Chat with MBA Admissions — October 8, 2012

Are students allowed to take classes in other graduate schools (within UCSD) and use them as electives for the MBA? If so, how may credits can be taken?

Yes, Rady students are allowed to take classes within the other graduate schools on campus. However, they need to be classes that are not offered at Rady, make sense within your academic and career goals, and have been approved by your Academic Advisor. You can take up to 3 classes outside of the MBA program that will count towards your degree.

How often do students take language classes assuming they'd like to incorporate some of those skills into their overall academic plan?

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. We've had some students take graduate level language classes. Again, it made sense given their academic and career goals. It's something that your Academic Advisor is happy to discuss with you.

I'm an international student, and I have a question about my cumulative GPA. It is below 3.0, and my GMAT score is 630. I have two years of work experience. Do I have a chance to get accepted into Rady’s full time MBA program?

We do not have minimum requirements of any kind for admission consideration. Our admissions committee evaluates applications comprehensively. We simply want to understand why an MBA (specifically, our MBA) is right for you now and what you can contribute to the learning of your colleagues. To give you a sense of how competitive the applicant pool is, you may want to check out last year's incoming class profile: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/fulltime/profile/.

Where can I find the MBA program calendar

Our Full-Time program generally follows UCSD's academic calendar. This can be viewed here: http://blink.ucsd.edu/instructors/resources/academic/calendars/2012.html. To get a sense of what the class schedule is like, we encourage you to check out our sample class schedule: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/fulltime/schedule/.

Does Rady offer courses or a specialization in real estate?

The Rady School doesn't offer specializations or concentrations - we feel as though that limits the flexibility of choosing certain electives. Rady offers enough electives within various sectors (e.g, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Operations, etc) that you could create your own self-emphasis, but it's not mandatory. You can see more about our elective offerings here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/curriculum/electives/.

I am a PhD candidate in Biology here at UCSD, is it true that I wouldn't need to take the GMAT if I already have a PhD?

To confirm, applicants with a PhD are eligible for GMAT waiver consideration. To qualify, we simply ask that you submit university issued documentation of your degree conferral either with your application for admission or by email to MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu.

It appears that the current full time MBA class size is approximately 60 students. Is that correct? Also, how many applications do you receive?

Our full-time class size is typically about 60 - 75 students. We generally accept at about 35 - 37% rate for the full-time program.

Wouldn't it be better to know if the GMAT is waived before I apply? Is it only because of the PhD or are other factors considered?

If you would like to be assured of your GMAT waiver before submitting an application, you can email scanned documentation of your Ph.D. degree conferral to MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu.

Are the 3 MBA programs all considered to be full-time?

We have one full-time program and two part-time programs (FlexEvening and FlexWeekend). A program comparison can be viewed here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/compare/. In regards to the GI Bill, the FlexWeekend program could be considered “full-time” for all intents and purposes since students take at least 12 credits each quarter.

Can you give us a little insight to the Rady school culture?

The Rady School has a culture of innovation and collaboration. We're a small program - there are about 55-65 Full-Time students, 40 FlexEvening students, and 30 FlexWeekend students who start each fall. They get to really know each other as a cohort, and you can see that in class. Classes tend to be more facilitation of conversations than just straight lecture. Because the industries here in San Diego lend themselves strongly to innovation, we really push that idea within the program. It's most evident in our Lab to Market course sequence. (You can see more about it here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/curriculum/labtomarket/) We offer the opportunity to come and visit one of our classes during the quarter. I highly recommend registering for one to get a sense of the culture for yourself.

What if I do not have any working experiences and would like to apply for the program?

We do not require a minimum amount of work experience for admission consideration. Every year we've admitted a small amount of students directly from their undergraduate education. Again, our admissions committee will simply want to understand why an MBA makes sense for you right now, in terms of your career goals, and what you'll be able to contribute to the learning of your colleagues.

What would you say makes the Rady MBA program stand out?

Again, I would say what makes our program stand out is our focus on innovation. That may seem like a slick marketing word, but I've seen it play out time and again from the projects that our students work on to the initiatives put into place by staff members. Every single person here (administration, faculty, and students) is heavily invested in the mission of the Rady School and making certain that our reputation lives up to the standards that were put into place when UCSD agreed to start an MBA program.

Because I am a full time student, I don't have work experience per se. I am running an organization on campus that raises funds and markets events. Would the fact that I have little business experience be a detriment to my application?

Not at all. Our admissions committee is really good at looking at applications as a whole. Therefore, no single portion of your application will wholly determine our admission decision. A wealth of academic preparedness can offset less work experience. Similarly, a stellar letter of recommendation can highlight your potential to succeed as well. We'll want to see where you've demonstrated leadership. This does not necessarily mean it has to be from the workplace. Experience in student organizations will definitely be considered as well.

Is there any specific area which we can choose to study, like a concentration?

Our students specialize in their field of interest through their choice of electives. Our academic advising team works with our students to ensure that they are taking courses that are relevant to their career goals. A look into our elective offerings can be viewed here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/curriculum/electives/

Has the Rady program seen a general interest in the fields of green energy/renewables?

Yes, we've seen an interest in green energy/renewables for the past few years. There's been the occasional "Topics In..." elective that dealt with renewables, as well as the student club "Net Impact" that seems to have quite a bit of involvement from our students. (http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/clubs/netimpact/). They're in the planning stages of a Cleantech2Market certificate course, and have held certain networking events such as the Electric Vehicle event. We also see students involving themselves in this sector through independent projects.

Does the Lab to Market course series include any requests from companies to address an issue or opportunity, or is the scope of the project determined by student teams?

The Lab to Market projects are determined by the student teams. The whole point of this sequence is to help you determine which ideas are worth pursuing and which ones just need to be dropped. To that effect, your team has to come up with about 40 ideas and narrow it down from there. There are independent study classes, as well as other classes where you may work with outside companies on specific projects that they bring to Rady.

Considering how young the program is, how is Rady building/strengthening the program's alumni network? How helpful is this network to recent new grads - particularly those that are looking to stay in the San Diego area?

Rady's now going on its 9th year, and we have over 600 alumni. According to our Assistant Dean for MBA Programs (who has worked for Wharton and UCI's business school), she has never seen such an active group of alumni as here at the Rady School. Many of our graduates tend to stay in San Diego, so the alumni network is particularly helpful to recent grads. Also, sometimes you have to balance whether it's better to know a good majority of the folks in your alumni community, or a few within a much larger network. It's more of a personal preference.

For admissions purposes, would the following be looked up favorably or unfavorably: 20 years in the military, 3 years as a volunteer Honolulu Police Officer, cancer survivor?

Honestly, we take a very holistic view when evaluating your application and every piece of the puzzle counts. Since we're in San Diego (and San Diego is definitely a military town), we know that folks with that background definitely come to us with disciplined attitudes - so, that's a plus. However, it's also important that you're academically prepared to enter into a rigorous MBA program. That's why your GMAT and undergraduate transcripts are also important. There's an optional 5th essay question in the application that allows you to tell us anything else you would like for us to know - this might be a good place to put some of these other things you've mentioned. It helps to give us a more complete picture of you.

Thank you for joining us today. We hope this was helpful for you, and we welcome you to contact us directly with any further questions at MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu.