P&Q’s Must Reads: Exit Interview: Last Words Of Advice From Michigan Ross Gatekeeper Soojin Kwon

Hello everyone  –- Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, Let’s get to it. 

 

No. 1: Exit Interview: Last Words Of Advice From Michigan Ross Gatekeeper Soojin Kwon

 

In May, Soojin Kwon, the face of admissions at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, announced that she would step down to accept a new role with consulting giant McKinsey.

But before doing so, she gave an exclusive interview to Poets&Quants to reflect on her 17 years at Ross and talk about what comes next. She also offers this piece of advice for candidates looking to enter a top MBA program: “In all things that involve screening or evaluation — from MBA admissions to dating — show up as your authentic self so you end up with a good match.”

Read more of Kwon’s advice and reflections on our homepage.

 

No. 2: Meet The First Out Transgender MBA Student Presdient Of A Top 10 Program

 

Jude Watson found a passion for community organizing by working with queer youth to find spaces to meet, hang out, and access social services. They helped start the first youth-led LGBT community center in Seattle and co-founded Cooks for Black Lives Matter, a community-supported agriculture enterprise that has raised more than $100,000 to date.

Now at student at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Watson is likely the first out transgender elected student body president of an MBA Association. 

We spoke with Watson about social entrepreneurship, Pride Month, and trans visibility in business school, and you can read our full conversation in our news tab. 

 

 No. 3: Nominate The Undergrad B-Schools That Deserve Our Attention

 

Over at Poets&Quants For Undergrads, we pride ourselves in bringing you the most useful, up-to-date business school news and advice from the best programs. 

We also understand that with well over a thousand business schools and colleges around the world, that there are certainly outstanding programs that have fallen under our radar. 

That’s where you come in: We want you to tell us about the hidden gems, the best kept secrets, and the programs punching well above their weights in undergraduate business school education. You can nominate a school or program we should know about, and we may feature them in a new series we’re calling Under the Radar. Nominate a school or program at Poetsandquantsforundergrads.com.

 

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

 

No matter where you are in your B-school journey, we have several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: Can you guess the most critical skill of today’s MBA candidate? It’s not corporate strategy, coding, or even effective leadership – though all are important for a well-rounded candidate. No, according to the dean of Columbia University, the No. 1 skill employers are looking for in MBA hires is the ability to wrap complicated data sets and effectively communicate their meaning across an organization. In a nutshell: business analytics.  Read the full story, “Analytics: The Most Critical MBA Skill in our news tab.  

Next, an MBA Consultant explains to P&Q readers why candidates should definitely apply in Round 1 this year. Troubling economic signs could lead to a wave of applications in the later rounds, so polish those apps sooner than later. 

Finally, we’ve also updated our guide on the MBA application deadlines, with dates for first, second, and third rounds. We’ll continue to update the story as new information rolls in, so check back if your preferred schools aren’t yet on the list. 

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. Be sure to tune in next week when we look at the most important takeaways from the Economists new MBA ranking.

I also want to alert all the school seekers out there to CentreCourt’s upcoming MBA Festival events. Our next series, The MBA & Your Career, is happening October 4-5, and you can register for free on our events tab. 

For online MBA prospects, our next Backstage event is July 12. This is your chance to hear from current students, admission teams, and alumni from some of the best online programs around. Register on our events page. 

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening and, as always, stay informed!