Visits and Events

MBA for a Day

Join us on campus to learn more about the Penn State Smeal MBA program, the application process, student and career services and the MBA curriculum. While you're here you'll also get a tour of the Business Building, and the chance to sit in on a live class. During these pre-scheduled group-visit dates, you will have the opportunity to interact with the entire MBA community, including current students, faculty and staff. Watch the Video!

All MBA for a Day events begin at 8:30 a.m. and normally run through approximately 3:00-4:00 p.m.

After the formal MBA for a Day events conclude on 9/17 and 11/12, Kaplan Test Prep will host free GMAT workshops from 3:00-4:30pm for those who wish to learn more about the test and test-taking strategies. While not a required part of the day, we think the information will be useful to those still getting ready to take the exam. Please let us know if you plan to attend this portion of the event by sending a confirmation e-mail to amallison@psu.edu

Pre-MBA for a Day Diversity Dinner

Please join us on Sunday, February 10th at 6pm at the Nittany Lion Inn for a Diversity Dinner for prospective candidates hosted by MBA Admissions and the Minority MBA Association. The dinner will allow candidates  to meet current students in the program, Admissions Director, Stacey Dorang Peeler, and Assistant Dean for Diversity Enhancement Programs at the Smeal College of Business, Jamie Campbell. We look forward to welcoming you to campus, and hope you will also register for the full MBA for a Day program on Monday 2/12. For more information on the Diversity Dinner (and for information on lodging for this event) please e-mail Stacey Dorang Peeler at sld138@psu.edu. The event is free to candidates, but you must reserve your seat no later than 2/6.

Individual Visits

If you can't make it to one of the scheduled MBA for a Day events, we can arrange an individual visit to the campus. We strongly suggest scheduling your visit on a day that you can observe an MBA class session in action, and you have time for lunch or coffee with one of our current students. Contact our office at visitsmealmba@psu.edu or call us at 814-863-0474 to schedule your visit.

Experience the Penn State Smeal MBA in Philadelphia

The same outstanding faculty who teach in the full-time MBA program at University Park also teach in the Executive MBA program at the ACE Conference Center near Philadelphia, PA. If you would like to experience what it's like to be a Smeal MBA, but can't travel to University Park easily, this is a great opportunity to get a feel for the culture and classroom experience, and meet the faculty who serve students in both programs. EMBA classes and open houses are held each Saturday (with some exceptions) from 9:45am-2pm. Those exploring a full-time MBA are encouraged to attend. For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact MBA Admissions Director, Stacey Dorang Peeler, at speeler@psu.edu.

Penn State Smeal MBA Coffee Connections

Connecting Penn State Smeal MBA Alumni with prospective MBA Candidates in a networking/recruiting coffee session.

Would you like to meet a local alumnus of the Penn State Smeal MBA program to have your questions answered and get a feel for the program? We are proud to announce the Penn State Smeal MBA Coffee Connections Program. To submit a request send an e-mail to amallison@psu.edu with "Coffee Connections" in the subject line. We will do our best to pair you with a local Alumnus of the program who has volunteered to meet and speak with you about our school. If there is not an alumni available in your city, we will connect you virtually to a current student or alumni. Enjoy!

JD/MBA Information Session

Considering a JD and/or an MBA degree? Please join Penn State Smeal MBA Admissions Director, Stacey Dorang Peeler, and Penn State Law Senior Director of Admissions, Grant Keener, to learn more about the JD/MBA joint program through Penn State Law and the Smeal College of Business on Monday, October 29th at 6pm in 214 Business Building. Please RSVP by October 24th.

Register for this event

MBA Admissions Meet and Greets

Salt Lake City Admissions Meet and Greet
Tuesday 8/28
Rodizio Grill, The Brazilian Steakhouse
6pm-8pm

We invite you and your family to join Penn State Smeal MBA Senior Admissions Adviser, Ann Mallison, and alumnus, Ken Clark (Smeal MBA Class of 2007), for dinner at the Rodizio Grill, Brazilian Steakhouse on Tuesday 8/28 from 6pm-8pm.  We look forward to the opportunity to meet you in person and help you learn more about the Penn State Smeal MBA experience! If you plan to attend, please register for the event at by 8/20.

Register for this event

Admissions Director and Alumni Meet and Greet
Tuesday 9/4
JW Marriott Hotel/La Terraza Café and Bar
6pm-8pm

Please join Penn State Smeal MBA Admissions Director, Stacey Dorang Peeler, and alumnus, Oscar Mejia (Smeal MBA Class of 2008),for a casual Meet and Greet at the JW Marriott Hotel/La Terraza Café and Bar on Tuesday 9/4 from 6pm-8pm. Light refreshments and cocktails will be served. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you in person and help you learn more about the Penn State Smeal MBA experience! If you plan to attend, please register for the event at by 8/31.

Register for this event

Meet Penn State Smeal MBA Alumni in China
Please join us for a special information session and reception for prospective MBA students, interested in the Penn State Smeal MBA Program. We will hold information sessions in Beijing on Oct 27, 2012, and in Shanghai on Oct 28, 2012.

Topic: PSU Smeal Business School Introduction and Application Tips

Shanghai Information Session:
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct 28th from 2PM to 4PM
Location: Junior Ballroom, 5th Floor, JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Tomorrow Square, 399 Nanjing West Road, Shanghai, 200003 PRC
Direction: Subway Line 1 and 2, People Square Stop, Exit 13

Beijing Information Session:
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct 27th from 2PM to 4PM
Location: Drawing Room II, Grand Hyatt Beijing, Beijing Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing
Direction: Subway Line 1, Wang Fujing Stop, Exit A or Subway Line 5 Dongdan Stop, Exit A
Attire: Business Casual

RSVP: To Cynthia Yu via e-mail at yxy5015@gmail.com by Oct 23rd.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Penn State Smeal MBA Program alumni who work for Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Good Year, Coca-Cola, Dell, Dupont, Citigroup and other fortune 500 companies. They are going to share B-School life and job hunting tips with you in the info session. We look forward to meeting you.

Webcast Archive

Webcasts are live online audio and visual presentations that offer relevant information quickly while offering chat functionality. Ask your questions and receive instant responses from the presenters. Webcast recordings are available in our video library.

Chat with Us!

Admissions questions? Connect with a current student or member of our admissions team via Skype. Someone will be available to answer any of your questions on most Wednesdays from 9:00am-11:00am EST and from 1:00pm-3:00pm EST. See the table above for the dates of these special live chat events. Find us @ pennstatesmealmba. (Can't make a scheduled Skype chat session? E-mail us at smealmba@psu.edu or call us at 814-863-0474, and we'll be happy to help you.)

GMAC Twitter Chat

Chat live with a panel of experts from the Penn State  Smeal College of Business and  the George Mason University School of Management! We will be talking about the new Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT exam. Plus, they will answer all your questions about MBA admissions, career paths, and more!

Need another reason to tune in?

Join us for a chance to win! We will select one participant in this chat to win a FREE GMAT Paper Test set.

Chat Hosts
Ann  Mallison, Sr. Admissions Adviser, Smeal MBA, Penn State
Jackie Buchy, Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment, George Mason University

What Is a Twitter Chat?
A Twitter chat is an online conversation that takes place among a group of people on Twitter about a specific topic of interest. Twitter uses hashtags to track discussions. Our hashtag is #MBAchat. To join Twitter, sign up here.

How Do I Participate?
Follow @OfficialGMAT
Follow our guest hosts: @SmealMBA and Need @GeorgeMasonU Twitter Feed
Use #MBAchat in all your tweets, and follow the #MBAchat hashtag
Can't join us live? Ask your questions on Twitter using the #MBAchat hashtag now, and read the transcript later.

During the Chat
Make sure you use the hashtag #MBAchat in all of your tweets. To follow the full chat, search for the #MBAchat in the search box.

Past Chat Transcripts

Please find below chat transcripts from previous admissions cycles. For the 2011-2012 academic year we will replace the chat format as it exists now to allow more flexibility for prospective, admitted, and enrolled students to talk online with the admissions team and current students. Stay tuned to our events page for updated information and opportunities to connect with us!

Visitation Weekend 2013 - April 4-6

Admitted Students are invited to join us for a great way to get to know the program and the community. They will meet future classmates, get to know current students and alumni, try their hand at analyzing a business case, get the inside tour of Smeal and Penn State, and see what it's like to be a part of this special community.

See a glimpse of what it was like to attend last years event.