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More EMBA admissions and GMAT observations

February 11, 2016 by EssaySnark - Discusses Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Wharton 5 Comments

If you missed the GMAT data presented yesterday, you may want to go back and check that out first.

Continuing on…

In a EMBA admissions posting recently, the Wharton team mentioned strategies about when to apply in Round 1 versus Round 2, saying that sometimes it’s better to delay in order to have time to retake the GMAT.

We’ll say that again:

They gave advice that some applicants would benefit from applying later in order to retake the GMAT.

OK, in case you’re not picking up what we’re laying down:

As a general rule, EMBA programs are simply not as competitive as the full-time MBA. There aren’t as many applicants, and the adcoms are less choosey. Not completely un-choosey, but less so.

They still need to see some quality elements to a profile – decent grades from college, a passable GMAT score. But the averages for both are not in the same realm as their F/T counterparts. In most cases, the EMBA adcoms are focusing instead on your professional experience. It’s MUCH more important at most of these places that you’re a fit to their program based on career. They want to see that you’re at an appropriate place in your professional development to benefit from what they offer, and to contribute to the class.

Wharton is saying here that sometimes a higher GMAT score is worth delaying your app till later in their cycle – which is the kind of advice you more often hear from the adcoms for the competitive F/T programs. The GMAT score matters at any school but it matters a lot less at an EMBA, simply because they don’t get nearly as many applications and so there aren’t as many top-scoring candidates fighting for prominence. Here, Wharton is signalling that yes, the GMAT matters in their evaluation and selection process, and a higher score can help, and that it may be worth the effort to take the test again. At other schools, the GMAT is not exactly just a check-the-box thing, in terms of making sure you have one and it doesn’t matter what it is. But it’s not like this.

Now, we’re not trying to claim that you can waltz into the Columbia or the Haas EMBA programs with a 500 GMAT. That score is low if we’re talking any program at any top school. But, when a BSer talks to the admissions folks at any EMBA program they very rarely emphasize the GMAT issue quite so much.

In fact, Kellogg’s EMBA does not even require a GMAT for most applicants. Yeah. That.

Chicago Booth will waive the GMAT requirement for some of their most senior applicants who can demonstrate sufficient quant proficiency through their job. That being said, the waiver sounds atypical. You apparently have to actually qualify for it. As proof, here’s what Chicago Booth EMBA folks tell their candidates:

Candidate: “I don’t have time to study for and take the GMAT.”

Booth: “Then you don’t have time to be a Chicago Booth student.”

Judging an EMBA program on its GMAT policies is painting with a broad brush, but it’s a helpful way to crack open some of these issues of selectivity and competitiveness – and it helps you to appreciate what types of students you’ll be in the classroom with. Did they even have to take the GMAT? Or if they did, did they have to bust butt and get a good score? Or did they just have to take it so that they could say that they took it? How much do they really want to be there?

You may curse the barriers to entry that the top bschools present with things like GMAT scores especially, but generally speaking, they do serve as a useful filtering mechanism.

When someone works really hard to get accepted to a program, then we’re betting they’re going to be more engaged and involved all the way through.

Filed Under: Executive MBA/EMBA Bschools: Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Wharton

« Previous: Just like with bschools, EMBA programs are not all created equally.
Next: If you’re interested in an MBA you need to see this. »

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Here's what others have said about this:

  1. levieillard says

    February 14, 2016 at 3:22 pm

    This reminded me of the INSEAD study that found the closer a student’s GMAT score was to 800, the higher her GPA, but the close it was to 600, the higher their post-MBA salary. There is probably some non-intuitive reason, such as INSEAD’s high percentage of McKinsey or Rolland Berger consultants coming back for an MBA. Someone like that might decide the exact minimum score she needs to get in, and the studied exactly as little as possible, because her work life is so busy.

    Additionally, In my EMBA cohort, the distribution of smarts, technical skills, and experience is very wide. The bell curve is more of a pancake. I suspect that MBA classes are much more uniformly populated.

    And I’ve noticed that going into an EMBA with a distinctive GMAT has a couple of implications:

    * People on my team rely on me to understand and explain the technical concepts from accounting, finance, and decision modeling. I thought I would be a little frustrated, like the eagle surrounded but turkeys, but actually it’s useful and enjoyable. (a) You don’t really understand something until you can teach it to someone else. (b) My post-MBA career is going to involve lots of my explaining things to other people who are literally paying me to be smart for them.

    * It’s relatively easy to earn the competitively awarded A’s. Yes, GPA doesn’t matter much, and most of the top schools have a non-disclosure policy anyways. This is especially true for EMBAs, with an exception for distinctive academic awards or honors, which go onto your resume.

    Reply
    • levieillard says

      February 14, 2016 at 3:23 pm

      Here is an article that mentions the INSEAD study:
      [link to GMAT test prep company’s blog post deleted due to lack of attribution]

      Reply
      • essaysnark says

        February 16, 2016 at 8:10 pm

        While totally interesting, unfortunately their blog post does not cite the actual INSEAD study and we could not locate it ourselves. In something so core to an argument on GMAT scores then you’d think they’d cite the source. We’re ditching the link for now but will restore it if the actual INSEAD study is identified.

        Reply
    • essaysnark says

      February 16, 2016 at 8:18 pm

      @levieillard, the anecdotes from your EMBA experience continue to be interesting! EssaySnark certainly appreciated the team members who explained stuff to us when going through bschool – your contributions are likely more valued by your peers than you know. 🙂

      On the INSEAD data, we’re still digging around on the interwebs to try and find that study, since it certainly seems worth looking at! Your hypothesis about the consultants at INSEAD might be on track, though in our experience, those who are coming to bschool from McKinsey tend to have stratospheric GMAT scores, regardless of whether they’re being sponsored for the MBA or not. It just goes with the McKinsey personality.

      EssaySnark

      Reply
      • levieillard says

        February 17, 2016 at 6:05 pm

        Good points. I would love to see the original study, too.

        I can imagine good reasons that results like that not openly published. (1) It’s proprietary admissions data. (2) It’s part of an admissions strategy, and (3) therefore part of INSEAD’s strategy and competitive advantage.

        Reply

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