UMassOnline Advisor Spotlight: MaryBeth Kimball

Often students need guidance to help them achieve their highest potential. The University of Massachusetts recognizes the essential role that advisors play in the success of students and as a result, spends a great deal of time finding and employing some of the best advisors in higher education. This month, UMass spotlights MaryBeth Kimball, Director of Admissions and Advising at the Isenberg School of Management at the UMass Amherst campus. We caught up with MaryBeth to learn a little bit more about what she does for her students. Find out in the below Q&A.
 

Q: What do you enjoy most about being an advisor?

A: The trust and relationships that are established through advising my students - I make friends for a living! Whether it is helping each of my 350 students choose the right classes and program options available or organizing networking dinners at a conference, what I love most about what I do is helping students achieve their goals and keeping them connected to our school.
 

Q: What would you tell students who are nervous about applying for their MBA?

A: The MBA program at the Isenberg School is very flexible, and every MBA student in our program has access to a dedicated academic advisor who will guide you throughout your program. While many of our MBA courses require about 9-11 hours per week, some such as our accounting, finance and strategy courses require anywhere from 12-15 hours per week. Based upon time availability, students can take one course per semester or more as they also work to balance their full-time jobs and personal lives. We can also customize an academic roadmap for students to follow for the life of their program as they work to reach their Finish Line.
 

Q: What should students who are considering the Isenberg School of Management think about when applying?

A: A school’s accreditation, reputation, and rankings are important when considering an academic institution and program. The Isenberg MBA Program is accredited by the American Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – a gold standard for business schools – and, we are most proud of our reputation and ranking among institutions! Also, the Isenberg MBA Program offers an MBA Program where the core MBA curriculum is the same whether completed full-time on campus or via our Online or evening satellite campuses in Massachusetts. With regard to our admission criteria, for those students needing to complete the GMAT, the average score is 570; however most students who are accepted into our program score much higher. The required work history to apply is 3-5 years but many in our program have 10 years or more. The age range of our accepted students is quite diverse: 28-65.
 

Q: What should I do if I want to learn more?

A: Our MBA Program offers a variety of synchronous “live” virtual information sessions throughout the year – many are held during lunch hours (EST) and some are offered during evening hours. When hosting a virtual session, in addition to sharing a brief program overview following my presentation, I dedicate lots of time to address questions from prospective students about our program, application process, and more.
 

Q: What is something unique about the Isenberg School of Management?

A: What comes to mind first, and mentioned earlier, is that the Isenberg MBA Program offers the same MBA core curriculum across all venue program options (full-time and part-time). In addition, we allow every student in our Part-time MBA Program to take up to 6 credits/2 courses before applying to our program and as long as a B or better is earned in those classes and you are accepted within 3 years of completing them, those courses transfer in the first semester of your matriculation. This is a great way for students to take a couple classes before they decide which program works best. And remember, even students looking to take a few classes before applying, have access to a dedicated MBA advisor who will guide them through this process.
 

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Everything Italian!!