Chat with MBA Admissions —January 18, 2013

I have two questions about the mentor program shown in the info session on Jan 8th. Is the program available for students on corporate sponsorship? Can students choose the mentor or request mentors in a certain industry and position?

The Executive Mentor program is open to all interested Rady MBA students. There is a mentor mixer where students and mentors have the opportunity to informally meet one another prior to officially connecting. So, yes, students can choose their mentors.

If my work situation changes during the program, how difficult would it be to change from Flex Weekend to Flex Evening or vice versa?

While students typically remain in the program they are first enrolled in, if such circumstances arise, our Student Services team would work individually with you to set up a schedule that best accommodates you. Each situation is evaluated and responded to on a case by case basis.

How are applicants considered, do you see applicants from a particular background being highly represented? I, personally, am coming from the chemical industry as a research chemist looking for a career change to marketing.

Because San Diego is a big hub for biotech and high tech firms, we have seen a higher number of applicants from these backgrounds. However, we definitely value and encourage diversity in our student body and, thus, have a broad range of backgrounds that are represented in our program.

If possible, I would like to ask about Lab to Market. Are there any start-up companies from L2M? For example, how was Go Green launched?

Yes, we've had several start-up companies come from L2M. Rady is a school with a strong entrepreneurial spirit running through it. Typically, about 5% of each Rady class starts a company. It may spring from their L2M project or from other projects that they've worked on throughout their time here. Sometimes folks will start a company prior to coming into the program and realize that there are gaps in their business knowledge. Even though Go Green was launched prior to Pierre Sleiman starting at Rady, Pierre felt that the MBA program would be instrumental in helping him tackle problems like shrinking farmland and rising fuel costs.

5%...great! I think Rady students really embody the innovation.

They sure do! Rady students are pretty motivated and passionate about being part of the mission, branding, and vision of the school. Since it's also a small program, they also have a pretty big voice with the administration.

Could you expand on Lab to Market?

Lab to Market is a 3 quarter sequence course that is meant to teach you how to turn ideas into market opportunities. You’ll perform market research and validation, develop a business case and then a business plan and a go-to-market strategy. Working in teams, assisted by Rady’s robust network of external advisers and coaches, you will gain exposure to commercialization opportunities at leading research institutes and generate your own ideas. It's really meant for you to learn how to differentiate between what's worth pursuing and what is best left in the recycling bin. These are skills that you would most definitely use outside of just starting your own business. It's used in scenario planning, new product development, etc. It was important enough that Rady decided that it needed to be a mandatory course, not just an entrepreneurship elective offering.

Do you see much interaction between the flex MBA students and the fulltime students? I could see real value with cross talk with people currently working in the area and those maybe building up their network base.

We will typically see interaction between FlexMBA and Full-Time MBA students at our various networking events. Rady Career Connections and Student Services make certain that these events are offered at times when students from all cohorts can participate. FlexMBA students also interact with Full-Time MBA students during business treks—which are to the Bay area as well as other countries (China, Israel, Japan, Brazil, etc). Also, some Full-Time MBA students take electives in the evening or weekend with our Flex students.

How many Chinese students are you going to recruit for fall 2013? What is the typical GMAT score for admitted Chinese students?

When recruiting applicants, we do not have a quota of applicants from any specific country. We evaluate applicants based on their individual merits—not by their country of origin. Therefore, unfortunately, we don’t separate our average GMAT scores by country. Nevertheless, to give you a sense of how competitive our applicant pool is, the previous class median GMAT score was a 690, and the average was 680.

Could you describe the typical life of an MBA student in Rady?

For the full-time MBA program, students generally take classes Monday through Thursday. Course times range from 9am to 5pm. Afterwards, there are career events and seminars that students attend. In the evenings, students typically get together with their study groups to work on assigned homework and projects. Many of our students are also involved in various student organizations. A look into those can be found here: http://rady.ucsd.edu/mba/student/clubs/.

The part time program is bit different. For both Flex programs, our students are working professionals who maintain their full-time employment while obtaining their degree. Classes are held either Tuesday and Thursday evenings for the FlexEvening program or Fridays and Saturdays from 8am – 5pm for the FlexWeekend program.

Could you briefly describe the working culture of the program and the students that comprise it?

The working culture is very much focused on innovation, and the entrepreneurially minded students embody that. Our students aren't just collaborative with each other—they truly care about their classmates and will always push and make certain that they are being supportive in their classes and study groups. I've heard incredible stories from our Career's department that went a little something like this: if a student was applying for an internship/job and realized that they weren't necessarily the best fit, they wouldn't hesitate to put forth the name of one of their classmates. That's amazing to me, and it's just what the environment is like here at Rady.

I think for science minded people, collaboration speaks wonders. And it sounds like people aren't stepping on top of each other when it comes to job searching. Thanks!

It's definitely always warmed my heart to see it in action and to hear these types of stories. We have great students! :) If you haven't had an opportunity to speak to any of our current students, I would highly recommend it. We'll have a few students available to speak with you via instant chat through our Livestream channel: http://bit.ly/11d9Nn5. All you have to do to submit your question to them is to post your question in the "comments" section of their picture post.

In terms of the Rady Venture Fund, is it operated by students concentrated on finance?

Any student enrolled in our program is eligible to participate in the Rady Venture Fund. More information can be found here: http://management.ucsd.edu/invest/venture/.

What is the career placement and assistance offered during and after the program?

Our Career Connections team offers numerous services to prepare you for your career after Rady. Throughout your time here, there are various networking opportunities where our students connect with business professionals in different industries and job functions. These events range from recruitment fairs exclusive to our MBA students to professional seminars with industry experts. Beyond networking, our careers team also helps develop our students’ professional skillset through a series of workshops that include mentoring sessions with seasoned career coaches, resume reviews, mock interviews, and much more.

In terms of after the program, we’ve found that our alumni remain very much engaged with the success of the school. Therefore, our past students have established a rather robust Alumni Association that not only connects new graduates to members of their field but also hosts a variety of networking events.

What is the percentage of students that find work within the first year after graduation?

For the class of 2011, 79% found employment within 3 months of graduation. For more detailed employment statistics, please visit our website: http://rady.ucsd.edu/careers/employment-reports/

Thank you for joining us today. Again, if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu. Have a great day!