Posted by Clear Admit on January 11, 2005, at 10:32 am
Posted in:  General , School: Columbia , School: Penn / Wharton With R2 numbers now tallied, the Wharton adcom is reporting stable application volume for the season thus far. The school received 3300 applications in R2, to go along with the 1750 received in R1. This totals 5,050 apps for the year, just 572 applications shy of last year’s total for the three rounds (5,622). See the Wharton admissions blog for details.
While this a good sign for Wharton (since they’ve maintained volume despite the decline in the number of GMAT test takers), our sources indicate that other programs may not be having such solid years. We’ll have to wait until the end of the season to know for sure, but we expect things to remain flat or down a tick across the board. With recruiting signs in the positive, but the 2001-2003 recession still in memory, we’re clearly seeing the “market-lag” admissions effect that we’ve described in this blog before.
On another front, there seems to be a great deal of confusion about Columbia’s admissions process in recent days. Essentially, Columbia has a very simple process, that is somewhat clouded by several caveats and recent changes in policy. Here’s our attempt at demystifying their process:
Basic Process
Columbia offers rolling admissions to their 2-year MBA program. This means that they continuously admit people over the course of the season, as opposed to dividing the admissions period into rounds. This season, candidates can submit their applications anytime from October 12th, 2004 – April 20th, 2005 for consideration in the class of 2007. Applications are processed in the order in which they are received, with applicants receiving decisions within 12 weeks of applying.
Caveats
1) Although applicants can apply anytime from October 12th, 2004 – April 20th, 2005, the school claims that they do not begin reading files until January 10th, 2005*. However, they do stipulate that applications will be processed in the order they are received.
2) International applicants must apply before March 1st, 2005.
3) Any applicant wishing to pursue a merit-based fellowship must apply by January 10th.**
4) The school encourages people to apply sooner rather than later, since the likelihood of admission in March or April decreases (as fewer spots remain in the class).
5) The school also offers a binding early decision (ED) option for applicants who apply between August and early October. Given the time-frame, this option is no longer available this season.
* This year, Columbia began reading applications a bit earlier.
**Due to online application issues, Columbia has extended this deadline until January 12th, 2005.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 10, 2005, at 2:45 pm
Posted in: School: Chicago For those of you who didn’t see this on Friday….
Chicago GSB
Full-Time Program Second-Round Application Update
Due to a tremendous amount of user traffic in the past 48 hours, our system has been significantly slowed in its ability to process all the demands of such high user volume. We are working closely with our external vendor to improve system response, but we have not yet been able to decrease the response time to an adequate performance level. Therefore, we have extended our second round deadline to noon (CST) on Wednesday, January 12. Thank you for your patience.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 10, 2005, at 11:21 am
Posted in: School: Columbia There has been an interesting development at Columbia Business School. Last week, the admissions committee began issuing interview invites to applicants applying in the rolling decision period (RD). This is notable, since according to their web site, the application review period for rolling admissions does not start until January 10th (today). Obviously, with the committee issuing invites pre-January 10th, it’s clear that they have gotten a bit of a headstart on the RD review process…
In other news, the January edition of Stanford’s Admissions Newsletter is now available online. Of particular note is the Director’s Corner, where Derrick Bolton discusses the meaning of diversity at Stanford.
Finally, this week looks to be another busy one, with deadlines for CMU, UVA/Darden, Yale, UNC/Kenan-Flagler, Cornell and NYU. Best of luck to everyone working on their applications!
Posted by Clear Admit on January 7, 2005, at 1:25 pm
Posted in: General Since we’ve been running Clear Admit for several years, we have a sizeable group of former clients who are either currently attending the top MBA programs or already back out in the work force post-MBA. One of the greatest aspects of our contact with Clear Admit alumni is that they help us to keep our finger on the pulse of the job market.
In assembling the various tidbits we’ve picked up in recent weeks, one thing has become clear: recruiting at the top b-schools is taking off. One of our alums described the scene at Wharton, emphasizing that all the banks and consulting firms are recruiting big time, signing bonuses are back and many second year students have multiple offers.
This sentiment has recently been reflected in the following articles:
MBAs Are Rebounding in a Major Way – Arizona Business Gazette
Recruiting Is on the Rise at Many Top B-Schools – WSJ College Journal
Consulting Firms Court New M.B.A. Recruits – WSJ College Journal
MIT Sloan MBAs Feeling Better About Job Prospects – MIT Press Release
Starting M.B.A. Salaries Are on the Rise Again – WSJ College Journal
MBA Recruiting Has Evolved with the Times – Consultant News
Although we’re not yet seeing the boom years of the late 90′s, it’s safe to say that the world of MBA recruiting has pulled itself out of the 2001-2003 slump. Best of luck to all the Clear Admit alumni who are currently going through the recruiting process!
Posted by Clear Admit on January 6, 2005, at 2:58 pm
Posted in: MBA News Although several business school ranking surveys rely heavily on recruiter opinion (WSJ, BusinessWeek, etc.) the Stanford GSB students have potentially turned the rankings system inside-out by developing their own ranking of recruiters. Here’s the explanation from the school’s site:
“Student members of the Career Management Center Committee created the Recruiter Excellence Award this year to honor companies that have shown a high degree of professionalism, creativity, and responsiveness in recruiting Stanford MBAs. Any company that recruited Stanford MBA students, on or off campus, was eligible to receive the honor, which will be awarded annually.”
According to the ranking, PepsiCo, Inc., The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Eli Lilly and Company claimed top honors. Perhaps this is the start of a new trend across the top MBA programs? Stay tuned.
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/2004cmcrecruiteraward.shtml
Posted by Clear Admit on January 5, 2005, at 9:48 am
Posted in: Deadlines , School: Harvard HBS Interview Questions
We’ve had more of our clients report back to us on the latest interview questions in use at Harvard Business School. Here is a sample of some of the questions they’ve seen:-Why do you like doing what you do?
-Why did you take your current position?
-What is your main challenge in your current post? Why?
-Tell me about a recent project at work.
-Where did you learn how to succeed in your current role?
-How do you motivate people to work for you?
-What are your management weaknesses? How will HBS help you with them?
-What challenges might you face at HBS?
-What book have you recently read?
-What motivates you?
-What question do you wished that I had asked?
Deadline Delays for Tsunami
Nearly all of the top MBA programs are offering some deadline flexibility to applicants who have been affected by the terrible events in southern Asia. In most instances, the schools request that applicants contact them directly to obtain permission on a case-by-case basis. Stanford sent an email to applicants offering an extension to January 27th, Chicago also sent out the following email:
—– Original Message —–
From: Ahlm, Kurt
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 3:32 PM
Subject: Chicago GSB Application Reminder
Dear xxxxxxx,
Thank you for your interest in Chicago GSB. This e-mail is just a reminder that our second round application deadline is this Friday, January 7th (11:59 PM, CST). If you are applying for this round we look forward to receiving your application and would like to wish you the very best in this process. Should you have any last minute questions or concerns about your application please contact the admission office at (773) 702-7369 or by e-mail at admissions@ChicagoGSB.edu
Also, in light of the recent events in Southeast Asia, Chicago GSB will be accepting petitions for deadline extensions. These petitions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will only be granted to those who were unable to complete their applications as a direct result of this past weeks events. If you wish to submit a petition please e-mail your request to the admissions account listed above. We will evaluate these requests in the order which they were received.
Best wishes on your application and please let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Kurt Ahlm
Kurt Ahlm
Director, Full-Time Admissions
Chicago GSB
We strongly recommend checking in with the schools and asking for an extension before their official deadlines pass.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 4, 2005, at 9:14 am
Posted in: MBA News Dan Rogers, a first-year MBA student at Harvard Business School, has written an interesting article for the Wall Street Journal’s College Journal publication. As a recent MBA applicant who made the grade at HBS (among other schools), he reports his findings and opinions about what works well in the MBA admissions process and focuses on the ever-important essay writing process.
Although MBA students aren’t always fully aware of how the MBA admissions process works behind the scenes, Mr. Rogers offers some wonderful tips with regards to the marketing approach needed in application essays. As the deadlines draw nearer in R2, it may make sense to give the article a quick read and think about whether or not you are on track with your marketing message…
http://www.collegejournal.com/mbacenter/preparemba/20020916-rogers.html
Posted by Clear Admit on January 3, 2005, at 10:07 am
Posted in: Deadlines As most admissions offices reopen from their holiday break, applicants should expect a flurry of activity. Whether you are interviewing at Harvard this week (R1 applicants), waiting for news from the likes of Kellogg and Cornell or simply racing to meet the upcoming deadlines for R2, the first few weeks of 2005 are literally packed with MBA related deadlines and notifications.
A couple of interesting items we wanted to call your attention to:
1) Brit-Chick, a fellow blogger, has an interesting posting about the courtship process with the schools who have accepted her (Wharton and Kellogg).
2) The Wharton admissions committee has offered some tips on applying in R2. These work nicely with the tips we posted here last week.
3) Dirty_Martini, another blogger (who was accepted at Columbia Business School) has posted an interesting discussion of the MBA admissions process, key traits, etc. Although it’s hard to cover all the nuances of the MBA admissions equation in a single blog posting, she does a great job presenting an overview.
Finally, we’d like to wish a very happy and healthy 2005 to all of our clients and loyal blog readers!
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