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Published: December 9, 2020
USC MBA Employment Report: Marshall Class of 2020 Mix in Media Industry
The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business has released its MBA Class of 2020 Employment Report showing a rise in salaries for the year over 2019 despite a slight decrease in signing bonuses. Sixty-one percent of job opportunities were facilitated by the school through the Campus Recruiting Program, summer internships, or staff and faculty referrals. USC MBA Employment Report: Top 5 Industries Consulting 28% Technology 27% Media/Entertainment/Gaming 11% Consumer Packaged Goods 9% Finance 8% USC MBA Employment Report: Regional Placement West 88% Midwest 3% Southwest 3% Northeast 2% Mid-Atlantic 2% Industry Placement Read more
Published: December 8, 2020
Dartmouth MBA Employment Report: Tuck Class of 2020 Take Home Higher Salaries
The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University has released its MBA Class of 2020 Employment Report. Ninety-four percent of MBAs received offers within three months of graduation and 92 percent accepted. This does represent a decline from 2019; however, the climate graduates faced this year was starkly different. Still, the median salary increased substantially over last year to $150,000 from $140,000. Tuck credits its personal approach to management education and exemplary career services for the success of the Class of 2020. Dartmouth MBA Employment Report: Top Tuck Post-MBA Industries Consulting 42% Financial Services Read more
Published: December 8, 2020
Competition for Admission to Top MBA Programs Intensifies Amid COVID Pandemic
As if 2020 hasn’t been difficult enough, there may be some more bad news for applicants to leading business schools: Round 1 outcome data from Clear Admit’s LiveWire tool suggests that MBA applicants may be in for a tough 2020-2021 admissions season. Amid rumblings of higher application volume, we conducted a quick year-over-year analysis, looking at the percentage of total LiveWire updates represented by Rejection and Interview Invitation statuses. The rate of interview invitations and rejections at the top-16 US MBA programs suggests that schools may be handing out fewer invites – and that rejections may Read more
Published: December 8, 2020
Real Humans of Texas McCombs’ MBA Class of 2022
Meet some of the newest members of the Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2022 in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. 241 candidates joined the Austin-based business school in the fall of 2020. Thirty-four percent of the new cohort are women and 10 percent are international. Eighteen percent identify as underrepresented minorities and 31 percent as U.S. minorities. Altogether, students averaged an age of 29 and six years of work experience. The top five most popular pre-MBA industries were finance/banking, energy, government/non-profit, technology and consulting. During their undergraduate years, the students Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Skype
Interview atmosphere was formal with 2Y student interviewing in a formal suit at a dining table. You could tell that she put thought into how to present professionally, which is greatly appreciated. The interview was resume based. Questions: 1. Tell me about yourself. 2a and b. Why an MBA? Why Booth? 3. Talk about a time you had to handle a lot of different personalities. 4. Talk about a time you had failed. 5. Talk about a time you had to handle various timelines at the same time. 6. Do you have any questions Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
Alum interview, only had access to resume. Thought interview went well: interviewer probed a bit following up on questions such as “Why Booth, explain your career goals.” Definitely wanted to emphasize Booth’s choice friendly atmosphere and how students bond together. Was accepted R1 Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
Stanford GSB Releases its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report for 2020
The Stanford University Graduate School of Business has released its second annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Report, documenting progress made towards diversity on campus and in the broader community, equity in the school and the business world at large, and inclusion of people and perspectives necessary for success. Efforts Outlined in the Action Plan for Racial Equality This year, the Action Plan for Racial Equality (APRE), released in July 2020, is the report’s Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
HBS Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom + Observer / Zoom
The interviewer was very friendly and started off the interview by giving an overview of what to expect in the next 30 minutes. She informed me that she had reviewed my application in detail, and there would likely not be any time for questions at the end. The atmosphere was very relaxed and was more application than resume-based. Below are some questions she asked: Why did I double major with Psychology? Personal traits (why I described myself as X and Y). What trends to I expect to see in the manufacturing space? (I am from a less traditional industry so Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
Real Humans of the London Business School MBA Class of 2022
We take a trip to England in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, as eight new London Business School candidates share their backgrounds, interests and admissions journeys to the leading program. 532 students enrolled for the LBS Class of 2022. Thirty-six percent of the new class are women. Altogether, the group represents 66 different nationalities. Eleven percent came from the United Kingdom and another 17 percent joined from Europe. Eighteen percent had resided in North America and 17 percent in Central/South America. Twenty-eight percent of new students hailed from Asia. Read more
Published: December 6, 2020
MIT Sloan Employment Report: MBA Class of 2020 Secure Higher Salaries & Signing Bonuses
The MIT Sloan School of Management employment report for the MBA Class of 2020 revealed that 95.5 percent of students had offers within three months of graduation and 91.1 percent had accepted offers. Both the median salary and signing bonuses increased over last year to $150,000 and $34,000, respectively. MIT Sloan Employment Report: Top Post-MBA Industries Consulting 31.1% Technology 27.6% Financial Services 18.5% Healthcare/Pharma/Biotech 5.6% Automotive/Aerospace 3.1% Consumer Products 3.1% MIT Sloan Employment Report: Regional Post-MBA Placement Northeast 44.1% West 29.7% South and Southwest 9.1% Mid-Atlantic 2.8% Midwest 2.8% Industry Read more
Published: December 6, 2020
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
The interview started off with a couple of questions about my leadership experiences at work and college. I was then asked to elaborate on my work experience and that went on for a while with the alumni showing keen interest. This followed up with a couple of behavioral questions. Since my Post-MBA goal was finance, the alumnus interviewing me asked very specific questions on how Booth will aid my experience. Towards the end, the alumnus described his experience at Booth and talked about his present role. All in all, I felt the interview went pretty normal, as in there was Read more
Published: December 6, 2020
Episode 135: Wire Taps—Coming from the Military, Am I Targeting the Right Schools?
In this podcast episode of Wire Taps, our admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, discuss three MBA hopefuls trying to plan their application strategies. Preview the profiles from MBA ApplyWire below and then tune in to hear their advice. Read more
Published: December 6, 2020
Inside the Career Center at HEC Paris
Career workshops, mock interviews, industry connections, recruiting relationships—these are just a few of the services that the Career Center team offers to enable HEC Paris students pursue their dream career paths. Seventy-two percent of students in the MBA Class of 2019 secured their post-MBA positions through school-facilitated opportunities such as on-campus recruitment, the HEC Paris network, and HEC-initiated internships or job postings. Marie Courtois, Director, HEC Paris Career Center To find out how the HEC Paris Career Center has created such a dynamic network to support students, we recently spoke with Read more
Published: December 4, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Early Action / Second-Year Student / Zoom
The interviewer was very very friendly. The interviewer was a second-year student and had a list of questions / topics to cover for the interview. It gradually progressed from my introduction to my time at college, examples of my leadership skills, work experience and a lot of behavioral questions. The interviewer was trying to gauge my passion for Fuqua and why it stands out for me. Overall, the interview was pretty standard and there weren’t any questions that stumped me or were intentionally tricky. Read more
Published: December 4, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
I conducted my interview with an alum via Zoom. Both of us were located in Japan, so coordinating a time was easy. My interviewer told me in advance that I should dress casually, so I wore a button-up, no blazer. He did the same. The questions were a mixture of resume based and what-if scenarios. He referred directly to my resume on just two occasions when I mentioned specific roles I held. Some of the questions I was asked include the following: 1. Explain your job role to me as though I’m a six-year-old. 2. Tell me about a Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Relatively casual, friendly, informational environment. Interviewed with a second-year student who had similar interests/career experiences to mine — I’m not sure if that was on purpose or coincidence. He asked very “typical” questions: Tell me about yourself Teamwork example Leadership example Influencing another individual example Career path Why Kellogg Any questions for me? ( I came prepared with 5 questions to ask the interviewer and we talked through all of them) Altogether the interview lasted ~45 mins. The conversation felt as if it was mostly a “screener” to ensure I had basic social skills, could articulate my goals, and could Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Dartmouth Tuck Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
1) What are your short-term and long-term goals? 2) How will Tuck help you reach your goals? 3) How will you contribute to Tuck? 4) Tell me about an example when you went outside your comfort zone. 5) Tell me about an activity/cause that you are passionate about. 6) Is there anything you wished I had asked you? The interview was 45 minutes. The second-year student was very kind and present throughout the interview. They really care about making sure you feel comfortable during the interview, which I appreciated. Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
– Tell me about yourself. – What are your short-term and long-term goals? I’m interested in corporate social impact, so I had a follow-up question on how the pandemic has impacted corporations’ social responsibility. – Why Kellogg? – Questions about Kellogg? The entire interview was 30 minutes and the alumnus was very kind. He explained why he chose Kellogg, how it led it him to his current career, etc. Very positive interview experience! Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Global Experience Module in Brazil
One of the most exciting experiences of going back to school can also be going abroad. In this Fridays from the Frontline, Emory Goizueta MBA student, Racquel Waite, walks us through navigating the pandemic and still ensuring a once in a lifetime international experience. Read more
Published: December 2, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / First-Year Student / Online
Was expecting an interview with an AdCom member, as I only received a formal Kellogg portal interview invite. Was very pleasantly surprised to match with a first-year student who had a very similar pre-MBA background and career goals. Student seemed a bit green to interviewing. I would get asked a 2-part question, and they would move onto a new question before I had answered both portions of the first. Questions were standard: 1. Walk me through your MBA resume. 2. Why an MBA? Why now? 3. Why Kellogg? 4. Strengths/Weaknesses. 5. Anything else to ask? Read more
Published: December 2, 2020
Columbia MBA Employment Report: Consulting Tops Industry Choice
Columbia Business School released its employment report for their MBA Class of 2020. This year’s 755-strong graduating class entered the pandemic-rocked global business community and found success. Ninety percent received job offers within three months of graduation and 87 percent accepted. While the median salary remained flat over 2019, median signing bonuses slightly increased. Despite the economic uncertainty, 19 students went on to found their own companies upon graduation. Columbia MBA Employment Report: Top 5 Industries Consulting 34% Financial Services 33.2% Media/Technology 19.8% Manufacturing 4% Healthcare/Pharma 3.8% Graduates entering the consulting Read more
Published: December 1, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Video
I interviewed with an alum who also works in consulting as I do. He only had my resume. It lasted a little over an hour. The interview was fairly ‘standard’ interview questions, e.g., what challenges did you face at work? Tell me about a rewarding experience? What was a piece of advice you recently received? He gave me time at the end for me to ask questions. The tone of the interview was cordial. I would advise candidates to prepare for a couple of ‘challenge’ / ‘failure’ type of experiences. The interview went pretty much how I’d expected based on Read more
Published: December 1, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Very team focused: behavioral questions on working with teammates, what qualities constitute good leaders, how will I embody Team Fuqua. Very formal, mainly a Q&A format. Takeaway: Fuqua really does care about team environment, would recommend applicants brush up on stories that showcase those skills (collaboration, humility, communicative leadership, etc.). Read more
Published: December 1, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
Really casual interview, shared same pre-MBA background. 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA? 3. Why now? 4. Why Kellogg? 5. Tell me about a time when you had conflict in a team. What did you do? 6. What’s your greatest professional achievement? 7. Tell me about a time when you motivated your team. 8. Anything to ask me? Was very friendly, gave prompt feedback after each of my answers – helped me to focus towards the next question. Felt he had the Kellogg spirit! Read more
Published: December 1, 2020
Real Humans of the UC Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2022
Student Always, Question the Status Quo, Beyond Yourself, Confidence Without Attitude. These four Defining Principles represent the culture at Berkeley Haas and also serve as the magnet for the new students profiled in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. The Haas MBA Class of 2022 is comprised of 331 students–their largest class to-date. Thirty-nine percent are women and the same percentage identify as U.S. minorities. Seventeen percent identify as underrepresented minorities. International students comprise just above a fifth of the class, at 21 percent. During their undergraduate years, Haasies earned an Read more

MBA Applywire

6
November 28, 2024 8:12am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology
GMAT: 645
GPA: 84%
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: Brazil
5
November 27, 2024 5:44pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton
Pre-MBA Career: Corporate Communication Specialist
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GPA: 3.9
Years of Work Experience: 6
Location: Indonesia
4
November 27, 2024 12:00pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, London Business School, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Eingeneer
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GMAT: 675
GPA: 3,5
Years of Work Experience: 4.8
Location: Chile
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.
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MBA LiveWire

November 28, 2024 4:55pm ET
Applied to Emory / Goizueta
Round: Round 2
Received via email
GPA: 3.19
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Nigeria
November 28, 2024 1:14pm ET
Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas
Round: Round 1
Received via email on October 27, 2024
GPA: 84%
GMAT: 645
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Technology
Application Location: Brazil
November 28, 2024 10:17am ET
Interview Invite to Indiana / Kelley
Round: Round 1
Received via email on October 16, 2024
GPA: 83%
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Nigeria
November 28, 2024 10:15am ET
Interview Invite to Emory / Goizueta
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 07, 2024
GPA: 83%
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Nigeria
November 28, 2024 9:53am ET
Interview Invite to INSEAD
Round: Round 2
Received via email on November 26, 2024
GMAT: 655
Program Type: One Year Program
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: France
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