“Thank you for your interest. We will not be moving forward with your application at this time.”

Those words have become the email equivalent of “we need to talk” in today’s recruitment communication process. The adrenaline rush that accompanies seeing a firm’s email push notification on your phone screen is topped only by the sinking sensation that follows reading the email body.

I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia this winter break. One of the countries I visited was Thailand, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Though I was traveling for only a few weeks, I tried to absorb as much as I could about the culture, the history and the Thai way of life.

You’ve probably heard of “the Grand Tour.” It was a key fixture of a higher-level education from the 1500s through the 1800s. The idea of the grand tour was that, near the completion of his formal education, a young man (or woman, in later years) would travel Europe and “learn about the world.”

As a full-time MBA student, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with students from a variety of MBA programs during the past year and a half. One thing has become clear to me in that time. The Smith MBA is uniquely focused on data.

That’s a good thing, because the business world is increasingly reliant on data and analytics. There’s a record need for people with analytical skill and managerial training.