PreMBA program

ELI's PreMBA classes were designed to prepare international students who desire to enter a master's degree program in business administration at an English speaking university. The goal is to give them a competitive advantage, not only in their language skills, but also in their knowledge of essential business concepts and skills.

Based on extensive feedback from PreMBA graduates who had gone on to work on their MBA degrees in the U.S. or other English speaking environments, the ELI PreMBA curriculum was extensively modified in early 2001. It now includes a greater emphasis on listening comprehension to better prepare candidates for participation in competitive MBA programs. During the year 2001, ELI received very positive feedback on these changes from its PreMBA graduates who have successfully entered business graduate programs.

Acclaimed author Robert Hagstrom (second from left) met with ELI students and signed his book, The Warren Buffet Portfolio, which is used in the PreMBA class.

Graduates of the program continue to gain entrance to highly competitive programs, choosing the University of Delaware, Drexel, George Washington University or City College of New York in this past year. For the first time, PreMBA graduates also went to the Manchester MBA program and the Inter-national Securities Marketing Association University of Reading in the U.K.

Highlights of the year included a class visit by Robert Hagstrom Jr., author of the universally acclaimed book The Warren Buffet Portfolio, which is used in the advanced PreMBA classes. Hagstrom also serves as vice president and manager of the Legg Mason Focus Trust mutual fund. Another 2001 highlight was a meeting with Jill Felix, CEO of Philadelphia's University City Science Center and the Port of Technology, home of one of the most important "incubators/accelerator" enterprises in the world. The purpose of these enterprises is to help newly established businesses succeed.

This has been an exciting year of progress for the PreMBA program.