Zicklin Graduate center hosts information session for applicants

The Zicklin School of Business Graduate Center held an information session on Thursday, May 3, regarding the application process for both the MBA and MS programs.

The event conveyed information about requirements, application structure, and important dates that pertain to possible applicants.

Helen Corpuz Ramirez, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions, hosted the event and presented various topics that are on the agenda for applicants.

Ramirez began the event by giving the history of the CUNY system and then progressed to discuss the history of Baruch specifically.

Baruch College has been issuing Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degrees since 1920.

Having been founded in 1919, Baruch was not an independent business school, and became a senior college in the 1960s.

The Newman vertical campus was erected in 1998, being only around 14 years-old.

Ramirez went on to speak about the demographics of the program. Enrollment at Baruch is approximately 16,000 students, 12,000 of which are undergraduates and 4,000 are graduates.

The graduate program hosts a 43 percent female student body. Baruch is the largest accredited business school in the United States, and has earned the title as most diverse student body in the country more than 7 times by U.S. News and

World Report, more times than any other university in the U.S.

The MBA program requires 24 courses, totaling 57 credits, with the Master of Science (MS) program totaling 30-50 credits.

Ramirez stressed, “project out when planning,” discussing the importance of properly deciding if the program will be applicable to the field in which the graduate is applying for, noting that some graduates come back for another degree after they have already acquired the other.

Going onto the application process, Ramirez said, “present yourself both academically and professionally.”

The importance of work experience is vital in the acceptance to the program.

A Minimum of 2-3 years of work experience is necessary in order to be accepted, as well as a 3.2 undergraduate GPA.

GMAT scores of 590 give or take 80 points are the admission requirements.

Those who have low GMAT scores in the 520 ranges will be addressed through their work experience and recommendation.

However, as Ramirez noted, those who have 2-3 years of work experience will have to have above 590 to fully convince the board for admission.

One slide showed the audience how admission decisions are made. First, the applicant has to know what their career goals and expectations are to be.

Then, he or she fills out the application form, constructs the required essays, displays work experiences, and finally hands in a resume and letters of recommendation.

Ramirez states specifically, “We want to know ‘how does Baruch fit with you.”

The event then went to questions from the audience.

One audience member asked, “How can we (the applicants) put a letter of recommendation from a family business on the application?” Ramirez answered by saying, “Do not get a family member to write a letter of recommendation. You can get a client or a vendor to do so.”

Ramirez then jokingly gave a situation where an applicant had their father write them a letter of recommendation, stating things like, “I have known him my whole life,” where the audience laughed at the obviousness of the statement.

Another audience member asked, “How many applications do you receive for the program? Ramirez answered by saying, “As of now we have 800 applicants, but given the nature of our students, we receive applications closer to the deadline.”

One of the last few slides pertained to non-native English speaking students. “If English is not your native language, or you have not earned your undergraduate degree in a native English speaking country, you will need to take the TOEFL iBT & TWE test or the PTE test.” Also, letters of recommendations that are not in English need to be translated by a professional translation company in order to be accepted.

Statistics and demographics for Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business graduate program show an average age of 29 for students, 43 percent being female and 14 percent being international students.

The student body hosts 111 different countries of birth with 86 different countries of Citizenship.

65 percent of students are earning an MBA, and 35 percent are earning a MS. Average work experience is 4-7 years, depending on the program.

Average GMAT scores of 590-640, also depending on which program is chosen.

More information, such as deadlines, further requirements and contact information for the admissions office, can be found on www.baruch.cuny.edu under the Zicklin catagory.

Those with the proper requirements are encouraged to apply for the graduate program, with early applicants being given careful consideration when compared to applicants who apply late.