Goizueta Emory Admissions Interview (cont'd)

Are these interviews conducted blind or do the interviewers view the application beforehand?

The vast majority, maybe 90%, of the interviews are done blind.  We really do like the interview to stand on its own because the more you know about somebody, the more you may form preconceived notions about the person.  Our blind interview process gives the interviewee a chance to shine.  If an international applicant or anyone who has completed an application cannot come to Atlanta for an interview and we are considering them for admission, they will be offered the opportunity to interview over the telephone.

Do you have any special instructions or advice for people who want to visit the school's campus?

Absolutely.  We really love to have people visit.  We are proud of our building, our students and our faculty and I'm confident that visitors will have a great experience.  They can also visit our website or call to schedule an interview on campus or at one of our recruiting venues.  I recommend that people come from mid-September to mid-November.  They can have lunch with a student in the program and also schedule an interview at the same time.  We are a little different than a lot of programs in that we do not require a candidate to have anything on file to have an interview.  We have Open Houses (our Welcome Weeknights) that candidates can attend; information on these events is posted on our web site.  Candidates can watch these events over the web as well.  We also have receptions and recruiting events, and participate in the MBA tours so people can meet and interview with us outside of Atlanta.

Would you talk about the financial aid process and what admitted students can expect in terms of scholarships, assistantships, and loan guarantees.

Emory has a Central Office of Financial Aid and that office handles all loans.  We have a wide variety of loan programs.  Obtaining a loan to attend Goizueta is not a difficult process.  All students that apply to our program by February 1, and are admitted, are automatically considered for scholarship.  Essentially, it is the strength of the application that determines the level of scholarship awarded.  The scholarships at Goizueta range from 20% tuition to full scholarship plus a $3,000 stipend.  We also have a loan fund that we award to international students.

What specifically should applicants with an entrepreneurial edge do to differentiate themselves in their applications?

A candidate who has that interest is going to be very attractive to us because they are innovative and risk taking.  Having said that, I think that candidates can really distinguish themselves through their own backgrounds, whatever they are. At Goizueta, we have a new Center for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Growth and we have a directed study where candidates can create their own course and work with a faculty member, which I think is an amazing opportunity.  Now, I don't want applicants to think that we are only looking for entrepreneurial candidates.  Whatever their work experience is, we want candidates that have shown they have added value to their organization, because if they did it for that organization, they will do it at Goizueta.

Can you briefly describe the housing situation for your students?

It is fabulous.  Emory is in a very nice location and is 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta.  It is very easy to find a place to live.  There are lots of apartments in the area and most of the students choose to live in one of the apartment complexes near campus or they choose to live in Emory University's apartments that have recently been extensively renovated.  This complex has a gymnasium, pool, tennis and basketball courts, and even day care.  It is a residential campus and it is a very nice living environment for our students.

What would you say distinguishes the Goizueta program and its students?

I have to say it is the personalities.  Students here are bright and engaging individuals and really believe in the strength of community.  They have wonderful leadership instincts but they combine their drive with strong interpersonal skills and a can-do attitude about making things better.  Whatever program or initiative we undertake, we do our best and then once it’s finished we ask ourselves, "what can we do better", or "maybe we don't want to do it again" and try something new.  I think that willingness to try new things and take leadership roles to accomplish new initiatives is fully embraced by students, faculty and staff at Goizueta.

How did this year's application pool compare to the previous years?  How about the demographic make up of the applicant pool?

Just like a lot of other top-tier schools, our application volume was down.  However, the pool of applicants itself was very strong.  More people are aware of our program and see the momentum at Goizueta.  The candidates applying to our program have good work experience, strong test scores and good grades and there were certainly very respectable applications across the board. So, it made the admissions selection process quite challenging.  We did a better job of recruiting women applicants here I'm proud to say.  In all cases, our current students are our best recruiters.  From our pool, we were very intentional and deliberate in whom we admitted.  We wanted students who had strong academic and experiential profiles--we also wanted female candidates, minorities, and a very diverse international pool and we achieved our objectives.

Page 1 2 3 4