Accepted.com Interview with Georgetown MBA & Forté Fellow Teri Delgado

Forté Fellow Teri Delgado recently shared her first year experiences at the Georgetown MBA with Accepted.com. Take a moment to read her interview.

Here’s an excerpt on her experiences with Forté:

Accepted: Can you talk about your experience with the Forté Foundation? What are some of the benefits of being involved with this organization?

Teri: As a Forté Fellow, I have access to many great benefits, including networking events, webinars, and the annual Forté Conference. Even before school started, I was welcomed by my second-year Forté mentor from Georgetown who helped me navigate the first weeks of school. Through my Forte participation, I contribute to the Forté Fellow blog and have been empowered to lead the first-year women’s mentoring program as the VP, Mentorship for the Georgetown Women in Business club. Forté sponsored events helped me evaluate pursuing an MBA early on and I am thrilled that I can share my experience and help other women strategically consider this decision as well.

For the complete blog post visit: Georgetown MBA Interview with Teri Delgado at Accepted.com

Take Advantage of Forté Forums

Joanne Legler, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business recently shared some additional advice about getting the most out of Forté Forums on the Booth Insider Full-Time Admissions Blog.

Joanne Legler
University of Chicago
Booth School of Business

“Besides getting great advice and meeting with admissions staff, Forté Forums are also a great way to network with other pre-MBA women; these strangers are friends you haven’t yet met, and potential future classmates or business partners.  The Forum provides an excellent opportunity to network with other motivated and talented women who are looking for what you are; a degree that will push, challenge and inspire you all to reach your career and personal goals.  You’ll notice that you’ll start to run into one another and recognize these new contacts at individual school events, both during the application process and later when you’ve been admitted and start attending Admit Weekends—and beyond that, when you’re registering for your first classes!

Forté Forums are some of my favorite events of the entire year; I am always inspired by the soon-to-be MBA women I meet, who are themselves excited, maybe a little nervous, but above all more than ready to take this next big step to gain the knowledge and experience needed to make a change.  I particularly love meeting a woman at the Forums, and then reading her application and possibly admitting her to join our class at Chicago Booth.  Seeing this relationship through to the end, from attending Admit Weekend to then seeing her at Orientation—these are the moments an admissions director live for!  The opportunity to make an impact at the crucial stage of deciding to apply to school is a major motivator for me.

The most important advice I can give you for the Forté Forums is to GO; you will find that other priorities, including work and friends, will try to prevent you from making the trek to your nearest Forum.  Put this in proverbial pen in your appointment book—you’ll thank me later!   Once you arrive, don’t be shy!  Come over, introduce yourself, leave your business card and strike up a conversation with Booth alumnae and staff.  Do the same with the woman you sit next to at the Alumnae and Admissions panels and start your MBA network now.  I’ll see you myself at the two Forums in New York City so if you’re a Big Apple dweller, I hope you’ll stop by the Chicago Booth table to say hello.”

To read the complete article visit Women, Booth, and the Forté Foundation.

Learn more about Upcoming Forté Forums.

Preparing for the Forté Forums - Part 2

The 2013 Forté Forums get underway tonight in Chicago. Last week, I shared tips from our webinar panelists on preparing for the forums. Don’t forget to spend a few minutes listening to our webinar, Preparing for the Forté Forums. The panel featured Joanne Legler, Associate Director of Admissions at The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and five women who are beginning their MBA programs in the next month. They shared their insights and tips on navigating an MBA recruiting event.

Here are some additional tips shared during the webinar:

1.       Talk with other attendees. Some of them may be your future classmates. If not, you’ll be expanding your network. -- Tricia Felice, MBA 2014, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Forté Fellow

2.      Have a clear understanding of what you hope to gain from the forum or fair. -- Stephanie Cadieux, MBA 2014, The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern

3.      After the fair, make a list of what you learned from each school and rank them according to your preferences. -- Joanne Legler, Associate Director of Admissions,  University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Arrion Rathsack, Manager of Sponsor Relations and Programs, Forté Foundation

** Please not this webinar was originally recorded in August 2012, references to the upcoming forum and webinar schedule is incorrect. Visit the following sites for the latest on these programs:

Forté Forums 2013

Forté Webinars 2013-2014

Preparing for the Forté Forums

The 2013 Forté Forums begin next week. Within a supportive and collaborative environment, the Forté Forums are great way to begin exploring the MBA program opportunities available to you at Top-Tier programs.

You might be thinking, “What exactly happens at a Forté Forum and how should I prepare?” Take a listen to a webinar panel moderated by Joanne Legler, Associate Director of Admissions at The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and five women who began their MBA program last fall. They shared their insights and tips on navigating an MBA recruiting event, whether it be a Forté Forum, The MBA Tour, QS Top MBA Tour, or Kaplan’s Road to Business School (and I should add there are many other regional and national fairs as well.)

Here are some tips shared during the webinar:

1.       Ask questions about information you aren't able to easily find on the website, i.e. school’s culture. -- Shaw-chin Chiu, MBA 2014, The Fuqua School of Business at Duke, Forté Fellow

2.      Dress appropriately. It keeps you confident, no such thing as being over dressed. -- Adeola Taiwo, MBA 2014, McCombs School of Business at Texas, Forté Fellow

3.      Don’t forget to smile and just be yourself. The schools want good candidates as much as you want a good school--so it is mutual. -- Sweeny Chhabra, MBA 2013, INSEAD, Forté Fellow

Later this week, I’ll share some additional insights from our other panelists on questions to ask, what to wear and bring to the forums, and some final tips.

In the meantime, take some time to listen to the complete webinar online:

Preparing for the Forté Forums

Arrion Rathsack, Manager of Sponsor Relations and Programs, Forté Foundation

** Please not this webinar was originally recorded in August 2012, references to the upcoming forum and webinar schedule is incorrect. Visit the following sites for the latest on these programs:

Forté Forums 2013

Forté Webinars 2013-2014

Come the the Forté Forums!

by Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business

Shari Hubert
Georgetown University
McDonough School
of Business

As the Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, I am proud that we are a Forte Sponsor School and welcome the newest Class of 2015 Forte Fellows. They are strong women embarking on their MBA and pursuing careers in business, non profit, and government. They are fortunate to have an organization as committed to the advancement of women in business as the Forte Foundation. From undergraduates and pre-MBAs, to MBAs and women in diverse professional arenas, Forte has and continues to be a thought leader in the space and provides women the tools, professional development and strong networks to be successful in their careers.  

At Georgetown, we have increased our number of Forte Fellows to 20 this year to demonstrate our level of commitment to attracting and recruiting more women into MBA programs. We look forward to partnering with Forte during the Forte Forums taking place across the US and in London and Toronto.  I encourage you to register to attend one of these events as well.  The Forums provide an opportunity for women thinking about business school to speak one-on-one with representatives from all of the Forté member schools. There will also be a panel of admissions officers providing helpful tips on creating the best application possible, and a panel of business school alumnae to talk about the value of an MBA education and their business school and career experiences.

Forté’s website also contains lots of useful information about business school, careers in business, and shares the stories of women who have gone before you. It is a great networking, mentoring and educational tool.  For additional information on how Forte can help you achieve your goals, visit www.fortefoundation.org

The MBA School Visit Part Three: What You Should Walk Away With

Our guest blogger is Ashley Wells, a member of Forte's MBA Launch program for MBA applicants. She is excited to share her perspectives on the process of pursuing an MBA.

Your impressions of the school: You should take the very first opportunity you can to write down your impressions of the school. Preferably, your thoughts would be captured throughout the day while still on campus. This is what a MBA friend of mine called “time on a nice bench” to do some soul-searching during your visit. This is critical not only to remember what your thoughts and impressions were of the program, but also to reference experiences from classes, professors, and interactions in your application to provide rich depth to your essays and add specificity to your school interests.

Connections: The best thing you can do is to meet students when on an MBA visit. Meeting with people from clubs you are interested in, former colleagues, friends, and so forth will help provide you with real insight to the school’s pros and cons. While admissions staffare great resources, meeting people in the MBA cafés and classes can help provide a diverse perspective.

Make every effort to write down people’s names, contact information, and a synopsis of your conversation to follow-up with them via email and connect on LinkedIn. I can’t tell you how many MBAs have offered to help me on my journey, some of whom have set me up with their friends at other schools along my MBA-visit journey. It is critical to follow-up with those you meet along the way, as they could be great future resources.

Fun side note: A friend of mine is now long-distance dating the student admissions volunteer he met on a campus visit. You never know!

Gratitude: Be thankful to the many friends and contacts who have supported your school visit process. Take time to send them a hand-written card in follow-up to the school visit within 72 hours. MBA alums and students have a ton going on, and are taking time out to help you get informed about what can be a daunting process. A little note goes a long way to say thank you for their time and valuable advice!

Conclude your visit with information, confidence, and resources for the future!

I’d love to hear your feedback and questions in the comments section below.

 

Ashley Wells is a Strategy and Operations consultant at Deloitte. She is currently enrolled in Forte’s inaugural MBA Launch program for women. She is an MBA 2014 candidate hopeful and is excited to share her experiences and insights throughout the MBA application process. She has a degree in Political Science from The George Washington University.

The MBA School Visit Part Two: Questions You Should Ask

Our guest blogger is Ashley Wells, a member of Forte's MBA Launch program for MBA applicants. She is excited to share her perspectives on the process of pursuing an MBA.

As it turns out, the Internet can be fairly limited when it comes to providing questions you should ask during the MBA campus visit process. There is a very helpful Poets & Quants article that does provide some insight to this, but I wanted to bring some additional aid for my MBA seeking ladies out there.

The Third Rail of Questions:

Whatever you do, avoid asking questions which:

·         Can be easily found by searching on the Internet

·         Are extremely specific to your situation when you are in a group setting

·         Are “low hanging fruit” questions that could be applied to any MBA program when you only have the opportunity to ask one-two questions

Creative Ways to Stand Out:

·         Many MBA programs have summer reading lists that offer insight to what the school finds most compelling in recent thought leadership. If you have the opportunity, browse through the list and maybe even pick up a couple books to read from it to discuss while on campus.

·         Learn who some of their most famous or active alumni are. Admissions love to talk about their famous alums, and this gives you a great segue into questions on alumni involvement.

·         Research eminent professors at the school who offer courses that interest you, and specifically demonstrate your interest and prior research while on your visit. 

Questions for Students:

·         What clubs are you involved in?

·         How difficult is it to obtain leadership roles in clubs as a first year? As a second year?

·         Have you participated in any study abroad experiences? Is it common for students to study abroad via short emersions or quarter/semester long programs?

·         What industry were you in prior to attending X school, and where do you seek to end up in as a result of your MBA?

·         How has the financial crisis impacted the summer internship offer process at X school?

·         How competitive do you feel the MBA environment is here? How collaborative is it?

·         How flexible is your course curriculum?

·         What have been your favorite and least favorite courses? Why?

·         Tell me what an average Thursday or Friday night looks like for an MBA student here.

·         When you graduate, what is the one thing you will miss the most about this school?

·         How accessible are alumni to you? Do you outreach to them mainly through the Career Center, school events, informally, or otherwise?

·         How does grade disclosure or grade non-disclosure affect the student environment here?

·         What is the best advice you can give me about applying to this MBA program? Is there anything different you wish you would have done for your MBA application?

·         What do you love about the city the school is? What’s your least favorite aspect?

Questions for AdCom:

Always remember, your questions for the AdCom during your campus visit should SPARK their interest in you by being:

·         Specific: The question is specific to you, the school, experience, coursework, etc. When you are meeting individually with the AdCom, you can ask questions about your specific application. For example, “I don’t come from a quantitative undergraduate background. Outside of the GMAT, how can I demonstrate quantitative proficiency?”

·         Poised: You are inquiring in a poised and professional manner that does not appear demanding, specifically comparative to other schools you are looking at, or uninformed.

·         Accurate: You are asking questions about information that is fact-based, not based on rumor. For example, “I hear grade disclosure makes your students more competitive in nature with one another. Is that true?” is not a good lead-in.

·         Reasonable: Do not demand to meet with the AdCom and then have nothing to ask, this can hurt your application! If you are able to schedule time with them, have 3-5 prepared questions for as well as some solid introductory conversation regarding your thoughts on the school.

·         Keen: Your questions are energetic, you appear eager, and lively. AdComs meet with countless students daily—be the enthusiastic source that they can draw energy from to remember you by.

Show your SPARK and get the information you need to make informed decisions!

I’d love to hear your feedback and questions in the comments section below.

Ashley Wells is a Strategy and Operations consultant at Deloitte. She is currently enrolled in Forte’s inaugural MBA Launch program for women. She is an MBA 2014 candidate hopeful and is excited to share her experiences and insights throughout the MBA application process. She has a degree in Political Science from The George Washington University.