APPLICANT RESOURCES

Clear Admit Interview Guides
Be as prepared as possible for your MBA interviews this season with the Clear Admit Interview Guides! School-specific sample questions and in-depth strategy, campus visit details and places to stay.

Clear Admit School Guides
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.

Application Deadlines
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
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics for the 2007-2008 admissions season.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas
Chicago GSB
CMU / Tepper *
Columbia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
IESE *
INSEAD
London Business School
MIT / Sloan
Michigan / Ross
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

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.
Interview Reports
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
Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
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. MBA Programs: North America
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

Add a Report to the Wiki, Win $15 to iTunes!
Submit a report to the Clear Admit Wiki, win $10 to iTunes!

ARCHIVE FOR OCTOBER 2004

Friday, October 29, 2004

Article: MBA Worth the Price?

Mica Schneider at BusinessWeek has written an interesting article about the cost of the MBA degree and benefits associated with going back to school. According to the article, despite the high costs of a top-flight management education, “most students remain convinced that the rewards are worth the expense”.

For the full text of the article: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/oct2004/bs20041028_5621_bs001.htm

# posted by Clear Admit @ 11:24 am in General

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Article: MBA Admissions Trends

The Economist has published an interesting article about the shifts in application volume and the ‘economic drivers’ that influence them. Topics covered include demography, visas, job markets and location. As expected, this is an interesting read:
http://www.economist.com/business/globalexecutive/education/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3328888

In other news, the Wharton Admissions Blog has published a great posting on the application review process as it relates to interview invitations. This is a must read for those applicants who are anxiously awaiting invites!
http://adcomblog.wharton.upenn.edu/admissions/2004/10/interview_invit.html

# posted by Clear Admit @ 11:57 am in MBA News

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Columbia fellowship, Wharton invites and more..

There’s been a lot happening in the MBA admissions world this week:

1) Columbia has introduced a new fellowship. Here’s the text of the email that went around:

“Columbia Business School is pleased to announce the Meyer Feldberg Distinguished Fellowship Program, which will provide full tuition to select students who demonstrate academic excellence and outstanding leadership in their application to the School. Feldberg Fellows will join an elite group of students who will benefit from a lifelong association with leaders in business, including fellowship donors. This prestigious award was created in recognition of the transformative leadership of Dean Meyer Feldberg ‘65 during his 15-year tenure at the School.

Applying for the Fellowship
To be considered for the Feldberg Fellowship, prospective students must complete their application for admission to the full-time MBA Program by the fellowship deadline, January 10, 2005. The Admissions Office will then identify those candidates who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills in a variety of areas, including athletics, the military or entrepreneurship. Learn more.”

2) Wharton has begun issuing interview invites to candidates who applied in round 1. Check out the student-2-student discussion boards to keep abreast of who’s been invited, etc.:

http://forums.businessweek.com/wh-wharton/messages?msg=8595.1.

Since there appears to be a bit of confusion on the boards at times, here is a reminder of how interviewing works at Wharton:

i) The school offers interviews by invitation only
ii) Invites typically go out to 40-50% of the applicant pool
iii) Interviews are resume-based and ‘blind’
iv) Roughly 1/3 of those candidates interviewed will be offered admission
v) If you do not receive an interview invitation by November 18th you will be rejected

3) There has been a heated discussion about the use of admissions consultants on the Wharton discussion boards. Although some of the discussion was reduced to name-calling, the thread makes for a good read. Of particular note are comments from a few applicants, students and Alex Brown (Associate Director of Admissions at Wharton).

# posted by Clear Admit @ 11:40 am in School: Penn / Wharton, School: Columbia

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Admissions Tip: Stanford

With Stanford’s first deadline just two days off, we thought we would share a few basic tips on their application essays:

1) If you have not yet written your ‘What Matters Most’ essay, it may make sense to seriously consider applying in round two. This essay simply cannot be thrown together at the last minute. Over the years we’ve seen too many applicants attempt to dash off their Stanford essays by taking a single day off from work! It’s better to have a great set of essays in round two as opposed to a ‘last minute’ effort in round one.

2) The admissions committee at Stanford likes to see that candidates have truly taken the time to reflect before drafting their responses to the essays. Derrick Bolton, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions, refers to the essays as an ‘accounting exercise’ in his newsletter (taking stock of where you are, where you have been, where you are heading, etc). Applicants need to show that they are thinking about their hopes, dreams and the force(s) that are driving them.

3) Despite the reflective and philosophical nature of Stanford’s first essay, it is important to remember that you are still marketing yourself to the admissions office (in other words that this is both an ‘accounting’ and a marketing exercise). As such, a purely abstract discourse on the larger meaning of life may not be the best approach. Keep in mind that anecdotes are needed in order to personalize essays and make your story stand out.

4) Given the importance of anecdotes (see above), it can often be helpful to makes lists of the various events in your life that might be used as examples in your ‘what matters most’ theme. Once you’ve developed an exhaustive list, you can then identify the stories that are most compelling and have the best fit in the context of your essay.

For more information, feel free to read Derrick Bolton’s article about the essays:
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/connect/newsletter/04_09_director.html

You may also contact Clear Admit to inquire about working with an admissions consultant on your strategy and approach to the Stanford application. Applicants who worked with Clear Admit last season had an acceptance rate that was three times higher than Stanford’s published acceptance rate.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:36 am in School: Stanford

Monday, October 25, 2004

Planning for Upcoming Deadlines

As many of you know, we are still in the midst of the ’round 1′ MBA application deadlines. At this point in the season, it is critical to plan your schedule carefully. It is also important to weigh ’round 1′ vs. ’round 2′ strategies, based on progress made with essay writing, recommendation coaching, etc.

Here is a quick reference for the key ’round 1′ deadlines that are approaching:

THIS WEEK
MIT/Sloan: Wednesday, October 27th
Yale SOM: Wednesday, October 27th
Stanford GSB: Thursday, October 28th
UNC/Kenan-Flagler (EA): Thursday, October 28th
UC Berkeley/Haas: Friday, October 29th

NEXT WEEK
University of Michigan/Ross: Monday, November 1st
Duke/Fuqua: Monday, November 1st
UT Austin/McCombs (R1~suggested): Monday, November 1st
Purdue/Krannert (early): Monday, November 1st
UVA/Darden: Wednesday, November 3rd
UCLA/Anderson: Wednesday, November 3rd
Oxford/Said: Friday, November 5th

BEYOND…
University of Chicago GSB: Friday, November 12th
Cornell/Johnson: Monday, November 15th
CMU/Tepper: Monday, November 15th
Indiana/Kelley (early): Monday, November 15th
Dartmouth/Tuck: Wednesday, December 1st
NYU/Stern: Wednesday, December 1st

Contact Clear Admit to learn more about our application review and essay editing services. We’ll work with you to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward in the MBA admissions process.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:37 am in Deadlines

Friday, October 22, 2004

Darden Deadline Pushed Back

The Darden Graduate School of Business Administration has pushed their October 27th deadline back due to technical issues with their online application system. The email below was sent to applicants with established accounts.

For those of you who were struggling to meet the Oct. 27th deadline and considering a ’round two’ application, this might offer a nice opportunity to squeeze into the first round.

—– Original Message —–
From: Darden Office of Admissions
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 1:24 PM
Subject: Darden Office of Admissions
October 20, 2004

Dear xxxx,

We are experiencing some technical difficulties with our online system and our Information System Department is working to resolve these issues. In the meantime, we have extended the first deadline to November 3, 12 AM Eastern Standard Time; however, the response week will remain the same. We have updated the deadline schedule on our website at http://admissions. darden.virginia.edu/schedule.htm.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at darden@darden.virginia.edu or 1-800-882-6221.

Regards,
Darden Admissions

# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:26 pm in Deadlines, School: Virginia / Darden

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Admissions Tip: Don’t Talk About Money

In reviewing thousands of MBA application essays in the Clear Admit office, we see many ‘classic’ mistakes being made by applicants. Although we could fill pages and pages with these ‘red flags’, we thought we’d share one in particular today:

Money
It may sound obvious, but ‘money’ is a tricky subject in the MBA admissions process. While it is fine to talk about money as it relates to a work-related accomplishment (doubling profits for your firm, reducing costs, increasing revenues, etc.), applicants should leave money out of the ‘why MBA’ picture. In other words, it is a major mistake to openly state that your interest in the MBA is motivated by a desired increase in earning power (just as it would be a mistake to state that your interest in a program is related to their ranking - but that’s a topic for another blog entry).

Money is one of those topics that is simply difficult for many applicants to navigate. For example, it can be a good idea to talk about ‘paying your way’ through undergraduate college/university by working because this demonstrates commitment to education and a high level of maturity. At the same time, mentioning that your choice of an employer was motivated by a desire to ‘earn lots of money’ (and pay off those student loans) would be inappropriate.

This is clearly a nuanced issue, but the advice we’ve provided here should help you exercise appropriate judgment and stay on the right path.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:27 am in Admissions Tips

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Article: Europe Gaining Ground?

There was an interesting opinion piece in the International Herald Tribune yesterday that discussed increases in applicant volume at many continental European MBA programs.

In short, the author puts forth a thesis that MBA programs on the continent are becoming more and more attractive to international students for the following reasons:

1) European programs “address the international profile requirements” that global firms are looking for by bringing together a truly international class.

2) Student visas are more readily available in Europe than they are in the US or the UK.

3) There is a perception that “the role of the US as the leading economy is diminishing, while Europe is on the rise”.

Here in the Clear Admit offices, we’ve also noticed that several European MBA programs have picked up steam and increased enrollment, but we’re not so sure that the article cites the right reasons for this growth.

We’d argue that the growth that many European MBA programs have experienced can be attributed to the following reasons:

1) Many of the international (English language) MBA programs in Europe are relatively new. Marketing efforts to build brand and attract candidates have begun to pay off.

2) The 1-year European MBA makes many European programs seem more appealing (less time, less money).

3) There is a perception that visas might be harder to come by in the US and UK (post-9/11).

As for the third point, this was true for a period of time in 2001-2002, but since that time both countries have dramatically reduced the waiting time/approval processes for visas.

Finally, in terms of the article’s comments on the economic strength of the European Union, we’re not exactly sure that there is any economic evidence for Europe being ‘on the rise’ in terms of GDP, employment rates, and lowering the cost of doing business.

For the full text of the article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/18/opinion/reurope.html

# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:13 pm in MBA News

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Article: Yale Daily News Weighs In On BW Ranking

The Yale Daily News has published an article covering the Yale SOM’s latest results in the BusinessWeek rankings:

The Yale School of Management dropped eight places in a national ranking released this week by BusinessWeek magazine, but University officials said the survey is an anomaly and cited other polls this year in which the SOM has risen….

…SOM Dean Jeffrey Garten said Wednesday he does not think the BusinessWeek poll is as reliable as others, such as the Wall Street Journal or Forbes Magazine studies…

For the full text of the article: http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=26679

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:52 am in School: Yale

Monday, October 18, 2004

Admissions Volume: A New Trend?

The Wharton admissions office has reported a slight up-tick in application volume in round one. They received roughly 1750 applications, which is 2% greater than last year’s R1 volume. While it is clearly too soon to make definitive statements about application volume, our guess is that these initial numbers may be indicative of the 2004-2005 admissions season. Here’s why we think so:

1) The schools are coming off of back-to-back seasons during which they experienced declines of 10-20% in admissions volume. In essence, the ‘admissions bubble’ that engulfed the 1999-2001 seasons has burst, bringing admissions levels back to more typical levels.

2) Unlike 2003, this year has not been marked by such sharp declines in GMAT test taker volume. In fact, domestic GMAT volume looks like it has begun to stabilize. This suggests that application volume will likely remain flat.

3) The job market looks very different for the class of 2004 than it did for the class of 2002. Prospective applicants have taken note of increases in hiring numbers at the business schools and may opt to pursue an MBA as a result.

Of course, these trends are very hard to predict, and what happens in Wharton’s first round may not be the same as what happens everywhere else. Needless to say, an up-tick at Wharton likely means that the ‘freefall’ in application volume at the top schools is over.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:52 am in MBA News

Friday, October 15, 2004

Sign Up For Today’s Free Online Workshop!

Today at 2 PM (EST) we’ll be discussing MBA admissions and GMAT strategies with our friends at Manhattan GMAT. Join us in the discussion, by signing up for this free online event:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/EventShow.cfm?EID=3&eventID=253

This is a must for anyone applying looking at ’round 2′ deadlines or prepping for the GMAT.

FREE Virtual GMAT/MBA Strategy Intro
Cost: $0.00
10/15/04
Time: Friday, 2:00 - 3:30PM (Eastern Time)
Location: Virtual - follow the link above!

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:03 am in General

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Free GMAT and Admissions Strategy Workshop!

Clear Admit’s co-founder, Graham Richmond, has been invited to co-host a free online seminar this Friday with Zeke Vanderhoek, the founder and CEO of Manhattan GMAT.

During this online workshop, we’ll be discussing MBA admissions and GMAT strategies. This is a great event for anyone applying to business school or embarking on GMAT study. You’ll get free advice on the GMAT and critical inside knowledge about the MBA admissions process.

In order to participate, please sign up in advance at the following web site:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/EventShow.cfm?EID=3&eventID=253

Event Details:
FREE Virtual GMAT/MBA Strategy Intro
Cost: $0.00
Event on 10/15/04
Time: Friday, 2:00 - 3:30PM (Eastern Time)
Location: Virtual - link will be provided, Online

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:05 am in General

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Kellogg Live Chat Today

BusinessWeek will be hosting Beth Flye, Director of MBA Admissions at Kellogg, for a live chat today at 11 AM (EST). Tuning in may provide you with information or ideas that lead to a stronger application package for Kellogg’s October 22nd deadline. Although the timing is somewhat rough for those of you facing other deadlines this week, it probably makes sense to take part - especially if Kellogg is high on your list.

Also, stay tuned for a BW chat with INSEAD’s Johanna Hellborg (slated for next week). In the meantime, here’s a link to an interview that Ms. Hellborg gave to GMAC some time ago.
http://www.gmat.org/selections/spring2002/art_of_admissions/hellborg/

# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:43 pm in School: Northwestern / Kellogg

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Admissions Tip: The Optional Essay

Since many of you are coming down the homestretch with your Harvard and Wharton essays, here are a few thoughts on the age-old question: How should I handle the optional essay?

Optional essays are not for everyone. That is, you don’t have to answer them, and in fact, if you don’t have a good reason to, it’s better not to. Remember that, by answering the question, you are asking the Admissions Committee to devote more attention to your application than to an application of someone who stayed within the assigned essays.

You should only make use of this essay if there is something that didn’t fit into the assigned essays, but is very important to the Committee’s picture of you - a significant experience that sheds more light on your candidacy, for instance.

In addition, this is the place to discuss an element of your application that needs explanation - poor grades during one year of college, a below average GMAT or a substantial gap in employment. When describing a shortcoming (low GPA, etc.), be aware that your goal is not to make excuses, rather to be upfront about your weakness and suggest other evidence of your ability (e.g.: “While my GMAT is below the average at school x, I feel that my undergraduate performance is a better indicator of my academic ability…”). This essay should be very brief, as explained above.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:20 am in Admissions Tips

Monday, October 11, 2004

Columbia ED Deadline Today!

Today is the deadline for Columbia’s ED round. This binding admissions round is the only one of its kind amongst the top MBA programs.

The next step in the Columbia ED admissions process is typically an interview invitation (if your file passes the first hurdle). As many of you know, Columbia uses alumni to conduct their interviews. The admissions committee views the interview process as part ‘assessment of the applicant’ and part ’sales pitch for the school’. Here is an excerpt from a memo sent to Columbia alumni interviewers by the adcom:

The purposes of an alumni interview are four-fold:

1. Promoting Columbia Business School by establishing a direct contact between an applicant and an enthusiastic alumnus/a.

2. Informing the applicant, giving him or her an opportunity to ask detailed questions about the CBS program.

3. Providing the Admissions Committee with a valuable evaluation of the candidate.

4. Recruiting admitted students by periodic contact from an alumni interviewer.

For those of you still gathering information on Columbia (either for upcoming interviews or applications in the standard admissions round), there is an excellent summary of a Columbia information session available on the ‘Journey to my MBA’ blog site:
http://daveformba.blogspot.com/2004/10/columbia-info-session.html

Best of luck to everyone submitting applications to Columbia!

# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:02 pm in Deadlines, School: Columbia

Friday, October 08, 2004

Article: BW 2004 Rankings

BusinessWeek published their 2004 MBA rankings yesterday evening. Despite the flurry of MBA rankings out there, BusinessWeek is generally perceived as the ‘gold standard’ in the space (having offered MBA rankings since 1988 - before any other publication).

Here are the top 10 MBA programs for 2004: 1. Kellogg/Northwestern, 2. Chicago GSB, 3. Wharton/UPENN, 4. Stanford, 5. Harvard, 6. U. Michigan, 7. Cornell, 8. Columbia, 9. MIT, 10. Tuck/Dartmouth. For the full listing, click here.

A couple of interesting changes to note since the last BW rankings (2002):

1. The Chicago-area schools continue to hold the top two slots.

2. Harvard fell two spots from #3 to #5, trading places with Wharton, which climbed back up to #3 (thanks to an extremely successful overhaul of their career placement office).

3. Cornell has rocketed into the top 10, placing 7th on the list and pushing down Columbia (#8) and MIT (#9) in the process.

4. Berkeley tumbled from #13 to #17 and perhaps more surprisingly, Yale slipped from #14 to #22.

For the full text of the cover story (must be an MBA Insider or BW subscriber):
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/04_42/B39040442bschools.htm

# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in MBA News

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Article: Economist 2004 Rankings

The Economist has published their 2004 MBA rankings. Here are the top 10 schools: 1. Kellogg/Northwestern, 2. Stanford, 3. Tuck/Dartmouth, 4. Harvard, 5. IMD, 6. Chicago GSB, 7. Columbia, 8. Wharton/UPENN, 9. IESE, 10. NYU/Stern.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these rankings is the following statement included on the ‘methodology’ page:

This year some schools, most notably Harvard and Wharton, made a policy decision to refuse all ranking organisations, including the Economist Intelligence Unit, access to their students and alumni. For a student-centric ranking such as ours, the views of students and alumni are central to our methodology and thus the co-operation of schools in circulating questionnaires is essential. In order to include these schools in the ranking, we have drawn on our extensive database of past responses and included the opinions of students where they would still meet our criteria of having graduated within the last three years.

In other words, it sounds like the survey doesn’t necessarily have very current data from HBS and Wharton. This also suggests that the Economist did not use the same methods as Business Week to gain access to current students (see yesterday’s blog posting). On that note, stay tuned for Business Week’s rankings, which should go live today at around 6 PM (EST).

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:06 am in MBA News

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Wharton and Harvard in BW’s Survey?

According to a recent article published by the Daily Pennsylvanian (U.Penn’s newspaper), over 90% of Wharton and Harvard MBA students were surveyed by BusinessWeek for the 2004 rankings - despite both schools’ official decision to withhold student contact information from the magazine.

In the article, Jennifer Merritt, BW Department Editor, claimed that the magazine had gathered just as much information as they had in the past from both programs, citing that the ranking process was not affected.

Click here to read the article: http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/28/41590eef031a9

Click here to read a GMAC interview with Jennifer Merritt about the role of rankings:
http://www.gmac.com/selections/merritt/

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:33 am in School: Penn / Wharton, School: Harvard

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Article: Chicago GSB Live Chat

BusinessWeek has posted the transcripts from the Chicago GSB live chat. Stacy Cole, Deputy Dean of the full-time program, and Heather Briggs, a second year student, were on hand to take questions. Part of the interview is posted for free at the following link: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/oct2004/bs2004104_4336_bs037.htm

For the full article, you’ll need access to the MBA Insider, which is not a bad investment (given that the MBA rankings are due out this Thursday).

A couple of interesting items of note from the Chicago chat:

1. The school’s current students are upbeat on the recruiting front. Job postings are up 45% this year and the number of on campus recruiters has also increased (by more than a third).

2. If an applicant has a lower undergraduate GPA, it’s a good idea to pursue outside coursework (and do well) in order to compensate. The admissions committee thinks of this as a “great signal”.

3. Aside from navigating rather non-traditional essays, applicants are encouraged to avoid grammatical and spelling mistakes. This sounds like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many people are careless in the application process.

All in all, the interview is a ‘must read’ for those of you considering Chicago’s upcoming deadline (November 12th).

# posted by Clear Admit @ 10:59 am in School: Chicago

Monday, October 04, 2004

Admissions Tip: Deadlines On Deck

We are now heading into the most critical weeks of ’round 1′ application activity. Here are the key deadlines on the horizon:

1. October 11th (Columbia) (early decision)
2. October 13th (Harvard)
3. October 14th (Wharton)
4. October 15th (Cornell/Johnson)(early action)
5. October 18th (Dartmouth/Tuck) (early action)
6. October 22nd (Northwestern/Kellogg)
(Yale, Stanford, UNC and Berkeley follow during the week of October 25th.)

As you plan out the coming weeks, be sure not to overlook the following items:

1. Application Forms: Do not leave the online application forms for the last minute. These forms require a fair amount of data (as well as the occasional short essay). Filling the application forms out in a clear and concise matter is more important than many applicants imagine.

2. Recommendations: While most candidates understand that the essays and application forms are under their control, many forget to double check with their recommenders to ensure that letters are coming in on time. Now is the time to touch base with your recommenders and make sure progress is being made.

3. Official Transcripts, GMAT Scores: While most schools now allow for self-reporting of GMAT scores and transcripts, they still require official records at some point in the process. Be sure that you’ve put in requests for official transcripts as needed and that you have notified ETS of the schools on your list.

4. Essays: While this is typically the area that most people focus on, there are many applicants who have yet to draft essays for schools with deadlines that are just around the corner. Assembling a strong set of essays that support your candidacy does not happen over night. If you are struggling to get down to work on the essays, it can often be a good idea to take a few days off from work and dedicate some serious time to the process. While your job may seem all-consuming at present, it will seem a lot less important if you gain admission to a top school down the road…

There numerous other factors to consider (interviews, campus visits, balancing applications strategically across rounds), but the items above are most critical. Best of luck to everyone who is hard at work on their applications!

# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:58 am in Admissions Tips, Deadlines

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DISCUSSIONS / BLOGS / WIKI

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MBA Admissions Wiki
The 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 Forums
The 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.
StudyLink Forums
Clear Admit manages the Applying section of the StudyLink MBA discussion boards.
student 2 student
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.
Chicago Discussion Forums
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
MBA Students

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.com
Community 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:
    Best of Blogging
2006-2007 Top Ten:
    Best of Blogging
2005-2006 Top Ten:
    Best of Blogging
2004-2005 Top Ten:
    Best of Blogging
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