Chat with Admissions: March 3, 2008

We’re delighted to have the opportunity to talk with you about the Rady School and our MBA programs — curriculum, the experience of being a Rady student, our faculty. I look forward to your questions.

Our faculty have been very active in developing new electives and in providing opportunities for independent study. We’ve offered new electives this year in international finance, business forecasting, global leadership, employee ownership, the business of renewable energy — among others. And more than 1/2 our students are undertaking independent study projects — often for companies — with our faculty.

Please give a high level overview about the program, its reputation, national rankings, etc.

The Rady School is focused on innovation and the leadership and business needs of innovation-driven organizations. We believe the knowledge and skills you need to have an impact in that fast-moving kind of environment are fundamentally different. We’re particularly interested in industry sectors (like technology, life sciences) where innovation is do-or-die for companies. We have had extraordinary positive feedback — and tremendous support — from our business community and from these kinds of companies in their geographies. The School has not yet existed long enough to be included in the various press rankings; all our quality measures support our intention of being a top-ranked program.

Are grades obtained through courses at UCSD Extension considered for admission to the Rady MBA programs?

Credits earned through UCSD Extension courses are not transferable and does not get applied towards your MBA degree. Students have taken UCSD Extension courses prior to coming into the program for professional/self-development purposes or to explore an area of interests. The admissions committee will look carefully at your academic records, including non-degree courses such as extension courses to determine your academic preparation for admissions consideration.

I want to know more about the Lab to Market course. How is the process?

The Lab to Market (L2M) course sequence is a fundamental piece of a Rady education — and an exciting experience. It really provides an education in how innovation happens, whether inside a company or in an entrepreneurial context. Where do ideas come from? How do you evaluate whether an idea is worth pursuing? Is an idea big enough to be a new product? a new service? a new company? — or should this specific idea be dropped? The first course in the sequence really focuses on giving you the analytical frameworks and tools for those kinds of assessments. In the L2M Workshop that follows, you then engage directly with a specific idea, usually as part of a team, and develop a business case and then a full business plan.

I am a UCSD alumni and a current SDSU Masters student in Computer Science. I was wondering if I could waive taking GMAT since I recently took the GRE and scored high on it.

We are able to waive the GMAT, after review of documentation, for those with and MD or a PhD in a scientific, technological or quantitative discipline. We do not waive it for those with master’s degrees only.

What is the school’s selling pitch against some of the other more reputable schools? Why should someone attend Rady when they can go to another MBA program in San Diego which is more reputable? And as we know like law, an MBA degree unfortunately/fortunately is mostly judged by its school image.

We are very pleased with the reputation we have in the San Diego business community — we are constantly being approached by business leaders who would like to be involved with us and interact with our students, and our Rady Career Center regularly has corporate comments on how strong our students are and how much they appreciate the opportunity to consider our students for internships and career employment. We see similar responses from companies in the Bay area, where we’ve done a good bit of outreach. UC San Diego has a great national and international reputation.

What are the general requirements for getting into Rady, such as 2 yrs working experience etc.?

The Rady School does not have a minimum requirement for the number of years of work experience. We care more about the quality of your professional experience, scope of responsibility, career progression and leadership roles you have taken within your organization than the specific number of years you have on your resume. If you have no work experience, then we will look at your experience in teams and organizations such as student organizations, part-time jobs, internships, community service, non-profit work or entrepreneurial endeavors to understand what your contribution will be to the class and your classmates.

What are the minimum GPA and GMAT requirements and averages for applicants that are admitted to the FlexMBA program?

We don’t have a minimum GMAT requirement. The average GMAT test score for the entering 2007 FlexMBA class was 613 (80% range of 550–690). The average GPA was 3.3 (80% range: 2.8–3.9). The Office of Graduate Studies requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 for admission to any graduate program at UC San Diego. However, if we think you are academically prepared for our rigorous MBA program, we will request a waiver to this requirement.

I was wondering what courses or degree one has to have prior to applying to the Full-Time MBA program at Rady. Is there a particular major that makes a prospective student more eligible?

We admit students from a broad range of majors — and see the diversity of students’ prior educational experiences as really enhancing the educational environment. We do attract a fair number of students with tech or science backgrounds — San Diego is rich in these kinds of companies, and the region attracts individuals interested in these opportunities. But diversity is something we care about: philosophy, English, political science, film, business, international relations, religion, design....all have been in the mix.

I’m current studying my MBA in Texas and this is my 2nd semester. Due to my work I will be transferred to San Diego and need info for transfer students?

This is something that we’d have to look at in a very individual way. In general, transfer of credits is only approved by exception, with faculty review and evaluation. Rarely, faculty may agree to a waiver of a core class, if you have taken a comparable class, which could allow you to complete additional electives. Please email our Admissions Team directly at MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu — we can talk with you individually about this.

What kind of GPA do you need to apply for this program? How long is the Full-Time MBA?

The Rady School does not have a minimum GPA requirement for admission consideration. As we evaluate your application, the admissions committee will review all transcripts thoroughly — we look at the courses you took, how well you did, academic major, any trends, etc. The Full-Time MBA program is an 18-month program with typically a summer internship between the academic years. You’ll begin with your core courses in the first year and then move into your electives the second year.

Are some of the technical courses done for an MS at San Diego State transferable as electives to the MBA program at UC San Diego?

As I responded to someone else, this is very individual, and is by exception only. In general, coursework from non-business disciplines would not be considered for credit towards the MBA degree. Please feel free to email our MBA Admission office directly regarding the particulars of your personal situation.

What is the acceptance percentage for every fall, on average? I have seen the admitted class size of about 50-60 but I have not seen the applicant pool size.

We’ve had an applicant pool of about 230 for the Full-Time MBA program in each of the last couple of years. This year, applications are currently running about 20% ahead of same time last year. We have had very high acceptance of our offers of admission — 2/3 or more of those we admit take their seats in the class: this is higher than any MBA program I’ve ever been involved with, and really speaks to the enthusiasm we see for the unique Rady program.

Can a part time MBA be completed in a longer duration?

Our FlexMBA program is designed for working professionals. The Weekend schedule is typically 24 months in duration; the Evening version is typically 30 months.

Does Lab to Market have an opportunity to work as an internship program? Or is it working independently of a summer internship?

Summer internships are separate from your MBA courses. Our career center, MBA Career Connections, works with students and with companies interested in our students. We’ve had great interest from companies in our MBAs — 100% of those seeking summer internships have gotten them, and we’ve had rave reviews from the companies involved.

What kind of financial support does Rady give to international students? Also, is there on-campus job availability for international students?

As an international student, you may consider private educational loans to help finance your MBA education. Private loans are available to both domestic and international applicants. Please refer to our website under Full-Time MBA Program "Cost and Financing" for more information about educational loans. We have a list of UCSD Recommended Lenders and Other Approved Lenders outlining the different alternative loan programs, loan requirements, etc.

How can I get a TA or RA? I am in urgent need for one.

The Rady School has some opportunities for TA and RA positions. These are mostly available to second-year students, who serve as TAs for the first-year core classes. We also have a few opportunities for TA-ships in some of the undergraduate classes we teach, and are just in the process of formalizing that, so that we can consider in-coming students for these positions. Some of our students obtain TA or RA positions in other units on campus (we’ve had students in some of the language courses, in undergrad economics classes, etc). We distribute all the information we are able to gather about these opportunities through our admitted student website, so that in-coming students know about them. Typically it would be mid- or late spring quarter before other departments put out the call for a position they need filled for fall term.

Have any students past or present, enrolled in other UCSD graduate programs while completing the MBA?

As a Rady MBA, you can use some of your elective credits to take individual graduate classes elsewhere on campus (with approval, these can count towards your MBA degree). UC San Diego does not permit a student to be enrolled in two graduate degree programs simultaneously.

What are the GPA requirements for admissions?

The Rady School does not have a minimum GPA requirement. The Admissions Committee looks at your previous academic work and any subsequent courses you may have taken in order to determine if you are academically prepared for the rigorous MBA program, as well as the GMAT scores. If there were extenuating circumstances we should be aware of with regard to your GPA, please use one of the optional essays in the application to provide us with this information.

Is your school accredited from AACSB?

UC San Diego is fully accredited and the Rady School is included in that accreditation. Regarding AACSB, we’re in the early stages of this process — we’re just now reaching the stage where we can apply for "eligibility", which then will enable us to undertake this process. We anticipate no difficulties regarding this, and it has no impact on your degree. Our dean serves on the AACSB Board.

Correct, UCSD is known as a reputable research institute for technical fields and life sciences, however this does not correlate to direct reputability in the field of business administration.

Rady has an exceptional reputation in our business community, which we see reflected in our placement results and the business community involvement with the School. Our academic reputation is also strong — if you look at where our faculty are coming from (Chicago, Wharton, UCLA, UT Austin, etc), you can see that our reputation and visibility among our academic peers is also exceptional.

I want to volunteer to participate in entrepreneurship competition cases. Is there any competition case for business planning?

Each year, we sponsor two teams to the McGinnis Venture Competition at Carnegie Mellon — these teams come out of the Lab to Market class projects. There is also a student-run business plan competition here at UC San Diego. Last year, a Rady MBA was the business brains behind the winning team, and an all-Rady team took second place.

Group projects/presentations are a huge part of the undergraduate business program at Central Michigan University, will this benefit me in my application?

We’d certainly want you to let us know about those experiences in your application. One of the optional essays might be a good place for this, if it doesn’t fit elsewhere in your essays.

What is the age range of applicants? I there any discrimination on the acceptance rate of mature students?

Our class profiles are the result of the class, not a target we start with — we admit individuals, really trying to look for interesting, smart people who will contribute to the learning environment — so there are no cut-offs or specific numbers we’re looking for. Our Full-Time MBA students average about 5 years of work experience, with a range that includes students right out of their undergrad programs and includes people with 15+ years of experience. Our FlexMBA class has an average of about 10 years of experience, with a range from around 3 years to 30+ years.

Regarding the one year Calculus pre-requisite, since I was a Marketing major in my undergrad, I completed a year of Math for Social Sciences and not Calculus. Would this satisfy your requirement? If so, how would a grade of B in one semester and a grade of C in another be viewed by the admissions committee?

The calculus pre-requisite is not a requirement for admissions consideration. If you have not fulfilled this pre-req, then you’ll need to satisfy this requirement before the start of the program in September. Once you are admitted to the program we will contact you to let you know what your options are to fulfill the calculus pre-requisite (if necessary) — whether it is at a local community college or through the summer online Math for Management course. We’ll look at your transcripts and your GMAT quant score to determine if you have satisfied the pre-req. We also offer an optional Math Refresher workshop during Orientation.

Approximately how long would the AACSB accreditation take? Would this have any possible impact on the number of units and/or course selection?

AACSB accreditation has no impact on you as a student: — not on course, or on your degree or diploma, or on how potential employers perceive you. UC San Diego has a great reputation globally, and it is very unlikely anyone will ever ask you about accreditation. The process, as we understand it from AACSB, can take from 27 months to 7 years after the establishment of eligibility, depending on the school and their situation. We are beginning the process of establishing eligibility.

How about national rankings?

We are not yet eligible for any of the press rankings. Having been at 3 top-50 MBA programs, I actually am very happy that we can, at this point, pay the closest attention to our students and to creating the best possible educational experience for you — and not spend time on the press rankings. We’re in the top 25 right now on the metrics.

In the future, I would be applying to Rady as an advanced degree holder. Would an M.D. degree from a foreign medical school (accredited by the U.S.) waive the GMAT requirement? More specifically, does it matter where I would get an M.D.?

We would want to see a copy of your transcript and degree certificate/diploma for your MD degree in order to assess a possible GMAT waiver. Please contact MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu with your specific situation.

To elaborate, suppose there is someone at UCSD who is working on a research area which a student had some extensive background in. Would it be possible to work in that lab and possibly combine this with the Lab to Market component of the course?

We should talk with you off-line about this and make sure we understand your goals. Some of our MBA students do their Lab to Market projects on research being done by grad students, postdocs, or faculty researchers here at UC San Diego — but those people are not enrolled in our L2M classes.

What’s the tuition going to be for the Flex Evening program? Is it the same as the FlexWeekend MBA program? Since the FlexEvening MBA requires more quarters to complete, wouldn’t that make the overall cost higher?

Both FlexWeekend and FlexEvening will be comparable for total costs of the degree — we are moving to a credit-based fee, so it will be spread out differently in the two schedules. The shift to credit-based is designed to increase the flexibility that students have in the program. We’re finding that students may have reasons for slowing down or speeding up their progress, and the current fee structure (with a set fee per quarter) doesn’t easily allow this. We see lots of value for students in having some flexibility. In general students will complete the core curriculum with their entering cohort, developing deep relationships and building strong team skills, and then have more choice about how they proceed through the elective portions of the program.

If calculus is not a pre-req for admission consideration, why does one have to take calculus before September? Is this a pre-req for the full-time MBA? I haven’t taken math since grade 10 as I completed my A Levels in a British school. Will the GMAT not suffice as a calculus requirement?

The calculus pre-req sets the base for math skills needed for our program. The GMAT is only one indicator of having this skill set. We want to know that you had some quantitative work as an undergraduate and you have the basic knowledge to be academically successful. We have a rigorous MBA program requiring quantitative skills, especially during your first two quarters. Fulfilling the calculus pre-requisite (or equivalent) before the program is to your benefit. We work with each student who does not have the pre-req to assess what needs to be done to have you up-to-speed before the program begins.

Is leadership development a priority of the Rady School of Management?

Absolutely! We really see our programs as developing leaders for innovation-driven organizations. Leadership is a core class and is taught in the first quarter of the program — a real starting point for your assessment of yourself and for your planning. By the end of that course, you will have written a personal development plan, which you will use to guide your own choices of classes, teams and your role in them, activities, projects, in the remainder of the program. We also offer several electives which provide additional opportunities to focus on your leadership skills — and the Professional Seminar offers both workshops and speakers that address this area as well.

2/3 of the applicant pool are admitted or 2/3 of the admitted students accept the offer? I am more interested to see what percentage of the applicant pool are admitted. And also to see what percentage of the 55-65 class size is from FlexMBA and what is the admitted student rate corresponding to the FlexMBA portion. Thanks!

2/3 of those admitted accept; in the full-time program, about 1/3 were offered admission last year.

I understand that Net Impact is active at Rady. What classroom opportunities are there available to a student interested in focusing on corporate social responsibility?

We have had several electives in this area, and we have a number of students who have taken on either independent study or Lab to Market projects in areas of sustainability. We expect this curriculum to continue to grow: in sustainability, clean tech, corporate governance, and ethics.

The admission deadline for the full-time MBA program is in April, however you state that one can submit their GMAT scores after applying if they have not taken the GMAT at application time. When are admission decisions sent and is there an actual deadline to submit GMAT scores?

We begin with putting your file together followed by a preliminary review, but final evaluation process takes place once the application is complete — when we have your supporting documents in (academic transcripts, GMAT scores, letters of recommendation, and TOEFL, if applicable). Applicants are typically notified within 4 weeks from the time we have your completed application. We don’t have a ‘deadline’ to submit GMAT scores other than an admission decision will not be made until we have the GMAT results. The sooner you want to have an admissions decision, the sooner you should have all the pieces of the application in, including the GMAT. Our deadlines are guidelines to the app/admission process as we admit on a rolling basis, not by rounds. You may want to consider that by the ‘last’ deadline most spaces will be awarded, so it is a bit more competitive the longer you wait.

Thanks for all your questions — we know we have not been able to respond to them all. Please feel free to email directly to our MBA Admissions Team (MBAadmissions@ucsd.edu) if you have something you’d like answered immediately — and we’d be delighted to have you join another chat or visit us here on campus. Thanks again!