If you are planning to apply to an MBA program for the class of 2010, here is a FREE event that can help you prepare! Manhattan GMAT is hosting an online event providing information about the GMAT, and Stacy Blackman will be speaking about other aspects of the admissions process.

Here are some details:
Date: April 23, 2007
Time: 8:00-9:30 PM EST
Location: Virtual, set up instructions to be delivered via email

For more information and to sign up, click here

For an additional bonus, attendees qualify for a $100 discount off of a Manhattan GMAT course. Hope to “see” you there!

Business week.com featured an article on Colorado State‘s new Global Social & Sustainable Enterprise Program for students who want to focus on fixing social problems such as poverty, disease, and pollution. Students who want to specialize in global, social, and sustainable enterprises can participate in a three-semester program that includes a summer in a developing country doing field work. It’s a very hands-on experience as students will create independent projects or work on behalf of a company to solve an existing problem in sustainable development.

Colorado State isn’t the only school offering such a program. Will’s Thoughstream points to a Columbia news service report that there are start-up MBA programs creating similar opportunities. For example, the Bainbridge Graduate Institue has a green MBA program and other new schools are following suit. The Columbia report notes that graduates from such programs will be welcomed by employers as diverse as the State of California, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, or Green Mountain Coffee Roasters who are all looking for MBAs “with an understanding of social and environmental issues.”

Of course more traditional business schools are also offering opportunities to help students learn to go green and create environmentally friendly businesses. HBS students started a Sustainable Development Society. Stanford‘s Environmentally Sustainable Business Club promotes events such as 1 unit Business & Environmental Seminar, environmental speakers and panels, the sustainability rountable, and community work. The Tuck Sustainable Business Club organizes activities looking at sustainablility issues across various industries such as energy, finance, and international development.

If this is an area of interest for you, check out the websites for your schools of interest to see what they are offering around sustainability. Be sure to include your ideas of how to expand their offerings in your essays. Schools want to see how you intend to apply your interests to their community.

The waitlist…it’s definitely not what you were hoping for, but that doesn’t mean you should give up hope. In fact, there may be steps you can take to increase your chances of admission.

First, take note of what the school asks of you. Some schools, such as Wharton, only want to hear whether or not you want to remain on the waitlist. The Wharton MBA Blog points out the positives of this policy. You won’t have to spend extra time trying to “win [them] over” with additional recommendations or supporting letters or other materials. Plus they state, “all waitlist candidates are given equal fairness and consideration.” In other words, the squeaky wheel does not get the oil on the Wharton waitlist. This can be a relief because you don’t need to do any more work. That said, it can also be frustrating to have the situation totally out of your control.

Some schools such as Stanford, Columbia, and Kellogg are open to hearing more from waitlisted candidates. While this allows you to take some action, it also means quite a bit of work. Here are some concrete steps you can take:

Feedback: You can contact the admissions committee to get feedback on your application. What they say should inform your efforts moving forward — Do you need to increase your responsibilities at work? Or take on more volunteer work? Or improve your GMAT score?

Update Letter: Begin with a letter that reiterates your interest and provides an update of activities since you submitted your application — promotions/changes in scope of work/additional responsibility, travel plans, classes taken, new GMAT score, changes in volunteer activities, and personal activities such as learning a language, completing a triatholon or taking on a new hobby. Be sure to include why these updates make you a better candidate than before. How will your activities make you a student who will further enrich their program?

Reference: You can also submit an extra letter of recommendation. However, please be sure it adds new information and a different perspective from your professional recommendations. For example, it could be a letter from someone you volunteer with.

GMAT: Sometimes an improved GMAT score can tip the scales in your favor. However, before you get to work on improving your score, ask the school directly if this would help.

Dialog with the Admissions Committee: Check in with them regularly (email is a great method) to demonstrate interest and keep them updated on your situation. Be sure to keep the updates meaningful and do not pester them by asking constant questions.

Before you contact a school with any information, check with their specific policies on how much they want to hear from you — Are they open to receiving just an update letter? Are they willing to read an additional recommendation? Do they want regular updates? You want to do as much as you can without disregarding their requests or overloading their staff. Above all remember that you are still in the game!

In our recent post on Wharton and the Lauder Institute, we discussed how a number of schools have created programs to help their students become global leaders — including Stanford’s Global Management Program, HBS’ international clubs, Columbia’s Global Social Venture Competition, and Haas’ International Business Development program.

University of MD’s Smith School of Business is taking this idea to a new level by instituting a Global Consortium MBA Program, a partnership with the Management Development Institute (MDI) in India and the University of International Business and Economics in China. Students in this program will attend their home institutions for the first year, and then during the second year they will join with students from all three schools for three modules — the first in the US, the second in China, and the third in India. This is an incredible opportunity for students from all three countries to not only prepare for global leadership but also gain exposure to different cultures, business practices, and teaching methods. With expanding markets and increasing influence, China and India represent natural choices for this innovative partnership. We recently noted a posting from Rainierisms in China regarding his take on globalization as well as a post on how 25% of Tuck’s applicants were from India (not including Indian origin applicants living in the US) last year.

Smith’s Global Consortium MBA Program is just another example of some of the incredible opportunities available at business school. Again, be sure to do your homework. Often applicants will only consider two or three schools when there are many others offering unique experiences that could be the perfect fit for your goals. Spring is a great time to do this research by reading school websites, attending information sessions in your area, and going on school visits while class is still in session.

David A. Hofmann has been selected to become the next associate dean for the top-ranked MBA Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He will succeed Valarie Zeithaml effective July 1, 2007.

Hofmann is a professor of organizational behavior/strategy.

“I am delighted that Dave Hofmann has agreed to succeed Valarie Zeithaml,” said Dean Steve Jones. “His experience teaching in the MBA core curriculum and serving as faculty director of our Leadership Development Initiative make him the ideal person to lead the MBA Program going forward.”

Zeithaml has served as the MBA dean for four years, applying her pioneering work in services marketing to the benefit of the MBA Program, said Jones. “Her dedication to students, staff and faculty leave us stronger than ever and ready to build on the innovations and improvements that she led in the curriculum, admissions and career services.” Hofmann’s research examines organizational climate, leadership, organizational change and modeling the influence of organizational factors on individual behavior and performance. He teaches courses in organizational behavior and leadership.

Hoffman has consulted, conducted applied research projects and led executive development workshops. He received his PhD from Pennsylvania State University, his MS from the University of Central Florida and his BA from Furman University.

New leadership can mean upcoming changes in the program. We shall have to wait and see what’s in store for UNC.

I am very excited to announce Stacy Blackman Consulting’s sponsorship of the 2007 Beat The GMAT Scholarship. I have mentioned Beat The GMAT before in this blog, because I think it is a fantastic resource. I have enjoyed working with Eric, the Founder, and am thrilled to particpate in this year’s scholarship program.

Here are some details from Eric:
Beat The GMAT is a community service 2.0 project with a mission to help people achieve their full potential on the GMAT® and business school admissions by connecting them to the best resources available. In this spirit, one of the ways the organization assists people is through the annual Beat The GMAT Scholarship competition, co-sponsored by Manhattan GMAT and Stacy Blackman Consulting. Thanks to generous donations made this year by Manhattan GMAT and Stacy Blackman Consulting, we will be distributing five scholarship packages valued at nearly $9000!

People who apply for the 2007 Beat The GMAT Scholarship must meet the following requirements:

- Finished college, or in final year of college
- Plans to apply to business school within two years
- Has a PayPal account to receive cash prizes
- This competition is open to international candidates.

Submit your application by May 7, 2007.

If you are interested, in submitting an application, visit the information page. I am personally very excited to review the applications and to work with the winners!

Good Luck!