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Published: February 1, 2022
Cornell Johnson Reports Record Highs in 2021 MBA Employment Report
Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management 2021 MBA employment report shows encouraging growth over 2020 for Johnson graduates in terms of jobs, salaries and more.  “Johnson students enjoyed outstanding placement success in 2021. We experienced record highs in offer rate, acceptance rate, average base salary, and average signing bonus, with particular strength in MBB Consulting, Tech and Investment Banking,” Cornell Johnson Dean Mark Nelson, PhD, tells Clear Admit. He adds, “An unprecedented number of recruiters interacted with our students, and we employed cutting-edge technology infrastructure to Read more
Published: January 31, 2022
Yale SOM Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
The interview was with a Y2 student via Zoom. Interviewer was extremely welcoming and friendly, told me it would be a very casual 30min conversation, that she had a list of questions she needed to ask and would be taking notes. We exchanged some casual ice-breakers about CNY. It was standard Yale-style of blind interview (interviewer only had access to resume) and no “tell me about yourself”. 1. I won’t ask you to tell me about your resume. Instead, choose a professional experience that is meaningful to you and talk about what the outcome was. Why was it meaningful to Read more
Published: January 31, 2022
Episode 212: An Admissions & Career Services Merger at SMU Cox
This special podcast episode covers the importance of career goals in both the MBA admissions and post-MBA career placement domains. In particular, with the help of two special guests, we dive into an innovative approach being taken at one leading business school, where the MBA admissions and career services teams are truly working in tandem. Host Graham Richmond welcomes Lisa Tran and Jason Rife from the SMU Cox School of Business to explore the symbiotic relationship that propels MBA graduates’ success. Jason Rife, Sr. Asst. Dean, Career Mgmt Center and Graduate Admissions, & Lisa Tran, Managing Director, Read more
Published: January 31, 2022
Minnesota Carlson Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Zoom
The Carlson interview was very short, and it looked the Adcom member was just trying to run through the list of questions he had written down. It was a blind interview, the Adcom member only had my resume and not the rest of the application. 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Why Carlson? 3. How will you add value to the Carlson community? 4. Short term and long term goals? 5. Tell me about a time when you had a difficult conversation with someone. 6. How have you shown your commitment to diversity? Read more
Published: January 31, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: UVA Darden MBA Class of 2023
We continue 2022 with a trip to Charlottesville, VA, to meet some new members of the UVA Darden School of Business Class of 2023 in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. 351 students joined the Darden MBA Class of 2023. Forty percent of them are women and 40 percent are international, altogether representing 40 countries. Twenty-one percent identify as U.S. minority members and 52 students were accepted through the Consortium. Thirteen percent overall are underrepresented minorities and, among U.S. citizens, 19 percent are underrepresented minorities. During their undergraduate years, the students averaged a Read more
Published: January 30, 2022
HBS Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Quite friendly interview involving a lot of deep dive into my resume, experiences, market views, etc. Besides the standard questions, I was asked about trends in my current and target industry, my current non-work projects, and about my interests and cultural background. Read more
Published: January 30, 2022
Stanford GSB Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alum / Virtual
Very friendly interviewer and a positive experience overall. Questions: – Introduce yourself and walk me through your resume. – Which accomplishment are you most proud of? (Follow up on a lot of details) – Tell me when you worked with diverse teams. (Follow up on a lot of details) – Hand picked experiences from Resume including, asked to elaborate on my role, impact and challenge faced. – Anything else you want to share with me? – Any questions for me? All in all felt like they really wanted to know me better and also share Read more
Published: January 30, 2022
Episode 211: Wire Taps – Potentially very strong candidate, needs to shape their story. A candidate with interesting work experience…but is low GPA a killer? Darden ($0) vs. Johnson ($80K) for consulting (or maybe IB)?
As Round 2 interview invite season continues, Alex and Graham discuss Harvard’s release date (Wednesday of this upcoming week) – something your hosts had indeed speculated would be the case in last week’s episode. Graham also highlighted the latest Real Humans piece from Georgetown / McDonough and noted some fun facts and figures from the employment reports for MIT / Sloan and Yale SOM. Your hosts then discussed the latest MBA rankings from US News – for online programs – and wondered why Michigan / Ross was not included. As has been the case of Read more
Published: January 29, 2022
Stanford GSB Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Zoom
Interview was pretty conversational and easy going. About 50 mins long. Talking through key experiences with digging throughout: + Talk me through your resume. + What are you most proud of? + Tell me about a time you were challenged. + Why GSB? Why an MBA? Read more
Published: January 27, 2022
Fridays from the Frontline: If You Knew Me – Connecting During COVID
In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, see what Dartmouth Tuck MBA student, Lia Parker-Belfer T’22, launched during the COVID pandemic to help connect her classmates better. If You Knew Me: Connecting During COVID By Lia Parker-Belfer T’22 The Class of 2022 began our first year under unique circumstances: an immediate two-week quarantine, a virtual Tuck Launch, a term of Zoom classes, and vaccines still months away. During Fall A, leaving the classroom meant waving goodbye at your laptop camera. For those living in the dorms, walking to the laundry Read more
Published: January 26, 2022
HBS Announces Timing of Interview Invitations for Round 2 & More for Waitlisted Round 1 Applicants
If you applied to Harvard Business School in Round 2, get ready for some big application news from the school on Wednesday, February 2nd at noon EST. Applicants from Round 1 who have been awaiting news on their admissions status should also tune in. In a post to the Direct from the Director’s blog, Managing Director of HBS admissions Chad Losee shared the following details: “Next week, on Wednesday, February 2 at 12:00 noon eastern, everyone who applied in Round 2—or received a “Further Consideration” decision in Round 1—will receive Read more
Published: January 26, 2022
Yale SOM 2021 MBA Employment Report: Graduate Skills in High Demand
See the employment report for the Yale SOM MBA Class of 2022 here. The Yale School of Management’s 2021 MBA employment report shows how graduates found success in an array of industries and around the world. Eighty-two percent of the Yale SOM MBA Class of 2021, which numbers 312 students, sought employment. Their three-month post-graduation job offer rate came in at 95.7%, and the acceptance rate was 94.1%. The median base salary for the class is $140,400. The median signing bonus, reported by 76.4% of Read more
Published: January 25, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2023
We head to Washington, D.C., for this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students to meet some new members of the Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2023. 283 students enrolled in the McDonough MBA Class of 2023. Thirty-two percent are women and 37 percent are international, representing 37 countries. Forty percent of U.S. students are African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American. Twenty percent identify as underrepresented minorities. During their undergraduate years, the class averaged a GPA of 3.35. Twenty-nine percent had majored in business followed by 17 percent in engineering. Fourteen percent Read more
Published: January 24, 2022
Three-Way Tie for Top of U.S. News 2022 Online MBA Ranking
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2022 Best Online Programs rankings, including online MBA programs. At the top of the list, three schools tied for first in online MBA programs: Indiana University–Bloomington, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, and the University of Southern California. Carnegie Mellon, which tied for first last year, landed at fourth for the 2022 ranking. The University of Florida stayed in fifth place this year, but was joined by the University of Washington. “We see a lot of the usual suspects dominating the online MBA program ranking,” says Clear Admit Read more
Published: January 23, 2022
UCLA Anderson Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Virtual
Interview was exactly 30min. The interviewer was very engaging and friendly and I think the conversation went smoothly. The interview felt conversational and he constantly provided me with feedback. The structure of the interview was basically a few questions about the goals then more behavioral teamwork questions then concluded with Anderson questions. Tell me about yourself. Why MBA? Why now? What are your short-term and long-term goals? What is your plan B? (I want to do MBB consulting and he underscored how competitive it is and wanted me to elaborate on alternatives) Tell me about a conflict teamwork experience. Tell Read more
Published: January 23, 2022
UCLA Anderson Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Really conversational, very chill second-year student [interviewer]. Questions: Walk me through your resume. Why an MBA, why now? Short-term/long-term goals? Plan B short-term goals? Why are you interested in finance? Why Anderson? What will you contribute to Anderson? Greatest strength/weakness? What is your best quality when working in a team? Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work and how did you resolve it. Questions for me? Read more
Published: January 23, 2022
Episode 210: Wire Taps—Strong female candidate worried about a 710 GMAT. Pivot from tech to investment banking, with a 770 GMAT. Wharton ($10K) vs. Sloan ($100K), for MBB Consulting.
In this episode, Graham and Alex kick things off with some talk about the timing of interview invitations for impatient Round 2 applicants.  Interview invites are already starting to roll out for some programs (West Coast schools, plus Yale and a few more) but the programs with ‘fixed’ interview decision dates remain a couple of weeks away; your hosts speculated that HBS would be the first week of February. Beyond talk of R2 applications, Graham highlighted our final Real Humans student piece for the season, USC Marshall. He also mentioned the upcoming events Clear Admit is hosting for Read more
Published: January 20, 2022
MIT Sloan 2021 MBA Employment Report: ‘Sloanies’ Are Motivated to Advance and Make an Impact
See coverage of the MIT Sloan employment report for the MBA Class of 2022 here. The MIT Sloan School of Management 2021 MBA employment report is out, and the graduates demonstrate the value of a Sloan degree in the job market. “The outcomes highlight the value of the MIT Sloan MBA, especially in times that call for agile business leaders who solve complex problems with ingenuity,” wrote Susan Brennan, Assistant Dean, MIT Sloan Career Development Office, in the report. Within three months of Read more
Published: January 19, 2022
CBS Interview Questions & Report: Early Decision / Alum / Zoom
Was notified of interview invite and was matched with a recent alum and instructed to schedule Zoom interview. I provided my resume to the interviewer when scheduling the interview, but the interviewer had not seem my application or read my essays. Questions asked: Why MBA / why CBS? Short term / long term goals? How will being in NYC help? Tell me about a time you got critical feedback. Tell me about a time you used data to help you on a project. Tell me about 2-3 important qualities you’ve picked up in your Read more
Published: January 18, 2022
Stanford GSB MBA Employment Report: Class of 2021 Rebounds to Pre-Pandemic Success
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford GSB reports that graduates of the MBA Class of 2021 have rebounded in a strong job market. According to the freshly released employment report, 96% of students seeking employment received job offers within three months of graduation—a five percent increase over 2020. Ninety-one percent of GSB graduates seeking employment accepted positions within three months of graduation, which represents an increase of six percent over last year’s class. “The Class of 2021 weathered the initial shock of the global pandemic as they pursued their summer internships in 2020, demonstrating Read more
Published: January 18, 2022
Cornell Johnson Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / AdCom / Zoom
Interview was very friendly (~30 min) with someone from Admissions 1. Tell me about your background. 2. Why are you interested in getting an MBA? What skills do you think you’ll gain from an MBA? 3. Why Cornell specifically? 4. How do you plan on getting involved at Cornell? 5. Tell me about a time you worked in a difficult team and how you handled it. 6. Any other things you would like the Admissions committee to know? 7. Questions for me? Ultimately got accepted to Cornell Johnson in R1! Read more
Published: January 17, 2022
CBS Interview Questions & Report: Rolling / Alumna / Zoom
Interview was pretty standard: 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Why MBA? Why Columbia? 3. What is your leadership style? 4. Anything else you would like admissions team to know that’s not on your application? 5. Any questions for me? She submitted her feedback same day. Read more
Published: January 17, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: USC Marshall MBA Class of 2023
Students of the USC Marshall School of Business MBA Class of 2023 shed light on their admissions journeys and more in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. The MBA Class of 2023 at Marshall is comprised of 218 students. Thirty-six percent are women and 34 percent are international, representing 31 different countries of origin. Forty-seven domestic students identify as students of color, while 21 percent identify as historically underrepresented students of color. During their undergraduate years, the Marshall class averaged a GPA of 3.6. Twenty-nine percent had majored in business/commerce followed by 18 Read more
Published: January 16, 2022
Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
The interview was with an alumnus who had graduated 3-4 years ago. He was not from the US, so we connected on both being internationals. the interview itself was very candid and open, it felt like a conversation. He would usually comment on my answers. The questions he asked me where: 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA? Why Haas? 3. How do you hope to contribute from a DEI perspective? 4. Tell me about a time that you experienced DEI. 5. Tell me about a time that you influenced a team to go outside Read more
Published: January 16, 2022
Episode 209: Wire Taps— Dartmouth grad with 11 years of work experience in Japan. Syrian American chemical engineer looking to transition to consulting. West African candidate weighing offers from Booth, Johnson, Yale and Stern, for Investment Banking.
Welcome back to WireTaps!  On this Martin Luther King Day, Alex and Graham take a moment to recognize the enormous contributions made by Dr. King before turning their attention towards the latest MBA application news.  Round 2 application deadlines have passed for all the top MBA programs except for MIT / Sloan; Alex discussed the advantages this might provide Sloan, year on year. Graham then highlighted the new Real Humans pieces Clear Admit has published for Boston College, UT / McCombs and Vanderbilt / Owen. Graham also noted the new employment report for Northwestern / Kellogg, Read more

MBA Applywire

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
4
November 27, 2024 9:07am ET
Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Finance Manager
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Accenture , AT Kearney , Bain , BCG , Deloitte , Ernst & Young , McKinsey , PWC
GMAT: 690
GPA: 3.79
Years of Work Experience: 2
7
November 27, 2024 9:07am ET
Applying: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Notre Dame / Mendoza, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UVA / Darden, Vanderbilt / Owen
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Banking
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Commercial Banking Companies: Accenture , AT Kearney , Bain , PWC , Bank of America
GRE: 306
GPA: 3.64
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: Africa
Notes:

Recently wrote the GRE. It's not a super score but I will probably apply with it anyway. I am still considering retaking the test, as the next time I can take it is around the Round 2 deadline.

My educational background is in social sciences, so wasn't very quant-heavy. Looking at taking an additional quant course to back up my GRE score as the exam fee is about 10x the minimum wage in my country. Any suggestion is welcomed.
5
November 27, 2024 6:51am ET
Applying: Dartmouth / Tuck, Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Program Manager, Humanitarian INGO
Post-MBA Target Industry: Entrepreneurship, Non Profit/SI
GMAT: 685
GPA: 3.27
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: US Citizen (positioned abroad)
Notes:

Long time listener first time caller. Love the podcast! Adding my profile just because I want to be part of the community.

R2 applicant for Fall 2025 entry.

Background: mid-to-late 20s US citizen, lower-income single parent upbringing.

Work experience: currently a manager at a humanitarian INGO in active / post-conflict settings (think Afghanistan, Yemen, etc.) with several million in project budget under management and overseeing multiple teams. Will have been in emergency aid for 2 years upon matriculation, career before that was 1 year quantitative analyst ---> 1 year teaching English abroad. High impact job, recently promoted.

Academics: 3.27 cumulative. Small state school for first year with a 4.0. Transferred to an Ivy, but had to work full time to support family, had just above a 3.0 at the Ivy. I've also done a masters since at a top 5 UK (shout-out to Alex!) with distinction (3.9+ equivalent). Additionally, took Calculus this year (got an A-) to give schools a bit more reassurance on quant abilities since my quant record in college had its ups and downs, and to demonstrate respect for the rigors of the Y1 MBA curriculum.

Test: took the GMAT only once, 685 (86V 82Q 84D). First mock exam was a 625 with a terrible quant score, but brought quant up to 76th percentile with a couple months of study. Internet is too slow to take online, so only had one chance to do it in-person while I was on leave -- retake physically impossible even if I wanted to.

ECs: Very focused on social entrepreneurship. Have also been helping teach / support one of the foreign language programs at the state school I originally went to and transferred out of. Community service award as well, and mountain climber.

Post-MBA goal is social entrepreneurship that can help people in crisis contexts.

I've listened to enough Wire Taps to guess exactly what the advice will be: "You might want to cast a wider net due to the lower GPA, right now you're only targeting top schools." -- Absolutely fair call. However, what I want to do is extremely difficult and will require a ton of resources. I've selected the programs I think best fit my goals / have a strong social and entrepreneurial mission. I don't particularly mind getting dinged everywhere and reapplying next year if need be.

Long post, thanks for reading! Have a great holiday!
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MBA LiveWire

November 28, 2024 3:34am ET
Interview Invite to Boston College / Carroll
Round: Round 1
Received via portal on October 29, 2024
GPA: 3.18
GRE: 302
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: General Management
November 28, 2024 2:23am ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 25, 2024
GPA: 3.42
GMAT: 685
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: Nyc
Note:

Interview 9/7 call and email 11/26. No scholarship
November 27, 2024 8:22pm ET
Accepted to Cornell / Johnson
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 27, 2024
GRE: 327
Program Type: One Year Program
Target Career: Technology
Application Location: San Francisco
November 27, 2024 1:46pm ET
Rejected at Washington U. / Olin
Round: Round 1
Received via portal November 27, 2024
GPA: 3.9
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Operations Management
Application Location: Asia
November 27, 2024 12:44pm ET
Accepted to Washington U. / Olin
Round: Round 2
Received via phone November 27, 2024
GPA: 3.75
GRE: 330
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Phoenix
Note:

Consortium and received a full-ride plus a stipend. Interviewed on November 10th and received offer today, November 27th.
I feel very optimistic for Booth and Yale results next week.
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