Chat with MBA Admissions — March 29, 2012

Can I take classes toward an MBA without being enrolled in the program?

Since Rady MBA classes are cohort driven, that really isn't an option. We offer the opportunity to interested students to visit one of our classes. This helps to get a strong impression regarding Rady's environment.

I am currently taking a course that will finish Math requirement. How should I mark that on my application?

Go ahead and mark "yes". There's space on the application for you to give more information regarding the school where you're taking the class, the name of the class, etc. You can just notate the date that it will be complete.

What are some ways that applicants can mitigate a lower GMAT score?

Our Admissions Committee considers your entire application when considering you for admission to the school. Thus, your academic records, work experience, letters of recommendation and essays could help demonstrate that you are intellectually ready for a rigorous program of study and possess the character attributes needed to be an effective contributor in the classroom and in your cohort teams. You also could register to retake the GMAT in the near future, and indicate this on your application. Please note that your application will be preliminarily reviewed, but an admission decision not made until we receive the new GMAT score.

Do you want me to upload the transcripts for the school I am currently attending, even though I am not working toward a degree at this time?

Yes, we need transcripts from all academic institutions attended, whether you were seeking a degree or not.

Could I choose a joint-degree - such as communication engineering PhD?

The only joint degree program that Rady offers at this time is an MBA/PhD with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. You would first need to be admitted into the PhD program at SIO, and then go through the MBA admissions process.

Does Rady offer any courses centered around the topic of social entrepreneurism? If not, in what existing courses is this topic included in?

Entrepreneurism, in general, is the central theme of our Lab to Market sequence. The beauty of this particular 3 quarter course is the fact that the ideas/projects are solely left up to you, not the faculty or administration. Therefore, if you wanted to develop a project that had a social entrepreneurship aspect to it, that would be your choice. We believe that the hard part of bringing ideas from lab to market is actually generating the ideas and deciding which one of those ideas are worth pursuing all the way through. The concept of social entrepreneurship will also be incorporated into various other electives and our "Topics in", such as "Topics in Innovation".

How quantitatively rigorous is your program? It is important to me that I attend a program that is going to give me a really solid background in accounting and finance. Will your program be able to provide enough of this kind of coursework?

Upon beginning the program in the fall, our students will have already taken at least one year of college-level calculus, and will have attended an accounting "bootcamp" taught by one of our faculty members, to prepare them for the quantitative analysis that they will be performing along a breadth of courses, in core classes such as Accounting and Finance, and in electives that require financial decision making, analysis, simulation and so forth.

I would like to know when the Rady school will be in the US News ranking.

As Rady just recently received accreditation from AACSB last year, we're in the process of gathering the information necessary to be part of the rankings.

Would you recommend a potential student take pre-MBA courses? Would this be beneficial to an applicant and display his or her commitment to business school?

That really depends on your academic and professional experience. If your academic records are strong, and you have work experience that demonstrates your achievements, depth and breadth of responsibilities, leadership potential, collaboration and so forth, taking additional classes may not be necessary to supplement your application. Your GMAT score is a significant factor in admissions decisions as well, so your time might be best spent preparing for your best result.

I have a PhD in Biophysics and am working in the biotechnology industry. Would I be eligible for a GMAT waiver?

We often grant GMAT waivers to individuals holding PhD in the sciences or technical fields, so there is a strong likelihood that you would be exempt. Please send us your request for a waiver by emailing MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu, when you submit your application.

What are the requirements for Rady students to participate in the Rady Venture Fund? In what capacity do these students serve?

To participate in the Rady Venture fund, you have to take the prerequisite course (New Venture Finance) in the fall quarter of your 2nd year. This leads into two further classes (Venture Capital Management) in your winter and spring quarter. Students look over company applications and do their due diligence to see if it's an opportunity worth investing.

For the FlexMBA, is there a possibility of switching between FlexEvening and FlexWeekend - in case my situation changes midway through the course?

We will always consider a possible switch between programs on a case by case basis. It's happened before for previous students that their life situation changes, and we've worked with them to help accommodate this change.

I was originally planning to apply for this fall, but decided to put it off to retake my GMAT. If I now have achieved a goal which I am fully satisfied with, what would you recommend for me from now until the Fall 2013 application process begins?

If you are happy with your GMAT score and feel that you now have a competitive application, I would recommend applying for this fall - there's no need to wait a whole year. If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me directly at alroybal@ucsd.edu.

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.