Admissions Straight Talk

At the AIGAC conference in June, I spoke to a couple of people on the HBS admissions staff and asked them how applicants with less than stellar records can show they are “new and improved” – focused, mature, and ready for business school. They responded that while HBX CORe doesn’t guarantee admission, completing it with high marks does show that you can perform in an HBS kind of environment. They clearly saw it as a credible credential.

I wanted to learn more about this innovative program and credential. So I invited HBX CORe’s director to join me. Fortunately he accepted the invitation. Today’s guest is Patrick Mullane, Executive Director of HBX CORe. Patrick served as a captain in the USA Air Force in the early 90s, earned his MBA from HBS, and then moved into the world of business. Today he is back at HBS as the director of HBS’ exciting new online learning program. Welcome!

Can you give us an overview of HBX CORe? [1:48]

It’s a 3-course program: economics, accounting, and business analytics. The courses were chosen by faculty as foundational areas people needed for business. The program was originally created to be directed at people late in undergrad, studying the liberal arts, or people preparing for b-school who needed to refresh their knowledge in these disciplines.

How do students learn in HBX CORe? [3:10]

It’s an asynchronous, online program. HBS built it from scratch rather than using existing online platforms. And we use case content, rather than having lectures and texts.

There’s no textbook – it’s fully self-contained. Students can download study sheets.

If there’s no textbook, how are fundamentals taught? [6:00]

Students get everything through the case. Fundamental concepts are given real world structure that makes them easier to grasp.

We also have a closed Facebook group connected to the experience.

How long does the course last, and how many hours? [7:15]

It’s 170 hours of on-platform time, and students report that they spend extensive time off-platform studying. We have courses that last varying lengths of time, as little as 8 weeks or as long as 18, but the number of hours required is the same.

We gate the material and we have quizzes so students work through the course in a cohort.

Do some people have more background in a particular area of business? [9:15]

We use people with background in disciplines for benchmarking: on final exams, those who had previous experience only outperform new students by a few points, which shows us that students are learning new material well.

Study groups are very important at HBS. Is there anything similar at HBX? [10:13]

On the platform, we try to approximate this through the “peer help” function. It’s very different from a bulletin board – it’s very contextual. And students interact through the Facebook group.

Students also coordinate getting together in the city they’re in – in person – to form a study group, just like on campus at HBS.

HBX CORe doesn’t require GMAT/GRE, but does have an application process: what are you looking for? Who do you want to admit? [12:40]

A big part of HBX has to do with the HBS mission: educating leaders that make a difference in the world. The advent of technology has helped us extend that mission. There are more than 900 people (the approximate size of the HBS class) who can excel in the content here and benefit from it.

The purpose of having an application is that we want to be selective but not exclusive.

In the application, we want to test

Johns Hopkins Medical School is ranked #3 by US News for Research and #17 for Primary care. Last year, JHU received 6090 AMCAS applications and 4327 secondary applications, and interviewed 623 MD candidates and 63 MD/PHD applications. It accepted a total of 271 very lucky and happy candidates.

The gatekeeper and head of admissions at Johns Hopkins is Paul White, one of the most respected and experienced medical school admissions deans in the country. He became Assistant Dean for Admissions at Johns Hopkins first in 2000, went to the University of Minnesota for a few years and returned to JHU as Asst Dean for Admissions in 2012. Welcome, Paul!

What is one thing that you want applicants to know about Hopkins? [1:50]

People often think about us in terms of the amazing research at Hopkins. But we want people to know that we’re a phenomenal place for patient care.

What is JHU’s approach to physician training? [2:20]

It integrates all aspects. Right away when they get here, students learn how to do physical exams – their clinical exposure starts right after their orientation. (From Day 3.) Clinical rotations occur earlier than in other programs, so students get 2 ½ years of clinical rotations in addition to that early exposure. And we have world class hospitals – patients come from all over the world for care here.

What is the goal of the Genes to Society curriculum and approach to medical education pioneered by Johns Hopkins? [4:50]

We want students to approach health as a continuum – from the cellular level, to disease, to society. We approach health disparities as part of the continuum.

In terms of that social aspect of the continuum, are there classes or is it more experiential learning? [5:50]

Both. In addition to courses, there are intersession programs.

Turning to admissions now. How are you adapting to the new MCAT? Is it still a transitional phase? [6:50]

I think it will take a little time to complete the transition and get comfortable with the new exam. We’re still seeing people with scores from both the old and new tests.

We’re relying more on grades, looking at the rigor of the coursework, and recommendations. But we’ve always done admissions holistically, anyway.

The MSAR data shows that the average MCAT of your matriculated students is actually slightly lower than the average score for applicants. What would cause you to turn away an applicant with a higher MCAT score and admit someone with a lower score? [9:20]

(The MSAR data that Linda cites is from the 2014-15 application cycle. After the podcast, Paul White provided 2015-16 data, and we have his permission to share it here: 6,618 AMCAS and 4,799 secondary applications received. There were 569 applicants interviewed for the MD program and 66 for the MD/PhD program; 277 were admitted and 118 enrolled. )

Well, again, it’s a holistic process. Our average GPA is very high.

If a high MCAT score is all someone has, then that doesn’t inform the committee of anything other than that they test well.

We’ve always done holistic review: we’re looking for students with leadership, involvement, etc. We’d rather see someone who’s done well overall and has all the qualities we’re looking for in a student and who we think will make a good physician.

You mentioned leadership. What are some other things you’re looking for? [10:50]

People who are team players – who work well with others.

Our guest today is Peter Johnson, Assistant Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program and Admissions at Haas School of Business. He has been on the admissions team almost continually at Haas since 2004, becoming the director in 2006 and the Assistant Dean of Admissions in 2012. Welcome, Peter!

Can you give us an overview of the full-time MBA at Haas? [1:30]

It’s a traditional two-year full-time MBA, with an internship between the first and second year. We’re located in Berkeley, which if you’re not familiar is 12 miles NE of downtown San Francisco.

We have a special focus on developing entrepreneurial leaders who can make a positive impact on their organizations. We’re one of the smaller programs in the top-10 – we just welcomed an incoming class of 252 students.

Haas’s mission is “leading through innovation.” What does that mean, practically, to students? [2:55]

“Purposeful differentiation” is what makes organizations successful. We give students a strong b-school foundation (fundamentals of management, etc), plus opportunities to explore areas of specialization – an understanding of the changing dimensions of business and changing technology, so that they can explore ways to become entrepreneurs (or intrepreneurs, within established organizations).

You don’t become successful by doing what’s always been done – the key is to bring new ideas into your organization.

How does Haas take advantage of its connection to UC Berkeley and Silicon Valley? [5:35]

When people talk about Silicon Valley, they’re really talking about the Bay Area innovation ecosystem, which encompasses San Francisco and the whole area, both established tech companies and disruptive startups. We have faculty and adjunct lecturers who come from that environment; we know what those companies are looking for in employees.

We are on the Berkeley campus, and we’re fully part of the grad environment there. We have ties with engineering, etc. One example of that is our Clean Tech to Market program, where our students work directly with students in the sciences. Another collaborative project is the Blum Center for Developing Economies – our students work with students from Public Policy and other programs.

What does “global focus” mean at Haas? [8:30]

Cases in class connect to a global focus; businesses’ growth strategy is a global strategy.

Some things that are most impactful are experiential, such as our International Business Development Program. Through this program, over half of our full-time students work on a project for an international company or organization – they spend a semester on the ground in Berkeley and then go overseas to produce a deliverable for the client company.

Students can also spend a semester abroad with a partner school, and can go abroad during breaks. We also offer joint programs in business and International Area Studies.

“Leading Through Innovation” – what does it mean to applicants? [10:50]

People assume it means they need to be planning to launch a startup, but that’s not the case. We’re looking for people who challenge the status quo – who can become innovative leaders.

We have a course called “Problem Finding/Problem Solving.” We’re interested in students who are interested in developing themselves as this type of leader.

And what does the mission (“leading through innovation”) mean to alumni? [14:37]

You’re connected with a network of people who have a similar “innovation” skillset. Fellow alumni can become partners for cross-company collaboration ...

The goal of this podcast is to help you get accepted to your top choice program. If that is medical school, one of your next steps will be preparing for the challenging USMLE or COMLEX exams. Today’s guest, Dr. Marcel Brus-Ramer, is joining us for a discussion about how to prepare for the USMLE.

As an undergrad, Dr. Brus-Ramer studied economics at Rutgers. He completed his MD/PhD at Columbia, then did a residency in radiology and biomedical imaging at UCSF, and a fellowship in neuroradiology, also at UCSF. He began tutoring in 2009, and helped launch Elite Medical Prep about a year ago, in August 2015. He’s here to share his advice for success in med school and the Step exams.

What were some decision-points in your own career? [2:03]

I knew I wanted to go to med school and that I wanted to do a year of research. When I looked into it, I decided to do the MD/PhD.

While doing my PhD research after the first two years of medical school, I worked with neurosurgeons, and realized that the lifestyle didn’t fit with my family life and goals. So I decided to pursue radiology: I was attracted to the Sherlock-Holmesian aspect of the diagnostic process. People don’t realize how much treatment you get to do in radiology – you’re not just working in a room by yourself.

How did you get involved in tutoring and test prep? [4:20]

I finished school a little off-cycle, and I was looking for opportunities. I had a family. And I didn’t want to do more research. I saw a flier for a small test prep company – ultimately, I helped them grow their business, and I started spending a lot of time thinking about medical education.

In 2015, Dr. Rubin asked me if I would join his venture – and we launched Elite Medical Prep.

What services do you offer for pre-meds? [6:11]

We offer some strategy and advising – guidance on course selection, etc. And we do some MCAT prep and science tutoring. We’re both MDs, and we bring that experience.

MCAT prep isn’t our main focus at this point, because there’s a relatively greater need for tutoring at the medical level (ie USMLE tutoring) – but some of our clients need MCAT tutoring, and we work with them.

All of our tutors are MDs.

What services does Elite provide for MDs and DOs? [8:20]

Osteopathic schools have a different test (COMLEX). But the USMLE and COMLEX are very similar, and DO students often also take the USMLE. Most of our tutoring is for the USMLE.

What does Elite Medical Prep do differently from other services? [10:15]

Both Dr. Rubin and I started at Med School Tutors, and have years of tutoring experience.

There are couple of fundamental differences. One is that the company is run by (and all the decisions are made by) MDs. Everything is designed from the perspective that we were once medical students.

We give our tutors extensive training. They’re excellent to start with (and have records of high achievement), but that’s just the beginning: we really focus on teaching/tutoring skills.

We always emphasize hospital terminology.

And we recognize that tutoring is a major decision, and an expensive one. Because of that, any unused time is refundable. We stand behind the quality of our product.

Your website mentions “evidence based” tutoring. What does that mean? [14:15]

We were really affected by the book Tutoring Revolution. Tutoring is a major part of our modern world.

From the book,

There’s something for everyone at Columbia Business School.

Today’s AST podcast is a first: an in-person interview! Our guest is Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School, and we’ll be talking about the menu of programs available at CBS. Welcome, Emily!

What is the common thread that unites the many programs at CBS? [1:18]

When people think of getting an MBA, they’re often thinking about shifting careers, or building their network. And we definitely provide those strengths. But the more intangible benefit of a Columbia MBA is learning to see the world in a more holistic way – gaining a framework for all the decisions you’ll make in your future career.

Our goal is to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. That doesn’t just mean starting your own company – it’s about identifying opportunity. We’re training business leaders who think entrepreneurially.

Our core curriculum (accounting, marketing, big data, etc) teaches students how to look at a problem from multiple perspectives. It’s really a transformative experience.

We bring theories into the real world. And students have access to so many industries and business leaders in NY, to learn how the knowledge applies in the real world. And the networking opportunities from that are also invaluable. (For example, our students have regular coffee chats with alumni.) There’s just an incredible amount of access that comes from being at the center of business.

Can you give an overview of the fulltime MBA program? [6:05]

There are two streams. One is a 20-month traditional program with August entry: there’s a semester of core, a semester of electives, a summer internship, then the second year. We take about 550 students a year for the August entry. They’re broken into clusters of 60-70 students and further divided into learning teams. So you have a home base of people you get to know really well.

We do have exemption exams, so you can test out of specific core courses if you have expertise in the area, and replace them with an elective. But generally students are happier if they have at least some core courses, in order to build relationships with their learning team.

What about the January program? [9:00]

This is an accelerated 16-month program. The difference between this and the August entry is the summer internship. January students start one semester later and take classes in the summer, and are in the same place as the traditional students when they start the second year. It’s a great way to minimize the opportunity cost.

It’s a wonderful option for students who are sponsored by companies or who are coming from family business.

If you’re changing your career in a major way (industry-function-geography) – you can probably change one area but not two through the January program. For more radical changes, in general, you need the summer internship. However, there are also school year internships, and JTerm students can do those.

You’re in a stronger position to succeed if you have a very clear sense of your goals and are proactive – that’s one of the things we’re looking for in applicants (people who have direction).

What else are you looking for in an applicant? [16:20]

We’re looking at the whole application. Any one part of the application is just a data point.

Today’s show is all about EnMed, an MD/MS in engineering program to be offered by Texas A&M University’s College of Medicine and College of Engineering in conjunction with Houston Methodist Hospital. The program aims to teach physicians how to design technology to solve complex problems in medicine.

Our guest is Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor for engineering for The Texas A&M University System and dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Banks has had a very distinguished career in academia. Today, as vice-chancellor, Dr. Banks oversees the coordination and collaboration among the engineering, academic and research programs at seven universities throughout the A&M System. As dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering, she leads one of the largest engineering schools in the country, with more than 16,900 students and 500 faculty.

What is EnMed? [2:00]

It’s an integrated program. We often think of engineering education in a traditional sense. However, as we move towards a healthcare that’s more efficient and effective, I believe the transformation of healthcare will come through technology development.

New technology in medical care is an important part of the healthcare of the future. We decided it was time to create a program that integrated design of technology into the medical program.

Is the focus on biotech, robotics, or improving prevention/delivery of care? [3:55]

All of the above. When we talk about engineering, people often think of new devices, but processes and systems are also important. The focus is on innovation: how to improve healthcare and healthcare delivery.

Students can move from the bedside to the makerspace, and develop new technologies or software. They’ll also work with the office of technology and commercialization. Allowing the healthcare providers to come up with the new ideas will move the products to market (and impact patients) much faster.

What is the program structure? [6:05]

We require an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science – we want students to have a foundation in design knowledge. Then they move through the med school curriculum. But med school is very different: it’s an integrated med school curriculum (integrated with engineering/mathematics concepts).

There will be 50 students a year.

What is the entrepreneurial part of this program? [7:40]

It’s very important – a unique feature of the EnMed program. Entrepreneurship and innovation is critical.

Who better to move healthcare into the future than people working in healthcare? This is where the new ideas and technologies will arise, and the entrepreneurial aspect will enable that to come to reality.

We will be incorporating business training. And students will not be working in isolation: we’ll be bringing in students from the business school, PhD students in engineering, as well as nurses (who use technology). So the process will involve far more than the 50 students in the program.

What does “translational” mean in the context of your program’s emphasis on “innovative translational research”? [10:40]

It’s the idea of moving ideas from the lab (or clinical) setting into the marketplace/application. Often, researchers work in isolation, and the process of translating these concepts takes a very long time.

If we can have a model where the engineers are the physic...

Which MBA program just revealed that over half its alumni network gives back to the school? Yale SOM. That’s more than double most schools’ giving rate.

Which MBA program experienced a 6% increase in applications in 2016 on top of a whopping 25% increase in 2015? Yale SOM.

And which MBA program is in the top 10 for average GPA, average GMAT, and overall selectivity in Accepted’s Selectivity Index? You guessed it – Yale SOM?

And as it happens, the AST podcast we did with Bruce DelMonico about Yale SOM a few years back is one of our top 5 MBA admissions podcasts.

Bruce DelMonico joins us again today. He’s Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions at Yale School of Management. He has been on the admissions team at Yale since 2004, becoming the director in 2006 and the Assistant Dean in 2012. Welcome!

What’s new at Yale SOM? [2:10]

There’s been a lot going on in the last 2 years! When we last spoke, we were just starting our entrepreneurship program. Now we’re 2 years in: we have a dozen new courses, a startup weekend, and lots of activity and business being created.

Our Global Network for Advanced Management is celebrating its 5th anniversary this spring – there are lots of opportunities for students to engage globally.

And our centers for excellence are very active – for example, the YCCI (Yale Center for Customer Insight) brings companies to campus with real problems for students to work on.

Our leadership program is changing in an exciting way, with new and reconfigured courses. And we’re excited to have many distinguished new faculty members coming onboard. We’ve also been working on diversifying the faculty – our FT faculty is approaching 30% women.

In terms of job placement, we don’t have the final numbers for the class of 2016, but it’s on pace with the last few years. There’s a strong diversity of interest among Yale SOM grads: 130 different companies for a class of 325 (and half of the top 10 hiring companies turn over every year). More companies are coming every year: our career services are adept at sourcing opportunities.

Yale SOM’s mission is “to educate leaders for Business and Society.” Dean Snyder’s video on Yale SOM’s mission highlights 3 key elements in achieving that mission: 1) SOM’s connection to its home university, Yale, 2) Distinctively global, and 3) Best source of leaders. Practically, what does that mean? Starting with leadership. [7:55]

We really think about how our grads can lead across sectors. Our core curriculum is different from other b-schools in that we don’t divide the material into functionally discrete courses (marketing, etc). Our core orients material according to stakeholder perspectives – it’s much more interdisciplinary, and helps students to see content across functions/industries and see how sectors interact.

In terms of leadership training: we require leadership training throughout the 2 years (not a single course). This year some of those courses are being realigned. We want to scale up from individual-team-organization-perspectives in leadership.

In the first year, we used to have courses called “leadership fundamentals” and “advanced leadership.” Now they’re being consolidated into a course called “Power & Politics” (through our Organizational Behavior group).

The other big change is that in the second year, instead of lockstep curriculum, students can choose from a menu of electives to satisfy the leadership requirement.

What are some of the options for the second year?

The most popular medical school admission podcast we’ve ever hosted was an interview with Jennifer Welch, Associate Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at SUNY Upstate Medical University – and today, she’s joining us again.

Jennifer is extraordinarily experienced in med school admissions. Since 1994 she has served first as SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Director of Admissions and in January 2013 she became the Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at SUNY Upstate Medical University. So that’s over 20 years heading up a medical school admissions office. And in addition to heading up admission for the medical school, she is also in charge of admissions for all healthcare related programs including Nursing, PT, PA, MD, MD/MPH, MPH. Welcome, Jennifer!

What’s new at SUNY Upstate? [1:55]

We have a new president – our first female president (an African American woman). She’s dedicated to our mission of promoting diversity in medical education. We’re also just launching a new curriculum this fall, including new clinical contacts in the first two years. There’s a big focus on self-directed learning.

What does that mean? [3:22]

We’re emphasizing small groups and teams. We have collaborative co-directors teaching the curriculum (both MDs and PhDs). It’s competency-based, system based. There are more hands-on experiences (less time sitting in a lecture hall). Students are becoming more involved in their learning. It’s been a 3-year process – everyone’s really excited about it.

The future of medicine is team based.

The curriculum includes earlier clinical exposure, and a focus on understanding the clinical relevance behind what they’re doing.

What are your thoughts about the new MCAT? [6:45]

It’s still a work in progress – we’re learning from it. Some students have the old score, some have the new, some have both the old and the new.

We’ve always done a holistic approach to evaluation. So the exam is still important, but we’re looking for grades, consistency of grades, the strength of the undergraduate curriculum, what the student has in terms of extracurricular involvement, volunteer work, etc.

Our average this year was 509 (80th percentile), which is about a 30 on the old test.

I’m excited about the social sciences section on the new MCAT – I think it’ll ultimately bring us a different type of doctor.

What have you learned from the new MCAT? [9:00]

We’re looking at each of the categories vs the overall score – so we’re looking at it a little differently than in the past. Also, we’re not averaging multiple scores anymore. It all comes back to holistic review.

Any advice for handling/responding to secondaries? [10:50]

Sometimes students make the mistake of thinking they’re not as important as the AMCAS. They are. And they need to pay close attention to all the pieces that are asked.

In terms of handling multiple secondaries: prioritize. Some can be answered relatively quickly, and others will take more time. But make sure each one is done well and done correctly.

Our secondary is pretty straightforward in terms of the questions asked – but you need to pay attention to detail: it has to be done right. The secondary gives us info about applicants, and also info about how they do things (professionalism, attention to detail).

Today’s guest is Matt Clemons, Director of Admissions at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He’s joining us to discuss the programs HKS offers and what it takes to get accepted. Welcome, Matt!

Can you give us an overview of the MPP program? [1:25]

The MPP is the largest master’s program at HKS. It’s a 2-year, full-time, early career program. There’s a strong focus on giving people a set of skills to address real world problems. Students complete a professional project (rather than an academic thesis).

Students have an average of 3 years of work experience before starting the program. Work experience is important – it helps students make informed decisions and also prepares them to contribute to the program (there’s a lot of group work).

How do the MPA and the MPA/ID differ? [2:50]

The programs are similar in structure: core curriculum in the first year, professional development in the summer, and a professional project in the second year. For the MPA/ID program, the professional development is in a developing country or with a development organization. The coursework for the MPA/ID is very quantitative: similar to what a first year PhD student in economics would do – with an emphasis on practical applications to challenges that are faced in the developing world. They touch on theories, but the focus is on solutions in a developing world context.

What’s the difference between the MPP and MPA? [4:18]

The acronyms shouldn’t confuse people. The programs provide similar skillsets.

Broadly, a public administration program focuses on a macro-level overview, and MPP programs are more technical. But students can structure and tailor their programs to address the problems that they see.

What is the mid-career program? [5:45]

The mid-career program is a 1-year MPA. It draws some people who’ve been public servants, and some who are making the move from the private sector to the public sector. We require 7 years of work experience, and the average is 13.

You have joint programs with HBS and HLS. Is HKS also a case-based school? [6:35]

It’s a mix. The faculty teach to their strengths. You’ll encounter cases in the classroom, but it’s not the predominant teaching method.

What distinguishes the MPP from an MBA? [7:52]

Policy degrees teach candidates tools to manage strategies and policies that impact people and populations. Similar to what one would learn in b-school, MPA students learn economics, policy analysis, and quantitative analysis.

In b-school, students learn similar analytical skills, but they’re focused on the bottom line. In policy programs, your bottom line is society’s bottom line.

HKS offers lots of joint degree opportunities (law, med, business). Why might an MBA want both degrees? [11:50]

The intersection of business and government is increasingly important. Also, people are interested in being social entrepreneurs – outside the traditional channels of non-profits – they want to create their own opportunities to make a difference in society.

We have a new social innovation fellowship to help students start their own companies.

In general, policy professionals should be able to speak with people across fields.

HKS offers joint degree programs within Harvard (HBS, HLS) and concurrent degree programs with few schools at Harvard and with several outside of Harvard (MIT Sloan, Stanford, etc).

Today we’re discussing a unique MBA option for mid-career professionals – an option to study in a full-time, immersive program with other professionals at the same level.

Joining us today are: Stephen Sacca, Director, MIT Sloan Fellows Program; Silvia McCalliser-Castillo, Director, London Business School EMBA-Global and Sloan Programmes; and Mike Hochleutner, Director, Stanford MSx Program. Welcome!

Why pursue mid-career graduate education in business? [3:00]

Stephen: It’s not easy to hit the pause button in an established career that’s gaining momentum, but it’s really to pause and reflect on what you’ve done and what you’d like to do. I think of it as a reflection year from a personal perspective.

Mike: The world has evolved a lot. People are marrying later, having children later, etc. And they’re going through more career transitions and working longer. The notion that early career training/education will train you for a full career isn’t as accurate as it once was.

Silvia: I absolutely agree. Careers are evolving – people are living longer and working longer. Our program is actually trending older (more years of experience). The opportunity to study with other mature students with a similar amount of experience is really compelling! Students gain exposure to new frames of reference, new industries, new ideas.

Can you give us an overview of your programs? [6:35]

Mike: These three programs have some common heritage. The program at MIT was started with the support of Alfred Sloan, the retired CEO of GM – a forward thinking CEO. The idea was to create a model of education for people who already had some experience, and the potential to run great companies on a global level.

Here at Stanford, our program is in its 60th year. The MSx program is one of only two grad programs in the b-school. We require a minimum of 8 years of work experience.

The MSx program is integrated with the FT MBA: for electives, MSx students have free rein within the GSB and the full university (you can take classes across the campus). We have a global and diverse cohort. We want to help students create a network they’ll draw on for the next 20, 30, 40 years.

Silvia: The LBS Sloan Fellows Programme is a master’s in leadership and strategy. Our students have, on average, 15-18 years’ experience (no less than 10 years), and their average age is 42-44. They take a core curriculum in cohort, all together: some of our areas of emphasis include globalization and strategy in a changing world. LBS has a lot of master’s programs, EMBA programs and partnership programs. Sloan students can take electives with the entire b-school, or with part time students.

Stephen: MIT’s Sloan Fellows Program is in its 87th year. Alfred P. Sloan started the program for people with exceptional potential to lead dynamic organizations. It’s a combination of academics and practice. We emphasize 3 pillars: Academics, leadership, and global perspective. We have 110 students from 35 countries. The minimum is 10 years’ experience, and the average is 14. Our cohort is 70% men and 30% women.

Mike: The minimum experience for Stanford’s MSx program is 8 years. We’re looking for people who have experience in a managerial role: people who have grappled with management challenges.