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Published: January 14, 2022
UPenn Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
WHARTON TBD: The TBD went as expected. The link was opened just a couple of minutes before starting. We introduced ourselves before the “clock” started ticking. When the time began, everyone presented their ideas in about 65-70 seconds. Then we started to attempt converging into an idea. It wasn’t easy at first, but everyone was very open to suggestions. Only a couple of people were more “stuck” with their own ideas, but eventually went with the group. After deciding on a topic, the entire conversation went more smoothly. I think that following the specific questions from the prompt was key. Read more
Published: January 14, 2022
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
The interview was with a local alumnus from my same industry and undergraduate university who had just graduated from the program. The overall mood was mostly formal, though it became more relaxed by the end when I started asking questions back. The questions were: 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Specifics about some projects and roles. 3. What do you like and dislike about your current job? 4. Tell me about some experiences that shaped your career development. 5. Tell me about a time you had to work with someone difficult. 6. What is Read more
Published: January 13, 2022
Emory Goizueta Adds New Courses and DEI Concentration to Full-Time MBA Programs
Students in the One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs at Emory Goizueta can now elect a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) concentration. Brian Mitchell, Associate Dean of Full-Time MBA Programs and Goizueta Global Strategy and Initiatives Brian Mitchell, associate dean of Full-Time MBA programs and Goizueta global strategy and initiatives, tells Clear Admit, “MBA applicants should know that the academic courses that comprise this concentration have been thoughtfully designed to help students develop as principled, empathetic leaders in increasingly diverse settings.” He continues, “Whether they are launching their own startups or joining large existing firms, our Read more
Published: January 12, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: Vanderbilt Owen MBA Class of 2023
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to Nashville to meet some new members of the Class of 2023 at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. 182 students comprise the Vanderbilt Owen MBA Class of 2023. Thirty-seven percent are women and a quarter are international, which includes dual citizens and permanent residents. The class represents 27 different countries. Twenty-three percent of U.S. students identify as minorities. During their undergraduate years, Vanderbilt Owen MBAs averaged a 3.33 GPA and represent 117 different undergraduate institutions. Classmates range in age from 23 to 40 Read more
Published: January 11, 2022
Northwestern Kellogg 2021 MBA Employment Report Showcases Perseverance and Adaptability
See coverage of the Northwestern Kellogg employment report for the MBA Class of 2022 here. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management has released its MBA Class of 2021 Employment Report. The achievements of the full-time two-year MBA graduates are unhindered by the current pandemic-related economic disruption, with impressive job offers and acceptance numbers plus a 100% internship success rate. At three months post-graduation, 97.1% of MBAs reported receiving a job offer, and 96.1% had accepted a job offer. The median base salary across all industries reached $150,000, and 85.5% reported receiving Read more
Published: January 10, 2022
Yale SOM Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 /Second-Year Student / Zoom
My interviewer was pretty straight forward and friendly at the same time. She mentioned that the interview would last 30mins. I was already aware Yale SOM is not fond of starting interviews with the famous ” Tell me about yourself/ walk me through your resume” question so I was not surprised they did not ask it. These were the questions: 1. I won’t ask you to go through the whole resume, choose one professional experience where you succeeded at something and talk about what the outcome was. What did you learn from the experience and how did you apply it Read more
Published: January 10, 2022
Real Humans of Texas McCombs’ MBA Class of 2023
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet some new members of the MBA Class of 2023 at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business in Austin. 270 students joined the Austin-based McCombs full-time MBA program. Thirty-eight percent of the class are women and nearly a quarter are international. Thirty-six percent of U.S. students identify as a minority and 23 percent overall identify as an underrepresented minority. Texas MBA students averaged an age of 29 and 5.5 years of work experience at the time of matriculation. During their undergraduate years, Texas Read more
Published: January 9, 2022
USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
It was really laid back and informal feeling! I spoke with Nirav Mehta (Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions), who was just so kind and easy to talk to and really put me at ease. Here’s the basic flow of the conversation. No curveballs. 1. Talk me through your resume. 2. Tell me more about your experience in your career -> What is your favorite/least favorite part about your job? 3. What is an achievement you are most proud of? 4. Why MBA? 5. Why USC? 6. Do you have any questions for me? Lasted Read more
Published: January 9, 2022
Episode 208: Wire Taps—Female Indian candidate with a lower GRE score. Tech candidate with super numbers. Darden with dollars versus Kellogg.
Welcome back to WireTaps, our weekly podcast covering all things MBA Admissions!  Round 2 application deadlines continue in the week ahead; Alex and Graham discussed Chicago Booth moving its deadline to this week, January 11, speculating on the reason why. Graham highlighted the Real Humans pieces from Rochester / Simon and Washington U./ Olin. Graham also covered the employment reports from Columbia and Duke / Fuqua, and your hosts noted that Columbia does not break out the geographic spread of its graduates, while Fuqua is sending 28% of its class to the west coast, a high Read more
Published: January 5, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: Boston College Carroll MBA Class of 2023
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, new members of the Boston College Carroll MBA Class of 2023 shed light on their admissions journeys and more. 97 students matriculated for the latest Carroll MBA class. Forty-two percent are women and 23 percent are international. Nineteen percent identify as African-American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. During their undergraduate years, the BC Carroll MBA class averaged a GPA of 3.19. Twenty-one percent had majored in humanities/social sciences followed by 17 percent in business. Ten percent each had earned degrees in economics or finance. Nine percent Read more
Published: January 4, 2022
Duke Fuqua MBA 2021 Employment Report: Graduates Set Records in Salary and Employment Rates
See coverage of the Duke Fuqua MBA employment report for the Class of 2022 here. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has released its 2021 MBA Employment Report, and the Class of 2021 has set new records for the school in annual salary and employment rates. Duke Fuqua MBA Employment Records At the three-month post-graduation mark, 98 percent of MBAs had received a job offer, and acceptances reached 96 percent, a five percent jump from 2020. International students saw a seven percent increase in their employment Read more
Published: January 3, 2022
Real Humans of MBA Students: Washington University Olin MBA Class of 2023
We continue with our Real Humans: MBA Students series in the new year by saying hi to some new members of the Washington University (WashU) Olin Business School MBA Class of 2023 in St. Louis. 86 students comprise the MBA Class of 2023. Forty-three percent are women and 40 percent are international students. Twenty-five percent identify as underrepresented U.S. minorities. During their undergraduate years, WashU Olin MBAs averaged a 3.3 GPA. Thirty-seven percent had majored in business or economics. Thirty-six percent pursued studies in natural science, engineering or STEM. Twenty-seven percent had earned degrees Read more
Published: January 2, 2022
Michigan Ross Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
I interviewed with an alumnus based out of Dallas. It seems like we were paired together based on background and location. He lives in Dallas and also works in Product Management so he was able to talk about my job and ask detailed questions about what I currently do. Questions Asked: -Walk me through your resume. -Why MBA? -Why Ross? -What do I want to do post MBA? -Where do I see myself in 5 years? Long term goals? Overall it was a fairly easy interview and he was very interesting to talk to. I Read more
Published: January 2, 2022
Episode 207: Wire Taps—Female engineer with lower GMAT quant score. Operations candidate targeting the COO role at Patagonia. Stern with a full-ride vs. Booth full-fare, for Investment Banking in New York?
Happy 2022 to all! Graham and Alex are back to ring in the New Year, despite some unexpected hurdles involving an acronym… Round 2 application deadlines are now upon us; Alex noted that 20 MBA programs that Clear Admit covers have their application deadlines this week. Our hosts also marvel at the increase in MBA DecisionWire entries, and the community discussion around those entries on the wires. Graham highlighted the recently published Real Humans pieces for UCLA Anderson and Cambridge Judge. Graham also discussed a new feature on Spotify, the show can now be rated; so here’s Read more
Published: December 29, 2021
Real Humans of MBA Students: Rochester Simon MBA Class of 2023
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to upstate New York to meet some new members of the Rochester Simon MBA Class of 2023. 113 students enrolled in Simon’s latest MBA class. Forty-two percent are women and 43 percent are international. Thirty-four percent of U.S. students are from historically underrepresented groups – 17 percent are African American or Black and another 17 percent are Hispanic American. During their undergraduate years, the middle 80 percent of GPAs for Rochester Simon MBAs ranged from 2.8 to 3.9. Forty-two percent had studied business & commerce Read more
Published: December 28, 2021
Columbia MBA Employment Report: Class of 2021 Moves on from Morningside Campus to Bright Careers
See the Columbia MBA employment report for the Class of 2022 here. The Columbia Business School employment report touts the program’s expansive alumni network as an integral part of the MBA Class of 2021’s success. The report marks a landmark year, as these graduates are the last for the Morningside campus. The new business school campus, located in Manhattanville, will see students in the spring semester at its two new buildings: Henry R. Kravis Hall and David Geffen Hall, which together encompass 492,000 square feet, twice the size of the previous Read more
Published: December 27, 2021
Real Humans of MBA Students: UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2023
We head to sunny California for this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students to meet some new members of the UCLA Anderson School of Management MBA Class of 2023. 360 students joined the latest Anderson class. Forty-two percent are women and 36 percent are international, representing 41 different countries. Thirty-two percent identify as minorities. During their undergraduate years, 26 percent of Anderson MBA students had studied business. Twenty percent each had majored in engineering or economics. Seventeen percent earned degrees in the humanities followed by 10 percent in math/science. The middle 80 percent of Read more
Published: December 26, 2021
Episode 206: Wire Taps—Outstanding military candidate with modest GRE. Government worker turned serial novelist. US-based candidate weighing options with non US-based programs.
Grab a glass of eggnog and cozy up to this holiday edition of the WireTaps podcast! While things are now quiet on the MBA decision release front, plenty of MBA candidates are sharing their decisions on MBA DecisionWire, and Graham and Alex get into some helpful content around how to spend the holiday break if you are deciding on R1 options or applying in R2.   Graham also noted the release of Real Humans pieces for Dartmouth / Tuck and Minnesota / Carlson and highlighted the employment reports from Harvard and Tuck. Both programs had an average starting salary at $150,000; Read more
Published: December 22, 2021
Real Humans of MBA Students: Cambridge Judge Class of 2022
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet members of the one-year MBA program at the Cambridge Judge Business School in Cambridge, England. 221 students joined the latest Cambridge Judge MBA class. Forty-three percent are women and the class represents 45 different nationalities. During their undergraduate years, 29 percent had pursued degrees in business/accounting/finance. Twenty-six percent had engineering majors. Fifteen percent earned degrees in economics, followed by 12 percent in social sciences. Eleven percent studied the sciences and eight percent the arts. At an average age of thirty, Judge MBAs matriculated Read more
Published: December 21, 2021
HBS MBA Employment Report Shows Class of 2021 Coming Out on Top
See coverage of the HBS MBA Class of 2022 employment report here. Harvard Business School’s MBA Class of 2021 epitomizes a class rebounding from pandemic disruptions like remote—or even cancelled—internships, hybrid learning, and a changed economy. The school’s latest employment report shows their success in an economy hungry for skilled workers. At three months past graduation, 96 percent of the HBS MBA class had received an offer of employment, and 92 percent had accepted, up from 83 percent at the same point last year. Entrepreneurship drew many MBAs, especially to Read more
Published: December 20, 2021
UVA Darden Batten Scholarship Interview: Early Action / Zoom
When I got the request for an interview, I couldn’t find much on the interview process. Given that, I thought I would share my experience. First thing to note – I got my notice of admission (EA September) well before notice of the scholarship. There were 4 people on the call, the MBA adcom I had my admissions interview with, Batten’s Director of Education and Experiential Learning (I’ve talked to a few Batten Scholars now, she has been a constant for every interview), a Darden grad in the start-up space, and a member of the adcom who focuses on Batten Read more
Published: December 20, 2021
Real Humans of the Dartmouth Tuck MBA Class of 2023
Get to know some new members of the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business MBA Class of 2023 in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. 294 students enrolled for the Tuck MBA Class of 2023. Forty-six percent are women and 41 percent are international, including dual citizens and permanent residents. Twenty-nine percent of U.S. students identify as U.S. minorities. During their undergraduate years, Tuckies averaged a GPA of 3.54. Forty-five percent had majored in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Twenty-eight percent earned degrees in STEM disciplines. The remaining 27 percent of the class Read more
Published: December 19, 2021
Episode 205: Wire Taps—URM college dropout with low test scores; can he make the cut? Accomplished woman with great numbers despite being expelled from ugrad. Will adcoms take a risk? DW: Stern full fare vs. McDonough with dollars; Should money matter?
Welcome back to another episode of WireTaps!  With decisions from leading programs wrapping up over the last week, there has been no shortage of activity on both MBA LiveWire – and MBA DecisionWire, as candidates start weighing their options.   Beyond the usual profile reviews, Alex and Graham dive into an ongoing conversation on LiveWire about the timing of interview invites for Columbia’s rolling admissions. They also look at the new Real Humans piece for Columbia and the employment report for Georgetown / McDonough, which had significance for the third WireTaps candidate this week (see below). As to this week’s candidates: Read more
Published: December 15, 2021
Real Humans of MBA Students: Minnesota Carlson MBA Class of 2023
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to Minneapolis to meet some new members of the University of Minnesota’s Curtis L. Carlson School of Management MBA Class of 2023. On average, the class size at Carlson lands at 89 students. Thirty-two percent are women and 19 percent are international. Sixteen percent identify as U.S. students of color. Carlson also reports that 19 percent of new students served in the military. During their undergraduate years, Carlson MBA students averaged a GPA of 3.45. Twenty-two percent earned degrees in business followed by 20 percent Read more
Published: December 14, 2021
Dartmouth Tuck MBA Class of 2021 Employment Report: Graduates in High Demand
See the employment report for the Tuck MBA Class of 2022 here. The Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business has released its employment report for the MBA Class of 2021. The report shows Tuck graduates had impressive acceptance rates that nearly matched the school’s record high. Three months after graduation, 98 percent of job-seeking graduates received an offer, just short of the school’s record 99 percent. The job acceptance rate at the three-month mark reached 97 percent. The median signing bonus landed at $30,000 and the median salary at $150,000. This brings 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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