UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business recently announced it plans to tap into cutting-edge teaching technologies with the launch of three digital courses on a pilot basis beginning this summer. Funds from a $1 million matching gift from Steve and Susan Chamberlin, former members of the Haas faculty, will cover the costs of these pilots, as well as similar initiatives at other UC Berkeley professional schools.

Data and Decisions, the first online course debuting in June, is a prerequisite for the school’s Evening & Weekend MBA Program. In the undergraduate program, Tiffany Rassmusen will teach Professional Judgment in Accounting online starting in July.

The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business has posted the full-time MBA application deadlines for the 2012-2013 application cycle.

Round 1
Deadline: October 16, 2012
Notification: December 14, 2012

Round 2
Deadline: December 4, 2012
Notification: February 15, 2013

Round 3
Deadline: January 23, 2013
Notification: March 29, 2013

Round 4
Deadline: March 26, 2013
Notification: May 10, 2013

Please note that international applicants may not apply after round three. Stay tuned as more information on fall 2013 admissions for the Texas MBA becomes available this summer.

Greater emphasis on global diversity is the cornerstone of changes the Yale School of Management recently announced to its Pre-MBA Leadership Program. Launched in 2009, the annual two-week-long program has focused on introducing the fundamentals of an MBA degree to U.S. students from underrepresented populations.

Last year, with support from Goldman Sachs Gives, a donor-advised philanthropic fund,  the program expanded to include students from two Brazilian universities. Beginning in summer 2012, the renamed Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program will include undergraduate students from universities in Brazil, China, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, and Singapore.

Again partnering with Goldman Sachs Gives, this year the program will extend its international reach and draw on schools in the newly formed Global Network for Advanced Management.

“Focusing on global diversity will enrich the program, meaningfully exposing both under-represented students from the U.S. and students from an interesting set of countries to the complexities within and between societies,” says Yale SOM Dean Edward A. Snyder. “Providing students with an understanding of these complexities is critical in management education in today’s flatter, but non-convergent, world.”

The Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program is open to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors as well as recent graduates. Participating schools have been invited to select two high-potential undergraduates from their universities to attend the program, which will take place June 10–23, 2012.

Hello, and welcome back to another edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, where we share the latest goings-on from the MBA applicant and student trenches. This week, our Buzz bloggers share the whys of where they’re going; get ready to dive back into essay-writing mode; and come to terms with the end of their MBA.

Why Wharton?—For those fortunate enough to receive admits from more than one of their target schools, deciding where to go is no easy task. Motown describes some of the factors that lead her ultimately to choose Wharton School, which include the urban location, as well as various aspects related to the student body, culture, academics and career services.

The hunt begins—No one ever said business school was cheap, and even with the great benefit of a scholarship, there are so many ancillary expenses to consider that admitted students often go into freakout mode figuring out how to pay for it all. Cheetarah1980 is thus resigned to diving back into essay mode and applying for every feasible additional scholarship out there.

An ethical slip too close to home—Our newly added Buzz blogger Julianne, aka Sleeping Between Spreadsheets, shares the details of a dismaying situation involving the total ethical lapse of one of her project teammates. Lesson learned: in group projects, and in life, surround yourself with teammates you can trust. Otherwise, you’re only as strong as your weakest member.

The end is bittersweet—Four years and countless hours of labor later, Part-Timer has finally reached the official end of his MBA program, and he can’t help but feel nostalgic about this particularly meaningful period of his life. The MBA leg of the journey may be over, he notes, but new adventures and opportunities await. Best of luck as you write the next chapter!

Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at buzz@StacyBlackman.com.

*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

Our client Jillian thought she had the recommendation portion of her applications locked up. A few years into her career, she had in hand a strong recommendation from her current supervisor attesting to her leadership skills, and a former boss happy to emphasize her communication skills in a second recommendation.

Jillian was aiming for some top schools, and as she combed through the requirements for Harvard and Stanford GBS with her consultant, they found the catch. Each school asked for not one, not two, but three recommendations. Harvard simply asked for a current or recent supervisor to write one recommendation, and Stanford was a little more specific, asking for the third recommendation to come specifically from a peer and not a supervisor.

“But I work eighty hours a week!” was Jillian’s first reaction. “I’ve made sure to focus on my job the last few years and give it everything I’ve got- I barely have time for anything else so I’m not sure who to ask.” Jillian’s consultant first advised her to look at the problem the other way around: she already had two home-run recommendations ready, so this might be an opportunity to show off a side that hasn’t been showcased elsewhere in her application. They went through all the possibilities, from colleagues at her current and former companies, to her church volunteer work, to her Friday night bowling league.

What they found was Jillian had missed an answer that was right in front of her. At a previous position, she had worked extensively with a peer on several projects in a row, and in the process had become good friends outside of work, continuing their friendship even though both had moved on to other companies. Jillian hadn’t even thought of Grace as a peer anymore since they spent more time at the movies than working on spreadsheets nowadays, but of course Grace was delighted to write her recommendation, and was able to provide personal insight that even Jillian’s supervisors could not.

After digging deep for that third rec, Jillian felt great about sending off her applications to Harvard and Stanford, and as a result of her participation, Grace is now thinking seriously of going for her MBA as well.

Are you having trouble deciding who should recommend you for business school applications? Sign up for a free consultation to talk to one of our experts.

Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management recently announced it has partnered with French business school EMLYON and Zhejiang University in China to offer the Global Entrepreneurship Program,  a 12-month master’s degree program dedicated to entrepreneurship.

The course is designed to provide entrepreneurial leaders and managers with the tools, knowledge, network and mindset to operate in increasingly global markets.

Students begin the program in the fall on the EMLYON campus in Lyon, France, getting insight into setting up a company from scratch and the European approach to business. In January, they head to China where they focus on family businesses. The last module takes place at Purdue with an examination of what makes for a high-growth company.

Working in multicultural teams, students will do a project at each location to develop their entrepreneurial skills and an appreciation for the challenges of establishing a business in each culture.

“Purdue University is honored to join the Global Entrepreneurship Program consortium,” said Krannert dean  P. Christopher Earley. “At Purdue, we take pride in producing analytical thinkers and global leaders, and our approach to management education with a focus on innovation, engineering and science perfectly complements our partner institutions.

“We’re confident that students will leave the program with a tremendous foundation for entrepreneurship through cutting-edge innovation, honed both in the classroom and through experiential learning opportunities.”