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U Penn’s Wharton School Opens New West Coast Campus Home

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Last week, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania announced the grand opening of its new West Coast campus home, Wharton | San Francisco. The new larger facility opened February 9th in the Hills Plaza building on San Francisco’s Embarcadero.

The new West Coast campus will be home to Wharton’s growing West Coast MBA for Executives program and new offerings from Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs (WEP). It will also serve as a hub for the school’s international activities and host a range of alumni events and additional school activities.

The Hills Plaza location is 30 percent larger than Wharton’s previous San Francisco home in the former Folgers Coffee headquarters and boasts state-of-the-art technology, amphitheater classrooms, multiple group study rooms and breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay. It can accommodate 150 students, a 50 percent increase over the old building, according to a report in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Wharton’s move to a new, larger campus comes in response to rising interest in the school’s west coast offerings and is part of the school’s attempt to raise its high-tech profile and draw more aspiring tech entrepreneurs to its programs.  

“As business and entrepreneurial activities proliferate in San Francisco and across the West coast, companies are increasingly demanding skilled, mature leaders,” Doug Collom, vice dean of Wharton | San Francisco, said in a statement. “The education provided at Wharton | San Francisco is a key factor in the development of capable leaders to helm the businesses at the forefront of the regional – and global – economy,” he added.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee praised Wharton’s decision to extend its investment in the city. “Wharton graduates will join a talented group of employees here in our city who are attracting businesses from around the world looking for the best talent,” he said in a statement.

For more on the new Wharton | San Francisco campus, click here.

 

Fridays From the Frontline

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Hello and welcome to the latest Fridays From the Frontlines, Clear Admit’s weekly wondrous wander through the b-school blogosphere.

Army JMO encouraged readers to be proactive. MBADilemma reminded herself to be self-aware as she wrote her essays. MBAfome recounted his history with calculus … and carebears. The Senator refuted his law school friend’s claim that business school was a “two week vacation.” Though saddened by a rejection from HBS, The Applicationist’s mood brightened upon receiving an interview invitation from Wharton.

Harvard ’13 Parker introduced the other members of her FIELD team, complete with code names. Tepper ’13 Julianne explained that she was a geek and discussed the cross-campus opportunities at Carnegie Mellon.

Kellogg ’12 Dream Chaser returned to their blog for a brief look back at what had happened over the course of the last two years. Darden ’12 Patrick focused on the British music industry in his latest post. LBS ’12 mbahut discussed the pros and cons of working part-time while pursuing an MBA. Darden ’12 Jonathan attended the school’s annual  Business in Society Conference. Darden ’12 Darden Poet shared her top 7 moments of collaboration outside of a strictly academic setting that took place over the last month.

And that’s a wrap for this week; we hope that all bloggers and their readers enjoyed a Happy Valentine’s day and that their weekend is equally enjoyable!

Want to join the Fridays From the Frontline community and see your blog featured regularly in this column? Just copy and paste the code found here to your blog and then email us atbob@clearadmit.com with your URL so we can make sure to add you to our weekly roundups.

Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business Announces New MBA Curriculum

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The faculty of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business yesterday approved a new MBA curriculum that will feature changes to the existing curriculum structure, the introduction of key new cross-disciplinary courses and a renewed commitment to principled leadership and globalization. Full-time MBA Associate Dean Elaine Romanelli announced the changes in a letter today, indicating that they will be implemented beginning in fall 2012.

“The new curriculum deepens our commitment to the program’s fundamental values for educating principled leaders with global perspectives in service to business and society and strengthens our delivery of core functional knowledge (e.g., finance, marketing, operations),” Romanelli writes. 

As part of changes to the curriculum structure, most core classes will be lengthened from seven weeks to 12, a shift that is designed to give students more time to reflect and learn as well as greater opportunity to integrate learning with other courses.

In terms of content, the new MBA curriculum will include six new integrated courses recognizing and teaching functional knowledge found at the intersections of different disciplines. Cross-disciplinary teams of faculty will design and deliver these new courses. For example, ethics professor Ed Soule and leadership professor Michael O’Leary are working with additional faculty on one of the six new courses, entitled Principled Leadership for Business and  Society, which will pull together perspectives from leadership, ethics and corporate social responsibility to explore the challenges of modern business decision making.

Finally, the new curriculum will cement McDonough’s commitment to turning out principled leaders ready to make a difference in an increasingly global world through the introduction of courses like the leadership-focused one mentioned above as well as a new three-week intensive course focused on global business perspectives. This course, entitled the Structure of Global Industries, has been designed to “set the stage for a global discussion throughout the entire curriculum,” Romanelli writes. She adds that the school will expand its global residency program into an enhanced experiential learning opportunity that will take students’ experiences, talents, connections and careers into account as part of planning the projects and locations they will take part in as part of the MBA.

Romanelli also announced the academic calendar for the fall, sharing that a special day of orientation for international students will take place on Monday, August 6th, orientation for all students will begin on Tuesday, August 7th, and classes will begin on Monday, August 13th.

Campus Chronicles: The Harbus

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This week’s Campus Chronicles tackles the most current news sweeping Harvard Business School by way of The Harbus, the newspaper of MBA students at HBS.

HBS’s first ever day of service is set for March 31.  Named HBS SA Cares, the event was inspired by an HBS student’s experience with Kellogg Cares and Wharton Cares.  The scheduled service projects will be undertaken by students to benefit Cradles to Crayons, the Lowell Wish Project, IMEC, The United Way, and Junior Achievement.  Sponsors for the day of volunteering include Bain and Company, BCG, and the Healthcare Club at HBS.

The Harbus also chronicled the success story of HBS-born company, Rent the Runway.  Two 2009 alumnae came up with the idea in the middle of their second year at HBS and decided to hit the ground running: Rent the Runway uses the Internet to rent out designer clothing for a much lower cost than the sticker price.  In that same year, Bain Capital Ventures offered the startup its first funding, and the co-founders were in talks right through graduation.  Rent the Runway had completed its seed, first, and second rounds of funding by Spring 2011, accruing more than $30 million.

Meanwhile, a younger enterprise highlighted in the Venture Corner is supperclub, a group dating startup.  The joint venture of three current HBS students, supperclub uses a casual, group dinner model to make dating more fun and less stressful.  The idea behind supperclub came from the success that group rather than individual dating services have had in other countries and the founders’ considerations for how this might make a great deal of sense in the U.S., too.  With November’s pilot program a success, supperclub is organizing 50 dinners for Harvard graduate students throughout February.

GMAT Tips: Thinking Critically

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Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep.  In today’s blog post, they explain the importance of thinking critically while taking the GMAT.  Read on to see what they have to say!

To break through the average-difficulty GMAT problems and succeed on those upper-level separate-the-700s-from-the-Sixers items, you need to accept that the harder problems offer a unique challenge. They are not typically concerned with more obscure information in the way that Jeopardy-style trivia questions get harder the more obscure the information is.  Instead, they challenge you to think more critically about the same fundamental skills that you have mastered in the middle-range problems to even get to that top-shelf point.

The key to success on hard GMAT problems is to accept this quirky challenge — think differently and critically.

Consider an example:

If triangle ABC is isosceles, what is the length of side BC?

1) The length of side AB is 4

2) The length of side AC is 4(sqrt2)

If you are thinking about content, you’re likely to first recognize that neither statement alone is sufficient (you would need to know the lengths of at least two sides to make this determination).  Secondly, you are likely to think about a particular isosceles triangle property: In an isosceles right triangle, the ratio of the sides is x : x : x(sqrt 2). And here you seem to have two of those sides – AB is 4, AC is the longer side, and so BC should also be 4.  Right?

Not right – unless we know that the angle A is right!  This triangle could also have sides of 4, 4sqrt2, and 4sqrt 2, and have all acute angles.  The trap here is that the GMAT knows that you are studying particular triangle rules: 30-60-90s, 45-45-90s, 3-4-5s, 5-12-13s, etc.  The authors of these questions want to tempt you, using the fact that you want to showcase the special rules that you know and prove to business schools that you’ve studied hard and have the capacity to accumulate knowledge.

But that’s not the whole game – knowledge is just one part of the GMAT, which also) tests critical thinking skills, efficient processing of information, and other higher-order thought processes.  So in order to succeed on harder questions, you have to embrace and accept that challenge — you have to think critically not just about “what do I know” but also “what DON’T  know.”

The GMAT is designed to stretch your mind and determine how critically you think.  As you study, do not get frustrated by these mistakes, but instead accept the challenge to change the way you think to approach this test.  Do so and you dramatically increase your chances of posting a high score and attending your desired program!

For more information on Veritas Prep, download Clear Admit’s independent guide to the leading test preparation companies here. This FREE guide includes coupons for discounts on test prep services at ten different firms!

Business Schools Look Beyond Traditional Business Arenas for Role Models for Strategy and Leadership

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Top MBA programs including those at Harvard Business School (HBS) and the MIT Sloan School of Management are turning to the likes of Lady Gaga and Shakespeare to provide examples of successful leadership and strategy, according to a recent article in the Toronto Star. In the wake of the financial crisis and the resulting loss of faith in leadership, they’ve had little choice but to look outside the traditional business world in order to continue teaching by example, the Canadian paper suggests.

At HBS, a class called Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries gives students a chance to examine the career moves of 25-year-old Stefani Germanotta and her transformation into pop icon Lady Gaga. The HBS course looks to Gaga to understand the importance of contracts and how to manage your message through social media. Business schools in Europe – including Germany’s ESMT and Antwerp Management in the Netherlands – also have zeroed in on Gaga as a case study to teach strategic innovation, the Toronto Star reports. And the London Business School had students look at Kiss guitarist Gene Simmons for lessons on how to monetize a fan base.

Meanwhile, at schools like the MIT Sloan School of Management and NYU’s Stern School of Business, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Henry V are providing examples of leadership to students. And at Canadians schools like Toronto University’s Rotman School, hockey stars are coming in as speakers to advise and inspire future business leaders. Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke recently shared his views on Steve Jobs and the need to be tough. “There isn’t anyone who has made a hard decision who doesn’t have a ruthless side,” he told the students.

For the complete Toronto Star article, click here.

Wiki Wednesdays: Submit an MBA Interview Report from Michigan / Ross, UT Austin / McCombs, or Berkeley / Haas and Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays, in which we feature MBA interview reports that have recently been added to the Clear Admit Wiki!  Over the last week, we’ve received new reports of interviews at schools such as Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU / Stern, and MIT / Sloan.  In addition, a Round 2 applicant to Georgetown / McDonough shared this experience of interviewing off campus with a member of the admissions committee:

• “What is your short term goal post-MBA?
• Why do you want an MBA?
• Why MBA now?
• Why Georgetown?
• Tell me about what you are working on right now?
• Tell me about a time when you had to take a step back and let the team succeed?
• Tell me about a time when you had to work with someone from a different culture? What challenges did you face and and how did you overcome it?
• Tell me about a time when you had to give bad news to your team
• Tell me about something that interests you outside of work?

Session ended with questions for the interviewer. The interview was very friendly and the conversation was free flowing.”

Clear Admit would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our wiki this season!  If you’re interested in sharing your experience, we’ll be awarding a $10 Amazon gift certificate to every applicant who submits an interview report for Michigan /  Ross, UT Austin / McCombs, or Berkeley / Haas through next Tuesday, February 21st!  All you have to do is send us your interview field report for the selected schools for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 Amazon gift certificate.  You must send your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com to be eligible; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight about admissions interviews.  Best of luck in your interviews!

What Perks You Up?

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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

GMAC Reports Shifts in Graduate Management Student Mobility Patterns

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Where students are choosing to study graduate management education is growing increasingly more complex, according to the most recent regional trend data from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which administers the GMAT entrance exam. Among the trends: European students are choosing programs closer to home, students from the Middle East are looking more toward programs in the United States and students from Asia are venturing to business schools in many corners of the globe.

GMAC released the results of its new World Geographic Trend Report earlier this month, which tracks GMAT test-taking and score-sending patterns over the past five years. In that time period, the number of scores sent to graduate management programs in the United States has been on the decline as more and more quality programs have begun to proliferate in other parts of the world. Today, the U.S. claims 77 percent of the market, down from 83 percent in GMAT testing year 2007.

“Higher education in general and management education in particular are becoming more global, and the mobility patterns are becoming increasingly complex,” Alex Chisholm, GMAC senior research manager, said in a statement.

Some of the most notable five-year trends involve test takers from East and Southeast Asia. The number of GMAT exams taken throughout this region has been rising steadily, with Chinese citizens accounting for 70 percent of the region’s total. The proportion of women and younger test takers (under 25) from this region are each significantly greater than they were five years ago and now rank highest in the world. 

In India and other parts of Central and South Asia, meanwhile, fewer test takers are sending scores to U.S. programs than in past years. Scores sent to the U.S. from citizens of this region declined from 67 percent to 55 percent, as the proportion of scores sent to India, the U.K., and Singapore all increased.

The proportion of test takers from Western and Eastern Europe sending scores to U.S. programs is also on the decline, GMAC found. Only 28 percent of Western Europeans sent scores to the U.S. in testing year 2011, compared to 68 percent who sent scores to domestic or regional opportunities. Of Eastern European citizens, 47 percent sent scores to U.S. programs, with more sending to Europe, especially to the U.K., France and the Netherlands.

In Africa, too, the percentage of scores sent to U.S. programs fell (to 61 percent in TY11 from TK in TY07). Indeed, Middle Eastern citizens were the only regional group studied that sent a higher proportion of scores to the U.S. than they did five years ago (up from 43 percent in TY07 to 47 percent in TY11).

For more details on GMAT test-taking and score-sending trends, click here.

Trivia Tuesday: Darden’s Batten Institute

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Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly look at the distinguishing resources and opportunities offered by the leading business schools.  This week, we’re opening up the Clear Admit Guide to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business to learn about the school’s Batten Institute.

“Darden students interested in entrepreneurship and innovation are encouraged to make use of the resources offered by the school’s Batten Institute. In addition to supporting research projects that focus on economic growth, emerging markets, sustainability and healthcare, the institute offers frequent opportunities for experiential learning and networking, along with financial support for student entrepreneurs.

“To encourage the development of new business ventures on campus, the Batten Institute organizes an annual Entrepreneurial Concept Competition as well as a more traditional Business Plan Competition. These competitions provide a way for ventures in many stages of development to attract attention and support.  In the Entrepreneurial Concept Competition, teams simply submit an executive summary that rigorously analyzes a market opportunity they see. The Business Plan Competition takes this several steps further, asking teams to submit a full-fledged business plan, including an overview of the venture’s management team and its projected financials.

“In both competitions, the winning teams each receive a cash prize, along with preference in the application process for the Darden Business Incubator, which is funded by the Batten Institute. Teams that are selected to participate in the Incubator receive summer funding to support one principal as he or she works to develop the venture. In addition to this funding, Incubator support includes a business expense allowance, guidance and mentoring from an advisory board, and up to three months of infrastructure support after launch. Nearly 100 ventures to date have gotten off the ground with the help of the Darden Business Incubator, including a manufacturer of hazardous gas detection devices, a producer of literacy and vocabulary development tools and a consultancy to help high school athletes navigate the college recruiting process.

“The Batten Institute also supported the construction of Darden’s new innovation lab, or i.Lab, which officially opened in March 2010.  The i.Lab is a 4,000-square-foot learning environment intended to encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking through experiential opportunities. Included in this space is a full-fledged design studio, equipped with work benches, tools and an array of building materials, so that students can actually design and create models and prototypes of their entrepreneurial ideas. The i.Lab also features an open collaboration space in which students can share and evaluate their ideas and models…”

To read more about the Batten Institute, as well as to obtain additional in-depth information about Darden’s MBA program, be sure to check out the Clear Admit School Guide to Darden.  All Clear Admit School Guides are available for immediate purchase and download on the Clear Admit shop.

You could win a Clear Admit Guide!   Based on today’s post, we’ll be running a trivia contest on Twitter.  Be sure to follow us and play for your chance to win!