Tag: Admission

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Student academic integrity and the admission process

By Dr. Vlad Krotov

Academic integrity and the admission process in business schools.

Students must adhere to the highest academic integrity standards in order to receive a quality business education. All major accreditation agencies for business schools place a great deal of emphasis on ethics. For example, ethics and integrity is one of the main guiding principles of AACSB – the most prestigious accreditation for business schools worldwide. 

Despite that, some business schools treat ethics and academic integrity among students as an afterthought. Most business schools have student conduct rules and academic integrity policies, but these important instruments are not put to action until it’s too late. Academic integrity issues are often dealt with when they arise (usually, via a nerve-wrecking investigation process and subsequent severe punishment). This punitive “inspection approach” is time consuming, nerve-wrecking, and often unfair to students who are not fully aware of all rules and nuances of academic integrity. 

Instead of relying on this passive approach to enforcing academic integrity, business schools should focus on proactively preventing academic integrity issues from arising. This proactive “prevention approach” should start with the admission process. Quite often business schools admit students who are not fully aware of ethical standards in relation to academic work, are not prepared academically (and, thus, are likely to “cut corners”), or simply lack personal integrity for making ethically sound judgements consistently. A business school should do its best to inform students about their standard in relation to academic integrity and reject those applicants who are not likely to adhere to these standards. 

A business school can incorporate the following approaches into its admission process to minimize chances of academic integrity incidents among students:

Clearly communicate expectations during the admission process.  In application materials, websites, and admission communications, clearly articulate the school’s commitment to academic integrity. Include a code of ethics or integrity statement that applicants must acknowledge and agree to.

Conduct admission interviews. Interview all the applicants, even if their application materials look perfect. Don’t over rely on transcripts and standardized test scores to assess a candidate’s technical competency. Ask technical questions in relation to the courses that the candidate has taken to make sure that the candidate’s GPA and standardized test scores accurately reflect his or her abilities. Ask ethical dilemma questions during interviews to gauge an applicant’s ethical decision-making skills.

Require integrity essays or statements. Ask applicants to write essays or statements about their understanding of academic integrity and their commitment to upholding it. Use these essays as a basis for evaluating an applicant’s character and values.

Check references. Contact references provided by applicants to inquire about their character and adherence to ethical standards. This can provide valuable insights into an applicant’s integrity. If the person who wrote a reference cannot say anything specific about the applicant, this is a big “red flag”. It could be that other application materials cannot be trusted either. 

Review personal statements. Scrutinize personal statements for any signs of academic misconduct or unethical behavior. Ask questions about personal statements during interviews. A personal statement that is plagiarized, inaccurate, or written by someone else should warrant rejection of the application. 

Orientation and Training. Offer orientation sessions on academic integrity policies and procedures as part of the onboarding process for admitted students. Include training on proper citation, avoiding plagiarism, and ethical decision-making in an academic context.

Faculty involvement. Involve faculty members in the admission process, especially in interviews and reviewing essays or statements. Faculty can provide valuable input on an applicant’s potential for ethical behavior and spot “early warning signs” of a potentially problematic candidate.

By incorporating these practices into the admission process, business schools can set clear expectations for ethical behavior among students from the outset and send a strong message that academic integrity is a core value of the business school. Moreover, candidates who are likely to commit academic integrity violations due to lack of preparedness or poor personal choices can be eliminated from the program. This proactive and preventive approach helps create a culture of integrity that fosters quality of education and benefits all the stakeholders. 

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Why do business schools move away from standardized test scores?

By Dr. Vlad Krotov

For decades, graduate business schools around the world have been using the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) scores as one of the major selection criteria. Today, some business schools are beginning to de-emphasize the importance of GRE and GMAT scores in their admission criteria, recognizing that they might not be the most accurate predictors of success in a graduate business program. Standardized test scores are being used as optional by many graduate business programs, including some of the top ones. 

On the one hand, standardized test scores serve as a simple and reliable criteria for assessing certain skills of aspiring applicants, such as quantitative reasoning and analytical writing skills. On other hand, standardized tests have been plagued with numerous issues when used as the primary selection criteria for business school applicants. Some of the problems are discussed below:  

    • Limited Assessment: GRE and GMAT scores primarily assess quantitative and verbal reasoning skills, along with analytical writing ability. They may not fully capture an applicant’s broader skill set, such as leadership, creativity, communication, and interpersonal skills. These “soft skills” are crucial for success in business and management. It has been observed by many business schools that some applicants with outstanding test scores lack these skills and do not even seem to show a great deal of potential to improve.
    • Test Anxiety: Some students experience test anxiety, which can negatively impact their performance on standardized tests. There are some business schools that worry that requiring standardized test scores may discourage potential applicants from applying. 
    • Bias: It has been argued in research literature that standardized tests can exhibit cultural, socioeconomic, and gender biases that may disadvantage certain groups of applicants. As a result, requiring standardized tests may put certain groups at a disadvantage, creating an unfair admission process. 
    • Reduced Diversity: Relying heavily on standardized tests might inadvertently limit the diversity of the admitted student body. Candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, different industries, or with unique skill sets may not be accurately represented by these tests.
    • Preparation Disparities: Performance on GRE and GMAT can be influenced by the extent of test preparation. Students who can afford to spend time and money on test prep courses or resources might have an advantage, potentially leading to inequities in the admissions process. For example, younger students may have more time on their hands to prepare for these tests in comparison to older, working adults. Thus, this may put busy, experienced executives at a disadvantage when applying to programs that actually have experienced executives as their target market.  
    • Mismatch with Program Goals: For some business programs that focus on specialized fields or non-traditional business disciplines, GRE and GMAT scores might not align well with the specific skills and knowledge required for success in those areas.
    • COVID-19 Disruptions: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in test administration, including cancellations and changes to the testing format. This has prompted some schools to temporarily  or permanently waive standardized test requirements.
    • Cheating: While companies administering standardized tests take numerous precautions to protect the integrity of the examination process, some students still manage to cheat on these exams. In the COVID-19 era, many standardized tests were administered online, which exacerbated the issue. Admission professionals and program directors routinely come across applicants with “sky high” test scores who appear to lack basic quantitative and verbal skills. Some graduate business programs choose to interview all the applicants to verify their skills and credentials “in person”. 

Given these challenges, many business schools are reevaluating the role of GRE and GMAT scores in their admissions process and considering more holistic approaches that consider a wider range of factors when evaluating applicants. Some business schools are moving towards more holistic admission approaches, considering factors like work experience, recommendation letters, interviews, and personal statements. Overreliance on GRE/GMAT scores might overshadow these valuable insights into an applicant’s suitability for the program.

While many accredited business schools do require standardized test scores as a part of their admission process, it should be noted that some of the most prominent accreditation agencies for business schools, such as AACSB, do not explicitly require standardized test scores to be used in business school admission. An accredited business school is typically required to have a formal admission process to select applicants who are likely to master the program learning outcomes. Therefore, accreditation agencies emphasize overall education quality rather than specific selection criteria.