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Cornell University s Johnson School has further strengthened its admissions team as part of the school s recent revamp of the two-year MBA curriculum.  This week, Johnson announced it has brought Judi Byers on board as the

Cornell University s Johnson School has further strengthened its admissions team as part of the school s recent revamp of the two-year MBA curriculum.  This week, Johnson announced it has brought Judi Byers on board as the new executive director of MBA admissions and financial aid.

Byers comes with over 10 years of admissions experience, and received the American University Alumni Eagle Award for her significant contributions as director of admissions at the Kogod School of Business in Washington, D.C.

These curriculum changes, already in effect for the Class of 2016, place a strong emphasis on collaboration, leadership, and analytical skills that will prepare students for a technology-driven global business environment.

“It’s clear the revamp of the Two-Year MBA program includes impressive enhancements and will make these offerings even more attractive to prospective students domestically and internationally,” said Byers in a statement.

Johnson is a consistent leader in adopting the latest innovative advancements in programs, and Byers noted that the new LinkedIn feature, which allows prospective students to populate portions of their applications directly from LinkedIn, has received positive feedback from applicants over the past six months.

Byers succeeds interim executive director of admissions Ann Richards. who took over last July when former admissions director Christine Sneva become senior director of enrollment and students services at Cornell Tech in New York City.

Rounding out the Admissions team are newcomers Admissions Director Gail Wolfmeyer from NYU Stern School of Business and Admissions Manager Chris Lind from American University .

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Cornell University s Johnson School of Graduate Management has officially launched a redesigned curriculum for the two-year MBA program that emphasizes collaboration, leadership, and analytical skills to better prepare students for a technology-driven global business environment.

Cornell University s Johnson School of Graduate Management has officially launched a redesigned curriculum for the two-year MBA program that emphasizes collaboration, leadership, and analytical skills to better prepare students for a technology-driven global business environment.

The curriculum, now being fully rolled out to the Class of 2016, includes redesigned coursework and programming in the three areas:

Modeling and Decision Analysis. An enhanced required course, Data Analytics and Modeling. takes students beyond statistics, to data modeling and Big Data techniques and strategies. Modeling is woven into other courses to help students develop the analytical skills needed in all areas of business.

Personal and Leadership Skills. Every Johnson student progresses through a targeted curriculum in leadership consisting of the proprietary Johnson 360° Leadership Assessment, coursework, case exercises, teamwork, hands-on leadership experience, coaching, and customized programming.

The personalized program begins in the pre-term, with individual assessment and feedback, and continues through the first year, with the Leading Teams Practicum. and second year with Principled Leadership. Marquee leadership instructors teach intensives on leadership topics. These classes are enriched with a menu of Leadership Skills workshops and Leadership Expeditions that span the entire program.

Integrative and Critical Thinking Skills: In their first semester of MBA study, students learn and practice critical thinking skills, with a focus on analyzing, integrating, and synthesizing information for optimal decision making, in the face of challenges, such as incomplete, inaccurate, or ambiguous information.

Our new curriculum reflects industry and research trends in leadership, collaborative teamwork, and data analytics, explains Vishal Gaur. associate dean for MBA programs. Gaur says the changes will expose students to  fresh ideas and creative, team-oriented problem solving approaches.

Johnson embarked on a comprehensive, two-year review of curriculum and learning priorities in . An extensive data-collection effort included student and alumni focus groups, peer benchmarking, and surveys of students, alumni, corporate recruiters, faculty, and staff. The process reached more than 1,000 participants from the last 12 MBA class years.

Among the innovative elective courses being introduced:

• The Art of Innovation: A Design Thinking Immersion  and Making Design Thinking Work. These hands-on courses prepare MBAs to be future innovators by teaching them the human-centered design methodology known as Design Thinking.
• Core Leadership Skills for a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) World. with retired U.S. Army General George Casey. This course builds on the skills acquired in earlier components of the leadership program, through discussion and interaction with an experienced practitioner and former leader of the United States Army.
• Johnson s FinTech Trek and Hackathon. Students convene at Cornell Tech in New York City to learn about disruptive technologies facing the financial industry and develop relevant solutions. The experience culminates in a hackathon, in which participants have about 24 hours to develop financial products or services that meet a real business need. Similar classes are planned, each focusing on a different industry.

Business education requires continuous improvement, as well as big jumps. Gaur says. As we implement the new Johnson curriculum, we are also thinking of the next educational innovations that will leverage the strengths of Cornell s two campuses.

Following recent application and essay innovations at Cornell s Johnson School, interim MBA admissions director Ann W. Richards shared tips on how to approach the new, streamlined essay section. This year, applicants for both the one-year

Following recent application and essay innovations at Cornell s Johnson School. interim MBA admissions director Ann W. Richards shared tips on how to approach the new, streamlined essay section.

This year, applicants for both the one-year and two-year Ithaca based MBA programs are asked to write Your Life Story in 1,000 characters or less, as though it were the table of contents for the book of Your Life.

Cornell s Johnson School values creativity and authenticity, and Richards suggests applicants use this format to convey something unique about themselves so that the admissions committee can better understand who you are and what motivates you. Obviously, this prompt differs from a traditional MBA essay, and Richards stresses that it doesn t need to be a chronological list of your life. Approach it creatively!

Two-year applicants must then share in 1,000 characters or less what job they would like to have immediately upon graduating with an MBA. Richards urges honesty in this essay as it will help AdCom determine if Johnson is the right place to move you toward your future goals.

One-year applicants need to explain how their pre-MBA experience prepared them for the job they envision post-MBA also in 1,000 characters or less. The admissions director explains the reasoning for this question is, To determine if you can transition into your next job at an accelerated pace.

Strong candidates will show they ve done their homework on the career field they want to move into, says Richards, and can demonstrate they ve got the skills and experience to bring their career up to the next level.

The optional essay is the place to address any aspects of your application you feel need further explanation, but Richards says applicants could also use the space to drive home all of their strengths. Either approach is welcome, though the director warns against recycling an optional essay written for another program!

The admissions team at Cornell s Johnson School will be traveling across the globe in August, with events scheduled in Shanghai and Beijing next week, Forte Forum events on the East Coast mid-month, and MBA fairs in various South American cities at the end of August.

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