Which School Wednesdays: The Significant Other Issue » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

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Feb 10: INSEAD R3
Mar 1: Michigan / Ross R3
Mar 3: CBS
Mar 3: LBS R3
Mar 4: Kellogg R3
Mar 8: Cambridge / Judge R4
Mar 8: CMU / Tepper R3
Mar 9: Duke / Fuqua R3
Mar 9: Penn / Wharton R3
Mar 10: Berkeley / Hass R4
Mar 10: Chicago Booth R3
Mar 10: Yale SOM R3
Mar 15: NYU / Stern R3
Mar 17: UCLA / Anderson R3
Mar 19: UNC / Kenan-Flagler R4
Mar 30: Cornell / Johnson R4
Mar 31: UVA / Darden R3
Mar 31: INSEAD R4
Apr 1: UT-Austin / McCombs
Apr 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R3
Apr 2: Oxford / Saїd R3
Apr 7: Stanford GSB R4
Apr 8: Harvard R3
Apr 14: CBS

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas*
Chicago Booth*
CMU / Tepper*
Columbia*
Cornell / Johnson*
Dartmouth / Tuck*
Duke / Fuqua*
Harvard*
Indian School of Business*
INSEAD*
London Business School*
MIT / Sloan*
Michigan / Ross*
Northwestern / Kellogg*
NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '09-'10 commentary

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.

Interview Reports
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews.
Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan / Ross
MIT / Sloan
Stanford
UNC / Chapel Hill
Virginia / Darden
Wharton
London Business School

GMAT Resources
MBA.com
Manhattan GMAT
GMAT Club
Princeton Review
Test Prep New York
Kaplan
Beat The GMAT
Knewton

Writing Resources
Guide to Grammar and Writing
The Internet Grammar of English
English Usage, Style and Composition
The Economist Style Guide
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

School Rankings
Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA.
Vault.com
Wetfeet

Business School Resources
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MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Boston College / Carroll
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Concordia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Notre Dame / Mendoza
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Syracuse / Whitman
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
USC / Marshall
UCLA / Anderson
Vanderbilt / Owen
Virginia / Darden
Washington University in St. Louis / Olin
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

MBA Programs: Rest of the World
As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
AGSM (Australia) 2
Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1
CIEBS (China) 2
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1
Cranfield School of Mgmt (UK) 1
ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2
HEC (France) 2
Hult (UK) 1
IESE (Spain) 2
IMD (Switzerland) 1
INCAE (Costa Rica) 2
INSEAD (France) 1
IPADE (Mexico)
ISB (India) 1
London Business School (UK) 2
Manchester Bus. School (UK) 2
Melbourne (Australia) 2
Oxford / Said (UK) 1
Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1
Tsinghua IMBA (China) 2
University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1

Additional Resources
Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list.
AACSB International
Association of MBAs
Beyond Grey Pinstripes
EFMD
gradschools.com (worldwide)
Infozee
International Student Loans
mba.com (GMAT Scores)
MBAInfo
mbaleague.blogspot.com
MBAzone
MBA Jungle
TOEFL
Top MBA

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Which School Wednesdays: The Significant Other Issue

Welcome back to Which School Wednesdays, where we take a closer look at some of the issues facing admitted students at this point in the spring. This week, we’d like to focus on perhaps one of the most difficult but least talked about elements of the decision process: making a final decision that suits the needs of both the applicant and a spouse or partner.

While nobody except the two people in a relationship can really know how their priorities line up, it can be very helpful to pace through the debate with a neutral party. One recent discussion on the Business Week Forums highlights some helpful ways to consider the different options. One poster explains how a Harvard admit threw a wrench into his plans to attend Wharton, as his wife had been admitted into a PhD program at Penn:

“It looked like our decision was made after I received my Wharton acceptance… However, now that I have been accepted by Harvard, I am finding this decision frustratingly painful.… I know that I’m probably crazy for even entertaining the idea of living apart from my wife for two years to go to school…particularly when we have the chance to attend an Ivy League school together.”

Another poster responded with some great advice based on his own situation:

“I clearly communicated to my wife that only if she agreed would I go for my MBA elsewhere. She did agree after she realized how excited I am about Darden… From a practical perspective the difference may be small between W and HBS, however if it has always been your desire to be part of HBS then do not simply disregard it… If you go to W just because of your wife and not because you wanted it, whenever you encounter any difficulty or failure you will resent your decision, and this will put stress on your relationship.”

The applicant’s final decision was to accept Wharton’s offer, thereby doing his part to dispel the belief that MBA stands for “me before anyone (else)”!

Offering further reassurance that the idea of living apart isn’t crazy, a second year student at Chicago GSB declares that it is possible to maintain a positive long-term relationship while earning an MBA. Posting on the Student Admissions Committee blog, he writes about using Skype to touch base once or twice a day with his girlfriend living in Stockholm:

“In general, your schedule as an MBA student will offer sufficient flexibility and breaks so that you can adapt to his/her working schedule – but it does take a bit of planning and effort.”

He also emphasizes that the prospect of long distance extends beyond the duration of the MBA program. He urges students to brainstorm with their partners about jobs and internships in mutually agreeable locations, and then to pursue them early in the year:

“My girlfriend sent me a list of 60 companies based in Stockholm. Then I cross checked with the list in our career services office – we had data for ALL of them. I ended up at Bain Stockholm for the summer, and when I got an offer, both Anna and I were thrilled to accept!”

This sounds like an excellent approach, since the writer benefits from both his schools’ resources as well as his partner’s input. Prospective students still making their school selection decisions might want to follow this lead by, for instance researching the school’s network and placement record in the target post-MBA region.

For those admitted students with spouses or partners who will be joining them at business school, it’s a great idea to bring him or her along to welcome events for admitted students in the spring. Many weekend events feature special activities for partners, allowing them to get a sense of how they might participate in the community once the school year begins.

Best of luck to all the couples who are debating this issue at present; we’ll see you next week for another installment of Which Schools Wednesdays!

# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:36 am in Which School Wednesdays

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