PROFESSIONAL ADVISING LEADERSHIP FELLOWS TRAINING PROGRAM
DETAILED REPORT, Spring 2006
Natalia Rozanova
Deputy Director/Senior Educational Adviser Moscow EducationUSA Advising Center Nikolo-Yamskay 1, Moscow 109189, Russia 7-495-777-6532 nnr@useic.ru www.useic.ru
Detailed Project Description
Last April (11th-29th) I participated in Professional Advising Leadership Fellows Program (PAL) held in the United States. PAL is a unique program that enables advisers to conduct research on a specific topic as well as to enhance their leadership skills.
Project Title: “Getting a Master of Business Administration in the U.S.: Peculiarities of the Application Procedure for the Full Two-Year Programs." Reasons I have chosen that particular topic:
MBA programs continue to be one of the most desired fields of study among Russian students. According to the Moscow EAC statistics 18 percent of our visitors are interested in getting information on business-related degrees; The Center receives a lot of business-related requests from other regions; The Moscow EAC hosts internship training programs for other Eurasian advisers to teach them about application procedures for US professional programs, including business programs; Desire to expand center outreach activities to business organizations, to offer lectures and workshops on getting business education.
Objectives vs. Outcomes Project Summary. Goals and objectives:
My primary research goal was to gain a better understanding of the admission committees’ objectives in making their decisions about accepting MBA students, and the availability of financial aid for international students. I wanted to become more knowledgeable about the programs offered by the business schools that I was going to visit and to find answers to specific questions that I have collected from my colleagues and advisees. I also wanted to become better acquainted with different teaching methods applied at business schools, particularly the case study method by sitting on several classes. I was also very interesting in learning how business schools' career centers work. During the program I had a chance to visit seven business schools, which were: University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business; University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration; Georgetown University, The Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business; University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business; George Washington University, School of Business; Duke University, Fuqua School of Business; University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Belk College of Business.
and one commercial organization which was Bank of America I met with business professors, admission officers, and career center officials; and I also spoke with Russian students. I was also given an opportunity to sit in on three classes (one in Darden and two in Fuqua) and observe discussions on leadership, ethical and business related issues. I managed to collect a lot of information and established a good relationship with business school representatives. I am glad that the program met my expectations and hopes that I had before attending it. The program enriched me with new knowledge and answered the burning questions I collected from my advisees. Below are my notes and speculations that might serve as a response to such questions and I hope they might be interesting for other advisers as well. Funding MBA education Business education in the U.S. is very expensive; the two most popular questions I got from the business students were the following: Are there any financial aid available for international students interested in getting MBA in the U.S., and if there is any chance to get a loan? In the course of my research I came to conclusion that: Yes, financial aid is rare for MBA students, but there is some available. The financial aid situation varies from school to school, but the general tendency is the following: most top-10 schools (for example: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Fuqua, and Darden) guarantee a loan for tuition and living expenses (that way a student’s upfront payments are minimal), in case he or she is accepted. Many very good schools, not in the top-10, are ready to give students substantial scholarships. A Russian student whom I met during my trip explained to me that, for example, The Paul Merage School of Business, at the University of California at Irvine, offered him 50% off of his tuition; another student was offered full tuition from George Washington University. Several school representatives (for example, Robert H. Smith School of Business) mentioned to me that they have a so-called 'blind admission' process, which means they evaluate each candidate without knowing his or her financial situation. If they accept a student they do their best to help him or her cover educational expenses through the combination of granting merit-based scholarships, offering graduate assistantship and a loan. The criteria for selecting the best candidate for financial aid include their GMAT score (typically, 700+), prior academic achievement, demonstrated qualities of leadership, involvement in the community, extracurricular activities and professional accomplishments. It was also interesting for me to learn that in most cases students do not have to apply separately for financial aid. Every applicant - whether from the US or from other countries - is automatically considered for merit-based scholarships if he or she marked an item in the application form. Choosing the right school Another group of questions dealt with a task of choosing the right school or schools. There are a lot of criteria for comparing schools and tons of materials are provided on this topic in reference books. I would like to focus only on ones that were most often mentioned by the admission people. They all recommended to start the selection process not with reading information about schools but identification of students' personal motivations and answering questions: Why do I need an MBA? Why now? The answer to these important questions will help future candidate to make a self-assessment and determine his or her interests and future goals. It is obvious that the results of this thought process will affect the selection one. For example, if a person is dreaming about becoming an accountant and looking for very specific program, he or she might be interested in applying for a Master of Science in Accounting rather than for a MBA in a general management program. This is a good choice for those who would like to have more flexibility in finding a job after the graduation. If you are not very good at oral
communication and do not like to speak in front of the class, your application to and study at Darden or Harvard, two leading case-study schools, can be very problematic. It is only at a first glance that all business schools look very similar: all speak about how they prepare future leaders and enrich their students with teamwork experience. They are, in fact, very different and an applicant's task is to identify that difference and find the program that fits his or her interest. Some of the factors that one needs into consideration are the following: program's content; reputation; teaching methods that prevail; list of companies that recruit in that particular school. The general advice is the following: try to find out as much as possible about the school you are interested in. Make sure to look through their web site, talk to alumni, read forums, blogs, attend MBA fairs and talk to educational advisers. Are Rankings important? It is not a secret that most business students start their schools selection by looking through different publications that have schools rankings. It is really hard to overestimate or underestimate the importance of these lists. On one hand, we are aware of the fact that rankings are based on different factors and very subjective, so we usually recommend students to use them only at the initial stage of school search but to not rely on them completely. On the other hand, we all know how schools are anxious to occupy the highest place at rankings tables and how they always try to attract students' attention to the facts of how they were ranked by different publications and forwarding the one that gave them the best evaluation. During my conversation with representatives from top schools, they all confessed the existence of very good schools with very strong programs that are not ranked very highly. They recommend students not to get caught in an endless loop of rankings and to look for other criteria. At the same time when I wondered if recruiting organizations are looking at the rankings and preferring graduates from top schools (highly ranked), they confessed that that is the truth. The Bank of America representatives who remarked on the same topic was also very indicative. When I asked a group of human resources managers how they decide where to go to interview candidates, they said they first of all look at the magazine "U.S. News & Report" and choose the top 25 schools for their recruitment purposes. Transcripts Some schools ask students to submit paper transcripts when they apply. Others ask to fill out an on-line application form, asking to provide so-called "self reported" transcripts. Later, if a student is accepted to the university, the student is required to send certified transcripts, in both English and their native language, by mail. When I discussed Russian transcripts with admission staff, some of them told me they still do trust notarization offices in Russia. Other said it would be great if a student certifies his or her papers at the university he or she graduated from. I also learned that schools do not have unified policy regarding the transcripts format. Some schools (Wharton) says they just need an attachment to the diploma and others (Duke) informed me they prefer to receive more a detailed picture from a student: something that looks like a copy of zachetnaya knizhka with a semester list of all courses. None of the schools I met with required Apostle from the Russian Ministry of Higher Education or have any idea what it looks like. Essays Schools take applicants' essay very seriously. They always offer more than one topic for the applicant to write on. Many schools offer a so called 'additional essay' which offers the
student a chance to explain his or her discrepancies (for example, poor progress during his or her study at university, etc.) I was wondering if an admission officer is able to determine whether or not an essay is authentic or was written by a commercial organization's representative. I was told it is really hard to tell if a student wrote it. At the same time, they reassured me if they have any suspicions about a document authenticity they do several things to make sure that fraud had not been committed: they can conduct an interview, talk to candidate over the phone, look at GMAT scores, etc. They also have an access to actual GMAT essays that they can check. Many admission officers complained of being tired of reading the same things all the time and urged students to be more creative with their essays. They also mentioned three key questions that each applicant needs to write about: Why MBA? Why now? Why that particular school? GMAT The results of GMAT scores are very important. All schools confirmed they consider high GMAT score as a very important criterion for selection of candidate. Quantitative schools, like Wharton, look capaciously at the math section of GMAT. Careers centers and job searches. I was told that most MBA students start looking for a job from the beginning of their enrollment at business school. Even if this statement is an exaggeration, it still says to what extend an MBA is career-oriented field of study. During the program I tried to learn not only about admission process but also about the work of career centers and their role in helping students to find a job. The main conclusion I came away with after dozens of conversations with those people is the following: it is student's responsibility to find a job, not career center people. I was very impressed by the work of the career center's staff - dedicated professionals who do their best to establish a strong relationship with recruiting organizations, maintaining a vacancies database, distributing information about jobs available for international students, helping students to develop skills they need to be successful during job application process (writing resume, going through the interview, etc.) I also had to try to find answers to two questions I was asked many times by my advisees: Do I have any chances of finding a job in the US? Which organizations/industries welcome international students? All students who come to individual consultations said they plan to come back to Russia after graduation or tie their future with work in international business organizations in Europe or other parts of the world. At the same time during group sessions, I heard questions that dealt with a long-range outlook for finding a job in the U.S. After collecting some information on that issue I can give a positive answer to the first question and say that “Yes, some students manage to find job in the US after graduation. It is not easy but it is possible both for undergraduate (pre-business) and graduate (MBA) students. Even top school graduates have to display exceptional abilities and conduct careful accurate job searches in order to find a good position at an American company. Trying to answer the question Why it is so difficult? very briefly, I would name two main reasons: limitation in the number of H1B visas that the U.S. government offers every year (they usually announce the exact number of H1Bs available in October), and the complex bureaucratic procedure companies have to go through to prove they need that particular person to occupy that particular position. The application is costly for companies; the application fee is about $4000 - 5000 and requires a lot of paper work. In spite of those difficulties as I mentioned before, some students find jobs in the U.S., and the companies that welcome them are working in the following areas: bank investment, consulting, accounting, and insurance. MBA students and career changes This program helped me not only to find answers to my questions but also to destroy some earlier perceptions. Since all business schools are so persistent in finding out students' future plans and require
them to have a very clear idea of a career in their application, I had a wrong impression when thinking that business students do not tend to change their career plans while studying at school. In other words, I thought that a person who wants to get a strong preparation, let us say, in marketing will focus on studying that particular specialization and will not switch to another one while at business school. Meetings with schools representatives persuaded me as being very naive. According to career center staff, approximately 50-80 percent of all their students tends to change their mind very often. There might me several reasons for that. First of all students have a chance to learn about and explore other opportunities; as well as to try in different roles. They start seeing things in a different light. They meet new people that affect their final decision in choosing a profession. After communicating with career center staff they become more realistic in their intentions and plans. For example, I was told that many international students, that had the intention to practice marketing in the U.S., had to switch their specialization during the course of their study, and eventually coming to the conclusion that one needs to be a specialist not only in marketing but also in American culture, customs and traditions in order to do marketing in this country.
Follow-up and Next Steps
As I mentioned before I am very pleased with the program results. At the same time I also realize that participation in the program under no circumstances puts an end to my research and further professional growth capacity. It gave me new ideas on how to work more effectively with students, opened new directions in my work, and made me look at many things from another standpoint. I visited only seven schools and that was a good start and now I will have to investigate other places (thr. Internet, books, alumni, and presentations) to see a bigger picture. For example, at present, I am working on a handout entitled "Funding US Business Education". My knowledge dealing with financial aid situation for international students in all seven schools I visited gave me a powerful incentive to further research of the situation in other schools. It helped me to better understand which directions I need to investigate, which questions to ask myself and admission staff, as well as how to analyze results collected. I am happy with program and eager to share my experience with other advisers. I have submitted an article for regional newsletter. I am in a process of submitting a proposal for the NAFSA conference where I am going to give presentations with other two PAL participants: Natasha A. and Rohayma R. My short-term goals also include working on training materials for Eurasian advisers who will visit our center this year, writing an article on MBA issues in Russian for the local newspaper, continue cooperation with US representatives from the schools I have visited, etc. Regarding the people who hosted me, I find all of them a wonderful source of information for my students and me. Upon my arrival in Moscow I keep in touch with many of them, asked questions. I also plan to host the presentations dealing with business schools from those who will take part in the MBA Tour and come to Moscow in October. That will be a good opportunity for our students to get first hand information as well as advertising for US schools.
Recommended Resources (websites, books, other resources for those researching similar topics)
Events: Annual MBA tour held in many cities all over the world (the latest information on the event for 2006 is available at http://www.thembatour.com/ Books:
How to Get into the Top MBA Programs, Richard Montauk Getting into Graduate Business School Today, Thomas H. Martinson and David P. Waldherr How to Get into the Right Business School, James L. Strachan Game Plan for Getting into Business School, Michele F. Kornegay 88 Great MBA Application Tips and Strategies to Get into a Top Business School, Brandon Royal Web sites: AACSB - www.aacsb.edu EducationUSA - http://educationusa.state.gov/graduate/admissions/entrance.htm Petersons - www.petersons.com/mba/code/search.asp MBAinfo - www.mbainfo.com/srchform.html Gradview - www.gradview.com/search/index.jsp PrincetonReview - www.princetonreview.com/newsletter.asp BusinessGradschools - www.gradschools.com U.S. News & World Report - www.usnews.com/usnews/home.htm MBA Strategy - http://mbastrategy.com.ua/content/category/2/1/29/ (has profiles of different schools and a lot of articles devoted to MBA as a field of study) MBA.US - www.mba.us.com/guide MBAprograms - www.mbaprograms.org TopMBA - www.topmba.com MBA-Forums - www.mba-forums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17 Which MBA on-line - http://mba.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=top100 Allbusinessschools (on-line degrees) -http://www.allbusinessschools.com/ Note: Register at www.businessweek.com to get a free update on business schools information from The Business Week on a weekly basis check calendars of the local commercial organization that offer GMAT courses. In addition to their regular paid activities sometimes they host lectures of different business schools that are free of charge for audience Miscellaneous: anecdotes, travel information Besides attending business meetings and workshops during the program, we all had a wonderful opportunity to travel to different cities in the US, to communicate with ordinary people, sightsee, enjoy the American outdoors, etc. Since we traveled so extensively, we all went through many interesting moments during our voyage; and later during the debriefing held in Washington D.C. each of us had a chance to exchange our views among our colleagues. I was not an exception from the group and had enough information to share with my fellow program participants. Trying not to tire you with my endless list of funny stories I have, let me introduce you to two most memorable ones. Volunteers! Leave the plane.. When I was traveling from Philadelphia, PA, to the city of Charlottesville, VA, I entered the plane and started to prepare for departure: buckled my seatbelt, made myself comfortable, and closed my eyes anticipating a pleasant flight. All of a sudden, a voice of air hostess came on the loud speaker wih a firm request: Ladies and gentlemen, I have to inform you that our plane is overloaded and two people will have to leave it. At present, we are looking for volunteers. If there are no such people, we will have to call two passengers' names at a random and ask
them to obey. Everyone was very upset and started buzzing. Hopefully they will not call my name,…I was thinking at that very moment,…I am so tired, I can not wait for another 7 hours at the airport to catch a new flight…Please, not me… I will not leave the plane! thoughts hammered in my temples… The air hostess listened to the people's hum for sometime and pronounced the following phrase smiling at us: As you are aware, according to the policy of US airways those two who agreed now to leave the plane will be given a chance to get free tickets to any direction of the US during the year. After those words four people got up at once and directed their steps to the exit. I need only two, I need only two people - the air steward screamed. Phuf.. I sighed with a feeling of relief. Later I learned that I found myself not in a unique situation and that it is usual practice for the airlines to give compensation to people in such situation and there are many those who are happy to use this chance, but then, for me it was a shock and I was very frightened. Another interesting episode also dealing with a flight I took happened to me in one day when I was traveling from Charlottesville to Charlotte, NC. When I arrived at the local airport to depart to Charlotte I found that I was the ONLY passenger for that flight. I was very happy they did not cancel the flight but I felt really strange sitting alone in a jet that accommodated approximately 40 people. When I went up the stairs to the plane the pilots and the air stuart were smiling at me and saying: Welcome to your private jet, Ma’am! It was also funny when three technical people were carrying my only small suitcase and I laughed when the captain said: As we have a full flight today, please, occupy your seats as fast as possible. The funniest thing about it was the fact that when I was flying on a plane to the US from Moscow, I saw a movie where the main hero found himself in similar situation (but the plane was bigger, of course, and he was even offered a business class seat). I watched the movie and was thinking how ridiculous the scene was and in two weeks later, I came across the same situation in real life. That was amazing! Advice for future PALs 1) Conduct preliminary research of the issue you are interested in, be aware of the subject, and try to read as much information as possible regarding the issue before the program. 2) Thoroughly study the web page of the schools you are going to visit. The more you know, the more specific questions you will have. Do not be surprised that some of US reps you will be meeting to will try to refer you to their web site to avoid answering your questions, so you need to have very clear idea about the information they have. 3) You will have a chance to visit a limited number of schools and it is in your interest to learn the situation in as many places as possible. During your conversations with US representatives ask them questions comparing the situation in their respective schools with other ones. 4) Be prepared not only to ask questions on the issue you are interested in but also to answer some of them. During your trip that will be situations when you have to show your how knowledgeable you are. US representatives will test you to identify your level of knowledge to understand how specific they need to be talking to you. 5) Take notes; you will not remember everything that you think you will 6) Do not be nervous about not being able to find places on campus (certain offices, people, etc.) Traveling over the US is a pleasure and very easy process when you have tickets in hand and detailed directions from the College Board.
Appendix: list of contacts/institutions
University of North Carolina - Charlotte Mary B. Zink; Office of Intermational Programs; 118 Denny Building; UNC Charlotte; 9201 University City Blvd; Charlotte, NC 28223-000; Phone: 704-687-2442; Fax: 704-687-3168; mbzink@email.uncc.edu; www.uncc.edu/oip Joel Gallegos, Executive Director, Office of International Programs, jagalleg@email.uncc.edu; Tel: (704) 687-2442, Fax: (704) 687-3168; 118 Denny Susan Lambert, Director, Intercultural Outreach Programs, Office of International Programs; slambert@email.uncc.edu, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, 704/687.3059 Fax:704/687.3166 Elizabeth Freeman, Director, international student admission, undergraduate, ehfreema@email.uncc.edu, Tel:704/687.3474, Fax: 704/687.3279 Ronald A. Veith, Director, MBA Program; Raveith@email.uncc.edu, Tel: 704-687-6058 ; Fax 704-6872809; The Belk College of Business, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, mba.uncc.edu Daryl L. Kerr, Ph.D, Interim Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Student Affairs; Phone 704-687-2548; Fax 704-687-4014; Dlkerr@email.uncc.edu, The Belk College of Business, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, www.belkcollege.uncc.edu George Washington University Touran Waters, Associate Director of Admissions, tawaters@gwu.edu, Tel: 202-994-6054; Fax: 202994-0325, www.gwu.edu/~go2gw Academic Advisor, School of Business, Office of Admissions 2121 I Street, NW (Rice Hall), Suite 201, Tel: 202-994-8614; Sharon Schuler, Executive Associate and Study Abroad Coordinator, Carrie Harris, Director of the GWSB Advising Center, Duques Hall, Suite 660, 2201 G Street, NW, Tel: 202-994-7027 Laraine Quinn, GW Business School, MBA Administration, Duques Hall, Suite 550, Tel: 202-994-3828 Darby Scism, Director, Graduate Career Center, Duques Hall, Suite 560, Tel: 202-994-0710 Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park Janet P. Richert, Managing Director, Office of Career Management, Robert H. Smith School of Business, 4570 Van Munching Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-1815, TEL (301) 405-5910; FAX (301) 405-7666; jrichert@rhsmith.umd.edu, http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu Sabrina White, Director, MBA and MS Admissions, swhite@rhsmith.umd.edu, Robert H. Smith School of Business, 2308 Van Munching Hall, Tel: 301-405-2559; Fax: 301-314-9862; http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu Georgetown University, The Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business Monica Gray, Director of Admissions, [MPG@georgetown.edu]; 3520 Prospect Street NW, Washington, DC 20057; Tel: (202) 687- 4200 University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School of Business Thomas R. Caleel, Director, MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, tcaleel@wharton.upenn.edu; Tel: (215) 898-6183, Fax: (215) 898-0120, http://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/mba; Mae Jennifer Shores, Senior Associate Director, The Wharton School Univercity of Pennsylvania, 420 Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 3730 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.6340, shoresm@wharton.upenn.edu; Tel: 215.898.6183, fax 215.898.0120, Tonio Palmer, Director, Language Programs, Marketing & Recruiting palmer2@wharton.upenn.edu; The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies; The Wharton School/School of Arts nd th and Sciences; Lauder-Fischer Hall, 2 Floor, 256 South 37 Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6330
Tel: 215-898-6843; Fax: 215-898-2067; www.lauder.wharton.upenn.edu Jennifer Savoie, Associate Director, MBA Career Management; savoiej@wharton.upenn.edu; 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia PA 19104-6029; 50 McNeil Building; Tel: 215-898-4383 ; Fax: 215-898-4449 Sara Simons, simonss@wharton.upenn.edu; 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia PA 19104-6029; 50 McNeil Building; Tel: 215-898-4383 ; Fax: 215-898-4449 Marilyn Yakowitz, Ph.D., M.B.A. Senior Associate Director; Wharton MBA, Admissions and Financial Aid; yakowitz@wharton.upenn.edu; 420 Jon Huntsman Hall, 3730 Walnut Street; Philadelphia, PA. 19104-6340; Tel: 1 215 898-9730 Patricia Rose, Director, Career Planning & Placement (Undergrad); McNeil Building, ground floor, Suite 20, McNeil Building, 3718 Locust Walk Judith Silverman, Sr. Associate Director, Office of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, judiths@wharton.upenn.edu, Suite 420, Jon M. Huntsman Hall , 3730 Walnut Street, Tel: 215.898.6183; Fax: 215.898.0120 University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration Jon Megibow, Director of Operations; megibowj@darden.virginia.edu; Tayloe Murphy Center 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville VA 22906-6550; Tel: 434 924-7265 Jim Clawson, ClawsonJ@Darden.virginia.edu, Area Coordinator, Leadership & Organizational Behavior Jay Bourgeois, Associate Dean for International Affairs, BOURGEOISJ@Darden.virginia.edu, Faculty Building, Room 252 Denise Karaoli, Asst. Director, International Programs and Opportunities, Career Development Center; karaolid@darden.virginia.edu Haley Whitlock Gyory, Associate Director of Admissions, Darden Graduate School of Business; gyoryh@darden.virginia.edu Duke University – Fuqua School Natalie D'Aubermont Thompson, Assistant Director, International Center, natalie@duke.edu; the Fuqua School Of Business, Duke University, Box 90125, Durham, NC 27708-0125, Tel. (919) 660-3731, fax (919) 681-6243, Meghan Leypoldt, Asst. Director of Admission ; Meghan@mail.duke.edu, Tel: 919-660-7701 Bertrand Guillotin, Director, International Center; Bertrand@mail.duke.edu, Tel: 919-660-7931 Steve Dalton, Assistant Director of International Programs and Opportunities; the Duke MBA Career Management Center; steve.dalton@duke.edu, Tel: 919-660-7811 Sheryle Dirks, Director of the MBA Career Management Center; sheryle.dirks@duke.edu Dr. Michael Lenox, Assoc. Prof. of Management; mlenox@duke.edu Bank of America Angela L. Haney, IMBA, PHR; angela.l.haney@bankofamerica.com, MBA College Staffing, Global Consumer and Small Business Banking, Gateway Center, 901 W. Trade St., Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Tel : 704-683-6334 Fax 704.683.8140 Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Sandy Mitchell, Managing Director, Products and Services, Mitchell@gmac.com, 1600 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1400, McLean VA 22102, Tel: 703-749-0131; cell: 703-625-0044; www.gmac.com Admissions Consultants, Inc. David Petersam, President and Founder; dpetersam@admissionsconsultants.com; Tel: 703-242-5885 www.admissionsconsultants.com