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APPLICANT RESOURCES Clear Admit Interview Guides Clear Admit School Guides Below are the upcoming deadlines for Fall 2008 entry to top-tier schools. Apr. 1: UT Austin McCombs R3 Apr. 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R4 Apr. 3: INSEAD R4 Apr. 4: Oxford / Said R3 Apr. 23: UCLA / Anderson R4 Apr. 28: CMU / Tepper R4 May 2: LBS R4 Jun. 6: Oxford / Said R4 Essay Topic Analysis Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews. Chicago Columbia Dartmouth / Tuck Duke / Fuqua Harvard Kellogg Michigan / Ross MIT / Sloan Stanford UNC / Chapel Hill Virginia / Darden Wharton London Business School GMAT Resources GMAC Manhattan GMAT GMAT Club Princeton Review Test Prep New York Kaplan Beat The GMAT Writing Resources Guide to Grammar and Writing The Internet Grammar of English English Usage, Style and Composition The Economist Style Guide Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
School Rankings The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA. Vault.com Wetfeet Business School Resources The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it. Berkeley / Haas Carnegie Mellon / Tepper Chicago Columbia Cornell / Johnson Dartmouth / Tuck Duke / Fuqua Emory / Goizueta Harvard HEC Montreal Indiana / Kelley Michigan MIT / Sloan Northwestern / Kellogg New York / Stern North Carolina / Kenan Flagler Pennsylvania / Wharton Queens Stanford Texas / McCombs Thunderbird Toronto UCLA / Anderson Virginia / Darden Western Ontario / Ivey Yale MBA Programs: Rest of the World As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it. AGSM (Australia) 2 Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1 CIEBS (China) 2 Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1 ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2 HEC (France) 2 IESE (Spain) 2 IMD (Switzerland) 1 INSEAD (France) 1 IPADE (Mexico) ISB (India) 1 London Business School (UK) 2 Oxford / Said (UK) 1 Rotterdam (Netherlands) 2 University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1 Additional Resources Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list. AACSB International Association of MBAs Beyond Grey Pinstripes EFMD gradschools.com (worldwide) Infozee mba.com (GMAT Scores) MBAInfo mbaleague.blogspot.com MBAzone MBA Jungle TOEFL Top MBA MBA Tipline We encourage admissions officers, students and applicants to alert us of interesting news and developments, please send an email to news@clearadmit.com so we can blog it. Blog Archive
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ARCHIVE FOR JULY 2004 Friday, July 30, 2004 Admissions Tip: Wharton Essays For those of you who are not tuned into Wharton’s discussion forums (Wharton student2student), here are some recent comments posted by members of the admissions committee and former students on the critical subject of essay writing: Alex Brown (Senior Associate Director, Wharton Admissions): Thursday, July 29, 2004 Article: More Women Earning MBAs in Michigan The Detroit News has published an interesting article about the recent increase in female students at programs like the University of Michigan. For the full story: http://www.detnews.com/2004/schools/0407/29/a01-226481.htm
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Admissions Tip: HBS Essay #2 Here are some very basic tips on how to approach one of the HBS essays. (The following information has been taken from Clear Admit’s Guide to HBS Essay Topics): Essay 2: What are your three most substantial accomplishments, and why do you view them as such? Because the question has a second part - “why do you view them as such?” - you should focus on accomplishments that have had an impact on you, or ones whose significance can be explained concretely. Perhaps you had to overcome significant obstacles to achievement, or perhaps you learned something new about yourself or your preferred career direction. In essence you will be writing several mini-essays to answer this question, although some of the best ‘accomplishments’ essays manage to weave them all together. Before you write a draft, work on figuring out how to state each accomplishment in 1-2 sentences; it should be completely clear what you consider to be the achievement. After you are able to state the accomplishment briefly, describe the process of the achievement. Finally, make sure you are explicit about what makes each one a significant accomplishment: what is personally important about it, what did you have to overcome in the process, why is it valuable to you?
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 Article: Scott Walker from Richard Ivey Most applicants assume that the best MBA programs outside of the USA are in Europe. This approach unfortunately overlooks several programs in Canada, including the University of Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business and The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business (both featured in most of the popular global MBA rankings). Along those lines, BusinessWeek has just published an informative interview with the Director of Admissions at Ivey (Scott Walker). In the interview, Walker discusses the admissions process at the school, along with his take on the latest admissions trends. This is a must read for those of you considering your options beyond the US borders. http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2004/bs20040726_1537_bs037.htm
Monday, July 26, 2004 Article: Harvard’s Invisible Fund-Raising The Sunday New York Times featured an interesting article about the financial maneuverings surrounding Harvard’s endowment. As many of our readers know, Harvard University has the largest endowment of any university ($19.3 billion). This is more than the next two schools combined (Yale and University of Texas). Although reading this article will not necessarily help your chances of admission to HBS, it should certainly be of interest to anyone thinking of attending the school, as well as anyone with a background in accounting, finance and/or taxation. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/25/business/yourmoney/25harv.html?pagewanted=1
Friday, July 23, 2004 Darden/UVA Essays and Deadlines Now Available From the 2005 Darden Application (just released!): –ESSAYS– 2. Why do you want to earn an MBA? In an ideal scenario, what would you be doing in fifteen years? 3. What is your understanding of how Darden is different from the other schools to which you are applying? Why do you feel Darden is a good fit for you? 4. Describe your most rewarding leadership experience and what it means to your development as a potential leader. 5. (Optional) Please use this opportunity to present any additional information that would assist the Admissions Committee in the evaluation of your candidacy. Although there are some changes for this year, the overall themes should be familiar. The first question clearly aims at gaining a broad understanding of your life (and career) to date. The second topic covers the critical question of career goals and the need for a management degree. Question three is devoted to “why Darden” and the fourth question is a variation on essay three from last year, covering a leadership theme. The use of essay five will depend on each candidate (as is always the case with optional essays). Overall, the range of essay topics should offer candidates an excellent opportunity to share their unique experiences and passion for the school. The new deadlines are October 27th (early action), December 1st, January 12th and March 1st. For further details and the complete application: http://admissions.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/schedule.htm
Thursday, July 22, 2004 Article: Investment of a Lifetime An Israeli online business journal has published an interesting interview with Columbia’s former Dean (Meyer Feldberg). It highlights how much the program changed during his 15-year tenure, while asking him questions about his vision for the school. http://www.globes.co.il/serveEN/globes/docView.asp?did=816917&fid=1724
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Movement on Columbia’s waitlist… Columbia has recently gone to their waitlist, offering a couple of waitlisted applicants spots in this fall’s class. Although we are certainly coming down to the wire, this movement indicates that there may be a chance for a few of you who are still hanging on. The CBS admissions committee has stated that the class is basically full, but Columbia often has some movement around the first day of classes, since there can be a bit of a ‘trickle down’ effect as programs like Stanford, Harvard and Wharton make last minute adjustments to their waitlists, etc. As usual, it’s a good idea to keep your Columbia waitlist manager informed of your continued desire to attend along with any recent personal/professional accomplishments or changes to your candidacy. You should also make it clear that you are willing to to show up ‘at the drop of a hat’ - should they need someone at the last minute. Best of luck to everyone who is still waiting!
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Upcoming Admissions Panel in Boston (8/2/2004) For our readers in the Boston area, here’s an event you may want to attend: “The Third Annual 2004 Business School Admissions Panel - The University of Pennsylvania Alumni Club of Boston hosts this panel discussion, featuring officers from Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Sloan and Kellogg. Various aspects of the business school application process will be discussed, including academics, professional experience, essays, interviews and recommendations. The event will be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at John Hancock Hall, 180 Berkeley St., Boston.” For further information, visit www.pennclubofboston.org/bschoolpanel2004/
Monday, July 19, 2004 From the Clear Admit Mailbag Married couples applying to business school face unique challenges in the process. Here is a wonderful note we recently received from a ‘Clear Admit couple’ who are heading off to INSEAD: —– Original Message —– Dear Graham and the entire Clear Admit team, Thanks for all your assistance and advice! It would be our pleasure to give you a quote which you could use on your website. Here is our attempt at one: “My wife and I both had a dream of doing our MBA together at a top institution. We chose INSEAD as the school of our dreams but found out that it is not a school which readily offers admission to couples. We approached Clear Admit with this problem. Our consultant was very upfront with his feedback - he told us about the risks of applying to a single school (particularly as a couple). He guided us through the application process, helped critique our essays and even led us through mock interviews. Through his honest and precise feedback, we were able to hone our application and highlight our strengths. We recently found out that the impossible had happened - both of us have been granted admission to INSEAD! We look forward to a great experience in France and this admission is in no small part due to Clear Admit. Thank you!”
Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Columbia Essays and Deadlines now available Columbia has recently released their dates for the coming year and made their application available for download. Since CBS offers rolling deadlines, I have also included the date that they begin to review applications. Dates: Full Time MBA - September 2005 Accelerated MBA Program - January 2005 Essay Questions: 1. What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (1000 word limit) Note that questions two and three are new for this year (although if you have already drafted responses to last year’s questions, you are permitted to use them for this year’s application). The change to the second question would seem to indicate that the school is looking to raise the profile of its entrepreneurial program. In addition, the third essay now asks about the applicant’s values, replacing last year’s topic covering leadership or global community. This significant shift in emphasis from issues of leadership and globalization to entrepreneurship and personal values is quite interesting; I wonder whether it reflects a new marketing strategy on behalf of CBS.
Friday, July 09, 2004 Harvard Essays and Deadlines Now Available Harvard has now released their essay questions and deadlines! As predicted in this blog (see our posting from 7/2/2004), the first deadline will fall right next to Wharton’s R1 date. Deadlines: Round 1: October 13th, 2004 Essay Questions: 1. Describe a significant change that you brought about in an organization and its impact on your development as a leader. (400-word limit) Most of these questions cover familiar ground and have been featured in prior HBS applications. Question number 4 is new for this year, yet has at times been featured as an interview question at HBS. In fact, for some interesting thoughts on ’success’ and how one might approach this essay, applicants should read the following article: What is success to you? HBS professor Howard Stevenson offers insights from research… It is worth noting that HBS has released their essays and deadlines more than two weeks earlier than last year. This may be pure coincidence, but I suspect that it has something to do with declines in application volume and pressure from their peers who have already posted essays, etc.
Thursday, July 08, 2004 Article: America’s Scramble for Global Applicants BusinessWeek has published an interesting article on the decline in international applications to American MBA programs. The article cites a number of potential reasons for the decline, ranging from uncertainty in the US economy to competition from 1-year programs available overseas. Of course, many admissions officers point out that much of the ‘decline’ is coming on the heels of record setting years (1999, 2000, 2001), when schools were simply overflowing with applications - both foreign and domestic. For the full text of the article: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2004/bs2004077_1019_bs001.htm
Wednesday, July 07, 2004 More 2005 Applicant Blogs… Here are links to a few more web diaries (blogs) on offer from applicants who are keeping track of their path to business school. It’s always nice to be able to compare notes with others in your shoes, so feel free to visit these sites and let their authors know that you appreciate their efforts! Dave for MBA: http://daveformba.blogspot.com/ Happy Reading!
Tuesday, July 06, 2004 Duke Posts New Essay Questions, Deadlines Duke’s deadlines for the 2004-2005 admissions season are as follows: Round 1: November 1, 2004 As usual, the school is going with four deadlines. Last year, the program offered dates in both mid-October and early December, but this year they seem to be pushing the entire schedule back a bit, perhaps in hopes of capturing more of the applicant pool (and avoiding head-to-head deadline competition with the likes of Harvard, Wharton and Columbia). As for the essay questions, they are nearly identical to last year, with the chief difference being essay #3, which focuses on ‘Team Fuqua’. 1. Describe your professional work experience since earning your bachelor’s degree and discuss how you chose your career path. (Limit response to 500 words) 2. What are your short and long term career goals once you earn your MBA? Why are you interested in The Fuqua School of Business and how will The Duke MBA help you reach your goals? (Limit response to 500 words) 3. “Team Fuqua” is a frequently used term when discussing the Duke MBA program. Great teams have great leaders with great ideas and great team play. Thus, “Team Fuqua” means much more than teamwork. In fact, it builds directly from the core values of Fuqua, which are collaboration, innovation, and leadership. Please describe what you would bring to build on these core values and make Team Fuqua great. (750 words) For those of you strongly considering Duke, it will make sense to spend some time getting to know the program before you ‘put pen to paper’ on essays two and three. It will also make sense to target the first round in order to identify yourself as someone who is very serious about the school.
Monday, July 05, 2004 Article: HBS admissions committee looks to China… Friday’s issue of The Harvard Crimson published an article about the school’s interest in recruiting Chinese professors and students for the HBS community in Boston. Brit Dewey, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, said the following: “We are in the process of expanding our global reach,” Dewey said. “China is an area of tremendous potential and tremendous economic growth.” Dewey said that the school already has efforts underway to entice more applicants from China. “We have had members of the MBA admissions board travel to China to do outreach, and we have had students and alumni serve as ambassadors to help market the program,” Dewey said. Working Toward Globalization, HBS Expands Recruiting in China Happy 4th of July!
Friday, July 02, 2004 Update on ‘Round 1′ Deadlines The following schools have now posted their first round deadlines for this fall: INSEAD: October 6th, 2004 The deadlines appear to be shaping up in a similar fashion to prior seasons. Although not yet published, it is safe to assume that Harvard’s first deadline will end up on or about the 14th of October and that Kellogg’s date will be in early November. Similarly, Columbia’s ‘rolling’ Early Decision deadline is likely to fall in mid-October. For those of you aggressively targeting several top 10 programs, it will be critical to develop a schedule that allows you to coordinate all of the materials without scrambling at the last minute. Here’s a small tip to lessen your load: If Wharton is on your list, get started on some rough drafts of their essays now. They are one of the few schools that has already published their essays for the coming season.
Thursday, July 01, 2004 Admissions Tip: Q and A with Clear Admit Throughout the admissions season, we receive hundreds of emails with great questions. Some time ago, Clear Admit was invited to host a live chat and Q&A session on the BusinessWeek web site. During the chat, we addressed dozens of critical questions posed by applicants who were just starting down the road to b-school application. Here’s a sampling of the type of questions that were answered: BusinessWeek: What’s a good strategy for contacting professors at a school that an MBA applicant is interested in? How does the applicant get his or her name known among the faculty before his or her application is submitted? Clear Admit: It makes a lot of sense to communicate with students and professors who are studying [or researching] your field of interest. Engaging professors and students in informational discussions or interviews can really pay dividends when it comes time to write your essays and persuade the school that you’ve done your homework. At the same time, you can’t expect a discussion with a professor to serve the purpose of affecting your admissions status “behind the scenes.” Professors see right through students who contact them for no reason other than to try to get their name across their desk. BusinessWeek: What are the chances of a school admitting someone with a good grade point average (GPA), an average GMAT score, good essays, good work experience, and good recommendations? How much does the GMAT count? Clear Admit: The beauty of MBA admissions process is that it’s a multivariable equation. The GMAT is one variable with several components, such as the breakdown of one’s score, the number of times the test was taken, and whether or not the student is a native English speaker. So students have a chance to compensate for a GMAT score that’s below the average. This is typically done via the other academic metrics, such as [the applicant’s] GPA, quality of coursework, and reputation of the undergraduate institution [the applicant attended]. For additional Q&A, check out the full text on BusinessWeek’s site: |
DISCUSSIONS / BLOGS / WIKI Clear Admit's Most Recent Entries
Wiki MBA Admissions WikiThe Clear Admit Wiki is designed to allow b-school applicants to share their experiences through the application process. You can learn from others' experiences and contribute your own reports to the community. Below are the five most popular pages in the wiki: Wharton Interview Field Reports HBS Interview Field Reports Kellogg Interview Field Reports Chicago Interview Field Reports Columbia Interview Field Reports Discussion Boards BusinessWeek ForumsThe BusinessWeek Discussion Boards are a great way to learn about the issues applicants face. Recently BusinessWeek updated their interface, here is a link to the original interface. Also, Clear Admit hosts the Ask Clear Admit thread, which should help answer your questions. Here are the five most recent discussions. Clear Admit manages the Applying section of the StudyLink MBA discussion boards. The student-2-student Discussion Boards are managed by Wharton, but include discussions about all of the top schools. Here are the five most recent discussions. The Chicago Discussion Boards are managed by the University of Chicago. Here are the five most recent discussions. 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 A selection of the latest updates to MBA blogs compiled by Hella.MBA Applicants Bloggers by School The following are links to bloggers at each of the schools listed.Chicago Columbia Dartmouth / Tuck Duke / Fuqua Harvard Kellogg Michigan MIT / Sloan New York / Stern North Carolina / Chapel Hill Stanford Virginia / Darden Wharton Yale ESADE IESE INSEAD London Business School Community Blogs Bshoolers.comCommunity blog with MBA student and alum contributors. Forté Foundation MBA Diaries Video blog entries posted by women MBA students. Owen Bloggers Independent blog with content by Vanderbilt MBA students. Best of Blogging 2007-2008 Top Ten:
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