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Admissions Tips

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Published: March 21, 2024
Here’s What to Consider When Financing Your MBA in 2024
Partner Content We asked our friends at Juno to share their wisdom on financing the MBA. Nicolas Echegaray, Wharton MBA 21’ and Juno’s General Manager, shared the following to help recent MBA Admits better prepare for their upcoming programs. If you haven’t done so already, consider joining Juno’s MBA student loan negotiation group (free and no commitment). We use group bargaining power to get the best deal possible on your student loans! Join here for early member benefits. What to Consider When Financing Your MBA in 2024 Nicolas Echegaray By Nicolas Read more
Published: March 12, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: How to Proceed on the Round 2 Waitlist
As Round 2 decisions roll out and several candidates report being waitlisted on MBA LiveWire, we have some guidance for candidates who find themselves placed on a waitlist. Before we get to that, let’s look first at why schools use a waitlist. First and foremost, while schools now know the quality of their Round 1 matriculants and Round 2 applicants, they do not know how many of the candidates admitted as part of Round 2 will ultimately enroll, nor the number of outstanding candidates in Round 3. Simply put, the waitlist helps schools manage these unknowns to arrive at Read more
Published: February 27, 2024
MBA Admissions Post-Interview Protocol: Thank You Letters and Other Follow Up
To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview protocol – 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 follow up to the 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, a Read more
Published: February 20, 2024
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Unusual Interview Practices
This look at unusual MBA interview practices is the final part of our four-part interview series. 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 reflection, no Read more
Published: February 13, 2024
Sweethearts & Success: Applying for an MBA as a Couple
For career-minded couples, it sometimes happens that applying for an MBA makes sense for both partners, often at the same time. And because attending the best business school in one’s field can often mean relocating, it’s natural to want to attend the same program as your love. But how do you navigate this in the admissions process?  Applying for an MBA as a couple may come with its challenges – including compromising if you aren’t both admitted to your shared first choice school – but it’s definitely a realistic possibility. In fact, we previously featured a Read more
Published: January 30, 2024
5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
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 into MBA admissions interviews at leading schools. While the questions listed here are most commonly asked as part of resume-based interviews, they Read more
Published: January 17, 2024
Top Deferred Enrollment MBA Programs
In the past several years, we've seen more and more leading business schools offering deferred enrollment MBA programs. Traditionally, full-time work experience has been a requirement for acceptance into a leading MBA program, with students averaging five years of professional experience at the time they begin their graduate studies. Most deferred enrollment MBA programs still require work experience—the difference is that students can gain this experience after they earn admission. Deferred enrollment MBA programs guarantee college seniors (and sometimes graduate students) a spot in their MBA programs, allowing them to enroll two to five years after they graduate from college. This allows students to focus on their work experience with their MBA plans already in place. Read on for information about deferred enrollment MBA programs at: Berkeley Haas Carnegie Mellon Tepper Chicago Booth Columbia Business School Harvard Business School MIT / Sloan Northwestern Kellogg Stanford GSB UVA / Darden The Wharton School Yale School of Management Read more
Published: January 9, 2024
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
This is the second installment of our four-part MBA Admissions Interview Primer. You can view the other parts in this series here: Part I: Open Interviews vs Invitation-Only Interviews Part III: Group Interviews (e.g. Wharton Team-Based Discussion) Part IV: Unusual Interview Practices (e.g. Post-interview Essays, Two Interviewers, Presentations) Now that you’re clear on open interviews and interviews by invitation, let’s get into some of the finer points. What’s this about resume- versus application-based interviews, you ask? Some schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which Read more
Published: January 2, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Data Forms
This Admissions Tip steers attention to an oft-overlooked element of the MBA application process: the data forms. These are the online forms that one fills out when applying to a business school. While the forms used to be straightforward and brief (essentially amounting to contact information, academic information, and work history), they have been expanding in some areas and have become an increasingly important part of the mix of application materials. In the wake of an industry-wide reduction in the number of essays required by each school, many programs have actually shifted questions away from the essays and into these forms (as Read more
Published: December 28, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
With the deadlines looming, consider this MBA Admissions Tip as you make one final pass through your application and essays before hitting submit. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You do want Read more
Published: December 26, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Word Limits and Character Counts
MBA candidates naturally have a good deal of information they want – and need – to convey in their essays, and getting the important ideas down under restrictive word counts is a difficult task. While it might be tempting to run a bit beyond the guidelines to slip in that one extra thought, it’s important to keep the reasons for these limits in mind. In addition to being a forum for explaining your goals and sharing your story, the essays and short answers also serve as a test of the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly and concisely, not to mention Read more
Published: December 21, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Avoid the Comparison Trap
In their desire to make their case to their target MBA programs, many applicants devote sentences and even paragraphs to explaining why the school in question is their “first choice” and arguing its superiority over other schools. Though certainly understandable, this is actually not a very productive exercise. Let’s consider a few reasons why from the schools’ point of view: Tell me something I don’t know. A popular strategy – and not always bad one – for applicants seeking to demonstrate their fit with one school above any other is to study its website to understand the program’s self-determined selling Read more
Published: December 19, 2023
Should MBA Scholarship Money Impact Your Choice of Business School?
A brief look at MBA DecisionWire reveals candidates for leading MBA programs are being offered scholarship money, either need-based or merit-based, a lucrative lure to enroll. This scholarship money reduces the price of the MBA, and therefore alters the calculus in terms of the cost-benefit analysis of the program. If you do have admissions offers from multiple programs, some of which include scholarship money, you will need to weigh whether the reduced cost alters your order of preference for schools. Cases where scholarship dollars can alter your order of preferences include: 1. Career Goal Impact: When your career aspirations, Read more
Published: December 7, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Five Tips for Making the Best of the MBA Waitlist
Being placed on an MBA waitlist puts applicants in a challenging limbo state. While it’s disappointing not to get a “yes,” many applicants are glad that they’re still in the game. To make the best of the situation, you’ll need to know how to play it. In this admissions tip, we offer guidance for waitlisted candidates – and some context on why schools use a waitlist in the first place. Why Schools Use the Waitlist First and foremost, while schools now know the quality of their Round 1 pool, they don’t yet know how strong the remainder of their applicants Read more
Published: November 28, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Submitting an Optional Essay
We realize that the questions of whether or not to answer an optional essay—and, if so, what to say—are ones that loom large for many MBA applicants. In addition to our school-specific Essay Topic Analysis, we wanted to suggest a few questions that applicants might want to consider when making this call. Is my MBA optional essay relevant? Perhaps this goes without saying, but the only information worth sharing in an optional essay is that which will make a material difference in your candidacy. Whether you wish to comment on an exciting leadership role you’ve just Read more
Published: November 23, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Video Essays
It’s no secret that the use of video in the MBA application is becoming increasingly popular among top business schools. Typically you will be provided with a question, then a short amount of time to think about the question (30 seconds for example) and then a limited amount of time to provide your recorded answer, typically 60-90 seconds. In the tips that follow, we’ll explain the origins of video essays and provide a series of practical and strategic pointers to ensure that you ace this aspect of the admissions process. Why B-Schools Use Video Essays So why did some schools Read more
Published: November 21, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Data Forms
This MBA Admissions Tip steers attention to an oft-overlooked element of the MBA application process: the application data forms. These forms–typically referred to as ‘data forms’ for short–are the online forms that one fills out when applying to a business school. While the forms used to be straightforward and brief (essentially amounting to contact information, academic information, and work history), they have been expanding in some areas and have become an increasingly important part of the mix of application materials. In the wake of an industry-wide reduction in the number of essays required by each school, many programs have actually shifted Read more
Published: November 16, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: 3 Ways to Show an MBA Program That You Mean Business
During the MBA application process, you’ll need to learn more about your target programs in the process of rounding out your “why are you pursuing an MBA/why [school name here]” essays. Keeping this important component of the MBA admissions process in mind, we wanted to offer some advice on how to polish this element of your file and get the most mileage out of this section. MBA Admissions is Personal Schools look for applicants who seem genuinely excited about their program, and the best way to bring this across in your essays is to come right out and Read more
Published: November 14, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Know Your Audience for Your Applications
Know your audience as you complete your MBA applications. As anyone who’s going through the process knows, applying to business school is an incredibly demanding process. In addition to taking the GMAT/GRE, 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 résumé and write about their work in the manner that comes most naturally. However, in doing so, countless candidates each year assemble their materials without Read more
Published: October 31, 2023
MBA Admissions Post-Interview Protocol: Thank You & Follow Up
To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview protocol – 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 follow up to the 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, a Read more
Published: October 26, 2023
Spooky Admissions Mistakes: Nightmares for AdCom Members
Let’s pumpkin spice things up! As Halloween approaches, we wanted to take a look at some of the most chilling nightmares that adcom members can face when evaluating MBA applicants. So, what are the scariest mistakes an MBA applicant can make? Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond shares his insights below so you can avoid admissions missteps like the houses that hand out raisins for Halloween treats. 1. Don’t Wear an Icarus Costume One of the scariest things for an admissions office is to encounter an applicant with a Read more
Published: October 24, 2023
MBA Admissions Interview Tip: How to Impress During a Video Interview
While many schools have reincorporated in-person interviews, video options are still prevalent as a format for MBA admissions interviews. Even though applicants and interviewers may not meet in the traditional in-person way, you’ll still want to do everything you can to make the best possible impression. Here are some important tips for approaching an admissions video interview for MBA programs. 1. Get Your Tech Right! You’re probably going to be a bit nervous as it is, so you certainly don’t want technological issues to distract or add stress. This means that you should test your internet connectivity well in advance Read more
Published: October 10, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Selecting & Preparing Recommendation Writers for your MBA Application
Your letters of recommendation are a critical variable in the MBA admissions equation. They allow the 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 MBA 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 a friend and Read more
Published: September 12, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Avoid the Comparison Trap
In their desire to make their case to their target MBA programs, many applicants devote sentences and even paragraphs to explaining why the school in question is their “first choice” and arguing its superiority over other schools. Though certainly understandable, this is actually not a very productive exercise. Let’s consider a few reasons why from the schools’ point of view: Tell me something I don’t know. A popular strategy – and not always bad one – for applicants seeking to demonstrate their fit with one school above any other is to study its website to understand the program’s self-determined selling Read more
Published: September 5, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Submitting an Optional Essay
We realize that the questions of whether or not to answer an optional essay—and, if so, what to say—are ones that loom large for many MBA applicants. In addition to our school-specific Essay Topic Analysis, we wanted to suggest a few questions that applicants might want to consider when making this call. Is my MBA optional essay relevant? Perhaps this goes without saying, but the only information worth sharing in an optional essay is that which will make a material difference in your candidacy. Whether you wish to comment on an exciting leadership role you’ve just Read more

MBA Applywire

5
December 21, 2024 12:13pm ET
Applying: Dartmouth / Tuck, Northwestern / Kellogg, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Military/Corporate Logistics
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey
GRE: 302
GPA: 3.63
Years of Work Experience: 9
Notes:

Submitting for R2, but retaking GRE after application deadline. Military Vet with Corporate experience.
8
December 20, 2024 5:17pm ET
Applying: Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Healthcare
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG
GRE: 332
GPA: 3.5
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: Florida
Post MBA Location: Consulting
Notes:

25F, lgbtq, 3 years as a registered nurse. also have started working for an early stage VC in the past several months.
2
December 19, 2024 4:44pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Insurance
Post-MBA Target Industry: Entrepreneurship
GRE: 318
GPA: 3.59
Years of Work Experience: 3.5
Location: Georgia
Post MBA Location: Southeast
Notes:

Looking to launch a tech startup post MBA, without any background in tech. Come from a quant heavy background and undergraduate coursework. I regularly attended admissions events, in person and online at my schools. I hope that focusing energy on my few top schools and spending a lot of time on essays will help me overcome the less than average test score (164 quant 154 verbal) and GPA.

Serial entrepreneur with a history of profitable small businesses. Was promoted twice in 3.5 years. Involved in many extracurricular activities in and outside of work. My background is very centered around financial services/insurance, is this a red flag for a pivot to Tech Entrepreneurship?

Transferred between two state schools in the southeast. School I graduated from is a top 25 undergrad business program. Obtained a few professionals designations post grad.
3
December 18, 2024 11:38am ET
Applying: Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Held various positions in Finance and Accounting in a healthcare institution
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Other Companies: BCG , Deloitte , Other
GPA: 3.0
Years of Work Experience: 11
Location: International
Notes:

I am passionate about healthcare enhancing patient quality care. So exploring in that field is what I would love. Got a 72k scholarship from Vandy and named Forte Fellow. UNC 50k. I'm having a hard time deciding though my heart is leaning towards Owen
3
December 18, 2024 10:23am ET
Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Indiana / Kelley, Ohio State / Fisher
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Facility management
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting
GRE: 309
GPA: 2.8
Years of Work Experience: 3
Notes:

Graduate GPA -3.869
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MBA LiveWire

December 21, 2024 8:37am ET
Accepted to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 1
Received via phone on December 11, 2024
GMAT: 675
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
December 21, 2024 2:38am ET
Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 1
Received via phone on December 10, 2024
GPA: 3.27
GMAT: 760
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: CA
December 20, 2024 11:16pm ET
Accepted to Babson / Olin
Round: Round 1
Received via email on December 17, 2024
GPA: 3.9
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: South Asia
December 20, 2024 7:50pm ET
Accepted to Columbia
Round: Round 1
Received via portal on December 10, 2024
GMAT: 750
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: India
Note:

$100k scholarship
December 20, 2024 3:21pm ET
Accepted to Yale SOM
Round: Round 1
Received via email December 20, 2024
GPA: 4.0
GMAT: 750
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Note:

100% scholarship
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