USC / Marshall MBA News

Get the latest MBA news from USC / Marshall.

Published: August 23, 2022

Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Percentage of U.S. Minorities at Top U.S. Business Schools

The percentage of U.S. minorities at top U.S. business schools can provide a sense of the diversity you will find in your MBA program. U.S. minorities is defined as enrolled students at business school who are US citizens or permanent residents who self identify as African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, Asian Pacific, or Asian Indian. See the percentage of minorities as reported by top business schools in the chart below. U.S. School % U.S. Minorities Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business 44% Columbia Business School 40% Cornell University SC Johnson Graduate School of Management 43%** Dartmouth Read more

Published: August 1, 2022

MBA Real Humans: Alumni – LIVE Webinar Summer 2022

The Clear Admit Real Humans: Alumni Series spotlights recent graduates from the world’s top MBA programs. Each of the alumni provide feedback on their MBA experiences and share how business school prepared them for their careers at leading firms. Join us at 8 pm ET on Wednesday, August 17th to hear from a group of our featured alumni on the following: 1. What was the most rewarding thing about your MBA experience? 2. How has your MBA helped you in your career? 3. Think back on the recruiting process for your first post-MBA role, what are some Read more

Published: July 28, 2022

Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Percentage of Female MBA Students

Over the past decade, the percentage of female MBA students has been on the rise across leading business schools. USC Marshall was the first leading business school to achieve gender parity while others have achieved or continue to strive for that benchmark. The Forté Foundation has also consistently reported that women are either gaining or holding their ground on b-school campuses. Look at the chart below to see the percentage of female MBA students at leading business schools around the globe. Business School % Women Arizona State University Read more

Published: July 19, 2022

Early & Round 1 MBA Deadlines 2022-2023

To help you stay organized, we’ve compiled a chart of the earliest deadlines, including Early Action and Round 1, of the top business schools in one place. For schools that have announced their essay topic(s), you’ll find links to our corresponding Essay Topic Analysis in the “Essay(s) Released” column. We will continue to update this table as more Round 1 MBA deadlines and essay topics are announced. Deadlines are for Round 1 (unless otherwise noted). Last updated: August 16, 2022 School Deadline Decision Essay(s) Released? Application Live? Oxford / Saïd 8/31/2022 10/26/2022 Read more

Published: July 12, 2022

Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Class Size of Top U.S. MBA Programs

Business schools come in all shapes and sizes and the class size of top MBA programs can be a factor in considering fit. From networking to a tight-knit culture to campus opportunities, class size can reveal much about an MBA program. No matter which program you choose, the top MBA programs strive to ensure relationship building during full-time b-school life. Some larger programs, such as Harvard Business School and CBS, mainly break the student body down into cohorts/sections/clusters of dozens of students. Other U.S. business schools, like Wharton, also have Learning Teams, groups of 5-6 students who Read more

Published: June 20, 2022

Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Average GMAT Scores at Top U.S. MBA Programs

See where your GMAT score lands among the top U.S. MBA programs, as we report the average GMAT scores in the chart below. If you have yet to take the GMAT, you can also get a sense of what score you need to target. Business school admissions use the GMAT score as a sign of applicants’ academic abilities and a high score can help you stand out in admissions. Also, average GMAT scores play a role in schools’ rankings. Review the average GMAT scores for your b-schools in the U.S. below. U.S. School Avg. GMAT Arizona State Read more

Published: May 12, 2022

Real Humans of BCG: Valerie Jadulang, USC Marshall MBA ’18, Project Leader

Now a project leader at BCG, Valerie (Claire) Jadulang, USC Marshall MBA’18, prioritized “fit” when it came to choosing a business school & her post-MBA employer. Read on for her story in this edition of Real Humans: Alumni. Valerie (Claire) Jadulang, USC Marshall MBA ’18, Project Leader at BCG Age: 30 Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of California, Los Angeles; English Major, Public Policy Minor Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration (if applicable): USC Marshall, 2018 Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 4 years, Education Read more

Published: April 27, 2022

Real Humans of Google: Chris Ouayoro, USC Marshall MBA ’20, Sr. Financial Analyst

In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Chris Ouayoro, USC Marshall MBA ’20, provides insights into the work culture at Google, how the MBA readied him to contribute to the tech giant, and much more about his journey to becoming a senior financial analyst there. Chris Ouayoro, USC Marshall MBA ’20, Senior Financial Analyst at Google Age: 28 Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Miami, Economics Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration: USC Marshall School of Business, 2020 Read more

Published: March 28, 2022

Real Humans of Disneyland Resort: Casey Brown, USC Marshall MBA ’19, Marketing Strategy Manager

Challenging journeys are a common theme among the Disney classics–Moana, Finding Nemo, Mulan to name a few. Just as Disney characters set out on daring missions, Casey Brown also had a tough dream to achieve: Marketing at Disney. How does one change industries, but also earn the chops for a spot at the best-known resort in the world? In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Casey, USC Marshall MBA ’19, explains how the MBA program prepared her for a pivot to marketing, how she earned the marketing strategy role at Disney and what she wished she Read more

Published: March 28, 2022

U.S. News 2023 Full-Time MBA Ranking: Wharton & Chicago Booth Share Top Spot

The 2023 U.S. News Best Graduate Programs Rankings rolled out today and we’re taking a closer look at the full-time MBA program list. Chicago Booth and The Wharton School share the top spot, surpassing last year’s #1, Stanford GSB, which now ranks third along with Northwestern Kellogg. On Wharton and Booth landing in the top slot, Clear Admit Co-founder Graham Richmond notes, “This is likely due to these programs’ impressive statistics on both sides of the equation: incoming stats (GPA, GMAT, acceptance rate) and outgoing Read more

Published: March 20, 2022

Top MBA Program Career Placement Outcomes: U.S. Graduates Pursuing Post-MBA Careers in Tech

Post-MBA careers in tech are a very popular option for MBA graduates, whether they choose to join a large company like Google, Amazon, or Microsoft, or jump into a role with a small venture-backed tech start-up. In fact, tech, along with consulting and financial services, are three of the most popular industries for Class of 2021 MBA graduates. In this installment of Top MBA Program Career Placement Outcomes, we take a closer look at technology industry placements across leading U.S. business schools. Class of 2021 Post-MBA Career Placement in the Technology Read more

Published: March 1, 2022

Top MBA Career Placement Outcomes: Trends by U.S. Region

In this edition of our Top MBA Program Career Placement Outcomes series, we take a closer look at trends regarding which U.S. regions dominated post-MBA employment for Class of 2021 MBA graduates. You can also review our first piece, which broke down schools by region and their regional placement. For our analysis, we used the statistics in the official employment reports from 27 full-time MBA programs* based in the United States. In particular, we focused on MBA graduates of these 27 MBA programs who are seeking employment, received Read more

Published: February 27, 2022

USC Marshall MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Virtual

Online / Conversational / Adcom (Nirav Mehta) / Resume Based / 35-40 mins He introduced himself. He is very good person to have a conversation with. Questions: 1) Tell me about yourself. 2) I can see many achievements on your Resume, what is your greatest achievement? 3) What are the 3 qualities of a leader that you admire? 4) Tell me about the time when you motivated your team members. 5) What are your short-term and long-term goals? 6) Why MBA? 7) Why Marshall? 8) Any question for him? Read more

Published: February 27, 2022

Top MBA Program Career Placement Outcomes: U.S. Region

In this edition of our Top MBA Program Career Placement Outcomes series, we review the data to see to what extent Class of 2021 graduates from leading full-time U.S. MBA programs accepted jobs in their school’s same region. For this analysis, we reviewed the employment reports from 27 full-time MBA programs* based in the U.S. This analysis is focused on graduates of full-time U.S.-based MBA programs who were seeking employment, received an offer, and accepted an offer within three months of graduation. Next, we looked at what region these MBA graduates Read more

Published: February 24, 2022

USC Marshall 2021 MBA Employment Report: MBAs Successfully Compete in an Evolving Job Market

See the USC Marshall MBA employment report for the Class of 2022 here. The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business 2021 MBA employment report reveals that more than 94% of its MBAs reported employment within three months of graduation. The median base salary remained unchanged from last year, coming in at $130,000. The average base salary for the Marshall MBA Class of 2021 is $130,976 and average signing bonuses landed at $29,473. A majority of careers were school-facilitated, with 63% reporting they received their job placement through a campus recruiting program, resume 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: January 17, 2022

Real Humans of MBA Students: USC Marshall MBA Class of 2023

Students of the USC Marshall School of Business MBA Class of 2023 shed light on their admissions journeys and more in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. The MBA Class of 2023 at Marshall is comprised of 218 students. Thirty-six percent are women and 34 percent are international, representing 31 different countries of origin. Forty-seven domestic students identify as students of color, while 21 percent identify as historically underrepresented students of color. During their undergraduate years, the Marshall class averaged a GPA of 3.6. Twenty-nine percent had majored in business/commerce followed by 18 Read more

Published: January 9, 2022

USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom

It was really laid back and informal feeling! I spoke with Nirav Mehta (Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions), who was just so kind and easy to talk to and really put me at ease. Here’s the basic flow of the conversation. No curveballs. 1. Talk me through your resume. 2. Tell me more about your experience in your career -> What is your favorite/least favorite part about your job? 3. What is an achievement you are most proud of? 4. Why MBA? 5. Why USC? 6. Do you have any questions for me? Lasted Read more

Published: December 6, 2021

USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / AdCom / Virtual

It was a very casual interview and she (Elaine Padilla) would ask further questions depending on what my answers were. Walk me through your resume (slowly) What are your short-term goals? Why MBA? What would your teammates say your strengths are? What is your proudest achievement? What is your favorite part of your current role? What is your least favorite part of your current role? Anything else I should know? Any questions for me? Read more

Published: March 29, 2021

U.S. News 2022 Business School Rankings: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2022 Best Business Schools Rankings. Despite a rather tumultuous year in world events, this year’s results in the MBA rankings realm remain largely unchanged. Stanford Graduate School of Business ranked number one this year, no longer sharing the top spot with the Wharton School, which came in second. Stanford boasts the highest reported salary and full-time average undergraduate GPA and GMAT scores combined with the lowest acceptance rate. Chicago Booth remained at number three but is no longer tied with Kellogg, now ranked Read more

Published: February 28, 2021

USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Zoom

Interviewer began by saying this was just an opportunity to learn more about me, and that it was resume-based. These were the questions I was asked (not in the correct order and I may be missing a few). How did you hear about USC Marshall? What are a few traits you admire in a leader? Follow up, is there anyone that comes to mind in your life that emulates these traits? What skills are you most proud of? What is your 10-year plan? How do you go about setting and achieving goals? How will Read more

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: 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: October 19, 2020

Real Humans of USC Marshall MBA Class of 2022

In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we introduce a handful of new members of USC Marshall’s Trojan network. Based in Southern California, USC Marshall was the first AACSB-accredited business school of the area and boasts deep connections to Los Angeles and the greater SoCal regional community. 217 students matriculated for the Class of 2022. They averaged 28 years of age and 5 years of work experience. Nearly a quarter of the new class earned pre-MBA professional work experience in financial services. Technology was the next most popular industry source at Read more

Published: October 14, 2020

USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom

As a preface, this is my first and only interview for Round 1 of the Fall 2021 intake. I did two MBA interviews last year and ultimately deferred to this cycle, so I do have some experience. With that said, the interview was friendly as Grace Kim, the director of admissions, is a great interviewer. It is noticeable that she is at least using a mental list of questions if not following a prompt, which makes the interview less conversational, but she did work in a good amount of personal questions as follow-ups to my answers. The interview lasted 39 Read more

USC / Marshall

CLASS SIZE: 199

Women: 35%

MEAN GMAT: 722

MEAN GPA: 3.5

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

MBA Applywire

November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship

GRE: 333

GPA: 2.56

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Lagos

Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.

November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey

GRE: 319

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship

November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GPA: 3.80

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: San Diego

Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).

November 18, 2024 12:50am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.32

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?

November 17, 2024 9:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, , Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, NYU Stern, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Higher Education

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Media, Undecided Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , JP Morgan Chase , Apple , Google , Microsoft , Andressen Horowitz , Charles River , Sequoia Capital , Blackstone , KKR , 21st Century Fox , Comcast , Walt Disney

GPA: 3.97

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Denver, Colorado

Post MBA Location: New York City

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MBA LiveWire

November 21, 2024 6:44pm ET

Accepted to Rochester / Simon

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 21, 2024

GPA: 3.82

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Operations Management

Application Location: Nigeria

Note:

Application submission was on the 14th of October. Interview was on the 7th of November. Admitted with scholarship.

November 21, 2024 5:41pm ET

Accepted to Rochester / Simon

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 21, 2024

GPA: 7.4/10

GRE: 321

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Healthcare

Application Location: India

November 21, 2024 4:42pm ET

Accepted to Cornell / Johnson

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 21, 2024

GPA: 3.16

GMAT: 730

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

November 21, 2024 4:08pm ET

Accepted to Rochester / Simon

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 21, 2024

GMAT: 555

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

November 21, 2024 3:42pm ET

Interview Invite to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 03, 2024

GPA: 3.2

GRE: 333

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Marketing

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