The Sofaer International MBA is an intensive one-year program designed for 50 students from a wide range of professional, academic and geographic backgrounds. Academic excellence, professional depth, broad life experience, and innovative creativity are distinguishing factors of successful Sofaer candidates. As a tight-knit community, the Sofaer Admissions Committee also takes extra care to focus on a candidate’s interpersonal and group-work skills as well as their experience working within international environments.
Admissions Criteria
The below information outlines Sofaer’s admission criteria.
Academics
The Sofaer International MBA’s curriculum is composed of 5 academic modules that include 6 weeks of classes, a review week, and an exam week (total 8 weeks). The core of the academic curriculum is compiled of courses that are, in majority, quantitatively focused. Sofaer students are charged with digesting challenging material within a relatively short amount of time. Thus, the Sofaer Admissions Committee evaluates the level of familiarity applicants have with the program’s academic material and their confidence in the applicant’s ability to digest this material within Sofaer’s 11-month academic time frame.
Academic requirements
- Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university
- For an applicant to be considered they must have an undergraduate GPA above 72
- Full GMAT or GRE exam (Candidates with a PhD are exempt from the GMAT/GRE)
Professional Experience
The Sofaer program is an intense full-time experience. Students are expected to excel in their academics while maintaining a responsible and active role in group projects, case competitions, internships and more. In addition, students are required to partake in a wide variety of professionally-focused extracurricular activities throughout their year, accumulating in an active job search process.
Experience has shown that students who have spent a longer time in the work place tend to be better prepared for the multifaceted Sofaer year. Thus, applicants are encouraged to apply with at least 2 years of work experience. The average Sofaer student has 4+ years. Learn more about Sofaer’s approach to work experience with Sofaer’s Admission Director.
The quality of an applicant’s professional experience is evaluated via:
- CV
- Professional recommendations
- Case analysis
- Essays
- Personal interview
Life Experience
The Sofaer program is a tight-knit community. Academic courses and the Professional Development Curriculum are very group-work orientated. Students are expected to be active and accountable teammates while in the program and responsible and engaged citizens as alumni.
While professional experience plays a large role in shaping a candidate’s personal qualities and work ethic, the Sofaer program places additional focus on experiences gained outside the professional sphere. Applicants are encouraged to share with the Admissions Committee relevant personal experiences and extracurricular activities that have contributed to their personal growth and maturity.
Such experiences can be shared via:
- CV
- Essays
- Personal interview
Innovative creativity
The Sofaer program is located in the cultural and economic heart of Israel – a country that is dynamic and innovative with a business culture rooted in creative thinking and entrepreneurship. While not all candidates are expected to be seasoned entrepreneurs, the Sofaer program welcomes candidates who have demonstrated innovation and creative thinking in their personal and professional histories. Examples of innovation and/or creative thinking in successful candidates range from those who have started their own companies to those who have created information management solutions for their place of employment.
A candidate’s level of innovative creativity is evaluated via:
- Professional recommendations
- Case Analysis
- Essays
- Personal interview
