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Seventeen titles available! Understand how the leading programs compare and learn more about the MBA experience in and beyond the classroom through Clear Admit School Guides. As featured in the Economist.

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics for the 2007-2008 admissions season.
The Career Goals Essay
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CMU / Tepper *
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Harvard
IESE *
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Northwestern / Kellogg
NYU / Stern
Oxford / Said *
Penn / Wharton
Stanford GSB
UCLA / Anderson
UNC / Kenan-Flagler
UT Austin / McCombs *
UVA / Darden
Yale SOM
* denotes last year's commentary

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ARCHIVE FOR MAY 2004

Friday, May 28, 2004

Article: WSJ Offers Another Take on MBA Job Prospects

As a counterpoint to their earlier article on the positive outlook for MBA’s hitting the job market, the Wall Street Journal recently published another take on the subject that is somewhat less positive. The article focuses on non-top 10 schools like SMU (Cox) and Rochester (Simon) and finds that recruiting and hiring growth, while positive, has been somewhat less robust for graduates of these MBA programs.

Interestingly, the article points out that the numbers coming in from the elite schools may be exaggerating the MBA job market recovery somewhat:

“What has distorted the M.B.A. hiring picture this year is the healthier rebound at such large, elite business schools as Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Given their reputations and size, it isn’t surprising that they would be on the leading edge of the placement pick up.”

Read the full article here: http://www.collegejournal.com/mbacenter/mbatrack/20040524-alsop.html

Thursday, May 27, 2004

Admissions Tip: Getting to Know Wharton

As we stated in an earlier posting (from May 17th), we strongly encourage MBA applicants to spend time researching their target schools. For those of you considering the Wharton School, we recommend that you check out the Student Diaries. Wharton has a number of students who regularly post thoughts on life in Philadelphia, recruiting at Wharton, academics, etc. This resource allows applicants to get a real first-hand feel for the program.

Those who read the diaries will inevitably have a leg up on the competition when it comes to drafting essays and developing compelling reasons for their interest in the school.

Wharton Student Diaries: http://diaries.wharton.upenn.edu/

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Admissions Tip: Develop a Schedule to Meet the Deadlines

For those of you contemplating ‘Round 1′ application to the top MBA programs this fall, it makes sense to identify the relevant deadlines in order to effectively plan your essay writing, work schedule, school visits, etc. Although most of the top schools have yet to offer specifics on the fall deadlines, you should be able to get a good sense of what to expect by using the deadlines from last season. See our list below:

Published deadlines for 2005 intakes
INSEAD, R3 deadline for Jan. 2005 intake: July 7th
INSEAD, R1 deadline for Sept. 2005 intake: Oct. 6th
Wharton, R1 deadline for Sept. 2005 intake: October 14th

Schools who have yet to publish 2005 deadlines
Columbia, new deadlines available July 1st (last year’s ED deadline Oct. 15th - rolling)
Harvard, no information yet (last year’s R1 deadline: Oct. 16th)
Stanford, new deadlines available “early summer” (last year’s R1 deadline Oct. 28th)
MIT Sloan, new deadlines available in August (last year’s R1 deadline: Oct. 29th)
Kellogg, new deadlines available in August (last year’s R1 deadline: Nov. 7th)
Chicago GSB, new deadlines available in June (last year’s R1 deadline: Nov. 7th)

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Article: “As Schools Question The Rankings, GMAC Continues Efforts To Provide A Better Alternative”

The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) has just published an interesting article about the ongoing b-school rankings debate. As many of you have heard, GMAC plans to enter the fray with a new ’school-sanctioned’ set of rankings. Here’s a brief excerpt/article summary:

Graduate Management News
You have undoubtedly read or heard about the recent developments in the world of business school rankings. Harvard and Wharton released statements in April that to protect the privacy of their students and alumni, they would cease to provide BusinessWeek with student and alumni contact information, which the magazine uses to compile information for its rankings issues. The move prompted a flurry of stories in the media, letters to the editor, and conversation in person, online, and over e-mail. But what does it all mean, and how is the Graduate Management Admission Council involved?

See the full article here.

Also, see our earlier postings in this blog for background on the Harvard and Wharton decisions regarding the BusinessWeek rankings.

Friday, May 21, 2004

Tuck Admitting Students for Class of 2007?

Information from our clients as well as discussions on Business Week’s MBA forum suggest that Tuck is offering deferred ‘Class of 2007′ admission to selected waitlist and late-round applicants.

Here’s a copy of the admissions letter that went out to Tuck ‘2007′ admits:

—————
Dear XXX:

I just wanted to confirm how much we would love to have you join the Tuck community. Unfortunately, our challenge this year is that a record percentage of students enrolled at Tuck from the earlier rounds. Given our commitment to maintain a small class size, this enrollment level does not leave us much flexibility to offer admission to outstanding people from the April Round or waitlist like yourself. I sincerely wish that the situation were different; nevertheless, we would be delighted if you would consider joining us for the Tuck Class of 2007 (beginning in August 2005). As a separate decision, you can also elect to maintain your name of the Tuck waitlist for the Class of 2006 in case a space were to open up (although I am not optimistic that we will be able to take many people from the waitlist this year).

While I am sorry that we are unable to offer you a place in the Class of 2006, we sincerely hope that you consider joining us for the Tuck Class of 2007. If you have any questions about any of this, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you again for your interest in attending Tuck.

Warmest regards,

Kristine Laca
Director of Admissions
————————-

As is evident in the letter above, Tuck claims that they’ve simply had a much higher yield than envisioned, leading to their decision to select some of the most talented folks from the waitlist (and the final round) and offer them admission for next year. Of course, an additional factor might be that the school is looking to lock in some great talent for next year (and get the jump on some of their peers who might typically snatch up strong applicants).

Given the recent declines in the size of the MBA applicant pool, it would make sense that schools like Tuck may be feeling increased pressure to compete with their peers for the top candidates in the pool.

More on this story as it develops…

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Note on Wharton’s R1 policy for 2004/05

After reading yesterday’s post, many of our readers noticed that Wharton’s new R1 deadline (Oct. 2004) is referred to as ‘Early Decision’ on the their web site. In fact, we received several emails from concerned ‘early bird’ applicants who were afraid that the school had shifted policy and opted to pursue a binding R1 deadline (a la Columbia’s ED round).

After speaking with Alex Brown (Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Wharton), we have learned that the school has not changed their policy and that the October 14th deadline is really more of an ‘Early Option’ decision (or as Mr. Brown says: “We provide the option, non-binding as usual.”). In other words, if you apply to Wharton in October, you will have an admissions decison from the committee before Christmas, but no obligation to let the school know of your choice until April 2005.

Thanks to our diligent readers that picked up on this yesterday!

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Wharton Posts New Essays and Deadlines for 2004-2005 Admissions Season

Wharton is one of the first schools to post their new essays and deadline information for the coming admissions cycle.

The deadlines are as follows:

Round One: October 14, 2004 (Early Decision)
Round Two: January 6, 2005
Round Three: March 17, 2005

The essays look like this:

1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals and why now? (1,000 words)

2. Describe an impact you’ve had on an individual, group or organization. How has this experience been valuable to you or others? (500 words)

3. Please complete two of the following three questions (500 words):
—Describe when you were part of a team where the group process and/or intended outcome failed. What did you learn?

—Describe a situation where your values, ethics, or morals were challenged. How did you handle the situation?

—Describe a personal characteristic or something in your background that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better.

4. (Optional) If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)

For more information concerning reapplication rules, etc. follow this link to Wharton’s site.

Stay tuned to this blog for an initial analysis of the new essays!

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Admissions Tip: Resume/CV Dates

When crafting your MBA resume, be sure to avoid shorthand dates when listing jobs or educational experience. Each year, we see hundreds of resumes that look like this:

-ABC Consulting, Villagetown, New York (2000 - 2001)

-XYZ Consulting, Townsville, New York (1999 - 2000)

It is impossible to tell from reading the two posts above whether or not the person in question has a gap in employment. They may have quit XYZ Consulting on January 1st, 2000 and joined ABC Consulting on December 31st, 2000 - resulting in a full year of unemployment!

Admissions officers and MBA interviewers hate playing ‘detective’ when it comes to your background. In addition, if given only limited information they will usually assume the worst-case scenario. As such, be sure to include both the year and the month for each item on your resume. You should never waste a moment of an an admissions officer’s time due to confusion about your dates.

For those of you who are getting started on your MBA resume, the folks at GMAC (the Graduate Management Admissions Council) have a nice set of basic resume tips at the following address. You can also contact Clear Admit to learn more about our resume templates, tips and other related services.

Monday, May 17, 2004

Admissions Tip: Learn More About the Schools

One of the best things an applicant can do in the admissions process is to demonstrate a real understanding of the program that he or she is applying to. In order to do this, applicants often need to go beyond a school’s published marketing materials/web site and talk to students, professors and alumni. These discussions typically yield information about new student clubs, conferences, courses and policies that can be worked into your essays.

Although this sort of primary research is often done via school visits or networking (to find graduates of a given program), there are a number of students at the top schools who keep diaries via weblogs (blogs). Even better, there is a single web site that has actually cataloged the bulk of the MBA blogs that exist. Check out the League of MBA Bloggers for details. You’ll find links to blogs from current students at Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, Columbia, INSEAD, UCLA, Michigan and more. Use the coming weeks to read up on their experiences as you contemplate your target schools and gather facts for success in the admissions process.

Friday, May 14, 2004

Admissions Tip: Unambiguous and realistic career goals are important.

As many of our readers know, most MBA programs require an admissions essay that asks for the applicant to describe his or her career goals. Unfortunately, many candidates think that they can bluff their way through this component of the admissions process (by offering ambiguous goals, multiple career options, etc). This is not a good idea. Along those lines, here’s some food for thought:

In June, GMAC (the Graduate Management Admissions Council) is hosting their annual industry conference. This conference is attended by admissions officers from MBA programs around the world (including HBS, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg and the rest of the top schools). Here is one of the ‘panel sessions’ on the schedule:

—Selecting Applicants for Employment Success—
Ever wonder how the recruiters sort through all those prospective job applicants and find the right match? Maybe they know something we don’t. This presentation will examine current human resource management theories and practices to uncover the important traits that can predict corporate success. You will then practice what you have learned through interactive exercises designed to help identify those key traits in the admissions process. Participants will leave with useful information that can help improve the identification and selection of applicants who will be successful in the job market following graduation.

Obviously, career goals are an increasingly important aspect of the MBA admissions process. This is one of the key areas that Clear Admit focuses on when counseling applicants. If you are planning an application to business school, contact us for a free initial assessment and a discussion of your career goals.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Feedback from our clients…

This note came in yesterday from one of our ‘Round 3′ HBS applicants:

—– Original Message —–
From:
To: graham@clearadmit.com
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 2:01 PM
Subject: Decision

Hi Graham,

I got the decision from HBS, and…I am ADMITTED!!! YES!!!

I’d like to thank you and the staff at Clear Admit more than anyone else. I had never thought I would be able to get into Harvard before I spoke with you. You gave me tremendous confidence, helping me gain admission, especially in this most competitive 3rd round!

Anyway, I want to make sure you are aware of how much I appreciate Clear Admit’s inspirational advice and dedicated support throughout the entire process (in terms of both timing and quality control)!

Many thanks and all the best,

*********

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Admissions Tip: ‘Round 3′ Results at HBS and Wharton

As many of you know, Harvard and Wharton will be issuing their ‘Round 3′ decisions this week. HBS’ notification date is actually today, with Wharton’s results coming out tomorrow (one week ahead of schedule).

First and foremost, we’d like to wish everyone the best of luck with their ‘Round 3′ results. At the same time, the purpose of this blog is to provide useful information and admissions strategy, so here are a few tips for those of you who may end up facing rejection:

1) Understand the odds and consider reapplying in the early rounds next year. If you fail to gain admission to HBS or Wharton in their final admissions rounds, you should not give up hope or instantly assume that your profile contains some glaring weakness that will forever block your admission. ‘Round 3′ is always a challenging time to apply, and in many cases an earlier application may be all that you need to find success in the process.

2) Get feedback from the admissions committee. In Wharton’s case, you can actually sign up for a feedback session with an admissions officer (sessions typically take place over the summer). This is a unique chance for you to learn how the committee perceived your application. There are some “dos and don’ts” when it comes to handling your Wharton feedback session, so feel free to contact us to learn more about our Wharton Feedback and Reapplication Guide.

3) Get feedback from other sources. Although the HBS adcom does not offer feedback, there are other ways to learn about where you may have fallen short. For starters, you should read over your file with a critical eye and try to understand your weaknesses. Take a step back from the process and be objective about your shortcomings. You might also share your file with colleagues who have been to business school. Be careful about the feedback you collect on these fronts, since not all of it will be accurate (or consistent). Finally, you might seek feedback from an MBA admissions consulting firm. Clear Admit offers complete feedback sessions, including detailed written reports that highlight your personal road-map for reapplication.

4) Plan for a productive summer. Although the temptation after receiving a rejection letter is to simply take a break from the admissions process, it is imperative that reapplicants use the summer months to address the weaknesses in their profiles. In many cases, reapplicants have to pursue outside coursework, retake a standardized test (GMAT/TOEFL), increase involvement with activities or take on new responsibilities at work. All of these tasks take time and cannot be addressed in the fall when application forms and essays should be the priority.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

HBS looking at waitlist…

Harvard Business School has been actively reviewing their waitlist of late. In some cases the school has offered outright admission (for candidates who were originally waitlisted with an interview). In other cases they have simply offered interviews (for candidates who were originally waitlisted without an interview).

As the final decisions are made for ‘Round 3′ HBS applicants, and as the deposit checks continue to come in from Round 1 and 2 admits, the admissions committee will gain a better sense of their needs for the class of 2006. As such, we are likely to see continued movement on the waitlist in the coming weeks.

Best of luck to those receiving interview invites at this stage of the game! Be sure to prepare for your HBS interview in the appropriate way. Contact us for information about our HBS guide and mock-interview services.

Monday, May 10, 2004

Article: MBA Job Prospects Looking Strong

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about the job prospects for the MBA class of 2004 at the top-tier MBA programs. This article was based on a new study published by GMAC (the Graduate Management Admissions Council).

As both the article and the study report, things are looking much better for MBA graduates on the job market - particularly as both banks and consulting firms re-enter the fray in search of young talent.

Oddly, business school application volume continues to decline at the top schools (down 15-20% at most top schools this year). Of course, this seems to confirm our theory of the ‘market lag’ in MBA application volume (see our earlier blogs on the subject). In many cases, the students who applied to business school in the fall of 2001 or 2002 (clearly a rough time for the economy) may have ‘timed’ the job market perfectly - since they are set to graduate this spring and in the spring of 2005.

Friday, May 07, 2004

Wharton Bumps Up ‘Round 3′ Decision Date

It looks like those of you who are waiting for a decision from Wharton will find out sooner than originally planned (see the school’s message below). This is likely due to two reasons: 1) The Wharton adcom tends to be very efficient and often moves up their decision dates, and 2) Application volume in ’round 3′ was relatively low this year.

Best of luck to all those awaiting a response!

—–Original Message—–
From: MBA Operations
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 2:52 PM
Subject: Wharton Decision Release Date

Dear Wharton Applicant:

We have decided to move up the decision release date for Round 3 to Thursday, May 13.
While an e-mail will be sent out that day notifying you of the change in status, you will be able to access your decision directly from your online account.

Sincerely,

Wharton MBA Admissions

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Admissions Tip: Keep your recommenders ‘in the loop’.

Many applicants underestimate the work involved in ‘managing’ recommendation writers. Here are a few tips in this area:

1) Getting a manager to agree to write a letter is only the beginning of the process from the applicant’s standpoint - not the end. You’ll need to proactively manager your recommenders throughout the process.

2) Ideally, you should give the following items to your referees as background reading: an up-to-date resume, a rough copy of your ‘career goals’ statement, a blurb on your overall strengths and weaknesses in the MBA admissions process, a summary of each school you are looking at and why the various programs appeal to you, and a list of anecdotes from work that might help to jog your recommenders’ memories of all the great things you’ve accomplished with them.

3) Spend some time with your recommenders. Take them to lunch and talk about your goals, interest in the MBA, etc. The more they hear about your plans, the more likely their letters will complement the materials you submit.

There are numerous other ways to ensure solid recommendations, but the three tips above are an excellent starting point. ‘Early Bird’ applicants for 2005 can contact us now for a free assessment of their chances and additional tips on this aspect of the process.

Monday, May 03, 2004

Article: Less Work Experience Needed?

The Economist has just published an article that raises some questions about the ‘work experience’ prerequisite in business school admissions. As expected, schools like Harvard and Stanford are featured prominently in the discussion about admitting younger applicants. Here’s an excerpt:

“Some business schools have already begun trying to get hold of promising younger applicants. Harvard Business School has a brochure directed at undergraduate students who might apply within a year or two of graduation. At Stanford Graduate School of Business, Derrick Bolton, director of MBA admissions, says he hopes to reach out “pretty aggressively” to less experienced potential students.”

See the full text of the article here.

DISCUSSIONS / BLOGS / WIKI

• Top Bush Education Official Leaves to Lead Business School Consortium
• Fridays From the Frontline
• Harvard Business School Deadlines and Essays Topics 2008-2009
• Tuck School of Business Auction Supplements Nonprofit, Public Sector Summer Internship Salaries
• Admissions Tip: Round 3 Results

Wiki

Discussion Boards

School-Hosted Blogs

Straight from the source: aggregated posts from students and administration. Below are the seven most recent posts in school-hosted blogs.

Individuals' Blogs

Bloggers by School

Community Blogs

Best of Blogging

• Top 10 Applicants:
• July Dream
• Miss Curly Bee
• VidiViciVeni
• B-School Bound
• Tinydancer
• gltnforpnshmnt
• mbabound08
• Achilles
• Eight Schools
• MBA Runner Girl

• Top 10 Students:
• m@ (Ross)
• MaybeMBA (Chicago)
• Hair Twirler (Georgetown)
• Iday (Chicago)
• J-term Johnny (Columbia)
• La Laudiaria (Wharton)
• MBA Gladiator (Yale)
• Angel Angie (LBS)
• Necromonger (INSEAD)
• Chrisof Meyer (Darden)

• Top 10 Applicants:
• Rungee582
• Iday
• Juggler
• Asiangal
• Forrest Gump
• RusGirl
• Hair Twirler
• JatWarrior
• MBA Babe
• Anand

• Top 10 Students:
• Angel Angie (LBS)
• The Divine Miss N (LBS)
• From Cali (Ross)
• Tim K. (McCombs)
• Noelle (IESE)
• Jerry Blank (Yale)
• Benny (Tuck)
• La Laudiaria (Wharton)
• Karlitos (LBS)
• MBA Gladiator (Yale)

• Top 10 Applicants:
• MBA Jackass
• Marina
• Forrest Gump
• Pupstar78
• Axechick
• Sorebrek
• Angel Angie
• I_Will_Make_It
• Redwolf056
• Vatsa

• Top 10 Students:
• Marquis (Stanford)
• Poweryogi (Chicago)
• KV (LBS)
• FutureMBAGirl (Wharton)
• The Divine Miss N (LBS)
• Vijay (ISB)
• Wakechick (Chicago)
• NoelleBellie (IESE)
• Jerry Blank (Yale)
• Olivier (INSEAD)

• PowerYogi
• Brit-Chick
• bskewl
• WakeChick
• Dave
• Iceman07
• iwhoElse
• Atta Girl
• Aregon23
• Classy

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