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Cornell Johnson Current MBA Student Interview
Elisa, Cornell Johnson MBA student
Accepted.com is continuing a blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. We hope to offer you a candid picture of student life, and what you should consider as you prepare your MBA application.
Here’s a talk with Elisa Dobbins, a Cornell Johnson student who is passionate about marketing, brand management, and naturally curly hair. Thank you Elisa for sharing your thoughts with us!
Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from? What and where did you study as an undergraduate and when did you graduate?
Elisa: I am originally from Northern Virginia. I received my B.A. in Sociology from the University of Virginia and I have a M.A. in Communications, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University. I have over 7 years of work experience, but most recently before business school I worked in business and finance operations at Ernst & Young and Blackboard, both in the DC area.
Accepted: Why did you decide to attend Johnson? Is the program meeting your expectations?
Elisa: There are a few reasons why I chose to attend Johnson: the familial, tight-knit community; the Strategic Marketing Immersion, The Roy H. Park Fellowship program, and the program’s commitment to diversity. Before I had even applied to Johnson, faculty, students and alumni, bent over backwards to answer my questions about the program. When I came to visit Ithaca (several times), students opened their homes to my fiancé and I. I felt incredibly welcomed and a part of the community before I was even accepted.
The Strategic Marketing Immersion gave me the opportunity to work on a project for a company, prior to my internship. So in essence, I had an internship before my summer internship. The rigor of course work plus the real-time project proved to be extremely beneficial in securing an offer this summer.
The Roy H. Park Leadership program is one of a kind and something that truly distinguishes Johnson. I was blessed by being selected for this program and I have truly grown personally and as a leader. This program again proves that Johnson values traits such as humility and integrity and values leaders all of types. I have become so confident in my leadership style and know my strengths and weaknesses, and for that I thank Clint Sidle, the Roy J. Park Leadership program director. And finally, attending a school that truly valued diversity was very important to me. I was a part of the first Consortium class at Johnson. While many top programs lack a significant number of women and minorities, Johnson is truly trying to change this and it has been great to be a part of this effort.
Accepted: Ithaca is a far cry from big city business centers. Are there any advantages to attending a b-school in a city that’s virtually off-the-map, business-wise? What steps does Cornell take to compensate for its location?
Elisa: The short answer is “YES”! At Johnson the first semester or the Core is extremely intense. You complete 95% of all the core classes: Marketing, Economics, Accounting, Strategy, Finance, and Statistics at one time. I couldn’t imagine dealing with the distractions associated with being in a big city while recruiting (securing an internship) and successfully completing the Core. Secondly, by being in a small town, you are surrounded by people who genuinely came to Ithaca to be a member of the Johnson community – people are there to learn first and foremost. In terms of recruiting, Johnson has great relationships with companies in a variety of industries and sectors that have been coming to campus for years. Also, many of our students take full advantage of the diversity conferences. Career Services and students provide prep sessions for those who are interested in attending, so all students are prepared. And in all honesty, Ithaca is only 3.5 hours from NYC. Cornell has a bus service called Campus-to-Campus that runs from Ithaca to NYC 7 days a week.
Accepted: What’s your favorite class so far?
Elisa: My favorite class so far has been Management Cases taught by Nate Peck. Each week we were given a case. We were expected to thoroughly analyze it, come up with a recommendation, and create a PowerPoint deck to convey our recommendation. You never knew when you were going to be called on to present, so it really forced me to put my best foot forward every week. This class truly prepared me for my internship. I was able to interpret my project brief and create a deck that concisely and effectively communicated my recommendation.
Accepted: Your LinkedIn profile indicates that you’ve got quite a passion for curly hair (from your numerous curly hair blogs and your position as a Suave Hair Brand Building Brand Management Intern). Then again, you also worked for Ernst and Young. So, do you see a future for yourself in the hair industry or in financial services — which will it be?
Elisa: Yes, I truly have a passion for naturally curly hair! I definitely see myself venturing in to the hair industry at some point in my career. I had a blast this summer at Unilever working on the Suave Hair brand. One thing I have realized is that my passion for hair isn’t going anywhere and there are many ways for me to explore that passion. Right now, I am most interested in getting great marketing training and becoming an excellent brand manager who can effectively market anything. My experience in different industries and functions has really made me well rounded and appreciative of all of these disciplines. As a brand manager, this will truly come in handy!
Accepted: Do you have a job lined up for next year? If so, what role did Johnson play in helping you secure that position?
Elisa: Yes, I do have a job lined up for next year at a company that currently doesn’t recruit at Cornell. I was able to make the initial contact with this company through one of my classmates and then from there the MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow) network played a major role in me securing an offer. In my case, the Johnson network played a major role in helping me secure my job. I cannot say this enough, the Johnson network is phenomenal and I experienced firsthand how great it truly is.
Accepted: What attracted you to the Consortium program? Can you tell us a bit about the role diversity has played in your life?
Elisa: The Consortium is a great organization that values leadership, community service, and diversity. The mission of the organization is to “enhance diversity in business education and leadership by helping to reduce the serious underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our member schools’ enrollments and the ranks of management.” So not only did the mission attract me, but the top MBA program members did as well. I wanted to be at a program that valued diversity. Not just diversity in terms of race and gender, but in terms of thought, experience, career goals, etc. This goal has been mine for a long time. The other schools I have attended valued diversity. My past employers valued diversity. And my future employer values diversity as well. It is important for me to be accepted but most importantly, I want to continue broadening my horizons and learning from people who are different from me in every way.
Accepted: Can you share some application tips for other students applying to business school through the Consortium?
Elisa: Be yourself and be confident! I can’t say this enough. Do not write what you think the Admissions Staff wants to read. Put your best foot forward and don’t doubt yourself about your past. You can’t change the grades in college, but you can change your GMAT score and your essays. Focus on the things that you can really change and make an impact on your application package. Also, the GMAT is just one part of your application. Do your best, but do not waste precious time stressing over your score.
Accepted: Do you have any advice for some of our applicants who will be applying to Cornell Johnson?
Elisa: Johnson truly looks at every facet of an applicant. Our community is unique, close, and different than other programs. If you have the opportunity, please visit campus or take the time to talk to some of the students and alumni. Johnson offers many opportunities to connect with the school, so take advantage.
Please visit our Cornell Johnson B-School Zone and Consortium Zone for more Johnson- and Consortium-specific advice. Still haven’t decided which b-school are best for you? Download our FREE special report, Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Choosing the Right One for You, to help you narrow down your choices and begin your application efforts out on the right foot.
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Do I Have to Write a Parent Letter of Recommendation?
As a parent, you might have thought your college application work was done, once you had overseen the last “submit” of the Common Application. And so it seemed — until you, or one of your friends, receive a letter inviting you to add a parent’s recommendation to your child’s college admission file.
The parent recommendation, much like the peer recommendation, has been around for quite some time at a small number of colleges. This year, the request by the University of Richmond has sparked conversation.
In my files, I have several old parent recommendations, from corporate parents who graded their children with bullet points of positives and negatives as they would a job candidate to a 3 page, single spaced opus that brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it. Of course these parents each think their children are wonderful. As a parent, that’s our job – to be our child’s biggest fan. But each one makes careful note of the characteristics that make their child human and individual.
I never worked at a college that required a parent (or peer) letter of recommendation, but when I received one unsolicited I read it with joy. Someone cared about this student and wanted to make him or her known to me. Well written or not, that additional recommendation makes the applicant a bit more human – more than a GPA or an SAT score, or a list of extracurricular activities. The additional voice taught me more than an essay about kicking the winning soccer goal ever could.
I’m not suggesting that every parent of a college applicant begin writing an unsolicited recommendation. Should you be offered the opportunity, take it. Yes, the reader expects you to be biased, but you know your child in a way that no one else does. The experiences you find seminal to his childhood or adolescence might not be shared in any other format. It is insightful, to the admissions office, and probably in the end to the writer as well.
This morning, I pulled out that three-page opus, about a young man, who more than a decade ago was stubborn and serious, and ready to contribute to the fight against global warming. I wonder what path he’s taken. I’m still thankful that he and his mother shared his story with me.
By Whitney Bruce, who has worked in college admissions since 1996. She has served as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions (Washington U), Application Reader (University of Michigan), Assistant Director of College Counseling (private prep school in St. Louis), and an independent college counselor. She is happy to advise you as you apply to college.
MBA Fair Tips from the CEO of The MBA Tour
Thank you to Peter von Loesecke, CEO and Managing Director of The MBA Tour for answering some of our most pressing questions about The MBA Tour’s popular MBA fairs. Upcoming MBA Tour events include fairs in Washington, D.C. on February 2nd, in New York City on February 4th, and in San Francisco on February 6th. View The MBA Tour’s schedule and register for free now!
Accepted: What is unique about The MBA Tour’s fair?
Peter: The MBA Tour’s events offer valuable information about graduate business school. While information about admissions criteria and applications is largely the focus, our events do offer opportunities on:
- How to choose a business school
- Tips on how to take the GMAT
- Information on financing your MBA
- School specific presentations
All of this information is presented from experts who are directly engaged in these topics for a living.
Accepted: How should applicants prepare for your fair?
Peter: The best thing applicants can do is learn about the schools that are participating and their admission statistics. I would also recommend coming with a resume and sharing your resume with an admission representative during the fair. Ask pertinent information about the school as it relates to your post MBA goals. Be sure to articulate your goals clearly. Finally, I suggest attending in business attire.
Accepted: What should applicants do to make the most of the event while they are there?
Peter: Prior to each of the three events we are offering a short workshop on “Choosing the Best MBA Program for You” by Dr. Don Martin, former Dean of Admissions at Chicago Booth. During this workshop Don will present a framework for students on how to choose a business school. I recommend this workshop for anyone who has not done much research on schools. Afterwards I recommend that applicants meet with as many schools as they can during the conference
Accepted: Is there any follow-up you would recommend?
Peter: Yes, absolutely! If there are any programs in which you have a particularly strong interest, I suggest an email follow up with them about your meeting them at the event. It does not hurt to enclose your resume either. Make sure to make yourself known to any program in which you would consider enrolling.
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Med School Admissions News Roundup
- Put Your Premed Advisor to Work- US News provides a timeline for students that already know they want to go to medical school when they are just freshman. The article provides guidelines for when students should meet their premed advisors and how to best utilize their advisors to ensure that they are as prepared for applying to med school as possible. As the article states, “the more organized and proactive you are the better.”
- Social Media in the Operating Room?- US News reports that social media networks are beginning to enter med school classrooms. While some med schools are too traditional to rely on these forms of technology, others have made social networking part of the admission process by posting admissions updates and introducing different members of the incoming class to one another. Whether a med school is currently incorporating social media into its institution or not, it is clear that with the growing importance of Facebook and Twitter all schools will have to jump on the technology bandwagon.
- Happy Med Students? Is it Possible?- The New York Times reports on how Vanderbilt medical school in Nashville has become the most successful medical school when it comes to combating student depression. The answer: they asked the students for solutions. Vanderbilt’s Student Wellness program is run for students by students, with the university providing the funding. Students go to the yoga and cooking classes because they create them.
- Less Patients is More- Amednews.com reports that med schools are beginning to use longitudinal integrated clerkships—following a single patient around to all their medical appointments for a year—as a way of promoting “patient-centered care.” The idea is that disciplines don’t need to be taught in big chunks, but can be sprinkled throughout the year. Longitudinal integrated clerkships “break down the silos,” so “you see several specialties at one time, so you’re not learning medicine one organ system at a time.”
- An Oldie But a Goodie- US News offers three helpful tips to those applying to medical school later in life. If you are older and making the big leap, make sure you are committed to the process and ask yourself “why now?” It will also be useful to find out if you are academically prepared for the rigorous application process by taking a refresher course, or thinking about doing a postbaccalaureate.
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Is the ABA to Blame for the High Cost of Legal Education?
David Segal is at it again. In his latest piece for The New York Times, he shifts the focus to the ABA and its detrimental impact on legal education. Segal notes that in order for a law school to even obtain provisional accreditation, it must meet a large number of standards, which inevitably raises tuition. Most states require a degree from an ABA-approved school in order to practice law, which leaves prospective lawyers with little choice when accruing debt in order to eventually find a job. And then to pay off those debts, they must earn an adequate salary, charging more than many in need of legal aid can afford. Segal points out the paradox: “The United States churns out roughly 45,000 lawyers a year, but survey after survey finds enormous unmet need for legal services, particularly in low- and middle-income communities.”
As opposed to other countries, in the U.S. there is generally only one option for legal services—hiring a lawyer trained by an ABA-approved law school. And many believe that ABA’s standards are “one-size-fits-all and overly rigid, which drives up the cost of both a diploma and of legal services.” For a school to be considered for provisional accreditation, it must be in operation for at least a year, which makes this whole process not only “expensive,” but “risky,” as well.
Segal brings up the case of Duncan School of Law, part of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, which had been awaiting provisional accreditation. The school finds fault with the ABA’s methods, charging them for their raised expenses and tuition. However, as Above the Law points out, about half of Duncan’s budget goes to paying its faculty, which cannot be overlooked: “Segal does a lot to try to indirectly blame the high cost of professorial salaries on various rules, written and unwritten, about attaining ABA accreditation, but there’s no way to completely gloss over faculty greed and deans (who are themselves part of legal academia) being all too happy to keep paying into the system that keeps salaries high for all.” We cannot keep pointing fingers at different culprits in the case of exorbitant legal education, until faculty salaries are taken into account as well.
But, with all this blame directed at the ABA, it has “noted that it would be an antitrust violation to cap or limit the number of law schools.” So, one would expect the thumbs-up for Duncan. However, two days after the NYT article, the school was informed that the ABA had denied them provisional accreditation. Reasons for this move were not disclosed, but The National Law Journal reports that “the council had identified problems with the academic credentials of the school’s incoming students and the school’s ability to provide academic support to those students.” That’s not how Above the Law sees it: “The timing of this, three days after the New York Times published its article, creates the unmistakable impression that the ABA denied accreditation in retaliation for the school bitching to the Times.” Yet, apparently the ABA made their decision weeks before Duncan was notified.
Regardless of what transpired with Duncan, the NYT still brings up an important issue, one which is addressed by USC Law professor Gillian Hadfield. Instead of one avenue for training lawyers, Hadfield envisions “a range of options that would entail an array of educational degrees and a broad spectrum of prices and formats for legal services.” This way, those who want to work in the legal field but avoid hefty tuitions can do so, and everyone would be able to afford legal services at some level. Yet, Above the Law notes that this solution would “require a nationwide reinterpretation of legal services.” Plus, schools like Duncan Law would still want to train “full-service, do-it-all lawyers,” which is “very lucrative.” As it sums up, “the ABA doesn’t force prices to be high, so much as it refuses to require costs be controlled.”
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
