The MBA Gatekeeper At Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame

How much more competitive are you finding business school admissions?

What struck me most was what current students have said to me. A student sat down with me and said this experience is even beyond what the school said it would be in our brochures. That moved me. When it comes to competing, I don’t think of us as competing for students. Certainly, the rankings are important and we are well aware of that. But i don’t want to compromise what that student said to me. For me, it’s about finding the student who will come to Notre Dame and feel the way that student felt, who is a fit for the place and will tell me in the end it was better than he or she could have imagined. It’s not about competing against other schools on a test score or a GPA.

I am blessed to arrive at a program that is well respected and strong but I do believe in constantly evolving the process. We shouldn’t be using the same essay questions or components of the application five years from now. Part of what I am doing now is looking at application requirements to the questions we ask in interviews. It’s the responsibility of an admissions professional to constantly reevaluate how predictive all the aspects of our application process actually are.

I’m sure you will tell me that the most difficult part of your job is saying no. Right?

It is the hardest part of this job. Sometimes you are saying no to someone who has the ability to be successful in the program. Saying no doesn’t mean you can’t do the work here. It doesn’t mean you are not ready for Notre Dame. That is what makes it especially difficult but I also hope that it helps candidates to know that.

Being denied admission is more about your fit for this community and the limited number of spots that are available. It is always difficult to receive a disappointing letter. I always avoid the word rejection because it sounds too personal. There are many students who are denied admission who will go on to have outstanding careers.

It can be heartbreaking. I haven’t lost sleep over decisions. But if you are somebody who belongs in the field, you do agonize and care about every decision you make. it’s an enormous amount of responsibility to make these decisions. Applicants put an enormous amount of work into the application itself. you want to honor that. they deserve our full attention.

Obviously, your dad was joking when he told you not to screw it up. But it does reflect the connection he still feels for the place more than half a century after graduating from Notre Dame.

People have a passion for this place. Students see it and feel it. It is a thrill to be at a place where we can promise so much and have a student tell me that we delivered more than we promised.