SBC Debuts New Column: Ask the AdCom
Hey everybody! We’re really excited around here about “Ask the AdCom,” our new weekly column debuting today. We know MBA applicants love to get information straight from the source, and we’ll be sharing tips and advice from admissions team members from a dozen top schools.
Since AdCom members are human, too, we thought our readers might enjoy seeing a different side of what makes these guys tick. This fun space is not really about the application process but more about real-life topics, like where’s the best place on campus to eat or study, what are the can’t-miss courses, and all the fun stuff that happens at b-school that makes lifelong memories for students.
We hope you enjoy their insights!
Today’s question is: What are the best apps for students?
Melissa Fogerty, Director of Admissions (Yale School of Management): Look for apps that will assist MBA students with their career search. I recommend Jobtreks, a job search organizational tool launched in 2015 by Yale SOM alumna Susan Weil ’88, an Advisory Board Member and Board Member of the Program on Entrepreneurship at Yale SOM, and her co-founder Terri Wein. Jobtreks is a personalized “CRM” platform that allows users to manage their job search, network, and explore careers through job boards, interview prep, and more.
Twitter to follow the companies that interest them and to stay current on trends in their target industry. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times mobile readers are other great tools for this purpose, and you’ll want to be an avid follower of digital news publications relevant to your industry (TechCrunch, Ad Age, etc.).
Shari Hubert, Associate Dean, MBA Admissions (McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University): GroupMe or What’s App are used quite frequently to keep up with study teams, connect in advance of starting classes, and during breaks.
Judi Byers, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University) shares these tips from students:
- Groupie (an App for sharing road trips) and Facebook for communicating with classmates. I also use Instagram. Peter Su, MBA ’17 (Cornell)
- I like Groupme and Spotify. Daniel Greenhaw, MBA ’16 (Cornell)
Virginie Fougea, Associate Director of Admissions (INSEAD): We know that many applicants like to follow the Facebook page of INSEAD. They also use You Tube to watch videos on the MBA programme.
Other applications to be mentioned are the INSEAD Knowledge App, which features new research from INSEAD faculty and comments on news stories, the Life@INSEAD app, and the Blue Ocean Strategy app.
John Roeder, Assistant Dean Graduate Admissions (SMU Cox School of Business): Whatsapp, Microsoft OneNote are some real good ones that students use.
Rodrigo Malta, Director of Admissions (McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin): The “Canvas” app is useful for classes, while apps like “GroupMe” are useful for group texts with study teams, friends, etc. and our Executive MBAs love “Slack.”
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Look out for the #AskAdCom in our social media channels, and we’ll see you again next week when we check in to Ask the AdCom what are some of the best reads for b-school aspirants!
