Remember 2019? Back then, MBA applicants would meet adcoms in person. They’d share a cup of coffee and talk without masks. Some would even get within six feet of each other!
What a difference a year makes!
Forget caravans and consortiums. When it comes to admissions events, on the road has been replaced by on the laptop. Maybe that’s not such a bad deal. Take adcoms, for example. Virtual sessions mean they can reach more people in fewer hours – leaving more time for more intimate one-on-one talks. The best example is the CentreCourt MBA Festival which this spring delivered the biggest MBA event of the last two decades with an unprecedented 27 of the top 30 schools and close to 3 million views of the video content. It was so successful, in fact, that CentreCourt will make a return virtual trip this year on Oct 6 & 7.
And for would-be applicants to the growing list of online MBA options, the first-ever admissions and program event devoted to online MBAs will be held by Poets&Quants on Aug. 11 and 12th. More than 20 of the world’s leading online programs–at every price range and program delivery–will participate during the numerous webinars, fireside chats and one-on-one breakout sessions to answer questions from candidates.
Of course, roadshows aren’t destined to become roadkill. After all, Forté is holding eight forums for women in the Americas this fall. In the wake of the pandemic, business schools have learned that prospecting doesn’t necessarily involve ritzy finger foods and crowded halls. Instead, success requires something more fundamental: a great value proposition and authentic relationship-building.
ACCESS TO EVENTS AT THE TOP SCHOOLS IN ONE SPOT
In recent years, Poets&Quants has covered the business school “arms race” – the construction of new facilities packed with amenities ranging from spacious auditoriums to stocked weight rooms. As bustling plazas give way to work-from-home quarantines, MBA programs are investing more in digital activities. Once the medium for fence-sitters to check out safety schools, online has emerged as the platform for schools to introduce their experience, share opportunities, and outline next steps.
Yes, COVID-19 upended the educational recruiting model. Why indulge in gloom-and-doom when you have Zoom?
At Harvard Business School, for example, prospects can attend 26 virtual events in August, including club chats, student Q&As, industry spotlights, joint degree talks, and virtual tours. Northwestern Kellogg has carved out six times in August for potential applicants to chat with the program’s director of diversity admissions. At Stanford GSB, you’d be hard-pressed to find a day – weekends included – where there isn’t an online chat scheduled with students or alumni. Then again, Columbia Business School holds online events catered to particular regions, with the August targeting students from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Just be sure to register early…Columbia’s first three events in August have already exceeded registration capacity.
Curious about admissions chats with Berkeley Haas, networking panels at MIT Sloan, or application workshops from INSEAD? Check out our links below, with access to events at nearly 50 top full-time MBA programs.
U.S. MBA Programs: Admissions Events
International MBA Programs: Admissions Events
DON’T MISS: REGISTER FOR FREE FOR THE CENTRECOURT MBA FESTIVAL THIS OCTOBER
Comments or questions about this article? Email us.