Fridays from the Frontline
Keep abreast of the latest happenings in the business school blogosphere! This weekly column summarizes recent posts from MBA student and applicant blogs.
Published: February 14, 2019
Fridays From The Frontline: Park Perspectives: 3 Tips for Maintaining Long-distance Relationships during Business School
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, this week's Fridays from the Frontline highlights advice on relationships during b-school. While candy hearts and teddy bears are sweet signs of love, it takes more than tokens to maintain a long-distance relationship—particularly with the added stress and time consumption of a full-time MBA. Fear not, lovers! Cornell Johnson MBA Taylor Fox ’19 took to the Johnson Experience Blog to offer some tips for prospective b-schoolers on how to make long-distance partnerships work.
The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Johnson Experience Blog.
Read more
Published: February 7, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: UCLA Anderson Student Perspectives
There’s no way to sugarcoat the fact that the first year of any MBA program is overwhelming. Even for the brave souls who can hit the ground running no matter how new or strange the situation, there is the simple transition from a full-time work schedule into a full-time student role—likely for the first time in many moons—to contend with.
Prospective b-schoolers sweating as they imagine their return to student life would do well to take a few notes from UCLA Anderson’s Jessica Cheng before kicking off their first year. Cheng recently took to the school blog to break down a typical day in the life of a first-year MBA student.
The following piece has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the "UCLA Anderson Blog."
Read more
Published: January 31, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: NYU Stern Fashion & Luxury MBA International Immersion in Milan
NYU / Stern has had its finger on the pulse of fashion and luxury for quite some time. The Luxury & Retail Club has been available to Stern MBAs since 2004 and the school launched a Luxury Marketing specialization in 2009. As the industry space keeps evolving while growing, NYU / Stern has met demand with a new one-year Fashion & Luxury MBA program. In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, we hear from a candidate about one of the major components of the program: an international industry immersion.
Read more
Published: January 24, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: Reflections from Round 1 Interviews at Chicago Booth
We here at Clear Admit pride ourselves on the clarity we give prospective b-schoolers on elite MBA programs. But we also know that there’s only so much you can glean about an MBA program from the outside, which is why we often encourage MBA hopefuls to arrange campus visits, talk to current students, and meet with alumni.
Chicago Booth has traditionally recruited second-year MBA students to share their experiences with prospective b-schoolers as part of the Round 1 interview process. Booth Admissions Fellow Monisha Shivakumar recently took to the Booth Experience Blog to share the most interesting questions prospects have asked her during these interviews.
Read more
Published: January 17, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: RE:creation triumph at C4Bi competition
Fridays from the Frontline
Case competitions, those hubs of innovation for student entrepreneurs, are unsung components of the MBA experience. They are opportunities for novices to explore the depths of their imaginations, experiment with new methodologies, and see if their discoveries resonate with a panel of experts. Case competitions are also serious business for MBA programs. Many ideas that were incubated in competitions go on to have lives beyond the incubator.
Current Oxford Saïd Business School student Katherine Abbott took to the Oxford Saïd blog to talk about her experience at the recent C4Bi competition.
Read more
Published: January 10, 2019
Fridays from the Frontline: Microsoft Women in Tech Challenge 2018
Fridays from the Frontline
Last year’s cryptocurrency explosion brought to the forefront a fact that can no longer be negotiated in the business school community: the divide between tech and business has all but been erased. Prospective business school students now demand programs that equip them with the hard skills necessary to deal with cutting-edge biztech issues and firmly embed them in the tech community. So, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect that business schools will adapt their curricula to ensure that MBAs can bridge the gap once they enter the job market.
Cambridge’s Judge Business School recently hosted the Microsoft-sponsored Women in Tech Challenge, which brought together Management, MBA, and math students to address real-world issues. Cambridge’s Maria Zarate reports.
Read more
Published: January 3, 2019
Published: December 27, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: 6 Reflections on My First Year
First-year MBA students often get so wrapped up in the hoopla of class and campus life that they neglect to see the big picture—including the fact that they’re in the frame. There’s been a lot of digital ink spilled on these pages about the assorted networking and internship opportunities embedded in the business school experience, but one aspect that goes overlooked is self-care.
Swati Tiwari MBA '19 took to the Fuqua blog to touch upon these issues and more, sharing six major takeaways from her first year of business school.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Duke Fuqua Blog.
Read more
Published: December 20, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: This Time for Africa: LBS Students in Johannesburg
The week-long Global Business Experience (GBE) is one of London Business School’s major selling points, offering MBA students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the business cultures of Israel, India, China, Peru, Myanmar, South Africa, or Brazil.
According to LBS, GBEs consist of “faculty briefings, guest speakers, site visits, workshops, panels, company visits and opportunities to engage with local LBS alumni in the region.”
The South African GBE is centered around the role that entrepreneurial micro-businesses play in economic growth. LBS students “work with a micro-entrepreneur on a challenge facing their business in an important emerging market. Develop an understanding of the process of growth and transformation, as well as the constraints and opportunities that surround them.”
Current MBA student Amy Dobbin '19 took to the LBS blog to unpack her recent GBE in Johannesburg.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the LBS Student and Admissions Blog.
Read more
Published: December 13, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Olin Alum Roams into Global Scavenger Hunt Success
While working as a Quantitative Associate Analyst at Allstate in the greater Chicago area, Harding was also putting 50 hours per week into a scavenger hunt app.
Let’s Roam co-founder Mike Harding took to the Olin Blog to discuss the origin of his scavenger hunt tour company, which re-imagines “the way people explore and connect, at home and abroad” through custom hunts that foster team-building.
Read more
Published: December 6, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: To Do Or Not To Do: The Intensive Language Program – That Is The Question
One of INSEAD’s major selling points is its language policy, which requires that students speak English fluently and moderately well in a second language. By the time the program wraps, INSEAD MBAs must be able to speak a “third, commercially useful, language at A2 'Basic' level in order to graduate.”
Since languages play such an integral role in an INSEAD education, it may come as no surprise that the school offers intensive language courses in both Spanish and French. Current MBA student Rada Keratirags ‘19J took to the INSEAD MBA Experience blog to review the intensive French course offered by INSEAD training partner FL&C in Fontainebleau.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the INSEAD MBA Experience Blog.
To Do Or Not To Do: The Intensive Language Program – That Is The Question
Rada Keratirags, MBA’19J
A 26-year-old auditor-turned-consultant from Bangkok, Thailand. Travelling has always been my passion, and documenting it—both by photography and keeping a diary—comes naturally to me. And here I'd like to share my INSEAD journey with you.
I believe a lot of people wonder about this. In fact, I owe a 19D a thorough review of the intensive language program.
Read more
Published: November 29, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Top 5 Spots for Chicago Booth Coffee Chats
Peer-to-peer mentorship is an integral part of the MBA experience that often gets overlooked in favor of other kinds of networking. Chicago Booth understands that the connections its students make among peers will serve them well during their MBA stint, their careers, and beyond.
This is why Chicago Booth facilitates “Coffee Chats,” or informal hangs for first-years to pick the brains of second-years about recruiting, internships, and their Booth experiences. Current Booth student Aliy Markowski MBA ’19 offers her personal recommendations for the best coffee spots in Hyde Park that cater especially well to these unique meet-ups.
Read more
Published: November 22, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: A business school internship with the National Park Service?
Internships are arguably the second major step in the MBA process; choosing where to intern has the potential to shape your career just as much as the business school you end up attending.
When it comes to internships, many b-schoolers opt for one of the usual suspects—Fortune 500 corporations, consulting firms, ecommerce giants—but fewer stop to consider the wealth of opportunities in the public sector, particularly organizations that address the relevant intersection between business and environmental issues.
Current UNC / Kenan-Flagler Business School student Bailey Whitaker took to the K-F blog to talk about his experience interning with the National Park Service.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Kenan-Flagler Blog.
Bailey Whitaker (MBA ’19)
Read more
Published: November 15, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Advice from Yale SOM Student Admissions Ambassadors
The b-school application is just as much of an opportunity for adcom members to get an overview of who you are as it is a crash course in “knowing thyself.” Applications ask would-be students to not just tell a story, but to do so within the context of their educational and professional goals.
Five current Yale School of Management MBA students took to the Yale SOM blog to discuss how applicants can contextualize the micro within the macro—and vice versa.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the Yale SOM Blog.
Advice from Student Admissions Ambassadors
Students weigh in on how to select the best school for you and position yourself in your business school application.
Whether you’re currently working on your Yale SOM application for Round 2 or you’re still gathering information on individual schools, students’ experiences offer lessons on refining “the list,” identifying what is important to you in an MBA program, and positioning yourself in your business school application. We asked admissions ambassadors for their advice.
Read more
Published: October 18, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: 10 Things I Learned During My First Month in the MS/MBA Program
Fridays from the Frontline Dual-degree master’s programs are incredibly enticing to students looking to distinguish themselves in their career pursuits. The combination of an MBA and a specialize master’s degree in engineering is proving particularly hot right now. Harvard Business School (HBS) welcomed its inaugural MS/MBA class to campus this fall as part of a program designed for future tech venture leaders who want to gain foundational business skills alongside design skills and deeper engineering knowledge. As Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee shared in a recent podcast with
Read more
Published: October 4, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: UC Berkeley Haas Professor on How to Shape Culture to Foster Gender Equity
Fridays from the Frontline Lots of U.S. companies are focused on attracting more female employees, and yet many still struggle to create inclusive cultures that encourage those women to stick around. Today’s Friday from the Frontline comes to us from Dr. Kellie McElhaney, a distinguished teaching fellow at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and founding director of its new Center for Gender, Equity, and Inclusion. The center, which launched in November 2017, is focused on “agitating, activating, and fiercely turning up the volume and velocity on diversity and inclusion leadership in the
Read more
Published: September 20, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: INSEAD’s Unique Application Process (and How It Helps Prepare Candidates for Interviews)
Fridays from the Frontline Whether you just submitted an INSEAD application as part of Round 1 or are aiming for the November Round 2 deadline, today’s Friday from the Frontline submission from a current student reflecting on his own application process has insights you won’t want to miss. Even a cursory glance at the application requirements of elite business schools reveals that no school is alike. But INSEAD’s—with its seven application essays—stands out as among the most distinctive of all business applications. INSEAD’s extensive application is designed to gather a comprehensive picture of prospective students, including the nuances
Read more
Published: September 13, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Embracing Entrepreneurship and the HBS Asian-American Community
Fridays from the Frontline Recent Harvard Business School (HBS) alumus Wilson Kyi (MBA ’18) hosts a popular podcast called Fish Sauce, which is dedicated to “the unique traits and viewpoints Asian-Americans bring to entrepreneurship.” According to Kyi, the podcast was a natural outgrowth of the cross-cultural community that the Asian-American Business Association (AABA) engendered at HBS. Kyi, who according to his bio “leaped into smaller tech after growing tired of big tech,” took to the HBS blog in a recent post to discuss the soup-to-nuts process behind the Fish Sauce podcast and the multifaceted role
Read more
Published: September 6, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Leslie Clift Hruby, Trailblazer Who Brought More Women to MIT Sloan
Fridays from the Frontline Sloan Women in Management (SWIM), an organization at MIT Sloan School of Management that “works to increase opportunities for all women through networking events, speaker series, professional development workshops, and mentorship programs,” recently honored alumna Leslie Clift Hruby, SM ’73. SWIM paid tribute to Hruby for her pioneering efforts to promote “gender diversity in MBA programs in the mid- 70s by helping Sloan become one of the most gender diverse programs in the United States.” According to Hruby’s Linkedin profile, she “increased the number of women attending the MIT Sloan School of
Read more
Published: August 30, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Calculating the MBA’s Return on Investment
Fridays from the Frontline Marjorie DeGraca, executive director of admissions for Berkeley MBA Programs for Working Professionals Before officially taking the plunge, many prospective b-schoolers no doubt spent many late nights perusing the Clear Admit archives to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing an MBA. It’s practically an age-old pastime at this point. While the value of elite programs is undisputable when it comes to networks, prestige/social capital, and of course the world-class skills you accrue, none of those dividends come cheap. In fact, many of the real rewards of an MBA can be difficult to quantify. What is
Read more
Published: August 9, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: 5 Lessons from the Field from Kelley MBA Summer Intern at 3M
Fridays from the Frontline Did you scour the Clear Admit archives for any and all advice that might help you narrowly squeeze into a coveted slot at Wharton, Kellogg, Stanford, or another leading business school? If so, and you were successful, it’s now time to start considering the next phase of mission MBA: your summer internship. The internship you land after your first year of business school is as crucial to your career—if not more so—than the MBA program you worked so hard to get into. Beyond the internship’s value as a networking environment and a stepping stone to a
Read more
Published: August 2, 2018
Fridays from the Frontline: Ready to Rumble, Olin MBA Student Leaders Form Strategic Plan
Fridays from the Frontline At Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, the Graduate Business Student Association (GBSA) is a three-pronged “governing body that serves students of the full-time MBA program [and] facilitates the planning and implementation of student activities.” In June, the GBSA announced a three-point strategic plan for the upcoming 2018-19 year. The GBSA plan comes on the heels of Olin Dean Mark Taylor’s announcement of a school-wide strategic plan he described as a “catalyst for change” that “sets Olin on a course to realize its full potential.” GBSA President Angela
Read more
Fridays from the Frontline: 3 Ways Marketing at Booth Led to Summer Internship Success
Fridays from the Frontline The opportunity for internships between the first and second years of business school is one of the things that sets full-time two-year MBA programs apart from other degree options. MBA students endeavor to land the best internships they can in fields they want to explore or end up in—recognizing the value of both the experiential learning and the opportunity to make an early good impression on a future full-time employer. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business has developed a reputation for helping its students not only land coveted internships but handle
Read more
Fridays from the Frontline: Being Human–A Behavioral Guide to the MBA Experience
Fridays from the Frontline To say the cultural and industrial expectations of MBA graduates are demanding would be a massive understatement. MBAs must be shrewd, cunning, even omniscient when it comes to helping companies cope with change and cut through the noise to make better decisions. MBAs are also fallible human beings like the rest of us—perhaps a bit more so since new and unfamiliar situations constantly put their analytical skills to the test. In fact, many of the most complex decisions MBAs have helped companies make are rooted in the inherent volatility that comes with simply being human. Recent
Read more
