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Live Updates: Coronavirus Impact On Business Schools

What is the impact of coronavirus on business schools? We bring you the latest live updates including campus closures, changes to MBA admission requirements, and more

Fri Mar 27 2020

BusinessBecause

Son-in-law of an Indian billionaire, Stanford MBA alum, and the UK's new chancellor heading up the battle versus coronavirus—Who is Rishi Sunak? Find out here.

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CEIBS reduces MBA program length to 16 months

As schools elsewhere prepare for the worst, CEIBS, in China, is prepping for a future after coronavirus. The start of the 2020 MBA program has been pushed back to October 12. The length of the program will be reduced from 18 to 16 months, although the school says the student experience will remain the same.

In addition to the Round 3 application deadline on March 25, CEIBS have also introduced a Round 4 deadline on May 13, with decisions due by June 10 2020. Candidates can also apply without GMAT and GRE scores, with conditional offers made on the basis of taking an admission test at a further date.


University of San Francisco Moves Campus Online


Wharton MBA Admissions office extends application deadlines 

Wharton has announced it's extending its Round 3 and Advance Access deadlines in order to provide applicants with more flexibility amid the COVID-19 outbreak.  The new Round 3 deadline is on Wednesday April 15 and the new Advance Access deadline is on Wednesday May 27.  

This announcement follows changes to Wharton’s admissions requirements last week––you can now submit applications without having sat for a standardized test if your booked test was cancelled or you could no longer travel to the test center amid social distancing rules.  


Emory’s Goizueta Business School extends application deadline 

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School is extending its application deadline for the One-Year MBA program to April 15 2020. Admissions for the two-year program have been extended until July 1 2020. The school is waiving fees for the remainder of the application cycle for candidates applying for the fall 2020 program start, and has also designed a free Coronavirus-tracking app for students.  


 


The reality of studying remotely 

Imperial College Business School student Sofia Skevofylaka is enrolled on the MSc in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Management program and is due to finish in July. However, following the COVID-19 outbreak, she returned home to Greece and is now studying online.  

“People started to get scared. I was living nearby in Imperial’s student accommodation and I had a contract to stay until August. But I prefer to be with my family. It is one less stress,” she told The Financial Times. 

“It is a bit weird to have to now look at everyone’s faces on the screen. When we attended lectures on campus, we didn’t look at each other as much as we do on Zoom, but the school has shown how it can be used to complete all of our coursework.” 

She has since work with her classmates to present a start-up pitch as part of her entrepreneurship module, proving that modern technology is making the transition to online much easier.  


March 24th


Update: GRE Test now available online!

You can now take the GRE at home, as ETS offers an online GRE test in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story.

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GMAT Online Test will be available by ‘Mid-April’

As coronavirus shuts down GMAT test centers, there are plans to move the GMAT exam online. Find out more.

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Canada travel concession for international students

Canada makes a concession to its travel ban for international students, as long as they have a valid study permit or have been approved for a study permit before March 18. Foreign students are anticipated to travel to Canada as planned for spring-term (May) enrolments.


How MBA candidates can make the best of their time in self-isolation 

Cara Skikne is something of an admissions expert, and has a lot of advice for MBA candidates preparing their applications while in isolation. She's put together six top tips for our readers. Make sure to check it out!

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AACSB finds the silver lining for business schools 

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has reached out to business schools around the world with a survey to find the positives at this difficult time.  

School responses include:  

The crisis will act as a burning platform to encourage more faculty to rethink their approach to technology and to see how it can be used to provide a more engaging student experience. It will also force us to consider alternative forms of online assessment. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has perhaps accelerated the rate of change necessary to move the business school in the right direction, particularly with respect to the development of online and blended degree programs and short courses (micro-credentials). 

Hopefully [we] will avoid worst of the impact of COVID-19. Also, [we] will have more faculty exposed to teaching on-line which, if they have a good experience, may increase the variety of courses offered on-line in the future. 


 Stanford GSB dean with a reassuring message 

“With the first weeks behind us, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on our shared situation, and to express my appreciation and gratitude for the GSB community,” writes Stanford GSB dean Jon Levin  

“We have faced the disappointment of losing the traditional experience of spring quarter, long-planned events, and even commencement. The world looks less friendly to students looking ahead to the job market, and to those of us anxious about family members. All of us are deeply concerned about the health and economic costs being borne across the country and the world. 

In the midst of this uncertainty and anxiety, I have been inspired continually by the resilience and creativity of GSB students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We do not get to choose our circumstances, but we do get to choose our actions. In this historic moment, I am excited to see what together we will accomplish, and contribute to the world. 


Real Coronavirus Stories: Kazakhstan  

Jenifer L Lewis, director of degree programs at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business in Kazakhstan, and MBA student Olga   Sunyaikina, share their stories.


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As with many colleagues across the world, our staff are quickly working to adapt our courses to an online delivery format,” Jenifer says.  

Olga had initially planned to complete her Erasmus semester abroad at the University of Applied Sciences and Art in Dortmund, Germany. With countries shutting down their borders to contain the virus, Olga found her plans changing. She’s now working and studying from home. 

“I realized it’s much bigger than one person,” Olga says. “It’s about protecting the elder population, people who have respiratory or chronic diseases, and not putting extra pressure on already full hospitals. It’s a very important moment in history and I’m happy to contribute by following social distancing and thorough hygiene. 

Jenifer adds that the school faculty is doing whatever they can to support students in their learning with online support.  

“Our campus community is coming together in many ways and, although separated by distance, we are truly embodying our NU motto, ‘One university, one team!’” she concludes. 


March 23rd

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