programs produce—but good reasons often make for bad excuses.
The failure of the nation's b-schools to do a better job on minority faculty hiring is, in the words of the PhD Project's Bernard J. Milano, "tragic." But this is not an insurmountable problem. By devoting greater resources to doctoral programs and working with groups like the PhD Project to encourage minorities to pursue the academic life, B-schools can ensure that their faculties, their graduating classes, and ultimately the highest echelons of the business world look a lot more like the many-hued population at large and less like, well, an ivory tower.
Louis Lavelle Business Schools Editor Bloomberg Businessweek
UCLA Anderson: Admissions Q&A MBA Admissions Director Mae Jennifer Shores explains what UCLA's Anderson school has to offer and what it takes to get in
MBA Insider Check out this feature-rich area for advice and tools that will help you choose the right B-school -- and develop a strategy for getting accepted
Full-Time MBA Rankings & Profiles BusinessWeek's Top 30 U.S. programs and Top 10 international programs. Plus, scan in-depth profiles of more than 300 full-time programs around the world
The Best Undergraduate B-Schools Undergrad business programs are getting MBA-like respect, and competition to get into them is hotter than ever. Here's how the top schools stack up
B-School Calendar BusinessWeek.com's scheduling tool will give you an idea of upcoming events at B-schools in the U.S. and around the world. You'll find information on admissions receptions, application deadlines, networking events, alumni events, conferences, and much more.
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