Every week, we give you the opportunity to ask one of our chosen admissions experts anything you want to know about getting into business school. One question each week is chosen for our expert to answer.
This week, our question comes from senior businesswoman Ceceilia Jill Berkowitz (pictured right).
Ceceilia has over 15 years of business experience and, aside from tutoring students for the GRE, teaching at colleges around New York, and cofounding her own tech company, she was even a mayoral candidate for New York City in 2013.
Now, Ceceilia is looking at doing an EMBA to boost her impressive resume even further. She has already applied to the EMBA at New York University and the Harvard University Advanced Management Program— but is also looking at EMBAs at Wharton, Cornell Tech, Yale, and MIT Sloan School of Management.
Ceceilia's question is answered by Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, a leading MBA admissions consultancy.
Applicant Question of the Week:
Hi BusinessBecause,
What top-10 East Coast (ideally within three hours of NYC) Executive MBA programs are easiest to get into for a woman with a 3.0-3.3 GPA and 152 EA 8 V 11 IT 14 Q? Also, what other US top-30 private universities or top business schools should be considered?
The Answer:
Congrats on your pursuit of the EMBA. Graduates of EMBA programs report that their experiences were very rewarding at personal, professional and financial levels.
I recommend that you start by evaluating distance, travel, and commitment. Do you feel comfortable with a three-hour drive, flight, or both? Consider the differences between a weekend EMBA program and a full-time Executive program. A weekend EMBA program may be a better fit if you’re a business owner that has geographic restrictions.
Your tenure and professional achievements will be enticing to any EMBA program. I see that you present with a strong enough quantitative and IR performance on the Executive Assessment (EA); your overall score is competitive. With your level of experience and test score, you have choices ahead.
For a full-time Executive Program, I recommend you consider the MIT Sloan Fellows Program. I would typically also encourage the Stanford MSx Program, although it would be too far of a flight for you.
If you favor a weekend EMBA Program that’s within a three-hour travel radius, I would recommend:
● the MIT EMBA program (no test score is required),
● the Wharton EMBA program in Philadelphia,
● Columbia EMBA program,
● Stern EMBA program (no test score required),
● Yale EMBA program, or
● Georgetown EMBA.
If you’re up for flying to your MBA program, I would recommend the
● Kellogg EMBA (no test score required) or
● Booth EMBA programs.
My top picks among these are Wharton, MIT, Kellogg, Booth, and Columbia, as my clients have reported stellar experiences with curriculum, quality peer group/ student cohort, and network-friendly environment.
From a woman executive standpoint, I feel that all of these programs are very encouraging and purposefully establish a classroom and study team environment that is gender neutral. Some of these programs have made more progress than others. My advice would be to attend class sessions at the top four to see how the learning environment resonates with your style.
It's important to evaluate many additional variables when considering a program. What is the nature of your business? What industry are you involved in? What do you want to do with the MBA? What kind of networker are you? How do you work in a team environment? Do you have plans to try the EA a second time?
While these programs might appear similar from a superficial standpoint, they all have very subtle personality differences. The key to proper school selection is to get the best personality fit between candidate and program because the long-term relationship provides as much (some say more) value as the educational aspects of the program.
Ask an Admissions Expert a Question!
Next week, we're giving you the chance to ask a Jason Garner, director of graduate admissions at Kogod School of Business, anything you want to know about getting into business school.
Jason has an MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, and also served as senior associate director of graduate admissions there. He's able to advise on a range of potential MBA applicant concerns.
To ask a question, simply head to our Facebook or Twitter, or post a comment below!
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