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Posts by Kelly Vo

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Kelly Vo is a writer who specializes in covering MBA programs, digital marketing, and topics related to personal development. She has been working in the MBA space for the past four years in research, interview, and writing roles.
Published: January 29, 2018
A Scale That Doesn’t Tell You Your Weight? A Fuqua Prof on Why It Makes a Ton of Sense
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step on a scale and not be told your weight? Probably not, but according to Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, that might be exactly what you need. That’s why Ariely has invented a different kind of scale that never reveals your weight, called the Shapa. This one-of-a-kind scale focuses on telling you if you’ve made progress or not toward your weight goals, taking into account your regular weight fluctuations to keep your attitude positive. In an interview with Newsweek, Ariely explained the reasoning behind the Shapa and how he thinks it’s better for the average person. Read more
Published: January 29, 2018
Going Green: Can You Guess Which Business Schools Lead the Way?
Earlier this month, the Global Hub at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, becoming only the second building on the Northwestern campus to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest green building rating. The 415,000-square-foot Global Hub, which opened in March 2017, was designed with a low carbon footprint in mind. It is the largest of Northwestern’s 12 LEED-certified buildings. “Achieving LEED Platinum certification for the Global Hub underscores Kellogg’s strong commitment to sustainability,” Kellogg Chief Operating Officer William Garrett said in a press release. “A world-class facility demands world-class practices, Read more
Published: January 24, 2018
UVA Darden Professor Raises $2.2 Million for Behavioral Research
University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor Morela Hernandez has a passion for behavioral research. It’s this passion that led the associate professor in leadership and organizational behavior and academic director of the Behavioral Research at Darden (BRAD) Lab to develop a new project: the Behavioral Research for Society (BRS) Lab. Read more
Published: January 23, 2018
Yale SOM Initiative Looks to Take Female Entrepreneurship to the Next Level
It's going to be easier than ever for female founders to unite and learn from each other thanks to the newly launched Women Entrepreneurs at Yale (WE@Yale) Initiative. Developed by Cassandra Walker-Harvey, manager of the Social Environmental Innovation Program at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and Jennifer McFadden, SOM ’08, associate director of entrepreneurship and management lecturer at Yale School of Management (SOM), the initiative’s goal is to spark discussions around innovation and formalize the collective efforts of Yale’s female leaders. It’s part of the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY). Read more
Published: January 22, 2018
Washington Olin Business School Dean Reveals New Vision for 2018
Each year, January is an occasion to reflect on the previous year and set goals for the coming year. And it’s no different for top business schools. To welcome 2018, the University of Washington Olin Business School released a sneak peek of Dean Mark Taylor’s plans for the school. In the video post, Taylor talks about his new vision for Washington Olin as it embarks on its second century as a business school: to provide world-changing business education, research, and impact. This idea will be implemented in three ways: Through a global outlook, Through experimentation and thinking entrepreneurially, and Using data and a strong value system to consider impact on society. In short, Taylor explains, he wants the Olin Business School to act with integrity to create a better future and a better world. No biggie. He plans to focus on five areas in the coming year: experiential learning, innovative thinking, global learning, specialized masters, and research opportunities. Read more
Published: January 21, 2018
Why More Harvard MBAs Are Choosing Careers in Politics Straight Out of School
There’s no doubt that politics and public service have been hot topics since the November 2016 election. These subjects have dominated news stories and talk shows across the country. And, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, politics and public service are also moving up as career choices for graduates from Harvard Business School (HBS). Read more
Published: January 16, 2018
The MBA Ethics Debate: Top Schools Tackle Sexual Harassment, NFL Protests, and More
Should business schools teach ethics and social responsibility? In the past, top MBA programs stuck to a fairly typical curriculum: finance, marketing, accounting, economics. And while those topics still comprise the core of most MBA programs, they’re now only a part of the whole. Beyond allowing MBA students to focus their studies in areas like entrepreneurship or technology, MBA programs are also taking on some of the most prominent ethical topics of the day, asking students to weigh in on current headlines and happenings. It's the MBA ethics debate. Read more
Published: January 16, 2018
Is Retail Dead or Evolving? A UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Student Discusses What She’s Seeing
Dire assessments about the future of retail have been plaguing the industry for years. You’ve probably even heard the phrase “retail is dead” bandied around. But according to Areti Moustakis, a second-year MBA student at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, reports of retail's death have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, she says that in spite of highly publicized store closures and empty storefronts, retail isn’t dying—it’s simply evolving. Read more
Published: January 16, 2018
Current Oil Prices Offer Lesson in Supply and Demand, Rice Business Prof Breaks It Down
As the New York Times reported yesterday, oil prices briefly passed $70 a barrel more than once last week—the first time since December 2014. Chances are good you're feeling those increases at the pump or as you try to keep your house warm if you live in any of the parts of the United States currently experiencing extremely cold temperatures. While prices are fluctuating slightly due to the Keystone pipeline shutdown and an explosion at Libya’s state-run National Oil Corporation, what the new price really means for the market is harmony. At least that’s how Bill Arnold, a professor in the practice of energy management at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, sees it. Read more
Published: January 14, 2018
Carnegie Tepper Launches New MS in Business Analytics
In response to workforce demand for employees with more analytical skills and business knowledge, the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University has launched a new online Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree. The goal of its distinctive curriculum is to help fill the 2.7 million job openings for data professionals by 2020. Read more
Published: January 10, 2018
It’s Gonna Be a Long Night for Some Ross MBA Students
Right about now, MBA and other graduate students at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business are gearing up for what could be a very long, horrible night. Each year Ross hosts two Leadership Crisis Challenges, one in January for graduate students and another in March for undergrads. The Graduate Student Crisis Challenge kicks off today, January 11th, at 5 p.m.  Read more
Published: January 9, 2018
Are Tech Giants in Trouble in 2018? Why One LBS Prof Thinks They Could Be
Last year, tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook already started facing new regulations and pushback from government officials. For example, last November, the State of Missouri launched an investigation into Google to see if it had violated antitrust and consumer protection laws. Julian Birkinshaw, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School, thinks that’s only the beginning. Read more
Published: January 7, 2018
New Year’s Resolutions for MBA Applicants? Saïd MBA Students Suggest a Few
The start of every year is a great time to reflect on what went well the previous year—and how you can improve in the next. Indeed, the time-honored tradition of setting resolutions for the new year can be especially valuable for MBA students and applicants. Whether you’ve just completed your first or third semester of an MBA program or are still working on perfecting your MBA applications, there are always a few resolutions that can help make the most of how ever much of your MBA experience is still ahead of you. We’ve compiled a list of business school New Year’s resolutions from current MBA students at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School. While some are specific to Saïd's program, they all represent great business school advice you'd do well to read regardless of whether you haven't yet started or are closing in on graduation. Read more
Published: January 3, 2018
2 Reasons to Consider UNC Kenan-Flagler for Health Management if You Aren’t Already
In early December, the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School became the newest member of the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM). BAHM, formed in 2010, is an international consortium of MBA programs that focus on the health sector. In particular, the consortium supports business school health management programs and their faculty, students, and graduates. Read more
Published: January 2, 2018
Doing Good Is the New Doing Well: New Partnerships Marry Business with Social Purpose at Oxford Saïd
Late last year the University of Oxford Saïd Business School partnered with the Global Thinkers Forum—a social purpose organization focused on accountable leadership, women’s empowerment, and youth development—to promote the annual Global Thinkers Forum Awards for Excellence. The event took place at the British Library on November 30, 2017, and celebrated recipients of the GTF Excellence in Global Leadership awards. Read more
Published: December 27, 2017
Indonesians Can Attend Darden Tuition-Free—Find Out How
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business now offers a new Indonesia Endowed Fellowship Fund for full-time MBA and Executive MBA applicants. The fellowship is a full scholarship to Darden that covers the total cost of attendance for academically qualified Indonesian students who prove a need for financial support. Read more
Published: December 25, 2017
Tuck Professor Uncovers a Common Thread Between Exceptional Leaders
What makes a great leader? Is it what Tywin Lannister tells his nephew Tommen before he takes the throne: intelligence? Or is it something else? Based on the latest decade-long study conducted by a professor at the  Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, great leadership requires great teaching. Read more
Published: December 20, 2017
Are International MBA Applicants Avoiding U.S. Business Schools?
Based on data from the most recently Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) monthly survey, interest in U.S. business schools among international MBA candidates is still below pre-2016 election levels. In fact, it’s below the previous five-year average for each month since the election. And in each of the last three months—between September and November 2017—international application volume has decreased. Image via GMAC report. Just before Donald Trump’s election victory, approximately 46 percent of international MBA applicants surveyed by GMAC responded that they would prefer to study in the United States—above the 45-percent, five-year, pre-election average. Read more
Published: December 20, 2017
Volunteer Fever Strikes Georgetown McDonough MBA Students
During the Month of Volunteerism at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, MBA student volunteers logged more than 710 hours of community service. For the month of November, full-time and evening MBA students divided into their cohorts to engage in a friendly competition to see which cohort could log the most volunteer hours. The winning cohort—FT19 Hoya—logged more than 203 hours with a 63 percent participation rate. Read more
Published: December 19, 2017
2017 Gift Guide for MBA Applicants
Are you struggling to buy a gift for the MBA applicant in your life this year? We completely understand. Buying a meaningful and interesting present for a soon-to-be business school student can seem like an impossible task—but it doesn’t have to be. According to a recent research paper by National University of Singapore’s Adelle X. Yang and Chicago Booth’s Oleg Urminsky, the reason giving gifts can seem so hard is because there’s often a disconnect between what those who give and those who receive hope for from the exchange. In the study, the business school researchers found that while givers were happier with gifts that immediately put a smile on someone’s face, receivers preferred gifts that lasted over the long term. That’s why, for this MBA gift guide, we’ve compiled a list of top book recommendations for 2017. These books might not supply an immediate smile, but they’ll provide long-lasting benefit to your MBA applicant. (And if you’re the applicant…feel free to share this list with the Santa in your life… ;) Read more
Published: December 19, 2017
Inside Dean Matthew Myers’ Plans for the SMU Cox School of Business
On August 1, 2017, Matthew Myers became the ninth dean of the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business. As the former dean of Miami University’s Farmer School of Business in Oxford, Ohio, Dean Myers comes to Cox with plans to build on the school’s current strengths and enhancing its offerings. In a Cox Today article titled “The Dawn of a New Dean,” SMU Cox dives into Myers’ plans in a detailed interview. Here’s what he had to say.  Joining Cox According to Myers, the most frequent question that he’s asked is, “Why Read more
Published: December 17, 2017
From Just One Woman to 39 Percent of the Class—and Other Ways LBS Has Changed Over the Past 50 Years
The 2017-2018 academic year marks the 50th anniversary of the MBA program at London Business School (LBS). Since 1968, the school has offered a two-year Master of Science (MSc) in Business Studies degree program—the original MBA—and has continuously refined its offerings since that time. In celebration of the 50-year mark, LBS is looking back at how far the program has come. Read more
Published: December 14, 2017
Should You Invest in Bitcoin? A Michigan Ross Professor Weighs In
Earlier this month, Bitcoin prices topped $10,000. For many, it was a huge shock and sparked feelings of remorse for not having jumped on the Bitcoin train sooner. In fact, Google searches for Bitcoin, and Bitcoin-related topics, went up 1,000 percent over six months. Suddenly many previously dismissing the cryptocurrency as nothing more than a bubble about to burst were having second thoughts and doing the math on how much they would have made if only they’d gotten in sooner… But should you be disappointed that you didn’t purchase any Bitcoin yet? That all depends on how well you understand Read more
Published: December 13, 2017
This Oxford Saïd 1+1 MBA Student Just Won a $156K Pershing Square Scholarship
Worth more than $156,000 USD, the Pershing Square Scholarship at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School is one of the most prestigious and largest awards available at the university. This year, it went to Tim Krupa, a 1+1 MBA student who is combining his MBA with a master's degree in public policy (MPP). Krupa is the first Canadian to receive the award. Read more
Published: December 12, 2017
Georgetown McDonough Offers New FinTech Elective
Starting in spring 2018, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business will offer a new elective course focused on fintech and blockchain. Specifically, FINC 258 will go into depth about how these technologies are disrupting financial systems and impacting business. The course has been designed to help students develop an understanding of the evolution and history of fintech and blockchain technology while also introducing other elements of financial technology. John Jacobs, executive director of the Center for Financial Markets and Policy, will teach the course alongside Perianne Boring, founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. The Read more

MBA Livewire

November 18, 2024 11:24am ET
Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 18, 2024
GPA: 2.77
GMAT: 760
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Cambridge, MA
Note:

Consortium Applicant
November 18, 2024 10:57am ET
Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 13, 2024
GRE: 318
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Canada
November 18, 2024 9:48am ET
Rejected at Columbia
Round: Round 1
Received via portal on November 14, 2024
GPA: 3.54
GMAT: 740
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Other
Application Location: USA
November 18, 2024 9:03am ET
Accepted to Toronto / Rotman
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 14, 2024
GPA: 3.72
GRE: 324
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Canada
Note:

Received entrance scholarship of $40k. They asked for deposit by Dec 6.
November 17, 2024 2:39pm ET
Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 1
Received via email on November 11, 2024
GPA: 3.79
GRE: 321
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Chicago
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