UNC KENAN-FLAGLER MBA PROGRAM

OPTIMAL REPSONSES TO APPLICANT QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions
General Program
1. What are the 3 greatest
strengths of Kenan-Flaglers
MBA program?

Optimal Responses
Perhaps our biggest strength is our culture of teamwork and
collaboration that we instill in our students. We have a tradition of
developing managers and leaders with the ability to succeed in teams.
For example, we always have our first-year students do assignments for
a year in the same study group so that they learn to collaborate
effectively with a diverse group of team members. The culture develops
leaders who are very capable overall, but have the additional advantage
of being able to work well with others. Our leadership initiative further
differentiates our program because it provides a very custom, hands-on
program for developing leaders.
We also provide students with a strong general management foundation
through our core curriculum as well as depth of knowledge in different
functional and industry areas through our concentrations. We have wellknown faculty, distinguished for their research and intellectual
contributions, in all the functional areas.

2. What are 3 key areas for

improvement for KenanFlaglers MBA program?

3. Do the schools that focus more

on the case method approach
do a better job of preparing
students for senior levels?

4. With a pass/fail grading

system, what incentive does a
UNC student have to strive for
his/her personal best?

We have strong applied concentrations in management consulting,

entrepreneurship, sustainable enterprise and real estate.
Business leaders and recruiters always emphasize the importance of
communication skills in graduates and in their employees. While we
pride ourselves on the fact that we are known for our students strong
communication skills, we also realize that business schools do not have a
good track record at improving oral and written communication skills.
We would like to continue improving in this area and be at the forefront
of communication skills. We intend to attack this issue through required
courses in presentation and writing skills by our excellent
communication faculty. We also have made significant improvements in
improving English communication skills for international students.
While our teaching is already strong, we are working on ways to
integrate the curriculum and have faculty work collaboratively to raise
the overall level of teaching in the school. This will involve mentoring,
master teaching, seminars, workshops, feedback and other techniques.
We use the case method where it makes sense, and other methods where
they make sense. Harvard and Darden are really the only schools that
exclusively use the case method. Other schools are proud of their
limited use of the case method. We also use role-plays, speakers,
simulations, etc. Whatever we believe best helps students to learn the
material.
Students who excel in class get a High Pass (H) grade, which functions
like an A in a conventional grading system. Faculty has agreed to
limit H grades to approximately 20% of the students, so it takes fairly
high performance to get one. Students who receive a high number of H
grades are initiated into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and some
become Deans Scholars at graduation. At the other end of the

5. What are the most popular

extracurricular activities for
MBA students?

6. Can I test out/place out of any

of the core classes?
Admissions
7. What levels of responsibility
have MBA students had prior
to b-school?

8. Since UNC is a public

university, is the MBA
program required to enroll a
certain percentage of students
from North Carolina?
9. Why does Kenan-Flagler ask
some accepted students to
enroll in an Accounting or
another quantitative course
prior to beginning the
program? Is the UNC KenanFlagler first-year curriculum
really that much more
demanding?
10. What is the process for
applying for a dual degree?

distribution, students who perform poorly become academically

ineligible. We have asked several students to leave the program, either
temporarily or permanently.
Career clubs and case competitions are very popular at UNC KenanFlagler. We have a tremendous record of success in case competitions
(http://www.kenanflagler.unc.edu/Programs/MBA/Academics/casestuaccomplish.cfm).
These groups have a wide menu of activities and opportunities for
students to explore careers and broaden their networks and include
everything from a healthcare career club to venture capital to marketing.
The MBA Outdoor Club is actually our most popular extra curricular
group in terms of participation in group activities (including hiking in the
beautiful NC mountains or kayaking off the NC coast). Our rugby team
has been pretty successful and the soccer team shows great promise this
year thanks to some impressive first-years on the team.
Financial accounting is the only class that you can place out of.

Most of our students have had 3-5 years progressive work experience
prior to business school. Many have had the opportunity to manage
large projects and/or groups of people.
UNC Kenan-Flagler expects MBA students to have at least two years of
full-time work experience prior to starting the program. Candidates with
less than two-years of full-time work experience may apply, but they are
unlikely to be competitive for admission.
No. The School is sensitive to the needs of the State and certainly tries to
enroll the most talented students from North Carolina. But in order to
maintain a diverse and global program, we try to balance the number of
people in the class from NC with those coming from other places.
Historically, around 1/5 of the class is from NC.
The curriculum is very demanding and we want all students to be
successful here. The first year curriculum is designed to help prepare
students for job interviews and internships. Years ago we were hearing
that our students were not strong analytically. We do not hear that
anymore and employers have been quite pleased with the analytical
skills of our graduates. Employers have been even more impressed that
these same students with strong analytical skills tend to also have strong
interpersonal and team skills.
There is no dual degree application. Dual degree seeking candidates
must apply separately to each program, following each programs own
application process. The programs do not consult with each other on
admissions decisions. Each program makes its admission decision
independently, based on the admission criteria for that program. A
candidate who is competitive for admission to one program may not be
competitive for admission to the other program.
The MBA program expects entering students to have a minimum of two
years full-time work experience. This expectation applies to dual degree

11. My spouse/partner and I are

both applying and plan to
enroll together. Will you
evaluate us as a package deal?

12. If I am admitted this year, may

I defer my enrollment until
next year?
13. Will my internships during
college, or other types of shortterm work, be considered as
part of the two-year minimum
work experience?

14. If I have less than two years of

full-time work experience, will
my application be considered?
15. How do I apply for school
fellowships? What are the
selection criteria?

16. May I apply for a graduate

assistantship or research
assistantship?
17. I sent my GMAT/TOEFL
score last year. Do you still
have my scores?
18. How do you use GMAT scores
from multiple test dates?

19. Do you have a minimum

GMAT cutoff?

seekers, also. Candidates with less than two-years of full-time work

experience may apply, but they are unlikely to be competitive for
admission.
We evaluate each individual based on his/her credentials. No attempt is
made to send the same decision to both spouses/partners. Couples
looking at Kenan-Flagler should not hesitate to let the admission office
know if there is a mutual interest in Kenan-Flagler. We will be happy to
provide insights from partners who have gone through the program
together.
Generally, we will not defer your enrollment unless there are medical or
other emergency reasons.
Only full-time, permanent positions count towards the two-year
minimum work requirement. Your initiative in landing internships and
the experiences you gained in these assignments are certainly considered
when we evaluate your overall package. While we are aware that many
international applicants work full time while attending university, we
prefer that they also present a minimum of two years of work experience
after completing the first degree.
We review every application we receive, regardless of the amount of
work experience. But applicants with less than two years of experience
are less likely to be competitive in comparison to other candidates at
Kenan-Flagler.
Candidates who submit Kenan-Flagler applications by the third deadline
will automatically be considered for fellowships. Selection criteria
include exceptional academic performance, progressive work experience,
leadership and potential for success in business careers. Past recipients
have demonstrated superior performance in all of the criteria for
admission.
Kenan-Flagler does not offer graduate or research assistantships to MBA
students. The MBA Program workload, especially in the first year,
precludes employment.
Kenan-Flagler keeps a GMAT or TOEFL score for two years after the
date on which it was sent. If your score was sent last year, and has not
expired, you do not need to re-submit it this year.
The UNC MBA Admissions Committee will review and consider all
GMAT score reports we receive. We do not mix scores taken from two
different test dates to create a highest possible score for you. We
consider your best total score from any one test date as your best
performance.
No, we dont have a minimum GMAT score. The admission committee
will review and consider all applicants, regardless of their GMAT scores.
The range of GMAT scores for the successful applicants runs from the
low 500s to 800. As you might imagine, a smaller percentage of the
applicants scoring at the lower end of the range are admitted.
The median GMAT in the most recently enrolled class is 690. Although
the GMAT is only one component of the application, we advise you to
make your best effort to maximize your score. You will be competing
within a strong pool of applicants, and you should endeavor to make
each part of your candidacy is as competitive as possible.

International Programs
20. What percentage of the overall
MBA student body are foreign
nationals?
21. How many Global Immersions
are going to be available next
year? What countries will be
visited?
22. Can I study abroad at any
international business school?
Student Life
23. Can MBA students live in
UNC dorms or apartments on
campus?
24. Do I need a car?

25. What is the parking situation

like on campus?

Career Services
1. What types of companies
recruit Kenan-Flagler MBA
students?

Typically approximately 28-35% of our class is a foreign national. We

are committed to attracting a significant presence of foreign nationals in
each years class.
There are typically 6 GIEs planned each year. Here is a link to our web
site with the GIEs for this year: http://www.kenanflagler.unc.edu/Programs/international/gie.cfm.
Just about. Kenan-Flagler has exchange relationships with 44 of the best
business schools in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle
East.
Almost all Kenan-Flagler MBA students live off campus in apartments,
condos or houses. MBA students can also live in the campus apartment
complex, Beatty Hill, for graduate students.
Owning a car is not essential for getting to your classes. The bus system
is quite efficient and provides transportation service to many apartment
complexes in the area. You may find, however, that having access to a
car will increase your mobility around town.
Note: International students should keep in mind that car ownership
entails the purchase, maintenance and upkeep, mandatory insurance and
registration. You must have a Social Security number to obtain financing
if you purchase a car.
We ask our students to form carpools, and we assign parking passes to
each carpool of students. The students in a carpool share the cost of the
parking pass (approximately $350). In some cases, we provide
hardship passes to students who have a significant reason for having
their own parking pass.

It is best to refer them to the internet for the employment stats and listing
of companies. The newest statistics are typically available in October of
each year, per the MBA Career Services Council Standards for
Reporting Employment information. Here is the link: http://www.kenanflagler.unc.edu/Programs/MBA/careerServices/placement.cfm
2. How important is it for an
The bottom line is that you dont have to know, but you have to narrow
entering MBA student to have it down as soon as possible to conduct an effective search. We provide
a clear career goal?
the resources (personal assessment with Career Leader, functional and
industry information, career panels, events, job fairs, career club
activities, etc.) that should make that possible. You do need to know
why you think obtaining an MBA is valuable and how it fits with your
career goals.
3. Where do most of your
Our graduates end up all over the country and the world. They tend to
graduates go after graduation? most often go to areas where there are high concentrations of MBA-type
Do they tend to stay in the
job opportunities (NY, DC, Charlotte, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco,
Southeast?
etc.). Our web site lists placement statistics by region:
http://www.kenanflagler.unc.edu/Programs/MBA/careerServices/placement.cfm#2001Geo.
4. What are the current prospects Our international students typically fare well with their career searches.
for international students
However, there are still many U.S. companies who will not consider
looking for internships or jobs? hiring international students, and there is not much that Kenan-Flagler
can do to change that (although we are always trying!). A recent

additional hurdle is that there is a visa cap for international students.

Again, this is outside of the control of CMC. The CMC office certainly
provides great support to international students, but encourages them to
explore career options in their home countries, in case a U.S. case
opportunity does not materialize.