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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• School: Berkeley / Haas
• School: Cambridge
• School: Chicago
• School: CMU / Tepper
• School: Columbia
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• School: Dartmouth / Tuck
• School: Duke / Fuqua
• School: Emory / Goizueta
• School: ESADE
• School: Georgetown
• School: Harvard
• School: IE
• School: IESE
• School: IMD
• School: INSEAD
• School: ISB
• School: London Business School
• School: Michigan / Ross
• School: MIT / Sloan
• School: Northwestern / Kellogg
• School: NYU Stern
• School: Oxford
• School: Penn / Wharton
• School: Stanford
• School: UCLA / Anderson
• School: UNC / Kenan Flagler
• School: UT Austin / McCombs
• School: Virginia / Darden
• School: Yale
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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
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Blog Archive

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ARCHIVE FOR JUNE 2007

Friday, June 29, 2007

UC Berkeley Haas 2007-2008 Application Deadlines

Haas has updated its deadline applications for the 2007-2008 admissions season. This is one of the few schools that offer four admissions rounds, and for each round the GMAT and/or TOEFL exams must be taken on or before the application deadline date.

UC Berkeley Haas 2007-2008 Application Deadlines

Applications must be submitted prior to midnight Pacific Standard Time on the day of the deadline.

Round 1
Application Deadline: November 5, 2007
Decision Posted/Emailed: January 29, 2008

Round 2
Application Deadline: December 11, 2007
Decision Posted/Emailed: March 19, 2008

Round 3
Application Deadline: January 31, 2008
Decision Posted/Emailed: April 30, 2008

Round 4
Application Deadline: March 12, 2008
Decision Posted/Emailed: May 14, 2008

UCLA Anderson 2007-2008 Application Deadlines

Anderson has recently released its deadlines for the upcoming application season, and like years past, the school is accepting applications in four rounds instead of the more typical three rounds. The adcom will make the application itself available on September 4, 2008.

UCLA Anderson Full-Time MBA Application Deadlines

Round 1
Application Deadline: October 24, 2007
GMAT/TOEFL Taken By: November 30, 2007
Decision Notification: January 18, 2008

Round 2
Application Deadline: January 2, 2008
GMAT/TOEFL Taken By: January 31, 2008
Decision Notification: March 28, 2008

Round 3
Application Deadline: February 20, 2008
GMAT/TOEFL Taken By: March 31, 2008
Decision Notification: May 16, 2008

Round 4
Application Deadline: April 23, 2008
GMAT/TOEFL Taken By: April 30, 2008
Decision Notification: June 16, 2008

Fridays from the Frontline

Welcome to another edition of Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly update on MBA bloggers from around the web! This week we checked in with new applicants just revving up for the next admissions season, admitted students preparing for matriculation this September, and current students enjoying their summer internships. Let’s see what they had to say:

Applicant bloggers this week covered almost every major facet of the application process. Agent-C deliberated over effective responses to essay prompts and interview questions, knowing that he’ll have to change his style from the clichéd and unsupported statements typically used on performance reports. Preet firmed up his final list of schools, give or take a few ‘safety’ schools, and he also thought long and hard about potential recommenders. Identifying his future in IT Strategy Consulting, Charu posted a list of criteria he used to envision his ideal career path. Lastly, and with some trepidation, Wannabe geared up for the GMAT and posted a list of all the study materials he’s used so far. Judging from the breadth of these posts, we expect plenty of great information coming from these bloggers in the coming months!

In the meantime, last year’s applicant bloggers are moving towards matriculation at a fast clip. To pass the time, Reveur was about to settle down with Harvey Mackay’s Deliver More Than You Promise last week, while Iday has shifted his focus towards helping an Indian leukemia patient find a blood cell and bone marrow transplant. Mba_salsera attended Georgetown’s Career Search Jump Start program, while MaybeMBA watched The Smartest Guys in the Room and wondered just how overdue her baby will be.

There were lots of cheerful posts this week from current student bloggers who are now in the midst of their summer internships. Angel Angie posted a rave review of her summer program in Global Markets; FromCali is enjoying her internship as well, but is also feeling the pressure to make a good impression there before she begins the recruiting process at Ross. In Barcelona Ashwyn, too, is enjoying his summer internship and his vacation from IESE. It sounds like Zanatos had an excellent birthday on Saturday, which coincided with the culmination of INSEAD classes and a particularly fun last meeting of his Market Driving Strategies course. Lastly, Columbia student, and now interviewer, John Gannon posted a brief, friendly note to the next batch of applicants.

Unfortunately, not all bloggers were equally cheerful this week. UniQpath wasn’t able to secure scholarship money to offset her Wharton expenses, and while RusGirl did manage to get an HSBC loan to attend LBS, she described how challenging it can be to secure loans for students at European schools. In much the same vein, Meru SAVARNI offered a helpful post about the difficulties of recognizing when it’s time to find a new job, and what kind of cues one should look out for.

To close on a more uplifting note, we’d like to direct our readers’ attention to Rungee’s impressive feat: before heading to Wharton, she managed to earn herself a promotion on her very last day of work! For even lighter fare, check out this catchy and fully choreographed original MBA musical, via UniQpath. The savvy reader might pick up a few moves to bust out at his or her next job interview!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Yale SOM 2007-2008 MBA Application Deadlines

Yale recently released the deadlines for Fall 2008 entry to its full-time MBA program. As in years past, applications will be accepted in three rounds; there are no major changes to this year’s deadlines or notification dates.

Yale SOM Full-time MBA Application Deadlines
Round One
Application Deadline: October 24, 2007
Decision Notification: January 18, 2008

Round Two
Application Deadline: January 9, 2008
Decision Notification: April 4, 2008

Round Three
Application Deadline: March 12, 2008
Decision Notification: May 9, 2008

Chicago GSB 2007-2008 Application Deadlines

Chicago GSB just published their deadlines for the upcoming application season. As expected, deadlines and notification dates are nearly identical to last season’s.

Chicago GSB Full-time MBA Application Deadlines
All materials must be submitted by 5:00 pm Central Standard Time
Round One
Application Deadline: October 17, 2007
Decision Notification: January 3, 2008

Round Two
Application Deadline: January 9, 2008
Decision Notification: March 26, 2008

Round Three
Application Deadline: March 12, 2008
Decision Notification: May 14, 2008

As always, we’ll post more information about Chicago’s updated 2007-2008 essay questions as soon as they are released!

Admissions Tip: MBA News Junkies

For many MBA applicants, summer reading means scouring the web for admissions tips rather than lying on the beach with a good book. Today’s blog entry highlights a handful of useful resources that we’re sure many candidates will use as the admissions process unfolds in the coming months.

It goes without saying that blogs, wikis and chats are great resources, and MBA podcasts are also a great new portable option. The following items are fine examples of great ‘old media’ sites for the latest news:

BusinessWeek: B-Schools Headlines
BusinessWeek’s site is very much on top of news in the MBA space. They typically publish multiple b-school related articles each week while hosting admissions director chats and the magazine’s famous rankings of both graduate and undergraduate business schools. Most MBA applicants are familiar with this site, but we wanted to highlight this resource and the MBA-content they consistently produce.

The Economist: News From the Schools
This page is updated at least once a month. It does a good job of staying on top of major trends and news in the MBA space. The focus tends to be on curricular changes, dean-related news, professor ’signings’ and general happenings across the global top 50 MBA programs. There is, of course, a bit of a Euro-focus when one compares this site to some of its US-based peers.

The Financial Times: Business Education Section
This extensive section of the FT site covers rankings, hosts several MBA student diaries (old terminology for ‘blogs’) and does a great job of staying on top of the world of international management education. It also features content from the Deans Talk blog, which is authored by the deans at Tuck and IE in Spain.

The WSJ’s College Journal: MBA Center
This free portion of the Wall Street Journal web site is closely linked to the publication’s guide to the top business schools and features copious information on the various MBA programs. Periodically (perhaps 1-3 times/month) a new MBA-related article will appear on the site. Bookmarking this is a must for those who follow the Journal’s controversial MBA rankings.

Happy reading!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

B-School Buzz: Concerns over Equal Opportunities for Minority MBAs

Recently Business Week’s Debate Room examined the experience of minority MBAs in corporate America, giving rise to a lively and ongoing debate among readers. The issue at hand was the U.S. Census Bureau’s report of a 45% jump in African-American entrepreneurship in five years. Barbara Thomas, President of the National Black MBA Association, argues that African American MBAs are striking out on their own because, for them, “the corporate ladder is missing some rungs.” On the flip side, Business Week itself submitted the more positive view that ethnic entrepreneurs have long since been a defining feature of America’s rise as an economic superpower. The magazine points to Berry Gordy and Oprah Winfrey as examples of our proud tradition of pioneering entrepreneurs.

Students at Chicago GSB recently focused on similar issues, led by Clayton Rose, who was formerly a JP Morgan Executive, and now serves on Chicago’s advisory council and teaches finance and economics at Columbia. According to Rose’s research, in 2003 approximately 8% of executives in the U.S. identified as African American, and only 3.5% were of Hispanic or Asian heritage.

These findings reveal a complex set of issues that are worthwhile for prospective and current MBA students to consider. In terms of identifying one’s career goals, it may be helpful to research the trends in promotions through the corporate hierarchy. One starting point is the National Black MBA Association, which lists chapters in most U.S. cities. Black MBA Magazine, the organization’s official publication, most recently ranked America’s 50 most desirable corporations for Black MBAs. For prospective students, the most valuable impressions may come from contacting the relevant student clubs and organizations at each target school.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Clear Admit’s “Early Bird” Discount!

Clear Admit is pleased to announce a discount for all applicants who sign up for our services on or before July 2nd! Up until midnight on Sunday, applicants can make purchaces at a reduced rate of $190 per hour - a discount normally reserved for only those purchacing 10-hour blocks of consulting time. For a limited time, instead of paying our full rate of $220 per hour, anyone interested in trying out our services can purchase smaller amounts at the discounted price! All transactions can be made easily through PayPal.

Contact us for a free initial assessment and more information on this great opportunity!

Trivia Tuesday: Chicago’s First-Year Class

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly look at the policies and programs that impact the student experience at the leading business schools. In past columns we’ve examined the organization of Harvard’s first-year class and the use of teams at Wharton, Tuck and Kellogg. Today we turn our attention to the Chicago GSB’s incoming class, taking a closer look at the smaller groups that help to structure that school’s first-year experience.

Chicago organizes its 550 first-year students into 10 cohorts, and within the cohorts, into 8-9 squads. New students learn their cohort and squad assignments on the first day of CORE, the two-week Chicago pre-term program. Later in the pre-term, the cohorts take a three day camping trip, during which they participate in teambuilding activities and get to know one another better before the beginning of the academic year in late September.

Cohorts
Cohorts are purposefully assembled so that each represents the diversity of the class as a whole, with an eye to varying age, gender and professional and ethnic background within the group. The GSB’s cohorts maintain their names from year to year – Rockefeller, Nobels, Phoenix, Walker, Gargoyles, Bond, Maroons, Harper, Davis and Stuart – creating connections between the students and alumni from each cohort.

Students take the required LEAD class with their cohorts, and the cohort is also the base unit from which members of the Graduate Business Council, Chicago’s student government body, are elected (two per cohort per class). Inter-cohort competitions, such as a series of poker nights with a year-end tournament, take place throughout the first year at Chicago. Despite these activities, Chicago’s cohorts do not seem to foster the strong links created in cohort systems at other schools. This is likely due to the flexibility of Chicago’s core curriculum; at Wharton and Columbia, for instance, cohorts take almost all of their first-year courses together, while Chicago first-year students follow individualized schedules.

Squads
Within each cohort, students are assigned to squads, also designed with diversity of members in mind. Squads generally consist of about 6-8 people, and serve as the primary study group during the required first-quarter LEAD class. Students work within their squad on role plays and team projects, and also compete against other squads throughout the course.

Upon completion of LEAD, however, the role of the squad dissipates as students pursue their own paths through the GSB’s core curriculum. Squad members sometimes find themselves in the same courses and reunite as study partners, but the official academic role of the squad ends with the LEAD program.

For more information on the first-year experience at Chicago or other leading business schools, be sure to talk to students or to check out the Clear Admit School Guides!

Monday, June 25, 2007

HBS Essays 2007-2008

For readers planning on applying to HBS this fall, we wanted to point out that Harvard Business School’s application for the 2007-2008 application year has just been posted to the school’s website; even though their website claims the application will be available in early July, applicants simply need to login to the available application. Here are Harvard’s essays for the upcoming application cycle:

1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)

2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)

3. Please respond to three of the following (400-word limit each):

a. Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development. How did this experience highlight your strengths and weaknesses?
b. How have you experienced culture shock?
c. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
d. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
e. What global issue is most important to you and why?
f. What else would you like the MBA Admissions Board to understand about you?

Stay tuned for some further thoughts and tips on Harvard’s essays. Those applicants who are figuring out their timing for the coming admissions season might also want to review Harvard’s deadline information.

MBA News: Examining Cheating, Fostering Alumni Giving, Kellogg & LBS Business Plan Winners Announced

BusinessWeek recently ran a pair of articles examining cheating at business schools. First, BW asked their top 25 MBA programs for the schools’ latest statistics on cheating. Full statistics were available only from Duke, the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia. Another fifteen schools provided information on their ethics policies, though no statistics on violations of those policies, and seven schools did not provide any information. The companion article goes on to question why so few of the leading business schools track data on cheating. Furthermore, the reporter proposes that it is important for students and administrators to “have a grasp” of how often cheating occurs on campus and of the school’s response to these incidents, since this tends to serve as a reminder that the ethics or honor code is an important part of campus life.

In a very different vein, a recent BizDeansTalk post by Tuck’s Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Services, David J. Celone, discusses the tradition of alumni giving at American institutions of higher education and considers how this tradition could be created at European schools. Celone points out that American institutions have a significant financial advantage over their European counterparts because high rates of alumni giving at U.S. business schools provide the cash to develop new programs, hire additional professors, expand campus facilities, and generally enhance the scope and quality of the program. For instance, Tuck raised more than $4.5 million in small donations from alumni last year, money that will be used to support Tuck’s current building projects and other campus initiatives. As more European business schools look to become internationally recognized institutions, alumni giving is likely to become an important topic of discussion on their campuses. To see if a school has the foundation to support a strong alumni giving program, Celone offers a list of ten questions to ask the alumni community regarding their experiences in the program, the relationships they created on campus, and the value they place on the education the program offers. With positive answers to any of the ten questions, Celone believes that a college or university has opportunity to build a tradition of perpetual alumni giving.

Finally, two business plan competitions recently announced this year’s winning teams. First, a team of five second-year students at Kellogg took home first prize in the annual Kellogg Cup with their plan for Crux, a branded beverage that combats dehydration and other effects associated with alcohol consumption. The team, all members of Kellogg’s Entrepreneurship and New Venture Formulation course, won the $7,000 grand prize and are considering whether to launch the business this summer. Across the pond, a team of three London Business School students won the European Business Plan of the Year Competition with their plan for the Currency Warehouse, an innovative service catering to the growing student segment of the currency exchange market. The team took home the 5,000 Euro grand prize in a competition against teams representing eight other leading European business schools. Currency Warehouse has already attracted interest from venture capitalists, and with their graduation around the corner, the team is looking for full-time founding partners to join them in starting and running the business. These competitions show once again the numerous opportunities available at business school to create, refine, and attract interest in a new business idea.

Friday, June 22, 2007

MIT / Sloan Deadlines 2007-2008

MIT Sloan has just published their deadlines for the 2007-2008 application year, once again standing out from other leading MBA programs by offering only two rounds of deadlines as opposed to the usual three.  Sloan is also fairly consistent in its deadline timing; this year’s Round 1 falls around the same time as last season, and the Round 2 date is just a handful of days later than last year.

Round 1
Application Deadline: October 30, 2007
Notification Released: January 28, 2008

Round 2
Application Deadline: January 15, 2008
Notification Released: April 7, 2008

Re-applicants must submit their materials by the Round 1 deadline. Despite Sloan’s East Coast location, all application materials are due by noon Pacific Standard Time. The adcom is currently updating the online application for the upcoming season and, though no specific publication date has been released, the school promises that it will be available “soon.”

Fridays From the Frontline

Welcome to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s survey of this week’s interesting, informative and sometimes just plain entertaining developments in the MBA blogging community. On the surface, it was a fairly quiet week in the blogosphere, although student and applicant posts portend a rising commotion within earshot. Let’s see what we can make out so far.

In between farewell lunches, dinners and after dinner drinks, Asiangal’s been deciphering which Wharton courses she’s in the running to waive based on her undergraduate record and knowledge. This will determine the pre-term classes she chooses to take – intros or high-powered refreshers to prepare for the waiver exams. Juggler also has Wharton waivers on the brain, and is elated to find her waiver exams are spaced out enough once school starts to limit her summer studying, which is fortunate since she’s not in any shape to be straining her eyes right now! On the other hand, Forrest has focused his sights on the challenges that greet the crop of 2010 applicants. Compiling a self-titled “Mammoth Post” of the helpful application advice he received, he purges his inbox of the two year-application ordeal behind him, making room for the Chicago saga that lies ahead.

Uniqpath is likewise doing her part to assure us an informed round of 2010 applicants to watch, offering up the probing questions that helped her get to know business schools via students. In a different vein, HairTwirler also offered her expert opinion this past week, although she was perhaps a bit more out of her comfort zone given that her audience was a variety of Indian television networks and the topic was, of all things, mangos. Learning about a different facet of Indian culture, Reveur just finished Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, and is feeling inspired already.

First-years are also looking toward a bright future. For his part, J-Term Johnny posted a letter sharing Dean Hubbard’s vision for Columbia’s new Manhattanville campus, a 17-acre area stretch in Upper Manhattan, adjacent to the north side of the Morningside Heights campus, which is set to double the business school’s instructional space, among other advancements. Down in Washington D.C., MBAgladiator is off to a great start at his United Way internship, noting interesting and challenging projects, great coworkers and a perfect work/life balance – could the summer forecast get any better? While also optimistic after his first day on the job, Ashwyn was a little surprised to find that staying near IESE for an internship in Barcelona will basically constitute a summer of Spanish language immersion.

Perpetual Motion also found himself immersed this past week - in technology! At a conference on the implications of the very virtual universe, he noticed his peers simultaneously listening in on conference calls, scrolling through palm pilots, responding to emails and carrying on Instant Messenger conversations, leading him to question the distracted state of multi-tasking that envelopes the business executive’s daily life. Across the world in Singapore, Zanat0s was enjoying some multitasking himself, promoting the unusual music he likes to hit the books to at INSEAD. A weekend trip from Stern to London also required Rubeo Boy to do two things at once on multiple occasions - drink beer while talking to friends, drink beer while talking to women, drink beer while eating Wasabi nuts… Not far away, Angel Angie encountered similar demands at LBS’ end of the year Italian Festa d’Estate, but didn’t lose sight of the new job awaiting her the next morning.

Ever had a song stuck in your head that you just can’t shake? On the second-year front, The Dirty Canuck takes this to new levels with Bad Company’s “Ready for Love,” lamenting that nothing else in post-Chicago GSB life has managed to engage her gray matter so vehemently. With a different viewpoint, DomoDomo explains why the traditional year-long European MBA is a better fit for those, who, like himself, are beginning to chafe at the confines of b-school life. DivineMissN sounds a bit down on institutionalized business learning herself, quickly differentiating Interesting2007 , a conference she just attended, from those typical “boring ones, with the long list of speakers, where really the only thing you want to do is sneak off.” Still on her Norwegian sojourn, however, NoellieBellie risks no such boredom; breathtaking photos from her “Norway in a nutshell” tour provide evidence that Norway must belong to a vast and beautiful variety of filberts…

And that about sums it up for this week’s MBA adventures. Be sure to check back next Friday to see what’s brewing in the blogosphere. Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

MBA News: Wharton Announces New Dean

With Patrick Harker’s announcement last winter that he would step down as Dean of the Wharton School to become President of the University of Delaware, Wharton began a global search for his successor. Today, Amy Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania, announced that Thomas S. Robertson, currently a professor at the Goizueta School of Business and formerly a dean at Goizueta and a professor at Wharton, will become the next Dean of the Wharton School on August 1, 2007. The full text of the announcement is below.

From: Amy Gutmann
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:08 PM
Subject: A message from President Amy Gutmann and Provost Ron Daniels

We are writing to inform you that we have selected Thomas S. Robertson to be the next Dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, effective August 1, 2007. Tom is an accomplished academic leader, a seasoned administrator, and a highly successful fundraiser who brings a distinctive interdisciplinary and international vision of business education in the 21st century and an enthusiastic commitment to academic excellence and diversity, along with significant decanal experience and a deep knowledge of Wharton.

Currently the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Marketing in the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University and Executive Faculty Director of Emory’s Institute for Developing Nations, Robertson served as Dean of the Goizueta School from 1998 to 2004, and he is widely credited with building Goizueta into one of the strongest schools at Emory and positioning it as a leading international business school. Subsequently, as Chair of International Strategy for Emory University’s president, he developed and implemented a University-wide strategy for internationalization and substantial new strategic alliances with universities in China, Korea, and Ethiopia.

Tom Robertson has deep roots in the Wharton School, where he previously served as Associate Dean for Executive Education from 1984 to 1988. As a faculty member at Wharton (Professor 1976-94; Associate Professor 1971-76), he held the Pomerantz Professorship from 1987 to 1994 and served as Chair of the Marketing Department (1978-84 and 1988-94). From 1994 to 1998, he was Sainsbury Professor, Chair of Marketing, and from 1995 to 1998, Deputy Dean of the London Business School. Earlier in his career, he taught as an Assistant Professor at UCLA’s Anderson School (1966-68) and Harvard Business School (1968-71). An expert on marketing strategy and competitive behavior, the diffusion of innovation, and consumer behavior — particularly the impact of advertising on children — Robertson is author, co-author, or editor of a dozen books, including the Handbook of Consumer Behavior and Perspectives on Consumer Behavior (both with Harold H. Kassarjian, editors; Prentice-Hall, 1991) and almost a hundred scholarly articles and book chapters.

Robertson sees business schools as a “force for good” in the world, and his strong commitment and experience in internationalizing business education is matched by his entrepreneurial spirit and strong fundraising experience. During his tenure as Dean of the Goizueta School of Business, he reformed and strengthened virtually every aspect of its academic program. He increased the size of the faculty by 73%; dramatically strengthened the undergraduate program and quality of the student body; doubled revenues; nearly doubled the School’s endowment; developed new international alliances; spurred major growth in executive education programs; expanded the school’s facilities with the construction of a major new building; and launched a new Ph.D. program. He is known as a statesman-like, soft-spoken, accessible, and visible leader, who combines a highly collaborative, consensus-oriented approach with decisive decision-making, high energy, and great enthusiasm for business education.

A native of Scotland, Tom Robertson earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Marketing from Northwestern University in 1966, after completing his B.A. at Wayne State University in 1963. He has three children with his wife, Diana, a Professor of Organization and Management at the Goizueta School and a former Assistant Professor at the Wharton School.

Our selection of Tom Robertson as the next Dean of the Wharton School successfully concludes a semester-long, global search to find a successor to Pat Harker, who will become President of the University of Delaware on July 1st. Jon M. Huntsman, Vice Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Wharton School Board of Overseers served of counsel to the President during this search.

The Consultative Committee, ably chaired by School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Eduardo Glandt, considered a pool of 143 individuals. Among these, it sought a strategic leader with an uncompromising commitment to academic excellence, an experienced administrator, an able and energetic fundraiser, and a collaborator with a global and interdisciplinary outlook, a demonstrated strong commitment to diversity in all its forms, and a special passion for the Wharton School and the preeminent role that it plays in international business education.

The Committee, assisted by the executive search firm of Heidrick and Struggles, conducted more than 20 informational interviews and consultative meetings with individuals and groups in the Wharton community, as well as many informal contacts, in order to better understand the scope, expectations, and challenges of the Dean’s position and the opportunities facing the Wharton School in the years ahead. These consultative activities included conversations with the Dean, Deputy Dean, Vice Deans and department chairs; informal discussions with graduate students; and two open meetings for undergraduate students. The Committee also solicited advice and nominations via email from all faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the School, and reviewed documents produced by the School’s current strategic planning process. The vacancy was announced (and input invited from the entire Penn community) in Almanac and advertised in the Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times, Hispanic Outlook, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

Tom Robertson brings a timely vision of international business education that is an ideal fit with the Wharton School’s ambitious goal to be the leading creator and provider of management knowledge and education in the world. He is deeply committed to the central importance of recruiting the next generation of faculty to ensure the Wharton School’s continuing eminence. We are confident that, building on the quarter-century of growth and advancement begun under Deans Don Carroll, Russ Palmer, and Tom Gerrity, and culminating with enormous success under Pat Harker, Tom Robertson will lead the Wharton School toward an ever greater realization of this strategic vision.

–Amy Gutmann
–Ron Daniels

Admissions Tip: Approaching the Career Goals Essay

While only a handful of schools have released their essay questions for the coming year, some applicants are done with the GMAT and ready to proceed with the next step. Though essay questions tend to vary year to year, the two things that nearly every prospective student can count on being asked are “What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals?” and “How will Business School X help you achieve these goals?”

These are the fundamental questions of the entire application process; identifying clear answers will help in everything from creating a list of target schools to communicating effectively with recommenders and interviewers down the line. As such, it’s a great idea to begin drafting answers to the Career Goals essay early and often! To help you get started, there are some general pointers:

Whether this essay is 1,000 or 500 words long, the adcom looks for applicants who offer fully defined long- and short-term career goals, sound reasons for pursuing an MBA at this point in their careers, well-informed interest in School X and specific plans to contribute to the campus community if they are admitted.

The key to successfully tackling each of these components is specificity. In presenting future goals and explaining one’s motivation for seeking an MBA, it is crucial to present well-defined and feasible objectives. Unlike the undergraduate experience at many American colleges and universities, MBA adcoms believe that students need a fair amount of direction at the time they enter the program in order to take the right classes, join the appropriate clubs and seek the best internship. Everything is oriented towards preparing for the post-MBA job, so specifying a specific industry and function for the short-term is of the utmost importance. In addition to identifying goals for the adcom, it is also important that applicants explain their interest in their particular plans. Along the same lines, applicants should comment on what they hope to accomplish in their target positions.

Admissions officers understand that successful students are focused in their ambitions, and one of the best measures of this is what they have done so far. Not every school asks for this explicitly, however in most situations a Career Goals essay is more compelling when it includes a brief but coherent career history summarizing the applicant’s work history to date. This should reveal the continuity between one’s previous professional experiences and goals for the future. A great essay manages to thoroughly and efficiently address each of these elements, with a nice balance between the ‘career progression’ section, the ‘career goals/why MBA’ section and the ‘why School X’ section.

Another critical part of this essay is the explanation of one’s interest in a given program, as the adcom is sensitive to whether or not applicants are serious about attending if admitted. Individuals who name specific classes that are relevant to their goals, recount their impressions of the campus culture based on a class visit, or share what they’ve learned from discussions with alumni and students will be in good shape. The aim is to convey the fact that the applicant has conducted extensive research and is making an informed decision in applying.

Beyond convincing the adcom of their genuine interest in the program, it is also important for applicants to keep the following concept in mind: any fair trade necessitates mutual benefit. In other words, in addition to showing that School X is the best MBA program for one’s needs, the applicant should demonstrate to School X that he or she will enrich its community. A strong candidate describes insights he or she could contribute in class, and offers detailed intentions for getting involved in campus activities.

These general pointers should set applicants on the path toward crafting a great Career Goals essay, the centerpiece of any compelling candidacy. Happy writing!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

MBA News: Recent Campus Events at Tuck and Kellogg

As most MBA programs have wrapped up the academic year, there have been a number of conferences focusing on some hot topics lately. Kellogg held its first ever Greater China Business Conference on May 19, a student-organized event centered around the theme of “Navigating the Modern Silk Road: Strategies for Sustainability.” The conference featured a keynote addresses on Chinese healthcare delivered by Jose Sartarelli, a Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical group chairman. Kellogg EMBA graduate Ming Mei, currently president of the China division of ProLogis, gave a second keynote address outlining a more general view of the Chinese economy.

Tuck recently hosted two events on contentious issues facing its MBA students and alumni as well. The Tuck International Forum on Confronting Corruption in Global Business was held in April, and in attendance were representatives from Citigroup, Lockheed Martin Corp., Transparency International and Newmont Mining Corp. The event was a joint effort by several campus groups, including the Center for International Business, the Allwin Initiative for Corporate Citizenship, and the Tuck International Club.

More recently, Tuck’s Issues in Healthcare course convened a panel that elicited lively participation from the Tuck community. Organized by Professor Donald Conway, MD, the panel discussed the role of NGOs and advocacy groups in promoting healthcare and medical research. In front of a standing room only audience, leading figures (several of whom were Tuck alumni) from the Patient Advocate Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, AmeriCares and the Global Health Council discussed the pitfalls of contemporary American and global healthcare industries, as well as a few of the solutions they envision for the future.

Keeping abreast of conferences and guest speakers such as these can be a great way for applicants to see how each campus addresses popular topics while learning a thing or two about the issues in the process!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Harvard Deadlines 2007-2008

Though not officially posted to their website, HBS is including the deadlines for matriculation in September of 2008 in e-mail responses to prospective applicants.

“Dear X,

Thank you for your inquiry.

Please refer to the HBS website to print the new HBS Web Brochure: www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/web_brochure.html.

The HBS Brochure and the MBA Application are available online only.

The following admissions criteria are required for admission to the 2008 MBA Program at Harvard Business School:

1) Bachelors Degree from a four year undergraduate program at an accredited US college/university or the equivalent from another country.
2) Results of the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). The GMAT is a prerequisite for admission, and is required of all applicants.
3) Results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or the IELTS, required of applicants who have not graduated from an English speaking university.
4) Completion of the 2008 MBA Application, which must be submitted online only.

The 2008 MBA Application will be available online only, by July 2nd of 2007. Candidates may apply in Round 1 - October 2nd, Round 2 - January 3rd or Round 3 - March 12, for admission in September of 2008.

Transcript information is self reported into the online application by the candidate. Transcripts from all schools must be reported into the online application by the candidate. Upon admission to HBS, official transcripts must be sent to HBS only at that time.

Due to the academic rigor of the MBA Program, candidates are strongly encouraged to complete introductory quantitative coursework, such as accounting, finance, economics and/or statistics prior to matriculation. Some candidates may have their admission to the MBA Program contingent on the completion of such courses prior to their enrollment.

All candidates must be able to speak, read, write and comprehend English fluently.

Candidates may not transfer into HBS and HBS accepts no transfer of credits.

Thank you for your interest in the MBA Program.

MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Boston, MA 02163
www.hbs.edu/mba”

To summarize, HBS’s deadlines for matriculation in September 2008 are as follows:

Round 1: October 2nd, 2007
Round 2: January 3rd, 2008
Round 3: March 12th, 2008

Though the Round 2 deadline has stayed the same as last year, HBS has pushed up the Round 1 date to early October, possibly influencing applicants’ priorities in that cycle. The 2008 MBA Application for HBS will be available online only by July 2, 2007 and will be due on the day of the deadlines by 5pm EST.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Clear Admit Blog!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Clear Admit Blog! In the four years since we started blogging, we’ve seen incredible growth in the online MBA community, with scores of applicants, students, business schools and commentators adding their voices to the business school blogosphere.

In celebration of this milestone we thought we would take a look at how the online MBA community has developed since the early days of our blog - a topic that generated a lively and productive discussion at the recent GMAC Conference in Philadelphia.

Based on the prominence of the Clear Admit site as a portal for MBA applicants and students, Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond was invited to lead a panel for MBA admissions officers on what applicants look for in their online experience. The discussion began with an excellent presentation on applicant behavior online, which was given by Stephanie Geyer, a consultant with higher-education specialist firm Noel Levitz. Her presentation was followed by Angela Dimit’s case study of the University of Illinois Urbana engineering school and its creation of a social network for students and alumni. This was all then wrapped around a closer look at the MBA applicant community - via Clear Admit’s portal, including our blog, wiki, Fridays From the Frontline column and other features - and an open discussion with admissions officers from Columbia, Wharton, LBS, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UNC, Penn State and more.

One interesting facet of the discussion was the way in which business schools like the Chicago GSB, London Business School, Penn State, Wharton, Yale and others are engaging the applicant community via admissions office blogs and are building social networks by bringing student bloggers together. At Clear Admit, we’ve enjoyed welcoming new admissions office, student and applicant bloggers to the online MBA community, since we’ve seen how applicants benefit from the open, interactive exchange of information that this community provides.

In the end, we would like to thank all of our readers for their support during another exciting year of blogging! Knowing that this blog is a valued source of information and advice makes our work all the more rewarding. It’s been a pleasure being part of the development of the MBA blogging community over the past four years, and we look forward to many more!

Trivia Tuesday: Supporting Entrepreneurship at Stanford

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the distinguishing details of MBA programs. While we’ve discussed an entrepreneurship certificate program at MIT Sloan in a past Trivia Tuesday column, this week we turn our attention to the campus support - both formal and informal - for Stanford MBA students interested in creating their own ventures.

Stanford devotes considerable resources to the examination of entrepreneurship and support of students and graduates seeking to launch their own companies. The GSB’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) was founded in 1996 and today supports ten associated faculty members in publishing articles in scholarly journals, composing cases for use in instruction, and designing courses to introduce students to entrepreneurial issues.

The Center also provides students with opportunities for practical experience. Through the Entrepreneurship Summer Program, students who are interested in spending the summer working in an entrepreneurial environment are matched with small companies seeking summer interns. These organizations can post their available jobs to the CES or Career Management Center, and students may also initiate contact with a company that meets the program’s criteria. Because fledgling companies are often unable to offer competitive internship salaries, the Center provides funding so that participants are able to earn close to the median for first-year interns across industries.

As part of the summer internship program, mentoring relationships are arranged between the student and an employee – or even the founder – of the sponsoring company, and this mentor and intern work together to understand the issues and challenges specific to a small organization. In addition to their basic summer responsibilities, the interns also complete a report on their experience, attend one or more CES-organized gatherings and events at various points in the summer, provide CES with feedback on the program, and participate in a conference during the first quarter of their second year.

No matter what their long-term goal or short-term destination, a high percentage of students attending Stanford GSB are interested in issues of entrepreneurship and take advantage of the MBA program’s resources and opportunities. With over 300 members – well over one-third of the student body – the student-run Entrepreneur Club is known for attracting top-notch speakers and organizes one of the most popular annual conferences on campus.

One element of Stanford’s program that students describe as remarkable is the extent to which classmates support and inspire one another. Because of the school’s noted strength in entrepreneurship, it is common for incoming students to matriculate with a business plan or idea for a company already in mind. Due to the program’s small size, students tend to become aware of each other’s plans and aspirations, and report that someone’s enthusiasm for and focus on a business idea can be infectious. This applies to their time on campus, when students might become so excited about a business plan formulated for a class exercise that they commit to pursuing it after graduation, as well as to the alumni years, when graduates keep track of, promote, celebrate and even invest in their peers’ endeavors.

For more on Stanford’s support for entrepreneurship, be sure to check out the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies website or the Clear Admit School Guide to Stanford!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Campus Chronicles: Summer Reading

With the end of the academic year, the student presses have fallen silent and it is time to put Campus Chronicles on hold until the start of the fall semester. However, for those applicants looking for some fun summer reading that has the added benefit of enhancing your MBA applications, the archives of student newspapers are a wonderful resource that is well worth exploring. As we’ve pointed out in past Campus Chronicles columns, student papers often offer excellent insight into the culture on campus and provide a great window on the events and controversies at each school, making them an important part of the MBA application research process.

Candidates beginning the application process might find it helpful to read through some of the back issues of a school’s paper. Information from the papers can become a valuable addition to MBA essays later this summer - perhaps you would like to help organize one of the conferences or speaker series profiled in the paper? Maybe the summaries of the multi-school case competitions or athletic matches stir your competitive spirit and inspire you to join one of these activities at business school? Alternatively, perhaps you’ve appreciated how helpful the student newspaper is to applicants and would like to contribute to its production as an MBA student? Each of these ideas for involvement can help you tailor your application essays to a school while adding flavor and interest. For applicants’ convenience, we’ve listed below the MBA programs whose student newspapers were regularly profiled in this year’s Campus Chronicles column.

Chicago: Chibus
Columbia: Columbia Bottomline
Cornell: Cornell Business
Duke Fuqua: Fuqua Times
Haas: HaasWeek
Harvard: Harbus
Michigan Ross: Monroe Street Journal
Stanford: Stanford Reporter
NYU Stern: Stern Opportunity
Wharton: Wharton Journal

Happy reading!

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