MBA Feature

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth’s MBA Application for Round One has a deadline on October 7th.  Are you planning on applying in Round One?  If so, this session will be beneficial to you as Amy Mitson, Director of Admissions, Recruitment & Marketing at Tuck will be discussing 5 tips she has to prepare you for Round One applications. Join Clear Admit and Tuck for a free chat about some of the tips and best advice for filling out the Tuck MBA Application.  Whether you’re planning on applying or just beginning to consider an MBA and wonder Read more

It’s a family affair in this edition of MBA ApplyWire Spotlight, as we highlight a recent entry in Clear Admit’s ApplyWire.  This week, we take a closer look at feedback for an MBA applicant with a background in family business, but hoping for a future at Dartmouth / Tuck, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, or London Business School. Read on for the details. Our resident admissions expert, Alex Brown, addressed the issue of timing and brought up some other facets: Read more

If you want to understand some key hallmarks of the MBA experience, look no further than NYU's Impact Investment Fund (NIIF).  First, it's student-led, giving participants hands-on leadership experience and skills that translate to real world success.  Second, it represents the educational advantage of being part of a larger university–NIIF was born out of collaboration between the NYU Stern School of Business, the Law School and the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.  And what's more, it represents the ideal goal of blending business and social impact. Recent Stern & Wagner double-degree student Gabriel Ng ’19 recently shared with Clear Admit his experience with NIIF and the educational journey to its first deal.  Read on for some on-the-ground insights. NYU’s Student-led Impact Investment Fund Completes Its First Deal by Gabriel Ng MBA/MPA ’19 Read more

Current MBA students are one of the best resources for learning what it takes to get accepted into your target business school.  They are recent applicants themselves and, therefore, know what it takes to stand out in the process. At UVA Darden, rising Second Year students shared a blog filled with MBA application advice for full Full-Time MBA applicants. Here’s what they had to say. Apply Early According to Allie Medack, the last thing you should do is wait until the last minute to start the application process. She found business school applications to be highly introspective, and so felt that she needed time to reflect on her experiences and who she was as a multi-dimensional person. “Your genuine excitement will catch the Admissions Committee’s attention and help you shine through the pack.” Read more

Many difficulties can be associated with being a first-generation MBA student.  Oxford Saïd students recount such challenges as coming from an impoverished background or attempting to explain school to family without a frame of reference; however, many have transcended the challenges of being first-generation thanks to the diverse cohort in the program.  With a focus on inclusion, the community's welcoming atmosphere has been essential to their success and comfort in higher education. “One of the beauties of Oxford Saïd is, there is such variety here that everyone has a unique background,” explained RK Kelford, a Saïd MBA student. “First-generation students are just one of the many different facets.” Read more

Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of August 5, 2019. Read more

As applicants consider what business schools to shortlist, many are posting to Clear Admit’s MBA ApplyWire, an admissions tool for feedback on candidacy, school choice and more.  This week, we take a closer look at an MBA hopeful applying to Columbia, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, and Yale SOM.  Read on for the details. Resident admissions expert Alex Brown kicked off the thread: Read more

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has made some exciting innovations to the application process. Join Clear Admit and Tuck for a free chat about some of the tips and best advice for filling out 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! Valeria Wiens, Associate Director, Evaluation / Admissions & Financial Aid & Lesley Nesbitt, Associate Director, Yield with the Read more

Many applicants spend so much time wrestling with fundamental questions about their MBA programs before taking the plunge:  Which school is the right cultural fit? Which schools will open doors in X industry? Which school offers the best value? Dartmouth Tuck MBA student Alex Wood T’20 took to the Tuck 360 Blog to unpack the moment she decided the school was the right place for her, and how their Women in Business Conference informed her involvement with the event now. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Tuck 360 Blog. Read more

To win the Consortium's Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Trophy Award, peers at member schools must demonstrate a keen commitment to the organization's mission to "enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership." This year—and for the third time since the launch of the award in 2004—Cornell Johnson earned it. Read more

NYU Stern got a jump start on introducing their Full-Time MBA Class of 2021. This week, they released their preliminary class profile on their admissions website. Of the 3,518 applicants hoping to join the NYU Stern Class of 2021, only 919 were admitted and 359 enrolled, for a 26 percent admission rate. Those students are, on average, 28 years old and have 5.2 years of professional experience. A few of them were also fresh graduates, with 3 percent having no work experience. Read more

Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of July 29, 2019. Read more

With Columbia Business School and INSEAD rolling out interview invitations, it is prime time to practice for this key part of the MBA admissions process with the Clear Admit Interview Guides.  The Clear Admit Interview Guide to CBS will prepare you for the blind nature of their Q&A sessions.  With the Clear Admit Interview Guide to INSEAD, you will learn how to ace both of your alumni interviews. What's Inside? These digital guides include first-hand interview accounts submitted by real applicants through our Interview Archive.  In addition to lists of sample questions consistently asked of applicants, the Clear Admit team has combined its years of admissions counseling and expertise to analyze the most frequently asked ones, and offer insight into what specific schools are looking for in response.  Read more

As MBA hopefuls consider their chances at the leading business schools, many are posting to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, an admissions tool for feedback on candidacy, school choice and more.  This week, we shine the spotlight on two candidates. The first has some room for improvement with their academic stats while applying to Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall, and Yale SOM.  Read on for the details. Resident expert, Alex Brown, took the stage, so to speak: Read more

MBA students spend a lot of time with one another both in and outside the classroom. Since community is at the heart of the MBA experience, many programs spearhead innovative—and fun—initiatives to fortify the relationships that naturally develop between students. Colin Tierney '18-'19 took to the Oxford Saïd Business School blog to share lessons learned from the recent MBA Tournament, which assembled students from across the world to spar in a friendly competition featuring sports, dance, music, and more. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Saïd Business School blog. Read more

Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of July 22, 2019. Non-traditional MBA Candidates Should Be Optimistic Non-traditional MBA candidates without undergraduate business backgrounds are often accepted to leading business schools, according to Vanderbilt Owen's MBA admissions committee.  Whether your background is in the military, Peace Corps, Teach for America, or performing arts, non-traditional candidates have become more commonplace in many MBA programs. The truth is that business schools want a balance of candidates and appreciate a diverse array of perspectives.  “I think by having people who have not been steeped in in corporate America—it’s really helpful to have outside perspectives,” said Rob Schickler, Associate Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt Owen. “The more diversity you have, the more groupthink can be avoided.” So, how do you ensure that as a non-traditional candidate you have the best chance of getting accepted into an MBA program? Read more

Registration is open for the 2019 Forté MBA Forums.  Designed for women considering an MBA, the Forums provide an ideal opportunity to learn more about the value of an MBA from admissions reps, alumnae, and current students at top business schools. Open to all women—career changers, college students planning the future, or career professionals looking to go to the next level—the events provide a distinct MBA advantage. About the Forté MBA Forums The MBA Forums are FREE and held in 11 cities across the U.S. and Europe. The events are a chance for women to build their peer support network and meet other successful businesswomen from a diverse range of industries. The MBA Forums offers exclusive insights into the MBA admissions process. Read more

At this point in the summer, many MBA applicants are prepping for the GMAT, reflecting on potential recommendation-writers, and deciding which schools to target in the fall. Some are even getting some initial feedback on their candidacies via MBA ApplyWire. Our team of experts loves hearing about your plans and sharing their thoughts on your schools and application strategy. We have another Wire tool that can be tremendously helpful to MBA hopefuls who are just starting their application processes – though its usefulness may be a bit less obvious. MBA DecisionWire allows Read more

As MBA hopefuls prepare for the 2019-2020 Round 1 and early admissions deadlines, many are posting to Clear Admit’s ApplyWire, a forum for feedback on your final choice of schools and approach to admissions.  This week, we shine the spotlight on a candidate with a non-profit background (and potential future) applying to Berkeley / Haas, Michigan / Ross, Penn State / Smeal, UCI Merage, UCLA Anderson, UT Austin / McCombs, and Vanderbilt / Owen.  Read on for his profile information and more from our admissions experts. Clear Admit’s resident expert, Alex Brown, kicked off the conversation about coursework, goals, school choice and more: Read more

This edition of MBA Admissions Brief takes us to California, where Assistant Dean of the Full-time MBA Program and Admissions, Pete Johnson, walks us through opportunities and features of the MBA at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Pete Johnson, Assistant Dean, Full-time MBA Program and Admissions, Berkeley Haas School of Business Johnson previously served in Berkeley MBA Admissions for 11 years, including as associate director, director of international admissions, and as executive director of MBA Admissions through 2010.  He then headed to Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, followed by acting as the vice president for enrollment & international programs at Dominican University.  He rejoined the Haas staff as assistant dean in 2016. The culture at Berkeley Haas centers around four defining principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence without Attitude, Students Always and Beyond Yourself.  The MBA curriculum emphasizes experiential learning and problem-solving in order to help students become innovative leaders. Read on to learn more about the program and best strategies for admission from the assistant dean. What would you say to someone who’s applying next fall and just getting started in the MBA application process now? Signing up for boot camp is a good idea. It’s an eight-step process put together by the admissions committee to help make applying to business school, whether that’s Haas or elsewhere, a little less intimidating. The boot camp includes checklists, it includes questionnaires to help people think about their personal brand, and includes thought questions to do candidates’ own self-reflection. Allowing candidates to think about why they want an MBA and what are the criteria that are most important to them as they consider business school. We have a template that candidates can provide to their recommenders to help them talk through how they might reflect on some of those questions as well. Read more

Last week, Fridays from the Frontline featured the first-year experience of recent Booth graduate Monisha Shivakumar.  Now, we continue along the rest of her business school path, from a summer internship through graduation. The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Booth Experience Blog. Read more

If you’re looking for professional development opportunities and ways to make an impact, serving on a nonprofit board might be the perfect outlet. At least that’s what many Columbia Business School students are discovering. The latest trend at CBS is joining a junior board of directors for nonprofit governance. Read more

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

Each week, we collect all the MBA news that’s fit to print and provide a quick overview of the latest updates from top business schools around the world. Here’s your MBA News You Need digest for the week of July 15, 2019. London Business School Announces New Full-Time MBA Scholarships Basant Kumar Birla, eponym of the BK Birla Scholars Program Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group chairman and London Business School alumnus, has gifted his alma mater with a £15 million endowment, the largest endowed scholarship gift to a European business school. The program recognizes high-achieving MBAs who demonstrate leadership potential and honors the legacy of celebrated industrialist, philanthropist, and pioneer Basant Kumar (BK) Birla (1921–2019), who viewed higher education as a fundamental right for everyone.  The eponymous BK Birla Scholars Program will fund 10 full scholarships for five full-time MBA students from India and five from the rest of the world.  To be eligible, students must rank in the top five percent of the class, beginning with the cohort starting in the Fall of 2019. “It is an incredible gift to be able to honor B.K. Birla’s memory with this prestigious scholars program,” said François Ortalo-Magné, Dean of LBS. Read more

For this installment in our ongoing series, MBA Admissions Brief, we turn to the admissions office of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.  Luke Anthony Peña has been the Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid there for a few years now, but still vividly remembers the highs and lows of applying to business school 10 years ago. He cares deeply about reducing stress and anxiety for business school applicants, and regularly provides updates for applicants on the Tuck360 blog as part of his teams’ commitment to transparency and accessibility.  Read on for his insights into the Tuck admissions process and how you can best prepare to apply. Luke Peña, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Tuck School of Business What would you say to someone who’s applying next fall and just getting started in the MBA application process now? First and foremost, congratulations!  You’ve taken the important first steps towards a life-changing experience that can accelerate your career and transform you as a leader.  Second, take a deep breath, envision your path ahead, and build a thoughtful application plan.  The application process can feel daunting and overwhelming—I vividly remember what it’s like to apply—and your physical, mental, and emotional self-care will be essential for success.  Finally, assemble your support squad.  While my colleagues and I want to significantly reduce your stress and anxiety, I acknowledge applying still requires real effort, and you’ll feel more empowered for success when you can rely on a team of advisors, accountability partners, and cheerleaders. What’s the one thing MBA candidates should know about selecting a recommender? Know that a good reference letter takes time to write!  The reference letters are immensely valuable, as they complement your application and essays with the insights of others.  With this in mind, select references who have the knowledge, desire, and time to advocate on your behalf.  The last of these is essential; even if your reference knows your work well and strongly supports your application, we see this only when your reference invests the necessary time and effort to highlight your qualifications.  Plan ahead, give your references advance notice, and check in with them along the way. Read more