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Published: April 2, 2017
Babson’s MBA Program Ranked No. 1 for Entrepreneurship 24 Years in a Row
For the 24th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has named Babson’s MBA Program No. 1 for entrepreneurship. This ranking places Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business ahead of Stanford Graduate School of Business (No. 2), Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management (tied at No. 3), and UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business (No. 5). Twenty-four years is a long time to lead the world in any area, and to do so in entrepreneurship education—a field that is constantly evolving—requires regular innovation. Read more
Published: March 30, 2017
Fridays from the Frontline: February 2017 MBA Mama of the Month Charanya Kannan
To close out Women’s History Month, we are delighted to feature another amazing woman balancing the demands of pursuing her MBA with the demands of raising a family. Harvard Business School (HBS) second-year MBA student Charanya Kannan was named MBA Mama of the Month for February 2017 by our content partner, MBA Mama. A wife and mother of one, Kannan began her career as a TV anchor in her native India. She went on to earn an engineering degree and a diploma in management from Bombay and to join the Tata Group’s leadership program. Tata sent her to Read more
Published: March 30, 2017
Getting to Know the New Head of Admissions at Stanford GSB
As we reported here last week, the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has concluded a seven-month search for its new assistant dean of MBA admissions and financial aid. Stepping into the big shoes left by Derrick Bolton—who led Stanford’s admission team for the past 15 years and is credited with helping the business school establish itself as one of the very best in the world—will be a woman many believe ideally suited to the challenge. In accepting the role, Kirsten Moss becomes the only person to ever lead admissions at both Stanford and its chief Read more
Published: March 28, 2017
With $10 Million Alumni Gift, Wharton Enters Deferred-Admission MBA Game
Undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania will now have a unique opportunity to gain admission to the Wharton School MBA program as seniors in college thanks to a new program funded by a $10 million alumni gift, the Wharton School announced today. Named for Wharton alums and benefactors Ken Moelis and his wife, Julie Taffet Moelis, the new Moelis Advance Access Program is similar to the deferred-admission MBA program at Harvard Business School (HBS), which admits high-potential college students and reserves a place for them in a future MBA class pending successful completion of required work experience. Ken and Julie Moelis In addition to giving Penn undergrads a jump start on the highly competitive MBA admissions process, the program will also provide support in the form of financial aid and a strong pre-MBA community for participants. Ultimately, Wharton plans to expand the program to include promising college applicants from other leading undergraduate institutions around the country and the world. Read more
Published: March 28, 2017
Real Humans of MBA Admissions: ESADE’s Cristina Sassot
Cristina Sassot joined the admissions team at Barcelona’s ESADE Business School in October 2008, soon after she earned her own MBA there. In 2010 she was promoted to director of admissions and has held the role ever since, helping craft the classes for the school’s 12-, 15- and 18-month full-time MBA programs. ESADE, meanwhile, has been climbing the ranks itself. The Financial Times ranked it the 17th best MBA program in the world this year and second best in the world for career progress. The Economist, for its part, ranked it third best in Europe for salary increase. We’ll feature an in-depth interview with Sassot in the coming weeks about the school’s admissions process, but today we are happy to share a little bit more about the person who leads that process as part of our Real Humans of MBA Admissions Series. Our thanks to Sassot, and ESADE, for taking part in both. Read more
Published: March 28, 2017
Yale SOM Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Off-campus Hub
The following Yale MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! It was a blind interview with adcom. The adcom stuck to the question list she prepared. It was conducted for approximately 20 minutes and no unusual questions. Followings are the questions I got: Why Yale? Why MBA? What is your goal? What do you expect in Yale? Any questions? Hope it helps! Preparing for an upcoming Yale MBA interview? Click here to get the Clear Admit Yale SOM Interview Guide. After your interview, be sure to add your first-hand interview report to Read more
Published: March 27, 2017
Prodigy Finance Marks 10th Anniversary by Giving Out $10,000 Scholarships
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, international loan provider Prodigy Finance this month announced a new scholarship program to benefit international students who are accepted to study at business and engineering schools in the United States and the United Kingdom and chose Prodigy as their loan provider. Five fortunate MBA students will receive $10,000 each to help fund their studies as part of the $100,000 scholarship program, announced March 10th. Another five scholarships will be awarded to students pursuing engineering degrees. Founded a decade ago by three INSEAD MBA graduates who themselves faced hurdles funding their own education, Prodigy Finance was developed to address challenges confronting international students—who can’t always secure a co-signer in their intended country of study and aren’t eligible for federal funds. Read more
Published: March 27, 2017
DecisionWire Spotlight: Georgetown / McDonough with Scholarship or NYU / Stern
MBA DecisionWire is a tool for applicants, students and alumni to share more information with their peers—specifically about where they decide to attend business school based on where they applied and were accepted. In this week’s MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, we take a closer look at one candidate’s decision between Georgetown / McDonough with a scholarship or NYU / Stern for consulting. A few comments went straight to the Big Apple: Others dug into the career opportunities of each: The $100k from the Consortium for Graduate Read more
Published: March 25, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-campus
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! The blind interview was conducted by local alumnus off-campus in India, and lasted ~1hr. The tone was positive throughout and format conversational and free flowing, even though the interviewer was referring to Excel sheet and constantly making notes. We covered a wide range of topics and experiences which I believe allowed me to present a complete picture of my candidacy and fit for Ross. Certain questions, I felt it necessary to further build on my answer without explicitly having been Read more
Published: March 25, 2017
Harvard Business School Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus
The following Harvard Business School / HBS interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant who was admitted. Congratulations to them! Format Round 2 international applicant, attended on-campus interview in March 2017. I was interviewed by 2 ad com members (both associate directors). One knew my application inside out (she was leading the interview and asking questions), another one only saw my CV (he was observing and NOT taking any notes). The interview took exactly 30 minutes. However, before we started formal part, we spent about 5 minutes talking about my journey to Boston and why Read more
Published: March 23, 2017
Friday from the Frontlines: Why We Need More Women in Business School
This week’s Friday from the Frontlines comes to us from the London Business School’s MBA recruitment and admissions team and addresses the need for—and value of—having more women in business school. Before recently becoming senior director of MBA recruitment and admissions at LBS, Stephanie Kernwein Thrane oversaw the school’s MBA exchange program, which gave her insight into the goings on not only at the London school but also at 34 partner schools around the globe. She is committed to helping promote women in business school and in business and has been actively involved both at LBS and through Read more
Published: March 22, 2017
After Extensive Search, Stanford GSB Names New Assistant Dean of Admissions
The void created last August when long-time Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA admissions czar Derrick Bolton left has been filled. The school announced today that Kirsten Moss has been named the new assistant dean and director of MBA admissions and financial aid. Moss is no stranger to Stanford’s admissions office, having served as part of the team from 2004 to 2010, first as a consultant, then as associate director of evaluation and finally as director of MBA admissions. During her time with the Palo Alto school, she managed the evaluation, marketing and operations teams while also developing a new approach to assessing leadership capability. Prior to joining Stanford, she led first career services and later admissions and financial aid at her alma mater, Harvard Business School (HBS), from 1995 to 2001. She preceded Deirdre Leopold, who would go on to hold HBS's key admissions director role for the next decade and a half. Read more
Published: March 22, 2017
Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Carlson School of Management’s Linh Gilles
Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of getting to know Linh Gilles, director of admissions and recruiting at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She’s been in admissions at Carlson for the past decade and in the director’s role since 2012, but she also knows the school from the student’s perspective. That’s because she is currently enrolled in the full-time executive MBA (EMBA) program herself—all while working full time and raising two kids. “I suppose at some point working for an MBA program for 10 years, you do just drink the Kool-Aid,” she says with a laugh. But Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
Darden Reveals New Dual Degree With UVA Data Science Institute
As business and data grow ever more inextricably linked, the University of Virginia has announced a new dual-degree offering from the Darden School of Business and the UVA Data Science Institute. The new MBA/Master of Science in Data Science (MBA/MSDS) will begin with a limited base cohort this summer, with the full program slated for launch in 2018. “This new dual degree represents an incredibly exciting development for the Darden School and prospective students,” Darden Professor Raj Venkatesan, faculty lead for the dual degree, said in a statement. “There is a clear Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-year Student / Skype
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! I interviewed on February 16 for Round 2. The interview was conducted via Skype by a 2nd-year student. The interview was very nice and the interviewer tried to make it like a conversation between old friends, and to reduce the pressure that was on me. The total interview was about 45 minutes. The first 35 minutes he asked me questions and the last 10 minutes, I asked him some questions about Ross and Ann Arbor in general. The questions were: Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
The Potential Impact of Brexit on U.K. Schools
British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced plans to invoke Article 50 of the European Union Lisbon Treaty on March 29th—triggering the start of the United Kingdom's two-year process of exiting the bloc of nations it has been part of for four decades. Given this, it seems a good time to look at the impact of Brexit on U.K. schools. According to a 2017 GMAC Brexit-U.S. Survey, 45 percent of respondents claimed that Brexit would make them less likely to study in the United Kingdom. But what does that figure mean? Are U.K. schools expecting fewer applications from top international talent, or is everything well? Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
HBS Admissions Director Encourages Reapplicants
With Round 2 applicants anxiously awaiting the imminent release of decisions from Harvard Business School (HBS) today, this post from January seemed worthy of a reprise. Of course, we know you are all very hopeful that Chad Losee’s words below encouraging rejected applicants to reapply to HBS will prove moot when you get your acceptance at noon. But since that unfortunately simply can’t be the case for everyone, maybe it’s nice to be reminded that one in 10 students in HBS’s class didn’t get in on the first try? Best of luck to you all—whether you’re awaiting word from Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
London Business School Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus
The following LBS interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! LBS is my second interview this year. The interviewer is an asset manager at Beijing. One minute self-introduction. About my first start-up experience. Asked in detail how I managed to convince people to join our start-up. About my second start-up experience. Asked about my roles and responsibilities. About my current job: The company’s business and my roles. The three Whys: Why MBA/ Why now/ Why LBS Questioned closely about how my current work experience relates to my investor relationship management Read more
Published: March 21, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! Ross is my first interview this year and I got in. The interviewer works as a banker at Beijing. Walk me through your résumé. Why MBA/ Why now/ Why Ross? These questions almost naturally combined together. He asked if I have applied to the dual-degree at Erb Institute. I didn’t. We then discussed something about my current employer’s business. What’s your company’s business about? What are the disadvantages of your company’s products? Why some end users still prefer to use Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
London Business School Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-campus
The following LBS interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! The interview lasted for about 2 hours and was fairly casual and engaging. He started with questions on my background including why I had made decisions to make a change in jobs, etc. Then we moved on to why MBA, why now and post-MBA goals. He was quite interested in hearing my back up plans if Plan a for post MBA didn’t work out. Also focused a LOT on why LBS, in context of the other schools I applied to. Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! I met the interviewer at a coffee shop at one of Ross’ “Off-Campus Hubs.” Ross does a typical blind interview where the interviewer has only your résumé. My interviewer came on time and was able to immediately identify me (I was surprised by this as the coffee shop was full of people in business suits all around the same age). After we sat down I handed him a paper copy of my résumé and the interview began. Questions were pretty Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
Wharton Admissions Dean Weighs in on Topping U.S. News Ranking
Last week, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School tied for first place with Harvard Business School (HBS) in U.S. News & World Report’s closely watched annual ranking of top MBA programs in the nation. Though Wharton has only claimed the top spot once before in the ranking’s 28-year history, it has traditionally been considered part of the “holy trinity” of schools, behind only HBS and Stanford Graduate School of Business in many people’s eyes. That made last year’s fourth-place finish after the University of Chicago Booth School of Business a real blow and this year’s strong showing an important rebound. Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
UCLA Anderson to Add Business Analytics Degree This Fall
Next fall, the UCLA Anderson School of Management will add a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree program as a possible track for business graduate students. Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! The interview was rapid-fire questions, and not too much probing or follow-up on any answers. I stayed for team exercise afterwards which was much more pleasant and enjoyable than I had expected. Here are the questions I was asked: Tell me about yourself. Why an MBA? Why Ross? What kind of people would you pick to be on a team and why? When is time you had to deal with a professional or personal change? Talk about a mistake/failure you Read more
Published: March 20, 2017
Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-year Student / On-Campus
The following Michigan / Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! Participated in a interview in early February during one of those weekend slots. The day started with registration and breakfast, with a quick speech by Soojin, the admissions director. After that, we got split into two groups, maize and blue which determined our interview slot. Interviewed with a second year. He seemed more on the quiet side initially which made me a bit nervous as I couldn’t tell if the interview was going well. However, as the interview went on, 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 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
November 28, 2024 4:55pm ET
Applied to Emory / Goizueta
Round: Round 2
Received via email
GPA: 3.19
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Nigeria
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