Admissions Straight Talk

Michigan State's College of Osteopathic Medicine provides an innovative patient-centered curriculum with multiple specialties and multiple opportunities for clinical exposure. Sound appealing? Well, plug in your earbuds because today Linda Abraham speaks with the senior associate dean of admissions at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Are you attracted to Duke Fuqua's collaborative MBA culture, and intrigued by its flexible curriculum, and the strength of its entering class as revealed by the latest class profile? But you're unsure how you can make your case for acceptance? In today's podcast, Fuqua's associate dean of admissions pulls back the curtain on what Duke seeks in its applicants.

Do you need a program to show medical or dental schools that you can handle the demands of their program because your undergraduate record just doesn't quite do it? Well, pull up a chair. Our guest today is the Associate Director of the Tufts Masters in Biomedical Sciences program, which has an 80% plus admit rate to medical school and a 99% admit rate to dental school.

What's the new, shorter GMAT Focus? How is scoring going to work? What does it mean for you as an applicant and test taker? If those are your questions, this episode is for you. We'll be discussing the GMAT Focus with GMAC's director of Product Marketing and former director of product development.

UPDATE - Do you want to know how to get into Johns Hopkins School of Medicine? Are you wondering what Johns Hopkins' program is like? How is it adapting to the post-COVID era, and AI? Continue listening and you'll learn more from its Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs.

In this episode, the Director of Recruiting at CGSM details the benefits - and opportunities! - available to Consortium members, what it takes to become a member, and why applying in Round One may not always be an applicant's best strategy. 

Most higher education institutions promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values attached to their institutional mission, because doing so is crucial for ensuring a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Best practice recommends that DEI senior officers answer directly to a university or college’s president, thereby ensuring that DEI concerns have representation and an enduring voice in leadership matters. Schools’ DEI officers design and implement strategies to promote diversity and inclusion, address issues of bias and discrimination, and develop policies and practices that promote equity and fairness on campus. Some schools pair DEI initiatives with Title IX initiatives (Title IX assures gender equity on college campuses) and antidiscrimination human resources procedures related to disability, age, pay, gender, and hiring practices.  DEI initiatives promote social justice as a value that is actionable; decisions are made and actions taken to remodel institutional infrastructure so that it aligns with improving all students’ well-being, safety, access to opportunity, and rights to an education for an increasingly diverse student population. DEI also promotes cultural diversity via campus activities such as multicultural events, celebrations, and programs built with diversity and inclusion at their core. However, as of June 30, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a suit brought against Harvard and the University of North Carolina in which an organization named Students for Fair Admissions alleged that both universities discriminated against Asian Americans, a minority group that is largely represented in higher education. The Supreme Court decided that higher education must not consider race in the admissions process. Let us look for a moment at the history of this workplace and educational equity issue.  In the early 1960s, the civil rights movement advocated for equal rights and opportunities for marginalized groups, particularly African Americans. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which introduced the concept of affirmative action in the workforce. This order required government contractors to ensure that individuals were employed without regard to their race, color, religion, or national origin. It aimed to promote equal opportunity and to address discrimination in the workplace. This executive order laid the foundation for future affirmative action policies, taking steps to eliminate discriminatory practices and promote equal employment opportunities. Since 1961, higher education policies and practices have aimed to increase access and opportunities for underrepresented groups in admissions. Colleges and universities began to examine demographic deterrents to education and opportunity, turning them into favorable factors in the admissions process to promote diversity and address historical inequality. By considering an applicant’s background, universities can acknowledge and address the systemic barriers and disadvantages certain racial and ethnic groups face, ultimately striving for a more equitable education system. In the 2016 Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the affirmative action policy of the university was challenged. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the university, affirming the constitutionality of its admissions process. The case highlighted the positive impact of affirmative action on promoting diversity and educational benefits. The University of Texas argued that considering race to create a diverse student body enriched the learning environment. The school presented evidence that its affirmative action policy had contributed to increas...

In this episode, Rohit Sharma, Sr. Vice President of Global Higher Education and Workskills, explains how ETS made the GRE almost two hours shorter (without cutting any sections) and why that’s a good thing for test takers - and institutions. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you wondering what the new shorter GRE is about? What does it mean for you as applicants and test takers? This episode is for you! We’ll be discussing the new shorter GRE format and how it affects test-takers with ETS’ Sr. Vice President of Global Higher Education and Workskills. An interview with Rohit Sharma,Sr. Vice President of Global Higher Education and Workskills at ETS. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 531st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Today's show is all about test prep, and I'd like to start with a quick one-question quiz. What is the paradox at the heart of graduate school admissions? Well, I'll tell you. You have to show that you belong at your target programs and simultaneously that you stand out in the applicant pool. Doing so is paradoxical and challenging. Accepted's free download, Fitting in and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, will show you how to do both. Master this paradox, and you are well on your way to acceptance.  Our guest today is Rohit Sharma, Senior Vice President of Global Higher Education and Workskills at the Educational Testing Service, better known as ETS. Rohit earned his bachelor's in engineering from IIT Kanpur in India and his MBA from UVA Darden. He has worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group and for over 20 years he has contributed internationally in management and product design and development in the fields of digital skills training, assessment, and higher education.  Rohit, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:03] Thank you, Linda. Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to speak with you today. So GRE is undergoing some transformations, right? ETS is giving us a whole new GRE. How is the new GRE going to be structured? [2:07] Great, thank you. First of all, the GRE is going to be similar in many ways to the old one in terms of having the same three sections that we have always had, which is the verbal reasoning, the quantitative reasoning, as well as the analytical writing section. So those three things remain unchanged. But the big news here is that the time that the test used to take previously, which was close to four hours, is going to be reduced in half to just shy of two hours. So that's a big change that we are making. And then I assume you're not sacrificing any kind of predictability or validity to the test in cutting it in half. [2:51] Of course, that was almost like I left it hanging there so that you asked me that, but it goes without saying- I fell for it. [3:09] Yes, no, thank you. But it goes without saying that as you know, ETS has a very long history of over 75 years that we have been around, and one of the things that we are so proud of is the research that goes behind all of our assessments. So the validity, the reliability of these measures, these assessments, the constructs that they measure continues to remain the same as it was before. So the total time is much less. You still have the same three sections. So is each section just basically cut in half? [3:32]

In this episode, Professor of Medicine and Medical Education and Associate Dean of Admissions at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University explains the draw of the close-knit community at Dartmouth, why the school doesn’t send secondaries to applicants with an MCAT below 503, and how to ace Geisel’s secondary.  [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you dreaming of becoming a doctor at an Ivy league medical school, one of the best in the country? Do you want to learn how to ace the admissions process at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine? Tune in to this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, where I interview Dr. Roshini Pinto-Powell, the Associate Dean for Admissions at Geisel, and get her insider tips on what makes a successful applicant. An interview with Dr. Roshini Pinto-Powell, Associate Dean of Admissions at Geisel and Professor of Medicine. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 530th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Are you ready to apply to a dream medical school? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted’s  Med School Admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications and your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free.  Our guest today is Dr. Roshini Pinto-Powell. Dr. Pinto-Powell grew up and earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry in India. She earned her MD at the Ross School of Medicine. She did two fellowships in infectious disease and returned with her husband to Dartmouth where she actually focused on general internal medicine. She also found that she loved teaching, and today is a professor of medicine and a professor of medical education as well as co-director of On Doctoring at Dartmouth Geisel, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, . Aand most importantly for our conversation today, aAssociate dDean of aAdmissions at Geisel.  Dr. Pinto-Powell, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:08] Thank you. Can you give us an overview of the MD program at Geisel, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:17] I think one of the things I'd start off by saying is that Geisel is a small school, relatively. We have 92 students, 90 MD students, two MD/ PhD students, and this is the largest we've ever been. We were a much smaller school, 65 students, until fairly recently, about a decade and a half to two decades ago, and then have grown to 92. I mentioned that because I think that's one of its distinctive elements. It's small enough that in some ways, I would say, we are the “Cheers” of schools where everybody knows your name and everybody's glad you came. And if you ask any of our students or staff or administrators, what is their favorite thing, they will say the sense of community, the sense of feeling like people know you. Our students don't graduate without personally knowing more than 10-15 faculty, have been to their homes, watched their dogs or animals and things like that. I think that makes it just a wonderful place to learn to be a doctor. Sounds like a very close-knit community. [3:35] I believe so. On the website, it mentioned several times that the medical school has a real determination to graduate what they called “the complete physician.” What does that mean, “the complete physician,” and does it tie into the community that you we...

In this episode, the Assistant Dean of Enrollment at Fordham Law School shares his tips on how to present a winning application. [SHOW SUMMARY] Located in the heart of Manhattan, Fordham Law provides excellent ties to business, as well as options for public law. Does that sound intriguing? Tune into this episode where Fordham Law School’s Assistant Dean of Enrollment describes how to capitalize on this opportunity. An interview with Stephen Brown, Fordham Law School’s Assistant Dean of Enrollment. [Show Notes] Thanks for joining me for the 529th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you applying to law school this cycle? Are you planning ahead to apply to law school next year or perhaps later? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Law School Admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. I'm delighted to have on Admissions Straight Talk, Stephen Brown, Assistant Dean of Enrollment at Fordham Law. Prior to Fordham Law, Dean Brown worked at NYU Law in financial aid and administration, ending his time as director of student finance, strategic planning, and institutional research. 22 years ago, he returned to Fordham to work in law school financial aid and admissions. He has a special interest in introducing admissions, financial aid, and finance topics to students and new professionals, and in mentoring. Much of his student work has revolved around financial literacy education. Dean Brown is a frequent conference and Bar Association presenter on topics from law school admissions, financing law school, federal aid policy, financial literacy, and planning. He has served on various committees of student financial aid administrators, and the LSAC, and he's also received numerous awards, including the prestigious CLEO EDGE Award for Diversity. Dean Brown reports that his first career in mental health counseling prepared him well for the ever-changing, often stressful, world of law school administration. He earned his bachelor's in psychology and philosophy and his M.S.Ed in counseling and student services from Fordham, followed by his EdM in counseling from Teachers College at Columbia University. Can you give us an overview of the more distinctive elements of the Fordham Law J.D. program? [2:32] Fordham is in New York City. We tend to think of it as the capital of the world. That gives our students lots of opportunities. We're a large school. Some people think that’s a bad thing, but it allows us to have a large faculty. We have 84 full-time faculty. We have more than 100 adjuncts who are leaders in the bench and bar, mostly in New York. So we can have lots of specialties and programs and give our students choices, both for concentrating and focusing their education, and also exploring other areas of the law that they may not have been thinking of. Is Fordham’s House System physical houses? [5:20]We have lots of programs. We have top-rated programs and a variety of ratings and rankings. We have amazing alumni, and we have a lot of them. They are very strong in the New York market and that's an advantage for our students. The other real advantage we have is the House System. Most of our students are first-generation lawyers or even are first-generation college grads. And the House System allows our students to have anothe...

In this episode, the Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management at Columbia Business School explains why there isn’t one right answer to the application essay - but there is a true answer.  [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you interested in an MBA that has the goal of preparing you for a career in innovation and entrepreneurship? With a record of excellence and a powerful alumni network? Columbia Business School is known for its cluster system of classes that fosters innovation amongst students. Sounds interesting? Listen to this episode where CBS’ Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management provides insight on how to get accepted to its elite MBA programs.  An interview with Clare Norton, Columbia Business School’s Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 528th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment of your chances, but tips on how to improve them. Plus it's all free.  It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on a Admissions Straight Talk, Clare Norton, Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management at Columbia Business School. After earning her bachelor's at Notre Dame in Indiana, Clare became a New Yorker through and through. She started her career as a trader with Citigroup and then moved into admissions first at Hunter College and then at CUNY and Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Along the way, she also earned her master's in higher education administration from Baruch College. She joined Columbia Business School in January as Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management. Congratulations on your new position and welcome, Clare,  to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:48] Thank you. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. Can you provide an overview of Columbia's MBA program for listeners who may not be that familiar with it? [1:59] I think to me, the key point about the Columbia MBA program is actually the flexibility, is that we do really think of it as something that can be crafted and changed to meet the needs of individual students. I think that that's part of what makes it so exciting is the opportunity to understand about yourself, what your gaps are and what your strengths are, and to really craft an experience that is personalized to get you where you'd like to go. We, or Columbia, have several different kinds of entry points to that MBA.  So we have a full-time MBA entry in August. We have a full-time MBA entry in January, and then we also have a number of Executive MBA programs. EMBA programs on both a Friday-Saturday, a Saturday, and a global program that's a dual degree with London School of Business. So a lot of opportunities to come in and do the MBA. This year we have also created a brand new program called MBAxMS, which is a dual degree program with our School of Engineering. So our first cohort will start with us this August. What's new at Columbia Business School in terms of the program changes to the program, innovations to the program, you mentioned, the MBAxMS; anything else you'd like to highlight? [3:23]

Thanks for joining me for the 527th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you applying to a program that requires a situational judgment test (SJT)? Currently, many top med schools require applicants to submit scores from the Casper, an online, open-response SJT offered by Acuity Insights.  This week, we are airing an encore of a popular and timely episode: Casper, A Situational Judgment Test: All You Need to Know. At Accepted we have fielded many questions from med school applicants. * How is something as subjective as judgment graded? * Do med schools receive the raw score? * What is the difference between Casper and DUET, another offering from Acuity Insights? * Does Casper complement or replace existing aptitude tests? In this episode, Dr. Kelly Dore, Co-Founder & VP of Science and Innovation at Acuity Insights and Adjunct Professor at McMaster University provides answers to all these questions and more. A video recording of the interview with Dr. Dore is also available on Accepted’s YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe to Admissions Straight Talk wherever you get your favorite podcasts because we have an exciting summer line up of interesting guests coming up this summer.  For the complete show notes, check out the original blog post. Relevant Links: * Casper Test * Duet * The Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) * Situational Judgement Test (SJT): Everything You Need to Know * Med School Acceptance Calculator Related Shows: * Get Accepted to the Michigan State’s MD Program - Episode 522 * Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond - Episode 523 * Get Accepted to the Medical College of Wisconsin - Episode 511 * MD/PA/NP/DO/DDS/MPH: What Do They Require? - Episode 499 * Active Learning and Admission...

In this episode, the founder and former Director of San Francisco State University Postbac Programs and Accepted consultant since 2015 explains why the fastest way to medical school is slowly and carefully, and explores the advantages and disadvantages of applying to med school from a postbac program. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you in a postbac program or specialized masters program? Are you wondering what are the nuances of applying to medical school from a postbac program?  You’re in luck, because that’s the topic of today’s episode - along with a healthy dose of excellent med school admissions advice for any med school applicant. An interview with Dr. Barry S. Rothman, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Biology, founder of SFSU Postbac Programs, and Accepted consultant for 8 years. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 526th episode of Admission Straight Talk. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's med school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus it's all free. Our guest today, Dr. Barry Rothman, is the former health professions advisor and director of San Francisco State University's pre-health profession certificate program which serves pre-med, pre-dental, pre-nursing, and other pre-healthcare students who are preparing themselves to apply to graduate programs in healthcare. This episode focuses on medical school applications, but since 2015, Dr. Rothman has helped Accepted's clients in all aspects of the application process to medical school and specifically those both applying to postbac programs and applying from postbac  programs.  Dr. Rothman, welcome to Admission Straight Talk. [1:54] Great, Linda, good to be here and good to have been part of the Accepted family for now eight years. Glad to have you as part of the Accepted family. How did you get involved in postbac programs and helping applicants from postbac programs apply successfully to medical school? [2:04] Wow, what a story. At San Francisco State, I've had three careers. Started out very research oriented, leading a postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Francisco, and then transitioning to SF State as a new faculty member and conducting lab research in a lab at SF State. Which I was quite successful at, but it didn't really make me super happy, and I decided to stop doing research and start teaching. I had quite a lot of experience teaching already, and so that made me happier. And then around 20 years into my time at SF State, my dean approached me and said, "How'd you like to be the health professions advisor?" And I thought, sure, it'll be an easy thing, no big deal. And so I naively said yes, and it took over my life. I just loved doing it. I loved working with the students. I actually had been teaching a molecular medicine class, so I was interested in medicine anyhow, and I just took it from there. The students were wonderful to deal with. We created a program that required a lot of political maneuvering through the academic senate, and after a whole year of processing we had a postbac program, a newly formed from zero postbac program. What are the different kinds of postbac programs, and whom are they for? [3:50] Sure. Well, actually there's a bunch of different kinds.

In this episode, the Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern explains Stern’s Change Studio and Frontier Labs, explores what it means to be a Sternie, and gives advice to reapplicants. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you interested in an MBA that has the goal of preparing you to lead in an ever-changing world? Are you considering one- or two-year options? Does being in New York City with all that it offers, appeal to you? Then today's episode is for you, the new Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern is our guest. An interview with Lindsay Loyd, the new Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 525th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to actually improve your profile and qualifications and it's all free. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Lindsey Lloyd, Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern. Lindsey leads the recruiting and admissions efforts for Stern's full-time MBA programs, including the two-year, full-time MBA, the focused one-year MBAs, which are the Andre KooTechnology and Entrepreneurship MBA and the Fashion and Luxury MBA. Lindsay has a BA in economics from Washington State University and an MBA from Chicago Booth. Before joining NYU Stern, she had a 13-year career at American Express, where she ultimately became the Vice President of Strategic Engagement Global Commercial Services. She joined NYU Stern in January, 2023.  Lindsey, congratulations on your new role and welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:05] Thanks, Linda. Great to be here. Can you provide an overview of NYU Stern's full-time, two-year MBA program? [2:17] So NYU's two year program, full-time, it's the classic program that you think of when you hear “MBA.” It is a graduate management education that delivers on both breadth and depth. Year one, you're going to jump in with launch orientation and then focus on the core requirements, both the required and some picks from our menu. Then have a summer internship, followed by your second year, when you really jump into electives and your specializations.  There are three things that I'd highlight that make Stern special. Firstly being access, and really this is, we are located in the heart of New York City and we fully take advantage of that. We are so connected across businesses and industries, from FinTech to fashion, from media to marketing, you name it, we've got Stern alumni there and the beauty is, they're just a subway right away. So we really are in the heart of the city and take advantage of it. The next thing that I'd highlight is Stern's Solutions. So this is our experiential learning opportunities for students, where they're really jumping in and participating in live business challenges in the moment. This is something that Stern launched in the early two thousands, so this is two decades worth of experience and expansion and development. And lastly,

In this episode, the CEO of Service to School and the Chief Programs Officer at Service to School explore the resources available to active duty service members and veterans through the nonprofit and give practical examples of translating military experience into public sector terms. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you a veteran considering grad school? Are you thinking about entering the military and wondering what you should do after it? Would you just like to hear some great advice about applying to grad school, even if you're not in the military? Please join me for this informative interview with the CEO and the Chief Programs Officer of Service to School, a nonprofit that provides free college and grad school application counseling to military veterans and service members. An interview with Alec Emmert, CEO of Service to School and Sydney Matthes, Chief Programs Officer. [Show Notes] Welcome to the 524th episode of Admission Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA Admissions Quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/mba-quiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications, plus it's all free.  In honor of Memorial Day, which the United States will observe this Monday, May 29th, I decided to invite two guests from Service to School, an organization that helps US military veterans gain acceptance to college and graduate programs. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Alec Emmert, CEO of Service to School, and Sydney Matthes, Chief Program Officer at, again, Service to School. A little background about our guests. You could say that Alec really likes school. He holds a BS from the US Naval Academy, an MA in International Relations and Middle Eastern studies from the American Military University, an MS in finance from Georgetown University, and an MBA from Wharton. After serving in the military for almost eight years, Alec joined Booz Allen Hamilton, earned his MBA at Wharton, and then joined McKinsey as a consultant. He became the full-time CEO of Service to School in March of this year. Congratulations on your new position. Sydney also likes education. She has worked in higher ed since 2011 on different college campuses, and is an independent admissions consultant. She earned her bachelor's at West Virginia University and her master's in Higher Education and in Education Administration from George Washington University. Her master's focused on veteran support programs and campus resources.  Alec and Sydney, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:40] Sydney Matthes: Thanks. Excited to be here. Glad to have you both. Okay, the first question is a basic one, and let's start with Alec for this one. What is Service to School? [2:45] Alec Emmert: In a nutshell, Service to School is an organization that provides free college application and admissions support to any veteran who wants it. We're talking about everything from community college to PhD programs. So if you are a veteran and you want any form of higher education, you can reach out to Service to School, and we've got a group of about 500 plus volunteer ambassad...