Effective written communication skills are critical to a manager's ability to define goals, develop an argument, and persuade an audience. To ensure that MBA students have developed these skills, each student must pass a writing requirement before beginning advanced coursework. Students submit for evaluation copies of two papers written for their organizational behavior, marketing, or business and public policy courses. A writing consultant will evaluate the papers and provide tutorial assistance to students who require additional work.
As a general rule, I evaluate immediately papers that are submitted early in a semester. However, as the semester progresses, I often get whole classes turning in work at the same time. Such spikes in demand reveal bottlenecks in the workflow. I can only grade about eight papers an evening when I have no consultations. Thus, people who might potentially face a registration blockage should submit early in the semester.
Once your paper or papers are evaluated, I send you an e-mail and put the corrected text or texts in your mailbox. If all is well, you pass. If the texts show room for improvement, I ask you to schedule a consultation. I can give private consultations at times other than break. During breaks, I give group consultations. Private consultations take about 15 minutes; group sessions run half an hour. Please bring your corrected text and any questions that you might have.