Recent News

Published: April 11, 2013

Welcome to Fridays From The Frontlines, Clear Admit's weekly blog feature focused on the b-school applicant and student experience. With the majority of this year's application deadlines behind us, a few new bloggers joined the applicant ranks targeting the 2013-2014 cycle while students continued to check in on their progress through the change from winter to spring. Poetic Quant explained why he was glad he waited a year to start his application process and officially revealed his list of schools. HammO also elaborated on his list of business schools and the reasoning behind his choices. Sassafrass pondered whether having a work history that included both 'big name' and 'no name' nonprofits may have helped or hindered his application at different schools. Future Anderson '15 Dwight discussed how public transportation could work to the advantage of Anderson students while acknowledging that LA traffic can truly be awful. INSEAD '13 Patrick explained how attending INSEAD opened his eyes to all the different ways the school's diverse student body would further prepare him for a range of cultural business contexts in the future. Said '14 Srinivas reflected on being halfway through his degree program and outlined the top five experiences that marked his first six months on campus. Read more

Published: April 10, 2013

Columbia Business School Launches New Website for Current and Future Students, Alumni

Columbia Business School (CBS) this week launched Notes to the Next Class, a new online space where current and past students can share their experience with future CBS classes through photos, videos, advice and more. The website is organized into sections corresponding to major milestones CBS students will experience in the course of their graduate management education, from acceptance and orientation to academics and campus life to graduation and post-MBA careers. With more than 41,000 alumni around the world, the school hopes the online repository will help connect students across the globe and across the decades. “With Read more

Published: April 9, 2013

Current Chicago Booth Student Touts Value of MBA for Entrepreneurs

An MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business this week shared her perspective in Forbes on why an MBA makes sense for entrepreneurs. Stella Fayman, who is concurrently launching a startup while pursuing an MBA at Booth, wrote in part in response to an op-ed earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal advising startups not to hire MBAs. Rattling off 12 successful companies all started by MBAs from top business schools – Angie’s List, GrubHub, Warby Parker and Yelp, just to name a few – Fayman offers three main arguments in favor of the MBA: They attract top talent, they can be a "sandbox" for starting a company and they provide structured support. Read more

Published: April 8, 2013

Columbia Business School Admissions Committee Shares Waitlist Advice

Were you waitlisted at Columbia Business School (CBS) as part of a recent admission round? Stay positive! Members of the Admissions Committee assure applicants that CBS admits some waitlisted candidates every year, so there is definitely still a chance that you’ll be admitted. Matthew Moll, CBS associate director of MBA admissions, provided a range of waitlist-specific advice in response to questions Clear Admit asked recently, so read on to learn whether and how waitlisted applicants should contact the Admissions Committee, what type of updates to an application might be relevant to submit and more. Read more

Published: April 8, 2013

UT Austin / McCombs Evening MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 4 / Admissions Director / On Campus

I submitted my application and received interview request that evening. The interview dates were 1 week from the application date, and I was given 2 dates and 4 time slots to choose, but 1 interviewer. I interviewed for the Evening MBA program with the Associate Director of Admissions on campus. The interview was formal, but comfortable in the private office of the interviewer. The interview was blind, and the interviewer made that clear at the beginning. The interviewer explained that the interview and application would be put together for review later. -Describe a leader you admire. How are you applying Read more

Published: April 8, 2013

Berkeley / Haas MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Second-Year student / On-Campus

I was greeted by a 2nd year student to conduct my on-campus interview. The interview was blind, but the interviewer did have a copy of my resume which she had briefly read-over before beginning the interview. They started off by asking me to introduce myself and talk about my resume with a specific focus of my current job/role. After that, she asked me about why I wanted an MBA, what I hoped to do it with, and why specifically I was interested in Haas. After those questions, they began probing into more of the behavioral questions around my working style, Read more

Published: April 7, 2013

INSEAD Expands International Reach with New Abu Dhabi Module

INSEAD, with campuses in France and Singapore, boasted a global MBA program well before many other top business schools began to establish satellites for their programs in regions around the world. Having now added a new Abu Dhabi module to its core MBA program, INSEAD is expanding its international reach even farther. The Abu Dhabi location got its start as a research center in 2007 and grew into a full-fledged campus in 2010, offering executive education and executive MBA programs. As part of the new module rolled out this year, students can now spend a week in January, a week in February and a concluding weekend in March as part of the core MBA program, enjoying lectures, guest speakers, field trips to and group projects with local companies, alumni networking and visits to recruiters. Read more

Published: April 7, 2013

Ohio State / Fisher MBA Interview Report: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

The following Ohio State / Fisher MBA interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! The interview experience was great. The interview genuinely focused more on questions I may have for Fisher than them seeming to evaluate me. They did ask standard questions about my leadership style and experiences, effective and successful teams I’ve worked with in the past, as well as discussing companies and entrepreneurs I respect. I met several current MBA students and met with the office of career management, which sent me a follow-up email with dozens of resources Read more

Published: April 4, 2013

University of Chicago Booth School of Business Dean Reminds MBA Students the Internship Isn’t Everything

Sunil Kumar, dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is quick to remind his students not to shortchange their actual academic experience during the first year of their MBA program in furious pursuit of a summer internship, according to a recent Economist article. Acknowledging that competition is fierce and that successful internships are among the most important stepping stones to securing a job upon graduation, they are still just a “low cost experiment” for firms and students to feel the other out, Kumar told the Economist. “The truth is that a lot of people don’t stay in their first job very long but go on to have great careers,” he said. Read more

Published: April 4, 2013

Fridays From The Frontline

Hello and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's weekly blog feature that peeks into the world of the b-school applicant and student. This week applicants were sharing their thoughts on how to determine a school list or blog handle while many students provided photographic evidence of international journeys. HammO explained how he expanded and then pared down his list of schools from an initial four to a high of twelve before settling on a list of six. Sassafrass, safely accepted, turned his attentions to the topic of marriage equality in the U.S. Poetic Quant introduced himself and explained the origins of his choice of name as well as his b-school aspirations. After a significant absence Pyrapopat checked in to explain that after receiving a Kellogg acceptance he also was given the opportunity to grow at work ... but after having spent another year in the workforce he revealed his intention to attend Kellogg next fall. Read more

Published: April 3, 2013

Harvard Business School Celebrates Fifty Years of Women with the W50 Summit

Today and tomorrow, April 4th and 5th, Harvard Business School (HBS) is hosting a summit designed to help accelerate the advancement of women leaders who make a difference in the world. Called the W50 Summit, the two-day event is part of a year-long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to the two-year MBA program. Read more

Published: April 2, 2013

Columbia Business School Admissions Officer Debunks Common Application Myths

A Columbia Business School (CBS) admissions officer devoted a recent post on Voices -- a blog co-written by current CBS students and admissions officers to help provide a student perspective -- to debunking some of the myths prospective applicants often seem to believe about the CBS admissions process. For starters, CBS Admissions Officer Matthew Moll encourages prospective applicants to let go of the idea that they must seek out a recommender with the highest possible title. Instead, urges Moll, choose recommenders who know you best. “It is tempting to seek a recommender with a senior title, but if the CEO of your organization doesn't work with you directly, he/she will not necessarily be able to speak to the recommendation questions asked by the admissions committee,” Moll advises. “It is in your best interest to find those business professionals who are invested in your career and want to see you succeed.” Read more

Published: April 1, 2013

Wharton | San Francisco Students to Host 2nd Annual Social Impact Conference

Later this week, students at Wharton | San Francisco, the West Coast campus of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, will host the Wharton San Francisco Social Impact Conference. The event, which will take place on April 4th, marks one of the first times students at the San Francisco campus have organized and run their own conference. The event this week builds on an inaugural conference students organized last year jointly with the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, the Baker Retailing Center and the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership. “The half-day event was attended by more than 120 Wharton students, alumni and friends and was a great success,” wrote Raghavan Anand in a Wharton Magazine blog post. “So we decided to continue the tradition, except to organize and run it ourselves this time around,” he continued. Read more

Published: April 1, 2013

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: R2 / AdCom / Off-Campus Hub

I arrived a bit early in order to make sure that I had the directions for the location right, and thus was able to chat with my fellow team members before the discussion. All of them, even though slightly tense due to the occasion, were very nice and easy to talk to. We were then asked to join the AdCom member in our conference room, where we were seated at a round table (we were able to choose our seat). The AdCom explained that she would not interfere and only notify us when we had (if I remember well) 15 Read more

Published: April 1, 2013

Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2/ Alumnus / Off-campus

We were at the Starbucks. Interview was casual. 1 Walk me through your resume. 2 Elaborate on work experience after MBA. 3 Why MBA? 4 Why not School XYZ? 5 What would you do if your boss doesn’t favor you and puts you in a bad position? 6 What would you bring to Kellogg? 7 Why not 1 year? 8 Questions? We spent 1 hr and 20 mins. It was a ding. Read more

Published: March 31, 2013

Carnegie Mellon University Establishes New Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)’s Tepper School of Business and School of Computer Science will partner to establish a new, joint Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in an effort to help transform university research and projects into commercial enterprises, the university announced last month. The new CIE will combine Tepper’s Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship and the School of Computer Science’s Project Olympus, continuing the successful programs of each while also growing an extensive network of alumni entrepreneurs. Read more

Published: March 31, 2013

Harvard MBA Admissions Interview Questions: R1 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

Interviewed in an off-campus hub with adcom. Interview was succinct, straight forward, and generally conversational. Overall, I don’t think I had any major points I didn’t get across and ultimately was admitted! 1) Let’s talk about (first company)- what do they do? What did you do there? 2) What’s your average day look like? 3) What’s the next big brand in your industry? 4) Let’s talk about (second company)- what do they do? Tell me about your job there? 5) What would you do differently if you were CEO? 6) What have you learned from Read more

Published: March 31, 2013

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year student / On campus

I’m a round two applicant. I attended the Booth Live event on Friday. The event was awesome! I recommend that every applicant attend this event–before completing the app if possible. It gives you much better insight into the Booth culture, admissions process and committee members, and student personalities. Try your best to engage with as many of the Booth students and admission members as possible–they may remember you and fight for you during their review process. I had my interview the following day at 1pm. There was a first-year student or two hanging around the lobby talking to interviewees and Read more

Published: March 31, 2013

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / On campus

I interviewed on 03/09 on campus. It was a Saturday, so the admissions office was closed. There was a seperate room set up for interviews. When I arrived, I checked in and recieved a name tag that also had the name of my interviewer (of course, I googled him right away just so I could see if we had any common interests – which we didn’t!) There were several first year students in the ‘waiting room’ that were available to answer questions and calm our nerves! When it was my time to interview, my interviewer came out, called my name, Read more

Published: March 28, 2013

NYU / Stern MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / AdCom / Off-Campus Hub

I had my interview off-campus. To tell youthe truth I was pretty nervous. I reaced 15 min before time hoping to hang around and get used to the atmosphere, but I never got the chance. As soon as I reached I was handed a folder with my interests. Thanks to all the reviews I knew what to expect in this part. As I was the first candidate being interviewed that day the Adcom came right out to meet me and I was ushered in before the scheduled time. It was a very relaxed affair all in all. Once we got Read more

Published: March 28, 2013

Cornell / Johnson MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / AdCom / On-Campus

Everyone was really friendly once I arrived on campus from New York on the C2C bus. I attended an information session/tour of Johnson w/ 2 first-year MBA students – this included lunch which is good because I was starving. The students were really friendly and provided a very informal setting for Q&A. I attended a class as well prior to my interview, which was helpful to gauge the style of teaching at Johnson. My interview was with an AdCom member who had my resume and notes from those who had reviewed my application. The conversation was very directed but relaxed. Read more

Published: March 26, 2013

Exclusive GMAT Insights and Advice for MBA Hopefuls From Top GMAT Community Leaders

Each year thousands of individuals begin journeys that they hope will ultimately lead to an acceptance offer from top-tier business schools around the world, and for the majority of these applicants one of the first steps on the b-school path is studying for and taking the GMAT exam. With the 2012-2013 application season wrapping up, a whole new cohort of aspiring MBA students are beginning to get serious about their own school choices and application materials. Most schools won’t be releasing their updated application requirements until later in the summer, so one concrete element of their application that they can start working on now is properly preparing themselves for taking the exam. We sat down with the founders of the major online GMAT communities (Beat The GMAT and GMAT Club) as well as the Director of Academic Programs at leading GMAT test prep firm, Veritas Prep. These individuals have a combined wealth of experience to draw upon when providing helpful tips and insights to share with anyone contemplating an application to business school in 2013-14. In the article that follows, readers will have the opportunity to learn about common misconceptions many test takers have about the exam, successful approaches to creating a study schedule, specific tips that can help those who struggle with either the verbal or the quant sections, and valuable insights on how to approach retaking the test. We additionally have checked in with the official information provided by GMAC, the organization that creates and administers the GMAT exam. Read more

Published: March 25, 2013

Clear Admit Co-Founders Quoted in National, Local Press on Group Interviews for MBA Admissions

Clear Admit co-founders Graham Richmond and Eliot Ingram contributed to articles this week in both the national and local press, sharing their expertise in the MBA space and advising prospective applicants on how to prepare for the group interview component that some top schools are choosing to include as part of the admissions process. Richmond’s comments appeared in a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article entitled, “How to Stand Out in an MBA Group Interview.” The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business is the latest top MBA program to require applicants to work as a group as part of the application process, joining Switzerland’s IMD and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Bloomberg BW notes. Though the schools are taking this step in an effort to elicit more off-the-cuff responses from applicants, there are still ways to prepare for these new exercises. Read more

Published: March 25, 2013

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year / On-Campus

I didn’t like the new interview (team based interview) because many people didn’t participate fully. Also, many people came up with ideas that were out of this world. There were a lot of different opinions. However, in the end, we came to a solid conclusion. There was no feedback provided — whether that conclusion would hold good. Interview was usual – Why Wharton? Why MBA? Why now? Goals? Questions? What do you do in free time? Read more

Published: March 25, 2013

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year student / On campus

Well I got dinged today 🙁 Really, really tough to swallow as Wharton was my first choice. I can’t help but wonder if it was the TBD that did me in. I did not purchase any prep package, but perhaps should have, as I may have done/said something “wrong.” If so, I really regret it and hope future candidates can learn from my experience since my group wasn’t what seemed to be the more typical super-friendly relaxed group. My topic was “innovation.” Here’s my experience: Unlike the other groups I saw around me, mine was very tense. We spent a Read more

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MBA Applywire

November 26, 2024 6:16am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Dartmouth / Tuck, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, UCLA Anderson

Pre-MBA Career: Software Engineer

Post-MBA Target Industry: Other

GRE: 331

GPA: 3.2

Years of Work Experience: 4.5

Location: United States

Notes:

I am aiming to pivot from Software Engineering to Product Management. My undergrad degree was in Computer Science from an Ivy League school where I was a D1 varsity athlete. EC's outside of that are pretty slim, although I am involved with charities and volunteer organizations sporadically. Have organized and led a small handful of hobby groups among friends and colleagues as well. Work experience includes solid brand recognition, and my previous 2.5 YoE are in the music/entertainment industry.

November 26, 2024 5:48am ET

Applying: Columbia, NYU Stern

Pre-MBA Career: product Manager in Entertainment

Post-MBA Target Industry: Undecided

GPA: 3.57

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: New York

Notes:

I am a woman of color and a Product Manager at a major streaming service with three years of experience thus far. I hold a degree in Cinematography from a CUNY school and began my career as an NBCUniversal Page. Since then, I’ve worked for prominent media companies like NBCU, Peacock, A+E Networks, and Paramount+. While I didn’t initially plan on pursuing an MBA, my career trajectory has naturally led me in that direction due to my rapid career growth. I’m preparing for the GMAT (focus edition) with a target score of 655 or higher.

As a non-traditional candidate, are there any potential red flags in my profile? Additionally, are there other MBA programs I should consider? Thank you!

November 26, 2024 12:03am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Government Affairs at technology startup

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Google , LinkedIn , Microsoft , Tesla , Uber

GMAT: 770

GPA: 3.4

Years of Work Experience: 3

November 25, 2024 11:01am ET

Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Georgetown / McDonough, Indiana / Kelley, U. Washington / Foster, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Military: Acquisition Program Manager

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology Companies: Accenture , Bain , Deloitte , McKinsey , Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Google , IBM , Lenova , LinkedIn , Microsoft , Oracle

GRE: 317

GPA: 2.43

Years of Work Experience: 9

Location: Los Angeles

Post MBA Location: West Coast

Notes:

Undergrad was at a Service Academy. Also earned a Masters of Science with a GPA of 4.0, Project Management Professional certification holder, and volunteered for two years at service to schools helping veterans get into an undergraduate program.

November 25, 2024 7:58am ET

Applying: Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB

Pre-MBA Career: Equity Research at Goldman Sachs, and long only Asset Management (healthcare sector)

Post-MBA Target Industry: Asset Management, inc. HF Companies: Fidelity

GMAT: 735

GPA: 3.6

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: San Francisco CA

Post MBA Location: San Francisco CA

Notes:

I took a gap year in college and switched majors taking longer to graduate so I’m 30, would matriculate at 32 and graduate at 34. Seems like I’m an outlier and worried I’m too old.

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MBA LiveWire

November 26, 2024 10:40pm ET

Rejected at NYU Stern

Round: Round 2

Received via portal on November 13, 2024

GPA: 2.79

GMAT: 694

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: New York

November 26, 2024 10:39pm ET

Interview Invite to Columbia

Round: Round 1

Received via email on October 10, 2024

GPA: 2.79

GMAT: 695

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: New York

November 26, 2024 10:16pm ET

Accepted to Georgia / Terry

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 26, 2024

GPA: 3.9

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Operations Management

Application Location: Mississippi

Note:

Im also a Veteran.

November 26, 2024 9:21pm ET

Interview Invite to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 17, 2024

EA: 155

Program Type: One Year Program

Application Location: NYC

Note:

Retail and Luxury

November 26, 2024 8:05pm ET

Accepted to London Business School

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 26, 2024

GPA: 95.5/100

GMAT: 690

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Mexico

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