Admissions Tips

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

Published: September 5, 2018

Podcast Episode 20: Should You Apply in Round 1 or Round 2?

In the MBA admissions world, this week holds some of the first application deadlines for candidates looking to apply to business school for the 2019-20 academic year. Completed applications for early action at IESE were due in by Tuesday, Harvard Business School (HBS) Round 1 applications were due yesterday, and the deadline for the new Early Action round at UVA’s Darden School is tomorrow. Applications for the earliest rounds at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Cambridge’s Judge Business School are also due tomorrow. Things are Read more

Published: September 3, 2018

Clear Admit Webinar Series Recap – “How to Ace Round One Applications”

Are you planning on applying in Round One? Clear Admit’s experts are here to give you advice and tips to be successful at navigating the admissions process. We’ve just completed both parts of our two-part webinar series available online – and we highly recommend that you watch and listen to it as it provides valuable insight into acing your Round One applications! The webinar covers: Identifying your target schools How to correctly fill in data forms The best advice for preparing your references for the recommendation forms Final touches to the application Preparing for the interview Making the decision on where to enroll Read more

Published: August 28, 2018

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

With Round 1 deadlines looming, we know many of you are hard at work crafting essays, filling out data forms, and perfecting your resumes. 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 author of Becoming a Clear Admit: The Read more

Published: August 15, 2018

HBS Adcom Director Shares More Application Tips in Blog Series

HBS Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee Earlier this summer, Harvard Business School (HBS) Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee let us know that he would be starting a summer blog series filled with application tips. He planned to share from his personal experience and tackle different elements of the application in each blog. The goal: to clear up any misconceptions applicants may have. As promised, he kicked off the series in early July, devoting one of his first posts to providing clear, no-nonsense advice about how to complete the Read more

Published: August 13, 2018

Clear Admit and Tuck School of Business Host Webinar – “A Walk Through the Tuck Application”

Are you planning on applying to The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth this admissions season? If so, it may be helpful to know that they have made some exciting innovations to the application process. We’ve just made the “A Walk Through the Tuck Application” webinar we conducted with Kristin Roth, Tuck’s Associate Director of Admissions, available online – and we highly recommend that you give it a listen as it brings valuable insight into applying to tuck! The webinar covered: What a Tuck MBA Candidate looks like How to navigate the application process at Tuck The best advice for taking on the Read more

Published: August 12, 2018

Savvy MBA Application Strategy: How Many Apps, Which Schools, When to Apply

You’ve decided the MBA is the next stop on your career path. What now? The smartest applicants are those who take the time to create an informed MBA application strategy—a well thought-out game plan that can help you obtain your goals as efficiently and effectively as possible. One of the first challenges you’ll face is school selection—strategically choosing which schools to target, bearing in mind the competitive mix of those schools. In recent years, MBA applicants appear to be trending downward in terms of the total number of schools to which they apply. Research we have undertaken on data Read more

Published: August 5, 2018

Admissions Tip: Applying to Business School as a Younger Applicant

As many of our readers know, it has become increasingly common for younger individuals to apply to MBA programs. Whereas the average age and years of work experience at the leading business schools has traditionally hovered at around 28 and five respectively, many programs are now carefully considering the more youthful end of the applicant pool. Of course, the fact that admissions officers are taking a closer look at younger applicants does not mean that getting accepted to a top program is easy for this group. In fact, it may be difficult for younger applicants to present themselves as fully Read more

Published: July 18, 2018

Michigan Ross Adcom Shares New Twists in 2018 MBA Application

The Michigan Ross School of Business MBA application for fall 2018 is now live! MBA candidates can start applying ASAP, and for the most part, it’s the same as last year. However, there are a few notable changes and things that applicants should be aware of before they start the application process. Soojin Kwon, managing director full-time MBA admissions and program, outlined the changes and a few other general tips in a post on the Ross MBA Admissions blog earlier this week. Here’s what you need to know. Read more

Published: July 16, 2018

HBS Adcom Director Launches Application Tips Blog Series

Clear Admit had the pleasure of sitting down with Harvard Business School (HBS) Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee a few weeks ago when we were in Boston for the annual Graduate Management Admission Council conference. Losee shared then his plans to launch an Application Tips series on his blog. True to his word, he kicked things off earlier this month. HBS Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee “When July hits, I know from personal experience that applying starts to feel ‘real’ when you are planning to apply to HBS in Round Read more

Published: July 16, 2018

Summer Reading: 10 Not-to-Miss Biographies of Great Business Leaders

For successful admits in the most recent MBA admissions cycle, the date to arrive on campus at business school is fast approaching. If you’re looking for ways to spend your remaining summer leisure time, check out this list of not-to-miss business tycoon biographies. From tech titans like Elon Musk and the late Steve Jobs to the Oracle of Omaha and cosmetics empire entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash, the titles below promise to provide inspiring insights for soon-to-be MBA students of every stripe. 10 Not-to-Miss Biographies of Great Business Leaders Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator Read more

Published: July 9, 2018

MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: Trouble with Tests

As new MBA applicants look for admissions assessments, many are posting to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, a platform for feedback from our community of top-tier applicants to help inform your final choice of schools and approach to admissions. In this edition of MBA ApplyWire Spotlight, we take a closer look at two recent posts from new candidates for the Class of 2021. We start with a candidate who wants to retake the GRE: Read more

Published: July 5, 2018

Fridays from the Frontline: Preparing for the MBA Experience – 3 Things I Wish I Had Done With My Summer

Fridays from the Frontline For MBA students-to-be, the summer heat can sometimes go hand in hand with some leisure time. While the summer months are certainly useful for students of all stripes to unwind and decompress, this time leading up to the first year of business school also presents a critical opportunity for incoming MBA students to set themselves up for success in and outside the classroom. With that in mind, the Forté Read more

Published: July 4, 2018

Ready for Your MBA? Register for Free to Meet Top B-Schools at The MBA Tour This July!

Summer is in full swing! While you may be enjoying the time to travel, hit the beach and spend time with family and friends, it’s also the best time to prepare for your MBA admissions journey. As such, we wanted to let you know that our friends from The MBA Tour are hosting their U.S. Tour throughout July. If your located close to one of the following events, don’t miss out on this great opportunity to meet with admissions directors from Columbia, MIT, UC Berkeley, Chicago Booth, IE, Northwestern Kellogg and more top business schools. You’ll be able to attend admissions panels, Read more

Published: June 25, 2018

Tuck School of Business to Host Free Webinar on August 8th – “A Walk Through the Tuck Application”

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has made some exciting innovations to the application process. Join Clear Admit and Tuck for a free webinar taking you on an in depth, exclusive walk through the Tuck MBA Application. Whether you’re planning on applying or just beginning to consider an MBA and wonder if Tuck is a good fit for your aspirations, this is your opportunity to gain valuable insight into applying to Tuck. Bring your questions! Kristin Roth, Associate Director of Admissions with the Tuck MBA Admissions Team will host the event, following an introduction by Read more

Published: June 17, 2018

Kellogg Admissions Director Shares Insights on 2019 MBA Application

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is one of several leading business schools to release its 2019-2020 MBA application online within the last week. At Kellogg, deadlines for the upcoming admission season are as follow: September 19, 2018 January 9, 2019 April 10, 2019 To help you get started, Director of Admissions Melissa Rapp provided insight into the 2019 MBA application along with some great advice on how to prepare. We’ve shared some of the most pertinent details below. Written Essay Questions Remain Unchanged The Kellogg written essay questions remain the same this year as last. Applicants will need to Read more

Published: June 12, 2018

Leading Business School Admissions Directors Share Pro Tips for Applicants in Unique May Events

Admissions directors from seven leading business schools convened last month for MBA admissions events in San Francisco and Washington, DC, giving prospective applicants an unusual opportunity to learn more about how to navigate the admissions process directly from the people who know best. Clear Admit Editor-in-Chief Jeanette Brown peppered representatives from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, Duke’s Fuqua School, Michigan’s Ross School, NYU Stern School, UVA’s Darden School, and the Yale School of Read more

Published: June 11, 2018

These Four Attributes Will Help You Get into Tuck’s MBA Program

Nice guys finish last? Not so if you’re an applicant to the MBA program at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Tuck’s admissions director yesterday outlined new, simplified criteria for evaluating MBA applicants—part of the school’s continuing commitment to being as open and transparent in its admissions process as possible. When it comes right down to it, Tuck wants students who are a combination of the following four attributes: nice, smart, accomplished, and aware. As part of a news story on the school’s website outlining the new evaluation criteria, Tuck Executive Director of Admissions and Read more

Published: May 29, 2018

Get and Give Inside Advice for Great Business School Campus Visits

We’re hard at work on our next new applicant resource—the Clear Admit VisitArchive—which is designed to help MBA candidates learn more about their target schools by reading about the campus visit experience of others. Though VisitArchive is still only in beta testing—look for an official launch later in the 2018-2019 admissions cycle—we have already received great responses from early users sharing tips guaranteed to inform future visits. For example, one visitor who took an Uber to Georgetown’s McDonough School campus offered this advice: “On a hot day, do not let them drop you at the main gate. It’s a Read more

Published: May 21, 2018

MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: Profile Feedback for Business School Admissions

As a new crop of applicants set their sights on the 2018-2019 admissions season, many are wisely turning to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, a tool that supports MBA application strategy. As an applicant, by posting the business schools you are considering applying to, along with a little information about your credentials and goals, you can get feedback from our community of top-tier applicants to help inform your final choice of schools. In this edition of MBA ApplyWire Spotlight, we take a closer look at two recent posts from new candidates for the Class of 2021. We start with a consultant who has a lengthy list of schools: Clear Admit’s resident admissions expert (and newlywed!), Alex Brown, kicked off the feedback: Read more

Published: May 13, 2018

Admissions Tip: Time-Saving Tools for School Targeting

A critical key to success in the MBA admissions process is targeting the right MBA programs for application. When commencing the MBA admissions process, it can be difficult to immediately identify which programs might be most suitable and where you might be most competitive. A quick survey of MBA rankings may provide clues – and our own tiered ranking system provides additional guidance in terms of which programs are similar from a competitive standpoint – but beyond those basic resources, Clear Admit also has two unique tools to help you quickly arrive at your list of target MBA programs: MBA Read more

Published: May 9, 2018

Meet Leading Admissions Directors, Clear Admit Editor-in-Chief at May 16th Event in Washington, DC

Admissions directors from seven leading business schools will convene for a second multi-school MBA admissions event on Wednesday, May 16th, in Washington, DC. Moderated by Clear Admit Editor-in-Chief Jeanette Brown, the DC event will feature representatives from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Cornell’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, Duke’s Fuqua School, Michigan’s Ross School, NYU Stern School, UVA’s Darden School, and Yale School of Management (SOM). The first event, which took place in San Francisco on May 10th, filled up completely. Dozens of alumni from participating programs now working in the Bay Area were also on hand to share their first-hand experiences as students with participants. Read more

Published: May 6, 2018

Admissions Tip: Round 3 Results

With the MBA programs releasing their final round notifications in the upcoming weeks, the 2017-2018 admissions season is coming to a close for the vast majority of MBA aspirants. We’d like to offer our congratulations to all those who have gained admission to one of more of their target schools and wish good luck to waitlisted applicants whose fate is presently a bit less certain. For all those who submitted their applications in the final round and received an unfavorable decision, we’d like to share a few tips that we hope will make the process of facing rejection as productive Read more

Published: May 3, 2018

Our Latest Podcast: Reapplying to Business School

If your dream of attending a top-tier business school was dashed by a rejection this year, we know how hard that can be. To work so tirelessly toward a goal that you don’t achieve can be spirit-crushing. And yet, we’re here to tell you that it does happen. You are not alone. We’re also here to tell you that you might want to think about reapplying. Did you know—one out of every 10 students in most Harvard Business School MBA classes applied more than once and was rejected the first time. That’s right. On average, a tenth of the HBS Read more

Published: April 24, 2018

Our Latest Podcast: Clear Admit’s 12-Step Program for Early Bird MBA Applicants

Looking to get an early start on your MBA applications for the 2018-2019 application season? Don’t miss our latest podcast episode, in which Clear Admit Co-Founder Graham Richmond outlines a 12-step program for early bird MBA applicants. 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: Clear Admit's 12-Step Program for Early Bird MBA Applicants Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Read more

Published: April 23, 2018

Your Essential Guide to Pre-MBA Diversity Conferences, Boot Camps, and Forums

Several organizations are focused on helping increase the pipeline of underrepresented demographics—such as women, LGBTQ students, and those from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds—to business school and the larger business world. As part of these efforts, many host pre-MBA conferences, boot camps, and forums providing recruiting and networking opportunities to diverse admitted students headed off to business school in the fall. For eligible participants, these opportunities, designed to provide a head start for students in the MBA recruiting process before they even arrive on campus, are well worth pursuing. Forté MBA Women’s Leadership Conference The Forté Foundation, a non-profit Read more

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MBA Applywire

January 20, 2025 5:53pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, Illinois / Gies, Indiana / Kelley, Ohio State / Fisher, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Undecided, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Other Companies: Accenture , Booz Allen Hamilton

GPA: 3.8

Years of Work Experience: 20

Post MBA Location: Florida

Notes:

Currently employed full time with a small defense contractor. I’m attached to a Flight Test squadron to advise and assist the Air Force in flight operations, long range and short range testing, resources, manning, scheduling, and collaborate with outside agencies and vendors.

Looking to stay within the Aero and Defense sector.

January 20, 2025 11:52am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Real Estate

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Consumer Goods, Non Profit/SI, Other Companies: Deloitte , McKinsey , 3M , Coca Cola , Unilever

GRE: 328

GPA: 3.05

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: Nigeria

Post MBA Location: United States of America

Notes:

I would appreciate if given pointers as to the kind of questions to ask while attending virtual events and how to successfully gain application fee waiver. Thank you.

January 19, 2025 11:24am ET

Applying: Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Michigan / Ross, U. Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, UT Austin / McCombs

Pre-MBA Career: Production Supervisor

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Consumer Goods Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Southern California

Post MBA Location: Midwest

Notes:

Low GPA due to having to work full time during schooling to support my family and also career change. I was originally in Engineering undergrad then switched to Finance and achieved much higher grades.

I have taken a practice GMAT and I am aiming for a ~675+ to hopefully offset GPA.

M 30, Hispanic American, First-gen, I would apply through the Consortium, also a part of the Big Brother program mentor.

3 years of credit specialist experience and 2 years of production supervisor experience, all within the same company. 5 more years of general production jobs where I had some leadership experience but nothing too notable.

I'm not absolutely locked into only attending those schools, but I know they have great placements in Consulting. How would everyone rate my chances?

January 16, 2025 2:59am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Financial Services, Wholesale Banking

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting

GPA: 4.0

Years of Work Experience: 2

Location: Bangladesh

Post MBA Location: United States (preferably Boston, NY, Chicago, or Seattle)

Notes:

Hi Alex and Graham, huge fan of your podcast. Love the work that you are doing, especially with the candidate profile reviews

- Female from outside the capital city in Bangladesh; 23-year-old; to accumulate 3 years of full-time work experience at matriculation in Fall 26. Also completed HBS CoRE with high honors (99th Percentile). Prepping for the GRE now and expecting a score of 330 ish, with a skew towards quant.

- Graduated with 4.0 in Econ (Minor: Finance and Math) from an international women's college in Bangladesh; extensively involved as Tutor (Math and Science Center) and Teaching Assistant (for 8 courses) during my undergrad; Secretary at the SDG Club. Have done internships and global mgmt. programs internationally, but remotely given it was during peak Covid.

- Working as an Assistant Vice President in one of the largest multinational banks; I manage the largest client of my office and oversee accounts; I also work actively on several CSR projects of my organization, including a major initiative that involves my Alma Mater. Managing a team of 3 at work now despite being the youngest in the team

- Target is to get into Top 15 MBA programs at the US with a substantial scholarship. I recognize that the Work Exp will be a major barrier. Please suggest ways in which I can maximize my chances. My goal is to do consulting with an MBB firm in the Short Term and then move to Non-profit/Social Impact (either in Consulting with orgs such as Dalberg, or at the likes of Gates Foundation etc.) focusing on women empowerment/ education.

- Planning to apply in R1 to 5 ish schools (Mix of M7, Top 10, 10-15 range) and then in R2 to 3 ish, targeting a total of 8 applications

Would love to get covered in one of your future episodes. Happy to share more about my profile and ambitions. Thanks a ton!

January 14, 2025 12:01am ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Private Equity tax consulting

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

GMAT: 675

GPA: 3.95

Years of Work Experience: 9

Location: Bangalore, India

Post MBA Location: East Coast

Notes:

I have primarily worked with venture funds and startups covering a range of tax advisory projects from M&A, due diligence, venture fund setup etc. I want to go beyond tax and step into strategy consulting roles, with a focus on fund strategy and portfolio acceleration in private equity.

Extracurricular : Involved with Rotaract for 2.5 years, taken part in multiple corporate responsibility initiatives at the firm , volunteer in pet rescue initiatives for the community

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MBA LiveWire

January 20, 2025 10:58pm ET

Applied to Michigan / Ross

Round: Round 2

Received via email

GPA: 8.81/10 (3.82 WES Converted)

GRE: 326

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Application Location: India

January 20, 2025 10:57pm ET

Applied to UVA / Darden

Round: Round 2

Received via email

GPA: 8.81/10 (3.82 WES converted)

GRE: 326

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Application Location: India

January 20, 2025 10:55pm ET

Interview Invite to Vanderbilt / Owen

Round: Round 2

Received via email on January 12, 2025

GPA: 8.81/10 (3.82 WES Converted)

GRE: 326

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Application Location: India

January 20, 2025 4:01pm ET

Applying to UVA / Darden

Round: Round 2

Received via portal

EA: 149

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Application Location: Chile

Note:

Applied on January 4th

January 20, 2025 3:30pm ET

Interview Invite to UVA / Darden

Round: Round 2

Received via email on January 14, 2025

GPA: 3.6

GRE: 320

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Application Location: Atlanta, GA

Note:

HBCU grad. IB/VC/Startup experience.

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