How To Offset A Low GMAT Score

Breaking the Ice: A B-School Primer On Making Faculty Friends

That anxious third grader inside us never really dies. You can score million dollar deals and develop groundbreaking products to hide it. Once you head to business school, that youthful insecurity comes out in full force. Like any nine year old, you’ll eventually ask yourself, “Does my teacher really like me?”

Maybe it doesn’t matter to you. But teachers can open doors for you. They can connect you with potential employers, serve as references…or help you better understand a concept. And they’ll go above-and-beyond for those who are friendly, sincere, and appreciative. Let’s face it: Teachers want to be liked too. And many crave a personal connection to their students too. So how do you build authentic relationships with your professors?

Sridhar Balasubramanian, a marketing professor at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, encourages students to learn about their professors through outlets like Linkedin. He also counsels students to be strategic when approaching him, to have “something memorable to say or demonstrate what is memorable about you.” That will distinguish you from the hundreds of other students he encounters.

According to Jeffrey H. Bergstrand, a finance professor at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, professors take interest in students who enrich classroom discussions with relevant questions and real life experience. Balasubramanian notes that he appreciates students who contact him when they’re struggling instead of languishing through the semester.

Of course, these strategies pale next to the oldest way to build a relationship. And it’s something you probably learned in the third grade: Show interest in the other person. Bidhan Parmar, an assistant professor at Virginia Darden, counsels students to ask about a professor’s research, which is often their passion. Parmar also notes that Darden provides volunteer activities, such as Habitat For Humanity, where faculty and students can interact outside the classroom. Paul Whitmire, a second year student at Vanderbilt Owen, adds that learning about your mutual interests can often break the ice.

Looking for extra credit? Send a handwritten note to your favorite professors after graduation. For most business school professors, teaching is a calling, not a paycheck. They want to know that they made an difference too.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Recruiters Push Early Access To New MBA Students

 

Remember the days when schools would chase off sports agents prowling around the athletic complex? Well, administrators now have a new menace to worry about: MBA recruiters.

Yes, the competition is heating up on campuses – and recruiters aren’t waiting for permission to meet with the new crop of students. They’re holding off-site events – and offering internships before first years even set foot on campus.

For example, Deloitte Consulting LLP hosts a summer conference, where first years can interview early for coveted associate positions for the following summer. Similarly, the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management conducts a summer event so first years can interview with companies such as Eli Lilly and Company and the Kraft Foods Group. In fact, some recruiters followed up with Consortium attendees from Cornell by holding “coffee chats” before their orientation.

So what’s the harm, you say?  According to Regina Regazzi, executive director of corporate relations at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, students may make internship commitments before pinpointing exactly where they want to go with their careers. She adds that students could hurt their hiring chances by interviewing with companies before undertaking resume critiques and mock interviews.

However, there are advantages to early recruiting. Keith Bevans, who heads Bain & Company’s global consultant recruiting efforts, believes that it takes time to build relationships with potential hires. Meeting with first years over the summer gives them more time to identify and evaluate prospects.  Pulin Sanghvi, assistant director of Stanford’s career management center, also notes that the ‘mad rush’ to recruit students in later fall can overwhelm students.

And what are administrators doing to curb these early contacts? Well, there isn’t much they can do. In fact, they are catering to the recruiters. According to The Wall Street Journal, business schools are “pushing forward the dates they allow firms to begin corporate presentations, cocktail receptions and other recruiting activities.” For example, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School moved up this year’s company networking event from October to August 23.

Fact is, business schools need recruiters just as much as companies covet their students. Wendy Tsung, associate dean of MBA career services at Emory, observes that “companies are either going to go around us or they’re going to work with us. We’d much rather that they work with us.” Even students agree. Tom Tait, president of Michigan Ross’ student finance club, adds that schools are “not going to stop any company from engaging with the students. It’s in their best interest to have us at as many companies as possible.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal