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Published: November 6, 2018
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 Second Year On-Campus
The following U. Chicago Booth MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! I did the class visit and lunch with current students on the day before my interview. I recommend doing that. It gets you familiar with the campus and the general vibe and helps calm nerves. I reached admissions office and checked in half hour prior to the interview. They almost always have a second year student sitting in the waiting room – to diffuse the nervousness in the room and to offer answers to questions Read more
Published: November 6, 2018
UVA Darden MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Skype
The following UVA Darden MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! I interviewed via Skype and the interview was pretty much like what you hear about the Darden process. It was very conversational and completely blind, meaning the interviewer had not even read my resume. You really just need to know your story, your goals and why you have decided to pursue an MBA now and at Darden. Overall it was really relaxed and the adcom was very friendly, but you certainly shouldn’t lose your guard. These are the Read more
Published: November 6, 2018
GMAT Tip: Eliminate Out of Scope
Believe it or not, getting to the right answer for a Critical Reasoning question can be as simple at reading the prompt carefully and strategically eliminating answer choices that are out of scope of the passage. A lot of answer choices can “sound good” but really don’t do anything in the form of answering the question being asked or give the additional information required to strengthen or weaken the argument. The below question is a perfect example of when out of scope answer choices help us to quickly get to 50/50: Boreal owls range over a much larger area than Read more
Published: November 5, 2018
UVA Darden MBA Interview Questions & Report: Early Action / Adcom / Skype
The following UVA Darden MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by an Early Action applicant. Good luck to them! My interviewer was the Head of Diversity and a really warm and welcoming person. Darden’s interview is unique in the way that the interviewee has to drive the flow and content of the interaction to a large extent. I was told that I have 20 mins to lay out my story and can choose to talk about whatever I want. As I spoke, the interviewer kept nodding and acknowledging. He interjected me twice for clarifying questions, otherwise it Read more
Published: November 5, 2018
Skype or Video MBA Admissions Interview in Your Future? Catch Today’s Podcast RePLAY
MBA interview season continues to chug along here in Round 1—with applicants to MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke’s Fuqua School among those hoping to receive invitations to interview this week. Already this fall we have aired several new episodes of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast that drill down specifically into MBA interview etiquette, content, format, and protocol. One recent episode examined the five most common interview questions MBA applicants report being asked—along with how to ace them. Another took seven of the hardest MBA interview Read more
Published: November 4, 2018
Stanford GSB Financial Aid System Overhauled: New System Based Solely on Need
Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) will implement a new financial aid system next month that allocates fellowships and loans to incoming MBA students using a formula based solely on financial need, the school announced today. This will formalize the transitional system the school has used for the past year—ever since a data breach last fall caused its prior approach to financial aid to come under close scrutiny. Today’s decision resulted from an exhaustive review and redesign of the school’s historical practices surrounding financial aid and drew on input from faculty, students, staff, alumni, and outside advisors, Read more
Published: November 4, 2018
Eight Tips to Ace the Wharton TBD—From Applicants Who’ve Been There
Many of you are in the throes of preparing for Wharton’s team-based discussion (TBD), so we combed Clear Admit’s Interview Archive and compiled the following pieces of advice from applicants who have gone through it. Please, as you experience the Wharton TBD yourself, feel free to add you own insights by submitting an interview report. Best of luck! Eight Tips to Ace the Wharton TBD Don’t Spend Hours Researching Your Topic in Advance As tempting as it is to be as absolutely prepared as possible, there are diminishing returns when it comes to researching your topic Read more
Published: November 4, 2018
NYU Stern 2018 Employment Report Reveals Best Employment Rate in 5 Years, Large Salary and Bonus Increases
NYU Stern School of Business released its 2018 MBA Employment Report at the end of last month, revealing that more graduates in the Class of 2018 had accepted full-time job offers three months after graduation than anytime in the past five years. Not only that, many recent grads reported a large jump in salary and bonuses. There are just a few of the highlights from this year’s employment report, which also Amazon topping the this of MBA employers for the second year in a row. Stern Job Offers and Salaries Increase This year, 93.7 percent of MBA graduates from Read more
Published: November 3, 2018
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-Campus Hub
The following U. Chicago Booth MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! Interview took place at a coffee shop. Alumnus just graduated three months ago and told me he interviewed more than 30 candidates as second year and alum. Interview was pretty informal and conversational – it felt like a two way conversation as he wanted me to know more about the school and his experience as well. Questions I was asked: Tell me about yourself. Why MBA? What do you want to do post Read more
Published: November 1, 2018
Thinking About Berkeley Haas for Your MBA? Here’s Why You Should
Sponsored Content U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business ranked #7 by the U.S. News & World Report and The Economist, #9 by Forbes, and #10 by the Financial Times. It reaches these high rankings thanks to the school’s academic rigor, exceptional faculty, and business ecosystem. The School offers multiple MBA programs including: Full-Time MBA: This 21-month program helps students build a fluency in business fundamentals that inform confident leadership decisions. Evening & Weekend MBA: This part-time Read more
Published: November 1, 2018
Top B-School Deans Gaze into Their Crystal Balls to Foretell the MBA’s Future
A conference last month at Rutgers Business School drew top names in graduate management education to discuss how today’s digital revolution is reshaping the ways business schools teach their students—both in the classroom and beyond. Keynote speakers included deans from Stanford Graduate School of Business, Columbia Business School, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, among others. The Innovations in Graduate Business Education (IGBE) Conference, hosted every two years Read more
Published: October 31, 2018
Real Humans of the Stanford GSB MBA Class of 2020
Nearly 8,000 MBA hopefuls sought a seat in the classrooms of the prestigious Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), but only 419 secured their place in the Class of 2020. In this edition of our Real Humans of the MBA Class of 2020 series, we catch up with four GSB MBA first-year students who defied the odds and joined this exceptional class. First, let’s take a look at overall class profile statistics to better understand the latest set of students selected to pursue the school’s mission, “Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.” Stanford keeps its classes Read more
Published: October 31, 2018
How Does Michigan Ross’s MBA Program Stand Out?
Sponsored Content The Michigan Ross School of Business is ranked #7 by the U.S. News & World Report, #12 by Forbes, #21 by The Economist, and #26 by the Financial Times. What makes the school top-ranked is their large and influential alumni network, excellent career services, and outstanding value. The school is home to multiple MBA programs including: Full-Time MBA: This full-time MBA program takes an active and rigorous approach to learning with globally-oriented curriculum designed to help you succeed. Evening MBA: Read more
Published: October 31, 2018
MBA News You Need: HBS Celebrates Alumni Entrepreneurs, H1-B Visa Lottery Changes, Cornell Research on Endorsements, and More
Each week we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest trending topics from top business schools around the world. Here’s your quick MBA News You Need digest for the week of November 1, 2018. Rock 100 Summit Showcases Successful HBS Alumni Entrepreneurs According to a new survey of Harvard Business School alumni interviewed 10 to 15 years after graduation, 50 percent characterize themselves as entrepreneurs. To celebrate the many successful alumni who have launched or are launching a newly minted enterprise, HBS gathered 100 of Read more
Published: October 30, 2018
GMAT Tip: Completing the Critical Reasoning Blank
While strengthen, weaken, and inference questions tend to make up the bulk of GMAT Critical Reasoning questions, another question Critical Reasoning type that appears often is those that require completing the blank, following the prompt: Which of the following most logically completes the argument below? These question types are asking you to figure out what makes sense, typically as part of a plan of action based upon data, surveys, or other kinds of feedback. Let’s take a look at a sample problem below: Which of the following most logically completes the argument below? NowNews, although still the most popular magazine Read more
Published: October 30, 2018
Why Should You Choose NYU Stern for Your MBA?
Sponsored Content The U.S. News & World Report ranks New York University Stern School of Business #13 while The Economist ranks them #14. They’re ranked #23 by the Financial Times and #21 by Forbes. NYU Stern achieved these results through a combination of a strong global alumni network, expert research, and a collaborative culture. The School offers a few MBA program options, including: Full-Time MBA: This two-year program includes opportunities for experiential learning and networking with a close-knit student body in NYC. Read more
Published: October 29, 2018
Real Humans of the Wharton MBA Class of 2020
Have you been anxiously awaiting an invitation to interview at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School? What better time to learn more about the school’s current first-year MBA class? You’re in luck, because the latest installment in our Real Humans series today features the Wharton MBA Class of 2020. But before we introduce you to individual members of that class, we’ll paint a picture of the class as a whole using these stats published as part of the class profile. “This class is an impressive collection of leaders from all walks of life, backgrounds, nationalities, industry experiences, Read more
Published: October 29, 2018
Episode 24: 7 Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Clear Admit’s Alex Brown offers a closer look at some of the toughest interview questions MBA applicants stand to face as part of the admissions process at leading schools. Brown, who worked for several years as part of the admissions team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is also the author of Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions. In today’s podcast, Brown unpacks the hardest questions he’s known applicants to face as part of the interview—a topic he’s an expert on thanks to interviews he himself conducted when he worked at Wharton. As a Read more
Published: October 29, 2018
The Top Reasons to Earn Your MBA at Duke Fuqua
Sponsored Content The U.S. News and World Report ranks Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business #11 in the U.S., The Economist ranks it #13, while Forbes and the Financial Times rank Duke Fuqua #14 and #19 respectively. The school has been able to reach such heights due to its close-knit community, customizable education opportunities, and exceptional career management. The school offers multiple MBA program options including: Daytime MBA: This full-time MBA program offers 14 concentrations and is ideal for individuals Read more
Published: October 29, 2018
Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg Top Economist 2018 Rankings
The newest Economist best MBA rankings for full-time programs is officially out, with two Chicago schools topping the list. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management sit at number one and two for 2018. This new ranking is only a modest shift from 2017, when the schools were also first and second, albeit in reverse order. Harvard Business School, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business all maintained the same ranks as Read more
Published: October 28, 2018
Wharton Publishes 2018 MBA Employment Report, Announces $25M Gift
Lots of news out of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania recently. Employment statistics have been published for the most recent graduating class, and a big donation will fund a cool new building dedicated to entrepreneurship in West Philadelphia as well as more international scholarships for undergraduates. Here’s what’s going on at the Wharton School. 2018 Employment Report The 2018 MBA Career Report revealed a slight increase in job offers and salaries with finance drawing in more students than ever. In 2018, 36.9 percent of full-time MBA graduates went into financial services (up from 33 percent Read more
Published: October 28, 2018
London Business School Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / His office
The following LBS interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! The interview was conducted in the alumnus’ office building. He talked me through his background and that had me “walk him through my resume”. He then preceded to ask standard business school and specifically questions such as “Why LBS? Why London? Why an MBA? What are your goals”. Following he asked several behavior based questions such as “How would I describe my leadership style?” and several questions about how I act in a group setting since a significant portion of Read more
Published: October 28, 2018
Clear Admit Webinar: How to Prepare for MBA Interviews
Need Help Preparing for MBA Interviews? Don’t Miss Our Free Clear Admit Webinar In this 90-minute webinar, Clear Admit’s Alex Brown will take a deep dive into what it takes to best prepare for your interviews at the elite MBA programs. Brown will begin by providing insights into the different kinds of interviews that business schools conduct, and explain why understanding each interview type matters for candidates. Brown will then explore the nuances that exist across alumni, admissions committee and student led interviews. Brown will also break down the five most common MBA admissions interview questions and the seven Read more
Published: October 28, 2018
What Makes Cornell Johnson’s MBA One of a Kind?
Sponsored Content  U.S. News and World Report ranks Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management the #15 Best Business School in the U.S. while the Financial Times and The Economist rank the school as #17 in the world, and Forbes ranks the school #10. Cornell Johnson was able achieve such high rankings due to its expert professors, hands-on immersions, and team-focused approach. The school offers multiple MBA program options including a: Two-Year MBA: This 21-month program is located in Read more
Published: October 25, 2018
The Unique Qualities that Help UVA Darden Stand Out
Sponsored Content The U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Virginia Darden School of Business #13 with The Economist ranking them #10 and the Financial Times ranking the school at #32 and Forbes ranking them at #11. UVA Darden was able to achieve these results through a unique educational experience, global courses, and exceptional faculty. UVA Darden is home to a few MBA program options, including: Full-Time MBA: This full-time program takes a case-method approach to learning, which includes classroom learning and experiential Read more

MBA Applywire

5
January 14, 2025 12:01am ET
Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Private Equity tax consulting
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey
GMAT: 675
GPA: 3.95
Years of Work Experience: 9
Location: Bangalore, India
Post MBA Location: East Coast
Notes:

I have primarily worked with venture funds and startups covering a range of tax advisory projects from M&A, due diligence, venture fund setup etc. I want to go beyond tax and step into strategy consulting roles, with a focus on fund strategy and portfolio acceleration in private equity.

Extracurricular : Involved with Rotaract for 2.5 years, taken part in multiple corporate responsibility initiatives at the firm , volunteer in pet rescue initiatives for the community
4
January 13, 2025 11:26pm ET
Applying: Columbia, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, UPenn / Wharton
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting at MBB; will continue with consulting post-MBA as I am considering firm sponsorship
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Venture Capital Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Andressen Horowitz , Sequoia Capital , Other
GRE: 335
GPA: 3.94
Years of Work Experience: 2
Location: India
Post MBA Location: NY, Chicago, Boston
Notes:

- South Asian (Non-Indian), Male, 25 year old

- Bachelor in Finance and Economics (1st in Class) Graduated May 2023

- Activities:
Debating (Coached National Debate Team to its best performance in the World Championship, 3x Asian Top 10 debater, won/competed in finals of Oxford Intervarsity, UCL Intervarsity, Durham-Oxford-Cambridge Open, and many more prestigious competitions, Mentored 100+ debaters across 15 countries and advised Debate Organizations in Australia and China).
Non Profit (Founding member of a student org; Conducted 5 city-wide projects on Food Security, Clothing for the poor in Winter, and Improving sanitation in slums that received national coverage)

- More on Work: My focus is on Growth Tech (Startups and fast scaling businesses) and Public Sector practice area. I have led the writing of a report we co-published with a client (my name is on the acknowledgement section). The client and Partners loved my work and have now staffed me in writing another report for the same client. Evals are highly positive and have endorsements from 2 Senior Partners in the org (who are happy to write my recc)

- What I am doing outside of work now: I had a merit scholarship offer from LBS for its MiM program upon graduation. I have been helping folks from my country get into top tier early career master's programs pro-bono (Most people here cannot afford Western Admissions consultants as the charges are exorbitant for us given the country is an LDC). Since joining work, I have continued to work as a selector for National Debate Team and I take pro-bono sessions for disadvantaged schools. I have also taken sessions at local consulting firms to teach them what I have learned from my MBB experience (I am the first from my country to make it to an MBB after a local undergrad; MBBs do not have offices in my country)

- Future Plan: Continue at MBB and specialize in Venture Capital/ Startups. I have a very good network with VCs and founders in my home country. I would love to raise a fund to help the startup ecosystem of my country in the future or work in the capacity of mentoring founders.

- Target: Full-rides to top schools such as HBS, Wharton, CBS, Sloan. Looking for tips to develop my profile for 2027 Fall entry. I believe that I have what it takes to make it to an M7 but would love to take the 2 years to solidify my profile so that I can be in the mix for a good scholarship

Interests: Martial Arts, Reading (I have read books from Wharton Professors such as Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth, and Katy Milkman) Weightlifting, Marathon Running (I am aware this is super cliche haha)

Side-note: My GRE split is 166 Q (84%ile), 169 V (99%ile), and 5.5 AWA (98%ile). I can improve my Quant to 169-170 but I doubt the extra effort needed now will make a material difference. Would love to have your thoughts
6
January 13, 2025 2:37pm ET
Applying: Harvard Business School, INSEAD, London Business School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting - Government
Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Undecided Companies: Google , Microsoft
GRE: 338
GPA: 3.66
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: US
Post MBA Location: Undecided
Notes:

Background in design. Graduate degree in design from Harvard. Transitioned public sector consulting and planning work.
3
January 13, 2025 6:32am ET
Applying: Columbia, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting
Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking, Private Equity
GRE: 323
GPA: 3.0
Years of Work Experience: 7
Location: Uzbekistan
Post MBA Location: NYC
2
January 12, 2025 11:33pm ET
Applying: Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden
Pre-MBA Career: Construction and real estate
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GMAT: 665
GPA: 7/10
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: India
Post MBA Location: India
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MBA LiveWire

January 16, 2025 2:37am ET
Accepted to Babson / Olin
Round: Round 1
Received via email on December 17, 2024
GMAT: 680
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Entrepreneurship
Application Location: Mumbai, India
January 15, 2025 11:04pm ET
Interview Invite to UVA / Darden
Round: Round 2
Received via email January 15, 2025
GPA: 3.3
EA: 156
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Midwest
January 15, 2025 9:32pm ET
Interview Invite to UVA / Darden
Round: Round 2
Received via email January 15, 2025
GPA: 3.58
GRE: 328
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Marketing
Application Location: USA
January 15, 2025 8:42pm ET
Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck
Round: Round 2
Received via email January 15, 2025
GMAT: 695
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Healthcare
Application Location: China
Note:

Pre-MBA, Pharmaceutical company R&D
January 15, 2025 6:52pm ET
Interview Invite to UVA / Darden
Round: Round 2
Received via email January 15, 2025
GPA: 3.07
GRE: 327
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Seattle
Note:

Consortium, SOF Military
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