Real Humans of MBA Class of 2019

Published: December 16, 2018

Real Humans of Cambridge Judge’s MBA Class of 2019

Cambridge University is an institution steeped in history. Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, Sylvia Plath, and Isaac Newton have walked across its quads and sat in its halls. So it's no wonder that the business school ad com looks for candidates who are "intelligent, curious, and energetic, and keen to contribute to our community, as well as achieve great things for themselves." Before we introduce five students who met the criteria, let's take a closer look at the school and its Class of 2019. Read more

Published: December 13, 2018

Real Humans of Oxford Saïd’s MBA Class of 2019

As HQ for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, Oxford has long held a place in the global imagination as the image of elite British education. While Oxford Saïd Business School is a relatively new addition to the Oxford ranks, it has quickly made a significant contribution to the legacy of the institution in its short 22-year existence. In fact, The Economist currently ranks Oxford Saïd as the UK’s top MBA program. Over the course of the yearlong program, Oxford Saïd MBA students will develop the skills they need to thrive as corporate executives through team projects, workshops, seminars, and lectures. Students acquire and Read more

Published: September 17, 2018

Real Humans of the INSEAD MBA Class of 2019 J

INSEAD has a legitimate claim as the business school of the world. Founded in 1957 outside of Paris, INSEAD today serves students at its three campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, as well as through its alliances with various institutions around the globe. One of INSEAD’s major selling points is its academic rigor. Currently ranked as the second-best MBA program in the world by the Financial Times, INSEAD’s 10-month elite program attracts some of the best students from around to globe and gives them practical experience in multiple business markets. The school has two Read more

Published: May 13, 2018

Real Humans of the Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2019

As first-year MBA students at Columbia Business School (CBS) finish up their finals and head off to their summer internships, we’re excited to feature a handful of the MBA Class of 2019 reflecting on what led them to choose CBS for business school and how their experience so far has met—or exceeded—their expectations. Though still in Uris Hall on the main Columbia University campus, CBS will occupy state-of-the-art facilities as part of the Manhattanville campus currently under construction a little farther uptown within the next few years. But even with its new home still a few years Read more

Published: April 16, 2018

Real Humans of the INSEAD MBA Class of 2018D

We’re moving right along in our Real Humans series focused on current students at leading business schools around the globe. Today, enter INSEAD, under a spotlight. Ranked the number one MBA program in the world by the Financial Times in both 2016 and 2017, the global school with campuses on three continents was knocked to second this year by Stanford, but the many of the qualities that helped it dominate in prior years remain. Compared head to head against other international business schools (outside the United States), Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranked INSEAD tops out Read more

Published: March 6, 2018

Real Humans of the IESE MBA Class of 2019

Our Real Humans of the MBA Class of 2019 series takes us this week to lovely Barcelona, Spain, where students at IESE Business School have just taken part in “Multi-Culti,” one of the most highly anticipated social events of the year. It’s a half-day shindig that lets the school show off its true international spirit through regional dance, dress, and food from the dozens and dozens of countries and regions its students call home. From all the accounts we heard, it lived up to the hype. The school is also basking in its recent third-place rank among business schools in Europe in the Financial Times 2018 Global MBA Ranking, released in January, up from fifth the year before. And just earlier this week, IESE placed second in Europe in the FT’s just-released Top MBAs for Women ranking, and 14th globally. Read more

Published: February 19, 2018

Real Humans of Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2019

With just 172 students in the two-year full-time MBA Class of 2019, intimate is a word that comes up frequently as many at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School describe the MBA experience. In fact, the class size was smaller than usual—down nine students from the year prior. Overall application volume fell, from 1,432 to 1,136, with the bulk of that slippage among international applicants. Of the students in the Goizueta Class of 2019, women make up 30 percent, a six-point gain over the previous year. Associate Dean of MBA Admissions Julie Barefoot credits some of that growth Read more

Published: February 12, 2018

Real Humans of the Fuqua MBA Class of 2019

Last July, when the 439 new members of the MBA Class of 2019 arrived on Duke’s Fuqua School of Business campus, they brought with them impressive academic chops. Average GMAT score for the class was 702, up seven points over the year before. The median score—710—jumped 10 points in the same span. GPAs also rose ever so slightly, .03 of a point to 3.5. But as you’ll see in the profiles of several members of the class, the rising scores certainly don’t seem to signify that Fuqua has swayed at all from seeking out other factors long Read more

Published: January 15, 2018

How to Get into a Top Business School: Admitted Students Share 10 Top Tips

Our ongoing Real Humans of the MBA Class of 2019 series has given us glimpses into tons of current MBA students who set their sights on leading business schools across the nation and the globe—and now call those campuses home. We’ve learned about some of their crazy accomplishments and the mind-blowingly diverse experiences they bring to share with classmates-turned-friends. They’ve also divulged when, why, and how they knew that x school was exactly where they belonged. Each installment in our series has focused in on a single school through the eyes of five or six amazing Read more

Published: January 1, 2018

Real Humans of the Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2019

Set in an international city with strong ties to government, it’s not surprising to find students at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business drawn to both of those aspects. More than a third of the class—34 percent—is international, and far more bring international experience of one sort or another. More than three quarters of the 276 students who make up the full-time MBA Class of 2019 have lived, worked, or studied in another country, and 67 percent speak more than one language. Women are not as well represented this year as they have been in recent years. The Read more

Published: December 18, 2017

Real Humans of the Cornell Johnson MBA Class of 2019

Here are some of the things we know about the MBA Class of 2019 at Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. The 277 students in the class entered with an average GMAT score of 700 and an average GPA of 3.36—identical to the class preceding them. (Median GMAT score jumped 10 points, to 710.) As in prior years, the greatest percentage of students studied business in college, though this figure was just 35 percent—down from 41 percent the year before. Another 28 percent of the class were humanities majors, and 20 percent studied engineering. Read more

Published: December 3, 2017

Real Humans of the Chicago Booth MBA Class of 2019

The 582 students in the Chicago Booth MBA Class of 2019 boast a chart-topping average GMAT score of 730—marking the 15th consecutive year of increases—and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.6. Beyond brainy, this class is also diverse, hailing from 57 different countries. U.S. minorities make up 27 percent of the class (down two percentage points over the year before), international students comprise 36 percent (up two percent), and women account for 40 percent (down two percent). As undergraduates, 27.9 percent of the class studied business, followed closely by economics (24.6 percent). Engineering and physical sciences majors make up a Read more

Published: November 15, 2017

Real Humans of the Kellogg MBA Class of 2019

The official profile for the Class of 2019 at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management reveals some interesting things about the students who, as of late this past summer, have called Evanston, Illinois, home. For starters, they’re a smart bunch. (Surprise.) The average GMAT score for this year’s incoming class was 732—four points higher than last year and the continuation of a multi-year increase that just five years ago had that same metric at 708. In fact, the meteoric rise of Kellogg’s average GMAT score places it second only to Stanford Graduate School of Business. The overall GMAT Read more

Published: October 29, 2017

Real Humans of the Tuck MBA Class of 2019

With its MBA Class of 2019, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business welcomed one of the most academically accomplished groups in its history. The average GMAT score among the 293 incoming students was a record high was 722, up from 717 last year, and the average GPA was 3.51. For the second year running, women make up 44 percent of the class—which places Tuck in a tie for first with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in terms of approaching gender equity. But diversity extends beyond gender at Tuck. Underrepresented minorities comprise 23 percent of the class, and Read more

Published: October 22, 2017

Real Humans of the Yale SOM MBA Class of 2019

They speak roughly 50 different languages between them—from American Sign Language to Yoruba. Not only that, 70 percent of the Yale School of Management (SOM) MBA Class of 2019 speaks two languages, and more than a quarter—27 percent—speaks at least three. As their linguistic abilities might hint, the group heralds from 48 different countries, and 45 percent of the class holds non-U.S. passports. Yale SOM Assistant Dean for Admissions Bruce Delmonico was excited to share with us earlier in the summer that application volume was up 12 percent over last year, with nearly 4,100 eager applicants Read more

Published: October 8, 2017

Real Humans of the Michigan Ross MBA Class of 2019

The 422 students who make up the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business Class of 2019 are a record-setting bunch. For starters, their average GMAT score was 716, an eight-point jump over last year’s, which was itself a record. But they also set records for their diversity. Forty-three percent of the class is female—3 percent more than last year. And 23 percent are underrepresented minorities. This is a 14-year high for the school and a staggering 13 percent increase over last year, though we should note that this figure includes Asian Americans for the first time. International enrollment, too, Read more

Published: October 2, 2017

Real Humans of the MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2019

Moving right along in our Real Humans student series, today we get to meet a handful of students in the MIT Sloan Class of 2019. But first a little about the class as a whole. By the numbers: the incoming class of 404 students boasts an average GMAT score of 722 and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.49. Both represent a tiny backslide from the prior year, when they were 724 and 3.5 respectively. International students make up a third of the class, which is also a decrease from 39 percent in Read more

Published: September 27, 2017

Real Humans of the NYU Stern MBA Class of 2019

New York University’s Stern School of Business got the party started this summer as the first leading business school to share a profile for its incoming Class of 2019. That profile, published in late July, revealed a 4 percent uptick in application volume over the prior year. At the same time, the school admitted significantly fewer students—822 this year as compared to 871 last year—which means that those who got in did so against greater odds. This increased selectivity may have contributed to the rising GMAT scores among those who got the Read more

Published: September 24, 2017

Real Humans of the Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2019

The Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley welcomed its largest ever class—284 students—into a brand-new facility that promises to be one of the greenest academic buildings in the country. Not only is the incoming class larger than any before it, it is also one of the strongest academically, according to Peter Johnson, assistant dean for the full-time MBA program and admissions. Average GMAT scores and GPAs have risen over each of the past three years. The average GMAT score this year was 725—a jump from last year’s 717—and the average GPA Read more

Published: September 20, 2017

Real Humans of the Darden Class of 2019

Every fall, a new class of first-year MBA students steps onto campus at leading business schools around the world. The hard-nosed competition and nail-biting anxiety of getting in is behind them. The adventure of transforming themselves and their careers while benefiting from the best graduate education imaginable is ahead. The schools are proud of the classes they curate and eager to tout what makes them special. At the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, for example, the full-time residential MBA Class of 2019 of 326 students boasts the highest average GMAT Read more

MBA Applywire

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

November 16, 2024 5:16pm ET

Applying: ESADE, IE Business School, IESE

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Pharmaceutical Companies: Apple , Facebook , Google , Microsoft , Oracle , Johnson & Johnson , Novartis , Pfizer , Roche

GMAT: 525

GPA: 2.79

Years of Work Experience: 4

Post MBA Location: Europe

Notes:

Asian, female, USA. Top 10 Undergraduate school in USA, majored in Biomedical Engineering. Worked for Salesforce, Accenture, and Microsoft within sales department. Major accomplishments within sales roles. Strong personal essays. Letters of Recommendations from direct managers. Founder and held multiple leadership positions in school clubs during Undergrad. Just a really bad test taker and cannot seem to get my scores up no matter how many times I take it specifically in the quant section. American trying to stay in Europe post MBA and only applying to European B-schools.

November 15, 2024 9:32am ET

Applying: Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Minnesota / Carlson, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Insurance

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

GMAT: 505

GPA: 3.44

Years of Work Experience: 3

Post MBA Location: Midwest, Northeast

Notes:

GMAT Note:
* The score is an unofficial practice test. I am beginning my studies for the real thing now.

Undergrad Majors:
* Economics
* Business Management

Work Experience Notes:
* Insurance experience is at a family business
* I implemented data analytics into business operations since that was not a practice beforehand.
* I help with sales, customer service, bookkeeping, and marketing.

Extracurriculars & Volunteer Activities:
* Worked as an economics research assistant during my undergrad where I consulted public and private entities
* Was part of an economics research project that won a national award for its work in community economic development
* Published 2 university-sponsored economics articles
* During my senior year, I was appointed to a university faculty committee to help plan university award ceremonies and delegate student scholarships
* Won a leadership award from my university
* Economics honor society member
* President of a student club (1 year) and a club's Senior Advisor (1 year)
* Started and led 2 initiatives that installed free smoke alarms in rural area homes (received a leadership award from the American Red Cross for this)
* Ironman triathlete

November 14, 2024 8:16pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cambridge / Judge, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, emlyon, IESE, Imperial, INSEAD, London Business School, Manchester / AMBS, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Hospitality

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Consumer Goods, Other Companies: Amazon , Apple , Google , Coca Cola , LVMH , Nestle , Nike

GRE: 326

GPA: 3.46

Years of Work Experience: 6

Post MBA Location: Consultancy

November 14, 2024 6:29am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting, Capital Project Development (Renewable Energy/CCS)

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Commercial Banking, Family Business, Entrepreneurship

GMAT: 664

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Pakistani male, looking to get into the financial services industry short term, and long-term make a significant contribution to the family business or pursue entrepreneurship. Studied engineering from UT Austin for undergrad followed by three jobs (roughly 2 years each) and a nine month break in between job 2 and 3. Planning to take the GMAT again in 3 weeks to offset GPA. Goal score is 695. Mitigating circumstances around GPA are just illness and general family/self issues but doubt they will be very convincing.

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MBA LiveWire

November 17, 2024 2:39pm ET

Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 11, 2024

GPA: 3.79

GRE: 321

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Chicago

November 17, 2024 10:14am ET

Interview Invite to Stanford GSB

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 14, 2024

GPA: 3.52

GRE: 322

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Note:

Consortium applicant applied round 1

November 17, 2024 12:58am ET

Rejected at Columbia

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 14, 2024

GPA: 3.49

GMAT: 740

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: India

November 17, 2024 12:46am ET

Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 12, 2024

GPA: 3.49

GMAT: 740

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: India

November 16, 2024 12:19pm ET

Interview Invite to Northwestern / Kellogg

Round: Round 1

Received via email

GRE: 320

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: India

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