Forte Forum

Last night I attended the Forte Forum. I joined the fray a little late b/c of traffic. Upon arriving at the Forum, I did a quick tour to identify the schools I wanted to talk to. They all had tables set up throughout the room. I had about 45 minutes before the first panel started, so I wanted to talk to at least a few of them before then.

I started with Wharton. The Wharton rep was nice... she encouraged us all to gather around the table, so if someone had a question we were curious about, we'd all get to hear the answer. Some people had fairly specific questions, and the ones that were general were things I already knew. She did suggest I reach out to the head of a student club if I was interested in it to learn more about what they do (good idea!).

From there, I moved on to HBS. OK, I really like my alma mater, but I didn't get the friendliest vibe from the reps. It's not that they were unfriendly, but I sort of felt like they just wanted to get my question over with and move on. Maybe b/c I was late and they were fatigued... who knows. Anyway, I did pick up a brochure (which I thought didn't exist offline), so that was good.

I heard the Michigan rep speak more about the MAP program, which was really helpful. She gave more examples of the projects and talked about how you're placed in one. Picked up a new brochure there too (for women).

By then, it was time for the alumnae panel. This was my first chance to accurately gauge how many people were there... I guess around 250 - 300? They had four women speak about their business school experiences. They stressed that an MBA can transform your skill set and advance your career. They all had different views on what the MBA was all about... some said it was the connections, some the skill set (my person view is that it's really all of those things). They all agreed that B-school teaches you how to break down a problem in a clear, structured way for analysis. It teaches you a new way of thinking. They also warned that the career search starts IMMEDIATELY when you hit campus, so be prepared so you can take full advantage of it. Also, FYI, Forte is going to be hosting online chats w/ alumnae and current students on 10/3 and 10/5, if anyone wants to check that out.

After the panel, it was more school-by-school action. I finished up the night by talking to the remaining schools in which I have an interest. I got a few more people to contact for my very specific questions, but I think most of the general stuff I heard at the tables were things I had heard before. There was an admissions panel at 8:15, but I decided to go home instead.

I saw several people from work there that I didn't know were applying to b-school. I even sawpeople I work w/ manning the tables as alumni. That was a little weird b/c of this specific situation: one of the girls just started here a few weeks ago and she's on my team. So her manager sent her to talk to me about how to be successful at the company and just generally answer any questions she had. Now, the tables are reversed. I'm sitting there asking her how to be successful in writing applications to get into b-school and how to be successful once I'm in. Haha. Well, now I know I have another resource in my company if I have specific questions.

Anyway, I'm not sure this review was particularly helpful for any other applicants, but I would encourage you to stop by a similar event if you have a chance. The real value was in being able to access the admissions staff if you have specific questions and get a feel for how they interact w/ applicants. Hearing from the alumnae was interesting too. Oh, and the brochures, if you are as enamored with them as I am. :)

Till later!