Graham Richmond, Author at Clear Admit

Published: November 19, 2024

MBA Admissions Tip: Making Your List of Business Schools

You’ve decided the MBA is the next stop on your career path. What now? The smartest applicants are those who take the time to create an informed MBA application strategy—a well thought-out game plan that can help you obtain your goals as effectively as possible. This includes making a list of your target business schools. One of the first tasks you’ll need to tackle is school selection: strategically choosing which schools to apply to, while considering how your experience and stats compare to those of current students (or, how “competitive” your application will be at each program). How many MBA Read more

Published: November 19, 2024

MBA Admissions Tip: Business School Recommendation Letters & Writers

Your letters of recommendation are a critical variable in the business school admissions equation. They allow the MBA admissions committee to get an outside perspective on your skills and strength, and to learn about your work experience beyond that’s covered in your essays and resume. Who Should Write my Business School Letters of Recommendation? First, your recommenders should hold a position that is senior to yours – unless the school specifically asks for a peer recommendation. The adcom gives greater weight to statements made by your superiors rather than by a peer because a peer is assumed to be essentially Read more

Published: November 5, 2024

MBA Admissions Post-Interview Next Steps

To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview next steps, e.g. the development and submission of a ‘thank you’ letter (or in the case of Harvard Business School, a post-interview reflection). Timing A ‘thank you’ note is an important next step to the MBA interview, and should be sent to the interviewer, ideally within 24 hours of the interview itself. As a reminder, this entails collecting the contact information from the person with whom you are interviewing. In the rare case that you fail to get your interviewer’s email address, Read more

Published: October 29, 2024

MBA Admissions Interview Tip: Questions for the Interviewer

In this MBA Admissions Tip, we highlight the importance of thinking about what questions you might ask your interviewer when you’re interviewing. Virtually all business school interviewers conclude their discussion by offering the applicant a chance to ask some questions about the program. While it might be tempting to claim that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the school, this is actually a great opportunity to gain additional insight, show your enthusiasm about a specific element of the curriculum or community, and demonstrate that you appreciate the opportunity to learn from your interviewer’s Read more

Published: October 22, 2024

MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Unusual Interview Practices

In this piece of our MBA admissions interview series, we’re taking a closer look at some unusual practices. We’ve tackled open versus invitation-only, resume- versus application-based and the team-based discussion interview. Let’s review which schools go beyond the typical admissions interview, whether by format or additional requests. Advice on how to tackle these unusual MBA interview practices is integrated into these summaries. HBS and the Post-Interview Reflection Though it’s been over a decade now since Harvard Business School (HBS) introduced its post-interview Read more

Published: October 10, 2024

MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Group Interviews

In this, our third installment of our interview series, we’ll take a closer look at an MBA interview permutation—the team-based interview or group discussion. You can view the first two parts of this interview series here: open versus invitation-only interviews and application-based interviews versus resume-based interviews. What Is the Team-Based Discussion for the Wharton MBA? Several years ago, the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School partnered with the Wharton Innovation group to launch a new evaluation method, the team-based discussion (TBD). As its name Read more

Published: October 8, 2024

5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)

We take a closer look at five frequently asked MBA interview questions and how to answer them in this MBA Admissions Tip. Interviews, interviews, interviews…they are the post-essay hurdle to gaining admission. Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, we’ve scoured our Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile our very own list of 5 MBA interview questions you need to ace. These questions are among those that most often make their way Read more

Published: October 1, 2024

MBA Admissions Tip: Interview Etiquette 101

Whether your admissions interview will be online or in-person, resume- or application-based, or one-on-one or with a group, we want to share tips that comprise MBA Interview Etiquette 101. Though the content of your application materials and comments during the interview are of paramount importance, it’s also crucial to put your best foot forward and make a positive initial impression. Here are a few guidelines for interviewing applicants to keep in mind: Be early. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will help remove the stress you Read more

Published: September 19, 2024

MBA Admissions Tip: Letters of Support

While business schools require candidates to submit anywhere from one to three recommendations as part of the regular admissions process, we’re devoting this admissions tip to a lesser known relative of the formal MBA recommendation: the letter of support. The letter of support is very different from a typical letter of recommendation, in ways that we will detail below. In fact, we’ll use this admissions tip to share the following information: What is a letter of support? Who can author and submit such letters? When should a letter of support be submitted? What should a letter of support cover in Read more

Published: June 11, 2024

MBA Admissions Tip: Considering the Campus

There are many factors that go into deciding whether to apply to a specific school, one of which is the physical place where you’ll be spending 1-2 years, which is why we’ve rounded up some campus visit tips. Whether speaking with current students or touring the campus for yourself, it’s helpful to approach these information-gathering experiences with as clear a sense of what matters to you as possible. Campus Visit Tips: Factors to Consider 1. Facilities Are state-of-the-art classrooms and impressive new architecture a priority for you? Would you prefer a school that is headquartered in a single building to Read more

Published: June 27, 2023

MBA Admissions Tip: Volunteer Experience

While there are many elements to the MBA application, there is one that candidates often underestimate: volunteer experience. Why volunteer experience is important in your MBA application In order to understand why this category is important, candidates should keep in mind that the adcom is responsible for crafting a dynamic class each year. The aim is to admit individuals who will support a vibrant campus community and step into leadership positions. In other words, as admissions officers consider each applicant, they ask themselves, “What’s in it for our school?” An applicant who has previously demonstrated a talent Read more

Published: June 7, 2023

Admissions Tip: Making Your List of Business Schools

You’ve decided the MBA is the next stop on your career path. What now? The smartest applicants are those who take the time to create an informed MBA application strategy—a well thought-out game plan that can help you obtain your goals as effectively as possible. This includes making a list of your target business schools. One of the first tasks you’ll need to tackle is school selection: strategically choosing which schools to apply to, while considering how your experience and stats compare to those of current students (or, how “competitive” your application will be at each program). How many MBA Read more

Published: May 31, 2023

Admissions Tip: Consider Pre-MBA Courses Before Applying

Pre-MBA courses offer applicants a chance to bolster their academic records, prepare for the rigor of business school and more. As you prepare for the MBA admissions process, you might want to consider whether you should undertake additional undergraduate-level coursework before you apply. Who Should Take Additional Pre-MBA Courses? There are two reasons that it might benefit a candidate to complete additional coursework as part of their MBA application strategy. If your undergraduate transcript is devoid of quantitative coursework, the admissions committee might be concerned about the lack of data points as they assess whether you’re prepared for an MBA Read more

Published: March 16, 2023

Admissions Tip: Choosing Between Business Schools

Many successful MBA applicants face the enviable – but often agonizing — decision of choosing between programs. Though we know that those of you in this position will already be juggling an overwhelming amount of information about the schools on your short lists, we wanted to offer a few pointers to consider as you identify and evaluate the most important facts and factors in choosing between business schools. Immerse yourself. Due to COVID-19, business schools moved most of their admissions events and student chats online. However, some have started welcoming visitors back to campus. If you have not yet participated Read more

Published: March 7, 2018

How MBA Rankings Can Provide Value To MBA Candidates

U.S. News will release their MBA Rankings for 2019 on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. For those of you currently navigating the admissions process, we thought it would be timely to look at rankings and the value they provide for MBA candidates. So how can b-school applicants use rankings to discover the “best” schools—for them? Read on for 5 key tips… U.S. News is one of many organizations that rank top MBA Programs, the list also includes BusinessWeek, the Financial Times and the Economist. However, because business schools receive different rankings depending on the sources’ criteria, it can be difficult to understand Read more

Published: August 20, 2017

Should I Apply in Round 1 or Round 2 to My Top Choice School?

This is the second in a two-part series on MBA application strategy. In case you missed the first, check it out here. In terms of application strategy, one of the biggest questions prospective MBA applicants wrestle with is whether to apply in Round 1 or Round 2 to the school they most want to attend. As you might imagine, based on our years of advising applicants to top-tier business schools, Clear Admit has some thoughts on the matter. Overall, if you are an outstanding candidate and have had adequate time to prepare your candidacy, then you should apply as part of Read more

Published: December 4, 2016

Weighing Your MBA Admissions Results

As November has transitioned to December we have now reached ‘decision season’ for R1 applicants. By the third week of December the majority of leading programs will have released MBA admissions decisions for candidates who applied during Round 1. INSEAD and London Business School were first out of the gate several days ago, and Chicago Booth is scheduled to release its decisions on Thursday, December 8, after which we will hear from a host of top schools in rapid succession. Accordingly, MBA LiveWire should witness a significant increase in activity over the next few weeks, as candidates share Read more

Published: September 18, 2016

Declare Your Love (and Explain It)

With Round One already under way for a number of programs, it’s the time of year when many applicants are working hard on their application essays and learning more about their target programs in the process of rounding out their “why are you pursuing an MBA/why [insert school name here]” discussions. Keeping this important component of the MBA admissions process in mind, we wanted to take the time today to offer some advice on how to polish this element of one’s file and get the most mileage out of this section. MBA Admissions is Personal Schools look for applicants who seem Read more

Published: August 14, 2016

The MBA Application: Know Your Audience

As Round 1 deadlines approach, applicants are coming to understand that applying to business school is an incredibly demanding process. In addition to taking the GMAT, assembling academic transcripts and providing recommendation letters, candidates are required to draft multiple essays, job descriptions, lists of activities and more. With the obvious incentive to save time wherever possible, it’s understandable that many applicants simply cut and paste content from an existing resume and write about their work in the manner that comes most naturally. However, in doing so, countless candidates each year assemble their materials without ever asking a Read more

Published: July 24, 2016

3 Ways To Convince The MBA Admissions Committee That You Only Have Eyes For Them

With August soon approaching, it’s the time of year when many applicants are beginning to work on their application essays and learning more about their target programs in the process of rounding out their “why are you pursuing an MBA/why [insert school name here]?” discussions. Keeping this important component of the MBA admissions process in mind, we wanted to take the time today to offer some advice on how to convince the MBA admissions committee of your love for them and get the most mileage out of this section. MBA Admissions is Personal Schools look for applicants who seem genuinely excited about Read more

Published: May 15, 2016

Admissions Tip: Feedback Etiquette

Recently, we discussed the importance of signing up for a feedback session when one is planning to reapply to a program that provides this opportunity. Today we’d like to follow up on that post by offering a few thoughts on feedback session etiquette. While on one hand a feedback session marks the close of this year’s process, it’s crucial that you realize that the impression you make on the adcom member conducting the session, as well as the advice that the adcom member provides, may be added to your file and come to bear on your candidacy next year. Taking Read more

Published: April 17, 2016

Admissions Tip: Making That Final MBA Enrollment Decision

With Round 2 results out, many candidates are now making their final decisions regarding which school to attend. We have seen an increase in decisions recently posted to MBA DecisionWire. As such, we’re dedicating this week’s admissions tip to help applicants remember what’s important when it comes to making that final decision regarding which school to attend. An MBA Degree Is A Means To An End The MBA is designed to help you accelerate or redirect your career. With that in mind it is important to select the program that will best serve your career aspirations. Examining the career reports of the schools to Read more

Published: February 28, 2016

Everything You Need to Know About Applying to Business School in the Final Rounds

Is it worth applying to business school in Round 3 or any of the late rounds? This is the question that MBA applicants have asked time and time again. With final round deadlines roughly a month away, we thought it would be worth exploring this topic in detail. Why Do Schools Have a Final Round? Why do schools bother to have a final round of admissions when the acceptance rate is typically so low? Why not just have two rounds of admissions deadlines and call it a day? Before we write off the final round or suggest that it should Read more

Published: January 24, 2016

Admissions Tip: MBA Interview Prep

With MBA interview invitations from a number of programs already on their way out to Round Two applicants, and more anticipated in the days ahead (Harvard Business School will release its first batch of interview invites on Wednesday, January 27), we wanted to offer some advice on this element of the admissions process. The following are some steps one can take to prepare for the interview itself. Know what to expect. This might go without saying, but MBA interview types and duration vary across programs. For instance, nearly all invited Stanford applicants interview with alumni, while on-campus Wharton interviews Read more

Published: December 20, 2015

Weighing Your MBA Admissions Results

Over the last couple of weeks the majority of leading programs have released MBA admissions decisions for candidates who applied during Round 1. Some programs even released decisions for their Round 2 candidates. MBA LiveWire has witnessed incredible activity as candidates shared their results. It is now time for many of our readers to start making decisions again, to select from one of the programs in which they were admitted (if they were fortunate to have multiple offers), or to submit additional applications in the coming rounds, with many deadlines in early January. This post examines the factors candidates Read more

Posts by Graham Richmond

MBA Livewire