Posts by Alex Brown

About

Alex is a co host for Clear Admit's Wire Taps podcast. He has spent 30 years in the MBA admissions industry, and authored the book: Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions Alex also teaches digital marketing through executive education programs for London Business School, Imperial College Business School and Columbia Business School.

Published: December 15, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 401—Super background, weak quant. Applying in two years. Wharton vs Booth.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity of MBA LiveWire; the last couple of weeks has seen significant activity as the majority of the top MBA programs have released their round 1 decisions. For this upcoming week Texas / McCombs is one of the few remaining top programs that is scheduled to release its Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted five admissions tips that have been published on the Clear Admit site this week. These include tips about scholarship offers, their impact on final decisions and whether Read more

Published: December 8, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 400—Conflict zone work, Round 2 Strategy, Low GRE, retake decision

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; several top MBA programs will be releasing their Round 1 decisions this week, including Harvard, UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, MIT / Sloan, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, UVA / Darden, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, Georgetown / McDonough, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Notre Dame / Mendoza, Vanderbilt / Owen, Rice / Jones, Johns Hopkins / Carey and Arizona / Carey. Washington / Olin is releasing Round 2 decisions and Oxford / Said is releasing Read more

Published: December 1, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 398—Interesting streaming experience. 770 GMAT, next season. Ghanian CFA.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity of MBA LiveWire; upcoming this week several top MBA programs will be releasing their Round 1 decisions including Stanford, Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Michigan / Ross, Cornell / Johnson, CMU / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Boston College / Carroll and Georgia / Terry. INSEAD is scheduled to release its Round 2 interview invites. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which will be held this week on December 3rd and 4th, and include Chicago / Booth, Read more

Published: November 24, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 397—American applying to European MBAs. Family business candidate. Three offers, accept or reapply.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity of MBA LiveWire; a few MBA programs are still rolling out Round 1 interview invites; several candidates are eager to hear from Northwestern / Kellogg and Stanford. Upcoming this week, London Business School is scheduled to release its Round 1 decisions, and Michigan State / Broad has its Round 2 deadline. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which are held on December 3rd and 4th, and includes Chicago / Booth, Georgetown / McDonough, Michigan / Ross, Read more

Published: November 17, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 396—Reapplicant from India. Deferred candidate, 340 GRE. Auditor, 4.0 GPA

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity of MBA LiveWire; Duke / Fuqua released its Round 1 interview invites last week, along with other programs that continue to roll out these decisions. Upcoming this week, IESE, SMU / Cox, Georgia Tech / Scheller and Imperial College are scheduled to release their Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, and includes Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Read more

Published: November 10, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 394—720 GMAT, low GPA. High GPA, low GRE. 3.98 GPA, 331 GRE.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the U.S. election, and the potential impacts of a new Trump administration. Graham highlighted the webinar series for deferred admissions candidates, which continues on Wednesday, November 13 with Berkeley / Haas, CMU / Tepper, UVA / Darden and Stanford. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cadefermba Graham also noted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham then shared a recently published report from Forte Foundation, which illustrates the continued efforts of Read more

Published: November 3, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 393—Wharton’s Team-based Discussion Interview

In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; last week, MIT / Sloan and Duke / Fuqua released their Round 1 interview invites; other leading programs are still rolling out their interview invites, including Stanford and Berkeley / Haas. In the upcoming week, INSEAD has an application deadline, and Oxford / Said and Washington / Olin are scheduled to release final decisions from earlier rounds. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinars series scheduled for deferred admissions candidates, which begins on Wednesday with Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM, Read more

Published: October 27, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 391—Italian, test waiver. Solid profile, Tuck invite. Brazilian, EA test.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; UPenn / Wharton released its interview invites for Round 1 last week, while Chicago / Booth released deny decisions for those who it did not invite for an interview. Several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. For this upcoming week, Cornell / Johnson is scheduled to release its interview invite decisions for Round 1, while Irvine / Merage, Oxford / Said, Maryland / Smith and Washington / Olin all have application Read more

Published: October 20, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 390—12 MBA Programs, Planning ahead, Aiming for Investment Banking

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; UVA / Darden released its Early Action round decisions, last week, Michigan / Ross also released its interview invites, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Johns Hopkins / Carey. They are also scheduled to release their Early Action round decisions. UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 1 interview invites. Graham highlighted this week’s Real Humans webinar on Wednesday, which Read more

Published: October 13, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 389—African, 332 GRE. 715 GMAT, 2.9 GPA. Consultant, 294 GRE

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; Columbia released Round 1 interview invites last week, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Rice / Jones, The Consortium, Texas / McCombs, Arizona / Carey, Boston / Carroll, Indiana / Kelley and Notre Dame / Mendoza. NYU / Stern has its Round 2 deadline this week. Imperial College is scheduled to release interview invites for its Round 1 candidates and Duke / Read more

Published: October 6, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 388—African, 329 GRE. Homeless to affordable housing. Tech sales, 318 GRE

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; Harvard released all its Round 1 interview invites last week, as several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Michigan State / Broad, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen and Georgia / Terry. Cambridge / Judge has its Round 2 deadline this week. IESE and London Business School are scheduled to release interview invites for their Round 1 candidates and Oxford / Said is Read more

Published: September 29, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 386—750 GMAT, partner considerations. 329 GRE or 720 GMAT. Reapplying to Marshall

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are starting to see interview invites released for Round 1 for programs like Yale SOM, Berkeley / Haas, and Northwestern / Kellogg. Upcoming this week, we have several Round 1 deadlines including MIT / Sloan, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, CMU / Tepper, USC / Marshall, Washington / Foster, Washington / Olin, Maryland / Smith, SMU / Cox, Minnesota / Carlson, UVA / Darden, Emory / Goizueta and Georgia Tech / Scheller. Oxford / Said has Read more

Published: September 22, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 384—Senior, deferred admissions. From India, 760 GMAT. 330 GRE, from South Korea.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are starting to see interview invites released for Round 1 for programs like Yale SOM and Northwestern / Kellogg. Upcoming this week, we have several Round 1 deadlines including Toronto / Rotman, Imperial College, Dartmouth / Tuck and IESE. The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series concludes this week, on Wednesday, and includes Duke / Fuqua, CMU / Tepper, Columbia, Texas / McCombs and Georgetown / McDonough. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba Graham also Read more

Published: September 15, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 383—Southern European in Hospitality. PhD engineer, 750 GMAT. Family Business goal.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we have a couple of MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week, for NYU / Stern and Chicago / Booth. The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series continues this week and next week. Our second event, on Wednesday, includes Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Yale SOM, UNC / Kenan Flagler, and NYU / Stern. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on understanding the importance of the word Read more

Published: September 8, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 381—Big 4 Sponsored, 690 GMAT. Enlisted military. Stanford Undergrad. Reapplicant, Round 1 or 2.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the busy season that is upon us; we have several MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week; Georgetown / McDonough and Johns Hopkins / Carey have their Early Action round deadlines. Stanford, Michigan / Ross, Columbia, Yale SOM, INSEAD, Northwestern / Kellogg and Berkeley / Haas have their Round 1 application deadlines. The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series begins this week and runs for three weeks, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Our first event includes INSEAD, London Business School, Read more

Published: September 1, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 380—South African, tech. Academic to MBA. Ghanian, 312 GRE

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we have several MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week; Duke / Fuqua, UVA / Darden and Notre Dame / Mendoza have their Early Action round deadlines. Harvard, UPenn / Wharton and London Business School have their Round 1 application deadlines. The next Clear Admit event series is now only one week away and runs for three weeks, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Our first event includes INSEAD, London Business School, UPenn / Wharton, Emory / Goizueta Read more

Published: August 25, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 379—Argentina to Spain. GMAT waiver. Military to renewables

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast Graham began by discussing our September MBA admissions event series; several top MBA programs are scheduled to participate. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba We than had a thoughtful conversation about the value of a top MBA, weighed against the risk of the investment in pursuing the degree. The pros of pursuing an MBA, in a world where things are changing in quite extraordinary ways due to AI, geopolitical challenges, climate change, and other large shifts, are substantial. Learning from the best faculty, learning with similarly motivated peers, Read more

Published: August 18, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 378—Tech PM to MBA. Climate finance to MBA.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast Graham began by discussing our September MBA admissions event series; several top MBA programs are scheduled to participate. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba We then did something very different. Graham and Alex had a deep conversation about their backgrounds, and their work history together, which has extended beyond 20 years. We wanted to highlight our MBA admissions experience, so listeners can get a better sense for who is providing the weekly commentary on MBA admissions. We covered our time together at UPenn / Wharton, where we launched Read more

Published: August 11, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 376—Published environmental scientist. STEM major, AI experience. Social impact consultant.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are now moving into the new season as MBA programs begin their pre-term activities. The next Clear Admit event series begins in September and will run for three works, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Five top MBA programs will participate in each event, signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba Graham highlighted one admissions tip, whether to apply in Round 1 or Round 2, and two additional Clear Admit stories that were published last week. The first Read more

Published: August 4, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 373—Doctor to MBA. Reporter to MBA. Military marathoner.

MBA Podcast 373: Doctor to MBA. Reporter to MBA. Military to MBA. Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; a few MBA programs are still reducing their wait lists as pre-terms approach; we then discussed the value and importance of pre-term to help set up candidates for their MBA experience. Clear Admit’s summer essay workshops have now come to a very successful conclusion; the next series of events will begin in September. Graham highlighted Harvard’s recent announcement that their MBA program is now STEM Read more

Published: July 28, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 370—655 GMAT, completed PhD. 675 GMAT, do they explain? 4 years of experience, still an undergraduate.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, which soon turned into a short quiz with Alex testing Graham on key admissions dates for next season; Cambridge / Judge leads the way with a Round 1 application deadline of August 27. Graham highlighted the summer application series that Clear Admit is hosting, which concludes this Wednesday, July 31, with Yale SOM, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, and IESE. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays We then discussed a recently published article on Clear Admit which clusters together the Read more

Published: July 21, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 367—M7 realistic? 760 GMAT, from India MiM before MBA?

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, where last season is essentially closing out, with MBA programs reducing their wait lists as the beginning of orientation approaches. Graham highlighted the summer essay insights series that Clear Admit is hosting, which continues this Wednesday, July 24, with CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Georgetown / McDonough, Cornell / Johnson and Vanderbilt / Owen. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted a recently published article on MBA programs and their use of AI, clearly a fast Read more

Published: July 14, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 365—Cyber warfare to Finance. Special Operations, 333 GRE. Tajikistan, to Moscow and Berlin.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire. With most top MBA programs finalizing their incoming classes, we are seeing more MBA programs reducing the size of their wait lists ahead of the beginning of their programs. We then discussed Clear Admit’s MBA admissions book, authored by Alex, which is freely available on the Clear Admit site: https://www.clearadmit.com/products/admissions-books/ This book will provide MBA candidates a comprehensive understanding of the MBA admissions process, and enable candidates to really determine the best way to present their candidacy. Read more

Published: July 7, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 364—Life sciences to MBA. Unicorn Tech to MBA. Big Ten Football to MBA

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, with most top MBA programs finalizing their incoming classes; there is still some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins this Wednesday, July 10, with Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Columbia, UPenn / Wharton and UVA / Darden. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted a recently published admissions tip focused on selecting recommenders. Graham then highlighted three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Read more

Published: June 30, 2024

MBA Wire Taps 362—Manufacturing to MBB. Handling employment gaps. Liberal arts to product management.

Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with a rundown of all the latest MBA application news – ranging from admissions deadlines and essay topic releases to forthcoming decisions and waitlist updates. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted two recently published admissions tips; the first is about the importance of post-MBA goals, the second focuses on how to handle gaps in employment. Read more

MBA Livewire

December 19, 2024 10:03pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal December 19, 2024

EA: 165

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Brazil

December 19, 2024 7:32pm ET

Interview Invite to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email December 19, 2024

GMAT: 645

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: Texas

Note:

Invited for virtual interview. Applied as part of round 1 Consortium. Had sort of written it off as a rejection after hearing nothing from them since submitting on Oct 15th

December 19, 2024 6:11pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email December 19, 2024

GPA: 3.8

GRE: 329

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Marketing

Application Location: Italy

Note:

Interviewed 11/24 and got the email today. Reapplicant after being waitlisted last year. Yay!

December 19, 2024 3:42pm ET

Accepted to Yale SOM

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 04, 2024

GPA: 3.83

GRE: 326

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: CA

December 19, 2024 3:25pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 2

Received via email December 19, 2024

GPA: 3.8

GRE: 319

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Marketing

Note:

Received application status update email with link to updated portal

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