Admit One
Evaluating MBA Applications with an Eye on Recruiting
When you come face to face with a Baruch student in the interview room, you’re likely to evaluate that candidate on the competencies, skills, and “fit” characteristics you feel are necessary for success in your company. In this way, at Baruch, our admissions process closely mirrors the recruiting process. “Our career management team often gives us input on applicants, advising us on how likely they are to be the kind of student who succeeds in today’s marketplace,” says Fran Murphy, director of graduate admissions at Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business. In fact, our career management and admissions teams are physically located in adjacent office spaces, so we evaluate candidates for admission with full awareness of employer expectations down the line. Sometimes, the admissions team will ask career management to vote on an application. While the final decision lies with the admissions officers, it’s very helpful to get that kind of “market evaluation” on an application upfront, notes Murphy. “They might see something we didn’t, or vice versa.”
Why might our admissions process be of interest to employers? The Baruch admissions staff looks a little deeper into the applicants profile by evaluating their ability to articulate their choices thus far. “We really look at the whole package,” adds Murphy. “When we evaluate their essays, for example, we’re looking for honesty, ambitious yet realistic career goals, and ability to contribute to the Baruch experience overall.” In interviews, the admissions committee considers what students bring to the table, such as leadership potential, communication skills, and professional presence.
An applicant’s supporting materials provide clues about how successful that person will be as a student -- and eventually as a candidate for employment, says Murphy. “We read the recommendation letter closely.” Murphy says. “If there’s something on a resume or on an essay that we need more explanation about, we’ll sometimes pick up the phone and call to get more details.”
Another element in our admissions process is how a particular applicant might complement the Baruch experience for all the other students. “We look for diverse undergraduate educational backgrounds. Some students do come in with prior business experience, but others may have been dancers, artists, opera singers and engineers. This adds a dynamic element to our classes and enhances everyone’s learning,” says Murphy.
While Murphy doesn’t expect every Baruch applicant to know exactly what he or she wants to concentrate in or what career path they will ultimately choose, she does look for a logical thought process. “We want to know that they have a good reason for coming here at this point in their lives – why now, and why Baruch? They should be able to answer that.” In an interview, adds Murphy, admissions team members look for applicants to communicate the skill sets they have acquired through their prior experience and how it will help them while at Baruch. The questions posed to applicants are very similar to those they will face as candidates when seeking employment. “Can they answer questions relevantly and appropriately? That’s important,” says Murphy. “We want to see that they can communicate how Baruch will complement their skills. We also ask how candidates react to problems in teams, and how they handle working with people of different cultures – both of which are relevant not just to our academic environment but to the working world.” Our expectations of potential students are similar to employers’ expectations of potential hires; if they are thoughtful and deliberate now, they are likely to be so later.
