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Posted by Clear Admit on May 30, 2008, at 11:47 am
IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, recently launched a new initiative designed to attract university students at the beginning of their careers. As with Harvard Business School’s 2+2 program, students pre-admitted to the new Youth Talent Program (YTP) will have a spot reserved for them in the IESE class after they have completed two years’ work experience at a participating firm.
IESE developed the program in an effort to attract junior- and senior-year university students at the world’s top universities. Students are invited to apply for YTP after completion of their basic university degree. If chosen for pre-admission to IESE, they are then presented to top companies for recruitment opportunities. Official admission to the YTP program is awarded once a candidate . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 30, 2008, at 2:47 am
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s regular synthesis of the week’s blogging reactions. With summer rolling in, bloggers were on the quiet side this week, although those who did post had more than enough to report. Let’s hear the notable news from them…
JulyDream had a high time in the mile high city, where she packed in several memorable reunions, a fair share of partying offset by ample relaxation, and a 10k race in Boulder to boot! Using time wisely was also a priority for Ameya, who was aided in her efforts by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Randy Pausch’s time management lectures, via Youtube. Speaking of efficiency, Hectic1015 managed to find both an . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 29, 2008, at 1:28 pm
Robert Bruner, dean of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, this week named Professor Martin Davidson to serve as the school’s next associate dean for diversity and chief diversity officer (CDO). Davidson, who will assume the new role on July 1, replaces Professor Erika James, who has held the position since it was created three years ago and has reached the regular end of her appointment.
An internationally recognized though leader in the area of diversity in organizations, Davidson has long been focused in his research, teaching and consulting on looking at how leaders can use diversity strategies to create competitive advantages. In addition to teaching in each the Darden MBA and Executive Education programs, Davidson also consults with Fortune . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 29, 2008, at 3:39 am
In keeping with the recent Admissions Tips we have posted for the new crop of applicants to the Class of 2011, today we want 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 your efforts to go beyond the schools’ websites and promotional materials, we recommend reaching out to individuals in a few key groups:
Current Students – People who are currently enrolled in a given program can obviously provide the clearest picture . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 28, 2008, at 12:54 pm
Type “most desirable workplace for MBA grads” into Google and what do you get? Funnily enough, you get Google. That’s right. Results from a recent survey compiled by Fortune.com and research firm Universum Communications revealed that nearly a quarter of business school graduates respondents named Google as the company they would most like to work for.
Google, which topped the list for the second year in a row, expanded its lead in 2008. This year, nearly 24 percent of survey respondents said that a position at the Mountain View, Calif.-based internet company would constitute their dream job, up from 20 percent in last year’s survey.
Consulting firm McKinsey and Company, which held the top spot before Google usurped it, came in a distant . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 28, 2008, at 3:02 am
Geometry, algebra, prime numbers, factoring equations – nervous yet? Since the math section of the GMAT may wet some brows and dry some mouths, we’d like to share some strategic math tips from our friends at Manhattan GMAT in order to calm some nerves.
Go Proudly Back to the Basics
If necessary, return all the way to first grade with your head held high. Math is hierarchical – you can’t multiply if you can’t add. To put it better, you can’t understand multiplication if you don’t understand addition.
So return to first principles: arithmetic of whole numbers, positives and negatives, simple fractions and decimals. Multiplication tables and square roots. Get the facts, the processes, and the understanding down pat for those early . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 27, 2008, at 12:18 pm
Three Harvard professors found spots in the Wall Street Journal’s 2008 Top 20 Gurus Ranking, released earlier this month. Joined them were a smattering of other professors, including one from Kellogg and two from Stanford, as well as a collection of CEOs, journalists, and consultants.
The highest ranked professor this year is Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor, though not at Harvard Business School. Ranked number five, Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard, is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. “Human cognitive competence is better described as a set of abilities, talents and mental skills, which I call intelligences,” he writes.
Coming in at number six is Kellogg professor Philip Kotler. In his teaching over the past . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 27, 2008, at 3:39 am
Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday! As our regular readers know, Trivia Tuesday is our weekly examination of the programs and policies, details and distinctions of the leading business schools. Today we turn our attention to Stanford’s Certificate in Global Management, a specialized program that supplements the traditional MBA curriculum.
Established by students and faculty in 1994, the Global Management Program (GMP) is the student-facing arm of the Center for Global Business and the Economy. Complementing the faculty research that the center facilitates, the GMP offers both academic and experiential opportunities for students interested in global management.
As part of the GMP’s offerings, Stanford MBA students have the option to pursue a Certificate in Global Management, which among other benefits, serves as a signal . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 23, 2008, at 12:51 pm
INSEAD, which pioneered the one-year accelerated MBA program almost 50 years ago, now draws 900 students from more than 150 countries to its campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore. In an effort to maintain its international focus – and recognizing that not all prospective applicants will be able to visit the school prior to applying – the school will host several upcoming information sessions at locations throughout Europe.
Four sessions are scheduled for next week, two in London, one in Lisbon and one in Paris. The London events, which will take place on May 25, include both a women’s brunch/panel discussion/MBA information session and a Master Class & MBA/EMBA information session.
The Lisbon and Paris events, scheduled for May 28, are both general . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 23, 2008, at 7:51 am
Welcome to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s record of the week’s most significant MBA blogging activity. Current students certainly spiked our b-school radar in the last seven days, with a string of memorable goodbyes, some for the summer and others for good. Many applicants also transmitted a loud and clear farewell – to their applicant blogging peers, their pre-MBA employers and likely a good deal of their possessions, to boot. Others found comfort where they were. Let’s hear about it from them…
Vidiviciveni bid farewell to the applicant blogging world this week, promising to reconnect as a student blogger at London Business School this fall. On the other hand, Mike was just getting ready . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 22, 2008, at 3:15 pm
The most recent numbers from the Johnson School’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid reveal a notable increase in application volume for its two-year MBA program as well as increasing yield in terms of admitted students who accept.
Johnson received 2662 applications from prospective students vying for a spot in the 2010 class, up 22 percent from last year, according to Randall Sawyer, director of admissions and financial aid. As of early May, 286 admitted students made deposits to secure their spots in next year’s entering class, representing a 20 percent increase in yield over last year. The school’s Accelerated MBA program showed even more significant growth. With 60 deposits received from admitted students, the yield for that program this year is . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 22, 2008, at 11:30 am
As promised, below is the answer to our weekly Challenge Problem. Enjoy!
Question
One smurf and one elf can build a treehouse together in two hours, but the smurf would need the help of two fairies in order to complete the same job in the same amount of time. If one elf and one fairy worked together, it would take them four hours to build the treehouse. Assuming that work rates for smurfs, elves, and fairies remain constant, how many hours would it take one smurf, one elf, and one fairy, working together, to build the treehouse?
(A) 5/7
(B) 1
(C) 10/7
(D) 12/7
(E) 22/7
Answer
The combined rate of individuals working together is equal to the sum of all the individual working rates.
Let s = . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 22, 2008, at 4:27 am
With essay questions for the coming year already starting to be released by some schools, there are applicants who are eager to get started on their written applications. 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! . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 21, 2008, at 1:02 pm
According to a recent article in the Economist, business schools and MBA students are notably upbeat despite an economic downturn impacting organizations that are often their prime recruiters – namely those in the financial services and banking industries.
According to the Economist report, several factors fuel this unusually hopeful outlook: No one knows for sure just how bad the economic situation is (or isn’t), MBA students themselves seem more realistic and pragmatic than in downturns of the past, and though top job offers are down, MBAs have not yet faced having their internship or job offers withdrawn (save the particular case of Bear Stearns).
News from the schools and elsewhere echo the Economist report. Berkeley’s Hass School . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 21, 2008, at 2:24 am
Welcome to this year’s first edition of Workbook Wednesdays, where we offer our readers a shot at one of Manhattan GMAT’s ‘challenge problems,’ the caliber of problem you’ll see if you’re scoring above 700 on the GMAT exam. Check back with us on Thursday when we’ll work through the answer!
Question
One smurf and one elf can build a treehouse together in two hours, but the smurf would need the help of two fairies in order to complete the same job in the same amount of time. If one elf and one fairy worked together, it would take them four hours to build the treehouse. Assuming that work rates for smurfs, elves, and fairies remain constant, how many hours would it . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 20, 2008, at 4:39 pm
MIT awarded top prize in its annual $100K Entrepreneurship Competition was last week to Diagnostics For All (DFA), a nonprofit proposing new diagnostic tools that promise to dramatically improve healthcare management in developing countries.
Since its launch 19 years ago, the MIT $100K has served as an indicator of which emerging markets are getting funded by venture capitalists. More than 85 companies with an aggregate market capitalization of approximately $10 billion have been born as a result of the competition.
For the first time this year, entrants competed in seven distinct industry tracks – astro/aerospace, biotech, development, energy, mobile, products and services and Web 2.0/IT. The introduction of industry tracks was intended to help foster VC partner-level and industry specific mentorship and to . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 20, 2008, at 2:29 am
Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly look at the policies and practices that differentiate the leading business schools. This week’s focus is the structure of Darden’s first-year class and the way it impacts the first-year experience at the school.
Darden’s entering class is divided into five sections of approximately 60 students each. As at other business schools that break their classes into smaller groups, Darden’s sections are designed to represent the professional and demographic diversity of the full first-year class. Each section takes all of its core curriculum courses together and therefore shares a common set of faculty. Given the relatively small size of the sections and the intensely participatory nature of Darden’s case-based learning style, the school has . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 19, 2008, at 5:17 pm
Winning ideas have value, especially at business schools. As graduation and summer internships loom ever nearer, we wanted to share a look at the successful ideas and the pots of money being won by student projects at several top schools.
Two students of University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business have been winning accolades and business plan contests this spring using rice husks. So far they have been awarded almost $100,000 in prize money, including $50,000 for winning the Social Innovation Competition at the University of Texas on May 2, $35,000 for taking second place at MIT’s Ignite Clean Energy competition on May 12, and a $10,000 top prize from the University of Virginia on April 7. The two students . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 19, 2008, at 1:09 pm
Despite a faltering economy, job prospects remain good for MBAs, according to a recent survey by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). The number of employers seeking to hire MBA graduates is up and projected to climb even farther, base salaries are reported to have increased this year over last and many firms expect their on-campus recruitment efforts to remain steady, although some firms do project a slowdown in this area.
These and other findings were released as part of the 2008 Corporate Recruiters Survey, an annual survey conducted by GMAC in partnership with the MBA Career Services Council and European Foundation for Management Development.
According to the survey, the proportion of employers seeking to hire MBA graduates has grown by . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 19, 2008, at 2:38 am
Perhaps in anticipation of another increase in application volume, the number of HBS essay questions that candidates must answer has gone down – from 5 last year to 4 this season, down from 6 or 7 essays a few seasons ago. Further, at just 1800 words total, Harvard’s has become one of the shorter b-school applications. This underscores the importance of choosing among essay options judiciously, and using the limited words in each essay as beneficially as possible. That said, let’s take a look at the questions for this year:
Essay 1: What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
This essay question has been a hallmark of the HBS application for many . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 16, 2008, at 12:12 pm
According to a report yesterday in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Education Department’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education plans to leave her post, just one year after her appointment by President Bush, to lead the Washington Campus, a consortium of university business schools.
Diane Auer Jones was appointed the nation’s top higher-education official by Bush in May 2007, replacing Sally Stroup, who stepped down. According to the Chronicle report, Jones had hoped to remain at the Department of Education through the end of the Bush administration in January 2009 but couldn’t pass up the chance to replace the Washington Campus’s president, who is retiring. It was a case of “the perfect job coming at not the perfect time,” . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on May 16, 2008, at 2:32 am
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s weekly peek through the MBA looking glass. There was quite a sight to behold this week as applicants and students battled addled brains made mad by tough decisions that could determine their futures, some temporarily while others with permanence. Let’s check out a few in each camp…
Mbarunnergirl recently returned from a breathtaking journey ‘down under’, which helped her realize, among other things, that the travel-heavy consulting lifestyle’s just not for her. Now, with the summer stretching out ahead of her, she has to figure out what is, at least for the next several months until she joins Columbia. Her dilemma surely resonates with JulyDream, who’s also looking to gainfully employ . . . → Continue Reading
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