We wanted to take a moment to offer up links to some interesting news items and informative opportunities at two leading business schools.
First, prospective students interested in real estate might want to check out an online chat being hosted by UNC this afternoon at 12:45pm. Participants will have a chance to interact with students and faculty members, and pose questions on the topic of Real Estate Finance and Development – a great chance for those who are just beginning to think about the field to learn what they might expect to learn from this concentration. To join, simply visit the event page during the allocated time.
Meanwhile, with the MBA applicant community abuzz with talk of round two interviews, we wanted to direct readers to some pieces of advice coming directly from a top school. Jett Pihakis and Peter Johnson, Co-Directors of Admissions for the full-time MBA program at Haas, have offered extensive comments on “how to ace the admissions interview” in this month’s newsletter. Though obviously addressed to visitors to that particular school’s website, they offer some great general tips that apply to just about everyone who will be interviewing with business schools in the coming months.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 31, 2007, at 8:31 am
Posted in:  Interview Tips , School: Duke / Fuqua , Wiki Wednesdays Welcome to this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays, featuring new additions to the Clear Admit wiki and offering insight into various elements of the application process. We have new reports this week for schools like Haas, Kellogg and Tuck, and hope to see more appear in the coming weeks now that interview invitations are trickling out to round two applicants (you can add content by creating an account or send your info to wiki@clearadmit.com). In the meantime, we wanted to take a quick look at the Fuqua interview process, as applicant-initiated interviewing is currently open for R3 applicants, and because a recent addition to the Duke interview page includes a great point that applies to the MBA interview process at large.
Fuqua’s interviews tend to run about 45 minutes, but can go longer at the discretion of the interviewer, who will most likely be an adcom member or second-year student if interviewing in Durham, or an alum if off-campus. As is also the case at schools like Kellogg and Tuck, candidates can sign up for an interview almost as soon as they decide to apply, needing only to submit some preliminary personal information. While slots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and it’s important to secure a spot early on, many applicants make the mistake of interviewing before they’ve really solidified their story or done their homework on the school.
To highlight the importance of preparation to a successful interview – whether applicant-initiated or invitation-based – let’s take a look at an excerpt from the report:
“The first question was the standard ‘walk me through your resume.’ Additional questions: 1. If you were going to assemble an ideal team, who would you choose for it and why? 2. What is the difference between a leader and a manager? 3. Describe a time when you led a team. 4. How do you solve conflicts? 5. Why do you want to attend Duke? 6. Q&A.”
With knowledge of Duke’s strong emphasis on the team-oriented culture at Fuqua, it would be easy to anticipate these questions about issues of collaboration, leadership and working with others. The applicant also adds in the report, “I had heard from current students that the interviews at Duke are more of a formality and that the school mostly wants to find out whether you are interested in Fuqua and would be a good fit.” This highlights the lesson of the question list above, stressing the importance of having a basic knowledge of the program when going into an interview – as well as anticipating what the interviewer might want to know about you based on the school’s culture and priorities.
For information on how to get the inside scoop on interview preparation techniques and school specific strategies, send your CV to info@clearadmit.com to learn about our interview guides and mock interview services. Meanwhile, for in-depth information about the leading programs, check out the . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on January 30, 2007, at 12:26 pm
Posted in: Rankings , School: Columbia , School: Dartmouth / Tuck , School: Harvard , School: IESE , School: IMD , School: INSEAD , School: London Business School , School: MIT / Sloan , School: Northwestern / Kellogg , School: NYU Stern , School: Oxford , School: Penn / Wharton , School: Stanford , School: UCLA / Anderson , School: Yale The Financial Times just released it’s 2007 ranking of global MBA programs. The rankings take into account school data, a survey of recent alumni, and an assessment of research at each school. The rankings are made based on the career progess of alumni, the global focus of the program, and the intellectual capital generated by the school. The full list, which can be found here, includes 100 MBA programs and can be sorted based on a variety of criteria. The top 20 schools in the overall ranking are listed below.
1. University of Pennsylvania: Wharton 2. Columbia Business School 3. Harvard Business School 3. Stanford University GSB 5. London Business School 6. University of Chicago GSB 7. INSEAD 8. New York University: Stern 9. Dartmouth College: Tuck 10. Yale School of Management 11. Ceibs (China) 11. Instituto de Empresa 13. IMD 14. MIT: Sloan 15. University of Cambridge: Judge 16. IESE Business School 17. UCLA: Anderson 18. HEC Paris 19. Northwestern University: Kellogg 19. University of Michigan: Ross 19. University of Oxford: Said
Alongside the rankings, the Financial Times also released a special report on MBA education, including interviews with business school deans, alumni and professors, analysis of recruitment trends, and additional information on the rankings.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 30, 2007, at 11:00 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , School Guides , School: Chicago , School: Columbia , School: Dartmouth / Tuck , School: Harvard , School: MIT / Sloan , School: Northwestern / Kellogg , School: Penn / Wharton , School: Stanford , Trivia Tuesday Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday!
With Round Two interview invitations going out, we would like to highlight an important component of interview success: an applicant’s ability to convey enthusiasm for and fit with the target school. The best way to convey this fit is through an in-depth understanding of the school’s culture and of the ways in which you could gain from and contribute to the program as a student.
With this in mind, we offer a round-up of previous Trivia Tuesday entries – the distinguishing details presented in these columns are a great starting point for gaining the in-depth knowledge needed to ace the interview!
Structure of the Class: Breaking Down Harvard’s 900, Teamwork at Wharton and Tuck, Kellogg’s Teams
Course Selection: Choosing Electives – The Auction System (features Chicago, Columbia and Kellogg with a focus on MIT and Wharton), Elective Selection at Harvard, Stanford and Tuck, Cross-Checking Cross Registration (Chicago, Harvard, Wharton), MBA Majors and Concentrations (Chicago, Columbia, Wharton)
International and Exchange Programs: Student Exchange Programs (Columbia, Haas, Harvard), Studying Abroad (but not for long) (Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Tuck, Wharton), Wharton’s International Volunteer Program
Special Academic Programs: Chicago’s Campuses, Pre-Term Programs (Chicago, Tuck and Wharton), Tuck’s First Year Project, MIT Sloan’s Independent Activities Period, Wharton’s Lauder Institute
Other Program Features: Loan Forgiveness Programs (Kellogg, Stanford, Wharton), Tuck’s Honor Code
Together with the detailed, school-specific information available in the Clear Admit School Guides, these columns can help applicants brush up on the distinctive elements of their target programs in preparation for a great interview.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 29, 2007, at 4:11 pm
Posted in: Events , School: Columbia , School: NYU Stern We are pleased to announce a free event for prospective MBA applicants!
Business School 2008: Planning Your Next 6 Months will take place on February 15, 2007 at ManhattanGMAT’s New York City office. The event will feature a panel discussion with MBA admissions experts, including Clear Admit co-founder Eliot Ingram and representatives from Columbia Business School and NYU’s Stern School of Business.
The event is designed to help next fall’s applicants understand and plan for the MBA admissions process. For more information or to RSVP, visit ManhattanGMAT’s event description. Take advantage of this free expert advice to get a jump start on the application process!
Welcome to another edition of Campus Chronicles! With the semester starting to heat up, let’s check in on events at three of the leading MBA programs.
Grade non-disclosure is the lead story in this week’s Wharton Journal. One year after the administration sparked a controversy by declaring that grade disclosure is “voluntary and permissible” (going against over a decade of Wharton practice), students voted overwhelmingly in support of continuing their tradition of grade non-disclosure. Under this policy, students agree not to disclose their grades during the recruiting process, though they may diclose their grades after accepting an offer of employment. To read more about the recent vote, as well as the history of grade non-disclosure at Wharton, check out the full article. In other Wharton news, a first year student reports on the leadership trip to Antarctica over the winter break and the humor section announces a surprise ending to Wharton’s new dean search, including a one-on-one interview with the supposed candidate.
In Berkeley, the HaasWeek is welcoming the start of second semester with open arms and sarcastic wit. The “I Bet My Break Was Better than Yours” article on page 6 features a round-up of students’ break activities in their own words. Other first-person articles throughout the paper relate students’ break experiences in destinations as diverse as Tel Aviv, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia, and the photos on pages 4-5 showcase the many ways Haas students enjoyed their time off. In addition, be sure to check out Heard@Haas on page 2, which is always a humorous window into Haas student culture.
This week’s Fuqua Times, the first since the break, is appropriately subtitled “Time to Hit the Books Again.” The front page features an article announcing the first annual “Case Bowl,” a section-based competition for first years that will pit teams against each other in analyses of cases, with the winning team bringing home $3000. Farther into the issue (all the way back on page 9) is the latest installment of the first year blogs – always an interesting glimpse into the Fuqua experience. Page 10 brings a round-up of upcoming area concerts, while on page 11 a second-year muses on the subject of “buying three blocks of Xeroxed papers trapped in saran wrap” — otherwise known as course packs.
That’s all the news from campus for this week – check back in the coming weeks for more of the student news, views, and events from the leading MBA programs.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 26, 2007, at 9:14 am
Posted in: Fridays from the Frontline Welcome to another edition of FFF, your weekly window into the latest happenings in the MBA blogging world! After the deluge of deadlines early in the month and last week’s flurry of round one notifications, things have quieted down significantly on the applicant front. Leading off with some excitement, AGirlsMBA received interview invites from Harvard and Michigan this week! While some are still playing the waiting game – Suser is getting anxious about the outcome of this admissions season, while Asiangal has just submitted her apps and is occupying herself with the CFA while expecting interview invitations – most are writing about their school decision process or more advanced stages of planning. Aeroslick is still dealing with some Kellogg waitlist uncertainty, but also has Michigan and Duke as options. Also facing some additional thought and a difficult decision, rungee582 shares a great account of her process of weighing offers from Wharton, LBS and Duke, whereas MBABabe is just wrapping her mind around her Harvard admit and getting ready to choose between HBS and Kellogg. Those who have made up their minds are just as focused on other tasks; Iday endured a bit of red tape to send his deposit to Chicago and Scarecrow is enrolling at Cornell and deciding when to leave his job, and Juggler has just finished up her Wharton scholarship application. Finally, Rusgirl shares the secret of her application success with LBS.
The student bloggers, on the other hand, are back from break in full force. Looking back on the previous term, Jacek happily reports that he passed all of his classes at ESADE, Keven receives an unconventional quant-confidence boost at Wisconsin, and Hallonman thinks back on his P2 Performance, resolving to increase his focus in the coming term at INSEAD. Speaking of the work ahead, Angel Angie runs through her LBS class roster and offers an interview update, Marina shares her term two schedule at Columbia and FromCali describes her perspective three weeks into the new semester at Ross.
There’s some great new content this week for readers looking to learn about the details of the MBA experience. Starting with the details of specific classes, DomoDomo offers his initial thoughts on Negotiations class at INSEAD and Ashwyn features the same topic as handled by IESE, while the Divine Miss N discusses a lesson in branding at LBS and fellow London blogger Sean describes the requirements of what promises to be a challenging entrepreneurship course. Meanwhile, for a broader view, check out Paxti‘s London week in review and Nate‘s account of the (a)typical week at Ross. Finally, for a look at some more unusual business school possibilities, we recommend MBA Gladiator‘s great recap of his . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on January 25, 2007, at 9:06 am
Posted in: Admissions Tips Now that most schools have released their Round One decisions (stragglers include MIT and Haas, due out next Monday, and Stern with its mid-February notification date), many successful applicants are facing the enviable – but often agonizing – decision of choosing between programs. Though we know that those of you in this position are already juggling an overwhelming amount of information about the schools on your short lists, we wanted to offer a few pointers to consider as you identify and evaluate the most important facts and factors in making this decision.
1) Immerse yourself. If you have not yet visited campus, go to the school and see what you think of the environment. Be sure to attend classes, talk with students, tour the facilities, and so on. Even if you have already made the trip, it’s a good idea to attend the school’s events for admitted students to meet your potential classmates. After all, these are the folks whose thoughts you will be hearing in class for two years, and who will making up your future network.
2) Consider your immediate priorities. Think about the location, size, teaching method, etc. Are you looking for a close-knit, “we’re all in this together” sort of experience, or would you prefer to attend classes and then disappear into a large city with a few classmates or old friends? Do you need the benefits of a large university to pursue coursework in a specific field? Do you crave lengthy discussions with faculty? Do you have family or a significant other who might need to consider location? Are you strong in qualitative areas but looking to refine your skills in quantitative subjects? Is there a teaching method that might better address your weaknesses or best suit your learning style? Reflecting on the relative importance of each of these questions might help you to organize your thoughts about and the information on each program.
3) Look farther forward. In addition to the experience you would have as a student, try to get a sense for the school’s track record in your target field. For example, if you hope to become a strategy consultant after school, take a look at each program’s placement statistics with the firms that are of interest to you. Talk to the career management office and find out which firms came to campus and how many offers were made. You might also try to contact alumni who work in your target field and see what they have to say about their alma mater’s strength in that area. A final option is to approach the HR departments of the firm you are likely to target and ask for their opinion of the programs on your list. This is also a nice excuse to build rapport with a potential future employer.
4) Think big. Beyond the job you hope to secure immediately after school, consider the program’s regional and global brand. For example, if you are looking for work in London, you might investigate . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on January 24, 2007, at 1:42 pm
Posted in: Events , School: Penn / Wharton For readers interested in entrepreneurship and just beginning to consider their business school options, we wanted to call attention to an online event tonight being hosted on Wharton’s student2student forum. Prospective students can log in at 6pm EST this evening for a chat with Emily Cieri, Managing Director of the Wharton Entrepreneurial Program. This is a great chance to get some preliminary information about the school’s offerings in this area, or ask more pointed questions prompted by initial research.
Here are some starting points, as highlighted in the Wharton adcom blog entry announcing the chat:
MBA Entrepreneurship Major Wharton Business Plan Competition Venture Initiation Program Entrepreneur in Residence Program Start-up Internships Wharton Small Business Development Center
Posted by Clear Admit on January 24, 2007, at 7:00 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , School: Northwestern / Kellogg , Wiki Wednesdays Welcome to another addition of Wiki Wednesdays! Each week, we take some time to highlight helpful and recent additions to the Clear Admit Wiki, a resource full of applicant-generated information on the MBA admissions process. There’s some fresh content on the Haas and Michigan interview pages, as well as a great Kellogg interview report that will be the focus of this week’s column.
Unlike schools that operate on an invitation-only process, Kellogg offers an interview to any applicant who requests one (on a first come, first served basis due to limited resources). Candidates are welcome to travel to campus, or meet with a local alum. To maintain consistency in the process, the adcom provides detailed instructions to alumni interviewers as to length and the sort of topics to cover.
As is the case with many schools, there is some thematic consistency between Kellogg’s essay questions and those posed to applicants during an interview. Let’s take a look at the list offered by the latest wiki contributor:
“Most of the questions he asked are already in here. Standard walk me through your resume, tell me about teamwork experiences, leadership experiences in and out of work/school, what have you done recently outside of work, why MBA/Kellogg/now, weakness in application and what will/have you done about it.
There were a couple questions I wasn’t quite prepared for, though it wasn’t because they weren’t listed in here. First was tell me about an obstacle you faced as part of a team and how you helped overcome it. Then was tell me three things that are unique about you. And tell me three things you would want me to tell the admissions committee if they asked about you.”
The emphasis on teamwork is no surprise given the school’s famous focus on this element of the b-school experience. What’s more interesting to note is the way that the remaining questions in the second paragraph of the account mirror the program’s second and third essay questions, underscoring the adcom’s interest in hearing about what traits an applicant believes to be unique and what information he or she believes would be of interest to the adcom. Both questions shed light not only on the candidate, but on his or her marketing instincts and self-promotion skills – another tie in with the school’s strengths.
For more school-specific insight into interviewing, feel free to get in touch with us at info@clearadmit.com for information about our mock interview service and preparation guides. We also hope that our readers will continue to share their own experiences interviewing, visiting campus and completing the application process, either by creating an account themselves or sending their content to wiki@clearadmit.com.
Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond is quoted in today’s BusinessWeek article on the benefits of smaller MBA programs. The article, the full text of which can be found here, focuses on the sometimes overlooked advantages of smaller, more rural business schools. Schools featured in the article include Tuck, Cornell, Darden and UNC Kenan-Flagler, all of which are located outside of major metropolitan areas. The article provides some valuable insights for applicants still finalizing their school selections for this year’s R3 deadlines or for those who are starting to create their school lists for next year’s application cycle.
Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, a weekly column that examines the opportunities and resources available to students at the leading MBA programs.
The high cost of attending a full-time MBA program means that graduates often carry significant educational debt. Although repayment is generally not an issue for students going into high-paying jobs in the private sector, repayment can be difficult for those who choose public or non-profit sector employment.
Recognizing the need for experienced, well-trained managers in the public and non-profit sectors, many business schools have created loan repayment assistance programs for graduates going into these fields. Today we’ll highlight some of the assistance available.
Since 2002, Wharton students who make a commitment to engaging in non-profit or public-sector careers after graduation may apply for the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness for Public Service program. The program provides up to $10,000 a year of loan forgiveness for up to five years after graduation. Recipients must re-apply annually for the grant and provide a biannual update of their activities. At Kellogg, alumni are eligible to receive assistance through the Collins Family Loan Assistance Program for up to ten years, but must reapply for the award each year. Precise award amounts are dependent upon the graduate’s own salary, immediate family resources and loan payment obligations.
Meanwhile, the Stanford GSB offers two separate loan assistance programs. The first is the Non-profit/Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which provides selected alumni with an average of $4000 a year towards their loan payments. Graduates can apply for the program at any point in their careers, as long as they are employed in public service and still making loan payments. Globally, the GSB International Loan Forgiveness Program supports recent graduates who are non-U.S. citizens and are working for organizations in developing countries. Now in its pilot year, the program offers selected students up to $7,500 a year for up to three years following graduation.
For students interested in applying their MBA skills to public service work, loan assistance programs may be a valuable source of financial support post-MBA. Applicants would do well to inquire about the availability of loan assistance prorgrams at their target schools, as well as the regulations governing such awards. More detailed information on the loan programs at these and other MBA programs may be found through the schools’ websites or in the Financial Aid section of the Clear Admit School Guides. Happy researching!
Posted by Clear Admit on January 22, 2007, at 5:56 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: Penn / Wharton Wharton has begun to release R2 interview invitations and will continue to do so until the close of business on Thursday, February 15th. Information on the purpose and structure of the interviews, along with general tips on interview preparation can be found through the Wharton Adcom’s blog.
For those applicants fortunate enough to receive an interview invitation, we offer a number of resources for interview prepration. Interviewees may wish to consult our recent interview tips, browse the Clear Admit Wiki, take advantage of our mock interview services, or brush up on the details of Wharton’s program with the Clear Admit School Guide to Wharton.
Posted by Clear Admit on January 22, 2007, at 3:20 am
Posted in: Campus Chronicles , School: Columbia , School: Harvard , School: Michigan / Ross With students trickling back to school after winter break, it’s time once again to check in on campus happenings, as reported by MBA student newspapers.
First up is Ross, where the staff of the Monroe Street Journal are still recovering from the University of Michigan’s loss to USC in this year’s Rose Bowl. However, one MSJ reporter urges fans to shake off the loss and take advantage of one of the benefits of Ross’s Michigan location – easy travel to the North American International Auto Show, the grandaddy of U.S. auto shows and the occasion for unveiling 47 new models of cars. In recruiting news, the Office of Career Development deals with the question of whether a student should decline future interviews once they’ve received a desirable internship offer – a topic on the minds of many first-year MBAs. Finally, it wouldn’t be the MSJ without the Ross Goss column, which this week wraps up the break and pre-break festivity gossip and analyzes the methods by which Ross students choose their study group members.
At HBS, the Harbus reports on several recent performances that left audiences dazzled. First, the third annual Sankofa! performance, presented by the African American Student Union, the African Business Club and the Caribbean Business Club, was a big hit in December, entertaining a packed auditorium with an energetic combination of dance, music, and spoken word. Also in December, Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt came to speak on Harvard’s campus, sharing stories of his 30 years as a high school English teacher. Turning to student perspectives, the regular Clock Watching humor column focuses on balancing dating and academics at HBS – with some pointers on how to combine the two activities!
Finally, Columbia’s Bottom Line kicks of the semester with a bang, welcoming the new J-term students with a big front page article and a photo montage on page 9. On page 11 are two great stories of CBS-sponsored trips over winter break. The first article features the Chazen Institute trip to India, on which 40 CBS students visited three cities and met with a number of representatives from India’s leading companies. Also over winter break, the Media Management Association organized a career trek to Los Angeles to meet with top film and entertainment companies in the region. Both trips sound like amazing networking opportunities and wonderful experiences! Wrapping up the issue is a bit of academic and recruiting humor, with a scorecard for “Core Class Bingo” on page 3 and suggested interview prep questions on page 16 (these are not the kind of prep questions Career Services will be handing out!).
That’s all the news from the campuses for this week. Check back for more b-school news as the spring term gets underway!
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