MBA Admissions Chat — Feb. 10, 2011

Welcome! Thank you for joining us today. I look forward to answering your questions, and we'll get started in just a few minutes.

When is the next deadline to apply for the Full-Time program? Do I need to have my GMAT done by that date?

The next deadline to submit your application for the full-time MBA program is April 4, 2011. No, you don't have to have taken the GMAT prior to that date, but be advised that your application won't be reviewed for admission until it is complete.

I'm looking at several MBA programs, and I'm not sure which one is right for me. What is it about Rady that makes it stand out against other programs?

What's distinctive about Rady is (1) our real interest in innovation and how innovation reaches the marketplace and (2) how this is played out in the curriculum: an emphasis on action learning, a real capstone project that is innovation focused.

Is there any minimum GMAT score requirement ?

No, there isn't a minimum GMAT score requirement. However, our last incoming Full-Time class averaged a score of 680 on their GMAT. To see more of their profile, click this link: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/fulltime/profile/.

I looked at your full-time profile and noticed that the average age is mid twenties. I'm considerably older, and wondering if I would feel out of place. What are your thoughts?

We don't have minimums or maximums in age or years of experience for any of the versions of our MBA program – Full-Time, FlexEvening, FlexWeekend. What we want to be sure is that you are in the program that will best meet your educational needs, and where you will be able both to provide value to your classmates and gain value from them. For those with higher levels of experience, we often suggest you visit classes both for Full-Time and for Flex to get a sense of how the classroom discussion and interaction differ. We also are very glad to speak with you individually about this choice and what factors might cause you to lean one way or the other.

What is the class intake for full time mba?

We expect to seat a class of 55-65 for the FT MBA program.

Is there any merit-based funding for those applying in the final round?

I don't know at this point. We have been making offers of admission, and have a number of students who have taken their places in the Fall 2011 Full-Time entering class. Please do note, though, that we don't have "rounds". We review applications on a rolling basis and admit continuously. The posted deadlines are a guideline for you on where we are in our admissions cycle. If your application is ready and you feel confident of the way it represents you, don't feel you need to wait for a deadline.

How do scholarship opportunities work?

All applicants are considered for merit-based fellowships as their applications are reviewed.

When is Rady expected to gain accreditation?

UC San Diego is accredited, and Rady operates under that accreditation umbrella. We are in the final stages of the process of AACSB accreditation, and have had very positive feedback at every stage (it's a complicated, fairly long process). We anticipate we will have a final decision from the AACSB Board next year.

Are there any profile sheets regarding where graduates are employed?

Absolutely. You can review our data and statistics here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/careers/data/ .

I have bachelors in computer science, and work experience in the IT industry. How will Radys Full-Time program work for me?

We're focused on innovation and how innovation reaches the marketplace - and we're interested in industry sectors that are driven by innovation. The technology sector is certainly one of these, and you would find elective curriculum, projects, and clubs focused in this area.

Does the Rady school have any relationships with local businesses - such as food companies or other specific areas?

We have an exceptional set of relationship with companies and professional/industry organizations in San Diego - and elsewhere. These include large companies and smaller, established and newer/emerging, and cover a wide range of industries. So, Hewlett Packard...Petco....Illumina....Sony.....DexCom....Kashi Co....Gen-Probe....and many, many more.

How important is networking to the UCSD FlexMBA experience?

Very important: your network begins in your class, moves out to the students in other years and other program formats, and then beyond. We have a very active alumni association, several mentoring programs that are available to Flex (as well as FT) MBA students, an extensive series of speakers from the business community - with many scheduled specifically so they are accessible to Flex students. We have an active network of business community advisors and coaches for the Lab to Market capstone projects, Industry Advisors who work with our career center, etc. I could go on!

How important is the GMAT score in the application process?

What we're evaluating is your academic/intellectual preparation - we want to be sure you're prepared for what we know is a rigorous MBA program. The GMAT is the best single predictor - statistically validated - of academic performance in the core curriculum of an MBA program. It and your prior educational record really help us understand your preparation. We are interested in all the component parts of the GMAT, not just an overall score, and we look at those component parts in combination with the specifics of your educational background.

How much the housing fee for one month?(if I want live at school)?

UCSD has five housing communities for graduate/professional students. Please refer to the following link for the cost per month at each community. http://hdh.ucsd.edu/arch/gradhousing.html

After three rounds, how many people does Rady estimate to accept in the 4th round?

Again, we don't have rounds, and the Admissions Committee is currently meeting every other week to consider applicants whose files are complete and who have had their interviews. We always find that we have interesting people who apply in the late stages of this cycle. We also have a bit of flexibility in class size - we have 70 seats in our core classrooms and are targeting a class a bit smaller than that. But we have full approval from our faculty and dean to use those last seats of we find great people who are a good fit with Rady and our focus.

When filling out the extracurricular activities in the application, are you looking for a list or a description as well?

Actually, we'd like you to give us whatever information you think would help us know enough about you to make a good decision. The space isn't unlimited, but we've always gotten some brief descriptions, some lists. If you have something that's very important about which you'd like to provide more information than the textbox can accommodate, do feel free to tell us some more in one of the optional essays. Really see those optional essays as a place to tell us anything else you want us to know - there's no "extra credit" for writing something here, but we do want to know whatever you think it's important we know about you.

The application is really a way for us to learn about you and to learn why Rady is the right place for you. We welcome whatever information you think we should have and we don't have a set idea of what "should" be included.

Thank you for joining us today. If you have further questions or would like to come visit us, please contact MBA Admissions at mbaadmissions@ucsd.edu.