School Q&A

Published: July 9, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: INSEAD’s Virginie Fougea

We were delighted at last month’s Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) annual conference in San Francisco to catch up with admissions directors from top business schools from around the globe. Among them was Virginie Fougea, INSEAD director of MBA recruitment and admissions, who we hope racked up plenty of frequent flier miles in exchange for her journey from Fontainebleau, France, to Northern California. Though Fougea is somewhat new to leading admissions at INSEAD—she was promoted from associate director of admissions in October 2016—she is not at all new to the school. “I have been with INSEAD for Read more

Published: July 5, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: Simon School of Business’ Rebekah Lewin

Last week we got to know a little about the person heading admissions at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business when our Real Humans of MBA Series spotlighted Rebekah Lewin. Today we’ll delve deeper into just how the admissions process unfolds at the school. As we shared last week, if anyone knows the Simon admissions process inside and out, it’s Lewin. Not only has she worked at the school for almost 20 years, including in the lead role as assistant dean of admissions and financial aid for the past two, she also applied Read more

Published: July 2, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: UCLA Anderson’s Alex Lawrence

An alumnus of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Alex Lawrence knows the school and its admissions process inside and out. He’s served as assistant dean and director of MBA admissions for the past five years. Before that he spent eight years as executive director of Anderson’s Riordan Programs, a series of opportunities for diverse individuals from all over the country to receive leadership and management training through mentorship, workshops, and community service. Lawrence himself is also a Riordan alumnus. After graduating from Anderson with his MBA in 1999, he spent four years working as a management consultant Read more

Published: June 25, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Rebekah Lewin of the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School

It’s early summer, which means that admissions directors have emerged from reading applications for a brief window of time before hitting the road to recruit the next batch of candidates. And that’s afforded those of us here at Clear Admit the opportunity to connect with many of them and reprise our Real Humans of MBA Admissions series. Today, we’re pleased to feature Rebekah Lewin, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. Lewin—pictured above with her son, Ryan—has spent her entire career in higher education and has been at the University of Read more

Published: June 21, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: Alex Lawrence of the UCLA Anderson School of Management

Alex Lawrence, an alumnus of the UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA ’99), took the helm as the school’s assistant dean of MBA admissions and financial aid in August 2012. Read more

Published: June 20, 2017

Interview with the Dean: SMU Cox School of Business

Since 1997, Albert W. Niemi, Jr. has served as the dean of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU Cox) in Dallas. He is also currently the Cox School’s Tolleson Chair in Business Leadership, as well as the William J. O’Neil Chair in Global Markets and Freedom. During his tenure, the Cox School has undergone many changes. He has helped to expand the degree offerings at the business school—expanding the school’s offerings to include four specialized master’s programs as well as multiple interdisciplinary program opportunities and a new Fast-Track MBA—and has also grown the school’s endowment from $78 million to more than $200 million. This past August, Niemi announced his intention to step down as dean after serving the Cox School for more than 20 years. He will continue to remain in his faculty position but will pass on his administrative responsibilities to Matthew B. Myers, a global marketing and strategy expert with expertise in Latin America who currently serves as dean of the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, Ohio. To mark the occasion, we took the opportunity to interview Niemi about his tenure as dean and to gain his insight into what the future of the Cox School could look like. Read more

Published: June 18, 2017

One-on-One with New Georgetown McDonough Dean Paul Almeida

On August 1st, the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business will welcome a new dean, Paul Almeida. Almeida is the current deputy dean of executive education and innovation, as well as a professor of strategy and international studies. When he takes his place as dean, Almeida will also become the William R. Berkley Chair. In a press release, Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia spoke about the appointment: “Throughout his tenure at Georgetown, Paul has exemplified a commitment to principled leadership, instilling a global mindset focused on service to others into each program and project he oversees. I am deeply grateful for his willingness to serve our entire university community as dean of the McDonough School of Business." Read more

Published: April 19, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: Carlson School of Management’s Linh Gilles

Last month as part of our Real Humans of MBA Admissions Series, we introduced the Clear Admit audience to Linh Gilles, director of admissions and recruiting at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Today, we’re pleased to shed even more light on the admissions process she oversees with a more in-depth interview as part of our Admissions Director Q&A Series. Gilles has been in admissions at Carlson for the past decade and in the director’s role since 2012. And by virtue of also being a current student in the full-time executive MBA (EMBA) program, she knows the school Read more

Published: April 4, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: Cristina Sassot of Barcelona’s ESADE

Last week, we learned a little about Cristina Sassot the person as part of our Real Humans of MBA Admissions Series. Among other things, she tries to steer clear of caffeine, has been known to say she’d be in more than one place at the same time, and is a big fan of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, both the books and the screen adaptations. This week, we’re asking Sassot—who leads admissions at Barcelona’s ESADE Business School—to reveal a little more about the inner workings of her office and the admissions process at the school. And she’s Read more

Published: March 30, 2017

Getting to Know the New Head of Admissions at Stanford GSB

As we reported here last week, the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has concluded a seven-month search for its new assistant dean of MBA admissions and financial aid. Stepping into the big shoes left by Derrick Bolton—who led Stanford’s admission team for the past 15 years and is credited with helping the business school establish itself as one of the very best in the world—will be a woman many believe ideally suited to the challenge. In accepting the role, Kirsten Moss becomes the only person to ever lead admissions at both Stanford and its chief Read more

Published: March 28, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: ESADE’s Cristina Sassot

Cristina Sassot joined the admissions team at Barcelona’s ESADE Business School in October 2008, soon after she earned her own MBA there. In 2010 she was promoted to director of admissions and has held the role ever since, helping craft the classes for the school’s 12-, 15- and 18-month full-time MBA programs. ESADE, meanwhile, has been climbing the ranks itself. The Financial Times ranked it the 17th best MBA program in the world this year and second best in the world for career progress. The Economist, for its part, ranked it third best in Europe for salary increase. We’ll feature an in-depth interview with Sassot in the coming weeks about the school’s admissions process, but today we are happy to share a little bit more about the person who leads that process as part of our Real Humans of MBA Admissions Series. Our thanks to Sassot, and ESADE, for taking part in both. Read more

Published: March 22, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Carlson School of Management’s Linh Gilles

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of getting to know Linh Gilles, director of admissions and recruiting at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She’s been in admissions at Carlson for the past decade and in the director’s role since 2012, but she also knows the school from the student’s perspective. That’s because she is currently enrolled in the full-time executive MBA (EMBA) program herself—all while working full time and raising two kids. “I suppose at some point working for an MBA program for 10 years, you do just drink the Kool-Aid,” she says with a laugh. But Read more

Published: February 16, 2017

When Will Those MIT Sloan R2 Interview Invites Roll Out?

In a post to her Admissions Blog yesterday, MIT Sloan School of Management Director of MBA and Master of Finance Admissions Dawna Levenson provided lots of valuable information for MIT Sloan applicants anxiously awaiting Round 2 interview invitations. Dawna Levenson, MIT Sloan director of MBA and Master of finance admissions As at many leading business schools, an interview is a required step toward admission at MIT Sloan. “The goal of the interview is to personally get to know you better and to hear more about your professional stories and background,” Levenson writes. MIT Sloan R2 interview Read more

Published: February 13, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: OSU Fisher’s Alison Merzel

Last week we shared the lighter side of Alison Merzel in our Real Humans of MBA Admissions series. This week, we’ve asked her some more serious questions about the admissions process at the Ohio State University (OSU) Fisher College of Business. Merzel is senior director of graduate recruiting, admissions and financial aid at Fisher, a role she’s held for the past year and a half. But she’s been at Fisher for much longer than that—starting as a student herself. Soon after graduating with her master’s degree in labor and human resources from Fisher, she joined the admissions team Read more

Published: February 8, 2017

Where McCombs MBAs Are Snagging Jobs

Many students pursue an MBA with one goal—to improve their career opportunities. Whether you’re leveraging an MBA to transition into a different industry or to move up within your current company, it’s important to get a return on your academic (and financial) investment. So, how do you know if a particular MBA program is going to advance your progress toward your career goals? Reviewing a school’s MBA employment report is one of the best ways to assess a school’s potential to get you where you want to go. Every year, MBA programs carefully track where their graduates head after earning their MBAs. These stats, which include salary details, top hiring firms and popular industries and job functions, provide a detailed overview of the job outcomes of their most recent MBA graduates. If reviewed carefully, these reports can give you a good sense of how well a particular MBA program will be in helping you land your dream job. Read more

Published: February 5, 2017

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Alison Merzel of OSU’s Fisher College of Business

Returning to our popular series after a brief hiatus, we are pleased today to share a little about the real human who helps lead MBA admissions at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. Alison Merzel is senior director of graduate recruiting, admissions and financial aid at Fisher, a role she’s held for the past year and a half. But she’s been at Fisher for much longer than that—starting as a student herself. Soon after graduating with her master’s degree in labor and human resources from Fisher, she joined the admissions team as assistant director of MBA Read more

Published: January 25, 2017

If at First You Don’t Succeed…You May End Up Stronger for It, Says Columbia Professor

Who knew there was an “intelligent way of failing”? According to Columbia Business School Professor Rita McGrath, there is indeed—and put into practice it can actually make organizations stronger. McGrath, a leading expert on strategy and disruption, outlined four key principles to intelligent failure in a recent video on the CBS website. In short, she offers this advice: “Stop worrying about the rate of failure—fail fast, fail cheap, move on.” According to McGrath, the four keys to failing intelligently begin with knowing what success should look like. “You would be amazed at Read more

Published: January 25, 2017

Inside the Revamped Ross Admissions Process

As you navigate the MBA application process, do you ever feel like the websites, brochures and talking points for top MBA programs have blended together? Indeed, it has become more important than ever for schools to rely on innovative ways to differentiate themselves. At the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, the carefully curated process of admissions is ever evolving. Director of Admissions Soojin Kwon is known for putting a particularly personal fingerprint on the process, posting videos and written messages to a behind-the-scenes blog throughout the year. Read more

Published: December 20, 2016

Accepted to Wharton? Don’t Miss this Message from Maryellen Reilly

Maryellen Reilly, deputy vice dean for MBA admissions, financial aid and career management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, took to her blog recently to give her team’s perspective on Wharton’s release of Round 1 decisions on December 15th. Maryellen Reilly, Wharton deputy vice dean of MBA admissions, financial aid and career services “Yesterday, we got to do our favorite part of the job—making the phone calls to let prospective students know they’ve been admitted,” she wrote in her December 16th post. “It’s a blast. The joy and excitement we heard on the other end of the line when sharing this news was exhilarating and infectious.” Read more

Published: December 19, 2016

Tech Hires Jump at Kellogg, 2016 MBA Employment Report Reveals

‘Tis the season for MBA employment reports, and one of the latest schools to share details about how its most recent class of graduates fared in their quest for jobs is Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Released in its entirety last week, the report shows a surge of graduates heading off toward technology firms—22 percent of the class, up from 15 percent last year. “I do think the tech story jumps out,” says Liza Kirkpatrick, director of career management for the full-time MBA program. “But we really are very proud of this year’s employment outcomes overall.” She went on to cite the fact that 96 percent of students received an offer within three months of graduation, up slightly from 95 percent the year before. The median base salary was $125,000, up $2,000 from the year before. Read more

Published: December 19, 2016

Admissions Director Q&A: Vanderbilt Owen’s Christie St-John

Following up on our recent Real Humans of MBA Admissions piece with Christie St-John of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, we are delighted this week to feature a more in-depth interview with her about the admissions process she oversees. St-John describes her career as “zig-zaggy,” referring to the fact that she started at Vanderbilt back in 1997 before zigging to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in New Hampshire for nine years and then zagging back to Owen, where she’s been at the helm since 2012. (As she shares below, she is not actually following Read more

Published: December 4, 2016

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Christie St-John of Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business

We were delighted to connect last week with Christie St-John, who heads MBA admissions at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. St-John describes her career as “zig-zaggy,” referring to the fact that she started at Vanderbilt back in 1997 before zigging to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business for nine years and then zagging back to Nashville and to Owen, where she’s been at the helm since 2012. As you’ll see below, her time up north impacted her preference for mountains over beach but did nothing to diminish her love of true southern fried chicken. A more in-depth Admissions Director Q&A with St-John will soon follow, but for now, enjoy getting to know her lighter side. (A big hockey fan, she's pictured above at a Nashville Predators game.) Read more

Published: November 20, 2016

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: UC Berkeley Haas’s Morgan Bernstein

Morgan Bernstein is currently in her first year as executive director leading the full-time MBA admission team at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, having taken over last March for Stephanie Fujii, who held the role for four years before that. “I’m excited about growing my team, learning, figuring out what I know and what I don’t know,” she told us last week while taking a break from reading applications. “Stephanie left some big shoes to fill.” But Bernstein is by no means a stranger to the school or its admissions process. Indeed, she was part of the admissions team for five years before stepping into her current role, and she knows things from the other side as well. A successful applicant herself, she graduated from Haas with her MBA in 2009 (and married a fellow alumnus to boot). Read more

Published: November 13, 2016

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: UC Berkeley Haas’s Peter Johnson

We are looking forward to connecting soon with Morgan Bernstein, current admissions director at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. In the meantime, we’re delighted to have caught up with Peter Johnson, who formerly held Bernstein’s role and has recently returned to Haas as assistant dean, full-time MBA program and admissions. In his current role, he oversees Bernstein and her team in admissions as well as academic and student affairs for the full-time MBA program. Johnson has spent his entire professional career in admissions—including an eleven-year stretch as executive director of full-time MBA admissions at Haas. He’s just returned after six years away, including four in Hungary leading student services for the Central European University. Members of both the Haas community and the graduate management admissions community are thrilled to welcome him back. Read more

Published: November 6, 2016

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Columbia Business School’s Michael Robinson

After a brief hiatus we are delighted to resume our Real Humans of MBA Admissions series this week with an interview with Michael Robinson, director of MBA admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS). A 2001 CBS alumus himself, Robinson returned to work in admissions at the school in 2002, after a brief stint in business development at Panasonic. He’s been at CBS ever since and was promoted to director of MBA admissions in July 2016. In this role, he both serves as part of the admission committee and manages strategic relationships with key corporate and nonprofit partners that will drive Read more

MBA Applywire

December 17, 2024 6:19am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Registered Nurse

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

GRE: 326

GPA: 3.5

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: Colorado

Post MBA Location: Chicago/NYC

Notes:

25F, lgbtq
Education: Bachelor's degree in Nursing (GPA: 3.5) from a top 2 nursing school
Work Experience: 3 years as a high-risk OB Registered Nurse at a major hospital, with leadership roles in various healthcare initiatives and patient care management.
Additional Experience: Currently working as a GP
Operations Specialist at an early-stage healthcare/tech-focused venture capital firm, where I optimize operational processes and support investment decisions in the healthcare sector.
I understand my background is somewhat non-traditional for an MBA program and that my stats are about average for these schools, but I believe my experience in healthcare and VC provides a unique perspective and skill set. Which M7 or T15 schools do you think I should realistically target, especially those known for strong consulting programs? With my stats and experience do I realistically have a shot at admission to a top program? I have a particular interest in Kellogg and Booth, as I'm planning on pursuing a career in healthcare consulting.
Additionally, I would love any guidance on how to present myself as a competitive candidate and effectively showcase my strengths and experiences in healthcart and venture capital. Thank you for your help!

December 17, 2024 12:03am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Worked in Tech vertical at Barclays

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan , Merrill Lynch , Morgan Stanley

GRE: 335

GPA: 3.2

Years of Work Experience: 2.5

Location: India

Notes:

With an experience of 2.5 years and a promotion to mid-managerial level as a data analyst, I look forward to MBA for a broader global exposure and be in the decision making position to see how my work brings a real time impact for the organisation.

December 16, 2024 6:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Georgetown / McDonough, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Risk management security services/operations

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting

GRE: 320

GPA: 3.75

Years of Work Experience: 4

December 15, 2024 6:03pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Finance

Post-MBA Target Industry: Venture Capital

GRE: 325

GPA: 3.2

Years of Work Experience: 4

December 13, 2024 7:23am ET

Applying: Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Private Equity Tax Operations

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity

GRE: 335

GPA: 3.30

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: India

Post MBA Location: New York

Notes:

Undergraduate: US took 6 years to graduate due to health issues. Took 1 gap year, 6 months of co-op in college + covid.

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MBA LiveWire

December 18, 2024 1:57am ET

Accepted to UPenn / Wharton

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

GMAT: 705

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: Taiwan

December 18, 2024 1:51am ET

Waitlisted at Carnegie Mellon / Tepper

Round: Round 1

Received via email on December 04, 2024

GPA: 2.6

GRE: 337

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: Asia

December 18, 2024 1:50am ET

Waitlisted at Michigan / Ross

Round: Round 1

Received via email on December 05, 2024

GPA: 2.6

GRE: 337

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: asia

December 18, 2024 1:48am ET

Rejected at USC / Marshall

Round: Round 1

Received via email on December 14, 2024

GPA: 2.6

GRE: 337

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: asia

December 18, 2024 1:46am ET

Accepted to UCLA Anderson

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 11, 2024

GPA: 2.6

GRE: 337

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: asia

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