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Published: June 24, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business
We welcome back Senior Director of Admissions Maria Pineda of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Pineda has been with UMD Smith for over 15 years, and manages the recruiting efforts for Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs. She joins us again this year for an update on the MBA admissions process, what to expect during the interview, what makes a great essay, and more. Maria Pineda, Senior Director of Admissions at The University of Maryland Clear Admit: What is the one Read more
Published: June 23, 2024
Georgia Terry MBA Admissions Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Virtual
Tell me about yourself. Why UGA? Why do you want to get an MBA? Why now? What would you bring to the program? The interview was conversational and I enjoyed it! Read more
Published: June 23, 2024
The Week Ahead: HBS & Wharton Deferred Decisions, June 24-28, 2024
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Final rounds are concluding. With the exception of a few MBA programs offering rolling admissions through the summer, official deadlines for the leading MBA programs are concluding this week. Thursday, June 27, Harvard is scheduled to release its 2+2 final decisions. UPenn / Wharton is also scheduled to release its deferred admissions decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” about MBA admissions, including interview invitations and decision notifications. There are  Read more
Published: June 23, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 360—735 GMAT, from Brazil. Australian MBB. Weatherhead vs Marshall wait list
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and decision releases for this season. For this upcoming week, we will see decision releases from Harvard and UPenn / Wharton for their deferred admissions programs; we are also still seeing some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham then highlighted two recently published Read more
Published: June 20, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Paula Amorim of IESE
Our Admissions Director Q&A series continues with a visit to Barcelona, Spain, with the Director of Admissions of the Full-Time MBA at IESE Business School, Paula Amorim, who is back this year with more behind-the-scenes insights into MBA admissions. Paula joined the admissions team after completing her MBA at IESE in 2016 and was previously responsible for the Latin American market, based in the Sao Paulo campus. She is an Industrial Engineer from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in her hometown, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Prior to the MBA, she dedicated her Read more
Published: June 20, 2024
Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms
We are back with another Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site, as we prepare for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Dartmouth Tuck Michigan / Ross UVA / Darden Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Read more
Published: June 19, 2024
The Consortium Expands to 25 Member Schools
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in graduate business education and American business, recently expanded to 25 member schools. The Consortium partners with top-ranked MBA programs across the U.S. to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities in business education and corporate leadership. Following the addition of Duke Fuqua earlier this year, Chicago Booth was subsequently selected to become its 25th member school. A Long History at Fuqua In its announcement of the nomination of Duke Fuqua, Read more
Published: June 19, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Matteo Pedriglieri of emlyon business school
For this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, meet Matteo Pedriglieri, Recruitment Manager and Business Developer at emlyon business school. Pedriglieri is an experienced professional with dual master’s degrees in International Relations and Human Resources Management, and boasts an international background. With a decade of experience, his career spans significant roles at globally renowned recruitment consulting firms Michael Page and Morgan Phillips. Pedriglieri now spearheads recruitment for the International MBA program at emlyon business school, leveraging his extensive experience and global perspective to foster the next generation of business leaders. Read on for Read more
Published: June 18, 2024
Episode 359: Your Post-MBA Consulting Career – Expert Advice from Bain & Co.’s Recruiting VP
Noble StaffordBain & Co. Vice President, RecruitingChicago In this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the Clear Admit MBA Fair, we dive deep into the world of strategy consulting with Noble Stafford, Vice President of Recruiting for Bain & Company’s Chicago office. Stafford first joined Bain in 2013 as a consultant and returned in 2022 to spearhead Chicago’s recruiting initiatives. Between his tenures at Bain, Noble honed his expertise at Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm, where he excelled in both client-facing and internal team management roles. Read more
Published: June 18, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Addressing Unemployment or Gaps in Employment
Given the emphasis that MBA programs place on a candidate’s work experience, it is important to be proactive in addressing unemployment or gaps in employment. When applying to business school, many candidates worry about how the adcom might perceive gaps in employment. Gaps in Employment It’s not unheard of for an MBA candidate to have a gap in employment, and this will not necessarily make a negative impact on someone’s candidacy. Gaps might be due to anything from lay-offs to periods of travel. As a rule of thumb, MBA applicants should explain gaps in employment that are three months or Read more
Published: June 17, 2024
NYU Stern Announces Updates to Specialized MBA
NYU Stern’s one-year MBA in luxury is changing: after a five-year stint as the ‘Fashion and Luxury’ MBA, it has been refreshed and given the new name of NYU Stern Luxury & Retail MBA. Stern is rolling out updates for the one-year program – promising to put its wildly-popular experiential learning firmly at the front and center, to rebrand in order to better reflect program content, and to imbue its curriculum with ever more industry contact.  What Prompted These Changes? The industries with which Read more
Published: June 17, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Andrea McHale of Michigan Ross
We continue with our Admissions Director Q&A series with Andrea McHale, Director of Admissions for the Full-Time and Global MBA Programs at University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business, for insights into the application process, curriculum and more at the leading business school.  Before transitioning to higher education, Andrea spent 10 years in marketing, sales, and supply chain management within the healthcare and automotive industries. In 2013, she moved into education administration and is currently the Director of Admissions for the Full-Time and Global MBA Programs at Read more
Published: June 16, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 358—Reapplicant, entrepreneur. Military, retaking GMAT. Navy to Renewable Energy
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we kicked things off with our usual rundown of the latest admissions news.  We are still seeing some activity around wait lists at few MBA programs. We then discussed the delayed roll-out of the Harvard MBA admissions essay for this upcoming season. It looks like HBS is planning to change their more traditional essay prompt, and there appears to be much anticipation about this change.  All will be unveiled later this month… Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application essay series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, Read more
Published: June 13, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Rebecca Mallen-Churchill of ASU Carey
In our latest Admissions Director Q&A, we welcome back Rebecca Mallen-Churchill, Senior Director of Recruitment, Admission and Financial Services for graduate programs at Arizona State University (ASU) W.P. Carey School of Business. Mallen-Churchill graduated from ASU in 2005; while earning her degree in theatre and Italian, she also discovered her love for higher education while working for the Graduate Admissions office. After gaining work experience in the hospitality industry and traveling the world, Rebecca returned to Arizona and joined W. P. Carey in 2013. In her time working with the graduate program’s office, Rebecca has Read more
Published: June 13, 2024
Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines
We are back with another Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site, as we prepare for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Cambridge Judge Northwestern Kellogg NYU Stern Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have Read more
Published: June 12, 2024
Coming to Grips with the New GMAT Scores
In late 2023, the GMAT got an overhaul. It got an overhaul that changed it completely – scrapping a section, ramping up flexibility and cutting completion times by nearly an hour. Along with the altered format and edited content came a new scoring system, meaning that both the number of marks available and the number of marks scored on the exam shifted.  What does this mean for you as an applicant? Well, anyone taking the GMAT is likely to be comparing their own performance with the average GMAT scores that students in their Read more
Published: June 12, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Kara Tripi of Michigan State Broad College of Business
Kara Tripi, Director of Admissions at the Michigan State Broad College Full-Time MBA, joins us for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Tripi brings over a decade of experience in higher education. With a strong passion for working with students, she has dedicated her career to helping individuals navigate the world of academia. In her current role, Tripi assists with program development by overseeing the recruitment and admissions process. As a strong advocate for women in business and the LGBTQIA+ community, she is committed to ensuring Read more
Published: June 11, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Considering the Campus
There are many factors that go into deciding whether to apply to a specific school, one of which is the physical place where you’ll be spending 1-2 years, which is why we’ve rounded up some campus visit tips. Whether speaking with current students or touring the campus for yourself, it’s helpful to approach these information-gathering experiences with as clear a sense of what matters to you as possible. Campus Visit Tips: Factors to Consider 1. Facilities Are state-of-the-art classrooms and impressive new architecture a priority for you? Would you prefer a school that is headquartered in a single building to Read more
Published: June 11, 2024
Episode 357: Insights from Top MBA Admissions Directors
Recorded live at the Clear Admit MBA Fair, admissions directors from top business schools share their insights on key questions prospective MBA students often need answering in this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. The episode features Eddie Asbie from Cornell Johnson, Dana Fernandez from Harvard Business School, Matthew Ganderson from Michigan Ross, and Lindsay Lloyd from NYU Stern. Together, they answer questions such as: What are the different teaching methods employed in MBA programs, and can you describe experiential learning? Do you have any Read more
Published: June 10, 2024
Admissions Director Q&A: Hollie Hinton of The Ohio State Fisher College of Business
We are officially kicking off our Admissions Director Q&A series for the 2024-2o25 admissions season with Senior Director of Admissions Hollie Hinton for an insider’s view of MBA admissions at The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business. Hollie Hinton leads global admissions strategy for the MBA and other graduate programs. Hinton brings private and public sector experience to her role at Ohio State, having formerly led a multi-state marketing and business development team for engineering and architecture firm DLZ, bringing critical infrastructure to communities and expanding the company into new markets. Read more
Published: June 9, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 356—INSEAD or bust. Liberal Arts to Product Management. Doctor to Solar Energy
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by running down all of the latest b-school admissions news. We are still seeing quite a lot of activity around waitlists at a number of MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups have recently opened and are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham then highlighted a recently published Clear Admit admissions tip, which focuses on how to build your ideal list of target Read more
Published: June 9, 2024
The Week Ahead: Booth & Marshall MBA Admissions Decisions, June 10-14, 2024
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! A Few Decisions Roll Out Thursday, June 13, Chicago / Booth is scheduled to release its decisions for its Chicago Booth Scholars program. Saturday, June 15, USC / Marshall is scheduled to release its Round 4 decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” about MBA admissions, including interview invitations and decision notifications.  There are 5 Ways MBA LiveWire Helps You Navigate Admissions. Access MBA ApplyWire to explore the application strategies of fellow Read more
Published: June 6, 2024
Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines
We are back with another Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site, as we prepare for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Columbia Business School UPenn / Wharton Yale SOM Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: UT Austin / McCombs Read more
Published: June 5, 2024
Real Humans of BCG: Shane Polzin, Chicago Booth MBA ’23, Consultant
Many veterans find that an MBA program is an effective way to transition from military service to a civilian career. For Naval Flight Officer Shane Polzin, Chicago Booth promised veteran support, a proven track record of job placement in the consulting industry, and the right location. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Polzin tells us how the Chicago Booth MBA helped him reach outside his comfort zone, develop superior problem solving skills, and prepared him to join Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Shane Polzin, Chicago Booth MBA ’23, Consultant at BCG Read more
Published: June 4, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Making Your List of Business Schools
You’ve decided the MBA is the next stop on your career path. What now? The smartest applicants are those who take the time to create an informed MBA application strategy—a well thought-out game plan that can help you obtain your goals as effectively as possible. This includes making a list of your target business schools. One of the first tasks you’ll need to tackle is school selection: strategically choosing which schools to apply to, while considering how your experience and stats compare to those of current students (or, how “competitive” your application will be at each program). How many MBA Read more

MBA Applywire

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January 6, 2025 5:21pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, NYU Stern, Rice / Jones, Stanford GSB, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, Vanderbilt / Owen, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Military
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship Companies: Accenture , Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Google
GMAT: 635
GPA: 2.8
Years of Work Experience: 11
Location: Korea
Post MBA Location: Denver
13
January 6, 2025 4:07pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Healthcare
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey
GRE: 332
GPA: 3.5
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: Florida
Post MBA Location: Consulting
Notes:

RN of 3 years aiming to transition into healthcare
7
January 6, 2025 4:32am ET
Applying: Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Lauder Institute, NYU Stern, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Corporate Strategy
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Media Companies: Accenture , Bain , BCG , McKinsey , 21st Century Fox , CBS Corp , Comcast , Time Warner , Viacom , Walt Disney
GMAT: 710
GPA: 3.58
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: New York
Post MBA Location: New York
3
January 6, 2025 2:38am ET
Applying: Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Lead Consultant
Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship Companies: Apple , Google , Battery Ventures , Sequoia Capital
GRE: 339
GPA: 7.5
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: United States
Post MBA Location: United States
22
January 4, 2025 11:32am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, Indiana / Kelley, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Notre Dame / Mendoza, NYU Stern, Rochester / Simon, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UPenn / Wharton, USC / Marshall, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden, Vanderbilt / Owen, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consultant
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Non Profit/SI
GRE: 317
GPA: 3.3
Years of Work Experience: 6
Location: Texas
Notes:

Consortium App, Harvard Master's Degree with 4.0 GPA, TFA Alum
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MBA LiveWire

January 7, 2025 2:37pm ET
Rejected at INSEAD
Round: Round 2
Received via email January 7, 2025
GMAT: 675
Program Type: One Year Program
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Canada
January 7, 2025 1:03pm ET
Applied to Yale SOM
Round: Round 2
Received via n/a
GPA: 4.16 / 5.0
GRE: 337
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Africa
January 7, 2025 1:01pm ET
Applied to UVA / Darden
Round: Round 2
Received via n/a
GPA: 4.16 / 5.0
GRE: 337
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Africa
January 7, 2025 12:22pm ET
Applied to Columbia
Round: Round 2
Received via portal
GPA: 2.92
GMAT: 610
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Healthcare
Application Location: New York City
January 7, 2025 12:21pm ET
Applied to UPenn / Wharton
Round: Round 2
Received via portal
GPA: 2.92
GMAT: 610
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Healthcare
Application Location: New York
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