MBA
J-Book 2007

アドミッションへのインタビュー：英語原文 （2007年）

2007年11月15日、アドミッション責任者である、Associte Dean, Student Recruitment & AdmissionsのMs. Rose Martinelliにインタビューを行いました。今回はアプリケーションプロセスに新たに加わったパワーポイントの課題や、Chicago GSBのカリキュラムの特徴等について聞いてきました。なお、本インタビューの和訳版をこちらにご用意しています。併せてご覧ください。

日本語訳インタビュー

Rose Martinelli

Q: The application process saw some changes last year. Why did Chicago GSB make changes in the applications? Especially, what do you expect from the PowerPoint question?
A: We decided to add the PowerPoint requirement to give applicants more control over their application submission. Up until this point, the Admissions Committee owned the process - we asked the questions, we asked for data, and the student had to provide the requested information. There had been no place where the applicant could put in any information that was more important to them or utilize a different medium that was more comfortable for them. Frankly, the application became an essay-writing contest, and that is not what we’re doing with the MBA application. In fact, to me, the MBA application is about evaluating a person’s self-awareness and their readiness for the MBA. We look at records of accomplishment and success, and I look to the applicant to tell me that he/she knows themselves and knows the direction they want to go moving forward. The only way that we know that you have gone through this process is to ask you to write the essays. Doing a self assessment is critical in understanding yourself and your potential fit and match with schools. So, the PowerPoint was designed to offer four blank pieces of paper whereby the applicant can provide us with any information that they think is valuable. It is NOT a PowerPoint presentation - meaning, this is not bullet points on a wall. This is a medium for people to submit information they think will help the Admissions Committee understand the person better - it can be visuals, poetry, uploaded letters, whatever. This requirement provides us with a texture of the applicant that is beyond what is requested in the application.
(Rose shows us a few examples - contents redacted.)
We could have never asked an (essay) question that could have gotten at this type of information. To me, it is hugely valuable not at the point where you first submit your application, but where we are making our final decisions and trying to look at the diversity of the class body. In the full-time program, it is enormously important to have broad diversity - diversity of function and industry and passions; we want musicians and mathematicians. This diversity creates a rich learning environment that is critical at Chicago GSB. Prior to these new components in the application, these qualities were difficult to find it in the application. Now we see it and can sense an applicant’s depth of involvement. I’m hoping that we will be able to more easily measure and attract more well-rounded candidates. Plus, the new application is much more fun to read now - fewer essays, much more content.
There is no right or wrong approach to the power point requirement. It is just a free form piece where information can be presented that is representative of what a person thinks and feels about himself. We were hoping to have a much deeper level of understanding of what makes a person or an applicant tick, what motivates them.

Q: Could you share with us the changes in the number of applications? Also, specifically for Asian and Japanese applicants?
A: Going up, going up rapidly. Over the past two years, applications have been up over 65%. This year, they are already trending up (after Round 1). We will probably have double the number of applications within three years from when I started in 2005 to the end of this season. I think what admissions is doing more effectively than in the past is helping people to understand how unique we are and what a wonderful experience this is. The strength of the school has always been strong, the only thing we changed was the way we market the school. You are the first class to come in under the “Challenge Everything” brochure. Your class already has more energy than the class ahead of you. People are just having a great time this year; you hear about the quality of the classes, the quality of your classmates, the depth of the discussions in the classroom, the fun that people are having.
For me, it is difficult to predict the (exact) number of applications we will receive from Asia and Japan until after Round 2. Most Japanese students and Asian students apply in Round 2. I imagine it will be up, but I will not have real numbers for a couple more weeks.

Q: What do you think made Chicago GSB to become the top school?
A: One of the things that I think is important for everyone to understand - especially, prospective students - is that this institution provides enormous support for everything that you do. This is a place where you HAVE to engage, but in that engagement is so much freedom and flexibility that there has to be a lot of support as well. We do not want to twist anybody’s arm, but we do want to provide you with the support necessary to make the best decision. I am BIG into this. Many admissions offices don’t like to do this, because it requires significant time and effort to create relationships. But that is what we do at the GSB. It’s all one on one, people are unique, you are not just a number, and you are not a class member until you decide this is the place for you. I love working here - it is incredibly exciting and everyone believes so much in what we are doing and the value systems that we bring to the industry. It is not a game - it is not about being number 1 - rather, it is about critical thinking and being the best you can be at every stage.

Q: Why does Chicago GSB have one of the most flexible curriculum systems?
A: It is about the philosophy; we have a free market economy, free market thought process, free market everything. We don’t believe that any two people have the same background or the same aspirations; we don’t believe that our faculty has the same background or the same research interests, so why should we define it for students? We do believe that there are core requirements, that there are core critical thinking skills that you need to get while you are at business school, but everyone starts at different levels. I always think this is a program for grown-ups, where YOU get to choose, YOU get to engage in the program. We are unlike our peers who completely assign everything to you - you have no choice over timing, over faculty, over course content, over your life, your schedule. But I don’t believe that is the MBA of the future - that is certainly not the MBA of today, in my opinion. It makes people waste a lot of time, and here, you do not waste any dollars. You get to target what it is you want to do. It is a big philosophical difference. There is no other MBA program out there doing it - there are a lot that are trying to copy the GSB way, but you know, we’re not standing still. We are in the process of redesigning LEAD, redesigning our curriculum, thinking of ways to utilize the cohorts and teams more thoroughly to make the classes feel more cohesive. This school doesn’t stop changing, which I think is pretty cool and very unique.

Q: How do you evaluate TOEFL (iBT and CBT) and GMAT scores?
A: The average GMAT scores are increasing, but the ranges are staying the same. The middle 80 percent range is 650-760. I think that the TOEFL iBT is causing huge consternation, especially in the Asian population. The minimum score to be admitted is 104. The GSB does not have a minimum score to apply, however, students must either meet the new minimum to be admitted or be willing to take additional language preparation prior to enrolling in the program. There is now an oral section to the iBT TOEFL which is causing huge problems for many Asian applicants. We do not have any minimum subsection requirements, and we can admit people with lower scores, but we will probably require them to come early and do an immersion program or something to help them feel more comfortable. I have been talking with many of my peers in Japan, and Japanese students are struggling with the new iBT. It is a difficult exam, but I know a number of agencies within Japan are working very hard to help students learn how to be successful with the test. I am hoping that will balance out, however, last year the new test actually resulted in a decline in our Japanese applicant pool. Studying in another country, speaking in another language 24x7 is exhausting. To read as much as you have to read and then have class discussions and class participation, this is a very rigorous program. So, there are reasons why we have these high requirements.

Q: What types of events or resources (aside from a trip to Hyde Park) are available for potential Japanese applicants to learn more about Chicago GSB? On a related note, has the GSB started any recent initiatives to strengthen the GSB brand in Japan?
A: One of the things that we have created this year is easier access to current students, so we have a whole Ambassador network on our website. As a prospective student, you can go to our website, click on Japan, and see two ambassadors who would be willing to field any other questions and have an offline discussion.
(Link: http://www.chicagogsb.edu/fulltime/community/international/japan.aspx)
I think that is tremendously important. I have talked with my Japanese colleagues about inviting admitted students to alumni gatherings, and we will continue to have student-hosted events. We had our official event in September, and I am hoping that we will have a couple of winter student events in December and January. Those informal events really help people to get a sense of who we are. People want to connect with some of our alumni - just let us know, and we will do the best to make that connection.

Q: Do you have any general tips for the second round applicants in Japan?
A: I think we have given out so much information this year about how to be successful in the application process. We are having another chat on December 14th; we just had 300 people join us for our chat yesterday, and those transcripts are on the website right now.
(Link: http://www.chicagogsb.edu/fulltime/chat/)
Our newsletters give applicants tips on how to be successful in the application process. They can talk to students and try to contact the office for connection with alumni, but they should utilize every resource that they can to know more about us even without coming to the GSB. And then, the bottom line is that they know themselves well, that they have done their own individual self-assessment and can tell us, honestly, where they’ve been, where they’re going, and why the GSB. It’s really very simple, and if the applicant has done that, it is an easy admit decision for us. In order to get the most out of the MBA program, you have to be self aware and in charge of your career - that is what we look for. That way, you can have fun here. (Laughter.)