The Application Process

Hey guys, I was recently invited (and RSVPed) to a dinner that UCI Paul Merage is hosting. It is for prospective business school students and will be attended by the Assistant Director and Director of Admissions and Recruitment.

Has anyone ever attended one of these before? What should I expect? I know it will probably be a valuable opportunity for me to learn more about the program, but beyond that... I really have no idea what to expect.

Just wanted to hear some thoughts or opinions from everyone. Thanks!



Oh btw... I'm thinking the dinner should be pretty formal. I'll probably e-mail the school to find out what clothes are appropriate... but I'm thinking it would be pretty formal. Any experienced forum members care to chime in?

Anyone? The dinner is next week.... any comments would be helpful!

I got an invite to one of these, too. I am planning to go to meet some of the people and probably eat some good food. The one I'm going to is on the 20th in San Francisco.

I interviewed with UCI just before Christmas and really liked the campus and area, but would want to know more about their program before any decisions. That is, if they decide I'd be a good fit in their program first.

Since the dress code wasn't mentioned, I'll just do the jeans and dress shirt thing. They seemed pretty laid-back on campus.

I'm guessing it will be a smaller dinner and a chance to get all of our questions answered straight from the source. I think it will be a great boost to getting accepted, as we are showing dedication to learning all that we can about them. Face time with adcoms can't be a bad thing!

Have fun at the dinner. Order something that is served on fire. And ice cream (also on fire).

I'll let you know how the SF one goes after it happens.

Ultraeasy, please keep us posted on your dinner. I'll be posting up my experience as well. Thanks for input guys!

So I attended the invitation only dinner with the UCI adcom and student ambassadors and it went pretty much as expected. There was a good mix of prospective students/students who have already applied/students who were just recently admitted. Overall, it was a great opportunity to meet and network with the adcom. I met some great student ambassadors who talked at length of their experiences at Merage and what they felt was most valuable about the program.

I can't imagine that this type of event is rare or even uncommon. It seemed like a pretty routine "come to our school" ordeal. I hope this little bit of info helped!

It was great event. Great meaning that it was an enjoyable experience meeting about eight applicants, eight recent alums, and the Director of Admissions and ordering a good meal and some tall beers.

The alums were good to talk to at length because they all had interesting positions and were doing well for themselves. Their 2009 job placement seemed to be not so bad. This gives me confidence that we will all come out with the same or stronger credentials in June 2012 (or 2013) and will hopefully be greeted with a better job market.

The impression I got was that it was a very tight-knit program. It was all hugs with the reunited students and the adcom member. Only 100 strong, they can really get to know each other. They almost all recommended living on campus, as most of the other MBA's did, so you can have essentially 24-7 support from your peers--and everyone is happy to help.

The program isn't going to make it happen for you, though. Classes are just three hours a day for four days a week, so most of your time will be spent in study groups and clubs. With the smaller size it would be easier to take a leadership role in these clubs, or found your own, and make a difference right away. You could also take every afternoon off to surf Newport or Laguna Beaches. Study groups could meet around a beach fire pit. Great.

These selling points are valid and anyone considering UCI should talk with some student ambassadors to assess your own fit. After I hear back from all of the schools, I will certainly think hard about their offer.

Here's a follow up in case anyone else is in the same situation next year.

Earlier in the year I attended the "invitation only event" for UCI Merage. My experiences at the dinner have been posted above.

I submitted my application on Feb 1st, and am happy to announce that I have been accepted for the Fall 2010 class with a $35,000 fellowship!

This is all conjecture of course, but it seems to me that if you are ever invited to the dinner, you are very likely to gain acceptance. Of course, there are many factors involved; it's not just your GMAT score, but if you are aiming to get into Merage, an invitation dinner is a good sign!

Here's my background in case anyone is interested.


Undergrad: UCSD (Biology major) with a 3.1 gpa
GMAT: 710/5.5 (Q47, V40) Overall - 92nd Percentile
Work Experience: 1 year in Commercial Insurance consulting and 2 years in Medical Consulting
Extracurricular: Founded a multi-chapter car club in college

In my own opinion, I feel that my essays were strong. I devoted a lot of time to them and probably went through at least 10 revisions of each essay. It was a pain, but I believe had my essays been weaker, I still would have gotten in (just maybe without a fellowship).


I hope this information helps out a few people!

....

Nice!

The dress code is business dress. There were a few people who just wore dress shirts and slacks, but all of the ambassadors wore a suit and tie.


Good luck and have fun!