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Published: January 20, 2025

U.S. News 2025 Online MBA Rankings: Indiana University–Bloomington Keeps Top Spot

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Online Programs rankings, including online MBA programs. Once again, Indiana University’s Kelley Direct Online MBA program leads the online MBA ranking. Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Online Hybrid MBA program and UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA@UNC Online MBA program traded places compared to last year, with the former moving from second to third and the latter moving from third to second. There is then a tie for fourth between the University of Washington Foster Hybrid MBA program and the Read more

Published: January 12, 2025

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines, January 13-17, 2025

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round Two Gets Underway! More Round 2 application deadlines for top MBA programs are scheduled for this week. Tuesday, January 14, MIT / Sloan has its Round 2 application deadline. INSEAD has its Round 3 application deadline. Wednesday, January 15, Texas / McCombs, Florida / Warrington, BYU / Marriott, UCI Merage and Toronto / Rotman have their Round 2 application deadlines. Maryland / Smith has its Round 4 application deadline. Thursday, January 16, NYU / Stern Read more

Published: December 12, 2024

A Guide to Test Waivers: Should You Request a Waiver for Submitting a GMAT or GRE Score?

It is no secret that standardized tests are not the part of the MBA application process that applicants most cherish. Some applicants simply aren’t good at standardized testing; others feel they do not have the time to invest in studying properly. With competition for applicants continuing to rise among schools, test waivers became a more prevalent option in b-school admissions. Whether you’re hesitant or excited about the GMAT or GRE, what are valid reasons to request a test waiver? Even if you have a valid reason, does it make sense to request a test waiver? In this piece, we take Read more

Published: November 7, 2024

Real Humans of the UMD Robert H. Smith School of Business MBA Class of 2026

In this edition of our Real Humans: MBA Students series, we meet some new members of the MBA Class of 2026 at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, a dynamic cohort with a shared commitment to impactful leadership. From military veterans transitioning into federal service to experienced analysts with a passion for data-driven decision-making, these students bring unique perspectives shaped by years of experience in fields ranging from technology and consulting to finance and the military. The newest class is comprised of 69 students. Thirty-five percent are women and 68 percent are international. Read more

Published: October 27, 2024

The Week Ahead: MBA Decisions, Deadlines & Interview Invites, October 28-November 1, 2024

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 1 Continues The 2024-2025 MBA admissions season is underway. Interview invites are also rolling out, and final decisions continue for early action round candidates. Wednesday, October 30, Georgetown / McDonough is scheduled to release its Early Action round decisions. Friday, November 1, Cornell / Johnson is scheduled to release its Round 1 interview invites. UC Irvine / Merage has its Round 1 application deadline. Oxford / Saïd has its Stage 3 application deadline. Maryland / Read more

Published: September 29, 2024

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines & Interview Invites, September 30-October 4, 2024

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Busy Week for Round 1 Deadlines, First Interview Invites of the Season The 2024-2025 MBA admissions season is now underway. Monday, September 30, MIT / Sloan has its Round 1 application deadline. HBS is set to release Round 1 interview invitations, waitlist and early release notifications at noon EST. Tuesday, October 1, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, CMU / Tepper, USC / Marshall, Washington / Foster, Maryland / Smith, SMU / Cox and Minnesota / Read more

Published: September 10, 2024

U.S. Business Schools Join the MiM Trend

Just a few years ago, most of the world’s leading Master in Management (MiM) programs could be found in Europe. Now, they’re gaining popularity in the U.S., with programs springing up across a number of top business schools. Let’s take a look at how the MiM works, why it’s an appealing choice for so many, and which business schools offer these programs. What Is a Master in Management (MiM)? A Master in Management (MiM) program offers a graduate degree designed for recent college graduates seeking a management education to Read more

Published: August 29, 2024

A Guide to Test Waivers: Should You Request a Waiver for Submitting a GMAT or GRE Score?

It is no secret that standardized tests are not the part of the MBA application process that applicants most cherish. Some applicants simply aren’t good at standardized testing; others feel they do not have the time to invest in studying properly. Due to COVID-19 and the related impact on testing centers and availability, test waivers became a more prevalent option in b-school admissions. Whether you’re hesitant or excited about the GMAT or GRE, what are valid reasons to request a test waiver? Even if you have a valid reason, does it make sense to request a test waiver? In this Read more

Published: August 15, 2024

Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms

We’re back with another Weekly Refresh, in which we list this week’s admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: ASU Carey Babson Olin CEIBS CMU Tepper Esade Florida Warrington HEC Paris Maryland Smith Minnesota Carlson The Ohio State Fisher Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: ASU Carey Babson Olin CEIBS Read more

Published: August 14, 2024

MBA Degrees & Majors with a STEM Designation

The past few years have seen a surge in business schools that run MBA programs with a STEM designation. MBAs, that is, that are now classified as a science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree. The new STEM MBA designation is promising students a multitude of new opportunities – but what is it, really? Read on to find out what a STEM MBA is, which schools offer it, and what this all might mean for you. What Is a STEM MBA? The structure of a STEM MBA is relatively simple. The foundational knowledge and core concepts of Read more

Published: August 8, 2024

Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms

It’s time for another Weekly Refresh, in which we list this week’s admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Rice Business UNC Kenan-Flagler Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Carnegie Mellon Tepper UCI Merage UNC Kenan-Flagler You can also bookmark our deadlines page for reference. Recommendation Questions Let your recommenders know, the following MBA Read more

Published: June 24, 2024

Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business

We welcome back Senior Director of Admissions Maria Pineda of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Pineda has been with UMD Smith for over 15 years, and manages the recruiting efforts for Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs. She joins us again this year for an update on the MBA admissions process, what to expect during the interview, what makes a great essay, and more. Maria Pineda, Senior Director of Admissions at The University of Maryland Clear Admit: What is the one Read more

Published: March 28, 2024

Real Humans of Merck: Erick De Jesus Loyo, UMD Smith MBA ’20, Associate Director

In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, we hear from Erick De Jesus Loyo, whose MBA program at UMD Smith led him to his goal of a new career in the pharmaceutical industry at Merck. Loyo was drawn to business school by the need to improve his skillset and fill knowledge gaps to advance his professional and personal growth. Smith provided a strategic combination of community, student-to-professor ratio, location, and cost, and a curriculum that increased both his business acumen as well as his creative and problem-solving abilities. Read his story here. Erick De Read more

Published: February 6, 2024

U.S. News 2024 Online MBA Rankings: Indiana University–Bloomington Takes the Top Spot

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2024 Best Online Programs rankings, including online MBA programs. Emerging from a tie for first place last year, Indiana University’s Kelley Direct Online MBA program now stands alone as the #1 online MBA in this year’s ranking. Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Online Hybrid MBA program jumped from fifth to second. There is a three-way tie for third among UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA@UNC Online MBA program, USC Marshall Online MBA program and the University of Washington Foster Hybrid MBA program. Read more

Published: January 24, 2024

Real Humans of the UMD Robert H. Smith School of Business MBA Class of 2025

In this edition of our ongoing series, Real Humans: MBA Students, get to know some new members of the MBA Class of 2025 at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Fifty-five students matriculated to the Maryland-based business school program. Roughly 25 percent are women and 58 percent are international. Fourteen percent identify as U.S. minorities or underrepresented U.S. minorities. During their undergraduate years, Smith MBAs averaged a GPA of 3.5. Before matriculation, the new class accumulated an average of six years of work experience. Nearly 42 percent of candidates opted to Read more

Published: July 27, 2023

Weekly Refresh: Latest MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed – Plus Deadlines & Rec Forms

Welcome to Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. In this edition, we round up the essays, recommendation questions and deadlines from the week of July 24th, 2023. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: ASU Carey Cambridge / Judge Rice / Jones Yale SOM Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Read more

Published: July 26, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of the UMD Smith School of Business

In this Admissions Director Q&A, we get an update on MBA admissions at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Senior Director of Admissions Maria Pineda has been with UMD Smith for over 15 years. Maria manages the recruiting efforts for Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs. She joins us again this year to share her insights into the admissions process, what to expect during the interview, what makes a great essay, and more. Maria Pineda, Senior Director of Admissions at The University of Maryland Clear Admit: What is the one Read more

Published: October 27, 2022

Real Humans of the UMD Smith MBA Class of 2024

In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet some new members of the University of Maryland R.H. Smith School of Business MBA Class of 2024. 30 students matriculated to the Maryland-based business school program. Eighteen percent are women and half are international. Fourteen percent identify as U.S. minorities. Nine percent had served in the military. During their undergraduate years, Smith MBAs averaged a GPA of 3.10. Roughly 13 percent had majored in business administration during their undergraduate years. 10 percent had studied mechanical engineering. A couple of Smith MBAs had studied English Read more

Published: August 17, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of University of Maryland Smith School of Business

For this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, it’s time to learn all about the MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Maria Pineda has been with UMD Smith for over 15 years. As the Senior Director of Admissions, Maria manages the recruiting efforts for Full Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs. She joins us again to discuss admissions, essays, interviews and more. Maria Pineda, Senior Director of Admissions at The University of Maryland Clear Admit: What is the one aspect of your program that you wish Read more

Published: January 24, 2022

Three-Way Tie for Top of U.S. News 2022 Online MBA Ranking

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2022 Best Online Programs rankings, including online MBA programs. At the top of the list, three schools tied for first in online MBA programs: Indiana University–Bloomington, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, and the University of Southern California. Carnegie Mellon, which tied for first last year, landed at fourth for the 2022 ranking. The University of Florida stayed in fifth place this year, but was joined by the University of Washington. “We see a lot of the usual suspects dominating the online MBA program ranking,” says Clear Admit Read more

Published: September 15, 2021

Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of the UMD Smith School of Business

Maria Pineda, Senior Director of Admissions at The University of Maryland We head to College Park, MD, for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series to learn all about the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Maria Pineda has been with UMD Smith for 15 years. As the Senior Director of Admissions, Maria manages the recruiting efforts for Full Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs. Read on for her insights into the admissions process, what to expect during the interview, and more. Clear Admit: What is the one aspect Read more

Published: November 18, 2020

Forté Foundation Report Reveals Women Holding Their Ground in MBA Programs

Women, disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at work, are poised to be at the forefront of the coming recovery. The Forté Foundation has released a report indicating that, despite conditions that have widened the gender gap in the worldwide economy, enrollment of women in its member schools' MBA programs held its ground. Read more

Published: August 5, 2020

Admissions Director Q&A: Pasquale Quintero, Jr. of the UMD Smith School of Business

As the Senior Director of the Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master’s Programs, Pasquale Quintero, Jr. leads the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business recruiting and enrollment efforts. He oversees the recruitment team in College Park, and closely collaborates with Maryland Smith's Global teams. Pasquale has 15 years of higher education experience and joined us to discuss UMD Smith's admissions, standout faculty, and the impact of COVID-19 in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A. Read more

Published: October 29, 2019

MBA News You Need: Visiting Chicago Booth, MBA Employment Reports from Vanderbilt Owen and Rochester Simon, and More from Rice Jones and UMD Smith

Each week we collect MBA news from around the world to give you a quick overview of the latest trending topics from leading business schools. In your MBA News You Need digest for the week of October 28th, we give three reasons for visiting Chicago Booth, unpack the Class of 2019 MBA employment reports from Vanderbilt Owen and Rochester Simon, introduce six outstanding MBA alumni from Rice Jones, and delve into the MicroMasters MBA Core Curriculum at UMD Smith. Read more

Published: May 8, 2017

Smith School CLIC Lunch and Learn Series Promotes Experiential Learning

Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom, especially in MBA programs. In fact, it’s the outside learning experiences that can be most valuable for many MBA students and graduates. Most full-time MBA programs organize events, clubs, competitions and other activities to provide their students with an opportunity to apply and refine the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom. Business problems aren’t typically cookie-cutter, so it’s in students’ best interest to attend schools that foster creativity, flexibility, and teamwork. Krishna Erramilli, associate dean at Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business, had this to say to the Chicago Tribune. “Business problems have become a lot more unprecedented, a lot more complex. To train our students to be successful in the 21st century, they must be able to go into a company, look at that problem and analyze the problem from multiple functional perspectives.” That concept is just one of the reasons behind the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change (CLIC) at the University of Maryland R.H. Smith School of Business. Read more

UMD / Smith

CLASS SIZE: 69

Women: 35%

MEAN GMAT: 633

MEAN GPA: 3.3

Livewire Decisionwire Interview Reports Essay Topic Analysis MBA Admissions Deadlines View Full Profile

MBA Applywire

February 18, 2025 9:55am ET

Applying: Columbia, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Brand Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Other Companies: Bain , BCG

GRE: 319

GPA: 3.47

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: California

Notes:

I applied to my programs via the Consortium.

February 17, 2025 9:03pm ET

Applying: All Schools, Arizona State / W.P. Carey

Intake Year: 2028

Pre-MBA Career: LC

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity Companies: Wells Fargo Securities , Other

GMAT: 624

GPA: OO

Years of Work Experience: 1979

Location: Netherlands, Aarle-Rixtel

Post MBA Location: Netherlands, Aarle-Rixtel

Notes:

I want forgathering useful information, this post has got me even more info!

February 15, 2025 7:12am ET

Applying: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG

GMAT: 705

GPA: 8.23

Years of Work Experience: 6.5

Location: Pune

February 14, 2025 6:41pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, HEC Paris, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Oxford / Saïd, Toronto / Rotman, UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC / Marshall

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Pharmaceutical, Entrepreneurship Companies: Microsoft , Amgen , Johnson & Johnson , Pfizer

GRE: 292

GPA: 3.0

Years of Work Experience: 2.5

Location: DC

Post MBA Location: NYC or Canada

Notes:

I am looking to start MBA in Fall 2026, so by then I would have 4 years of work experience. I am thinking about receiving a dual-degree, but haven't looked much into the admissions process of the second degree in healthcare. Mainly, I am debating and need help deciding if Fall 2026 is the right timeline to start an MBA, and I'll be fully prepared as a candidate, or if I need gain more experience to improve my resume.

Your help is greatly appreciated !! :)

February 14, 2025 7:44am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Private Markets

Post-MBA Target Industry: Private Equity

GRE: 331

GPA: 2.99

Years of Work Experience: 8

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MBA LiveWire

February 21, 2025 10:18pm ET

Interview Invite to USC / Marshall

Round: Round 2

Received via email

Standardized Test: Granted Waiver

GPA: 3.3

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 7:16pm ET

Interview Invite to U. Chicago Booth

Round: Round 2

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.0

GMAT: 650

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 7:13pm ET

Interview Invite to U. Chicago Booth

Round: Round 2

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.0

GMAT: 650

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 5:28pm ET

Rejected at MIT Sloan

Round: Round 2

Received via portal February 21, 2025

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.5

GMAT: 750

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Note:

Rejected from LGO and full time

February 21, 2025 3:15pm ET

Interview Invite to NYU Stern

Round: Round 3

Received via email February 21, 2025

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.86

GMAT: 715

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: US

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