Admissions Tips

Browse our weekly admissions tips, or choose the category most relevant to you: researching, planning, applying, deciding.

Published: July 17, 2019

Yale MBA Students Share Advice on Applying to Business School

Every MBA student shares at least one experience—the application process. It can feel like you're setting out to climb a mountain in the early stages—figuring out target schools, tracking deadlines, brainstorming essays, securing recommenders and more. To help current MBA hopefuls, Yale SOM MBA students gathered their top advice for applying to b-school based on their experiences from less than a year ago. Here’s what they had to say. 1. Research. Research. Research. According to Rayan Mansour (’20), the best thing you can do is gather as much data as possible on as many business schools as possible. He also explains that each MBA program is unique and will have various interests or characteristics that make it stand out. The more you know, the better. Research online, get on the phone with current students, go to presentations, visit the campus, and connect with admissions. Read more

Published: May 28, 2019

Podcast Episode 19 Replay: 10 Tips for Tackling the MBA Written Application

As the new admissions season kicks off, we know many of you are thinking about crafting essays, filling out data forms, and perfecting your résumés. Before you do anything else, check out the latest episode in the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast series, which tackles the written components of the MBA application head on. Clear Admit’s Alex Brown Our guest this week is Clear Admit’s own Alex Brown, who worked for several years as part of the admissions team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He’s also the Read more

Published: May 7, 2019

MBA Admissions Brief: Harvard Business School

Moving right along in our new series, MBA Admissions Brief, we hear from Chad Losee (HBS MBA 2013), the Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Business School. HBS Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee Losee knows what it’s like to be on the applicant side of the process, having gone through it himself not too long ago. Moreover, he has a storied history with the school and passion for education that shines through his professional choices. After a couple of years at the management consulting firm Bain & Company, he headed to HBS— inspired by MBAs from Bain & Co, drawn to the case study method. While on campus, he volunteered as an admissions ambassador and spent the summer between his first and second MBA years working as an associate in the office of former HBS Dean Kim Clark. Upon graduating HBS, he spent a year working as a fellow for HBS Dean Nitin Nohria. The latter post was initially intended to be a few months, but stretched into a full year as a leadership fellow and later assistant director of HBX (now known as Harvard Business School Online). He also sat on the HBS Board of Admissions during that time, providing an up-close look at what became his every day in May of 2016. Over the past three years heading up admissions at HBS, he’s helped shaped the exceptional classes, overseen a shift to two admissions rounds, welcomed an inaugural cohort of MS/MBA students and taken the time to talk to Clear Admit about interviews, financial aid and more—to mention just a few. Read on for Losee's insights into HBS, their admissions and what actions applicants can start taking now. Read more

Published: May 6, 2019

Podcast Episode 11 Replay: Clear Admit’s 12-Step Program for Early Bird MBA Applicants

Looking to get an early start on your MBA applications for the 2019-2020 application season? Clear Admit’s Co-Founder Graham Richmond outlines a 12-step program for early bird MBA applicants in this podcast. By getting the ball rolling this far in advance, you’re already setting yourself up for success. Richmond’s suggested steps can help ensure that you stay on track and take full advantage of your great head start. Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast Episode 11 Replay: Clear Admit's 12-Step Program for Early Bird MBA Applicants Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds Read more

Published: April 7, 2019

Podcast Episode 35: 7 Tips for Those Applying to Business School in Two Years

You asked for it, and we delivered! Per a request on Reddit, our latest podcast offers guidance to those with MBA applications in their sights, two years down the road. Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond and resident admissions expert, Alex Brown, provide seven tips about what you can do now and over the course of the next couple of years to improve your chances when you’re ready to apply. Topics covered include testing and supplemental coursework, maximizing your professional experience and time outside of the office, cultivating recommenders and much more. They even discuss how to kick off the school selection process, so you can be confident in your shortlist of MBA programs when the time comes. The first step to getting ready for MBA admissions? Listening to our podcast, of course: Read more

Published: March 25, 2019

Yale SOM Innovates MBA Admissions Process with New Behavioral Assessment

Laurel Grodman, Managing Director of Admissions, Analytics and Evaluation, and Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Yale SOM Have you applied to the Yale School of Management or are you planning to apply? You may be wondering about that something extra in your Yale SOM application checklist—the Behavioral Assessment. The admissions team implemented this new, innovative tool to help them bring together a strong MBA class. To get the skinny on what the Behavioral Assessment is and how it’s being used in the Yale SOM admissions process, we caught up with Laurel Grodman, managing director of admissions, analytics and evaluation, and Bruce DelMonico, assistant dean for admissions. Read on for in-depth insights from Laurel and Bruce regarding how this tool plays a part in your MBA admissions experience. Could you start by explaining what the Behavioral Assessment is and how it now fits into the Yale School of Management MBA admissions process? The Behavioral Assessment is an online admissions tool that measures a set of interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies associated with business school success. It’s administered by the research division of ETS, and takes about 20 to 25 minutes for an applicant to complete. The test itself is a forced-choice module, in which you are given 120 pairs of statements and you have to choose the statement that is more like your own behavior. You don’t need to do anything in advance to prepare for the assessment, nor does it require any specialized knowledge or information. Read more

Published: March 3, 2019

Podcast Episode 31: Waitlisted in R1? It’s Not Too Late to Increase Your Odds of Getting In

Unlike the black and white decisions some candidates have received in recent weeks—the coveted acceptances and the less popular rejections—we know many of you find yourselves in a murky gray area called the waitlist. It may not feel like there’s much time left to change your fate in Round 1, but Clear Admit is here to tell you, there is hope! Read more

Published: February 27, 2019

Four Reasons You Need to Visit Clear Admit’s Interview Archive

If you're preparing for a Round 2 MBA admissions interview, we wanted to remind Class of 2020 hopefuls that Clear Admit can help with the final hurdle to acceptance: the interview. The Clear Admit Interview Archive is a repository of first-hand accounts shared directly by MBA applicants after they have interviewed with one or more of their target top-tier business schools. The details shared in these reports—from the questions asked to what the applicant would do differently if he or she had it to do over—provide invaluable information as you prepare for your interviews. Read more

Published: February 25, 2019

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: Berkeley / Haas or UCLA / Anderson for Tech

In this MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, which highlights MBA candidates’ choices as shared in Clear Admit’s DecisionWire, we take a closer look at a candidate accepted to Berkeley / Haas and UCLA Anderson. The candidate is interested in tech and also received a scholarship offer, worth $80k, from UCLA / Anderson. Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond spent some time crafting a lengthy response: Read more

Published: February 17, 2019

Podcast Episode 29: Wharton Team-Based Discussions (TBD)

In this episode, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond break down Wharton’s group interview – the ‘Team Based Discussion’ (TBD) – and offer a wealth of tips and background to help applicants ace their Wharton admissions interview. Ranging from the history and purpose of the TBD to the specifics of this year’s TBD prompt, Alex and Graham – who both formerly worked in admissions at Wharton – deliver the most in-depth podcast that ever been produced on this topic. They also provide sage advice on how to deal with different personality types in your TBD and explain the pros Read more

Published: February 4, 2019

Podcast Episode 28: How to Interview at Harvard Business School

Were you lucky enough to receive an interview invitation to Harvard Business School? Clear Admit's admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, are here to help you prepare! Richmond has counseled hundreds of applicants along the way, read hundreds of HBS interview reports, and even been through the HBS interview process himself. Brown, the author of "Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions," has worked in the admissions space since the 1990s, and trained admissions officers at dozens of leading schools. Together, they tackle every aspect of the HBS interview process in this podcast episode, including: Read more

Published: January 20, 2019

Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview – Part I

Yale SOM has already released some Round 2 interview invites, according to MBA LiveWire. Michigan Ross released its first wave on Friday of last week. Harvard plans to release its invites in two waves, January 28 and January 31. the MBA admissions world is buzzing about one thing: INTERVIEWS. With so much interview anxiety in the air—and knowing that it only stands to build from here—we’ve decided to devote this week at Clear Admit to all things interview, introducing a series we ran during the last two admissions cycles. We’re getting the ball rolling with the first part Read more

Published: January 13, 2019

Jumpstart your MBA journey: The MBA Tour North America

The MBA Tour North America: MBA & Business Master’s Conferences Our friends over at the MBA Tour are back on the road again. Meet University of Southern California, Boston University, University of Cambridge, IESE, HEC Montréal, & more top Business Programs! Join them in a city near you: Los Angeles: Saturday, January 26 San Francisco: Monday, January 28 Boston: Wednesday, Read more

Published: December 16, 2018

Using Social Media to Help Your B-School Application: Advice from Admissions Directors

If you’re an MBA candidate, you should know that there’s more to an MBA application than the forms you fill out and the essays you write. In this age of social media, what you post online can have repercussions in the admissions process and on your future career. Admissions offices at leading business schools know that most applicants maintain an online presence and will sometimes check to see what they’re posting. We recently discussed this very issue in our article, Social Media in MBA Admissions: Can Your Twitter Feed Derail Your B-School Dreams?, which focused on the results of a Kaplan Test Prep survey that reported that 40 percent of admissions officers have visited an applicant’s social media page. So, the question becomes: “How can I make sure that my social media works for me and not against me?” We put this question to admissions officers at some of top b-schools around the country including Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and Emory’s Goizueta Business School. While this is a re-post from one year ago, these tips hold true today. Find out what they had to say to MBA candidates with regard to their social media presence: Read more

Published: December 10, 2018

Podcast Episode 26: Round One and Done?

Did you make it through Round 1? First, congratulations! But next, where did you end up and where do you want to go from here? Whether you’re dealing with lots of dings or have the luxury of choosing where to attend, or if you received a few acceptances, but think you can aim higher, our latest podcast is for you. In Episode 26: Round 1 and Done?, Clear Admit resident admissions experts, Alex Brown and Graham Richmond, break down the possibilities for candidates who applied in Round 1 and discuss how they should (or shouldn't) approach Round 2. They also talk about scholarship support, and how they can influence one's approach. Read more

Published: December 9, 2018

Navigating the MBA Waitlist: A Clear Admit MBA Podcast Replay

With Round 1 MBA decisions rolling out, we’re revisiting a timely episode in the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast series: Navigating the MBA Waitlist. Unlike the black and white decisions some candidates have received in recent weeks—the coveted acceptances and the less popular rejections—we know many of you find yourselves in a murky gray area called the waitlist. While a straight-up acceptance would obviously be preferable, we’re here to tell you that top programs really do admit a fair number of candidates off the waitlist in Round 2 and even later—so stay positive! Beyond remaining optimistic, there are Read more

Published: November 19, 2018

Podcast Episode 25: 8 Tips You Need to Succeed in Round 2

Many MBA hopefuls may see Round 2 deadlines looming in the distance, but, based on what goes into applying to business school, those deadlines are closer than they appear. Whether you’re just kicking off your MBA applications or have some experience knowledge from Round 1, our podcast this week will help you succeed in Round 2. Read more

Published: November 18, 2018

A Comprehensive Set of MBA Interview Resources

As interview season kicks into high gear, for this week’s admissions tip we wanted to offer a comprehensive resource with all of our key interview tips. We begin with our four-part series that discusses the different types of interviews that MBA programs undertake. We then included our six tips for interview etiquette, our post on the five most popular interview questions, and finally our review of the seven hardest interview questions. Part 1: Open versus Selected What you will learn from Part 1: We examine which schools offer open interviews, and which offer interviews by invitation. We examine why schools Read more

Published: November 8, 2018

How to Prepare for MBA Interviews – Clear Admit’s Webinar Recap

Do you need help preparing for your MBA interviews? Clear Admit’s experts are here to give you advice and tips to be successful at navigating the admissions process. On Wednesday, November 7, we aired our interactive webinar “How to Prepare for MBA Interviews,” hosted by Alex Brown, Clear Admit’s long-time admissions expert and author of Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide. The webinar covers: Different types of interviews that business schools conduct and why understanding each interview type matters for candidates. Nuances that exist across alumni, admissions committee and student-led interviews. A break down of the five most common MBA admissions interview Read more

Published: November 1, 2018

Thinking About Berkeley Haas for Your MBA? Here’s Why You Should

Sponsored Content U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business ranked #7 by the U.S. News & World Report and The Economist, #9 by Forbes, and #10 by the Financial Times. It reaches these high rankings thanks to the school’s academic rigor, exceptional faculty, and business ecosystem. The School offers multiple MBA programs including: Full-Time MBA: This 21-month program helps students build a fluency in business fundamentals that inform confident leadership decisions. Evening & Weekend MBA: This part-time Read more

Published: October 31, 2018

How Does Michigan Ross’s MBA Program Stand Out?

Sponsored Content The Michigan Ross School of Business is ranked #7 by the U.S. News & World Report, #12 by Forbes, #21 by The Economist, and #26 by the Financial Times. What makes the school top-ranked is their large and influential alumni network, excellent career services, and outstanding value. The school is home to multiple MBA programs including: Full-Time MBA: This full-time MBA program takes an active and rigorous approach to learning with globally-oriented curriculum designed to help you succeed. Evening MBA: Read more

Published: October 30, 2018

Why Should You Choose NYU Stern for Your MBA?

Sponsored Content The U.S. News & World Report ranks New York University Stern School of Business #13 while The Economist ranks them #14. They’re ranked #23 by the Financial Times and #21 by Forbes. NYU Stern achieved these results through a combination of a strong global alumni network, expert research, and a collaborative culture. The School offers a few MBA program options, including: Full-Time MBA: This two-year program includes opportunities for experiential learning and networking with a close-knit student body in NYC. Read more

Published: October 29, 2018

Episode 24: 7 Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Clear Admit’s Alex Brown offers a closer look at some of the toughest interview questions MBA applicants stand to face as part of the admissions process at leading schools. Brown, who worked for several years as part of the admissions team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is also the author of Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions. In today’s podcast, Brown unpacks the hardest questions he’s known applicants to face as part of the interview—a topic he’s an expert on thanks to interviews he himself conducted when he worked at Wharton. As a Read more

Published: October 29, 2018

The Top Reasons to Earn Your MBA at Duke Fuqua

Sponsored Content The U.S. News and World Report ranks Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business #11 in the U.S., The Economist ranks it #13, while Forbes and the Financial Times rank Duke Fuqua #14 and #19 respectively. The school has been able to reach such heights due to its close-knit community, customizable education opportunities, and exceptional career management. The school offers multiple MBA program options including: Daytime MBA: This full-time MBA program offers 14 concentrations and is ideal for individuals Read more

Published: October 28, 2018

Clear Admit Webinar: How to Prepare for MBA Interviews

Need Help Preparing for MBA Interviews? Don’t Miss Our Free Clear Admit Webinar In this 90-minute webinar, Clear Admit’s Alex Brown will take a deep dive into what it takes to best prepare for your interviews at the elite MBA programs. Brown will begin by providing insights into the different kinds of interviews that business schools conduct, and explain why understanding each interview type matters for candidates. Brown will then explore the nuances that exist across alumni, admissions committee and student led interviews. Brown will also break down the five most common MBA admissions interview questions and the seven Read more

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MBA Applywire

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.

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.

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

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

December 18, 2024 2:57am ET

Applying: IESE, INSEAD, MIT Sloan, U. Chicago Booth

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Engineering

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Undecided Companies: Amazon

GMAT: 690

GPA: 3.26

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Chile

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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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Wire