The application process for the full-time M.B.A. program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management has gone completely paperless.  Starting this admissions season, applications are being evaluated solely on iPads, eliminating the need for any printed forms, essays, recommendations, transcripts or other documents.

 

Using a new mobile application provided by Matchbox, a Boston-based software company, the school has streamlined the review and analysis process, allowing admissions evaluators to focus on finding the most distinctive candidates to admit, said Rob Weiler, a UCLA Anderson assistant dean and director of admissions and financial aid. 

 

With an iPad stylus, an evaluator can highlight evidence and score each M.B.A. application across several metrics, including academics, focus, leadership, interpersonal skills and employability, said Craig Hubbell, UCLA Anderson's associate director of M.B.A. admissions. 

 

"Both speed and depth of analysis are enhanced with the Matchbox solution, in a process that is healthier for applicants, admissions officers and trees too," Hubbell said.

 

"Matchbox provides a new flexibility for us to read applications in any location," added Weiler.  "Whether in the office, on a plane or in an admissions committee meeting, we can instantly view files to compare and contrast the key points of the candidates under consideration."

 

Going paperless is especially timely, given the large increase in applications that the full-time M.B.A. program has received so far this year. Prospective M.B.A. students have responded enthusiastically to new innovations in the core curriculum and UCLA Anderson's refocused outreach, driving applications up by more than 20 percent. 

 

"The ability to readily target candidates who fit with our community will have a profound effect in the classroom and beyond," Weiler said. "We look forward to seeing the fruits of our efforts in the stellar M.B.A. class of 2014."

 

The UCLA Anderson School of Management: Celebrating 75 years of business beyond usual, the UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the leading business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty members are globally renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides a distinctive approach to management education to more than 1,800 students enrolled in its M.B.A., fully-employed M.B.A., executive M.B.A., global executive M.B.A. for Asia Pacific, global executive M.B.A. for the Americas, master of financial engineering, doctoral and executive education programs. Combining selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a worldwide network of 37,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.

 

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