Illinois MBA Exclusive

We were excited to host prospective MBA students on campus on Friday, October 9. Unfortunately, the dreary weather that day seemed to keep some people from traveling to campus, and we ended up with approximately ten people attending our event. Before the event, we checked our numbers from last year, and about 40% of the people who attended this special event last year ended up gaining admission and joined our MBA program this year. We had some strong individuals attend the event this year, and we are hopeful that we will see them as Illinois MBA students next year.

The highlight of the day seemed to be the mini-lecture given by marketing professor Hayden Noel. Professor Noel presented on the marketing/advertising communication cycle, and he had an activity that got everyone involved, including me. Half the group had to draw a picture without using letters or numbers that communicated four special features of an automobile as the other half of the group left the room. When the outside group came back in, they had to look at the drawings and try to conclude what those special features were. I ended up getting pulled in to be a "drawer," but despite having a family full of artists, I seemed to have missed out on that creativity gene, and my drawing definitely brought about the greatest amount of confusion. Fortunately for Professor Noel, he was able to use my Rembrandt-like skills as an example of the struggle that takes place between the encoding and decoding of a message. In the end, the prospective students received a free lesson and seemed excited about the prospect of studying under Professor Noel in his first-year marketing class.

In addition to the class lecture, the attendees also got to hear from Dean Larry DeBrock and Associate Dean Stig Lanesskog about their vision for the future of the Illinois MBA. Our admissions director, Jackie Wilson, gave an overview of the application process, along with some tips for submitting a strong application. I provided a tour of the Business Instructional Facility (BIF), highlighting the buildings environmentally- and student-friendly features. The attendees enjoyed a lunch in the BIF atrium as they spoke with current students, faculty, and staff. And then later, second-year MBA students served on a panel to answer questions and to share their experience as students in the Illinois MBA. Ron Watkins, Associate Director of Illinois Business Consulting, also talked about the opportunities available to MBA students through this student-led consulting organization.

Personally, I feel that attending one of these special events is the perfect way for prospective MBA students to get to the heart of what makes the Illinois MBA unique. There is the further benefit that these individuals establish relationships with a number of people involved with the MBA program. By forming these relationships, these individuals often stand out through the application process, as many people involved in the decision now know the candidate personally. I am confident that those who did attend enjoyed themselves and found the event valuable as they look to apply to MBA programs.

We are having one more on-campus event this fall. The next Illinois MBA Exclusive will be held on Friday, November 13. The complete details, including registration information, can be found at www.mba.illinois.edu/M/Admissions/Admissions+Events/#campus. This event has been planned the day before an Illinois vs. Northwestern football game, and those who attend the Friday event may want to look into spending the weekend around campus so that they can see what student life is like both inside and outside of the classroom at the University of Illinois. Also, Professor Madhu Viswanathan is currently scheduled to give the mini-lecture. Professor Viswanathan's research focuses a great deal on sustainable market practices and is highly committed to social enterprise. He teaches a full-year class to MBA and engineering students titled, "Sustainable Product and Market Development for Subsistence Marketplaces," that sends students to India over winter break to conduct market research that will help develop product ideas that will be of benefit to low-literate, low-income areas of India. We are excited to have him present during this event.