Recent News

Published: August 15, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Dawna Clarke of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business

Dawna Clarke is a veteran in the MBA admissions world, where she has worked for more than 25 years. She was appointed director of MBA admissions for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth by Dean Paul Danos in September 2005, and since then she has served as the primary point of contact for MBA applicants and worked to actively promote the Tuck MBA program to prospective students. Clarke came to Tuck from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, where she spent 15 years, the last five as director of admissions. And before Darden, she was associate director of admissions at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business. So she knows a thing or two about what it takes to get into a top-tier MBA program. Read more

Published: August 13, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Bruce DelMonico of the Yale School of Management

Our 2014 Admissions Director Q&A with Bruce DelMonico, the Admissions Director of the Yale School of Management, is now available. Yale School of Management (SOM) Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico recently took time out of his busy schedule to bring us up to speed on things in New Haven. A lawyer by training, DelMonico grew tired of sleeping in his office and traveling for weeks on end, so in October 2004 he joined Yale SOM as deputy director of admissions in his native New Haven, Connecticut. He assumed the role of admissions director in November 2006. There are lots of things to be excited about in the coming year at Yale SOM, DelMonico tells us. A new dean, Dean Edward Snyder, has been at the helm for the past year, helping to put into motion several exciting new developments, including the launch of a new Global Network for Advanced Management and the re-launch of the school’s Leadership Development Program. Construction continues, meanwhile, on a new home for the business school called Evan Hall, designed by famed architect Lord Norman Foster. Read more

Published: August 8, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Stephanie Fujii of the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley

Our 2014 interview with Stephanie Fujii, the director of admissions at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, is now available. Stephanie Fujii has been director of admissions at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley since August 2010, ably filling the shoes of outgoing director Peter Johnson, who had been with Haas for more than a decade. That she had no trouble taking on the new role comes as no surprise. Fujii is not new to admissions, nor is she new to Haas. She has been a part of the Haas admissions team for the past seven years, serving previously as senior associate director. Before that she worked in the nonprofit sector in eldercare, after receiving an MBA of her own from Haas. “It is exciting to be part of the process and to meet people on the road and help them understand what makes our program unique,” she says. Prior to business school she was in HR consulting and while a student at Berkeley she was a Haas Student Ambassador, which involved working closely with admissions to plan student events. Read more

Published: August 6, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: London Business School’s David Simpson

It’s an exciting time to be in London – and an exciting time to consider an MBA or other masters program at the London Business School (LBS). In the interview that follows, David Simpson, LBS associate director of client services, highlights recent enhancements to the organization of the school’s MBA curriculum and shares details about a review currently underway of the school’s Masters of Finance program. He also stresses the global focus of LBS’s offerings and the remarkable diversity of the LBS class. Finally, he walks us through the admissions process step by step and provides some concrete pointers on how to write strong application essays, as well as how to prepare for the admissions interview. So whether you’re considering adding the school to your target list, or have committed to apply for next year already, you won’t want to miss what Simpson has to say. Read more

Published: August 1, 2012

One-Year MBA? Two-Year MBA? Pros and Cons

Preference for one-year MBA programs – common at European business schools, but traditionally less so at U.S. schools – is growing among prospective U.S. and Canadian applicants, according to an article this week in the Wall Street Journal. Lean economic times make the benefits of shorter programs, including lower tuition and less time and earnings lost while studying, appealing. But the WSJ article argues that these accelerated options may carry other costs that students considering them should bear in mind. In 2009, 71 percent of U.S. and Canadian respondents to a survey by business-education research company QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. preferred programs lasting 19 to 24 months, the WSJ reports. This year, that figure fell to 57 percent. Meanwhile, preference for programs lasting between 10 and 18 months rose, up to 29 percent of respondents from 21 percent in 2009. Some U.S. schools are responding to this increased demand, such as Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, which announced earlier this year that it plans to double the size of its one-year option. (Check out our Admissions Director Q&A with Kellogg’s Kate Smith for more on this.) Read more

Published: July 31, 2012

GMAT Tips: Learn How to Think Like the Testmaker

Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they explain how and why to think like the testmaker while taking the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say! At Veritas Prep we advocate that you learn to Think Like the Testmaker, and to think about how well the Testmaker knows you. The makers of the GMAT will admit that theirs is a test of “higher order thinking”, of your ability to think critically, solve problems efficiently, and otherwise demonstrate not merely that you have knowledge but that when you do have knowledge you can leverage it to greater gain. For this reason, the test is obligated to use tricks, shortcuts, and partial knowledge against you if that’s all you bring to the table on harder questions; at some point in the 500s/600s, the test has to determine not just “who studied” but “who can really think and problem solve”. And for that reason, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. Read more

Published: July 30, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Soojin Kwon of the Ross School of Business

Our 2014 Admissions Director Q&A with Soojin Kwon, the director of admissions at the Ross School of Business, is now available. Soojin Kwon, herself a graduate of the Ross School of Business, knows the school’s admissions process from both sides. She has been leading the admissions team at Ross as director of admissions since June 2006. During her tenure at the school, she has worked to increase the transparency of the application process through her blog and other online forums. Kwon was named one of the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2008. Prior to joining the Ross Admissions Committee, she put her Ross MBA to work as a manager at Deloitte Consulting and as an analyst for both the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and the U.S. Department of Commerce. She is currently on the board of the Forté Foundation, which encourages talented women to pursue careers in business, served as the chair of the 2012 GMAC Annual Conference and is a member of the ETS Business School Advisory Council. Kwon, who we first interviewed in 2008 for this series, was kind enough to make time again this summer to bring us up to speed on all things Ross, including new developments in the past year and plans for the year ahead. Read more

Published: July 29, 2012

Clear Admit Featured in Financial Times Article on Changing MBA Admissions

Clear Admit’s own Graham Richmond was featured as part of an article this week in the Financial Times about changes taking place this admissions season at several top business schools. The article, entitled “The Creative Route to an MBA,” highlighted the shift at several top MBA programs toward requiring fewer essays from applicants, among other changes. Several top schools, including Harvard Business School (HBS), Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, will require applicants to submit fewer essays as part of the application process than in years past. Clear Admit’s Richmond told the FT that he believes this is part of a trend by top programs to shift emphasis away from the essays and toward the interview portion of the application process. Read more

Published: July 25, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Isser Gallogly of New York University’s Stern School of Business

Our 2014 Admissions Director Q&A with Isser Gallogly of NYU Stern is now available. Isser Gallogly, assistant dean of MBA admissions at New York University’s Stern School of Business, understands the MBA and its potential for changing people’s lives first hand. “I am on my third career,” he told us in an interview. He worked in banking after college and then returned to business school to obtain an MBA as part of a career shift toward marketing. After almost a decade working for Unilever and Loreál, he decided to shift again toward education and academia. “I know how much an MBA has changed my life both personally and professionally, and helping others on that journey seemed to me to be a very gratifying job opportunity,” he said. In the interview that follows, he talks about the mission of the Stern School under Dean Peter Henry and a new Essay 2 for full-time applicants, as well as some of the things he thinks not all prospective applicants know about Stern. And if Stern is one of your target schools, you’ll want to pay close attention to the very detailed explanation Gallogly provides of the admissions process at Stern, including his emphasis on the importance of the interview. So read on and be prepared! Read more

Published: July 23, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Kellogg School of Management’s Kate Smith

When Beth Flye, Kellogg admissions director since 2003, returned to her native North Carolina in spring 2011 to head up admissions for Kenan-Flagler’s new online MBA program, Kellogg decided to mine its own alumni for a replacement. Kate Smith, a 1998 graduate of the Kellogg MBA program, had spent the past 15 years building a career in brand management, first at General Mills and then at Pepsico. When Kellogg came calling, she was ready. “It’s just incredible to have the opportunity to come back to Kellogg,” Smith told us. “For me, having a deep understanding of the school’s culture and heritage is really what’s most exciting,” she said. “My personal experience was truly life changing on so many levels.” Smith returned to Kellogg in February 2012 as assistant dean for admissions and financial aid across all of the school’s programs. Having remained engaged with the school as a recruiter and in other capacities as an alumnus, she was able to hit the ground running and hasn’t had any major surprises since she got there, she tells us. Read on to learn more about what she’s most excited about in the year ahead, how she views the admissions process, her advice for applicants sitting down to write their essays and more. Read more

Published: July 18, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Kurt Ahlm of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Our 2014 Admissions Director Q&A with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business' Kurt Ahlm is now available. Kurt Ahlm is a 10-year veteran of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business admissions office, and he seemed the perfect person to take the lead role there when former director Rose Martinelli stepped down two summers ago. Since then he has helped welcome a new dean to the school, Dean Sunil Kumar, and seen the school continue its international expansion with the opening of a new center in China to complement campuses in Chicago, London and Singapore. Ahlm started his career in undergraduate admissions at Northwestern University and then spent time working as a corporate recruiter before coming to Chicago Booth. “I really liked higher education but I also liked the more professional type of atmosphere that the corporate world offered,” he says, adding that MBA admissions provides a great mix of both. Chicago Booth benefits, in turn, from his strong background in both admissions and recruiting. Read more

Published: July 16, 2012

Admissions Director Q&A: Columbia Business School’s Mary Miller

We are excited to announce the relaunch of our popular Clear Admit Admissions Director Q&A Series. Beginning today, we will feature two new interviews each week with admissions directors at leading MBA programs around the globe. In the course of these conversations, top admissions officials share exciting news about upcoming developments at their schools as well as valuable information about the admissions process and more. You won't want to miss this unfolding series. To kick things off, we turn to Columbia Business School's Assistant Dean of Admissions Mary Miller. ~ CLEAR ADMIT EXCLUSIVE ~ Miller took the helm of Columbia’s admissions office in 2009, bringing a wealth of experience from similar stints at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and New York University’s Stern School of Business. Read more

Published: July 10, 2012

GMAT Tips – Getting Ready for Integrated Reasoning: The Scoring!

Today’s GMAT tip comes from test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, they provide helpful information on how to set a target score for the Integrated Reasoning section of the new GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say! We’ve been talking a lot lately about how to prep for IR, including the idea that we only need a “good enough” score for now because the section is so new that the schools aren’t going to place heavy emphasis on IR right away. One key piece of information, though, has been missing: what’s a “good enough” IR score? GMAC has just released the first set of percentile rankings for the 1 to 8 IR scoring scale. Here it is: Percentile Score 94% 8 85% 7 70% 6 54% 5 46% 4 26% 3 17% 2 0% 1 Read more

Published: July 3, 2012

GMAT Tips: Avoid Common Traps on the GMAT

Today’s GMAT tip comes to us from Veritas Prep. In today’s blog post, they identify some common traps to avoid on the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say! The GMAT is not an easy test. It is not meant to be diabolical, but it is designed to get to your true ability level. Sounds fair enough, but what if your true ability level is in the low- or mid-600 range, when you are aiming for a score above 700? What can you do to move yourself up the scoring scale? One way to get immediate results is to recognize the mistakes you are likely going to make during the test. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) needs a way to separate good GMAT takers from great ones, and one way of doing this is to allow students to trick themselves and walk right into easy traps. If you know that you are prone to making the following mistakes, you can train yourself to be on the lookout for them as you prepare for the GMAT: 1) Reading and Reacting Read more

Published: June 28, 2012

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alum / Off Campus

I had my interview off campus with a first year out Booth Alum. We met at a local Starbucks which I think made me more comfortable for the interview than if I had done it in the formal on campus admissions office setting. Her questions were similar to the others posted here, outline as follows: Please give me your elevator pitch (I felt this was a slightly tough starter, as it was not clear whether she was talking about my resume, me, my desire to go to Booth or all of the above!). Why an MBA now Where do I Read more

Published: June 27, 2012

INSEAD MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alum / Off Campus

Hi. I’m giving back to this forum that helped me a lot. Here are my 2 cents. I received my 2 interviewers’ details a day before the deadline. I contacted them right away. I had to travel to Vancouver (British Columbia) for one and Calgary (Alberta) for the other. One interviewer dropped out in the middle, and the adcom assigned me a new one. One was a director at a Real Estate company and the other one was a CEO of an Energy company. You can read the other interviews to get an idea of how it happens. However, I Read more

Published: June 19, 2012

GMAT Tips: Where are the Splits? Handling the “New” Sentence Correction

Today’s GMAT tip comes from test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, they provide helpful tips for answering Sentence Correction questions on the new version of the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say! A lot of students have reported lately that the Sentence Correction questions on the official test were a lot harder than what they were expecting, or that they’ve been having trouble finding splits (differences) in the answers. Or they find the splits but don’t know how to process them / what to do with them. They narrow down to two answers but then don’t know how to pick between the two – they can see the differences but aren’t sure of the significance of those differences. The title of this article is a little bit misleading – nothing about the SC section is technically “new.” The proportion of certain types of questions, though, has been changing, and so the section can feel very different (and challenging!) for someone who’s not prepared for that. Read more

Published: May 2, 2012

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Off Campus

I had an interview off-campus with an Admissions Officer of the program. The interviewer was friendly and easy to talk to. She assured me that she wanted this to be a casual, laid-back conversation and that I should not feel nervous. There were no surprises with this interview. It was standard and felt similar to other business school admissions interviews. I left with a good impression of Said. Tell me about your current job? Why MBA? Why Oxford? Tell me about a time when you were managing someone who was not performing well. What did you do? And if this Read more

Published: May 2, 2012

IESE MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 7 / Off Campus / Adcom

After submitting my application for the March deadline (round 7), I received an invitation to interview within a week. I interviewed with an adcom member at a hotel in London. My interviewer offered me coffee, explained that the interview would be fairly conversational, and began. Questions included: Describe your childhood until the beginning of university. What was your greatest achievement during this time? Why did you choose your university? Describe your undergraduate experience Describe your employment history Why an MBA? Why now? Why IESE? What other schools have you applied to? What are your short-term and long-term career goals? Name Read more

Published: May 2, 2012

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Second-year Student / On Campus

walk me through your resume/tell me about yourself what are your short and long term goals why do you want an MBA why booth tell me about a challenge tell me about something you regret what is your leadership style do you have any questions for me The room was a small room round table with a few chairs. While you wait there are booth students that sit with you and are supposed to chat you up. Interview was 30 minutes sharp. Good Luck guys. Read more

Published: April 28, 2012

Tuck MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 (January Round) / On Campus / Student-initiated

I was interviewed by a T’12 student; I visited campus on Jan 25 for the campus tour and the interview. The interview was fairly straightforward and relaxed – nothing unexpected. I was admitted! Here are the questions I was asked, in no particular order: Walk me through your resume/Tell me about how you got to this point Why did you attend your undergraduate institution? How did you go from neuroscience (my undergrad major) to management consulting? A question about work style – how I approach working with people. This was a decidedly vague question, and I guess I had to Read more

Published: April 24, 2012

GMAT Tips: Meaning is Mean!

Today’s GMAT tip comes from test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, they provide helpful tips for answering Sentence Correction problems on the GMAT. Read on to see what they have to say! We’ve talked a lot about meaning in sentence correction recently and I’ve got another problem along that same theme for you. The problem I chose comes from the new GMATPrep 2.0 (warning: you may not want to read the explanation until after you’ve used the new software yourself, just in case you see the same problem!). This one actually did also show up in the old version of GMATPrep, but I saw it years ago and forgot about it. When I saw it during my 2.0 test last week, I had the same reaction that I did when I first saw the problem about 5 years ago: “I can’t believe they actually did that!” Here’s the problem. Set your timer for 1 minute 15 seconds and go for it! * "As the former chair of the planning board for 18 consecutive years and a board member for 28 years, Joan Philkill attended more than 400 meetings and reviewed more than 700 rezoning applications. “(A) As the former “(B) The former “(C) Former “(D) She was “(E) As the” Read more

Published: April 24, 2012

USC / Marshall MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / First-year Student / Skype

Duration : 30 minutes The interview started off with he telling me that it is a blind interview and has only read my resume.He also said to take it easy as he just wants to know me better. Questions : Briefly share about your career progress Share more on your current position. Role and Responsibilities, Organization. Challenges you found in your current team. Share something innovative you did.I shared a personal experience. Your goals.I said entrepreneurship.He told me to elaborate on the business idea. What are the reasons that make you choose USC Marshall? What kind of contribution that will you bring Read more

Published: April 23, 2012

USC / Marshall MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / First-year Student / Skype

Duration : 35 minutes Questions : Briefly share about yourself, your background, your career progress, your current position Share more on your current position. Role and Responsibilities, Organization. Challenges you found in your current team. What make you decide to take MBA, why now? What are the reasons that make you choose USC Marshall? How USC Marshall will help you achieve your goals? Other reasons why USC Marshall is the best for you? What kind of contribution that will you bring to the USC Community on campus / off campus? Any questions for interviewer? Read more

Published: April 23, 2012

USC / Marshall MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Adcom / On Campus

Blind AdCom interview, resume in hand. She said that she will review my application later. List of interview questions: Tell me about your background – she asked follow up questions regarding my career and industry What are your career goals Why do you want an MBA Why USC Have you worked in a team with chemists…have you worked with a difficult customer Greatest accomplishments What do you like to do for fun Do you have any questions I was nervous. I think the interview was conversational and she made it that way. She has obviously done a lot of interviews 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 2:43pm ET

Interview Invite to NYU Stern

Round: Round 2

Received via email on November 24, 2024

GPA: 3.8

GRE: 324

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: United States

November 26, 2024 2:22pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal November 26, 2024

GPA: 9.48

GMAT: 705

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: India

Note:

Interview 11/12

November 26, 2024 2:21pm ET

Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 13, 2024

GMAT: 735

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: India

Note:

Interviewed on 11/22.

November 26, 2024 2:19pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 26, 2024

GMAT: 735

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: India

Note:

Interviewed on 11/7.

November 26, 2024 2:18pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 26, 2024

GPA: 3.6

GMAT: 675

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

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