Admissions Straight Talk
Education Podcasts
Advice on applying to business, grad, law, and medical school.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Education Podcasts
Description:
Advice on applying to business, grad, law, and medical school.
Twitter:
@Accepted
Language:
English
Contact:
1 (310) 815-9553
Website:
http://www.accepted.com/
Email:
saraw@accepted.com
Episodes
How to Apply Successfully to STEM PhD Programs [Episode 566]
3/12/2024
Show Summary Here at Accepted, we're getting more and more inquiries from applicants interested in PhD programs in the STEM fields, so Linda Abraham has invited a panel of Accepted consultants to discuss PhD admissions in engineering, life sciences, and STEM. The panelists discuss what PhD programs in STEM typically look for in applicants, including academic achievements and research experience. They emphasize the importance of research experience, publications, and presentations in the application process. The panelists also discuss the role of rankings in selecting schools, the importance of finding the right faculty advisor, and the significance of the statement of purpose in the application. They provide advice for interview preparation and offer insights for re-applicants and international applicants. Show Notes Welcome to the 566th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. The challenge at the heart of PhD admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target programs and stand out in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance. You can download this free guide and accepted.com/fiso. Our panelists today are Dr. Karin Ash, Accepted consultant since 2015 and former director of the Career Management Center at Cornell’s Johnson School, career coach at Cornell’s College of Engineering, and Director of Cornell Career Services; Dr. Herman “Flash” Gordon, Accepted consultant since 2014 and former chair of the U of Arizona Tucson College of Medicine’s admissions committee as well as a member of several Ph.D. admissions committees; and Dr. Barry Rothman, Accepted consultant since 2015 and Emeritus Professor of Biology, and founder and former Director of SF State University Postbac Programs. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:05] [BR] Great to be here. When we talk about PhDs in STEM, we have a very broad topic. What will most STEM PhD programs want to see in applicants both academically and experientially? [2:11] [KA] I used to work with MBAs. When I was at one of my stints at Cornell and was working with MBAs, the admissions team would look for leadership and achievements in that regard, personality, being able to lead a team, being able to get along with a lot of other people and being able to motivate other people. I have found with STEM that it is very much about achievements in the STEM field and less focused on personality. Yes, you need to get along on any project team, and yes, it would be ideal that if you are, let's say going to work in industry, that you become a leader someday, but I think what I have seen is it's more about the achievements in their field. Some of my PhD clients have come directly from undergrad, they were just able to get a number of research experiences as an undergrad and applied successfully to PhD programs. Others have come to me from master's programs. I'm not sure that there's a right way or a wrong way, it depends on what your own experience is, but you can be successful either route. You seem to be dealing more with the experiential qualifications. [4:00] [KA] Especially research experience. Let's say you're applying after working in industry, but you never had any research experience as an undergrad or in industry, then the challenge is much tougher. If you had research experiences at your university, even if you're not published, you have an easier path. Barry, do you want to add something? [4:33] [BR] Yeah, I wanted to add that I think for STEM PhD applicants, one of the criteria is you need to know how to think and that the entire application process emphasizes that and experience. They don't want somebody who was a pair of hands who was told what to do on a research project and wasn't intellectually involved, so I think that's extremely important. Then,
Duration:00:45:20
How to Get into HEC Paris MBA? [Episode 565]
3/5/2024
Don’t miss our Admissions Straight Talk podcast interview with Sara Vanos, the Executive Director of Marketing and Admissions for HEC Paris MBA Programs. Sara highlights the unique aspects of the full-time MBA program, such as the 16-month duration, on-campus housing, and flexibility in specialization and electives. She also mentions the New Horizons program, which focuses on anticipating trends and thinking creatively. Listen below or click the image to read the full transcript. The HEC Paris MBA application essays – and there are many compared to most MBA applications these days –give the adcom a well-rounded view of you. They go beyond what you’ve done to capture how you think and respond, even how you imagine. Moreover, they require you to communicate complex thoughts and experiences succinctly. For the four shorter essays especially, don’t waste words on conventional introductory and concluding paragraphs. Jump right into your point or story and use straightforward sentences that avoid wordy constructions (e.g. “had the opportunity to”); don’t hesitate to use direct, declarative sentences. This writing approach has an added benefit: it conveys confidence. Since there are several essays, I suggest first sketching out ideas for them all, then stepping back to assess how all these facets add up as a whole, and adjusting topics if/as necessary to avoid redundancy and ensure a well-rounded presentation that will make the adcom feel that they must invite you for an interview. HEC Paris MBA application essays HEC MBA essay #1 Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words maximum) This is a traditional goals question with a couple of twists. First, the “why now” part should be explicitly addressed, even if it seems obvious. Briefly is fine – the essay overall should make this case ultimately. Second, the “professional objective” is essentially your long-term career vision. The question implies that this vision or goal will drive your preceding steps, so present your shorter-term goal(s) in that context: show how they pave the way for you to pursue and achieve your ultimate professional objective. Be brief but specific when discussing the HEC MBA – tie its program directly to achievement of your goals, and detail the 2-3 points about the program that are most meaningful to you. Finally, connect the dots. This essay, well done, will convey how your goals grow organically from your experience and are achievable given your previous experience and an MBA from HEC. hbspt.cta.load(58291, '9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd', {}); HEC MBA essay #2 What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words maximum) Most significant life achievement – Wow. It probably didn’t happen yesterday. And for many people it didn’t happen at work… Few work accomplishments rise to the level of MOST SIGNIFICANT LIFE ACHIEVEMENT. Imagine if, for example, you state that boosting your organization’s bottom-line (by whatever amount) is your greatest life achievement – the adcom might wonder about your values or whether you really have a life. Although, if you can say that at work you saved jobs or lessened negative environmental impacts or were instrumental in developing a new medical advancement, that would be more substantial and could possibly fit the bill. For many people, this story will be personal – I think of clients who have persevered through, managed, and overcome major family crises. For others, it will involve impact with community, religious, and/or social organizations or groups; for yet others it could involve a major milestone such as a national sports ranking or photo exhibit or music performance. Whatever topic you select, with only 250 words,
Duration:00:39:01
JD-Next: A Great Option for Law School Applicants [Episode 562]
2/27/2024
Show Summary Are you planning to take the LSAT or the GRE before you apply to law school? Are you dreading it? Well, there's a new option that includes a course and a test, and is accepted by 25% of all law schools. The JD-Next is an eight-week online course that simulates a real law school contracts class and trains students on the skills necessary to be successful in law school and as practicing attorneys. In this episode, Linda Abraham sits down with David Klieger, Program Director for JD-Next at Aspen Publishing to discuss the course that was developed to provide individuals with a preview of what law school is like before making the commitment, as well as to better prepare them for success in law school and possibly replace the LSAT and GRE. Show Notes Welcome to the 562nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Are you preparing to apply to your dream law schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, take the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment of your chances, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it's all free. Let's move on to our interview and fantastic guest. Our guest today is David Klieger, Program Director for JD-Next at Aspen Publishing. His work in admissions includes successfully leading efforts to make the JRE widely recognized for use by law schools. David practiced law after receiving his JD from the University of Pennsylvania with Carey Law School. He then earned his PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology, specializing in psychometrics and statistics from the University of Minnesota. David has worked in the assessment and training field for more than 20 years. His published work has appeared in leading publications, such as Harvard Business Review, The International Journal of Testing, and the Journal of Applied Psychology. He's given interviews to The Wall Street Journal and NPR about his work to innovate law school admissions. Of course, he's just continuing to move up the ladder by joining us on Admissions Straight Talk. David, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. I'm delighted to speak with you today, and again, congratulations on your new position with JD-Next. [2:09] Thank you very much, Linda. It's a pleasure to be here. Let's start with a really basic question. What is JD-Next? [2:19] JD-Next is an innovative eight-week online asynchronous course which essentially simulates a real law school contracts class. In it, one is exposed to what a real law school class would be like. One is trained on the skills that are really important to being a successful law student, as well as a successful practicing attorney. At the end of the course, there is a final exam. Why was it developed? Why have this pre-law school course, if you're ultimately going to go to law school? [3:01] Well, the back story is multiple. First, there was a desire to provide a way of giving individuals a preview of what law school is going to be like before they make the actual commitment, which can be obviously quite expensive and time-consuming. Law school can be quite a stressful experience at times. In addition, it was an opportunity to get people better prepared for success in law school. There actually is research that shows that, by participating in JD-Next, people will perform better in law school. It's very important to perform well academically in law school because it's really determinative of employment opportunities. The other really important aspect of JD-Next is that there's research that does show that the score gaps that you can see, in terms of different demographic groups, for other kinds of assessment, really you don't see nearly to the same extent for JD-Next. It does actually provide equity and fairness in a way that's rather innovative and unique. When you talk about people taking the course and...
Duration:00:23:34
The Inside Scoop on Duke’s Master of Engineering Management (MEM) [Episode 564]
2/20/2024
Show Summary Are you an engineer who wants to use your technical skills and move into an entrepreneurial or managerial role? Well, Duke's Master of Engineering Management or MEM may be just the ticket for you, and it provides two options, on campus and online. The program has been around for over 25 years and aims to prepare engineers with business knowledge. Luis Morales, Executive Director of the program, shares more of what the program offers and how applicants can successfully present themselves. Show Notes Welcome to the 564th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a free resource at Accepted that can benefit you if you are applying to graduate engineering programs and that is Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need to Know. It can guide you through a process you've never been through before. It's not the same as applying to college. Download your complimentary copy at accepted.com/564download. Our guest today is Luis Morales, Executive Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program at Duke University. Professor Morales earned his bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and his master's of engineering from Cornell University. He then worked as an engineer and manager at AT&T and at Cisco before joining Duke as an executive in residence and adjunct associate professor at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering, while also founding his own consulting company. He became the executive director of the MEM program in 2021 and also teaches three courses in that program. Professor Morales, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00] Thank you, Linda. It's a pleasure to be here. Can we start with an overview of the Master of Engineering Management program at Duke? Who is it for? What need is it intended to fill? [2:06] Absolutely. So the Duke MEM program has been around for more than 25 years. In fact, last year we were celebrating our 25th year anniversary, and as I look back at the charter of the program back then in 1997, the purpose was to prepare engineers with business knowledge. So the assessment, Linda, at the time was that we were preparing engineers for industry, for the global economy that did not have the necessary business knowledge. So they were not able to either get an impact, have an impact on the business side of companies right away so that's exactly the need that we're trying to satisfy. And if you think back to if that was the need then, and you look at where we are now as technology has become so pervasive across so much of how we as a society generate value, engineering management, to me is the perfect solution because it combines, again, it builds on a base of technical knowledge, but then it builds business knowledge on top of that. So the basic structure of the program is eight courses, four of which are core, focus on management, people management, intellectual property management, marketing and finance. Then the other four are technical electives designed to basically sharpen your STEM, saw, whether it is product management, data science, software management, et cetera. There are two versions of the MEM program. There's the online and the in-residence. Can you go over how they're structured? [4:40] Absolutely. So the campus program, as I mentioned before, has been around for more than 25 years. Our online offering is going to be 15 years in September. Yeah, the time flies. There are a lot of similarities between the two in terms of courses. The curriculum is the same, core courses, four electives, with some small exceptions, but the same instructors teach the core courses, teach the online sections. But then for the online course, Linda, what we do is that we replace the seminars and workshops that are included in the campus offering and we replace those with three weeks of residency where online students get to come to campus ...
Duration:00:48:08
MIT Sloan: For Rising Executives Considering an MBA [Episode 563]
2/13/2024
Show Summary Are you a mid-career manager hoping to elevate your career to senior management? Do you feel your business skills could use a boost? Are you interested in a top, top program? In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews Johanna Hising DiFabio, Assistant Dean of MIT Sloan's Part-time and Full-time MBA Programs for Executives. They discuss the MIT Sloan Executive MBA program and the Sloan Fellows program, focusing on the application process and the unique aspects of each program. They also touch on the importance of innovation and the MIT ecosystem in these programs. Johanna provides tips for preparing a successful application. She also highlights the strong sense of community within both programs and the impact they have on developing principled, innovative leaders. Show Notes Welcome to the 563rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Before I dive into today's interview, I want to invite you to download Ace the EMBA: Expert Advice for the Rising Executive. This free guide will complement today's podcast and give you suggestions on how to choose the right EMBA program for you, how to differentiate yourself from your competition in a positive way, and present yourself effectively as a future business leader who will bring credit to any program that accepts you. Now we're going to examine two fantastic options for mid-career, rising executives at MIT Sloan. MIT Sloan's Executive MBA program has a more typical part-time MBA structure and the MIT Sloan Fellows program, which is a full-time immersive executive MBA program. We're going to focus more on the more traditional one with our guest, Johanna Hising DiFabio, Assistant Dean of MIT's Executive MBA and Sloan's Fellows Programs. Johanna worked in business after earning her undergraduate degree from Ithaca College in 2000. She came to MIT Sloan as associate director of student life and learning in 2010, became director of MIT's EMBA program in 2014, and added the Sloan Fellows program to her responsibilities in 2017, becoming assistant dean in 2018. Johanna, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:15] Linda, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to talk about my programs. Can you start by providing an overview of both the MIT EMBA and the MIT Sloan Fellows program? [2:22] Absolutely. The Sloan Fellows MBA program is an over 90-year-old program. Often we talk about this as the first executive degree program that came to the US in the world. It’s a very exciting program to lead. It is over 70-ish percent international, so people move their lives. If they have families, they move their families and spend an entire year immersed, earning an MBA or an SM degree either in management or in management of technology. They're a very tight-knit community. On the EMBA side, it's 14 years old. I was part of the founding team of the EMBA. That's why I came to Sloan. As you shared, it's a little longer. It's 20 months, and we call it an executive schedule. Meaning that they come to campus every two to three Fridays and Saturdays. We have some executive modules to give them a little bit more immersion here at MIT every six months and they're working full time. They're learning and working. The expectation is that they all have some form of general management experience to both be able to tack on the learnings to their previous experience as well as when they go back to the workforce or on Monday go back to work are able to have the responsibility to actually use what they're learning in their workplace. You mentioned the MS and the MBA as an option. I think that was for the Sloan Fellows program, right? [3:51] Right. What is the difference? [3:58] On the Sloan Fellows side, we sometimes have people who already have MBA degrees, so they're looking for a different degree for that reason. But I would say most people get the MS degrees if they're interested in doing a thesi...
Duration:00:33:55
What You Need to Know to Apply to Medical School [Episode 561]
2/6/2024
Show Summary Would you like to hear insight based on decades of experience, both advising applicants to a variety of healthcare programs and working in admissions offices for, again, many different healthcare programs? Well, today's episode is the ticket for you. Dr. Emil Chuck, Director of Advising Services for the Health Professional Student Association is our guest. He discusses the admissions process for healthcare programs. He shares his recommendation for networking, shadowing, and journaling as ways for applicants to gain insight into the healthcare field and develop critical thinking skills. He advises applicants to consider the mission and values of each school they apply to and to choose schools that align with their own goals and values. Dr. Chuck also emphasizes the importance of submitting applications early and being mindful of deadlines. He provides information about the Health Professional Student Association (HPSA) and Student Doctor Network (SDN) resources for applicants. Show Notes Welcome to the 561st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Do you know how to get accepted to medical school? Accepted does, and we share that knowledge and insight in our free guide, Med School Admissions: What You Need to Know to Get Accepted. Download your free copy at accepted.com/561download. I'm thrilled to introduce our guest, Dr. Emil Chuck. He is the Director of Advising Services for the Health Professional Student Association, which among other services and assets host the Student Doctor Network, a major resource for applicants to and students in the healthcare fields. Dr. Chuck earned his Bachelor's of Science in Engineering in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and his PhD in Cell Biology from Case Western Reserve University. He began his career in research, but then moved into higher ed and admissions. Serving at different times student advisor and test prep teacher for Kaplan Test Prep, founding health Professionals Student Advisor for 5 years at George Mason University, Director of Admissions at Case Western’s School of Dental Medicine, admissions consultant for the ADEA, Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Rosalind Franklin University, and for the last two years as Director of Advising Services at the Health Professional Student Association or HPSA. On SDN’s forums he is known as the prolific, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable Mr.Smile12. In addition, he has also served in numerous volunteer roles for professional organizations. Dr. Chuck, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:29] Linda, it's a great pleasure to be part of your podcast and thank you so much for inviting me. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Let's start with some really easy questions: your background, where you grew up, and how on earth you got interested in admissions from biomedical engineering. [2:39] I guess the stuff that's not on LinkedIn certainly is the earlier background about me. I'm proud to say that I'm a first-generation student. My parents immigrated from Hong Kong a couple of years before I was born. And so of all the places in the entire world where I guess in the United States where I would be born and raised for about 17 of my years before going to Duke was Shreveport, Louisiana, that's northwest Louisiana, not anywhere near New Orleans to just make sure people know. And basically I grew up in that city, that little small town in northwest Louisiana and now apparently the home district to our current speaker of the house. It's a little bit of a trivia note. I don't know him. That's one of the little known facts in terms of how it shaped my worldview one way or another. Obviously at the period of time when I was growing up, I was involved in a lot of research type projects and did science fairs, was involved in medical research at the medical school over there at LSU Shreveport before moving on to ultimately apply to all the various scho...
Duration:01:09:23
Michigan Ross’ Master in Management (MM): All You Need to Know [Episode 560]
1/30/2024
Show Summary Are you a college junior or senior with an interest in business and a non-business major? Or perhaps you recently graduated and realized you need to boost your business knowledge to propel your career? Tune into this episode with Julia Hoffert, Director of Admissions & Recruitment of One-Year Master's Programs at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Julia provides an overview of the program, including the curriculum, opportunities for international exposure, and job outcomes for graduates. She also discusses the application process, including the academic background and experience requirements, the essay questions, and the interview process. Julia highlights the resources available to students at Michigan Ross, such as the Ross Career Development Office, and emphasizes the fun, happening character of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Show Notes Welcome to the 560th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a resource at Accepted that can help you prepare your statement of purpose to a Master's in Management program or other graduate programs. Download Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes we see in statements of purpose, as well as to gain tips on how to write a statement of purpose that makes your story memorable and highlight your qualifications for your target programs. Download this valuable and free resource at accepted.com/560download. Our guest today is Julia Hoffert, Director of Admissions & Recruitment of One-Year Master's Programs at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Julia earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Vocal Performance, which was one of the less common educational foundations for a career in higher education that I've come across. She moved into higher education administration at NYU with its educational theater program and then became Assistant Director of Admissions there at NYU. In 2012, she moved to Michigan, and in 2013, she became the recruiting director for U of Michigan's Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Administration programs. She has been in Admissions at the University of Michigan ever since. She became the Director of Admissions & Recruitment for Ross' One-Year Specialty Master's Programs in August 2023. Julia, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:15] Thank you, Linda. Thank you for having me. Let's start with a basic question. What is the Master of Management at Michigan Ross? Can you provide an overview of the program? [2:22] Absolutely. The Master of Management program is a 10-month program that is really designed to offer a very foundational business skillset for individuals who do not come from a business background from their undergraduate degree. On a very basic level, the type of people that we see that are the most interested in this type of program come from a variety of undergraduate programs and curriculums, but somewhere in the course of that time, they realize that they lack a certain skill set to add on top of their expertise from their undergraduate program, and they see the business skillset as something that would be a jumping point for them, whether that career be directly from what they did in their undergrad or perhaps even a pivot. But this program really is designed to offer that foundational business skillset that is so functionally useful. Can you discuss the structure of the program? [3:35] Within the curriculum, you will see elements of marketing, accounting, financial evaluation, and economics. It’s really sort of an overarching view of the business fundamentals that we would likely use in any scenario that we might be doing. We also have students have the opportunity to take elective credits, and that's where they can, in their own way, perhaps take advantage of some of the other areas of ...
Duration:00:47:12
How to Get into the University of Chicago Law School [Episode 559]
1/23/2024
Show Summary Ranked number three in U.S. News' most recent rankings, the law school at the University of Chicago is a top law school famous for its intellectual rigor. In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham interviews Dean Ann Perry, Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Chicago Law School. Dean Perry discusses the distinctive elements of the law school, including its engaged student body, expert faculty, and interdisciplinary approach to legal study. She also provides insights into the admissions process, including tips for the personal statement. Show Notes Are you applying to law school this cycle? Are you planning ahead to apply to law school next year or later? Are you competitive at your target programs, be it the University of Chicago or any other program? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, take the quiz and you will not only get an assessment, but you'll receive tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. And it's all free. I'm delighted to have on Admissions Straight Talk, Ann Perry, Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the law school at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the University of Chicago Law School community as assistant dean for Admissions in 2002, Dean Perry was the assistant dean for student affairs and financial aid at the University of Illinois College of Law. Before entering the world of law school administration, she was an associate at Stellato & Schwartz in Chicago. Dean Perry received her AB and JD from the University of Illinois. Dean Perry, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00] Thank you very much, Linda. I'm happy to be here. Can you give an overview of the more distinctive elements of the Law School of the University of Chicago? [2:07] Yes, I'm happy to do that. I've been at the law school for over 20 years, and so what I find makes UChicago Law distinctive are a few things. First, it's our students. We bring very engaged students to the law school through the admissions process, students who are engaged in their learning, both inside and outside the classroom. And we're a small community, we only have a total JD enrollment of about 600 students. So really, it's an active, engaged learning community, so we bring these students that are just very much part of their learning process. Second, I'd like to highlight our faculty. Our faculty are experts in their fields, but also why they're here is because their first love is teaching. They really engage with students not just in the classroom, obviously, but outside the classroom. I constantly see that as I'm walking through the halls. It's not a mistake that all the faculty's offices are located in the library where students tend to study. Students will see their faculty members coming back and forth, it's generally an open-door policy, and the faculty want that engagement. But also, and the final point I'd like to make is that we're part of the University of Chicago, a great university that has a lot to offer, and it really helps foster the interdisciplinary approach to the study of law that we really find is important these days when you're learning the law. You mentioned the interdisciplinary approach, and that leads to my next question. The University of Chicago Law School has a real focus on the interdisciplinary approach to legal study. How is that manifested in the program practically? [3:35] That’s a great question because people talk about it a lot. Here at Chicago, we really live it, and it starts actually during your first year. We have a class that I think is unique to the University of Chicago Law School, our Elements of the Law class, which every first-year student takes as part of that first-year curriculum. And it is really the first introduction to the interdisciplinary approach to the study of law.
Duration:00:32:24
All You Need to Know about the New Frist College of Medicine [Episode 558]
1/16/2024
Show Summary Let's learn about the newest medical school in the United States in this interview with Dr. Caleb Marsh, the Director of Recruitment and Pathway Programs of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Not only that, but Frist is still accepting applications for its inaugural class matriculating this summer. In this conversation, Dr. Marsh details the program’s offerings and highlights the whole person approach at the core of the curriculum. He invites applicants to join on the exciting journey and play a part in shaping the program. Show Notes Thanks for joining me for the 558th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Med School Admissions Calculator Quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. I'm delighted to be speaking to Dr. Caleb Marsh, Director of Pathway Programs and Recruitment at the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University. Dr. Marsh has over 20 years of health professions administrative experience, having served as a health professions advisor and/or director at Baylor University, the University of Texas at Austin, Temple University, Southern Methodist University, and Temple University's CST post-baccalaureate pre-health program. He has a wealth of experience to share with us today. In addition to his extensive professional advising experience, Dr. Marsh most recently held roles on the National Association of Advisors to the Health Professions Technology Committee and served in a variety of leadership roles in pre-health professions advising organizations of different stripes and I guess geographies. Dr. Marsh, thanks for joining me today. I'm delighted to speak with you. [2:11] Thanks, Linda. I'm happy to be here. To start, can you give us an overview of the Frist College of Medicine's program focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:17] Sure. One of the most distinctive parts of the program is that we're the newest medical school in the country. I think that's pretty distinctive. We’re right here in Nashville, which gives us an opportunity to really quite literally build things from the ground up physically in the space of this brand new, beautiful building that we're putting up here in Nashville, as well as building a brand new curriculum and building a brand new culture here. So I think those are all things that you'll never hear from us here at the Frist College of Medicine. That's the way we've always done it because we haven't ever done it a way before. So it's a really exciting opportunity. That certainly is. In terms of taking advantage of this newness, what are some of the ways that Frist is cutting a different path? [3:00] You'll hear us talk about the whole person approach to medicine a lot. It really shows itself in two ways. One of those ways is how we train our students to treat patients. To treat patients not just as a disease, not just as a symptom, but really as a whole person. Knowing that that sickness can cause other problems maybe in your family life or personally or you may be getting sick because of other reasons that may be something happening in your community or a number of things that could be going on in your life that aren't just the sickness or the disease. So we really want to train our doctors, our future doctors, be leaders in that. We want them to be diverse physician leaders, and we want them to be trained in ways that can help treat the whole person, a whole person approach. Also, that responsibility falls on us too in how we treat our students, knowing that our students are whole people and that they're not just robots that take tests and spit out grades, and they are people and they also have personal lives and things going on. And especially,
Duration:00:45:24
Advice for Applicants: Moving from 2023 to 2024 [Episode 557]
1/9/2024
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham looks back at her predictions for the 2023/2024 application cycle and offers advice for current and future applicants. She reflects on her previous predictions, such as the increase in test options and waivers and the continued use of rankings in admissions. She also makes new predictions for the upcoming year, including the increased use of video in applications and the continuation of questions about lived experiences and contributions to inclusive environments. Linda advises current applicants to pursue parallel tracks, prepare for interviews, and address weaknesses while also considering reapplication strategies. For future applicants, she emphasizes the importance of clarifying goals, researching programs, and preparing for tests. She encourages all applicants to start early and seek expert guidance to maximize their chances of acceptance. Show Notes What's coming down the pike in 2024 for applicants? How right or wrong was Linda Abraham with her predictions for the 2023/2024 cycle? What should applicants be doing now? We're diving into all that in this episode of Admissions Straight Talk. The academic world is at an inflection point [0:49] It's the second week of January, and the academic world is at an inflection point. It's not just the new year. Yes, 2024 just started. It's that the 2023-2024 application cycle is starting to wind down. As decisions come out, some people are admitted and some people are rejected, but it's also that a new crop of applicants is emerging for the 2024-2025 cycle. That cycle is starting to come into focus. At this inflection point, I'd like to examine some of my predictions for the 2023-2024 application cycle. I'm going to brave it again, and I'm going to make some additional predictions for the 2024-2025 application cycle, and finish the episode with suggestions and advice for current as well as new applicants. Now, if you feel that you are at a crossroads with your educational and professional journey and aren't quite sure which is the correct path for you to pursue, take advantage of Accepted's free consultation offer. You can have a free 30-minute call with one of Accepted's experienced admissions consultants. Just go to Accepted.com and click on Get Your Free Consultation in the upper right to have your free consultation. Were Linda’s predictions for the 2023-2024 cycle right? Now, let's start off today's show by exploring where I was right and where I was wrong in my predictions for the 2023-2024 application cycle. Prediction: More withdrawals from rankings [2:07] One of the things I predicted was more withdrawals from the rankings, which started in fall 2022. Med schools joined the ranking withdrawals, which I did not predict, and I didn't make any predictions about MBA programs, but I did say that US News will use publicly available data and continue to rank programs. That is exactly what has happened. Those rankings sell lots of magazines and online subscriptions. Rankings are not going to go away as long as they produce sales. That part of my prediction was 100% correct, and they won't go away as long as applicants, alumni, and recruiters continue to buy them, use them, and cite them constantly. Prediction: More experimentation with test options and waivers [2:57] I anticipated more experimentation with test options and waivers. In that, I was 100% right. I predicted more test options and waivers, except for medical schools, and indeed, that's exactly what's happened. Many, if not most, law schools now accept the GRE. Some accept other tests also. Most MBA programs accept the GMAT or GRE, and many also accept the executive assessment, and there was a switch over from the traditional GRE and GMAT to new versions of it, which are shorter. As I predicted, there has been very little change in connection with the MCAT and medical school.
Duration:00:24:07
What MBA Admission Officers Think of Applicants Using ChatGPT and AI [Episode 556]
1/2/2024
Show Summary In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham discusses the use of ChatGPT in MBA application essays with admissions directors at top MBA programs. The admissions directors generally view ChatGPT as a tool that can be used to enhance the application process, but they emphasize the importance of authenticity and personal reflection in the essays. They caution against relying too heavily on ChatGPT and stress the need for applicants to take ownership of their ideas and experiences. The admissions directors also discuss the potential benefits and limitations of using ChatGPT and suggest ways in which it can be used effectively as a tool. Overall, they encourage applicants to use ChatGPT thoughtfully and responsibly, while still putting in the necessary effort to create thoughtful and authentic applications Show Notes ChatGPT roared into our consciousness at the very end of last year, and I had the opportunity to ask several admissions directors what they thought about applicants using it. That's what we're going to discuss today. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [0:46] Welcome to the 556th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, thanks for tuning in. Before I turn to the subject of today's show, I have a question for you. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you’ll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Now, if you are a regular listener, you know that during most episodes of Admissions Straight Talk, I interview a guest, frequently an admissions director or dean. I also have many times asked these guests, "What do you think about applicants using ChatGPT or artificial intelligence when writing their application essays?" Today's episode is a collection of their answers to that question with a little commentary from me, but mostly it's admissions directors at top MBA programs, sharing what you need to know – the good, the bad, and the ugly – about using ChatGPT in writing your applications. In this episode, you're going to hear from: Clare Norton, Columbia Business School Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business Blair Mannix, Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Eric Askins, Executive Director of Full-Time MB admissions at UC Berkeley Haas Dean Robert Salomon, the inaugural Dean at Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. I've asked this question of almost every admission director I've spoken to, so these responses represent a sample. And there is some difference, there's more differences on this one than on some other questions, but in any case, I think you'll see that there's cautious acceptance of ChatGPT, with several caveats and warnings for applicants. Clare Norton, Columbia Business School’s Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management. [2:43] [CN] I think ChatGPT is a tool, and there are many, many tools that we have now that we did not once have. At some point in time we thought to ourselves, "If people use a calculator, will they understand math?" Yes, they do still understand math, and in fact, probably, probably higher level math than they understood before that was utilized broadly. And I suspect ChatGPT will be quite similar. We've made it very clear to students in our application process that it's a tool that can be utilized, but generative AI is not something that can write the whole answer. It's the kind of thing that could do some editing for you or provide you with some ideas to make sure that you've touched upon, but that the work must be your own. So from that perspective, I think we're quite clear. But also I think, actually back to what we were just talking about, the best applications are reflective, truly,
Duration:00:18:11
Are You Toast? - Med School Admissions Officers Reveal Interview Timeline [Episode 555]
12/26/2023
Show Summary In this episode of Admission Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham addresses the concerns of medical school applicants who have not yet received interview invitations. She debunks the myth that not receiving an invitation by Thanksgiving means rejection and shares insights from several admissions directors. She offers tips for both current med school applicants and those preparing for a reapplication. Show Notes Welcome to the 555th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. This episode is for those of you who applied this cycle to medical school and haven't received any interview invitations or at least haven't received an interview invitation from your top choice schools. We're also going to discuss a little bit about what you should be doing now – neither hitting a panic button nor just worrying and chewing your nails – which is preparing for the possibility of a reapplication. Before we dive in, I have two free resources that I'd like to invite you to take advantage of: The Ultimate Guide to Medical School Interview Success and Medical School Applicant Advice: 6 Tips For Success. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:00] If you are a regular listener, you know that during most episodes of Admissions Straight Talk, I interview a guest. Occasionally I give a solo show, but usually I interview a guest and frequently that guest is an admissions directors. I also have many times asked guests who are med school admissions deans or directors, “When do you stop sending out interview invitations?” I started asking this question because many applicants believed incorrectly that if they don't have an interview invitation by Thanksgiving, they are toast. And here we are in the midst of the Christmas and New Year holidays, and if you haven't gotten the invitation by now, are you actually burnt toast? Well, let's hear what five admissions deans and directors have said in response to my question. The five are: Roshini Pinto-Powell, the Associate Dean for Admissions at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine Paul White, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Dr. Kristen Goodell, Associate Dean of Admissions at BU's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Dr. Michael Ellison, Associate Dean for Admissions at Chicago Medical School at the Rosalind Franklin University Dr. Cynthia Boyd, Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Rush Medical College Today's episode is a collection of their answers to that question, “When do you stop sending out interview invitations?” At the end there’s a little commentary from me, but mostly it's admissions directors and their own words. These are admissions directors at top medical programs sharing what you need to know about the interview invitation timeline. Dr. Roshini Pinto-Powell, Professor of Medicine and Medical Education and Associate Dean of Admissions at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University. [4:20] [RPP] So, our process is a rolling process. We do rolling admissions and we continue to send out invitations well into March. And similarly with the waitlist, that's another thing that people worry about. This is a long process, which is why I said I feel sorry for our candidates. It's a long year. It's a long year. Paul White, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. [5:09] [PW] Well, when it was in person, the last date would be around the first week of February. With virtual interviews, we literally sometimes invite people three or four days before the interview. I would say at least a week before is ideal. Mid-February to late February, certainly not the day before. Yeah, we want to give a heads-up, but when it was in person because of travel in February, we always did minimally two weeks in advance. The reason I asked this question is because there's this meme out there that if you don't have an interview invitation by T...
Duration:00:20:45
Applying to Medical School? The Pre-Med Competencies are What You Must Show [Episode 554]
12/19/2023
Show Summary What are the pre-med competencies? And if you're pre-med and planning to apply in September 2024, what do they mean to you? That's the subject of this week’s podcast of Admissions Straight Talk, as Linda Abraham and Dr. Valerie Wherley, an Accepted consultant, dive into pre-med competencies. Dr. Wherley gives an overview of the 17 competencies identified by the AAMC as essential for success in medical school and beyond. She leans into her expertises as an Assistant Dean, medical school program director, and advisor to present practical tips on how to develop these traits and demonstrate them in an application. Show Notes Our guest today is Dr. Valerie Wherley, an Accepted consultant. Dr. Wherley earned her B.S. and M.S. at the University of Maine in kinesiology, and her PhD in higher education and higher education administration from the University of Connecticut. Over the last 20 years, she has served as the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Career Development at William Beaumont School of Medicine, Director of Pre-Health Post-Bacc Certificate program at Sacred Heart University, and the Director of Pre-Health Advisement at Sacred Heart University. In those roles, and before joining Accepted in 2022, she advised thousands of students in the following pre-health tracks: pre-med, pre-PPA, pre-vet, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-PT, pre-OT, pre-accelerated nursing, and pre-optometry, as well as applicants to master's programs in exercise science, biomedical sciences, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, athletic training, public health, and applied nutrition. Today we're going to focus on med school admissions, and specifically the AAMC's recently updated pre-med competencies for entering medical students. Dr. Wherley, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:21] Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. I’m delighted to have you joining me. Now, let's start with the basics. What is a pre-med competency? What's the goal of them? [2:27] Sure. Where I thought that we would start is just looking at the word competency. The National Institutes of Health, or the NIH, define competencies as the following: "Competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors that contribute to individual and organizational performance." So, if we keep that word in mind, that helps inform our conversation. Pre-med competencies are now a list of 17 standards that have been identified by the AAMC and others, which I can talk about in a minute, as essential for success for entering medical students, and also people who are going to be practicing medicine in the future. So, it's not just for students in medical education, but our future practitioners. So that's the conceptual framework for the competencies. [3:35] Right. Let's discuss a little bit more in depth. Do you want to focus on some particular ones? I'll let you take the lead here. [3:41] Sure. I can give an overview. The competencies are grouped in three categories, and then within the categories there are specifics. With those specifics there are sort of a deep dive into the definitions. So, without getting too far into the weeds, let's look at the categories, and then maybe the specifics. The three categories are the professional competencies, which has the biggest list now, and then there's thinking and reasoning competencies, and then science competencies. If I start backwards, the thinking and reasoning competencies, that's one category, and the science competencies actually did not get updated in the update that we will talk about. It's the professional competencies that underwent the update. So, I'll start with science competencies. There are two specifics within that category. There's human behavior and living systems, and you can look at the specific definition of both of those. Thinking and reasoning competencies include the following: critical thinking, quantitative reasoning,
Duration:00:41:59
How to Get Into CMU Tepper’s NEW MS in Management Program [Episode 553]
12/12/2023
Show Summary Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business is welcoming a newly launched Masters of Science in Management (MSM) program. The one-year program is designed for early-career professionals with zero to two years of work experience who are looking for a career pivot or to gain business skills. If that sounds interesting to you, you don’t want to miss this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, where Linda Abraham sits down with Dr. Kevin Dietrick, director of the MS in Business Analytics and MS in Management Program to learn more about the program and how to get in. Show Notes Are you a college junior or senior with an interest in business and a non-business major? Or maybe you've graduated already and you feel like you need to boost your knowledge of business to propel your career and have a life of impact and consequence. Today's show is with the director of Carnegie Mellon Tepper's brand new Masters of Management. Let's learn all about it, because it might just be the program for you. Welcome to the 553rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a resource at Accepted that can help you prepare your statement of purpose to a Master's in Management program or other graduate programs. Download Five Fatal Flaws To Avoid In Your Grad School Statement of Purpose to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes that we see in grad school statements of purpose, as well as tips on how to write a statement of purpose that makes your story memorable and highlights your qualifications for your target program. Our guest today is Dr. Kevin Dietrick, Director of the MS in Business Analytics and MS in Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. Dr. Dietrick attended Allegheny College as an undergrad and earned his master's in education and his PhD in Higher Education and Higher Education Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been working in higher ed for most of the last 12 years. He came to CMU Tepper in 2018 as senior associate director of student services and became the director of the MS in Business Analytics in August and the director of the MS in Management last month. Dr. Dietrick, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk and congratulations on those positions. [2:12] Thank you, Linda. Thanks for the introduction. Thanks for having me. My pleasure. Now let's start with a really basic question. What is the MS in Management at CMU Tepper and who is it for? [2:16] That's a really excellent question and I think a good place for us to start today. The new MS in Management – we just launched it a couple of months ago – is a new venture that we have here at Tepper that falls into what I think is a suite of master's degree programs offered through Tepper. It is a one-year business degree, and to the question of who is it for, it is for folks who are early on in their career. So we talk a lot about pre-experience. That's not necessarily exclusive. It doesn't mean you have to have zero experience, but generally, zero to two years of work experience is the type of student that you'll find in this program starting. Very exciting, the fall of 2024. So what that person looks like, and I know we're going to dig into a little bit of that today, but just to give you a little bit of a sense of what we're anticipating and frankly what we're searching for. I think this is a really neat opportunity for folks who maybe are looking for an early career pivot. And so, I think that looks and manifests in a couple of different ways. It might be simply that what I studied in college, I don't actually want to do. Maybe I was a computer science major, maybe I was an engineering major, and maybe I'm just looking for a little bit of a pivot and determining, you know what, I don't want to be a programmer. I don't want to work as a software engineer.
Duration:00:39:48
ROI and NYU's Part-time MBA [Episode 552]
12/5/2023
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham discusses MBA return on investment (ROI) and NYU Stern's part-time MBA options with Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. They discuss how to calculate ROI, the ROI of NYU Stern's part-time MBA program, and the benefits and flexibility of the program. Isser Gallogly also provides tips for applicants and encourages them to create options for themselves by applying to the program. Show Notes Are you concerned about possible lack of ROI if you go for an MBA? Are you considering part-time options? Then today's episode is for you. We're discussing MBA ROI and NYU Stern’s four part-time MBA options. Welcome to the 552nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Sometimes I'm asked, "Is the MBA worth it?" And my answer always is, “It depends on your individual circumstances”, but I've got good news. We've developed a tool that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances, and by how much. Use Accepted's MBA ROI Calculator and check out how much you are likely to benefit or not from getting an MBA. And using it won't send you back even one cent because it's free. We're going to dive more into the topic of MBA ROI today with our special guest. It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk, Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. Isser has been involved in MBA admissions at NYU Stern for the last 20 years, and I've probably known you for about 20 years since you started there. Today we're going to talk about MBA, return on investment or ROI, and specifically the ROI provided by Stern's part-time MBA program and then how to get into that program. Isser, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:53] Great to be here. Thank you. I'm delighted to speak with you today, as always. I want to start by discussing the topic of MBA ROI or return on investment. Since our listeners have not yet earned their MBA, maybe we should start by discussing how to calculate ROI. What is it? I mean, I've seen lots of definitions, not all of which I agree with. Yeah, there are a lot of different ways that you could think about ROI, and I think ultimately it probably comes down to the person and their individual goals in pursuing the part-time MBA. I think for most people, just the notion that they're going to gain useful information, skills, experiences that will help them advance their career, be more effective at their career, might be sufficient. But for some people, they want to do some type of financial calculation and oftentimes they want to look at things like how much does a program cost and then what might that do to my salary over my working life? Right, and the one caution I would give people is every so often I see ROI and the expense part of it includes living expenses, food, and room and board. And I would argue that that should not be part of the calculation in terms of calculating the ROI of an MBA, not because I'm trying to reduce the expenses, but because those are expenses you'd have regardless of whether you did an MBA or not. So, if you're going to calculate the return on investment or just the cost of the MBA degree, while you have to budget for living expenses, it's not really part of the cost of the MBA because those are expenses you would have in any case, under any circumstances. That's just my own thing, but okay, let's go on. What is the ROI of the NYU Stern part-time MBA program? [2:47] Yeah, so we've been working on this for a few years now for the part-time program, to try to come up with a methodology that we feel is helpful for people who are interested in looking at that type of calculation. And what we did is we looked at data over the last four years of the class of the part-time students that were graduating,
Duration:00:36:30
Are you rushing to attend Rush Medical College? [Episode 551]
11/28/2023
Show Summary Dr. Cynthia Boyd, Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Rush Medical College, discusses the distinctive elements of the Rush Medical College program, including its focus on developing critical thinkers and providing excellent clinical care. She also highlights the importance of community service and healthcare exposure in the admissions process. Dr. Boyd emphasizes the need for applicants to present a thoughtful and authentic application that aligns with the school's mission. Ultimately, Dr. Boyd also encourages applicants to seek feedback if they are not successful in the admissions process and to consider areas for improvement before reapplying. Show Notes Would you like to attend a medical school that is outstanding – really outstanding – community service? I'm speaking today to the Associate Dean for Admissions at Rush Medical College, recipient of the 2020 Spencer Foreman Award for outstanding Community Engagement. Thanks for joining me for the 551st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Will you be ready next Spring to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted’s Med School Acceptance Calculator can give you a quick reality check. You'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. Now let's move on to today's interview. I'm delighted to have on Admissions Straight Talk, Dr. Cynthia Boyd of Rush Medical College. Dr. Boyd earned her MD at George Washington, where she also did her residency in internal medicine and later earned an MBA from Chicago Booth. She joined Rush Medical Center in 1998 and has served in a variety of roles, including Assistant Dean for Minority Affairs, Director of Medical Staff Operations and Chief Compliance Officer. She moved over to Rush Medical College full-time in 2019, and is now Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, as well as the Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment. Dr. Boyd, thanks for joining me on Admissions Straight Talk. Welcome back. [1:55] Pleasure to be here. Thank you. Let's start with my usual opening question, which is can you give an overview of the Rush Medical College program for MD students, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:01] Absolutely. So just a very quick overview, Rush Medical College was one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, dating back to when it was founded in 1837. And it is a clinical-focused organization or institution or university. We don't have a parent university, so we are dedicated to the health sciences. Rush Medical College, its main goal is to develop students who will be critical thinkers, who will provide excellent clinical care, patient safety and quality. So in 2017, the curriculum was totally changed and more directed at the students becoming the learners, self-directed learning versus sitting in a classroom and so to speak, being fed everything. So practitioner teacher models, our practitioners also teach our students, so they're able to bring to the classroom, to the students, their own practice experience, and they learn from that as well. What's new at Rush since we spoke a little over two years ago? A little over two years ago, we were in the midst of the pandemic, as I'm sure you remember and are aware. But has anything stayed from that period? What's changed? [3:17] I would say the newest is that we went from a grade scale of grading to pass fail. Oh, wow. [3:39] Now for the preclinical years, the pre-clerkship, I should say, years, it is a pass-fail grading system. Flipped classroom has already been in place, as I mentioned, since 2017, but now for the pre-clerkship years, everything is pass-fail. And when did that start? [3:58] That started I believe in 2018 or 19. Are students having difficulties in terms of residency placement because residency directors- [4:04] Not at all. In fact,
Duration:00:50:43
Navigating the Law School Admissions Process [Episode 550]
11/21/2023
Show Summary Brigitte Suhr, an Accepted law school admissions consultant and a former application reader for UVA Law, shares insights and advice on the law school admissions process in a podcast interview with Linda Abraham. They discuss topics such as changes in law school admissions, the importance of work experience before law school, the personal statement and diversity statement, common mistakes to avoid, and the character and fitness section of the application. Brigitte emphasizes the importance of starting early in the application process and being genuine in one's essays. She also provides guidance on addressing academic weaknesses and navigating the interview process. Show Notes If you're applying to law school now or in the near future, you're going to love today's show. Brigitte Suhr, Accepted Law School admissions consultant and former application reader for UVA Law, is going to help you get accepted to your dream law school. Welcome to the 550th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream law school? Are you competitive at your targeted programs? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check.Take the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it's all free. Our guest today, Brigitte Suhr, earned her bachelor's from UT Austin and her JD from UVA. She then went on to travel the world as an international lawyer, working for Human Rights Watch, The International Criminal Court and other foundations and NGOs. For approximately two years, prior to joining accepted in 2019, Brigitte worked as an application reader for her alma mater, UVA School of Law, and in that capacity reviewed over 2,500 applications. She was the one recommending admit, or deny. Let's find out when she made those recommendations and how she helps accept its clients. Brigitte, welcome to Admissions Straight talk. [1:52] Thanks, Linda. I'm happy to be here. Pleasure to have you. Now let's just start with something fairly basic, actually not so basic. What's new in law school admissions this year? [1:56] There's a lot new, Linda, maybe too much new. So from year-to-year it seems like essays don't change that much. Applications don't change that much, but with the Supreme Court decision this past summer, law schools took that opportunity to review what they were doing. They want to be compliant with the decision, but in so doing, they added quite a few changes and in my opinion, maybe overloaded a bit on essays and supplementals and things like that. So it's been a big transition for those of us working in admissions and certainly for students who have even more work to do than ever. And frankly from, I wonder if some admissions committees aren't going to be regretting some of their extra essays at some point, because it's going to be longer and longer to read and I think maybe- Could be maybe more work for them. [2:47] Exactly. We might see some cutting back. I don't have inside information on that, but if I were them I'd be doing some cutting back by next summer. I know business schools used to have many more essays and over the years they've cut back quite a bit. [2:56] Yeah. This is not a change that occurred this year. I think it's a change that's occurred over the last 10, 20 years, and that is that more and more law school applicants or more and more law school students do not go directly from college to law school. They take a year off, I think it's frequently to work for a year. Do you advise applicants to, “take a year off,” – take a gap year or work before going to law school? [3:03] I mean, I think that law schools have always cared about employability, and they care about it all the more now because the US News and World Report is factoring that into the rankings, and so it becomes an important issue. But frankly,
Duration:00:35:47
Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi: A Full-Time MBA in the Middle East
11/14/2023
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Dean Robert Salomon, the inaugural Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. They discuss NYU Stern's groundbreaking one-year MBA program in Abu Dhabi. The program is open to applicants from around the world, but it is particularly aimed at those interested in building a career in the Middle East. The program will offer the same core courses as NYU Stern’s MBA program in New York, and students will have the opportunity to study in both Abu Dhabi and New York City. The program also includes an experiential component, with students working on live projects for local companies. Dean Salomon emphasizes the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the opportunities for students to engage with start-ups and gain hands-on experience. He also discusses the importance of diversity in the student body and the availability of merit-based scholarships. The episode concludes with Dean Salomon discussing the reasons behind choosing Abu Dhabi as the location for the program and the opportunities it offers for students to be part of the region's transition to a knowledge-based economy. Show Notes Are you interested in doing business in the Middle East but want an MBA from a top US business school? And would you prefer a one-year program? Today's episode is all about NYU Stern's groundbreaking one-year MBA program in the UAE's Abu Dhabi. Welcome to the 548th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted's podcast. Sometimes I'm asked, is the MBA worth it? And my answer is, it depends on your individual circumstances, but I've got good news. We've developed a tool, the MBA ROI calculator that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances and by how much. And using the tool won't set you back even one cent. Use of the tool is free. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Dean Robert Salomon. Dean Salomon earned his bachelor's from Michigan Ross and then moved to NYU Stern, which has been his home almost ever since. He earned his master's in PhD in strategy and international business there and has been a professor of management at Stern since 2005. Dean Salomon will lead the NYU program in Abu Dhabi and will actually be the inaugural Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. Dean Salomon, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:49] Thanks for having me. I'm so glad you can join me. As we were talking about before, it's morning for me, night for you. It's amazing that we can... I think you're 12 hours ahead of me, right? [1:53] 11 this time of year. Once you change your clocks, I think it'll be 12. So we're literally on other sides of the world and yet we can still have this delightful conversation. Let's start with an overview of NYU's Abu Dhabi MBA program. Can you please provide us with one? [2:07] Sure. So we are opening here a full-time MBA program. It's going to be a 12-month, accelerated MBA program that will run from January through December, and the first class will start in January of 2025. So you're really just getting going. You're not going to have a class this year, you're just getting going for the following year, really? [2:36] We'll start a year from January, although the website is now live, the application is available, it can be downloaded, people can start it, and we are accepting applications now. The first deadline comes up January 15th, but people can start applying now. It takes a while to put together a good application, so that makes a lot of sense. [3:00] Yeah. Is this program for people in the Middle East who want a US MBA or is it for people anywhere in the world who want to focus on business in the Middle East? What's the goal of the program? [3:06] So the program is for anybody in the world, and what we would like however, is that people who are interested in the region,
Duration:00:31:07
Stanford’s MCiM Combines Technology, Healthcare, and Business
11/7/2023
Show Summary In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham interviews Dr. Kevin Schulman, the director of Stanford's Master of Science and Clinical Informatics Management Program. They discuss the opportunities available at the intersection of medicine, business, and technology, and the problems that you can solve by combining these interests in your career. The program at Stanford combines business courses, technology courses, and ethics to train leaders who can transform healthcare delivery. The program is designed for working professionals and is a one-year, part-time cohort program. Graduates of the program can pursue careers as Chief Medical Information Officers, start their own companies, work in tech or industry, or advance in clinical leadership roles. Finally, the interview concludes with a discussion on the potential risks and benefits of technology in healthcare, and the importance of personalizing healthcare through technology. Show Notes What are the opportunities for you, if you're interested in the intersection of medicine, business, and technology? What problems can you solve if you combine those interests in your career? What education would you require? We're going to find out in this interview with the director of Stanford's Master's program and Clinical Informatics Management. Welcome to the 540th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Whether you are applying to a niche, innovative graduate program or more traditional one, the challenge at the heart of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and are a standout in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance. Dr. Kevin Schulman, director of Stanford's Master of Science and Clinical Informatics Management Program is also Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor of Operations Information and Technology at Stanford GSB. He is our guest today, and those are just three of his titles. He has several more, along with over 500 publications. His research focuses on organizational innovation and healthcare, healthcare policy and health economics, which leads us directly to Stanford's Master's in Clinical Informatics management or the MCIM. Dr. Schulman, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00] Oh, thanks so much for having me, Linda. My pleasure. I'm really delighted to be speaking with you. I saw an ad for the program online and it just felt like such a fascinating program that I looked into it and I thought, gee, it'd be great to have you on. So let's start with a couple of really basic questions. I am not a techie and I'm not a healthcare professional. I do have an MBA. What is clinical informatics management? [2:05] That's a great question. As you think about healthcare compared to other services that you receive on a daily basis, we're just lagging so far behind in terms of how we provide digital services to our patients, to consumers, how we do follow-up, how we provide education. So we wanted to build a program to help create leaders that will transform the delivery of healthcare in this country and around the world. To do that, we combine business courses and technology courses and ethics in a year long program for working professionals where we meet every other weekend. So my next question was going to be, can you give us an overview of the MCIM program, and you kind of just did that, but can you go into a little bit more detail about how it is structured and what is actually taught in the program? I mean, again, it just sounds absolutely fascinating to me. [3:06] So at a high level, when I first started a program like this after the HITECH Act in 2009. Oh wow, it was back that far? [3:27] I was at Duke at the time, it wasn't here, but our CIO said, look,
Duration:00:33:46
How to Get Accepted to UC Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA Program
10/31/2023
While the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has made it very clear that applicants need outstanding academics to get in, the program will not compromise its values to maintain it high stats. Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles are taken very seriously by the school’s administration and admissions team. You will need to show that you share and live by those principles if you are to receive serious consideration as an candidate. The four principles are as follows: Question the Status Quo Confidence Without Attitude Students Always Beyond Yourself Keep those principles very much at the forefront of your mind as you prepare your Haas application. Ready to get to work on your Haas application? Read on. Haas application essay tips Haas application deadlines Haas class profile Don’t miss our Admissions Straight Talk podcast interview with Eric Askins, Executive Director of Full-time MBA admissions at UC Berkeley Haas. He reveals why prospective applicants in their applications are encouraged to focus on their overall story and narrative, and how they can demonstrate their ability to handle the academic rigor of the program. Eric Askins also encourages applicants to engage with current students and alumni to learn more about the program and its opportunities. Listen below or click the image to read the full transcript. Haas application essay tips Haas Essay #1 What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum) Just reading this question excites me because it conjures up memories of my first SCUBA dive, playing tag with my stepsons when they were children, singing songs with my dad when he was ill, laughing until I cried at my husband’s jokes, and getting legislation passed that helps cancer patients live better lives. These are just some of the things that give my life meaning and purpose. So sit back and relax before you start writing this essay. Take some time to really consider the things that put a smile on your face. Is it spending time in nature? Being in nature helps us not only de-stress but also appreciate the beauty of the world around us. Is creating something new what makes you feel alive? Writing a poem, playing the guitar, painting a picture (or a house), building furniture, gardening – these can all be enriching experiences. Creating something from nothing allows us to express ourselves and share our talents. Does helping others make you happy? Making a difference helps us feel good about ourselves, enables us to connect, and builds strong relationships. Whatever your “it” is, it can be as common as a morning run or as unique as walking a tightrope – or as tasty as making barbeque sauce (for Ted Lasso fans). Regardless, it’s an activity you repeat because you just can get enough of it. It fills you with energy, love, and a need for “it” in your life. So, don’t try to guess what you THINK the adcom wants to read and write about that. The truth is that they want to read about your authentic self. Be descriptive so they can be in the moment or activity with you. And remember to write about why your “it” makes you feel alive, because the “why” is more important than the “it.” Haas Essay #2 How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max) To write this essay well, you must first understand and share Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles (as presented on the Haas website): Question the Status Quo: We thrive at the epicenter of innovation. We make progress by speaking our minds even when it challenges convention. We lead by championing bold ideas and taking intelligent risks. Confidence Without Attitude: We make decisions based on evidence and analysis, giving us the confidence to act with humility. We foster collaboration by building a foundation of empathy, inclusion, and trust.
Duration:00:50:47