The Leading Independent
Resource for Top-tier MBA
Candidates

Real Humans of MBA Students

Published: November 23, 2020
Real Humans of UVA Darden’s MBA Class of 2022
Meet some of the newest members of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. 404 candidates decided to matriculate at the Charlottesville, VA, b-school and that number includes the MBA program’s first January cohort as well. Twenty-four percent of new students are international and represent 35 countries. Women comprise 39 percent of Darden’s MBA Class of 2022 and 15 percent identify as domestic minorities. Darden MBAs joined at an average age of 27 with an average of five years of work experience. Read more
Published: November 17, 2020
Real Humans of the Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2022
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to New York City, where we find eager and diverse MBA students flocking to Columbia Business School. Columbia Business School offers two intakes, one in August and one in January. For the Class of 2022, 211 joined in January and 571 matriculated in August, bringing the total class size to 782 (out of 6,971 applicants). Forty percent of the new class are women and 44 percent are international citizens. Students who are minorities of U.S. origin comprise a third of the class. During Read more
Published: November 16, 2020
Real Humans of Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA Class of 2022
Whether in the Two-Year, One-Year or a dual degree MBA program, new Northwestern Kellogg students cite the culture and community as key factors in choosing the leading business school in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. The Global Hub, home of the Kellogg School of Management. A surge in applications this year (up 54%) led to a larger class size. 559 candidates chose to matriculate for the Two-Year MBA Class of 2022, compared to 474 for the Class of 2021. Forty percent of the new group are female and 26 Read more
Published: November 10, 2020
Real Humans of Chicago Booth’s MBA Class of 2022
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet some of the newest members of the larger and more diverse MBA Class of 2022 at Chicago Booth. Read more
Published: November 9, 2020
Real Humans of the Wharton School’s MBA Class of 2022
Great things happen in Philadelphia, including earning an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, get to know some of the newest members of the leading business school. Read more
Published: November 3, 2020
Real Humans of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA Class of 2022
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to Georgetown McDonough in Washington, D.C. The McDonough MBA boasts an emphasis on global business and a focus on principled leadership, all while supporting the school’s Jesuit heritage and values. As you’ll see in the following pages, these hallmarks are just a few of the reasons new students chose the leading business school for their MBAs. First, let’s meet the new MBA Class of 2022 at Georgetown University. Out of 1,482 applicants, 247 chose to enroll in the Fall of 2020. Nearly a Read more
Published: November 2, 2020
Real Humans of the Michigan Ross MBA Class of 2022
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we’ll get to know a representative mix of new “Rossers” and why they chose Michigan Ross for their MBAs. The Ross MBA Class of 2022 is comprised of 358 students, of which 43 percent are women and 18 percent are international. Thirty-six percent identify as U.S. students of color. During their undergraduate years, 42 percent of the new class had majored in business. Thirty-five percent had pursued STEM studies and just shy of a quarter earned degrees in the humanities. The average GPA for Read more
Published: October 27, 2020
Real Humans of Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class of 2022
Each of the new students profiled in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students says they were drawn to the community at the Tuck School of Business of Dartmouth College. For a few years now, Tuck’s admissions team has been assessing candidates based on the four attributes of smart, nice, accomplished, and aware, and their efforts clearly culminated in a community reflecting those qualities. The remote setting of the Upper Valley and small class size certainly support deeper and richer relationships, too. The Tuck Class of 2022 is comprised of 289 students. Read more
Published: October 26, 2020
Real Humans of NYU Stern’s MBA Class of 2022
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet some of the newest members of the NYU Stern School of Business Class of 2022. Of the 317 members of the NYU Stern Class of 2022, 43 percent are women, which represents a six percent increase from last year and a tie with the highest representation ever. Thirty-two percent have international citizenship; this includes foreign nationals, dual citizens and U.S. permanent residents. Altogether, the class represents 30 different countries. Thirty-two percent of the new class identify as minorities and 12 percent as Read more
Published: October 20, 2020
Real Humans of the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Class of 2022
We head to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, featuring some new members of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The new Kenan-Flagler Class of 2022 numbers 344 MBA students, who accumulated an average of 4.5 years of work experience before joining the program. During their undergraduate years, the group averaged a 3.4 GPA. When it came time to take the GMAT, the class averaged a score of 694, with the middle 80 percent range landing between 660 and 720. Thirty-one percent of the MBA class at Read more
Published: October 19, 2020
Real Humans of USC Marshall MBA Class of 2022
In this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we introduce a handful of new members of USC Marshall’s Trojan network. Based in Southern California, USC Marshall was the first AACSB-accredited business school of the area and boasts deep connections to Los Angeles and the greater SoCal regional community. 217 students matriculated for the Class of 2022. They averaged 28 years of age and 5 years of work experience. Nearly a quarter of the new class earned pre-MBA professional work experience in financial services. Technology was the next most popular industry source at Read more
Published: October 13, 2020
Real Humans of Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA Class of 2022
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to Pittsburgh, PA, and the pioneer of management science, Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Tepper boasts access to world-class researchers, including a legacy of 9 Nobel Laureates. Their commitment to community can be seen in the energetic hub that is the Tepper Quad, and the strength of analytics and data-driven decision making in their curriculum led to their STEM designation. Tepper welcomed 141 students to their full-time MBA Class of 2022. A quarter of the new crew are women Read more
Published: October 12, 2020
Real Humans of Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class of 2022
292 students comprise the Two-Year MBA Class of 2022 at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management of Cornell University. This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students highlights some of their passions, common values and lessons from admissions. But first, let’s take a closer look at the new crop of students. Altogether, the Class of 2022 at Johnson averages an age of 28 and five years of pre-MBA work experience. Ten percent of the Johnson Class of 2022 have a background in the military. Financial services had been the most popular Read more
Published: October 6, 2020
Real Humans of Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2022
Six new members of Duke Fuqua’s MBA Class of 2022 share insights into their admissions journeys and future plans in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke’s Fuqua School of Business is noted for its strong healthcare education, and the emphasis it places on teamwork among its MBA students. Altogether, the Daytime MBA Class of 2022 at Fuqua is comprised of 408 students. Nearly half—46 percent—are women and 38 percent are international citizens. Thirty-eight percent identify as a minority and 23 percent are underrepresented minority students.  Read more
Published: October 5, 2020
Real Humans of Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2022
The Harvard MBA Class of 2022 may be smaller than usual, but the 732 students still pack a punch when it comes to their experience, aspirations and more. We are excited to kick off our Real Humans: MBA Students series this year with insights and advice from the new HBS candidates. HBS received 9,304 applications in the 2019-2020 admissions season. The school usually aims for a class size of around 930, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, accepted applicants were given the option to defer admission. 732 ultimately Read more
Published: March 4, 2020
Episode 87: Real Humans of MBA Students – Stanford GSB
Whether from the admissions office, in front of an application, in a classroom or on the other side of graduation, we strive to bring you different perspectives of all things MBA. In that vein, you may be familiar with our series of Real Humans articles, featuring admissions committee members, MBA students and MBA alumni, and now we are delivering this kind of content through our podcast. We begin with a Real Humans: MBA Students episode that takes us to Palo Alto and the Stanford Read more
Published: January 1, 2020
Real Humans of UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2021
We are pleased to continue our Real Humans: MBA Students series with a trip to L.A., which is home to the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Their new Class of 2021 is a diverse cohort of students, including 34 percent women, 33 percent international students, and 29 percent ethnic minorities of the 360-student class. During their undergraduate years, 26 percent of the latest class had studied business.  Engineering was the second most popular major, claiming 22 percent of students.  Seventeen percent had majored in economics with another 13 percent pursuing humanities.  Ten Read more
Published: December 16, 2019
Real Humans of Texas McCombs’ MBA Class of 2021
We are excited to bring you another edition of Real Humans: MBA students in which we introduce some of the newest members of the Texas MBA Class of 2021.  The West End of Austin, Texas, earned its nickname the “Silicon Hills” during the US dot com boom of the 1990s and has since grown to house some of the country’s largest and fastest-growing names in the tech sector. University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business has been both a contributor to and beneficiary of the city’s economic evolution, boasting several Read more
Published: December 11, 2019
Real Humans of USC Marshall’s MBA Class of 2021
We head to sunny California for our latest profiles in Real Humans: MBA Students. The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business boasts both the oldest entrepreneurship program in the U.S. and the first immersive international MBA experience of its kind. They were also the first top-tier MBA program to reach gender parity. Moreover, the USC Trojan brand is a powerful professional asset to both its current students and alumni, making USC Marshall a stand-out choice for MBA education. The 214 members of Read more
Published: December 9, 2019
Real Humans of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA Class of 2021
In our latest edition of Real Humans: MBA Students, we get to know students pursuing their business management studies at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.  This leading school attracts students who wish to immerse themselves in the highly connected and influential environment of Washington, DC, as well as a culture of ethical and principled leadership. 271 candidates chose to enroll in the Class of 2021 at McDonough.  Twenty-nine percent of the new students are international, and the same percentage are women.  Meanwhile, U.S. minorities represent 37 percent of the class.  During Read more
Published: December 4, 2019
Real Humans of SMU Cox’s MBA Class of 2021
It’s time to meet another cohort in our series, Real Humans: MBA Students, and this time we’re heading south to Texas. There, Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business is known for its tight-knit community and world-class faculty. Located in the dynamic business hub of Dallas, Texas, SMU Cox draws students from a variety of backgrounds seeking personalized attention as part of their MBA experience. The 115 members of the Class of 2021 arrived on campus with an average of 4.5 years of work experience.  Thirty-four percent of the new students are Read more
Published: December 2, 2019
Real Humans of Yale School of Management’s MBA Class of 2021
We continue to meet new MBA candidates in our series, Real Humans: MBA Students.  This week, we get to know a group of new students who have chosen to pursue their business management education in New Haven, Connecticut, at the Yale School of Management.  For Yale SOM, their mission is to educate leaders in business and society, and strategically position graduates to maximize their academic and professional development. Yale’s faculty collaborate to advance knowledge through a number of centers and area specific initiatives. Research centers include Center for Customer Insights, International Center Read more
Published: December 1, 2019
Real Humans of Stanford GSB’s MSx Class of 2020
The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) is the cream of the crop of elite business school programs worldwide and is considered go-to institution for building “an entrepreneurial mindset, a spirit of innovation, and effective personal leadership skills.” While you may have already seen our Real Humans of the Stanford GSB MBA Class of 2021, we also wanted to introduce you to members of their MSx program, a full-time, one-year degree tailored to experienced mid-career professionals seeking an accelerated MBA. As MSx candidates come to Stanford GSB mid-career, Read more
Published: November 25, 2019
Real Humans of MIT Sloan’s MBA Class of 2021
We continue with our Real Humans: MBA Students series in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Established in 1914, MIT’s Sloan School of Management MBA program emphasizes innovation through a combination of lectures, team projects, and hands-on Action Learning Labs. Sloan’s mission is to develop principled, innovative leaders, who improve the world and generate ideas that advance management practices. Students, for the most part, get to tailor their education toward this goal. Sloan prescribes only a semester of core courses—unlike most programs, which require a full year—followed by the freedom Read more
Published: November 20, 2019
Real Humans of Carnegie Mellon Tepper’s MBA Class of 2021
This edition of Real Humans: MBA Students takes us to the pioneer of management science, Carnegie Mellon University’s  Tepper School of Business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1, Tepper boasts personal access to world-class researchers—including a legacy of 9 Nobel Laureates.  Their commitment to community can be seen in the energetic hub that is the Tepper Quad, and the strength of analytics and data-driven decision making in their curriculum led to their recent STEM designation. Tepper welcomed Read more

MBA Applywire

9
November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET
Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship
GRE: 333
GPA: 2.56
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: Lagos
Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.
11
November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey
GRE: 319
GPA: 2.9
Years of Work Experience: 7
Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship
10
November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET
Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden
Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard
GPA: 3.80
Years of Work Experience: 7
Location: San Diego
Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte
Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).
7
November 18, 2024 12:50am ET
Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting
Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase
GRE: 323
GPA: 3.32
Years of Work Experience: 7
Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?
10
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
View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

November 21, 2024 4:51am ET
Waitlisted at NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via portal on November 19, 2024
GPA: 3.54
GRE: 331
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Nicaragua
Note:

Waitlisted without interview. How can I flip this in my favour?
November 21, 2024 3:13am ET
Accepted to Washington U. / Olin
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 20, 2024
GPA: 3.81
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Los Angeles
Note:

100K scholarship!
November 20, 2024 11:49pm ET
Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 20, 2024
GMAT: 645
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Note:

Consortium
November 20, 2024 9:20pm ET
Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck
Round: Round 1
Received via portal on September 04, 2024
GPA: 3.74
GRE: 311
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Tampa, FL
Note:

Applied early enough to guarantee interview.
November 20, 2024 9:19pm ET
Interview Invite to U. Washington / Foster
Round: Round 1
Received via email on October 31, 2024
GPA: 3.74
GRE: 313
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: Tampa, FL
View or Submit Entries
Live
Wire