MBA Admissions Director: Strategy & Enrollment

Melissa leads strategy, recruitment, and enrollment across a portfolio of MBA and Specialized Master’s programs. A respected voice in graduate education, she brings over 20 years of experience designing admissions systems that are effective, inclusive, and human-centered. Her career includes leadership roles at top institutions, including Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where she served as Director of Admissions for the Full-Time MBA and MSMS programs.

Known for her cross-functional collaboration, Melissa works at the intersection of education, innovation, and impact, building pathways that enable talent to rise and thrive.

She is a frequent speaker and thought partner on the future of graduate education, enrollment strategy, and leadership development. Outside of work, she finds joy in sailing, hiking, reading, and dining outdoors, especially on a perfect day.

Keep reading to get tips on how to write your most authentic essay, what to expect from the application process, and highlights of the MBA program and campus life.

Get an insider’s take on MBA admissions at Goizueta Business School at Emory University with Melissa Rapp, Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions, in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A.

Melissa Rapp is the Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions for Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

Clear Admit:
What is the one aspect of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?

Melissa Rapp: Goizueta is launching a redesigned curriculum this year. For the past 2 years, we conducted research with current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and corporate partners to inform the updates. The new curriculum is more dynamic and thoughtfully prioritizes cross-functional problem solving and career readiness.

The changes include more quantitative preparation during onboarding, a technology course that evolves with the latest trends, co-teaching and shared case studies across functional areas, earlier focused preparation for internship interviewing, and Flexible Fridays in the Fall to accommodate networking and interview opportunities.

We are also introducing Growth Week, a week focused on bringing the fundamentals learned in the core curriculum together in an interdisciplinary way. During Growth Week, student teams will compete to solve a business problem of a corporate partner. This year it will be Coca-Cola.

The new curriculum retains aspects of the previous curriculum, such as completing a semester-long client project and elective options within the first year to better prepare students for successful internships.

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?

MR: I think of each application round like the start of a race—every applicant crosses the starting line at the same time, but the course each one takes may vary. After the deadline, we begin initial reviews and start sending out interview invitations. Invitations continue to go out for several weeks, depending on the flow of the process and what we learn along the way.

From there, it’s a dynamic race. Initial reads, interviews, and second reviews are all happening simultaneously. Every application also gets a final review and a recommended decision before we meet as a team to look at the full picture and make final calls.

No two paths look exactly alike, but our process is designed to ensure that each candidate gets a fair, thorough, and unbiased evaluation. We’ve built in multiple layers of review to ensure every applicant is given the consideration they deserve.

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?

MR: We approach the written and video essays as opportunities to get to know the person behind the application. We’re not looking for perfection; we’re looking for…