insider's guide: samuel curtis johnson graduate school of

mbaMission’s Insider’s Guide

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of ManagementCornell University

Ithaca, IL

2017–2018

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4mbaMission Insider’s Guide: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management · 2017–2018

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Insider’s GuidesmbaMission Insider’s Guide to Columbia Business School

mbaMission Insider’s Guide to Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

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Table of Contents

9 The MBA Program in Context: Choosing Cornell Johnson 10 Location: Urban Campus Versus College Town

13 Class Size: Smaller Versus Larger

16 Curriculum: Flexible Versus Mandatory Core

19 Pedagogy: Lecture Versus Case Method

21 Academic Specializations/Recruitment Focus: Resources and Employers

23 Alumni Base: Opportunities to Engage

25 Facilities: Shaping the Academic/Social Experience

26 Rankings and Reputation: Important Metrics or Arbitrary Measures?

31 Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management31 Summary

31 The Dean

33 Professional Specializations

33 Consulting

34 Finance

35 General Management

35 International Business

36 Marketing

37 Technology

37 Notable Professors and Unsung Heroes

38 Social/Community Life

39 Academic Summary

41 Admissions Basics

42 Cornell University (Johnson) Essay Analysis, 2016–2017

45 B-School Insider Interview: First-Year Student, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management,

Cornell University

51 Appendix: Cornell Johnson Facts and Figures51 Basics

51 Class Profile (Class of 2018)

52 Employment Statistics (Class of 2016)

54 Bibliography


The MBA Program in Context:

Choosing Cornell Johnson

Over the years, we have met many aspiring MBA students who have tried to

identify their target schools and quickly become overwhelmed, wondering,

“How are the top MBA programs really different?” and “How do I choose the

one that is right for me?”

Frustrated, some applicants ultimately choose schools based simply on

rankings or the opinions of friends or alumni. Although these inputs have a

place in your evaluative process, you should also do the necessary research

to find the program that is truly best for your personality and professional

needs. In doing so, you will find significant differences between, for exam-

ple, programs that have a class size in the low 200s and those that have classes of more than 900 students. As you

are undoubtedly already aware, an MBA is a significant investment in the short term and a lifetime connection to

an institution in the long term. We therefore strongly encourage you to take time now to think long and hard about

this decision and thoroughly consider your options. We hope this guide will prove helpful to you in doing just that.

At mbaMission, we advise candidates evaluating their potential target schools to consider the following eight

specific characteristics (in no particular order) that shape MBA programs:

1. Location: Urban Campus Versus College Town

2. Class Size: Smaller Versus Larger

3. Curriculum: Flexible Versus Mandatory Core

4. Pedagogy: Lecture Versus Case Method

5. Academic Specializations/Recruitment Focus: Resources and Employers

6. Alumni Base: Opportunities to Engage

7. Facilities: Shaping the Academic/Social Experience

8. Rankings and Reputation: Important Metrics or Arbitrary Measures?

You will not likely find a single MBA program that meets all your needs and preferences across these eight criteria,

but you should be able to identify schools that fulfill the factors that are most important to you. Although this

guide is intended to familiarize you on a deeper level with this particular school, nothing will prove more valuable

in your decision making than visiting the programs that appeal to you and experiencing them firsthand. Inevitably,

no matter what your research may reveal, some schools will simply “click” with you, and others will not.

You may not find a single program that meets all your needs and preferences, but you should be able to identify ones that fulfill the factors that are most important to you.


Note: The authors and editors at mbaMission have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the

information included in this guide. However, some discrepancies may exist or develop over time between what is

presented here and what appears in the school’s official materials, as well as what may be offered by other content

providers in print or online. For the most up-to-date information, always check with your target school directly. The

opinions expressed by the people interviewed are those of the attributed individuals only and may not necessarily

represent the opinion of mbaMission or any of its affiliates.

We also wish to thank the students, alumni, faculty members, and administrators who gave generously of their time

to provide valuable input for this guide.

1. Location: Urban Campus Versus College Town

Pursuing an MBA can be quite intense, and the environment and community

surrounding the campus can profoundly affect and even shape your MBA

experience. For example, imagine stepping out of a class at New York Univer-

sity’s (NYU’s) Stern School of Business and into the energetic bustle of New

York City’s West Village. Now imagine walking outside after a course at the

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and being surrounded by the tranquil-

ity and natural beauty of New Hampshire’s Upper Valley. Neither scenario is

necessarily “better” than the other, but one might appeal to you more.

An urban campus can undoubtedly offer social and cultural opportunities that a college town simply cannot match.

This is not to suggest, however, that college towns are devoid of culture—indeed, intense intellectual and cultural

programs exist in college towns precisely because the academic institution is at the core of the community.

While schools in college towns tout their close-knit atmosphere and the tight bonds classmates form in such a

setting, this environment can be welcoming for some students and overwhelming for others. In contrast, urban

campuses are more decentralized, with students often living in various parts of a city and even in the surrounding

suburbs. Someone who has a greater need for privacy or personal space might therefore prefer an urban environ-

ment. In addition, in major urban centers, some students—particularly those who lived in the city before enrolling

The environment and community surrounding your chosen school can profoundly affect and shape your MBA experience.

Urban Campus Schools Urban/College Hybrid Schools College Town Schools

Chicago BoothColumbia Business SchoolHarvard Business SchoolMIT SloanNYU SternUCLA AndersonUPenn Wharton

Northwestern Kellogg Stanford GSBUC Berkeley HaasYale SOM

Cornell JohnsonDartmouth TuckDuke FuquaMichigan RossUVA Darden


in business school—may already have well-developed social groups, and this scenario may again be better for

those who find an academically and socially all-encompassing environment less attractive.

One aspect of the MBA experience that candidates often fail to consider when evaluating their school options is

weather. Although factoring climate into your school choice may initially seem superficial, if you know you cannot

comfortably manage frigid conditions or soaring temperatures, certain programs should be stricken from your

list. We encounter many applicants each year who wisely stave off a potentially miserable experience by choosing

to not apply to certain schools in locations they just do not feel are “livable” for them.

In addition, housing costs are one expense that many applicants do not stop to consider before choosing a school

to target. By researching real estate prices at the top programs, we found that the cost differential between rent-

ing a one-bedroom apartment in a Midwestern college town and renting one in New York City, for example, can

be quite significant—adding up to tens of thousands of dollars on a cumulative basis across two years. This is an

important factor to include as you weigh your options and calculate your projected budget.

In summary, a college town can be appealing for some candidates because its smaller size tends to create strong

bonds within the business school’s community, though for others, the lack of privacy could be undesired or over-

whelming. Furthermore, some find a slower pace of life calming and comfortable, whereas others crave the energy

and bustle of a city. If you strongly prefer one or the other, you should be able to quickly eliminate certain schools

from your list.

Average Monthly Rent for a One-Bedroom Apartment

NYU Stern New York, NY $3,395 within .27 mile radius of campus

MIT Sloan Cambridge, MA $3,149 within .49 mile radius of campus

Harvard Business School Cambridge, MA $2,631 within .59 mile radius of campus

Columbia Business School New York, NY $2,563 within .54 mile radius of campus

Stanford GSB Stanford, CA $2,521 within 1.15 mile radius of campus

UCLA Anderson Los Angeles, CA $2,336 within .96 mile radius of campus

UC Berkeley Haas Berkeley, CA $1,984 within .57 mile radius of campus

Northwestern Kellogg Evanston, IL $1,772 within .69 mile radius of campus

Dartmouth Tuck Hanover, NH $1,727 within .38 mile radius of campus

UPenn Wharton Philadelphia, PA $1,418 within .78 mile radius of campus

Yale SOM New Haven, CT $1,232 within .30 mile radius of campus

Chicago Booth Chicago, IL $1,222 within 1.05 mile radius of campus

Cornell Johnson Ithaca, NY $1,092 within .58 mile radius of campus

Michigan Ross Ann Arbor, MI $976 within .46 mile radius of campus

Duke Fuqua Durham, NC $916 within 1.8 mile radius of campus

UVA Darden Charlottesville, VA $827 within 1.26 mile radius of campus

According to Rentometer.com, accessed April 2017.


Ithaca, New York, is “gorges,” as the bumper sticker says. Recently named by the American Institute for

Economic Research as the best college town in the United States and by 24/7 Wall St. as one of the ten best

cities in the country for millennials, Ithaca appears to have much to recommend it. Boasting a population

of just over 100,000 in the greater metro area, the city can claim urban delights from fine dining to a vibrant

arts and entertainment scene. Moreover, the area offers significant natural beauty. The aforementioned

gorges are a popular sight to behold, as are Ithaca’s many waterfalls. This corner of New York’s Finger

Lakes Region draws urbanites from New York City, Syracuse, and Boston for hiking, skiing, mountain bik-

ing, and exploring.

Students from all over the world will likely find the Downtown Ithaca Commons charming. This four-block

pedestrian mall, which was redesigned in 2015 after 40 years of business, is a sliver of big-city living, with

more than 100 shops, top restaurants—including the well-known vegetarian eatery Moosewood Restau-

rant—and numerous street vendors and entertainers. And according to the Johnson Web site, Ithaca bests

even New York City for the number of restaurants per capita.

Even Ithaca’s bars seem to reflect the dual nature of the city. Rulloff’s on College Avenue is a small-town

restaurant by day, but at night, it morphs into a city bar where Johnson students hang out with friends

and classmates. Another reportedly popular spot is The Nines, where one can grab a fresh slice of pizza

and listen to live music. Manhattanites concerned they may miss the Meatpacking District should fear not:

housed beneath Indian restaurant Mehak, bar and lounge Level B has a swank setting and a professional

staff pouring cocktails.

Johnson students generally live in apartments and houses near campus. Although Johnson offers some

on-campus graduate housing, the best bet seems to be renting a place off campus. The Collegetown neigh-

borhood is a short walk to campus, but some students with whom we spoke complained about density (in

the form of limited parking space) and noise (in the form of undergraduates). According to a 2016 student

survey available on the school’s Web site, titled “Destination Johnson Guide to Ithaca Housing,” the larg-

est concentration of Johnson students—27% of respondents—can be found at apartment complex Colleg-

etown Terrace. Rent, which includes most utilities, at Collegetown Terrace ranges from $1,040 to $1,490 for

a studio to $3,075 for a three-bedroom apartment. We learned that East Hill and Belle Sherman are neigh-

borhoods just east of Collegetown that offer relative quiet without adding much to the walk to campus.

Apartments in the Coal Yards building, located in East Hill, rent for $1,850 to $2,440 for a two-bedroom and

from $2,700 to $3,350 for a three-bedroom. The housing survey notes that renting private homes—either

alone or in a group—is very common within the Ithaca housing market, but those hoping to stay closer to

campus tend to opt for newer apartment complexes.

A first year with whom we spoke assessed the general feel of Ithaca by saying, “The town is very small, but

this unique environment actually creates a really good sense of community for business students.”


2. Class Size: Smaller Versus Larger

Another element that affects the character of a school’s MBA experience is

class size. You might want to reflect on your high school, college, and work

environments to help you determine whether you would be more comfort-

able in a larger class or a smaller one—or whether this is even a consider-

ation for you at all.

Students at smaller schools (which we define as having approximately 350

students or fewer per class) tend to interact with most of their peers and

professors at some point during the typical two-year MBA period. Thus, the

smaller schools are generally considered more “knowable,” and their com-

munities tend to be quite closely knit. Also, consider that assuming a leader-

ship position is easier in a smaller environment, because, for example, the

Finance Club may have only one president at both a small school and a large school, but competition for such a

position would obviously be greater in the larger program.

Some individuals might prefer to be at a larger school

where they can better maintain their anonymity if

they so choose. A student at a school with close to

900 people or more in each class will not likely get

to know each and every one of his/her classmates

by the end of the program, and some people might

prefer this. Further, advocates of larger classes tout

the advantage of being able to interact with more

people during one’s MBA experience—and to thereby

develop a broader and more robust network of peers.

Note that many schools divide students into smaller

groups—called “sections,” “clusters,” “cohorts,” or

even “oceans”—in which approximately 60–90 stu-

dents take certain classes together, and this ap-

proach can help foster a stronger sense of commu-

nity within the larger programs.

Johnson’s traditional two-year MBA program

is relatively small, with the typical incoming

class for this program numbers numbering

just under 300 students. The school’s one-year program graduates approximately 60–75 students each

year. Still other students pursue the Cornell Tech MBA in Manhattan, and the school’s overall numbers are

Reflect on your past academic and work environments to determine whether you would be more comfortable in a larger or smaller class—or whether this is a consideration for you at all.

Class Size

900 to 1,000 Harvard Business School

800 to 900 UPenn Wharton

700 to 800 Columbia Business School1

500 to 600 Chicago Booth

400 to 500 Northwestern KelloggDuke FuquaStanford GSBMichigan RossMIT Sloan

300 to 400 NYU SternUCLA AndersonUVA DardenYale SOM

200 to 300 Dartmouth TuckCornell JohnsonUC Berkeley Haas

Schools are listed in order from largest class to smallest within

each category.

1 Includes J-Term students.


School (Class of 2018) Women International Minorities

Chicago Booth 42% 36% 29%1

Columbia Business School 38% 48% 31%1

Cornell Johnson 31% 33% 15%

Dartmouth Tuck 44% 30% 18%1

Duke Fuqua2 35% 40% 20%

Harvard Business School 43% 35% 25%1

Michigan Ross 40% 31% 24%

MIT Sloan 40% 39% NA

Northwestern Kellogg 41% 35% 26%1

NYU Stern 35% 31%4 30%

Stanford GSB 41% 40%3,4 29%1

UC Berkeley Haas 38% 38% 32%1

UCLA Anderson 32% 38% 25%

UPenn Wharton 44% 32% 32%1

UVA Darden 39% 33% 20%1

Yale SOM 43% 46% 28%1

1 Specified as U.S. minorities.

2 Fuqua had released no official figures for the Class of 2018 by the publication of this guide but offers statistics on its site to represent a

“typical” class.

3 Includes permanent residents.

4 Includes dual citizens.

Year-Over-Year Class Profile Data: Cornell Johnson

Class of 2018 Class of 2017 Class of 2016 Class of 2015

Number Enrolled 279 274 284 279

Median GMAT 700 700 700 700

Median GPA 3.39 3.37 3.34 3.30

Average Years Worked 5 5 4.7 5.0

Women 31% 26% 28% 30%

Underrepresented Minorities1 15% 10% 14% 12%

Minorities 26% 26% 27% 34%

Countries Represented 38 28 33 31

International Origin 33% 35% 30% 28%

U.S. Military 11% 7% 7% 5%1 Black/African American, Native American, and Hispanic American.


expected to swell further following the advent of the Cornell-Tsinghua MBA/FMBA program in China (the

first class matriculated in May 2015).

Johnson’s environment is a relatively intimate one, and this can offer a certain academic advantage. Larger

schools tend to use the division of students into sections as a way of forging intimacy among classmates,

but Johnson appears unburdened by such concerns. Beginning with two weeks of orientation activities and

culminating in breadth/depth electives, students come to know one another through the natural course

of the program.

In a comment on Bloomberg Businessweek’s most recent profile of the school, a recent graduate noted that

“Johnson is a hugely collaborative community.” Similarly, a first-year student we interviewed described

the Johnson community as “definitely close-knit” and added that this creates a strong sense of community,

saying, “Everyone knows everyone and really cares about each other.”

Most Common Undergraduate Major for Incoming Students (Class of 2018)

Chicago Booth Business 28%

Columbia Business School Social Science 34%

Cornell Johnson NA NA

Dartmouth Tuck Humanities, Social Science, Economics 51%

Duke Fuqua1 Engineering/Natural Sciences 29%

Harvard Business School Economics/Business 41%

Michigan Ross Economics/Business 38%

MIT Sloan Engineering 32%

Northwestern Kellogg Economics/Business 45%

NYU Stern Business 29%

Stanford GSB Humanities/Social Sciences 48%

UC Berkeley Haas Business 24%

UCLA Anderson Business 28%

UPenn Wharton Humanities 46%

UVA Darden Business 25%

Yale SOM Humanities and Social Sciences 33%1 Fuqua had released no official figures for the Class of 2018 by the publication of this guide but offers statistics on its site to represent a

“typical” class.


3. Curriculum: Flexible Versus Mandatory Core

Many business schools have a “core” curriculum—a standard series of cours-

es that all students must take. However, these core requirements can vary

tremendously from one program to the next. For example, one school may

teach its required curriculum for the entire first year, meaning that students

will not take any elective courses until their second year, whereas another

MBA program may stipulate only one or two required courses.

The rigidity or flexibility of a school’s required curriculum af-

fects students’ education and socialization. Regardless of their

professional experience, students at a school with a rigid core

curriculum must all take the same classes. At some schools, for

example, even CPAs must take the required foundational ac-

counting course, whereas at others, students can waive selected

classes if they can prove a certain level of proficiency. Again,

both approaches have pros and cons, and what those are de-

pends on your perspective.

Proponents of a rigid core curriculum would argue that academics

understand what skills students need to become true managers

and that when students “overspecialize” in one area, their over-

all business education can ultimately suffer. A significant body of

academic writing has been devoted to critiquing programs that

give students a narrow view of business, notably Henry Mintz-

berg’s Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of

Managing and Management Development (Berrett-Koehler, 2004)

and Rakesh Khurana’s From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The So-

cial Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unful-

filled Promise of Management as a Profession (Princeton Univer-

sity Press, 2007).

Advocates of the core curriculum approach would also argue that having all students take the same classes cre-

ates a common language and discussion among the classmates because of the shared experience. In addition,

proponents contend that a rigid core curriculum facilitates learning, because students who have applicable di-

rect experience bring that knowledge and insight into the classroom and can thereby help teach others. Finally,

schools with mandatory cores generally keep students together in their sections for several months, if not an en-

tire academic year, and students who interact every day in this way ultimately forge strong bonds. This sustained

contact and connection can create a deep sense of community among the students.

The rigidity or flexibility of a school’s first-year curriculum affects students’ education and socialization.

Average GMAT of Incoming Students(Class of 2018)

Chicago Booth 726.3

Columbia Business School 717

Cornell Johnson 700

Dartmouth Tuck 717

Duke Fuqua NA

Harvard Business School1 730

Michigan Ross 708

MIT Sloan 724

Northwestern Kellogg 728

NYU Stern 710

Stanford GSB 737

UC Berkeley Haas 717

UCLA Anderson 715

UPenn Wharton 730

UVA Darden 712

Yale SOM1 730

1 Represents median rather than average.


In contrast, those who would ar-

gue in favor of a more flexible cur-

riculum feel that students benefit

from the opportunity to specialize

immediately—that time is short,

and students need power and

choice in preparing for their de-

sired careers. So if, for example,

a student intended to enter the

world of finance, an advocate of

flexibility would argue that the

student should be able to study finance in depth throughout the MBA program, possibly even from day one, so

as to gain as much experience as possible in this area—especially before interviewing for a summer internship.

Furthermore, proponents for flexible curricula caution that experienced students could end up “wasting” hours

taking courses in subjects in which they already have expertise. Finally, they would assert that a flexible schedule

allows students the opportunity to meet a greater number and wider variety of their classmates.

The school’s two-year program provides students the opportunity to explore a variety of interests. Over a

span of 21 months—including a summer internship between the first and second years—Johnson students

study a range of subjects. The focus is on the general development of leadership and management exper-

tise, and Johnson distills this into three principles, presented on the program’s Web site:

1. The value of a solid education in all key business functions, including marketing, finance, human

resources, and production

2. The importance of strong analytical and decision-making skills

3. A focus on offering the greatest flexibility in tailoring individual curricula

In the fall of the first year, students take the following mandatory core courses:

� “Critical and Strategic Thinking”

� “Financial Accounting”

� “Leading Teams”

� “Managerial Finance”

� “Marketing Management”

� “Microeconomics for Management”

� “Strategy”

In the spring, students must choose to pursue either an existing immersion program or a customized pro-

gram. Both options also require the completion of “Managing Operations” and “Data Analytics and Model-

Can Waive/Test Out of Classes

Cannot Waive/Test Out of Classes

Chicago BoothColumbia

Dartmouth TuckDuke Fuqua

Michigan RossNorthwestern Kellogg

NYU SternUC Berkeley HaasUCLA AndersonUPenn Wharton

Cornell JohnsonHarvard Business School

MIT SloanStanford GSBUVA Darden

Yale SOM


ing.” Depending on a student’s choice of immersion, other classes may also be available during the spring

semester.

The immersion program is an intensive, hands-on semester involving both course work and fieldwork. Stu-

dents may choose one of the following “immersions”:

� Capital Markets and Asset Management

� Corporate Finance

� Digital Technology

� Investment Banking

� Semester in Strategic Operations

� Strategic Marketing

� Sustainable Global Enterprise

Or, if a student finds none of the proffered immersion fields a good match, he/she can customize a program.

Examples of past customized programs include global business, health care, human resource management,

technology management, and hospitality. A combination of electives, site visits, and live cases brings stu-

dents as up-to-speed in the field of their choice as is possible in mere months. A Johnson second year told

mbaMission, “The bankers and the CPG [consumer packaged goods] marketers swear by their immersions

since they provide a lot of very topical practice in the sorts of things they’ll be doing in their jobs.”

Students in the one-year program also participate in this process. They complete the bulk of their core

coursework by the end of the fall semester, and in the spring, they undertake a truncated version of the

immersion program, choosing from “Managerial Finance,” “Strategic Marketing,” and “Sustainable Global

Enterprise.”

In addition to the immersion program, students have the option of choosing a concentration for their stud-

ies. The concentrations are divided into five “breadth” options and seven “depth” options, and students

can choose up to two but are not required to choose any. “We believe you should focus in a few specific

areas, but also take a broad set of courses during your second year to position yourself for both immediate

as well as long-term success. This means you will need to think about what’s right for you—which might not

be a concentration at all,” the school’s Web site states. The concentrations are as follows:

Breadth Concentrations:

� Consulting

� Entrepreneurship

� Leadership and Ethics

� Global Business Management

� Sustainable Global Enterprise


Depth Concentrations:

� Corporate Finance

� Financial Investing

� Financial Analysis

� Marketing Analytics

� Marketing Management

� Private Equity

� Strategy

4. Pedagogy: Lecture Versus Case Method

Students will likely encounter multiple styles of learning while in business

school—including participating in simulations, listening to guest speakers,

and partaking in hands-on projects—but the two most common MBA learn-

ing styles are case method and lecture.

Pioneered by HBS, the case method, or case-based learning, requires stu-

dents to read the story (called a “case”) of either a hypothetical or a real

protagonist who is facing a managerial dilemma. As the student reads, he/

she explores the protagonist’s dilemma and has access to various quantita-

tive and qualitative data points meant to facilitate further analysis. (Cases

can vary in length but are typically 10–20 pages long.) After reading and studying the entire case, the student

generally understands the profundity of the problem and is typically asked a simple question: “What would you

do?” In other words, how would the student act or react if he/she were in the protagonist’s place? What decision(s)

would the student make?

After completing his/her independent analysis of the case, the student typically meets with the members of his/

her study group or learning team (if the school in question assigns such teams) for further evaluation. Together,

the group/team members explore and critique one another’s ideas and help those students who may have had

difficulty understanding particular aspects of the issue or progressing as far on their own. Often, though not al-

ways, the team will establish a consensus regarding the actions they would take in the protagonist’s place. Then,

in class, the professor acts as facilitator and manages a discussion of the case. Class discussions can often be-

come quite lively, and the professor will guide students toward resolving the dilemma. Sometimes, the professor

will ultimately reveal the protagonist’s decision and the subsequent results—or even bring the actual protagonist

into the classroom to share and discuss the case’s progression and outcomes in person.

In short, the case method focuses primarily on the analytical process and illustrates that the problems presented

have no clear-cut right or wrong responses. For a student to disagree with the protagonist’s chosen path—even

Students will encounter many different styles of learning during their time at business school, but the two most common are case method and lecture.


after it has proved to be successful—is not unusual. After all, an-

other approach (or even inaction) may have produced an even

better result.

Note that case-based learning is not specific to one academic

discipline. Cases are available in finance, strategy, operations,

accounting, marketing, and still other areas. Further, many cases

are interdisciplinary, meaning that they address more than one

area at a time, such as requiring students to think about how a

financial decision might affect the operations of a manufactur-

ing company or the ways in which a marketing decision might in-

volve significant financial considerations. Importantly, students

in case environments are often graded on their “contribution”

to the class discussion (measured by the level of one’s partici-

pation in discussions and analysis, not on the frequency with

which one offers “correct” answers), so the case method is not

for those who are uncomfortable speaking in class. However, it

can be incredibly helpful for those who want or need to practice

and build confidence speaking publicly.

Lecture is the method of learning that is familiar to most peo-

ple—the professor stands in front of the class and explores a

theory or event, facilitating discussion and emphasizing and explaining key learning points. Often, students have

read chapters of a textbook beforehand and have come to class with a foundation in the specific area to be exam-

ined that day. Although the case method gives students a context for a problem, those who favor lecture tend to

believe that the case method is too situation specific and therefore prefer a methodical exploration of theory that

they feel can be broadly applied across situations. In lecture classes, the professor and his/her research or theory

are technically paramount, though students still participate, challenge ideas, and debate issues.

Note that at some schools, professors may alternate between cases and lectures within a single semester of classes.

The school utilizes different teaching methods, including case study, lectures, and team projects. A second

year told mbaMission, “Most classes are lecture based, but we have many in-class discussions and group

assignments.” Indeed, all indications are that Johnson’s courses are nicely split between lecture and case

method, Cornell’s environment is small and intimate, and students pride themselves on group learning.

If an aspiring MBA is intent on individual work or removed academic study, Johnson might not be the best

fit. With its plethora of joint enterprises, social learning, group projects, Johnson is a cauldron of busi-

ness thinking, and students are expected to add their own special ingredients to the mix. A second year

Average GPA of Incoming Students(Class of 2018)

Chicago Booth 3.6

Columbia Business School 3.5

Cornell Johnson 3.39

Dartmouth Tuck 3.5

Duke Fuqua NA

Harvard Business School 3.67

Michigan Ross NA

MIT Sloan 3.5

Northwestern Kellogg 3.6

NYU Stern 3.51

Stanford GSB1 3.73

UC Berkeley Haas 3.64

UCLA Anderson NA

UPenn Wharton NA

UVA Darden 3.5

Yale SOM2 3.65

1 U.S. schools, 4.0 scale only.

2 Median GPA listed.


we interviewed explained, “We’re not a huge school, and Ithaca is a pretty insular place, so playing well

with others is a high priority for admissions.” Another second year praised this aspect of the program in a

January 2017 post on the school’s student blog, stating, “The emphasis on teamwork in the classroom has

been crucial to my personal and professional development in business school. The collaborative nature of

the MBA program allows students to learn to be engaging team leaders as well as effective team members,

both of which are critical roles in any corporate setting, including that of start-ups.”

5. Academic Specializations/Recruitment Focus: Resources and Employers

Schools’ brands and reputations develop over time and tend to endure,

even when the programs make efforts to change them. For example, many

applicants still feel that Kellogg is only a marketing school and that Chi-

cago Booth is only for people interested in finance, even though both pro-

grams boast strengths in many other areas. Indeed, this is the exact reason

mbaMission started producing these guides in 2008—we wanted applicants

to see beyond these superficial “market” perceptions. Make sure you are

not merely accepting stereotypes but are truly considering the breadth and

depth of resources available at each school.

We have dedicated the majority of this guide to exploring the principal professional specializations for which re-

sources are available at this particular school, and we encourage you to fully consider whether the MBA program

meets your personal academic needs by supplementing the information here with additional context from the

school’s career services office, by connecting with the heads of relevant clubs on campus, and perhaps even by

reaching out to alumni in your target industry.

Do not merely accept stereotypes but truly consider the breadth and depth of resources available at each school.

Top Industries: Cornell Johnson 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

Financial Services 32% 34% 30% 30% 40% 32%

Consulting 25% 24% 21% 22% 26% 28%

Technology 12% 16% 14% 12% 7% 12%

Consumer Products 6% 6% 10% 10% 9%3 11%3

Biotech, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Devices NA 4% 5%1 NP2 NA NA

Manufacturing 6% 4% 5% 4% NA NA

1 1Listed in Johnson’s report as “Pharmaceuticals.”

2 Johnson published no percentage as fewer than three students were reported.

3 Listed in Johnson’s report as “Consumer Goods and Pharmaceuticals.”


School Top Industry for 2016 Graduates % Entering the Industry

Chicago Booth Financial Services 36.0%

Columbia Business School Financial Services 36.9%

Cornell Johnson Financial Services 32.0%

Dartmouth Tuck Consulting 36.0%

Duke Fuqua Consulting 32.0%

Harvard Business School Financial Services 28.0%

Michigan Ross Consulting 32.2%

MIT Sloan Consulting 30.5%

Northwestern Kellogg Consulting 32.6%

NYU Stern Consulting 35.3%

Stanford GSB Finance 31.0%

UC Berkeley Haas Technology/Telecom 38.8%

UCLA Anderson Technology 28.3%

UPenn Wharton Financial Services 35.1%

UVA Darden Consulting 38.0%

Yale SOM Consulting 30.8%

Most Common Pre-MBA Industry (Class of 2018)

Chicago Booth Consulting 21%

Columbia Business School Financial Services 25%

Cornell Johnson NA NA

Dartmouth Tuck Consulting 20%

Duke Fuqua NA NA

Harvard Business School Consulting 15%

Michigan Ross Financial Services 20%

MIT Sloan NA NA

Northwestern Kellogg Financial Services 22%

NYU Stern Financial Services 26%

Stanford GSB Investment Management/Private Equity/Venture Capital 20%

UC Berkeley Haas Consulting 22%

UCLA Anderson High Tech 26%

UPenn Wharton Consulting 23%

UVA Darden NA NA

Yale SOM NA NA


Johnson may likely be best known for its emphasis on consulting, yet the list of firms hiring Johnson MBAs

reveals a much more diverse school. Financial services, marketing, technology, and consumer products

are all popular areas. While McKinsey & Company, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Bain & Company are listed

as major employers of Johnson MBAs in 2016, Amazon.com, Inc.; Citigroup Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; and

Liberty Mutual Group are as well.

“Johnson has students that are seeking a wide variety of careers,” a second-year student told mbaMission.

“Outside of the consulting and finance immersions, Johnson also offers an operations, sustainable global

enterprise, marketing, and customized options. The school also has a very strong entrepreneur program.

In addition, there are a number students that are seeking dual degrees in labor relations, public adminis-

tration, and law that are seeking employment outside of finance and consulting.”

Of the 263 members of Johnson’s Class of 2016 who were seeking full-time employment after completing

the program, 84% had received a job offer by graduation, and 94% had done so within three months of

graduation. The most popular function for this most recent class was finance (33%), and the most popular

industry was financial services (32%).

6. Alumni Base: Opportunities to Engage

The size and depth of a school’s alumni base may be important to you as you

seek to break into a specific field or region/country. Some MBA programs

have had large classes for many years and can therefore boast sizeable

alumni networks, whereas other schools may have pockets of strength in

particular parts of the world or in certain industries—or can claim a smaller

but tighter-knit and more dedicated alumni network overall. For example,

Dartmouth Tuck has a smaller absolute number of alumni than most top U.S.

schools but has repeatedly been touted as having the highest rate of annual

alumni giving, thanks to its very dedicated graduates.

Although acquiring detailed breakdowns of a school’s alumni base is sometimes difficult, you may want to con-

sider whether the school you are targeting has alumni clubs in your chosen professional area (i.e., some schools

have industry-specific alumni groups) or preferred post-MBA location. Furthermore, if you are determined to live

in a particular city/country/region after graduating, then earning your MBA in or near that area, if possible, may

be a good idea, so that you can more easily connect with local alumni while you are in school—particularly if you

want to pursue a niche professional area and do not expect to participate in on-grounds recruiting. Of course,

technological developments have greatly facilitated outreach, meaning that alumni are no longer a flight or long

drive away, but are now just a phone call, email, text, or even Skype session away.

Some schools boast sizeable alumni networks, while others have pockets of strength in particular regions or industries.


The broader Cornell community includes more than 250,000 alumni worldwide, and Johnson is a significant

part of this, boasting close to 15,000 alumni of its own. Johnson graduates participate in more than 40 re-

gional clubs and special interest groups. Domestic iterations can be found in 25 U.S. locations—four clubs in

California alone. International groups are almost as numerous as domestic ones, from Mexico City to Milan,

the United Kingdom to the United Arab Emirates, and Israel to India. In addition, Johnson alumni can join

Korean, Latino, gay and lesbian, black, Native American, and Asian alumni associations.

With namesake H. Fisk Johnson (MBA ’84), the CEO and chairman of SC Johnson, as an example, the school’s

alumni do not just donate and disengage. This is an active community, one that appears to pull togeth-

er both financially and socially to forge a lasting relationship with both one another and the institution.

Johnson’s alumni have a long-standing tradition called the Predictions Dinner, in which graduates from the

school gather annually in different locations around the world for an evening of networking and social-

izing. The event’s name originates from the tradition of asking participants to predict the state of the U.S.

economy in years to follow—at the end of each dinner, those who predicted correctly the previous year

receive an award! The dinners, which typically take place early in the year and to which a number of recently

accepted students are often invited, are hosted in 26 cities, including Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Lon-

don. Each event features a notable alumni speaker—in 2017, they included the CEO of Ocean Spray, the CEO

Alumni Base

Note: Some schools include MBA program graduates only in their alumni total; other schools may also include alumni from their part-time,

executive, doctoral, and/or other programs, so totals may not be directly comparable.

Schools are listed in order from largest alumni base to smallest within each category.

75,000 to 100,000

100,00075,00050,00025,0000

50,000 to 75,000

25,000 to 50,000

10,000 to 25,000

10,000or fewer

NYU Stern, UPenn Wharton, Harvard Business School

Northwestern Kellogg

Chicago Booth, Michigan Ross, Columbia

UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Stanford GSB

MIT Sloan, Duke Fuqua

UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson

Tuck

Yale SOM


of HotelPlanner, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the CEO of Abcam. In

2016, speakers included the founder of Priceline.com, the deputy commissioner and chief operating officer

of the National Basketball Association, and the co-founders of Wayfair.com.

7. Facilities: Shaping the Academic/Social Experience

When contemplating an MBA program, do not overlook the school’s facili-

ties. Renovations, upgrades, and new construction are all regular occurrenc-

es on school campuses these days, as some programs increase their square

footage while others unify disparate areas or refresh existing spaces. Some

schools boast on-campus housing or elite athletic facilities, others have es-

tablished new green spaces and meeting rooms, and still others have refur-

bished or added classrooms, theaters, libraries, and other such resources.

Keep in mind, though, that just because a school has not updated or added to

its facilities in recent years, this does not mean that its offerings are outdated or subpar; the lack of updates may

simply be because none have been needed or the school has invested in other aspects of its program instead. A

campus visit is always the best way to evaluate firsthand what a school has to offer, but we nonetheless dedicate

this space to a discussion of the facilities available at this particular program.

Johnson’s Sage Hall, named after Ithaca businessman Henry W. Sage, who financed the erection of the

building in 1875, was originally a women’s dormitory. In April 1996, Cornell undertook an ambitious plan to

convert the building into the primary home of the Johnson Graduate School of Management. At a cost of

$38M, the structure’s iconic spire was rebuilt and the inner courtyard transformed into a glass atrium rem-

iniscent of the main exhibition hall at Oxford University Museum. Observed a first-year student with whom

we spoke, “The whole Cornell campus is beautiful, and Sage, besides this quality, is very well equipped and

convenient for the class size.” A second year we interviewed indicated that Cornell pays special attention

to ensuring that Sage remains progressive. “The building itself has a long history, but the equipment inside

is always being renewed. As an example, there is now a big new common study area on the third floor with

modular furniture. Very high-tech style.”

Cornell Tech is currently located in Google’s landmark building in Manhattan. During the summer of 2017,

however, students will begin moving into a campus on Roosevelt Island. Located on the historic East River

redoubt, Cornell Tech will provide housing for 2,000 students and 280 faculty. The facility, which will en-

compass two million square feet at its final completion in 2043, will be centered on a pedestrian walkway,

bounded by river walks, enlivened by a public café and meeting area, and rooted by a Corporate Co-Loca-

tion Building that will provide space for firms on campus. The academic buildings will be “cutting-edge”

If a school has not updated its facilities in recent years, perhaps none were needed or the school has invested in other aspects of its program instead.


and designed for the information age, asserts the program’s Web site, with classrooms possessing state-

of-the-art technology and high-level academic amenities.

8. Rankings and Reputation: Important Metrics or Arbitrary Measures?

MBA rankings should always be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism,

given that they can fluctuate dramatically from year to year and from publi-

cation to publication. For example, if you had relied on the Financial Times’

rankings to choose the Yale School of Management as your business school

in 2011 because of the program’s position at number seven, you probably

would have been disappointed to see the school then slide down to number

12 just one year later before rebounding to number nine the following year.

Similarly, if you had selected UC Berkeley Haas in 2004, when it was number

17 in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking, you would have been delighted to

see the program rise to number eight in 2010 before it slipped out of the top ten again to number 13 in 2012.

Can an MBA program—which is made up of so many moving parts—really change so much in just one or two

years? Furthermore, how can one reconcile that UVA Darden is in the third position (among U.S. programs) in The

Economist’s rankings but is 12th in the Bloomberg Businessweek survey, 14th in the U.S. News & World Report, and

16th in the Financial Times’ rankings—all at the same time? Or that Stanford GSB holds the fifth position on The

Economist’s list and fourth in the U.S. News rankings, but is second in the Bloomberg Businessweek rankings and

first in the Financial Times’ survey? Or that UPenn Wharton is number one according to the U.S. News rankings and

number two in the Financial Times’ list, but only number six in Bloomberg Businessweek and number nine in The

Economist’s survey?

An MBA ranking that appears to be gaining in popularity, according to feedback we have received from candidates

in recent years, is from Poets&Quants, which aggregates what it considers the top five MBA surveys—Bloomberg

Businessweek, The Economist, the Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes—to create a kind of com-

posite ranking.

Of course, the various surveys should and likely will provide some context for your decision, but resist the temp-

tation to choose a school based on rankings alone, because rankings may ultimately betray you—possibly even

before you graduate.

One thing to keep in mind, particularly for international students, is that a school’s reputation domestically can

be quite different from its reputation abroad. Years ago, mbaMission worked with an international candidate who

was accepted into the MBA programs at Cornell Johnson and Dartmouth Tuck. When this individual shared the

The various surveys should and will provide some context for your decision, but resist the temptation to choose a school based on rankings alone.


good news with his manager, his manager said, “I thought you would have gone to an Ivy League school like Princ-

eton!” Of course, Dartmouth and Cornell are in fact Ivy League institutions, and Princeton does not even have an

MBA program—the manager’s reaction illustrates how possible misconceptions can arise. So, after considering an

MBA program’s strengths, you might factor in that some schools have greater brand power in certain parts of the

world, especially if you plan to live and work abroad after you complete your studies.

We advise you to consider your MBA a long-term investment that will pay dividends throughout your life, and such

an investment should be based on more than a one-time ranking. In fact, most MBAs who are five to ten years out

of school are not even aware of what their school is now ranked. Perhaps more importantly, if you were to ask one

whether the school’s position in the rankings has any effect on his/her career, the response would certainly be an

impassioned “No!”

Although Johnson may not have the global brand recognition of Harvard or Wharton, for example, by no

means is it undistinguished. Cornell is an Ivy League university, a designation that wields cachet interna-

tionally. And since at least 2008, Johnson has been rated among the country’s top 20 business schools in

the four most recognized MBA rankings.

The program currently stands at 16th in the nation, according to both the 2016 and 2015 Bloomberg Busi-

nessweek rankings. U.S. News & World Report also rated Johnson 16th in the country in 2018, down slightly

from 14th in 2017. In its specialty rankings, U.S. News rated Johnson among the top 25 business schools in

the country for management (16, tied with two other schools), marketing (18), finance (18, tied with two

other schools), and supply chain/logistics (20, tied with three other schools).

In 2016, The Economist ranked the program 18th in the United States and 28th internationally, down from

its placement the previous year at 15th and 23rd, respectively. The Financial Times placed Johnson at 14th

domestically and 27th internationally in its 2017 rankings, up one spot domestically and four internation-

ally from the previous year. In the Princeton Review’s evaluation of 294 MBA programs in 2017, the publi-

cation named Johnson number seven for Toughest to Get Into. That same year, Poets&Quants ranked the

program 14th in the country, unchanged from 2015.

U.S. Ranking: Cornell Johnson 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Poets&Quants NA NA 14 14 15 11 11 13 15

U.S. News & World Report 16 14 16 17 16 16 16 18 17

Bloomberg Businessweek1 NA NA 16 16 13 [7] 7 [13] 13

Financial Times NA 14 15 15 15 14 13 14 18

The Economist NA NA 18 15 17 11 11 15 19

1 Until 2015, Bloomberg Businessweek released rankings every two years (in November), so numbers in brackets represent carryover from

the previous year’s ranking.


Poets&Quants (2016)

1 Harvard Business School

2 Stanford GSB

3 Chicago Booth

4 Northwestern Kellogg (tie)

4 UPenn Wharton (tie)

6 MIT Sloan

7 Dartmouth Tuck

8 UC Berkeley Haas

9 Columbia Business School

10 Yale SOM

11 Duke Fuqua

12 UVA Darden

13 Michigan Ross

14 Cornell Johnson

15 UCLA Anderson

16 UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler

17 NYU Stern

18 UT Austin McCombs

19 Carnegie Mellon Tepper

20 Emory Goizueta


U.S. News & World Report (2018) Bloomberg Businessweek (2016)

1 Harvard Business School (tie) 1 Harvard Business School

1 UPenn Wharton (tie) 2 Stanford GSB

3 Chicago Booth 3 Duke Fuqua

4 MIT Sloan (tie) 4 Chicago Booth

4 Northwestern Kellogg (tie) 5 Dartmouth Tuck

4 Stanford GSB (tie) 6 UPenn Wharton

7 UC Berkeley Haas 7 MIT Sloan

8 Dartmouth Tuck 8 Rice Jones

9 Columbia Business School (tie) 9 Northwestern Kellogg

9 Yale SOM (tie) 10 UC Berkeley Haas

11 Michigan Ross 11 Columbia Business School

12 Duke Fuqua (tie) 12 UVA Darden

12 NYU Stern (tie) 13 Michigan Ross

14 UVA Darden 14 Yale SOM

15 UCLA Anderson 15 Carnegie Mellon Tepper

16 Cornell Johnson 16 Cornell Johnson

17 UT Austin McCombs 17 NYU Stern

18 UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler 18 Texas A&M Mays

19 Carnegie Mellon Tepper 19 Washington Foster

20 Emory Goizueta 20 Emory Goizueta


Financial Times (2017)1,2 The Economist (2016)1,3

1 Stanford GSB 1 Chicago Booth

2 UPenn Wharton 2 Northwestern Kellogg

3 Harvard Business School 3 UVA Darden

4 Columbia Business School 4 Harvard Business School

5 Chicago Booth 5 Stanford GSB

6 Northwestern Kellogg 6 Dartmouth Tuck

7 MIT Sloan 7 UC Berkeley Haas

8 UC Berkeley Haas 8 Columbia Business School

9 Yale SOM 9 UPenn Wharton

10 Dartmouth Tuck 10 UCLA Anderson

11 NYU Stern 11 Yale SOM

12 Michigan Ross 12 MIT Sloan

13 Duke Fuqua 13 Duke Fuqua

14 Cornell Johnson 14 NYU Stern

15 UCLA Anderson 15 Michigan Ross

16 UVA Darden 16 UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler

17 Carnegie Mellon Tepper 17 Vanderbilt Owen

18 Georgetown McDonough 18 Cornell Johnson

19 Washington Foster 19 Emory Goizueta

20 UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler 20 IU Kelley

1 Excludes international schools and reranks only U.S. schools.

2 The Financial Times ranks Cornell Johnson 27 internationally.

3 The Economist ranks Cornell Johnson 28 internationally.


Cornell University

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

Summary

Primarily located in Ithaca, New York, and part of one of the largest Ivy League universities, the Johnson Gradu-

ate School of Management has an additional location in Manhattan. Since May 2013, students have been able to

pursue the school’s one-year tech MBA at Google’s Chelsea campus. During summer 2017, Johnson students will

move into a $2B Roosevelt Island campus that was the brainchild of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg—a

location for which The New Yorker has already begun using the moniker “Silicon Island.”

The tech-intensive center will be a joint effort between Cornell University and The Technion–Israel Institute of

Technology, expanding Johnson’s reach into the heart of New York City and to the cutting edge of technological

innovation. Students will be able to study business in the context of technology and innovation and will, accord-

ing to the Cornell Tech Web site, reshape “the competitive landscape worldwide.” From community integration to

on-campus corporate space, and from state-of-the-art classrooms to a melding of technology, innovation, and

business, Johnson seems to be striving to become the business school.

As then Dean Soumitra Dutta told the Financial Times in a 2013 article about Cornell Tech, “We can play the tech-

nology card with MIT and Stanford and the New York card with Columbia and NYU.” The school appears poised to

offer a collegial atmosphere and a traditional two-year MBA as well as academic innovation and next-generation

impact.

Founded nearly 70 years ago, Johnson is a comparatively small business school—the typical class size is just under

300—whose Web site boasts that the school “is, by design, an intense, collaborative community—one in which

relationships are formed quickly and last a lifetime. We choose to remain a small school so that all of our students

and faculty can work closely together.” An alumnus quoted as part of Bloomberg Businessweek’s most recent pro-

file of the school notes, “There’s a real sense of collaboration and mutual respect amongst the classmates. While

I’ve learned an immense amount from the courses, I have learned even more from my peers.” Johnson’s numerous

student clubs, of which nearly 80 are listed on the school’s Web site, may be a testament to this.

The Dean

In July 2016, Mark Nelson entered his current role as dean of the Johnson Graduate School of Management, replac-

ing Soumitra Dutta, who stepped down from the position after five years. Nelson originally joined Cornell in 1990


and served as an accounting professor, teaching both undergraduate and MBA courses, before stepping into the

position of the 12th dean in Johnson’s history.

Nelson began his teaching career as a teaching associate at Ohio State University, where he earned his Master’s

and PhD degrees. In addition to his teaching at Cornell, Nelson also served as the university’s associate dean for

academic affairs from 2007 to 2010. “I learned a lot about Johnson and how we position ourselves with respect to

competitor business schools,” Nelson said of his time as the associate dean in a July 2016 interview with Cornell

Enterprise. “All of that experience is useful background in my new position as Johnson’s dean,” he said. During

his time as a professor, Nelson earned the award for teaching excellence at Johnson five times, most recently in

2015, in addition to receiving the university’s Russell Distinguished Teaching Award three times. He serves on the

editorial boards of numerous publications, including Accounting Horizons, The Accounting Review, and Auditing: A

Journal of Practice and Theory. “I’ve been [at Cornell] a long time—26 years,” Nelson told Cornell Enterprise in July

2016, shortly after stepping in as the dean. “I know a lot of people here, and a lot of alumni. We all share an ap-

preciation for the culture that makes Johnson so special. Frankly, that culture is one of the defining characteristics

of the school, and preserving it is a focus of mine,” Nelson said.

Former Dean Soumitra Dutta left behind the role of the dean at Johnson to accept the same role at the Johnson

College of Business, which was created after the merger of Johnson, the School of Administration, and the Charles

H. Dyson School of Applied Economics. Thus, Nelson will respond to and work with Dutta as they both settle into

their new roles. “Mark is not only ideally equipped to lead Johnson at this complicated and exciting time, but it

is clear that he will contribute tremendously to the success of the College of Business, as well,” Dutta said in the

announcement of Nelson’s appointment on the Cornell Chronicle. Provost Michael Kotlikoff was equally pleased

to have Nelson step in. “The selection committee and I have been extraordinarily impressed by the depth, sophis-

tication and comprehensiveness of his thinking regarding all aspects of the deanship, Johnson, and the College of

Business,” Kotlikoff said in the announcement. “We are extremely pleased and enthusiastic about his acceptance

of this post.”

On his faculty page on the school’s Web site, Nelson mentions the Cornell Tech project and the school’s col-

laborations with Tsinghua University in China and Queen’s University in Canada as highlights of Johnson’s recent

history and near future. “All of this activity solidifies our position as a world-class center of business teaching

and research,” Nelson wrote, also referencing the establishment of the Cornell College of Business. He expressed

similar thoughts in the interview with Cornell Enterprise, saying, “It’s also a really exciting time at Johnson and at

Cornell. When you take on a dean’s role, it’s wonderful to have opportunities to make use of new facilities, offer

new programs, and interact with faculty you weren’t able to access previously.”

In his years as the business school’s dean, Soumitra Dutta has helped raise more than $350M toward the billion-

dollar adventure that is Cornell Tech. If the project is ultimately a success, Johnson will find itself, according to

a 2013 Financial Times article on the new campus, a catalyst in “the regeneration not of a region, but of a whole

city’s economy.”


Professional Specializations

Consulting

In 2016, consulting was the second most popular industry choice for Johnson graduates, claiming a robust 25% of

the class (24% for the Class of 2015). The school notes on its site that “the skills required of a consultant mirror

those required of high-level organization leaders” and that the program thereby aims to develop certain capa-

bilities in its MBAs, including clear and logical communication, a strategic manner of thinking, and the ability to

bring order to disordered environments. In addition, some of Johnson’s faculty members hail from consulting

backgrounds and can claim success as turnaround leaders with large firms.

The Johnson Consulting Club works to help aspiring consultants better understand and find their place in the

field as well as to establish valuable relationships with leading consulting groups. To this end, the group offers

its members events and resources such as mock interviews, case boot camps, networking receptions, job treks

to such locations as Boston and New York City, guest speakers, and panel discussions. The club’s Career Work

Groups, which meet weekly and are designed to help students navigate the intense recruiting cycle, feature two

second-year students and approximately six first years in each group.

Remarking that “the Consulting Program is embedded throughout Johnson in various channels,” a recent Johnson

alumna and former Consulting Club president explained on the school’s site that the MBA program’s suite of of-

ferings in this study area easily made Johnson her number-one choice for her degree. “It helped me succeed in my

internship,” she noted, “and has positioned me well to crack any future business problems and think like a CEO.”

Similarly, a first year we interviewed claimed that choosing Johnson as the program through which to pursue a

career in consulting was “actually a no-brainer.” She added, “My career goal was to work in human capital strategy

or consulting, and Cornell has one of the best industrial and labor relations departments in the world.”

Another group based at Johnson for students interested in this field is BR Consulting, a nonprofit, student-run

consulting firm. With a stated mission of “stimula[ting] entrepreneurial activity within the Cornell community

through the creation and growth of early stage businesses,” BR Consulting connects with organizations local to

Johnson and, through these firms, provides hands-on, real-world opportunities for its members to apply what

they have learned thus far in the program. In a past article on the group’s Web site, an alumnus who worked with a

titanium manufacturer states, “Cases are nice, but this has given me the opportunity to actually create something

that has value in the marketplace. The most valuable part of this has been ... the project management skills and

the opportunity to interface with a client.” Similarly, he remarks on the satisfaction the collaborative opportunity

provided, saying, “I feel like I am presenting them [the company] with ideas that they have never thought of be-

fore, and that I am making a difference in their business.”


EY (Ernst & Young), McKinsey & Company, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Bain & Company, and the Boston Consulting

Group were some of the top employers of Johnson’s 2016 graduates in this industry. And listed among the school’s

leading repeat recruiters are such well-known consulting firms as Accenture PLC, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC),

A.T. Kearney, and L.E.K. Consulting LLC.

Finance

In 2016, 32% of Johnson’s graduates accepted positions in the financial services industry (with an average salary

of $123,259 and an average signing bonus of $42,175), making it the most popular industry. Financial services were

also the most popular the previous year, when 34% of the class entered the industry. The school boasts 21 faculty

members in the study area of finance and 17 in the area of accounting.

Class offerings may be one reason so many Johnson students pursue careers in the specialization. For example,

“Emerging Markets Finance,” taught by Professor Andrew Karolyi, allows students to explore the kind of financial

decision making that is unique to emerging economies and to understand how opportunity and risk work together

in these markets.

Students aspiring to finance careers can further delve into this field via Johnson’s Investment Management Club

(IMC), which provides “a forum for the discussion of investment-related topics and opportunities available in in-

vestment management,” declares the group’s Web page. To this end, the club organizes a number of events and

resources, including a morning call each week during which members posit both large- and small-scale invest-

ment ideas, opportunities to practice stock pitches and to compete in such contests, and workshops. The IMC also

spearheads job treks to both Boston and New York City so that members can learn more about who the big players

in the field are and what kinds of career options may be available.

The Old Ezra Finance Club—reportedly the oldest and largest student group at Johnson—owes its name to one of

the university’s co-founders, the late Ezra Cornell. First-year student members are prepped for possible careers

in finance via seminars, town halls, club meetings, weekly roundtable discussions, and mock interviews covering

both the behavioral and technical aspects of interviewing. In addition, Old Ezra members can enjoy the club’s

regular social events, including happy hours.

With respect to finance functions, the largest percentage of the 2016 class entered investment banking (17%), with

“other finance” being the second most popular choice (6%). Other 2016 graduates accepted functional finance

positions in managerial finance (5%), private equity (3%), and financial analysis (2%). Listed among the school’s

top recruiters for 2016 are Citigroup Inc., Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank AG. Other recruiting companies in

recent years include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Credit Suisse Group, and Mastercard Incorporated.


General Management

Of Cornell Johnson’s Class of 2016, 22% accepted roles with a general management function (up notably from 7% in

2015 and 2014, and 5% in 2013). More than 20 professors are listed as teaching within the management discipline,

and dozens of others are designated as instructors in leadership, management and organizations, management

communications, management information systems, and operations, technology, and information management.

In the fall of 2017 alone, more than 20 different courses are available related to management. Cornell Johnson

appears to be set on educating well-rounded leaders, stating on its Web site that one of the core principles of its

MBA program is “The value of a solid education in all key business functions, including marketing, finance, human

resources, and production.”

Students who wish to pursue a career in this area or simply learn more about it can look to the General Manage-

ment Association (GMA) at Johnson, whose stated mission is “to provide real-world essential resources to its

members to aid in their career development and to educate the Johnson community on the many career opportu-

nities available in general management.” The group organizes general meetings throughout the academic year, in

addition to hosting guest speakers and coordinating networking events. The GMA also regularly invites Johnson

professors to make themed presentations to its members, with topics in 2016–2017 including “How to Succeed in

Your Summer Internship,” while 2015–2016 topics included “The CEO Perspective” and “Recruiting Etiquette.” In

spring 2016, the club also hosted a workshop titled “Managing the Human Capital Challenges of a Large Merger”

with the chief human resources officer of Cigna. In conjunction with Johnson’s Women’s Management Council, the

GMA organized a New York City career trek in the fall of 2014, allowing participants to visit such companies as Citi

and Amex.

International Business

Via a number of region-specific student clubs, internationally themed courses, and other related resources and

opportunities, Cornell Johnson works to prepare its aspiring MBAs for the global business landscape. Students

can choose to participate, for example, in an international study-trip course. Typically, these classes take stu-

dents to Japan/South Korea in late spring, to Colombia in early spring, and to India during the winter, though

additional trips to other destinations are also offered each year. More than 200 students participate in these

trips each year, according to the school’s Web site. Students can also choose to spend a semester abroad at any

of Johnson’s 30 partner schools in the Americas, Asia and Asia Pacific, and Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. In

addition, Johnson offers a joint international degree in conjunction with two schools in Belgium (the Universite

Catholiqué de Louvain and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), for which students spend one year abroad, ultimately

receiving a degree from both institutions.

The Asia Business Club at Johnson offers various career development resources, social events, and cultural educa-

tion opportunities to fulfill its commitment to “help Johnson students participate in the business growth of Asia,

build the Johnson brand in Asia, [and] foster friendship among Johnson students, while disseminating information


about the culture and people of Asia to the Johnson community and introduce career opportunities in Asia and the

United States,” states its Web site. The club hosted such events in 2016–2017 as a bowling night with representa-

tives from SunTrust Banks, an annual trek to Hong Kong, and a dinner mixer with club members.

The goal of the Johnson Japan Club is to “develop an open network to help deepen the understanding of the Japa-

nese economy, business, culture, job market, language, and genuine cuisine,” declares the group’s site. Each year,

the organization arranges a number of both professional and social events, from presentations by alumni active

in the Japanese business world to an evening of playing the video game Mario Kart and enjoying Japanese snack

foods. The club joined forces with several other Johnson student groups after the devastating 2011 Japan earth-

quake to raise relief funds via such events as Asia Morning Tea; in the end, the groups’ combined efforts raised

more than $8,000.

The Greater China Business Club at Johnson caters to students interested in eventually working in China as well

as those who just wish learn more about the country and its culture. The group organizes events such as dinners

with Chinese alumni from prominent companies, coffee chats with company representatives, a Chinese New Year’s

party, ski trips, picnics, and career treks to the country. During the 2016 trek, participants traveled to the cities

of Beijing and Shanghai to visit companies specializing in technology, health care, and consulting. The 2015 trek

took place in Hong Kong and China, while the 2014 China Career Trek allowed the participating students to visit

such prestigious firms as Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte, and Amazon in Shanghai and Beijing. The trip, which had a

special focus on consulting and multinational companies, also involved networking events with alumni in the area,

in addition to internship and career networking possibilities.

Multiple other internationally themed clubs are available at Johnson for students wishing to pursue career op-

portunities in specific areas or simply familiarize themselves with cultures other than their own. Among these or-

ganizations are the Korean Business Association, the Latin American Business Association, the Hispanic American

Business Leaders Association, the Middle Eastern Club, and the South Asian Business Club. Events within these

clubs range from joint barbecues hosted by the Latin American Business Association and the Hispanic American

Business Leaders Association to a speaker series hosted by the South Asian Business Club. Of the school’s 2016

graduates, 8% entered positions outside the United States (8% also in 2015), with the majority of those (3%) ac-

cepting roles in Asia.

Marketing

Johnson has more than a dozen professors in its marketing department, and 11% of the Class of 2016 accepted

positions with a marketing function (15% of both the Class of 2015 and the Class of 2014 did so, although product

management was also included in the figure those years). Companies known to hire for such roles that recruited

heavily at Johnson in 2016 include such well-known names as Amazon.com, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.


Cornell Johnson’s Marketing Association aims to help its members prepare for employment within the marketing

field—in fact, the association’s Web site declares that 100% of its first-year members received marketing intern-

ship offers in 2015. The group’s offerings include interview preparation, participation in such case competitions as

Kenan Flagler’s annual Marketing Case Competition (at the University of North Carolina), and a five-day career trek

to New York City, where students have visited such companies as Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and American Ex-

press. A point of pride for the group appears to be the school’s own annual marketing challenge, called the Battle

of the Brands—a two-week marketing plan creation competition for teams of first-year students led by a second-

year advisor. The Marketing Association also organizes a number of opportunities for its members to socialize and

network, such as trivia nights and an annual Super Bowl ad review event.

“For marketing, a lot of people want to go to Kellogg,” said a first-year student we interviewed, talking about ap-

plicants who are interested in this career path, “but you should definitely look at Cornell.”

Technology

A full 12% of Johnson’s graduates entered positions in the technology industry in 2016, 16% did so in 2015, and 14%

in 2014. The establishment of the Cornell Tech MBA program seems to underscore the school’s focus on and com-

mitment to this area.

The school’s High Tech Club (HTC)—reportedly one of the most active and popular student groups at Johnson—

offers a community for aspiring MBAs interested in pursuing a career in technology. In addition to job search

resources, mock interviews, and a tech speaker series, the club organizes annual career treks to Seattle, Silicon

Valley, and New York City. On the 2016 and 2015 New York City treks, members visited the offices of such companies

as LinkedIn, Verizon, Uber, and Yelp. Other highlights from the 2016–2017 academic season included a presenta-

tion by the founder and CEO of Produce Pay, a case study “boot camp,” and tech talks on such subjects as data

analytics, ecommerce, cloud services, and financial technology.

Notable Professors and Unsung Heroes

General George W. Casey, Jr. (www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile?id=gwc65): Recently retired

from the U.S. Army , General George W. Casey, Jr., is now a distinguished senior lecturer of leadership at Johnson.

A leadership expert, General Casey helps students identify the volatile, complex, and ambiguous nature of the

modern world and understand how these characteristics lend themselves to the dynamism of leaders. After four

decades in the military, General Casey knows that leaders are most effective when they are open to change and

growth—especially in their own leadership skills. “It’s not every day you get a chance to learn from a four-star

general,” a first year wrote in a contribution to Business Insider, continuing, “As a first-year MBA student seeking

a transformative learning experience, I was fascinated with his stories and advice.” A second year commented

similarly on one of Casey’s blog posts: “It is an honor to have the opportunity to learn from you, General Casey. …

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile?id=gwc65


I thoroughly enjoyed the class and am excited to continue implementing our learnings into my leadership style.”

Remarked another student commenter, “We get a lot of great instruction from academics here at Johnson, but it is

refreshing to learn from such a great practitioner as General Casey. His class took me beyond theory into applica-

tion, and it made me consider new dimensions of leadership I hadn’t considered before.”

Roni Michaely (www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile/id/rm34): The Rudd Family Professor of

Management, Roni Michaely joined Cornell Johnson in 1990 after earning his B.A. and PhD from Tel Aviv Univer-

sity and New York University, respectively. Michaely, who received Cornell’s Stephen and Margery Russell Dis-

tinguished Teaching Award in 2000 and 2007, has published numerous award-winning papers and focuses his

research on the areas of capital markets, valuation, and corporate finance. In addition to teaching at Johnson,

Michaely served as an associate editor for the Journal of Finance from 2012 to 2016, and currently serves as an

associate editor for the Critical Finance Review. Describing Michaely’s class as “very impressive,” a first year we

interviewed remarked, “Every single person that went to Johnson would talk about this professor .... And he is very

good—he’s great at teaching, but more than anything, he really, really cares about students learning the material.”

Nate Peck (www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile?id=nhp7): Described by a first year as a “John-

son legend,” Nate Peck arrived to the school in 2005 with nearly 25 years of experience in business consulting with

such companies as KPMG and McKinsey & Company. Today he serves as a senior lecturer with an emphasis in man-

agement cases, financial institutions management, and problem solving. A first year who took his “Management

Cases” elective course described the class in an April 2016 post on the Johnson student blog as intense, but ad-

mitted that “getting to learn from Professor Peck and his excellent teaching assistants was not an opportunity to

be missed.” The students’ appreciation of Peck is evident in his accolades—he received the school’s Apple Award

for Teaching Excellence, which is awarded by each year’s graduating class, in 2012 and 2016. In a September 2012

interview with mbaMission, the school’s then director of admissions and financial aid mentioned Peck’s strong

bond with students, saying: “I just saw Nate Peck out in the hallway … just surrounded by a bunch of second years

who just came back [from Global Business Projects], and they were all telling him about their experiences and

what they learned and just how things were applicable. And certainly as a faculty member, that’s what drives you

in many ways, and there were a lot of smiles and handshakes and hugs. So it was a good thing to see.”

Social/Community Life

Diwali Night: In the fall, the school’s South Asian Business Club (SABC) hosts an annual celebration for Diwali, the

Indian festival of lights. The Johnson Diwali Night, funded by Cornell and described by the SABC as “one of the

biggest events of the year,” is open to the entire university community and features dancing, food, stage perfor-

mances, and an after-party. The Cornell Bhangra, reportedly one of the most famous Bhangra dance groups in the

world, often performs at the event. One first year who attended the 2016 Diwali Night called the event “one of the

hallmark festivities on our Ithaca campus,” continuing: “It was not just the students who were enjoying the [music],

but also Dean Nelson and other members of faculty, too—their Indian charisma had bubbled up.”

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile/id/rm34

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Faculty-And-Research/Profile?id=nhp7


Follies: Like many business schools, Cornell Johnson coordinates and presents an annual Follies show, allowing

students to showcase their talents—and have some fun riffing on the MBA experience—via creative skits and per-

formances. The production typically takes place in May at the State Theater of Ithaca. Highlights in recent years

have included the 2015 skit “Types of People at Johnson,” which poked fun at business school stereotypes, and

2016’s “2nd Years vs. 1st Years,” a play on the difference between the two years of study.

Grad Week: As their time at Johnson nears its end, students who are about to graduate each spring are treated

to one last hurrah—a week of hurrahs, in fact. Ranging from picnics at nearby Stewart Park and bar crawls at lo-

cal drinking establishments to a themed Grad Ball, nearly graduated students are offered a plethora of events by

which to remember their commencement week. The Grad Ball, which in 2017 was hosted at the Herbert F. Johnson

Museum of Art in Ithaca with the theme “Botanical Gardens,” is a formal event, allowing participants to show off

their finest suits and ball gowns. In 2016, the sold-out event carried the theme “A Starry Affair.”

Sage Socials: Sage Socials are informal gatherings at which Johnson’s students and faculty members mingle and

celebrate the end of the academic week. They take place every Thursday afternoon in the Dyson Atrium of Cornell

University’s famous Sage Hall. The very first Sage Socials were held in the fall of 2007, and their popularity contin-

ues today. Some Socials even have special themes; in the winter of 2017, for example, one concentrated on Black

History Month and another featured a charity auction. A military-themed Social hosted by Johnson’s veterans club

took place in the fall of 2015, and a Social in March 2017 celebrated Women’s History Month.

Academic Summary

Curriculum: Johnson’s core curriculum, completed during the first year, which is the same for all students during

the fall semester, is as follows:

• “Critical and Strategic Thinking”

• “Financial Accounting”

• “Leading Teams”

• “Managerial Finance”

• “Marketing Management”

• “Microeconomics for Management”

• “Strategy”

However, in the spring, students may choose one of the following options:

• Option A

� An Immersion

� “Managing Operations”

� “Data Analytics and Modeling”


• Option B

� A Customized Immersion

� “Managing Operations”

� “Data Analytics and Modeling”

The two types of immersions involve a semester of real-world problem solving, often entailing visits to and work

with active firms. Students choosing the customized immersion option can tailor an immersion to fit their specific

needs and interests. Depending on a student’s choice of immersion, other classes may also be available during

the spring semester.

Students must complete 60 credit hours to graduate.

Grading Policy: Students typically receive grades of A or B, while C grades are less frequent. The grading system

is based on a four-point scale, in which an A equals 4.0. Johnson students must have a 2.7 overall GPA or higher to

graduate.

Majors: Johnson does not offer majors, but students have the option of choosing a concentration during their

second year. Students can pursue one, two, or no concentrations, depending on their specific educational goals.

Concentrations are divided into two categories—breadth and depth—as follows.

Breadth Concentrations

• Consulting

• Entrepreneurship

• Global Business Management

• Leadership & Ethics

• Sustainable Global Enterprise

Depth Concentrations

• Corporate Finance

• Financial Analysis

• Financial Investing

• Marketing Analytics

• Marketing Management

• Private Equity

• Strategy

Research Centers and Initiatives

• Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise

• Emerging Markets Institute


• Parker Center for Investment Research

• The Smith Business Initiative at Cornell

Admissions Basics

Note: Any specifics discussed in this section related to application requirements were valid for the 2016–2017 admis-

sions season (unless otherwise noted). Be aware that requirements for any subsequent admissions cycles may differ.

Always check with the school directly to confirm all application details.

Application Requirements: Candidates must submit, in addition to the main application and transcripts from all

post-secondary course work, a resume, at least two essays, at least one recommendation, and a list of activities.

Admissions Rounds: Johnson has four application rounds, with separate deadlines for each. The one-year and two-

year program deadlines do not always align, so candidates should carefully check these dates. Interview invitations

are sent throughout each round. Candidates are notified of final decisions on preannounced notification dates.

GMAT: Johnson requires GMAT scores for admission. In recent years, the median score has been 700. Although the

Admissions Office asks that candidates who have taken the GMAT multiple times submit scores from the exam on

which they earned their highest total score, the office also reserves the right to review scores from candidates’

other exams.

TOEFL/IELTS: All non-native English speakers must submit their scores for the TOEFL or IELTS. On the TOEFL, the

Admissions Office requires a minimum score of 100, with a minimum of 25 in each section on the Internet exam.

On the IELTS, a minimum band score of 7.0 is required, with a minimum of 7.0 in the speaking and writing modules.

The school also considers the quality of a candidate’s interview and essays.

Interviews: Interviews are by invitation only and are required for admission. Applicants are encouraged to inter-

view on campus, but if travel to Ithaca is impossible, a Skype interview may be conducted. Most interviews are

conducted by second-year students who are members of the Johnson Admissions Group. Alumni and admissions

staff may also conduct interviews, especially Skype interviews. Johnson states that all interviews are evaluated

equally, regardless of location or interviewer.

In a 2014 blog post on mastering the Johnson interview, then Admissions Director Ann Richards offered applicants

the following five guidelines:

1. Always be on time, no matter what.

2. Dress professionally.

3. Be prepared.


4. Know your goals.

5. Pick three examples of your achievements or leadership to highlight during the interview.

She also recommended that applicants do an online search for questions that have been asked in previous John-

son interviews and practice via mock interviews with an MBA graduate or fellow applicant.

Waitlist: The Johnson waitlist is unranked. At the end of each round, waitlisted applicants’ files are reviewed, and

applicants may be invited to interview. The Admissions Office encourages application updates and is responsive

to applicants’ waitlist questions.

Campus Visits: Applicants are encouraged to visit Johnson and sit in on a class. Candidates may arrange such a

visit on the school’s Web site, where visit opportunities are listed according to the subject of the class. Moreover,

applicants have access to the Johnson Admissions Portal, where they can connect with students and recent alum-

ni. Throughout the admissions season, Johnson hosts invitation-only events for potential scholarship recipients.

The culmination of the admissions season is Destination Johnson, the school’s admitted students’ weekend, which

takes place in the spring.

During Destination Johnson, candidates are given student hosts, tour Sage Hall and the wider campus, and meet with

housing and financial aid administrators. The school’s dean delivers a welcome address that is followed by dinner

and socializing. At the career information sessions, alumni are on hand to field candidates’ career-related questions.

Cornell University (Johnson) Essay Analysis, 2016–2017

Once again, applicants to the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University must contend with its

rather unique “life story” essay prompt, which, despite the upside of allowing candidates to offer a well-rounded

picture of themselves to the school’s admissions committee, can be a pretty challenging and daunting submission

for some individuals. Last year’s essay question about applicants’ short- and long-term goals has been replaced

with one about impact, so the focus seems to have shifted from where candidates want to go and what they want

to do after they leave Cornell Johnson and toward how they envision their experience as a student in its MBA pro-

gram. This makes sense, given that the school’s table-of-contents essay should offer ample opportunity for ap-

plicants to share not only what they feel are the most important facets of their lives to date but also, we imagine,

at least some insight into where they anticipate going after business school. The impact essay essentially fills in

that time period between those before-and-after phases of a candidate’s life and career, thereby creating a more

complete impression of the applicant for the admissions committee. As for how to approach these essays, read

on for our tips and suggestions.


Essay 1: At Cornell, we value students who create impact. Please indicate the opportunities for impact that you

have identified through engagement with our community and describe how these interactions have influenced

your decision to apply to Johnson.

Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.

Note that in this essay prompt, the school asks specifically about your expected impact within the Cornell Johnson

community. This specification conveys a very clear assumption on the school’s part that you have already been

actively reaching out to and communicating with others in its community to learn more about it, so if have not yet

been doing so, now (immediately) is the time to start. The wording of the prompt also lets us know that the school

is not asking to hear about an impact you made at some point in the past but instead wants you to demonstrate

your thorough understanding of the Cornell Johnson community by discussing the ways and areas in which you

feel you can contribute to it in a meaningful way. Ideally, of course, your suggestions and ideas will match Cornell

Johnson’s particular vibe and character. To ensure that they do, you truly must first engage with students, alumni,

and/or other representatives of the school and fully educate yourself on what Cornell Johnson offers that directly

pertains to you. A simple reading of the school’s Web site or recruiting materials will not suffice.

Once you have clearly laid out your expectations, consider supporting each of your stated intentions by briefly

describing an incident from your past in which you made a similar impact in a different setting. This will show the

admissions committee both that you genuinely understand what is involved in accomplishing what you claim you

will do and that you possess the capacity to actually do so. Because the prompt clearly requests examples of “op-

portunities”—plural—be sure to identify more than just one area or endeavor. You want to convey that you are a

multidimensional individual who can add value to the school’s community in more than just one way.

Essay 2: You are the author of your Life Story. Please create the Table of Contents for the book in the space provid-

ed or upload it as an attachment. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay

with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing me-

dia (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum

file size is 5 MB. If you choose to submit a written Table of Contents, please limit your submission to 500 words or

fewer. Please limit multimedia submissions to under 5 minutes.

In the past, Cornell Johnson stipulated a character count limit for its essays, rather than a word count, leading

thousands of confounded applicants to wonder whether or not that count included spaces. Mercifully, the school

switched to a more straightforward limit of 500 words (or fewer) last year and has decided to maintain this ap-

proach for this application season. As for the content, this essay is a bit peculiar, because it begs for creativity

while also restricting applicants to a specific structure—a table of contents—essentially giving them “limited

creative expression.”


That said, a table of contents can be approached, organized, and presented in a wide variety of ways. You can be

especially imaginative and start your story back in the days of the dinosaurs or perhaps leap into the future and

tell a story about yourself that has yet to be written. The key is identifying the approach that will best help you tell

your personal story, so do not automatically restrict yourself and think too narrowly. Your table of contents can

even be thematic rather than linear! Heed the school’s words: “We value creativity.”

Take care, however, to not get too gimmicky. You must allow the admissions committee to get to know you through

your table of contents. Section, chapter, subchapter (depending on your structure)—each one must contribute

to your narrative and provide a fuller picture of you. This is an opportunity to tell your whole story, albeit in a

brief way, so make sure you tell it! We suggest that before you start writing, you grab some paper and make an

old-fashioned list of your key stories. Then, make sure that your table of contents includes as many of the items

on that list as possible. If you accomplish that, you should be most of the way to an excellent essay. The rest will

involve fine-tuning the language, which is not necessarily easy but becomes much more so when you are working

with excellent content.

Optional/Reapplicant Essay: Complete this essay if you would like to add additional details regarding your can-

didacy. For instance, if you believe one or more aspects of your application (e.g., undergraduate record or test

scores) do not accurately reflect your potential for success at Johnson.

If you are reapplying for admission, please use this essay to indicate how you have strengthened your application

since the last time you applied. Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.

If you are a Cornell Johnson reapplicant, this essay should be pretty straightforward. Whether you have improved

your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involve-

ment, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliber-

ate path of achievement. The school wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and

your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so, because a Cornell Johnson

MBA is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because

each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this

highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible.

If you are not a reapplicant, this is your opportunity—if needed—to address any lingering questions that an ad-

missions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT score, or a

gap in your work experience. In our mbaMission Optional Essays Guide (https://shop.mbamission.com/products/

mbamission-optional-essays-guide), available through our online store, we offer detailed advice on when and

how to take advantage of the optional essay (along with multiple sample essays) to help you mitigate any problem

areas in your profile.

https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide

https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide


Because personal statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission

Personal Statement Guide (http://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide), which helps ap-

plicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge. Please feel free

to download your copy today.

B-School Insider Interview: First-Year Student, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University

We spoke with a student at Cornell Johnson who is entering the second half of her first year in the school’s two-year

MBA program. After studying international affairs and political science as an undergraduate, she began her career

by working in nonprofits and retail management before taking a position at a human resource solution provider do-

ing business development, client management, and recruiting. A decision to pursue human resources/human capi-

tal consulting led her to business school, where she has since developed an interest in the tech industry and landed

a summer internship doing human capital strategy for operations for a multinational semiconductor chip maker.

mbaMission: Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your experience thus far at Cornell Johnson.

What led you to choose the school for your MBA?

Johnson First Year: For me, it was actually a no-brainer. My career goal was to work in human capital strategy or

consulting, and Cornell has one of the best industrial and labor relations departments in the world. As a Johnson

student, I can take advantage of classes, student clubs, libraries, and recruiting events there [at Cornell]. The

department’s quite large, and it brings in large numbers of corporate sponsors, which host different events, like

case competitions, workshops, and lunches. Being able to take advantage of great resources within the human

resources field while being an MBA student makes Johnson the perfect match for me.

mbaMission: Sure. And how do you feel it’s worked out so far? Do you feel like you made the right choice for you?

JFY: Yeah, absolutely. Everything I wanted for business school, whatever I expected for Cornell, is here, and I enjoy it.

mbaMission: Where were you living before you moved to Ithaca?

JFY: I was living in New York City.

mbaMission: Okay. So how has the transition to a smaller town been?

JFY: That’s a good question. It’s definitely not New York City. It’s very different. We have, I would say, maybe less

than 20 restaurants to go to, and less than eight bars. The town is very small, but this unique environment actually

creates a really good sense of community for business students.

http://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide


mbaMission: Sure.

JFY: I really like that part, and also, I went to undergrad in a really small town, so I’m sort of used to this kind of

environment. My peer students who have never lived in a small town before seemed to have a hard time adjusting

initially, but the majority of them started to feel comfortable right away. Also, if we want to go to New York City, it’s

very easily done. Cornell has a bus service called Campus to Campus that goes from Ithaca to New York City every

day. So I feel that I can enjoy both worlds. If I want to enjoy the city, I can go to New York City very easily, and if I

stay in Ithaca, I can enjoy a small town, good community feel.

mbaMission: Sure. I could see that. So where do students typically live? Is it mostly apartments, or are there stu-

dent dorms?

JFY: A lot of Johnson students live in apartments around campus. I live in one of the large apartment complexes

that a lot of Johnson students live in, and this is just one year old. It’s really clean, very close to campus, and it

has a gym and a shuttle service to campus. Students with a family typically live a little bit outside of the town, and

they commute by car. They have larger houses with yards and plenty of parks around.

mbaMission: That sounds great.

JFY: Yeah, it’s quite nice.

mbaMission: What are three words you would use to characterize your Johnson classmates?

JFY: I would say supportive, very friendly, and extremely motivated. Those were very important to me when I was

applying for business schools.

mbaMission: Definitely. And how would you describe the overall community or atmosphere at the school?

JFY: Definitely close-knit. We only have 273 students in my year. I think typically, Johnson takes 275 students per

year, so everyone knows everyone and really cares about each other. Second-year students also want to help first-

year students, and that creates a really close-knit community.

mbaMission: When you first got to the school, did you have any kind of orientation as an incoming class?

JFY: There was a two-week orientation for incoming students for the two-year program, and I think for the one-

year program, there’s maybe only four or five days. It focused on learning about the program and definitely learn-

ing about each other. Orientation consisted of classes, team discussions, and social events. To top it off, there was

one event called Johnson Outdoor Activity. All the students went to a camping site by a lake, and that whole day,

we participated in team-building activities. It was a lot of fun, and definitely, I think by the end of two weeks, a lot


of us knew each other. Also, at the end of orientation, we find out who is on the same core team. Then, there was a

case competition among all the core teams, sponsored by a CPG [consumer packaged goods] company.

mbaMission: That sounds great. It seems like a good idea to have everybody come together like that to connect

and learn a little bit about one another before diving into classes.

JFY: Yeah, that’s true.

mbaMission: So which resources at the school would you say have been the most impressive or helpful to you so far?

JFY: That’s a good question. I would say some of the clubs are really impressive. Old Ezra [Finance Club] and the

Consulting Club are very good examples. Students in those clubs meet every single week, sometimes multiple

times a week, and the clubs teach you everything from how to dress for an interview, how to network, to how to do

well on cases, or how to answer technical finance questions. They are very intense programs and very successful

at placing students in the financial industry and consulting. So these two clubs are really helpful professional re-

sources. Also, I’ve found the classes to be very exciting and engaging, and the professors are always there to help.

mbaMission: Have you had any interaction with Johnson alumni as part of your job search, or maybe when you

were deciding on the school, before you even enrolled?

JFY: Yeah, absolutely. Actually, I had interactions with many alumni. While I was applying for school, I met a couple

of alumni through events, and they were really helpful. They contacted me continuously to just check up on me

to see if my application was going okay and if I got in. It was really nice to know that they actually cared. I also

reached out to the Cornell Club of Japan, and I just sent an email just for inquiry, general inquiry. And the head

of the Japan Club—he’s the top of 3M in Japan; he’s really busy, I know—but he took the time out of his busy day

to contact me to see if I wanted to join a dinner held at the Cornell Club of Japan. I was really surprised that he

decided to take his time to help me.

And after I got in, I reached out to a lot of alumni for recruiting, and they were very helpful also. A lot of them

contacted me back right away, trying to help. I set up a lot of informational interviews, and even after those inter-

views, they were willing to help. Some of them spoke to recruiters for me and set up interviews.

mbaMission: That’s great to hear. We always like to learn who students consider the “rock star” or “must take”

professors at the different schools. Have you had any professors so far that you thought were really great?

JFY: Every single person that went to Johnson would talk about this professor named Roni Michaely. He teaches a

core managerial finance class. And he is very good—he’s great at teaching, but more than anything, he really, really

cares about students learning the material. For example, we had TA [teaching assistant] sessions every single day


after each class, and there also were special sessions for students who needed extra help. Before the final exam,

we had about 24 hours’ worth of TA sessions to review the entire class material.

mbaMission: Wow.

JFY: It’s from 9 [a.m.] to 9 p.m. for a couple days, and it’s really, really helpful. I learned so much about finance that

I didn’t know before. His class was very impressive.

mbaMission: That’s great.

JFY: Yeah.

mbaMission: As far as the facilities at Johnson, what would you say are some of the strong points and maybe not

so great areas that could probably be improved?

JFY: Yes. The facilities themselves—I would not say this is one of the best things at Johnson.

mbaMission: Okay.

JFY: All the classrooms are underground. So sometimes I wish that there was some sort of light or, you know, that

we could see outside. I wish that, but that’s one of the things that you notice in the beginning, but then you sort

of get used to it.

mbaMission: Sure.

JFY: Other than that, I do not see any disadvantages. We have a great library that is open 24 hours with great librar-

ians. But to be honest, I visited different schools, and I would not think Johnson’s one of the top as far as facilities

are concerned.

mbaMission: That’s fair. How is the wireless access across campus? Do you feel you can get your work done ef-

ficiently, no matter you need to work?

JFY: Oh yeah, absolutely. Internet access is great, but when it comes to phones, some people do have problems

getting a signal because Ithaca is such a small town.

mbaMission: Sure. How would you say social life is at the school? Have you taken part in any really fun events yet?

JFY: Yeah. Every single Thursday, we have a social event called Sage Social. The school sets up alcohol and food

for us, and we all get together and enjoy each other’s company. All the partners are welcome, so a lot of children


are involved as well. And for each Sage Social, they have different themes. Like yesterday, it was the Chinese New

Year, so we had Chinese food. And last year, one of the main events was called Pie in the Face. It’s a charity event

where the students will nominate a couple of people that we want to see get pie in their face.

There are about 20 people who get nominated, and the nominations are presented at the atrium. So we see pictures

of the people who got nominated. And then from that point, we basically pay money to each one of the nominees,

and whoever gets the most money, like ten people, I think, will actually get pie in their face. That way, we raise

money, and then on the day of, we do an auction for who actually gets to throw pie. Roni Michaely, the professor,

was one of the guys who was nominated to get pie in the face. The event was really fun and for a great cause.

mbaMission: That sounds pretty unique. I have heard about a lot of charity events at the different schools, but

I’ve never heard of anything like that. Is it for a different charity every year, or is it always the same recipient, do

you know?

JFY: I actually don’t know, but I know the pie in the face is an annual thing. As far as the organization that gets the

money, I don’t know. I think it changes every year.

mbaMission: Do the professors tend to go to the Sage Social events? And does the dean ever show up?

JFY: Yeah, sometimes I see the dean, probably once or twice a month. That’s pretty frequent. The professors defi-

nitely attend, and we get to talk to professors there. They are always willing to share their thoughts and ideas.

mbaMission: That’s cool. Is the dean pretty involved in student life? Do people have office hours with him, or is he

generally visible around campus?

JFY: Yeah. He’s actually new. I think he started maybe this year or last year, I can’t remember, probably last year.

[Soumitra Dutta was named dean July 1, 2012.] And he’s around a lot, walking around campus, trying to talk to

people, and he’s very, very friendly. Sometimes he even invites students to come to his house for dinner. I see him

at a lot of different student events. He’s very accessible, available and willing to talk to people.

mbaMission: That’s fantastic.

JFY: Yeah.

mbaMission: Is where Johnson stands in the rankings kind of a big deal on campus? Do people talk about the rank-

ings at all?

JFY: I don’t think they care as much. Before coming here, I cared a lot about the school’s ranking. But then when I

came here, people do talk about, “Oh, the new ranking is out. We are this in this magazine, this in that magazine,”


but it’s not as big of a deal, I would say. You would just call us around the top 15. I don’t think people care as much

as I thought.

mbaMission: That’s fair. Well, my final question is kind of an overarching one. What would you like more people to

know about Cornell that they probably don’t?

JFY: Right. So I knew Cornell was going to have a close-knit community, and that’s why I chose it, but I didn’t know

it was this much of a supportive community. Once you are in this community, it opens up so many different oppor-

tunities, and you get connected to impressive alumni quickly. Career-wise, I didn’t even know that the school is re-

ally that strong in investment banking and marketing. I wasn’t aware, but we really place a lot of people in invest-

ment banking and marketing. So I know that people who want banking look at Columbia or, you know, Wharton,

but Cornell is a really good choice as well. And for marketing, a lot of people want to go to Kellogg, but you should

definitely look at Cornell. So if you’re interested in those areas, take a look, because you might be surprised just

how good the program is at Cornell.

mbaMission: That’s great. Thank you again so much.

JFY: Sure. Thank you!


Appendix:

Cornell Johnson Facts and FiguresNote: Facts and figures in this section are prone to change. Occasionally, conflicts may exist between the school’s pub-

lications and its Web pages. Applicants are urged to recheck facts and figures for the most up-to-date information.

Basics

Year Established: 1946

Location: Ithaca, New York

Dean: Mark W. Nelson (2016)

Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid: Judi Byers (2015)

Programs:

• Two-Year MBA

• One-Year MBA

• Tech MBA

• Cornell-Tsinghua MBA/FMBA

• MPS in Management (Accounting)

• Executive Education

• Executive MBA (Americas)

• Executive MBA (Metro New York)

• Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership

• PhD

Joint Degrees:

• Cornell-Tsinghua MBA/FMBA

• MBA/JD (Law)

• MBA/MEng (Engineering)

• MBA/MILR (Industrial and Labor Relations)

• MBA/MHA (Health Administration)

• MBA/MD (Medicine)

• MBA/MPS (Real Estate)

Class Profile (Class of 2018)

Number Enrolled: 279

Median GMAT: 700

Median GPA: 3.39


Average Years Worked: 5

Women: 31%

Underrepresented Minorities (Black/African American, Native American, and Hispanic American): 15%

Countries Represented: 38

International Origin: 33%

U.S. Military: 11%

Employment Statistics (Class of 2016)

Mean Graduating Salary: $121,228

Mean Graduating Bonus: $30,904

Graduates accepted positions in the following industries:

• Financial Services: 32%

• Consulting: 25%

• Technology: 12%

• Consumer Products: 6%

• Manufacturing: 6%

• Legal Services: 3%

• Energy and Utilities: 3%

• Other Industries: 2%

• Real Estate: 2%

• Hospitality or Tourism: 1%

• Media or Entertainment: 1%

• Telecommunications: 1%

Graduates accepted positions in the following functions:

• Finance: 33%

� Investment Banking: 17%

� Other Finance: 6%

� Managerial Finance: 5%

� Financial Analysis: 2%

� Private Equity: 3%

• Consulting: 29%

• General Management: 22%

• Human Resources: 2%

• Marketing: 11%

• Law: 3%

• Other: 3%


Graduates accepted positions in the following locations:

• United States: 92%

� Northeast: 53%

� West: 18%

� Midwest: 8%

� Southwest: 5%

� Mid-Atlantic: 4%

� South: 4%

• International: 8%

� Asia: 3%

� Australia and Oceania: 1%

� Central America and the Caribbean: 2%

� Middle East and North Africa: 1%

� South America: 1%

Top Recruiting Companies:

• Accenture PLC

• Amazon.com, Inc.

• Bank of America

• Bain & Company

• The Boston Consulting Group

• Citigroup Inc.

• Deloitte Consulting LLP

• Deutsche Bank AGEY (Ernst & Young)

• Liberty Mutual Group

• McKinsey & Company

• Microsoft Corporation

• RBC Capital Markets

• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd

• Suntrust Robinson Humphrey


Bibliography

Publications

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Report%20for%202013.pdf

2014 Employment Report. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Johnson. 2014. www.johnson.cornell.edu/.../CMC%20

Employment%20Report%20for%202014.pdf

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Employment%20Report%20for%202015.pdf

2016 Employment Report. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Johnson. 2016. www.johnson.cornell.edu/Portals/32/PDFs/

CMC/2016%20Two-year%20Employment%20Report.pdf

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of Best U.S. Cities for College Students.” October 7, 2014. www.aier.org/american-institute-economic-

research-unveils-2014-2015-ranking-best-us-cities-college-students

Arora, Gautam. “Diwali Celebrations for All.” Johnson student blog. December 12, 2016. www.johnson.cornell.edu/

About/Student-Blogs/Post/214831/Diwali-Celebrations-for-All

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Hogge, Tyler. “What I Learned About Leadership from a 4-Star General.” Financial Times. November 19, 2014.

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Hua, Jonathan. “Young and Inexperienced: Taking the Road Less Traveled to Business School.” Johnson student

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alumni/annualreport/2011-2012/Class_of_2012_Employment_Stats.cfm

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silicon-island

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Learning/Immersion-Article-View/ArticleId/29221/Why-the-Consulting-Program-Made-Johnson-my-Top-

Business-School-Choice

“Meet the Dean: Soumitra Dutta, Johnson at Cornell.” Financial Times. March 18, 2013. www.ft.com/cms/

s/2/0bdc094c-7136-11e2-9d5c-00144feab49a.html#axzz3LPsH7kRV

Nelson, Lisa A. and Michael B. Sauter. “The 10 Best Cities for Millenials.” 24/7 Wall St. July 9, 2012.

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Nikhar, Shiril Sunil. “True Life: Management Cases.” Johnson student blog. April 18, 2016.

www.johnson.cornell.edu/About/Student-Blogs/Post/210994/True-Life-Management-Cases

Perez-Pena, Richard. “Cornell Alumnus Is Behind $350 Million Gift to Build Science School in City.” New York

Times. December 19, 2011. www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/nyregion/cornell-and-technion-israel-chosen-to-

build-science-school-in-new-york-city.html?_r=0

Richards, Ann. “Five tips on how to ace the in person MBA interview.” Cornell Johnson Student Blogs. November

11, 2014. www.johnson.cornell.edu/About/Student-Blogs/post/202859


“Soumitra Dutta Brings a Global Perspective to Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management as the First

Major U.S. Business School Dean Appointed from an International Academic Institution.” Cornell University

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Dutta.pdf

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the-top-100-u-s-mba-programs-of-2011


the-top-100-u-s-mba-programs-of-2012


poetsquants-top-100-u-s-mba-programs-of-2013

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26/poetsquants-2014-best-business-school-ranking


18/harvard-business-school-tops-new-2015-poetsquants-mba-ranking


21/2016-poetsquants-mba-ranking/

“Which MBA? 2011 Full-Time MBA Ranking.” The Economist. October 13, 2011. www.economist.com/whichmba/

full-time-mba-ranking


full-time-mba-ranking


full-time-mba-ranking?term_node_tid_depth=All


full-time-mba-ranking?year=2014&term_node_tid_depth=All


full-time-mba-ranking?year=2015


full-time-mba-ranking?year=2016

Web Sites

BR Consulting: www.consultbrc.com

Cornell Tech: http://tech.cornell.edu/nyc-campus/

Cornell University Alumni: http://alumni.cornell.edu/participate/international/

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management: www.johnson.cornell.edu

Visit Ithaca.com: www.visitithaca.com


Interviews and Other

Anonymous. Johnson First Year. Personal Interview. December 4, 2014.

Anonymous. Johnson Second Year. Personal Interview. December 3, 2014.




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• Sit in on a live online class • Check out InteractTM, our on-demand course

• Know where you stand by taking a practice test • Read our blog for tips and strategies

Why prep with us?

When you have access to the best

teachers, you’ll achieve better

results.

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Real education – not tricks – will help you succeed on the test

and beyond.

OUR STUDENTS

Curriculum based on the actual tests gives you superior

preparation.

OUR CURRICULUM

OURCULTURE

Learning should be fun, not something you suffer through.

Not sure what’s right for you? Give us a call and we’ll help you figure out what program fits you best.Contact us at manhattanprep.com or at 800.576.4628 | (001) 212.721.7400

Your Post-MBA Career

Explore your options and learn about typical

post-MBA fields—including consulting, investment

banking, and private equity—by downloading our

free Career Primers.

Visit the mbaMission blog for posts on effective

networking, acing your job interviews, writing

standout cover letters, assembling a strong resume,

and other valuable tips.

For help defining and preparing to execute your

personal career plan once you have been accepted

but before you even set foot on campus, sign up for

a free 30-minute consultation with one of our Career

Coaches: www.mbamission.com/careerconsult/.

www.mbamission.com

[email protected]

Whether you are entering business school this fall, writing your applications, or just starting to look at MBA programs, now is the time to start thinking about your long-term professional path.

Starts Now!

www.mbamission.com

[email protected]

646-485-8844

Skype: mbaMission

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