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ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR Q&A

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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

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.

Writing Resources

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

Program Rankings

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.
knowledge@wharton
INSEAD Knowledge
Harvard Working Knowledge
Knowledge @ Emory
Columbia Ideas @ Work
knowledge@ W. P. Carey
Stanford Knowledgebase
Ross Thought in Action

MBA Programs: The 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.

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Admissions Tip: the Rewards of Reflection

With several of the top schools having already released their essay questions for this admissions season, we’re sure that quite a number of early birds are eager to get a jump on the process in order to complete as many applications as possible by round one. At this time of year when applicants find themselves brainstorming for essay topics, we wanted to offer up a few tips on presenting yourself and your experiences as advantageously as possible.

1) Take time to reflect. Before diving in and beginning work on a draft of any one essay, it’s often fruitful for an applicant to think carefully about all of the stories and accomplishments that he or she has at his or her disposal. This can include experiences from the professional realm, formal outside activities, college clubs and even more casual hobbies and interests. This sort of comprehensive reflective approach should enable you to arrive at the potential essay topics that are most impressive and in line with your positioning.

2) Establish balance. It’s crucial that your essays work together to present a consistent and compelling picture of who you are, what you’ve done and what you bring to the table – the adcom is looking for students who are interesting, well-rounded, and likely to make a contribution to the school both in and out of the classroom. In selecting topics for your essays after you’ve identified all of the possibilities, remember that it’s ideal to have a balance of stories that cover the span of your career and introduce your interests and involvements outside of work.

3) Keep it relevant. While it’s important that you have a wide range of stories to tell and positive characteristics to convey, there are a few things that you shouldn’t mention in your essays. In terms of chronology, remember that you are applying to graduate school and that the adcom is primarily interested in your experiences since the time you began college. There are of course some exceptions to this (such as questions that ask you to recap your life story or discuss what matters most to you), but as a general rule it’s best to avoid writing at length about your high school or your upbringing, as this can make an applicant sound immature or stuck in the past. Other topics of which you should steer clear are those that are potentially sensitive or emotionally charged, such as politics and religion.

4) Show, don’t tell. Keep in mind that a given adcom member spends only ten or fifteen minutes on each application. This being the case, it’s imperative that you make an impression and give the reader a clear sense of who you are and what you’ve done. Specific anecdotes and vivid details make a much greater impact on a reader than general claims and broad summaries. Be sure to quantify your impact, fully explain your actions, and provide illustrative examples to produce a set of engaging essays.

Happy writing! Stay tuned to this blog throughout the summer for additional essay-specific tips and guidelines.

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