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.

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

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Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
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ARCHIVE FOR APRIL 2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

Beat the GMAT Scholarship Deadline

We just wanted to remind our readers that Eric over at Beat the GMAT! is offering two test prep material scholarships, and that the deadline to apply is this Sunday. For those applicants just beginning to tackle the test, this is a great chance to score some great study guides and practice tests.

Details are available here:
http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com/2006/04/just-3-days-left.html

Fridays from the Frontline

Another Friday, another exciting addition of FFF! Let’s begin this week’s look at the MBA blogging world by taking a look at what the students have been up to now that spring is in full swing.

While the internship search has wound down for most, excitement is running high: MargaritaLuvr can’t wait to get started (but first needs to tackle finals at Chicago), Yale student JB was assigned to his top choice project, and GSB blogger Mandar is looking forward to spending the summer in San Francisco. Of course, before the fun over the break can commence, students need to make it through the rest of the semester. The entries about academics over the past few days have really run the gamut of excitement, from Noelle’s account of a typical Thursday at IESE to Buckyhoo’s thoughts on his upcoming trip to India for a class at UNC. In between, L’Optimiste comments on his classes this period at INSEAD, Jeff D plans out the last few weeks at Brandeis, Dirty Martini considers the relationship between masochism and procrastination with respect to Chicago finals and Harry evaluates his situation during the final week of class at Fuqua.

In addition to academics and summer plans, there’s been a fair amount of buzz about the on-campus goings on. Yale’s welcome weekend helped JB shift his perspective from studying to students at the SOM, while Mark pondered the implications of the new dean for the future of HBS. While an incoming class and administrative changes point to long term changes, other students focused on the impact of one time events, as rsr.pt enjoyed Richard Branson’s talk at LBS, Sam seems to have gotten a lot out of listening to a recent speaker at MIT, and Buckyhoo writes of looking forward to a performance by Kenan-Flagler’s Follies (while Chicago’s group of the same name earned a mention in the WSJ).

While the semester and even school in general are drawing to an end for the students, many applicant bloggers are focused on new beginnings. For some this means sorting out the logistics of relocation, saying “so long” to the work place with mixed emotions (or to mixed reactions) or refining (and even rethinking) career goals, but the most popular topic of conversation has been admit weekends and the programs themselves. Brownoski spent the week weighing the pros and cons of Wharton, MIT and Yale (and shares some great pictures from his visits), and MBA Spanky continues to deliberate between Duke and UCLA after recounting his trip to Anderson in extensive detail. Most others were a bit more sold on their programs following their campus visits: C’est La Vie was impressed with Yale’s faculty and students, WheresMyDessert has made her decision after visiting both Sloan and Stern (we know where she’s headed, but at her request, you’ll have to read for yourself to learn the result), and Resolute is enjoying pre-term at ISB. There’s been much talk of Tuck this week, as Vatsa was struck by Dartmouth’s close-knit community, SgHama sent his deposit and made his Tuckie status official, and Benny provides a detailed account of a fun ASW.

Though the news was not all good this week, those dealing with less positive situations are doing so gracefully. Brownoski’s Yale admit softened the blow of an MIT waitlist ding, and Alex waits patiently for news from Columbia or Harvard. Meanwhile, BoB champ MBA Jackass continues his good-natured postmortem of unsuccessful applications with posts on how not to get into Columbia and Stanford, and Ash follows suit with thoughts about the factors leading to his HBS rejection.

Finally, at Marina’s request (prompted by her need to prep for an upcoming GMAC panel), AynRand2008 considered her reasons for blogging and I_Will_Make_It considered this topic as well as her reasons for seeking an MBA. Whatever the motivation, we’re glad that so many bloggers are sharing their ideas and insights with others. Thanks to everyone for keeping us entertained and informed, this week and always! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Columbia Deadlines 2006-2007

For early bird applicants who are trying to get a sense of next year’s application timeline and happen to have Columbia on their list, the school has already released its deadlines for the 2006-2007 admissions season:

January 2007 Accelerated Program
Application Review Began: April 24, 2006
Decision Period: Within 8 weeks of submission
Application Deadline: October 11, 2006

September 2007 Early Decision
Application Review Begins: August 16, 2006
Decision Period: Within 10 weeks of submission
Application Deadline: October 11, 2006

September 2007 Regular Decision
Application Review Begins: January 10, 2007
Decision Period: Within 12 weeks of submission
Application Deadline: March 1 (international applicants) or April 18 (US-based applicants)

While the rolling nature of the school’s process gives applicants a fair amount of leeway and makes this school an easy one to fit in among programs with more rigid application deadlines, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s always best to apply as early as possible in one’s target round, both to show the school that you are making it a priority and to get your application in the hands of the adcom before they’ve given away too many seats in the incoming class.

For those targeting the J-term, it looks as though the essays are identical to this those from the past season. There will also be an essay asking why the applicant has elected to apply for the accelerated program. The key to this response is to convince the adcom that a summer internship would not be necessary to achieve one’s career goals (this particular option tends to work better for those who are seeking to move more quickly along their current career path than for those aiming to switch industry and/or function), and to explain why the accelerated timeframe makes the most sense.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome back to Which School Wednesdays, a column we recently introduced to highlight content from blogs, our wiki and various discussion boards in which applicants, students and even alums are sharing their reasons for applying to or attending various MBA programs. Our objective is to identify valuable sources of school-specific information and help prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

Particularly noteworthy is a new addition to the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki in which an applicant details the way Wharton won her over when the program was initially not even on her radar screen. Preparing to apply after taking an advisor’s advice to investigate the program, she learned that one can learn a good deal about the prevailing attitude and pressing issues at a school by sitting back and taking in the candid opinions of current students:

“While researching the school, I became engrossed in the student diaries on the site, and in particular, I was intrigued by the grade nondisclosure debate. The many arguments in favor of grade nondisclosure convinced me that Wharton students really do value a cooperative culture, and the school’s willingness to host public debate convinced me that Wharton has the confidence in itself and its students to let the world witness its family squabble. By the time I finished my application, I still wasn’t sure that Wharton was the school for me, but I’d developed a respect for the open and straightforward culture of the school.”

Another recent contributor to the wiki explains the many factors that led him to settle on Darden, and applicant blogger FM has written a post detailing the factors that led him to target LBS as his first choice. He makes one especially interesting comment on the benefit of attending a program with a highly diverse group of peers as opposed to counting on connections with far-flung alumni:

“Becoming friends with people from all over the world (70% non US/UK) will ensure a life long network of places to visit, jobs to access, and cultures to experience. This shouldn’t be mistaken for looking up alumni - these will be people you personally know and have shared amazing experiences with.”

The value of connections with peers and classmates aside, alumni ties are a very significant consideration for many applicants. Though many focus on the number of living alumni, one Stanford aspirant on the BW boards made a nice point about this topic a few weeks ago:

“Strength of alumni network does not correlate to size. University of Phoenix would otherwise win this one hands down. You sacrifice alumni network responsiveness as you increase the size of the network. (By the way, HBS class size is almost 900, not 800). My brother graduated from HBS in ‘03 and he can tell you that the responsiveness of the HBS alumni network — while not bad — is not as good as he expected. He also mentioned that the huge size of HBS made him feel a little lost in the crowd at times. Places like Tuck and Stanford have a much higher sense of community both on campus and among their alumni as a result of their much smaller sizes.”

While some have made up their minds, others are still deliberating based on their own instincts and others’ input. After attending admitted students functions at both Duke and Anderson and considering the pros and cons of each program, blogger MBA Spanky is still in a state of deliberation as to whether to prioritize academics or post-MBA opportunities. Similar quandaries abound on the Business Week message boards, as applicants consider their career goals in debating whether to reapply, or find themselves evaluating existing options anew in light of a change of future plans.

That concludes another edition of Which School Wednesdays. As always, those applicants looking for personal advice on where to apply or enroll based on their priorities and goals are welcome to contact us directly or post an inquiry in our Business Week thread or the Studylink forum. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

MBA News: Harvard Appoints New Dean

Earlier this week, it was announced that Jay Light, who has been the acting dean of Harvard Business School since Kim Clark’s departure last August, has been appointed to the post on a permanent basis. It sounds as though Light is eminently qualified for the position and has the support of the school’s faculty, but this move comes as a bit of a surprise, as one would not expect the University’s president to be making appointments when he is himself on the way out. The Harvard Crimson reports that Summers had this to say on the timing:

“The judgment that we reached collectively was that, since I had been extensively engaged in a search process and had a large number of conversations with members of the Business School community, that it would be best for me to complete the search.”

It’s reported that Light worked closely with Clark while the latter was at Harvard, and that he expects his tenure to be “more similar than different” in terms of direction and priorities for the program. Further information on the new HBS dean’s background and future plans can be found in the press:

Boston Globe - Fact sheet on Jay Light
Boston Globe - Harvard names dean of business school
Harvard Crimson - Acting Dean Promoted to Lead B-School
Financial Times - New HBS Dean to focus on globalisation

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Best of Blogging 2005-2006 Results!

Putting an end to weeks of anticipation, the votes have been tallied and we are pleased to announce the results of our second annual Best of Blogging Awards! For anyone just tuning in, the twofold aim of this ranking is to highlight the best MBA applicant and student blogs documenting the 2005-2006 admissions season and school year, and identify valuable sources of information for the next wave of applicants.

We arrived at the ranking for both the applicant and student categories after careful evaluation of the eligible blogs by Clear Admit staff and consideration of input from the nominated bloggers and celebrity judges Rose Martinelli, Dave (of blogging fame) and Brad Garrison (a.k.a. Hella). Below are the listing of the top ten applicant and top ten student blogs overall that we’ve compiled based on this feedback, as well as the winners in a handful of more specific categories.

And the BoB goes to …

Top 10 Applicant Blogs
1. MBA Jackass - http://mbajackass.blogspot.com
2. Marina - http://electrizze.blogspot.com
3. Forrest Gump - http://run-forrest.blogspot.com
4. Pupstar78 - http://taketwobskool.blogspot.com
5. Axechick - http://axechick.blogspot.com
6. Sorebrek - http://holymba.blogspot.com
7. Angel Angie - http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com
7. I_Will_Make_It - http://iwillmakeit-mba.blogspot.com
9. Redwolf056 - http://redwolf056.blogspot.com
10. Vatsa - http://vatsaview.blogspot.com

Funniest Applicant Blog
Sorebrek

Best GMAT Preparation Advice
Axechick

Best School Selection Advice
Vatsa

Best Essay Advice
Axechick

Best Interview Preparation Advice
MBA Jackass

Best Single Post by an Applicant
Sorebrek - “Love and Other Maladies,” March 7, 2006

Top 10 Student Blogs
1. Marquis (Stanford) - http://marquisweblog.blogspot.com
2. Poweryogi (Chicago) - http://poweryogi.blogspot.com
3. KV (LBS) - http://usatolbs.blogspot.com
4. FutureMBAGirl (Wharton) - http://futurembagirl.blogspot.com
4. The Divine Miss N (LBS) - http://thedivinemissn.blogspot.com
6. Vijay (ISB) - http://itheabsolute.blogspot.com
7. Wakechick (Chicago) - http://wakechick.blogspot.com
8. NoellieBellie (IESE) - http://spanishnoelle.blogspot.com
9. Jerry Blank (Yale) - http://flatpointmba.blogspot.com
10. Olivier (INSEAD) - http://oliviermineau.blogspot.com

Funniest Student Blog
Poweryogi

Best Resource for Applicants
The Divine Miss N

Best Job/Internship Advice
Marquis

Best Representation of Academics
Marquis

Best Representation of Student Life
KV

Best Single Post by a Current Student
Poweryogi - “GND = Gracias, Non-Disclosure?” November 11, 2005

We’d like to convey our congratulations to everyone whose blog has been recognized, and express our gratitude for your valuable contribution to the space! We’ll be getting in touch via email with the top three bloggers in each overall list today or tomorrow to work out the logistics of selecting and collecting their prizes. Top-ranked bloggers MBA Jackass and Marquis will have their pick of an iPod Nano or a $250 Amazon.com gift certificate, and Marina, Forrest Gump, Poweryogi and KV can opt for a subscription to either Business Week or The Economist: our way of saying thank you for keeping us and their peers enlightened and entertained over the past months.

Thanks also go out to everyone who participated in the ranking process and made this year’s BoB Awards a success; this would not have been possible without the input of our panel of experts and the blogging community at large. We’re looking forward to another great year of content detailing the application process and MBA experience - happy reading and writing!

Monday, April 24, 2006

Admissions Tip: Resume Pointers

A few weeks ago, we published an entry to inform Class of 2009 applicants about the merits of beginning work on one’s resume early in the season. To follow up on those comments, we wanted to offer some general tips on getting the most mileage out of this document in the admissions process.

1) First things first. Because you’re applying to graduate school and because the adcom will be seeking an understanding of your experiences since finishing college, it makes sense to lead this document with a section detailing your academic history. This is also the format that many business schools’ career offices instruct students to use when applying for internships or full-time post-graduation jobs.

2) Keep it simple. While you’ll certainly want to describe your professional responsibilities and achievements in some detail, remember that this document needs to fit on a single page (with only rare exceptions). Rather than overwhelming the reader with information, try to identify three or four discrete projects or accomplishments to complement a few concise statements about your more general day to day responsibilities in each position. Remember that it’s also important to be as specific as possible about the impact you’ve had on your organization by quantifying the results of your efforts.

3) Round it out. Don’t discount the importance of your interests and outside activities. Schools like applicants who are well-rounded and demonstrate a track record of involvement outside of work and the classroom, so formal extracurricular activities are a logical category to include. At the same time, information about your less structured information and hobbies is also relevant, as these details can lend some more color to your candidacy and help the adcom get to know you better. Remember to be as specific as possible; many business school applicants are interested in “travel” or “film,” so specifying a region you especially enjoy visiting or your favorite movie genre will be the key to setting yourself apart.

We hope that these general guidelines serve as a good starting point for ‘Class of 2009′ applicants in translating their experiences and achievements into this important but brief document. For more tailored guidance, contact us now to learn more about the Clear Admit Resume Guide and our free initial assessments.

Friday, April 21, 2006

BoB Celebrity Judges!

Following up on today’s edition of Fridays From the Frontline, a popular topic in the MBA blogosphere these past few weeks has been our upcoming Best of Blogging Awards (the BoBs). Whether it’s been announcements of their own nominations or reflections on their favorite peers, we’ve been thrilled to read the BoB buzz and see applicants and students getting excited. To keep the momentum going, we wanted to take some time to profile the Celebrity Judges for this year’s competition:

Dave: A veteran applicant blogger and fourth place finisher in last year’s BoBs, Dave has transformed his site from an account of his personal experiences into one of the web’s more comprehensive resources on all things MBA. Having played a significant role in the applicant community for two years now, he’s in a great position to weigh in on the top writers and resources among this year’s nominees.

Brad Garrison (a.k.a. Hella): A second year student at Wharton, Brad has not only blogged his way through business school, but also hosts aggregated lists of the latest posts by MBA applicant, student and alum bloggers on his site. He’s also spent the past year as a Graduate Assistant in the Wharton admissions office, giving him an up to date perspective on the applicant experience to complement his student viewpoint.

Rose Martinelli: Currently the Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions at the Chicago Graduate School of Business, Rose spent five years as the Director of Admissions at Wharton before making the move to Hyde Park last year. It was during her tenure that Wharton introduced the Admissions Blog and student diaries, creating the transparency in the admissions process that’s been lauded and appreciated by prospective students for years. In her short time at Chicago, the school has embraced student bloggers and launched discussion forums as well.

We’re looking forward to reviewing the input from these three guest participants, as well as the votes from the nominated bloggers. Be sure to check back next Tuesday, April 25th, for this year’s Best of Blogging results!

Fridays from the Frontline

Spring has most definitely sprung here in Philadelphia! In this season of new beginnings, this week’s edition of FFF opens with a look at a few reapplicant bloggers who are taking a fresh perspective and different approach to the application process.

For several, this means going back to the drawing board with the GMAT; it’s great to hear that B-School Diva is having a very positive experience with test prep and that ChillPill is staying focused while he finds his stride. Not everyone is planning to retake, though, and it sounds as though MBA Pundit is on the right track with his plan to focus on the extracurricular element of his candidacy for the time being and begin the application process in earnest come June. First time applicants and reapps alike will want to keep an eye out for the great advice being offered by those who’ve already been through the process. LBS-bound Moe offers some high level advice for applicants, Ash shares the approach he took to his ultimately successful Stanford Essay A, Poweryogi relates an effective waitlist strategy that scored him a Chicago admit (and which might be applicable to Anand’s Tepper WL situation), and Hella draws from a season of conducting interviews at Wharton to provide future applicants with some general tips.

While aspiring Class of 2009 bloggers are deciding on their application strategy, many accepted Class of 2008 bloggers are busy determining which school to attend. Alex continues to wrestle with the INSEAD/Haas dilemma and a full ride from UNC has made MBA Spanky’s decision process more interesting, while SgHama emerges from a hiatus of working and admissions agonizing to announce that Tuck won out over Chicago. Others who have made their choice reflect on the reasons, as FM explains the appeal of LBS, AynRand2008 lists her Emory likes, and Chicago student Le Voyageur recounts the factors that led him to choose the GSB (last year). Admitted student events continue to play a role in applicants’ thinking, as Resolute enjoyed interacting with alums at ISB orientation, Axechick emerged from the CBS Open House with increased excitement about her school and classmates, and TheSharkB8 enjoyed his taste of the Wharton community (Melissa is more focused on the cheesesteaks) at the Welcome Weekend. Speaking of community, in addition to considering their feelings about their ultimate destinations (Kellogg and Columbia, respectively), MBAJ and Marina each offer their take on a recent blogger meetup in NYC - sounds like a great time!

On the student blogger front there’s also some fun being had - JB describes the annual Yale SOM talent show, Noelle recaps what sounds like an exciting trip to Romania on break from IESE and IESE MBA 2007 shares some pictures from an adventure in Spain - but for the most part, it’s back to business as usual. Death Spiral comments that recruiters are showing up in force to interview INSEAD students and shares his own progress, and it sounds as though his classmate Olivier has found some promising leads during his time on exchange at Wharton. Also on the internship front, KV takes some time to share interview preparation tips for the benefit of other students.

While bloggers at various schools are in disparate places in their respective semesters (Sam is just beginning a new course at MIT while FutureMBAGirl is down to her very last class at Wharton) academics remain a consistent topic of discussion. Dirty Martini is sadly under the weather but sounds confident that she can conquer finals at CBS, Keven raises an interesting point about reputation and study groups at Wisconsin, Hella talks about take home tests at Wharton, and Nate reflects on the effectiveness of Michigan’s MAP program in simulating that thing called reality. Best of luck to everyone in finishing up with the semester!

That does it for this week’s edition, later today we will be publishing information about the celebrity judges for the upcoming Best of Blogging Awards.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Call for BoB Ballots

We just wanted to remind those applicant and student bloggers who are in the running for this year’s Best of Blogging awards that their ballots are due by the end of the day tomorrow (Friday, April 21st). While a good portion of the nominees have sent in their ballots, we’d like to have the input from as many members of the blogging community as possible, so we hope that those of you who have not yet sent in your votes will find the time to weigh in. Completed ballots and last minute ballot requests from nominees can be sent to bestofblogging@clearadmit.com.

Early next week, we’ll be tabulating the votes from nominated bloggers (50% weighting), Clear Admit staff and our panel of celebrity judges (25% weighting for each group), and announcing the overall ranking and six prize winners on April 25th. The second and third place bloggers in the student-blogger top 10 and applicant-blogger top 10 rankings will receive a one year subscription to Business Week or The Economist (their choice), and the two top-ranked bloggers (one student, one applicant) will be given the option of an iPod Nano or a $250 Amazon.com gift certificate.

We’ll be announcing the celebrity judges in tomorrow’s edition of Fridays from the Frontline, so stay tuned as the details of the contest continue to unfold!

MBA Trends: Hiring with an International Eye

It’s become clear over the past few months that job opportunities and salaries are on the rise for recent business school graduates. While all signs would seem to indicate that now is a great time to pursue an MBA, it’s also important to think about what recruiters are looking for and consider whether there are steps one could take before attending business school to increase their job prospects after completing the program. A recent article in Fortune highlights some important hiring trends, focusing primarily on the reality of globalization and the increasing importance of international experience to future business success:

“It’s really a marked difference from just a few years ago. Now, the big U.S. tech companies, investment banks, consulting firms, and consumer-goods companies are trying to find people who can function globally. An MBA with overseas work experience, or familiarity with one or more foreign markets, has a real advantage. That person can probably choose among several great job opportunities.

And of course, if you’re going to move up, as most MBAs expect to, global experience is a must. If I had a college-age or graduate-school-age child right now, I’d try to encourage him or her to spend a year or a semester in China, or in India.”

This Q&A with a post MBA career expert also touches on what sort of firms hire at which schools, and what skills are in highest demand.

The full text is available at:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/17/news/economy/annie/fortune_mba_work/index.htm

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Hello and welcome to the very first edition of “Which School Wednesdays,” a new weekly column in which we’ll be highlighting new and noteworthy web content relating to applicants’ thinking and decisions about which MBA programs they’ll apply to or attend. Closely related to the School Choices section of the Clear Admit Wiki, this new feature is being introduced with the hope that reading about others’ rationale will help applicants learn from the experiences of people who have been in their position, and perhaps lead them to consider elements they had not yet taken into account as they determine which schools to target and which admissions offer to accept.

A few weeks ago, blogger Nick Carraway posted an excellent entry about the factors that led him to choose to attend Fuqua over Sloan. While the allure of the MIT brand and network are undeniable, it’s also true that more immediate elements like geography and family ties are legitimate concerns as well. This post does an excellent job of explaining the way some “intangible” and relatively minor considerations that one might argue should not form the basis of such a major decision actually amount to a very significant advantage for Duke:

“Little factors, like North Carolina’s amazing weather, make a big difference on your overall quality of life. Also, my family is within driving distance of Durham, so my child might actually know her grandparents. Plus, Fuqua has amazing facilities and the most supportive partners program at any top B-school.

They say ‘Don’t make your decision based on the facilities… Or the weather… Or the housing… Or the location.’ Sage advice indeed, but at what point do all of those things add up to one very important factor? Duke just seems to have them all.”

Similarly, blogger AynRand2008 goes beyond the “normal” considerations to get to the heart of the quality of life question in choosing between Emory and Texas. Geography was less of an issue for MJ in making the call concerning Duke and Darden, as this blogger focused more closely on more basic issues of teaching method and preparedness for his goals. This excerpt is a great example of one person’s ability to assess his fit with a program based on self-knowledge and practical considerations:

“While I absolutely loved the case method class at Darden, I have to bear in mind that I was a silent participant which is very different from being in that class. Having never had any form of education based solely on the case method, I can’t be sure how I would react to it (Darden is 100% case based). Will I be able to put my inhibitions (such as thinking something is too silly to bring up or thinking something is too obvious or becoming self conscious) behind me and be able to be an active participant in class every single day? Class participation is a major part of the grades at Darden. One of the things I hope to gain from B school is to be able to go out of my comfort zone. To be able to challenge myself. I do not think questioning whether this teaching method is best from me, qualifies under shirking a challenge.”

Meanwhile, other applicants are still grappling with this decision, and turning to others for advice through the Business Week Forum and other channels, often creating a positive and productive discussion. In a thread started by an applicant deciding between Chicago and Columbia, the impressions of fellow applicants to and current students at the programs in question resulted in the original poster arriving at a much clearer articulation of the pros and cons of each school and the essence of the matter at hand:

“The most important criteria to me is how well the school will prepare me and position me to make a career transition to the buy side, and I know that there are several factors that drive this. I also know that I must be proactive, take initiative, and network in order to get that great IM/HF job I’m looking for, but certainly the school helps open the doors to those opportunities. The dilemma I face is that in the area of prestige/brand/reputation, particularly for finance and jobs on the buy side, Chicago appears to have a slight edge; however, Columbia wins for location, because the majority of HFs are in NY and CT, thus facilitating networking opportunities. I’ve also heard similar comments with regard to selecting Chicago if I am interested in quant asset mgmt.

So, the question becomes: do you choose the school with a slightly better brand (which, in turn, may open a few more doors for you) or the school where you can network with more firms more easily?”

That concludes this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays. Those applicants looking for personal advice on where to apply or enroll based on their priorities and goals are welcome to contact us directly or post an inquiry in our Business Week thread or the Studylink forum. If you have made your mind up about where you are going, it would be great if you could contribute your insights to School Choices section of the wiki.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Admissions Tip: Engaging the Community

In keeping with our recent string of posts written with the aim of setting class of 2009 applicants on the right path, we wanted to offer some tips on engaging the community of one’s target programs. Communicating with b-school insiders can be beneficial for a number of reasons; in addition to learning about a given school and your potential fit, you’ll also generate material for your essays, demonstrate your interest in the program, and perhaps even make an ally or two. In launching your communication campaign, there are a few key groups to whom you should reach out:

Current Students - People who are currently enrolled in a given program can obviously provide the clearest picture of the current state of the school and community and help you to understand the overall culture, as well as the academic and extracurricular options available to students. In addition to reaching out to friends and acquaintances who are studying at a given school, it’s also wise to get in touch with the leaders of clubs and programs in which you are interested (their contact information is generally available through the website). This will help you to understand the impact you could make while on campus and provide a sounding board for various ideas you might have for a certain student group or organization.

Alumni - While students offer a great view of the program itself, a school’s alumni can often provide the best perspective on just how far an MBA from a given program can get you in a certain field. By meeting with alums who are working in your target post-MBA industry (tracking them down either through your own network or school-sponsored events), you should be able to get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of your target schools in terms of setting you on a course to achieve your career objectives. You might also gain some valuable insight that will help you to refine your career goals and better understand what short-term position would best prepare you for your long-term plan.

Faculty - The professors at business school tend to be a bit less accessible than students and alums, but if you’ve identified someone whose research interests you or sat in on a class that you found particularly interesting, there’s no harm in sending a note to let the faculty member know that you find his or her work appealing and would like to speak if possible. These individuals responsible for designing and teaching the curriculum can offer great insight into the specific skills and lessons you would learn from one class to the next, and help you to refine your understanding of the ways that an MBA would bridge the gap between your current skills and those you will need to achieve your goals.

Hopefully, this has given Class of 2009 aspirants a sense of the people to contact and the sort of questions to ask as they go about determining which MBA programs would be the best fit given their goals and other criteria. For more tailored guidance on what sort of programs you might consider, feel free to contact us for a free initial consultation.

Monday, April 17, 2006

MBA Trends: Yale SOM Up 11%

The Yale Daily News is reporting that the Yale School of Management (SOM) saw an 11% increase in application volume this season (2,272 applications vs. last year’s total of 2,032). In addition to this fact, the admissions office aimed to decrease the number of students in next year’s class by 20% in order to keep things manageable as the SOM rolls out their new curriculum for the incoming class. These stats clearly led to tougher admissions odds for Yale applicants who applied this past season. Given the increase in application volume that seems to be taking hold across many of the top MBA programs, we expect things to remain competitive going forward.

In a related story (also from the Yale Daily News), there were a total of 21,099 applicants to Yale University (undergraduate) this year. With only 1,823 gaining admission, Yale recorded their lowest acceptance rate in history (8.6%) and the lowest across the Ivy League (Harvard undergrad admitted 9.3%). The interesting link between undergraduate admissions and MBA admissions is how the explosion of undergraduate application volume over the last few years will ultimately trickle out into the MBA pool. The ‘baby boomer’ children are clearly beginning to filter into the MBA pipeline, and this influx - coupled with a solid hiring market for MBA grads - is likely to fuel further increases in MBA application volume going forward.

For more information on admissions trends and the demographics that seem to be dictating the rising numbers, see the following articles:

College Applications on the Rise, and So Are Rejections (ABC News)
“Educators cite several reasons for the record number of applications, including more aggressive outreach by admissions offices, demographic changes that put more 18-year-olds in the college pipeline, and the increased competition at all levels of education.”

What Selectivity Means for You (CollegeBoard.com)
“The increase comes from a surge in births during the 1980s. Children of the baby boomers are coming of age. Experts predict applications will continue to rise faster than openings at most colleges through about 2010.”

Friday, April 14, 2006

Fridays from the Frontline

Another week, another edition of FFF! The talk among applicants this week has been focused on decisions, both their own and those being made by the schools. In several instances, good news from target programs has posed a complication: a Haas admit forces Alex to weigh the pros and cons of Berkeley and INSEAD, some money from UW made Julius Siezure’s choice between Washington and Anderson a bit trickier, and after turning down a spot on the MIT waitlist and committing to Wharton, WheresMyDessert was surprised when Sloan called her bluff with an admit this week. Meanwhile, MJ breaks the news of his Duke matriculation to Darden down easy, I_Will_Make_It continues to weigh her options and Vatsa ponders his fit with Tuck and Chicago, ultimately deciding to visit both schools before making his choice.

Probably a wise move, as it seems that admit weekends are proving very helpful for other student bloggers. Curious George is Berkeley-bound without reservations after Days at Haas and it sounds like NoKeating would be content at Kelley regardless of what Kellogg decides, whereas MBA Spanky’s experience at UNC reinforced his feeling that Kenan-Flagler is not the school for him. Though she was impressed with the academics and students at UT Austin, AynRand2008 ultimately chose Emory and offers some advice to those still weighing their options. Admitted student functions have also reassured and excited applicants who have already made their decisions. Kilgore Trout enjoyed his time at Austin and has moved on from school selection to real estate considerations, Resolute had a great meal with a group of ISB admits, MGalBlue seems very enthusiastic about Ross after attending the Go Blue! Rendezvous, and Marina provides a very detailed account of her complete Columbia open house experience. It sounds as though Redwolf056 had a blast at Days at Kellogg, and MBAJ relates a humorous brisket debacle and considers the program’s academics and extracurriculars.

As for Class of 2009 bloggers, school selection and GMAT preparation are currently the hot topics. Those just gearing up for the admissions process might want to look into the Beat the GMAT discussion forum and prep material scholarship (essay questions now available), and be sure to learn from the experiences of those who’ve gone before. FooBarMe and MBAJ have both written thoughtful posts about things they wish they’d done better.

This week, current students have been writing largely about excitement and/or travel. Noelle is on her way from Barcelona to Romania for spring break, LBS student KV is heading to USC and George is excited to be heading to New York on exchange from IESE, while Dirty Martini is newly enthused about her own ongoing Columbia experience. Indeed, even those who are staying put have a good deal to look forward to, as Le Voyageur is loving econ at Chicago, Nate is already eager to take part in next year’s welcome weekend at Ross, and both rsr.pt and the Divine Miss N sound excited about the next big name speaker at LBS.

Others look to the future with more mixed emotions. Some are feeling the heat as the semester draws to a close (Buckyhoo is under the gun at UNC as he continues the internship search and Death Spiral continues the job hunt at INSEAD), while Marquis is surprisingly relaxed about his last semester course load at Stanford, Mark is reflective as things wind down at HBS, and Future MBA Girl is grateful for the opportunities she’s had at Wharton. While business school is drawing to a close for some, it’s already ended for others; we were glad to read that Bharani had a great time before graduation from ISB, and that Vijay plans to continue blogging beyond his MBA experience.

That does it for this week; here’s wishing everyone a good weekend and a happy holiday!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Admissions Tip: Crafting Your Resume

Today’s posting is for those of you who are just getting started with the process of applying to b-school for the class of 2009. In addition to conducting some preliminary research on MBA programs in which you might be interested, thinking about how you will go about presenting yourself to these schools is another great thing to be doing in the spring. For this reason, working on your resume (or CV) is an excellent starting point for someone embarking on the MBA admissions process. This is true for the following reasons:

1) Nearly every top school requires a resume. This is usually requested as part of the written application. Even if the school does not request a stand-alone resume, they will usually solicit similar information within their application forms (employment history, educational background, etc). In addition, candidates are often required to bring a resume to their admissions interviews as a starting point for conversation.

2) Crafting a resume can often serve as the creative starting point for candidates who are trying to develop their positioning strategy and career goals for the MBA admissions process. Distilling all of your experiences (educational, professional and extracurricular) into a coherent one-page document can often be an eye-opening exercise. Many applicants find that taking this step helps them to gain a better understanding of their key selling points.

3) Since MBA admissions officers are often asking themselves whether or not a candidate seems likely to gain employment upon completion of the MBA program, the resume can be a great barometer of your potential to market your skills and experiences. Obviously, the MBA itself will add to your resume, but the adcom is still curious to see how well you present your experiences prior to earning the degree. Providing the committee with a polished, coherent resume is a great way to demonstrate your potential appeal to campus recruiters.

4) The often daunting process of MBA admissions has to start somewhere! Many applicants spend too much time thinking about essay questions or worrying about recommendations before they’ve actually defined their overall admissions strategy. This is a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. The resume is a nicely defined ‘first step’ that can truly help a candidate make progress down the path towards application.

For those class of 2009 applicants who are beginning to think about the admissions process, the resume is clearly a great place to start. Contact us now to learn more about the Clear Admit Resume Guide and our free initial assessments.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

MBA Trends: Is “Sales” Still A Dirty Word?

The Wall Street Journal’s ‘College Journal’ site (no subscription required) has published an interesting article on the role of sales in the MBA curriculum. As many have often remarked, sales is typically relegated to a single session of Marketing 101 in business school (with an emphasis on sales management rather than the selling process itself). The WSJ article suggests that there is change in the wind for the sales discipline, citing new sales-focused course offerings at leading programs like Stanford, Harvard and MIT.

The most interesting thing about this subject from an MBA admissions standpoint is the parallel that has traditionally existed between the role of sales/selling in the b-school curriculum (virtually non-existent) and the number of admitted students with pure sales/selling backgrounds (few and far between). In fact, many have said that “sales is a dirty word” in the admissions process, since it connotes an image of the used-car salesman or the solitary, door-to-door variety salesperson. In addition, applicants with pure sales backgrounds are often not viewed in the same light as their peers who’ve pursued banking, consulting, engineering or even “business development” roles with leading firms. The reason for this is that sales jobs are not the preferred path for leading university undergraduates - hence admissions officers view the field with a certain degree of skepticism.

Perhaps the advent of sales and selling courses at leading programs will promote a shift in the admissions offices at these same programs - assuming that b-school professors can successfully pitch the need for former sales employees in the MBA classroom…

In other academic news, the College Journal also recently published an article about the increasing popularity of Game Theory coursework in the MBA curriculum, and it’s somewhat controversial nature.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

BoB Ballots Available

As promised last week when we announced the nominees for this year’s Best of Blogging awards, ballots are now available for the contenders to weigh in with their top picks. Voters will select their three overall favorite blogs in both the student and applicant lists (this will be used to compile the top ten ranking), as well as the funniest blog and the best single post in each group. In addition, we’ll ask voters to identify the blogs that they feel offer the best GMAT advice, the best school selection advice, the best essay advice and best interview preparation advice among the applicant nominees, as well as which student blogs offer the best advice for applicants, the best job/internship advice, the best representation of student life and the most accurate picture of academics at their schools.

While we’ve distributed ballots to the nominated bloggers with contact info in their blogs, we’d like to encourage those nominated bloggers who have not received ballots to contact us at bestofblogging@clearadmit.com and request their ballots if they haven’t already done so. In addition to identifying valuable sources of information for the next generation of MBA applicants and students, they’ll also be doing their peers a favor; as we mentioned when we first published the timeline for the awards, we’re throwing some prizes into the mix this year. The second and third place bloggers in the student-blogger top 10 and applicant-blogger top 10 rankings will receive a one year subscription to Business Week or The Economist (their choice), and the two top-ranked bloggers (one student, one applicant) will be given the option of an iPod Nano or a $250 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Stay tuned for more information about the process and this year’s celebrity judges!

Monday, April 10, 2006

MBA Trends: Turning the Corner?

While the MBA has faced several challenges in recent years, all signs seem to be pointing to a full recovery. For the uninitiated, the 2001-02 admissions cycle was the high-water mark for applicant volume at most leading full-time programs. Shortly thereafter, admissions volume plummeted some 30% across the top schools, as the programs faced a weakened economy (post-dot.com boom) as well as new challenges for recruiting international students (visas were initially hard to come by in the wake of 9/11). In addition to these challenges, some speculated that business scandals (Enron, Worldcom and the like) tarnished the degree, further diminishing applicant volume.

Despite the gloomy picture, last year’s admissions season (2004-05) was the first in several years to suggest a stabilizing trend - with admissions volume remaining constant at many full-time programs (and even growing slightly at a few). It would now appear that the leading programs have turned a corner by building on last year’s positive signs. Over the last six months, this blog has documented increases in GMAT test-taker volume, higher admissions volume at leading programs like Tuck and Chicago and countless stories in the press about an increasingly robust employment scene for MBA graduates. Along those lines, we’d like to highlight two recent articles of note:

1) The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that graduate admissions volume is up this year - with life sciences and business leading the way. According to the article, Wharton has seen an increase of 12.2% in international applicant volume this year. Interestingly enough, one of the key weaknesses in admissions volume over the last few years has been a decr