Nov 15
2012
MBA admissions director, Kate Mickle
MBA admissions director, Kate Mickle, takes the message of the USD School of Business to many places in the world. Next week, she’ll be in Bangkok having Pad Thai for Thanksgiving, on a trip that also includes Mumbai and Bangalore.
November 15th is the first deadline for the full-time MBA program; the next is January 15th. Kate and the admissions staff have been reading applications for that program and for the December 15th deadline for the Evening MBA program Spring Admission.
Kate says that MBA Admissions is more art than science. It’s about “crafting” the composition of the class. She recognizes that applicants to the MBA program are looking for the best path for their educational and professional development, and she likes the process of helping them explore whether the USD program is the right fit for them. She sees herself as a partner in helping prospective students find that out, and not as a sales person pitching the program.
For that reason, Kate encourages prospective students to come to campus if possible, sit in on a class, talk to faculty and staff, and get a feel for the culture of the school. She will connect prospective students with alumni who are working in their field or geographic area of interest. She is enthused about the quality of alumni interactions at the USD School of Business. It’s evidence of the personalized aspect of what we do here that keeps those connections going throughout the alums’ careers.
Kate talking with prospective students in Shanghai
When Kate travels to meet with international prospective students, she is with admissions representatives from many other business schools. These trips are organized for them by two companies who make a business of arranging for MBA admissions reps to interact with prospective students. Once they arrive in a country, the admissions group holds events with panel discussions, school-specific breakout sessions and a large fair where students “school-shop” and talk to individual admissions representatives. Kate often has alumni who are living and working in the country join her to talk about their experiences at USD…and perhaps share an international Thanksgiving dinner.
