Category: Posts by Rebekah

Advice from the Assistant Dean: Prepare to Submit Your Round 2 Application

The following blog post was written by Rebekah Lewin, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid

As of today, we are one month away from our second round application deadline. It’s an exciting time for us on the admissions team, as this deadline typically has a major impact on shaping our enrolling MBA and MS cohorts. Here are some tips to help you as you prepare your application:

Be yourself and use your essays, résumé, and other qualitative components to help us understand why you are a great fit for Simon (and why Simon is a great fit for you)! This can be an important distinguishing factor that will help you stand out among candidates who may have a similar academic or work profile to you. 

Engage with the Admissions Committee. Join a webinar (or two), meet us at an off-campus recruiting event, or signal your interest in coming to Rochester by registering for an Experience Simon Weekend MBA event. This is a fantastic opportunity for face-time with the admissions team, but these events also often include current students, alumni, and other Simon staff who will help you learn more about the program and the student experience to ultimately confirm “fit.”

So, if you are considering graduate business study beginning in 2020, I strongly encourage you to take the necessary steps to prepare your application and put your best foot forward to the Admissions Committee. Now is a great time to be at Simon. Consider the following:

• We were named the MBA Program of the Year by Poets & Quants for 2018
• Our MBA and MS programs are STEM designated—sending a signal of quality to potential employers of the academic rigor and analytic skills that you develop during your study
• Our MBA program is ranked No. 29 overall and No. 4 for learning by Bloomberg Businessweek, and with faculty who teach across all of our master’s programs—and many student activities that are offered to both MBA and MS students—all of our graduate students benefit
• Our MS in Finance Program is ranked No. 5 in the US by the Financial Times
• Our curriculum and co-curricular activities all center around enhancing the career outcomes for our graduate students—this includes international immersions, career treks, and experiential learning activities that build your résumé and provide enhanced learning outside the classroom

We look forward to providing advice and assistance as you work through the application process.  Feel free to reach out with your questions to admissions@simon.rochester.edu. Good luck, and we hope to review your application soon!

Advice from the Assistant Dean: Spring Applicant To-Do List

The following blog post was written by Rebekah Lewin, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid

This time of year we often receive questions from applicants wondering if it’s “too late” to apply or worrying about submitting their application after several rounds of applications are already under review. They express concern that a portion of the class is already reserved and wonder how competitive it will be for remaining spots. 

Don’t worry—if you are a top candidate, you will be competitive regardless of when you apply in the cycle. Don’t overthink the situation, as most top schools have a waiting list to save some spaces for top candidates in each application round. Simon also offers scholarship consideration in all five of our application rounds, which is a huge benefit. 

Here are a few tips that will help you put your best foot forward as a spring applicant:

• Be confident. Regardless of your reason(s) for applying in the spring, you should be confident in your talent and work diligently on all aspects of the application. Show the Admissions Committee how you will be an asset to the school not only as a student, but as a member of its alumni community as well.
• Do your research. Be thorough in researching your target B-schools so you understand the culture of the schools and can clearly express why you are a “good fit” for the program. Typically, the essay and interview components are good opportunities to express this to the Admissions Committee.
• Apply when the timing is best for you. The Simon Admissions Committee will not ask you to address why you are applying in the spring. It’s your decision on if/when to provide this information to us. We understand circumstances change and people are creating new education and career goals all the time—we would love to help you achieve yours!
• Plan ahead. All of our full-time programs begin in mid-July, so applying in March will provide more time to arrange the move to Rochester if you live outside of western New York.
• Take stock of your scores. There will be little time to retake test scores or update items in your application after submission, so make sure you are really satisfied with your application items before submitting them for review.
• Be ready to interview. The interview timeline will likely be compressed given the time of year, so be prepared to quickly respond if/when an offer is extended.
• Don’t wait to secure your spot in the class. If admitted, the deadline to respond to our offer will likely be roughly three weeks, or possibly even less, depending on how late in the year you are admitted. Make sure you ask critical questions up front so that you are prepared to commit and enroll if you are admitted.

Each year we admit great students in the spring, and this year we hope you will be among them! Our remaining application deadlines for 2019 entry are as follows (rolling admission occurs in between the deadlines):

March 31, 2019 – This is an ideal deadline for international students to target, as it allows your I-20 to be processed earlier and expedites the Visa process.

May 1, 2019 – Final deadline for 2019 entry.

We hope to see you this summer to begin your business school studies. Put the finishing touches on your Simon application—we look forward to reviewing it soon!