Columbia Business School's Advanced Venture for All Program is coming to Tokyo

Columbia Business School's Advanced Venture for All® Program is coming to Japan in March 2015.

This program will be held during March 21, 22, 28 and 29 in Tokyo and is geared towards senior managers and entrepreneurs.

Participants will get the chance to receive real feedback from CBS professors on a business idea and more to help them develop it further. This program is scheduled across weekends so that working professionals can join.

Read on here for more information on this program and how to apply. You can change the default language in the top right corner of the page (i.e. EN for English, JP for Japanese) if you need to.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

Interview with 1st Year Student in the Wharton MBA Program

I am pleased to offer the following interview with a current 1st year student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

1. Looking back on the way you prepared for the MBA, is there anything you would change? Anything you would have done more of or less of?

I should have put less effort on TOEFL and more on GMAT from the beginning. I spent 04/2012-06/2012 for TOEFL prep, and didn’t touch on GMAT and essays until I got 110. As a result, I had to take GMAT and write essays simultaneously, which made the application process even more stressful.

Also, your resume should be unique enough to catch admission officers’ attention, especially if you’re from a traditional background (e.g. i-banking or consulting) or have a shorter career. This is also true when you recruit for a summer internship. Thus, even if you’re going to quit the firm at the point of MBA admission, I strongly recommend you to put 100% of your energy and effort into your current job.

2. Can you write a bit about a course that you have really enjoyed or benefitted from?

If I have to pick one, it is Negotiation by Prof. Stuart Diamond (his bio is available here.)

I don’t want to talk a lot about this course as it might give some things away and so you wouldn’t have as much fun, but this course will change the way you communicate with people not only in business situations but also in your day-to-day lives. The course is composed of 100% role-play, and you’re required to negotiate in real life as assignments. It’s an intense ‘learning by doing’ opportunity. I learned a lot about my communication style as well as others.

(You can get a sense of what you learn in the lectures from a book called Getting More, published by the professor himself. However, the book and the course are completely different learning opportunities, though the contents are very similar.)

3. Have you had the time to get involved in any extra-curricular activities? If so, what are they and what role have you assumed in these groups?

I got involved in organizing the Japan Trek, one of the biggest student-led treks at Wharton in which we invited about 150 students/partners to Japan during spring break. My role was the VP of Finance and Marketing/Communication. I learned a lot about my management style.

Another significant extra-curricular activity was the Battle of the Band, a rock band competition among students. I formed a band with 5 Americans and played the drums. It was quite a stretch experience to perform in front of 700 people.

4. What have your experiences been like in learning/project teams? 

At Wharton, you get assigned to a learning team during pre-term period, and keep working in the same team for the most of core classes in the first fall semester. My learning team has been in exceptionally good shape, in terms of performance (e.g. we won the business plan competition during pre-term) and relationship (we still have learning team dinners periodically). To be honest, not every learning team ends up with a lasting friendship, but due to our mutual respect and frequent communication, we’ve built trust, and it has been a great pleasure to be a part of it.

In flex core/elective courses, you need to find team members by yourselves. You’d better consider who to team up rather than just work with friends. Different people have different areas of interest, and your friends may be less motivated than you are. This deprives you of quality learning, particularly when the course is project-oriented. For example, when I took a course called Entrepreneurship, in which students were required to build and pitch a business idea as a team, I regretted that I formed a team with friends who didn’t know a thing about my personal area of interest, from which we built the idea.

5. What's it like living in Philadelphia?

Philly is a self-contained city. Although it’s the 5^th biggest city in the US, it’s totally different from New York, Tokyo or other metropolises. People don’t have to get a car as everything is within walking distance, and public transportation is available. Every time you take a little walk, you bump into your classmates. It feels like you’re in a bubble. 

I worried about the safety issues before I moved to Philly, but I and my wife have never experienced anything dangerous so far, even late at night. I don’t think it’s very different from other cities. 

Speaking about my wife, she gave birth to our daughter at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 03/2014. It is one of the best OB/GY and childcare hospitals in this country, so if you’re considering having a baby or raising a child during the MBA, Philly could be the ideal place.

6. Can you share your plans for the summer?

I’m going to spend 6 weeks doing buyout at a bank in New York, and then for the rest of the summer I’ll be in Tokyo to take part in a tech start-up.

7. Can you offer any words of advice for those applying to the MBA program you are enrolled in?

Set your goals, do research, visit B schools, meet a lot of alumni, and apply to schools you feel fit with. It’s very important to do so for keeping your motivation during the application process as well as for focusing on what you want to get out of the 2 years.

Thanks very much for your time! 

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Interview with Mary Miller on the EMBA-Global (Asia) Program offered by Columbia, HKU and London Business School

I am pleased to present the following interview with Mary Miller, Program Director of the EMBA-Global Asia program offered by Columbia Business School, HKU Business School and London Business School.  

Career Impact

1. Have any of your students attempted a career change (changing their function, or even moving to a new company) after completing the program?

Yes, many of our students don’t wait to graduate before they change positions in their current company, accepted a new position with a different company or started their own business.  EMBA-Global Asia gives students confidence in their ability to take on new challenges and opportunities in addition to the support, knowledge and skills to do so.  While our program is still young, it is difficult to keep track of all the employment changes that happen during and after the program. These individuals are truly global citizens who are talented and sought after by international companies.

Admissions

2. What kind of TOEFL or IELTS score are you hoping to see? Is there a minimum for either test?

An important component of the program is the lively discussions that occur in and out of the classroom, so English fluency is critical to get the most out of the program.  However, we have no minimum score for either test.  All of our candidates are interviewed, so this offers an additional opportunity to demonstrate their English language ability. If we think candidates need to improve their English language skills, we encourage them to obtain this in various ways prior to the beginning of the program.

3. In some countries like Japan only very senior employees get management experience. How do you factor this in when weighing the managerial experience of applicants to the program? 

We are aware that the countries have different business practices and we think it is important to have diversity in the classroom.  An individual’s management experience is important, but so is his or her attitude and reasons for pursuing an EMBA degree.  Even a candidate without a lot of management experience can be a leader and have much to share and contribute.

4. I assume that company support makes it easier for students in the program to manage the scheduling and travel. However is company support a necessary component of an application?

We want students to get the most out of the program and think it is important for them to have the support of their employer in terms of time out of the office, and so this is required.  While financial support by the company is also encouraged, it is not required.  When a company gives a candidate time away from the office, this demonstrates a commitment to the individual’s professional development and is a very positive influence.

5. The academic background of applicants is mentioned on the admissions website - how important is the undergraduate GPA? What can applicants do if their GPA is relatively low (for instance below 3.0 on a 4.0 scale)?

While the academic background is important, the GPA is also the only aspect of the application that can’t be changed.  Most people have matured 5+ years after they were undergraduates.  They are business managers and leaders and we’ve found that their attitude and commitment is a critical component to their success in the classroom.  That said, it is always helpful to prepare for the rigors of the course work by reviewing material that may have been forgotten or not used for a long time. We have a pre-MBA online course that we encourage candidates to complete once they are admitted. They can do this at their own pace and this helps them determine areas where they may need to expend extra effort.

6. What range of GMAT scores are represented in the current class?

The GMAT seems to be the requirement that causes the most anxiety for applicants. We have no minimum score and only ask that candidates do their best.  Many EMBA programs don’t require the GMAT, but we do.  One of the unique features of the EMBA-Global Asia program is that our students take electives courses with students in other MBA programs at all the three schools (CBS, LBS and HKU).  We hold all students to the same high standard.  While applicants don’t like taking the GMAT as part of the admission process, after they are admitted they are proud of their accomplishment and are glad that it was required.  As you might expect with such a diverse group of candidates, the scores also vary widely.

The EMBA-Global Experience

7. Is all learning conducted in the classroom? A lot of people have the impression that EMBA programs mix short bursts of in-class learning with online-based assignments. How about your program?

All courses are taught in the classroom with lively discussion and interaction, but learning takes place in and out of the classroom.  What is so wonderful about EMBA programs is that you learn something in the class that you can apply the next day in at work. Students learn from each other all the time – in and out of the classroom. Since our students come from all over the world and work in teams across time zones outside of class, a lot of team projects and assignments are completed using a variety of tools – email, Skype, video-conferencing. 

8. Can you give an example as to how students can grow their network by meeting students from other programs in elective courses? From what programs are these students coming from?

This is one of the unique aspects of the program. In July, three CBS faculty members (one being Dean Hubbard) taught an elective course in Hong Kong at HKU.  The class included some EMBA-Global Asia students, but full-time and other executive MBA students from CBS and LBS also enrolled.  It was amazing how easily they connected with each other, and by the end of the week they all had new friends and colleagues.

Thank you Mary for your time!

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com