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Published: August 11, 2019
Episode 45: Wire Taps—Military Experience, Consulting Career, Social Impact and More
We continue with our dynamic podcast series, Wire Taps, as diverse prospective MBA candidates post their profiles and admissions queries to MBA ApplyWire.  Clear Admit’s admissions tools, ApplyWire, DecisionWire and LiveWire, inform this new podcast series, as Alex Brown and Graham Richmond review entries from MBA hopefuls and then offer guidance on select profiles in each episode. Read more
Published: August 8, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: NYU’s Student-led Impact Investment Fund Completes Its First Deal
If you want to understand some key hallmarks of the MBA experience, look no further than NYU's Impact Investment Fund (NIIF).  First, it's student-led, giving participants hands-on leadership experience and skills that translate to real world success.  Second, it represents the educational advantage of being part of a larger university–NIIF was born out of collaboration between the NYU Stern School of Business, the Law School and the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.  And what's more, it represents the ideal goal of blending business and social impact. Recent Stern & Wagner double-degree student Gabriel Ng ’19 recently shared with Clear Admit his experience with NIIF and the educational journey to its first deal.  Read on for some on-the-ground insights. NYU’s Student-led Impact Investment Fund Completes Its First Deal by Gabriel Ng MBA/MPA ’19 Read more
Published: August 7, 2019
UVA Darden Students Share MBA Application Advice
Current MBA students are one of the best resources for learning what it takes to get accepted into your target business school.  They are recent applicants themselves and, therefore, know what it takes to stand out in the process. At UVA Darden, rising Second Year students shared a blog filled with MBA application advice for full Full-Time MBA applicants. Here’s what they had to say. Apply Early According to Allie Medack, the last thing you should do is wait until the last minute to start the application process. She found business school applications to be highly introspective, and so felt that she needed time to reflect on her experiences and who she was as a multi-dimensional person. “Your genuine excitement will catch the Admissions Committee’s attention and help you shine through the pack.” Read more
Published: August 7, 2019
First-Generation MBA Students at Oxford Saïd Reflect on Higher Education
Many difficulties can be associated with being a first-generation MBA student.  Oxford Saïd students recount such challenges as coming from an impoverished background or attempting to explain school to family without a frame of reference; however, many have transcended the challenges of being first-generation thanks to the diverse cohort in the program.  With a focus on inclusion, the community's welcoming atmosphere has been essential to their success and comfort in higher education. “One of the beauties of Oxford Saïd is, there is such variety here that everyone has a unique background,” explained RK Kelford, a Saïd MBA student. “First-generation students are just one of the many different facets.” Read more
Published: August 7, 2019
Episode 44: Insights into Harvard’s New Joint Degree, MS/MBA Biotechnology – Life Sciences Program
As Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria said, “The world needs more leaders able to bridge science and business.” The new joint MS/MBA Biotech: Life Sciences Program at HBS and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences aims to develop such leaders.  During the program, students will learn to build business models to support scientific discoveries and development, to lead science-based organizations in research culture and organizational behavior, to make investment decisions to improve access to therapeutic services, and much more. So, what inspired Harvard to launch this—only its second—MS/MBA joint degree?  Who should apply for this program instead of solely the MBA?  What are the admissions requirements?  What will the coursework be like?  What are the potential career paths for MS/MBA Biotech grads? Read more
Published: August 6, 2019
MBA News You Need: Admissions Advice from Northwestern Kellogg, Cornell Johnson, and Dartmouth Tuck Plus MIT Sloan and London Business School Offer Summer Reading
Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of August 5, 2019. Read more
Published: August 5, 2019
MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: Define Your Long-term Goal
As applicants consider what business schools to shortlist, many are posting to Clear Admit’s MBA ApplyWire, an admissions tool for feedback on candidacy, school choice and more.  This week, we take a closer look at an MBA hopeful applying to Columbia, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, and Yale SOM.  Read on for the details. Resident admissions expert Alex Brown kicked off the thread: Read more
Published: August 4, 2019
Tuck School of Business to Host Free Webinar on August 7th – “A Walk Through the Tuck Application”
The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has made some exciting innovations to the application process. Join Clear Admit and Tuck for a free chat about some of the tips and best advice for filling out the Tuck MBA Application.  Whether you’re planning on applying or just beginning to consider an MBA and wonder if Tuck is a good fit for your aspirations, this is your opportunity to gain valuable insight into applying to Tuck. Bring your questions! Valeria Wiens, Associate Director, Evaluation / Admissions & Financial Aid & Lesley Nesbitt, Associate Director, Yield with the Read more
Published: August 4, 2019
Episode 43: Wire Taps—Advice on Low GRE, Re-applying, Government Background and More
Our new podcast series, Wire Taps, continues this week as more and more MBA hopefuls post their profiles and admissions questions to MBA ApplyWire.  Clear Admit’s admissions tools, ApplyWire, DecisionWire and LiveWire, are the foundation for this new podcast series, as Alex Brown and Graham Richmond review them and then offer advice on select entries in each episode. In this fourth installment of Wire Taps, Graham and Alex discuss four new entries in MBA ApplyWire.  One candidate needs to improve their GRE score Read more
Published: August 1, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: Tuck WIB – The Moment I Knew Tuck Was Right for Me
Many applicants spend so much time wrestling with fundamental questions about their MBA programs before taking the plunge:  Which school is the right cultural fit? Which schools will open doors in X industry? Which school offers the best value? Dartmouth Tuck MBA student Alex Wood T’20 took to the Tuck 360 Blog to unpack the moment she decided the school was the right place for her, and how their Women in Business Conference informed her involvement with the event now. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Tuck 360 Blog. Read more
Published: July 31, 2019
Cornell Johnson Wins Consortium TEAM Trophy Award
To win the Consortium's Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Trophy Award, peers at member schools must demonstrate a keen commitment to the organization's mission to "enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership." This year—and for the third time since the launch of the award in 2004—Cornell Johnson earned it. Read more
Published: July 31, 2019
Meet the NYU Stern Class of 2021: Diverse and Highly Academically-Inclined
NYU Stern got a jump start on introducing their Full-Time MBA Class of 2021. This week, they released their preliminary class profile on their admissions website. Of the 3,518 applicants hoping to join the NYU Stern Class of 2021, only 919 were admitted and 359 enrolled, for a 26 percent admission rate. Those students are, on average, 28 years old and have 5.2 years of professional experience. A few of them were also fresh graduates, with 3 percent having no work experience. Read more
Published: July 30, 2019
MBA News You Need: Chicago Booth Alumnae Highlight Faculty, UT McCombs Top 5 MBA FAQs, New Dartmouth Tuck Networking Hub, and More from LBS and Oxford
Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of July 29, 2019. Read more
Published: July 29, 2019
Interviewing at Columbia or INSEAD? Grab Our Interview Guides!
With Columbia Business School and INSEAD rolling out interview invitations, it is prime time to practice for this key part of the MBA admissions process with the Clear Admit Interview Guides.  The Clear Admit Interview Guide to CBS will prepare you for the blind nature of their Q&A sessions.  With the Clear Admit Interview Guide to INSEAD, you will learn how to ace both of your alumni interviews. What's Inside? These digital guides include first-hand interview accounts submitted by real applicants through our Interview Archive.  In addition to lists of sample questions consistently asked of applicants, the Clear Admit team has combined its years of admissions counseling and expertise to analyze the most frequently asked ones, and offer insight into what specific schools are looking for in response.  Read more
Published: July 29, 2019
MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: Needing the Numbers and More
As MBA hopefuls consider their chances at the leading business schools, many are posting to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, an admissions tool for feedback on candidacy, school choice and more.  This week, we shine the spotlight on two candidates. The first has some room for improvement with their academic stats while applying to Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall, and Yale SOM.  Read on for the details. Resident expert, Alex Brown, took the stage, so to speak: Read more
Published: July 28, 2019
Episode 42: Wire Taps—Advice on Timing of Applying, Post-MBA Goals, Military Background and More
MBA ApplyWire has been buzzing with entries from this year’s crop of applicants and we are excited to keep discussing them in our new podcast series, Wire Taps.  In each episode, Alex Brown and Graham Richmond offer advice to MBA applicants to improve their admissions strategies, increase their chances of acceptance, or determine where to matriculate, based on entries in Clear Admit’s admissions tools, ApplyWire, DecisionWire and LiveWire. For this episode of Wire Taps, Graham and Alex discuss four more posts to MBA ApplyWire.  One candidate is a young Asian female with blue chip experience and wondering about timing; another needs help fleshing out his long-term goals.  An MBA hopeful from the Singapore military and LGBTQ community is also featured, along with another applicant looking to transition to investment banking. MBA hopefuls can share details about their candidacy (GPA, GMAT/GRE, career goals and more) and also identify potential target schools in MBA ApplyWire—it’s a platform for applicants to use in the early stages of their business school application journey.  The Clear Admit community, alongside our staff, then provides input on the applicant’s chances of admission. Read more
Published: July 25, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: Lessons from MBAT – Trust, Camaraderie, and Leading from Behind
MBA students spend a lot of time with one another both in and outside the classroom. Since community is at the heart of the MBA experience, many programs spearhead innovative—and fun—initiatives to fortify the relationships that naturally develop between students. Colin Tierney '18-'19 took to the Oxford Saïd Business School blog to share lessons learned from the recent MBA Tournament, which assembled students from across the world to spar in a friendly competition featuring sports, dance, music, and more. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Saïd Business School blog. Read more
Published: July 24, 2019
MBA News You Need: Non-traditional MBA Candidates Should Be Optimistic, Berkeley Haas on Global Leadership, Meet HBS Pride, and More from UT Austin / McCombs and Cornell / Johnson
Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of July 22, 2019. Non-traditional MBA Candidates Should Be Optimistic Non-traditional MBA candidates without undergraduate business backgrounds are often accepted to leading business schools, according to Vanderbilt Owen's MBA admissions committee.  Whether your background is in the military, Peace Corps, Teach for America, or performing arts, non-traditional candidates have become more commonplace in many MBA programs. The truth is that business schools want a balance of candidates and appreciate a diverse array of perspectives.  “I think by having people who have not been steeped in in corporate America—it’s really helpful to have outside perspectives,” said Rob Schickler, Associate Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt Owen. “The more diversity you have, the more groupthink can be avoided.” So, how do you ensure that as a non-traditional candidate you have the best chance of getting accepted into an MBA program? Read more
Published: July 24, 2019
Register for the 2019 Forté MBA Forums for Women
Registration is open for the 2019 Forté MBA Forums.  Designed for women considering an MBA, the Forums provide an ideal opportunity to learn more about the value of an MBA from admissions reps, alumnae, and current students at top business schools. Open to all women—career changers, college students planning the future, or career professionals looking to go to the next level—the events provide a distinct MBA advantage. About the Forté MBA Forums The MBA Forums are FREE and held in 11 cities across the U.S. and Europe. The events are a chance for women to build their peer support network and meet other successful businesswomen from a diverse range of industries. The MBA Forums offers exclusive insights into the MBA admissions process. Read more
Published: July 22, 2019
Three Ways to Use MBA DecisionWire in the Summer
At this point in the summer, many MBA applicants are prepping for the GMAT, reflecting on potential recommendation-writers, and deciding which schools to target in the fall. Some are even getting some initial feedback on their candidacies via MBA ApplyWire. Our team of experts loves hearing about your plans and sharing their thoughts on your schools and application strategy. We have another Wire tool that can be tremendously helpful to MBA hopefuls who are just starting their application processes – though its usefulness may be a bit less obvious. MBA DecisionWire allows Read more
Published: July 22, 2019
MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: A Career in Non-profit
As MBA hopefuls prepare for the 2019-2020 Round 1 and early admissions deadlines, many are posting to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, a forum for feedback on your final choice of schools and approach to admissions.  This week, we shine the spotlight on a candidate with a non-profit background (and potential future) applying to Berkeley / Haas, Michigan / Ross, Penn State / Smeal, UCI Merage, UCLA Anderson, UT Austin / McCombs, and Vanderbilt / Owen.  Read on for his profile information and more from our admissions experts. Clear Admit’s resident expert, Alex Brown, kicked off the conversation about coursework, goals, school choice and more: Read more
Published: July 21, 2019
Episode 41: Wire Taps—Advice for a First Generation College Grad, Engineer, Entrepreneur and More
We are moving right along in our new podcast series, Wire Taps, during which our resident admissions experts, Alex Brown and Graham Richmond, discuss entries in Clear Admit’s admissions tools, ApplyWire, DecisionWire and LiveWire. In each Wire Taps episode, Alex and Graham offer advice to MBA applicants to improve their admissions strategies, increase their chances of acceptance, or determine where to matriculate. For this episode of Wire Taps, Graham and Alex discuss four recent posts to MBA ApplyWire.  One candidate is a head of trading, and also a first-generation college grad and immigrant; another needs help deciding how to present their work experience.  An MBA hopeful from an engineering company in Africa is also featured, along with another applicant with a history of (and ideally future in) entrepreneurship. Read more
Published: July 21, 2019
MBA Admissions Brief: Berkeley / Haas
This edition of MBA Admissions Brief takes us to California, where Assistant Dean of the Full-time MBA Program and Admissions, Pete Johnson, walks us through opportunities and features of the MBA at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Pete Johnson, Assistant Dean, Full-time MBA Program and Admissions, Berkeley Haas School of Business Johnson previously served in Berkeley MBA Admissions for 11 years, including as associate director, director of international admissions, and as executive director of MBA Admissions through 2010.  He then headed to Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, followed by acting as the vice president for enrollment & international programs at Dominican University.  He rejoined the Haas staff as assistant dean in 2016. The culture at Berkeley Haas centers around four defining principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence without Attitude, Students Always and Beyond Yourself.  The MBA curriculum emphasizes experiential learning and problem-solving in order to help students become innovative leaders. Read on to learn more about the program and best strategies for admission from the assistant dean. What would you say to someone who’s applying next fall and just getting started in the MBA application process now? Signing up for boot camp is a good idea. It’s an eight-step process put together by the admissions committee to help make applying to business school, whether that’s Haas or elsewhere, a little less intimidating. The boot camp includes checklists, it includes questionnaires to help people think about their personal brand, and includes thought questions to do candidates’ own self-reflection. Allowing candidates to think about why they want an MBA and what are the criteria that are most important to them as they consider business school. We have a template that candidates can provide to their recommenders to help them talk through how they might reflect on some of those questions as well. Read more
Published: July 18, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: My MBA Timeline – Year 2 at Chicago Booth
Last week, Fridays from the Frontline featured the first-year experience of recent Booth graduate Monisha Shivakumar.  Now, we continue along the rest of her business school path, from a summer internship through graduation. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Booth Experience Blog. Read more
Published: July 17, 2019
Columbia MBA Students Discuss Leadership and Impact in the Nonprofit Sector
If you’re looking for professional development opportunities and ways to make an impact, serving on a nonprofit board might be the perfect outlet. At least that’s what many Columbia Business School students are discovering. The latest trend at CBS is joining a junior board of directors for nonprofit governance. Read more

MBA Applywire

4
November 29, 2024 6:18am ET
Applying: Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton
Pre-MBA Career: Investment Analyst Endowment
Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking, Asset Management, inc. HF Companies: JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , Blackrock , Goldman Sachs
GMAT: 760
GPA: 3.44
Years of Work Experience: 3.5
Location: Chicago
Post MBA Location: Chicago/NYC
Notes:

I currently do direct startup investments and M&A for a healthcare system, and lead coverage of equities in their endowment $15B AUM. I want to peruse an MBA to do a PE secondaries or emerging market research. I have a CFA level 2 so I feel like the former is more doable than the latter.
1
November 28, 2024 10:49pm ET
Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Accountant
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Booz Allen Hamilton , Ernst & Young
GRE: 311
GPA: 3.22
Years of Work Experience: 2.5
Location: Ghana
Post MBA Location: Accountant/Public
6
November 28, 2024 8:12am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology
GMAT: 645
GPA: 84%
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: Brazil
5
November 27, 2024 5:44pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Pre-MBA Career: Corporate Communication Specialist
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GPA: 3.9
Years of Work Experience: 6
Location: Indonesia
4
November 27, 2024 12:00pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, London Business School, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Eingeneer
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GMAT: 675
GPA: 3,5
Years of Work Experience: 4.8
Location: Chile
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MBA LiveWire

November 29, 2024 5:22pm ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 25, 2024
GPA: 3.65
GRE: 339
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Non Profit / Social Impact
Application Location: USA
November 29, 2024 1:53pm ET
Accepted to London Business School
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 25, 2024
GPA: 3.8
GRE: 333
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: New York
November 29, 2024 9:05am ET
Accepted to Cornell / Johnson
Round: Round 1
Received via phone on November 25, 2024
GPA: 3.52
GMAT: 635
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Northeast
Note:

Received a call on Nov. 26. Prior background is work in communications/marketing.
November 29, 2024 5:15am ET
Accepted to UVA / Darden
Round: Early Decision
Received via phone on October 15, 2024
GPA: 67%
GMAT: 705
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: India
November 29, 2024 2:45am ET
Accepted to Cornell / Johnson
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 26, 2024
GMAT: 740
Program Type: One Year Program
Target Career: Entrepreneurship
Application Location: India
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