MBA Preparation Program for International Students: An Immersion Program

For the past six years, The Boston Language Institute has offered an intensive, personalized 3-week preparation program to incoming international MBA candidates at top business schools in the Unites States and Canada.  These include MIT’s Sloan School of Management, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Northwestern’s Kellogg School and Columbia Business School.  An immersion experience, the program is designed with an emphasis on interactive learning that challenges participants to significantly improve their language and communication skills through intensive, small-group sessions and a curriculum tailored to their specific needs. This approach has proven so successful that we are now offering it to incoming MBA candidates at other highly regarded institutions.

Program Outline
To meet the varying needs of incoming MBA candidates, participants will have the flexibility to choose from a 1- or 2-week immersion program or the 3-week full immersion program.  There are two sessions held daily from Monday to Friday -- the morning session meets from 9:00-12:30 and the afternoon session from 1:30-4:30.

The morning sessions are devoted to preparing participants to thrive as MBA students by developing strong communication skills critical to success at business school. The Boston Language Institute’s MBA Preparation Program uses a multitude of business-related resources, including current case studies, as a basis for developing new knowledge while improving debating, persuasion and negotiation skills. The afternoon sessions focus on particular language-based skills, such as giving effective presentations or leading meetings and discussions.

The small class size and intensive nature of the program ensure that every student receives personal attention from expert faculty throughout the program.  In addition, a variety of seminars, which have included in-depth workshops on accent reduction and acculturation, are offered according to student needs and interests at various points throughout the course.  Each week culminates in an interactive, student-centered project, which acts as a point of departure for further expanding communication skills.

In addition to the weekday sessions, weekend activities are also sponsored by the Institute as an extension of the program to help students better acclimate to a North American city.  In previous years, excursions have included walking tours of Boston and visits to points of interest around the city.  As part of The Boston Language Institute’s commitment to providing the highest level of satisfaction to each student, additional classes and activities are designed and developed according to the specific requirements of the participants.

The Boston Language Institute Advantage
Using the Communicative Approach and drawing on practical business skills, The Boston Language Institute, with 28 years of expertise in language education, tailors the curriculum to meet students’ linguistic needs in small, intensive classes, generally of 2 to 6 students. Lead Instructors and senior faculty, who possess years of both English teaching and real world business experience, are devoted to providing the highest quality MBA preparation course available. This program is both a rigorous immersion in practical English and presentation skills as well as an experience in acculturation. This combination provides critical support in adjusting to academic and social life in the United States and Canada.

The needs of the student are paramount -- and they vary from person to person and from year to year.  While a dynamic core curriculum focuses on the necessary skills to succeed in top MBA programs and in business, there is flexibility in the syllabus to address specific areas and critical skills, thereby giving participants choice and ownership in their educational development.  Once a participant has enrolled in the program, individualized oral assessment interviews, conducted by one of the program’s Lead Instructors, take place well in advance of the program’s start date to better understand each participant’s overall needs and specific language objectives.  That input is used to finalize and fine tune the syllabus to each participant’s goals.  No other MBA preparation program matches this level of individualized client service.

Course Dates and Tuition
The MBA Preparation Program will be offered twice in 2009. Session I will meet from June 8 through June 26 (registration deadline May 1) and Session II from August 3 through August 21 (registration deadline July 1). Enrollment is open after the deadline on a space-available basis with a $150 non-refundable late fee.

The normal tuition for this immersion program is $4,950.  We are offering a special rate, however, for 2009 of $3,495 for the full 3-week program.  The tuition for any two weeks of the program is $2,595 and for one week $1,395.  This includes all testing, registration and materials fees. 

To learn more or to register, please contact Ms. Behnaz Rezaei, vice president, at behnaz@bostonlanguage.com, or call 617-262-3500 x225.