Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University - Fall 2013 Admissions

MBA
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Dear Prospective Students,This is an official blog of Smeal College Of Business at Pennsylvania State University.I am Vibhor Kharbanda. I’m a first year student and social media representative for Smeal College Of Business. I will be available…

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Dear Prospective Students,
This is an official blog of Smeal College Of Business at Pennsylvania State University.
I am Vibhor Kharbanda. I'm a first year student and social media representative for Smeal College Of Business. I will be available on this blog through the application process for MBA full time program 2013.
Please feel free to post your queries/doubts that you may have as you prepare to submit your application during the course of the year.

Below are a few quick links:
Homepage for the full time MBA program
Application Deadlines for Fall 2013 admissions
To start a new application
www.gradsch.psu.edu/portal/ and click on Apply Now!
Class Profile of incoming 2012 class
General FAQ

Tuition and Financial aid

Honor code at Penn State's Smeal College of Business
Like us at Facebook for all the latest buzz at the Smeal College Of Business.
Or Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/#!/smealmba
Thanks for showing your interest in the Smeal MBA program.
All the best for your application process.
Smeal College Of Business
Pennsylvania State University
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Hi Vibhor,

Thanks for the post.
Can you give some details regarding :
1) Career prospect in IT [As per the web site program does not provide primary concentration in Info. sys. So little skeptical about career prospects]
2) Personalised Career support provided by school

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Hi All,

Below is the link to give you a brief overview of how to start the application.
It also has a link to start the application.

or else you could directly go to the link provided in the beginning of the thread under
'To start a new application'.

Thanks,
Vibhor
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Hi All,
Great News!!!
The American Institute for Economic Research has ranked State College as the 3rd best college town in the US!
Read the complete article at http://bit.ly/QKOPaC
Thanks,
Vibhor
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Hi Vibhor. Thanks a lot for starting this thread.


I am a fall 2013 aspirant. So posting my queries here. For others much of your queries will be answered on going through the fall 2012 threads. Great information by Anshul last year.

My query (which is specific and I could not find it anywhere):

I have not written my TOEFL yet, and do not intend to write unless required explicitly.

As per the SMEAL site, there can be no TOEFL waiver for me as neither I have a US degree nor I am a resident of any of the countries mentioned for waiver(M an Indian).
I want to apply in R1 itself and there is no TOEFL slot available even if I want to give the exam.

On some posts for some other colleges, I read that if one has a good verbal and AWA score, one can ask the adcom for TOEFL waiver. Can you please confirm this. Can I ask adcom for a TOEFL waiver?
Or it is absolutely mandatory.

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@karmatheory I think it's better to drop in an email to the adcom directly and get an official confirmation. You've got nothing to lose.
All the best
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@debjeet YUP. Going to do the same. Thought to confirm with puys first
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@taknevmar Thanks for your query:
Regarding openings in IT.
Students usually benefit from taking concentration in 'Strategic Innovation'. Also you can take any other concentration and make it count in the IT industry in consulting. If you are looking for courses, the college even offers courses like 'IT strategy' etc.
Companies like KPMG and Ernst and Young recruit here in IT consulting.

Regarding Personal Career counselling.
If you research our website, I am sure you will find about career counselors in our MBA program. Students can schedule one to one sessions with our counselors and take advantage of their services. I hope, I was able to answer your queries.
@karmatheory
I have forwarded your query to the admissions department. Meanwhile, you could explore IELTS as well. We accept a score of 7+ in IELTS.

To all,
Apologies for late replies, we have had a very busy schedule lately. Took my final accounting exam today, so I am a little relieved. :)

Thanks,
Vibhor
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@smealmba Thanks for the info regarding IT prospects...We can understand your hectic schedule....Thanks once again for taking out your time for helping us here...
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Hi VIbhor,
Thanks for the post
I wanted to know if a student without any work-ex or a negligible work ex, can get an admission??

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@ Karmatheory:
If you are having difficulty scheduling your TOEFL exam before the first application deadline you can still apply, but if your exam is not taken within 2 weeks of the deadline you may be moved to the next deadline. The admissions department will do its best to evaluate your materials as soon as possible but cannot guarantee further processing without a complete application. Even if they are able to process your application they will not be able to make an admissions decision until the exam is taken and score report received. Also please remember IELTS exam is also accepted, if you are able to schedule that instead.
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@a_brij The profile is evaluated as a whole and not on one single criteria of work experience. However, having a work experience is really preferred. Please go to the class profile link I have provided above. That should give you a better idea.
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Hi Vibhor,


I have 8 years of work ex and 710 onthe GMAT. Can you please let me know what my chances are. I am from the IT background and I am looking to get into product management in a tech company after an MBA. Can you please let me know what my chances both for admission and placements are? By placements I mean, does smeal have a good recruiting in the tech sector, with h1b sponsorship?
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Hi All,

I believe most of you are aware that we have twitter chat sessions on Wednesday with our admissions staff. The GMAT chat sessions on Wednesday 1 pm.
Below are the details on participation:
Follow @OfficialGMAT
Follow our guest hosts: @SmealMBA
Use #MBAchat in all your tweets, and follow the #MBAchat hashtag

If you can't join us live? Ask your questions on Twitter using the #MBAchat hashtag now, and read the transcript later.

Tips for interacting with Admissions staff during fairs (both virtual and in person):
•Don't ask obvious questions.
•Don't ask questions you can easily find the answer to on the school's website.
•Differentiate yourself. This is your opportunity to make a good & lasting impression. The admission staff wants to get to know you.
•Do your research.
•Most schools do not do instant profile evaluations. If they do, it will be openly offered.
o Look at class profiles and see if you fit, keeping in mind they are averages
o Admissions staffers can't tell you if you should or should not apply to their program. That is a decision you have to make.

Good Luck!!!

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@smealmba said:
Hi All,
I believe most of you are aware that we have twitter chat sessions on Wednesday with our admissions staff. The GMAT chat sessions on Wednesday 1 pm.
Below are the details on participation:
Follow @OfficialGMAT
Follow our guest hosts: @SmealMBA
Use #MBAchat in all your tweets, and follow the #MBAchat hashtag
If you can't join us live? Ask your questions on Twitter using the #MBAchat hashtag now, and read the transcript later.
Tips for interacting with Admissions staff during fairs (both virtual and in person):
•Don't ask obvious questions.
•Don't ask questions you can easily find the answer to on the school's website.
•Differentiate yourself. This is your opportunity to make a good & lasting impression. The admission staff wants to get to know you.
•Do your research.
•Most schools do not do instant profile evaluations. If they do, it will be openly offered.
o Look at class profiles and see if you fit, keeping in mind they are averages
o Admissions staffers can't tell you if you should or should not apply to their program. That is a decision you have to make.
Good Luck!!!

Hi Smealmba,

Just wanted to ask, I couldnt find any student clubs on the website for smeal college of business. Can you please let me know where I can find info on clubs like Marketing club, technology club etc? I need it to research the school and write essays but I dont seem to be able to find those. Can you please let me know?

Thanks

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@maidenfreak Thanks for asking this question. Below is a students link for the same.
Good Luck in your research. :)

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Hi Vibhor

This is Rajat from India. I wanted to apply to Smeal for my MBA. I am hereby providing you with the details of my profile. Could you please guide me through the process –
GMAT Score – 650/800
Work Ex. – 2.5yrs. (Current) (03 years At the time of commencement of course)
Name of Organization working with – Jindal Stainless Limited.
Designation – Associate Manager (SCM)
Undergraduate Degree – B.Tech (Hons.) (NIT Jamshedpur)
Undergraduate CGPA – 8.62/10.
Decent co – curricular.
I'll be applying for the Fall 2013 session. I would be grateful to you for your valuable suggestions.

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Hello Vibhor,

I have one question, At Smeal, do students concentrate on single field or are they able to take up multiple concentrations.
Cheers
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@smealmba I am appearing for PTE this saturday......please let me know whether I can submit PTE scores for the institution.