Fridays from the Frontline

Hello and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's weekly blog posting focused on the ups and downs of the b-school blogging world. While last week was rather quiet on the applicant front and far more busy as far as student postings, this week saw a resurgence of applicants checking in to share their campus visits or their preparations for transitioning to student status. On the heels of our recent BoB nominees announcement, we're glad to see a few of our nominees in the mix. HammO expanded on his last post, which focused on financing the MBA. Sassafrass thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with future classmates and getting even more of a sense of what it means to be a Yale SOM student during a weekend visit to New Haven. The Poetic Quant outlined his plans to address concerns the adcom might have about his undergraduate GPA, which included enrolling in summer courses. Unclearadmit discussed the possibility of his MBA being sponsored, had his last day at work, improved his golf swing, and praised the Tuck approach to international loans. PPandey visited the HBS campus and sat in on a class, praised the student who led his campus tour, and valued certain insights he gained from attending an information session. Read more

Hello and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's weekly dive into the highs and lows of the b-school applicant and student experience. With Round 3 deadlines in our rear view mirrors, the applicant blogger community was rather quiet while current students had more to day about everything from exciting trips to the financial realities of b-school. HammO delved deep into the question of financing an MBA, which involved a fair amount of research and copious tabs on an Excel spreadsheet. Tuck '14 The Senator was the first to admit that he'd been a bit MIA as far as his blog was concerned, but made up for it by sharing the experience of applying for a fellowship at his summer internship employer while also commenting on  delays at the airport and the weight of taking on too many leadership positions on campus. MBA Manchester '14  happily announced that he secured a summer internship at Google's London and Manchester locations. LBS '14 Gayathrisai compared the weather of her hometown - Chennai - with London meteorology, with one prevailing lesson: check the weather hourly. Read more

Welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's ongoing chronicle of the b-school blogosphere, from those just starting their application process on through second year students enjoying their last months or weeks of school. This week the applicants were a relatively quiet bunch while first and second year students had more to report and reflect upon as the days left of their school year began to dwindle.  HammO visited Ross campus and enjoyed walking around campus, getting a sense of the student body and sitting in on a class. Sanket once again turned his attentions to studying for the GMAT and was loving it. Chicago Booth '14 Cheetarah took on a number of common assumptions about the program that she thought were more like myths, including the kind of community vibe the school provides, as well as where the majority of students lived. McCombs '14 Curtis returned from a week-long trip to Southeast Asia and described some of the career management tools available to students at the Dallas/Fort Worth campus. INSEAD '13D learned valuable lessons about how to juggle responsibilities and commitments as her second period at INSEAD drew to a close. McCombs '14 Shelby asked her friends for possible topics for her blog post, but decided that recounting the looming departure of the second years was too sad, choosing instead to elaborate on other more upbeat events and activities. Read more

Hello and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's weekly blog post that follows the frenzied lives of MBA applicants and student bloggers. This week newly admitted students and those targeting the 2013-2014 cycle elaborated on school choice and studied for the GMAT. Many current students wrote on the topics of travel and recruiting. MBA Over 30 got a taste of the Wharton community's sense of humor when he was "roasted" for declaring the CBS Follies performance funnier than Wharton's own event by current Wharton students. Sassafrass thought it might be worthwhile to reiterate his reasons for choosing to pursue an MBA given his non-profit background.  HammO continued to discuss additional schools he plans on targeting for the 2013-2014 application season. The Poetic Quant took advantage of free software and practice tests to begin his GMAT prep, which resulted in a base GMAT of 640 but confidence that with additional study that score would increase. Read more

Welcome to Fridays From The Frontlines, Clear Admit's weekly blog feature focused on the b-school applicant and student experience. With the majority of this year's application deadlines behind us, a few new bloggers joined the applicant ranks targeting the 2013-2014 cycle while students continued to check in on their progress through the change from winter to spring. Poetic Quant explained why he was glad he waited a year to start his application process and officially revealed his list of schools. HammO also elaborated on his list of business schools and the reasoning behind his choices. Sassafrass pondered whether having a work history that included both 'big name' and 'no name' nonprofits may have helped or hindered his application at different schools.  Future Anderson '15 Dwight discussed how public transportation could work to the advantage of Anderson students while acknowledging that LA traffic can truly be awful. INSEAD '13 Patrick explained how attending INSEAD opened his eyes to all the different ways the school's diverse student body would further prepare him for a range of cultural business contexts in the future. Said '14 Srinivas reflected on being halfway through his degree program and outlined the top five experiences that marked his first six months on campus. Read more

Hello and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit's weekly blog feature that peeks into the world of the b-school applicant and student. This week applicants were sharing their thoughts on how to determine a school list or blog handle while many students provided photographic evidence of international journeys. HammO explained how he expanded and then pared down his list of schools from an initial four to a high of twelve before settling on a list of six. Sassafrass, safely accepted, turned his attentions to the topic of marriage equality in the U.S. Poetic Quant introduced himself and explained the origins of his choice of name as well as his b-school aspirations. After a significant absence Pyrapopat checked in to explain that after receiving a Kellogg acceptance he also was given the opportunity to grow at work ... but after having spent another year in the workforce he revealed his intention to attend  Kellogg next fall. Read more