We are back with Bailey McChesney, Director of MBA Admissions at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series.
With almost 15 years of experience with the Vanderbilt Owen Recruiting and Admissions Team, Bailey McChesney is passionate about equipping candidates with the knowledge they need to navigate the MBA admissions process and transition to business school. Throughout her tenure at Vanderbilt, she has gained comprehensive insights into the admissions process, and her role encompasses overseeing application evaluations as well as coordinating onboarding initiatives for incoming students in the Vanderbilt MBA program. She loves coffee and is excited about football returning this fall.
Read on for Bailey’s insights into the MBA application process, program highlights, and her favorite spots on campus.
Clear Admit: What is the one aspect of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?
Bailey McChesney: The Vanderbilt MBA program is dedicated to helping students achieve their career goals both at graduation and throughout their professional journey by emphasizing career education, coaching, and resources tailored to navigate the MBA job market effectively. We prioritize bringing in talented students and equipping them with the tools they need to chart their career paths. Over the past few years, the Owen School has consistently surpassed the employment-at-graduation rates of its peer institutions, as well as many aspirational schools. Additionally, the program has seen improvements in our employment-at-three-months metric. These successes highlight the competitiveness and career preparedness of Vanderbilt graduates.
CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision?
BM: Our team is structured so that an applicant gets support throughout the process. Once a candidate indicates their interest in the program, they have an assigned Recruiting Manager that serves as their main point of contact and advocate all the way through enrollment. We know that candidates spend a lot of time crafting their application, and our operational procedures reflect that same level of care.
The Enrollment Management Team confirms we have received all application materials after application submission, and the application immediately begins going through the process. The interview is an essential component of the application and helps the Admissions Committee get a full picture of the candidate’s potential. Once an application is complete, with all materials and an interview, the application goes through a review process with members of our team. After a thorough review, our Admissions Committee works to make final decisions and invite candidates to join the program.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read an essay? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
BM: We want to get to know applicants and learn what is meaningful to them. We are really looking for candidates to reflect on their experiences and go beyond their resume with the essay portion of the application. Within our application, we have two required essays – one focused on the candidate’s career journey and decision to pursue an MBA and one asking candidates to walk us through a stressful situation and what they have learned in the process.
While we are looking at the practical writing ability in the essay, our team hopes that the admissions essays add depth to the application as a whole. For candidates, it is important to recognize that the essays are completely in your control – you don’t have to worry about getting nervous and not articulating something the way you want to. You get to choose every word and share what is meaningful to you. Use your essays to paint a full picture and take the opportunity to fill in any potential unanswered questions.
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately how many applicants do you interview? Who conducts the interview and what is the nature of the interview? Will your admissions interviews be in-person or virtual for the 2025-2026 admissions season?
BM: Our interviews are offered by invitation on a rolling basis after a candidate has submitted all application materials. While most interviews are conducted virtually, we are so excited to be offering in-person interviews this year as part of our weekday campus visits and Discover Vanderbilt Business weekend events. Candidates who attend one of our events may conduct an in-person interview as part of their visit. We have no preference for interview format and encourage candidates to schedule the interview option that works best for them.
Our interviews are conducted by 2nd-year MBA students or members of our team. The interviewer has only seen the candidate’s resume, giving the candidate an opportunity to highlight their experience and what has led them to pursue an MBA. We want to get to know candidates and hear from them in their own voice, so the interview gives an opportunity to go beyond a resume to learn more about candidates’ experiences and goals.
CA: If your application features an impromptu video interview/video essay, how does it differ from the main interview? What should applicants know about this step in the process?
BM: While our evaluative interview is structured more like a job interview, our video essay is intended to be more like small talk. We crafted the questions to be fun and easy to answer. Our team loves hearing candidates share their favorite vacation spots or their favorite hobbies. The video essays are a way to give us insight into who you are and your communication style.
CA: Is there anything in particular international students should keep in mind during the admissions process?
BM: We deeply value global perspectives within our program and eagerly welcome international students each year to enrich our community. We understand that it can be challenging for international students to gain insights into an MBA program without an in-person visit and encourage candidates to participate in our virtual offerings and engage in conversations with current students. Our first 4 rounds are open for international students, and recommend candidates start early to ensure you can submit all materials with your application seamlessly.
CA: What is your favorite spot on campus?
BM: The Vanderbilt campus is right in the heart of midtown Nashville and is beautiful year-round so it is hard to pick just one place. Alumni Lawn is so green, open and breathtaking that you almost forget you are in a city! On a sunny day, it’s fun to see students walking the sidewalks or studying on the grass.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about your MBA program or admissions process?
BM: Supported at the highest levels of leadership, Vanderbilt is focused on building one of the strongest, most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems in higher education. This vision has a strong foundation at Owen with the Center for Entrepreneurship, an interdisciplinary initiative, housed in our school. The center fosters a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem with structured programs, financial support (entrepreneurial scholarships and over $300,000 provided to student founders via non-dilutive grants annually), and networking. The Center continues to evolve with new initiatives like the Vanderbilt Venture Scout program, an advisor and mentor network, Founders Confidential (a YPO like group of alumni and student founders), a Startup Career Fair, the Vanderbilt Entrepreneurship through Tech Transfer Program, and the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program, as well as several thematic accelerators. In the spring semester, we were thrilled to highlight this commitment to entrepreneurship through our Convoy Conference which brought 794 alumni and students together for three days of entrepreneurial programming. During the conference, we had multiple founders return to campus, including 7 of our unicorn founders, as well as over 80 investors representing $32 B in dry powder on campus.
