Consider Business Schools That Offer a Summer Start

Summer is usually the season for vacations and short-term internships, but many new MBA students spend a substantial part of it in class.

The University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University and New York University's Stern School of Business are just a few of the schools that offer summer classes and workshops for incoming full-time MBA students.

Summer programs usually allow students to brush up on quantitative skills and get a feel for what life will be like once the official school year begins. They study topics such as financial accounting and statistics, and sometimes take workshops on career management. Many include opportunities for international students to also improve their English language skills and learn about U.S. culture.

[Prepare for business school over the summer.]

New MBA students can certainly put together their own summer preparation plan, perhaps by taking community college classes or reading books that explain the basics of finance, but business school experts say it can be especially beneficial to participate in a formal pre-MBA program.

"It's never going to be as good as learning from the faculty who you're going to have in class," says Michael Stepanek, MBA program director at Kenan-Flagler. "Having exposure to the faculty, having exposure to the professional staff, having exposure to your classmates for several weeks can only have very positive outcomes."

Students participating in summer programs make the transition to business school sooner, before classes and recruiting pick up in the fall, and can start networking with their peers earlier, experts say. At Kenan-Flagler, new MBA students can participate in the Analytical Skills Workshop, a three-week pre-MBA program in July.

Students can take classes on subjects like financial accounting and finance and learn how to refine their elevator pitch, identify career interests and other skills, says Stepanek. The program is optional, but most students opt to sign up.

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"Roughly 200 out of 280 will come and spend the month of July with us," Stepanek says. Students with an interest in financial services can also participate in a separate, three-day workshop -- Tools of Financial Markets -- following the more in-depth workshop for analytical skills.

Brett McFarland completed both programs last summer and says they helped him bond with his classmates, iron out study skills and refresh his knowledge of some aspects of business. Although he could have accomplished these things without the school's help, the programs were worth it, he says.

"I don't think I would have gotten the full grasp of concepts studying by myself," says McFarland.

While summer preparatory programs can be helpful, they can also come at a cost. Kenan-Flagler's analytical skills workshop costs $3,000 if students select the two-class option. A third class costs an additional $1,000. There's no additional cost for the afternoon workshops, lunches, social events or primer on microeconomics.

Other schools, though, offer more moderately priced summer opportunities. At the Marriott School of Management, all incoming MBA students are required to take two online courses, says Treavor Peterson, managing director for the schools MBA programs.

One focuses on accounting finance and the other is an Excel course. Students pay slightly more than $100 for the courses.

"We just want our students to come in focused and prepared," Peterson says. "We just want to ensure that they're all at least on a certain level. And it's easier just to require them all to go through this."

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Incoming daytime MBA students at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business who are concerned about the quantitative and analytical skills needed to thrive in the fall are referred to mbamath.com, says Russ Morgan, associate dean for the Duke daytime MBA program and master of management studies. Fuqua provides access to the site for students at a special rate, Morgan says.

If the online program isn't enough, they can also do a one-week boot camp at Fuqua for $950, which includes meals.

"The depth that they get there is a little bit more rigorous," Morgan says. "There's more coverage of all the analytical concepts and the statistical concepts that students will need to be prepared."

Many programs are flexible when it comes to grades and may allow students to repeat modules or sections that they have trouble grasping. What's most important, experts say, is that students work hard to develop their skills.

"Every MBA program wants you to succeed," Morgan says. The question is, he says, is: "What can you do to position yourself so that you are at a good starting point? Most schools will try and recognize that and help you get to that threshold for starting and being successful in the quantitative classes."

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Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com.