Strategy Series
Clear Admit Strategy SeriesCraft a winning application with the Clear Admit Strategy Series! Step-by-Step guidance through the application process. Titles include a Resume Guide, Recommendations Guide, Waitlist Guide and more!

Interview Reports

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

MBA Tipline

We encourage admissions officers, students and applicants to alert us of interesting news and developments, please send an email to news@clearadmit.com so we can blog it.

Program 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

B-School Resources

The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.
knowledge@wharton
INSEAD Knowledge
Harvard Working Knowledge
Knowledge @ Emory
Columbia Ideas @ Work
knowledge@ W. P. Carey
Stanford Knowledgebase
Ross Thought in Action

MBA Programs: The Rest of the World

As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.

Additional Resources

Archives

Stanford Graduate School of Business Launches New Social Innovation Fellowship for MBA Grads

A post on the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) Admissions blog earlier this week provided information about a new fellowship for social entrepreneurs created by the GSB’s Center for Social Innovation. Called the Social Innovation Fellowship Pilot Program, it is designed for graduating Stanford MBAs who demonstrate a well-defined vision for a new social venture they intend to dedicate the year after graduation toward launching.

The blog post recapped a conversation between Rita Winkler in the GSB Admissions Office and Janet Abrams, director of Stanford GSB’s Public Management Program.

According to Abrams, the Center for Social Innovation is piloting the new fellowship program over the next three years. Beginning next spring, a limited number of second-year students will receive . . . → Continue Reading

Fridays From the Frontline

The day after Thanksgiving, for those who celebrate the holiday now better known for its foodstuffs than its history, is generally a time to recuperate from the previous day’s feasting. That, and a day to scrub that roasting pan, put away all those dishes, make nine million turkey sandwiches (or a big vat of curry) and surreptitiously eat just one more piece of that delicious pumpkin pie. We, at Clear Admit, in addition to many of these activities, have not ceased paying attention to the b-school blogosphere. This week continued the mixed trend of disappointment (in the form of ‘zaps’) and thankfulness (for those receiving interview invitations or even acceptances) that makes up the application season. As November wraps up,  current . . . → Continue Reading

Campus Chronicles: Wharton’s Journal

Happy Thanksgiving!  There is more to be excited about than just turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes on this special day: it is time for another edition of Campus Chronicles!  Today we turn our attention back to the Wharton campus, checking out the latest through the student publication, The Wharton Journal.

The African American MBA Association hosted the 35th Annual Whitney M. Young Memorial Conference (WMY) at Wharton this past weekend, drawing hundreds of students, alumni, scholars, and business leaders to reflect and discourse on the theme “Charting your course: Navigating through the Winds of Change.”  Celebrating the life of the late statesman and educator Whitney M. Young Jr., the three-day event generated thought leadership around the economic . . . → Continue Reading

Wiki Wednesdays: iTunes Gift Certificates for Wiki Contributors!

Welcome to another installment of Wiki Wednesdays, reporting the latest goings on with the Clear Admit Wiki. Firstly, we’d like to say thanks to all the applicants who’ve been submitting interview reports lately! Recent additions include an account of an Early Decision interview at Columbia, a Wharton applicant’s interview with a second-year student, a report on a relaxed UCLA / Anderson interview and blogger Hakuna Matata’s Michigan / Ross interview experience!

As we’ve stressed in this blog, and as anyone who’s used the site to prepare for their interviews will attest, having access to firsthand accounts of the interview process at a given program can be invaluable in understanding what a program . . . → Continue Reading

What Do You Consider To Be The ‘Upside’?

For those of us located in the United States, tomorrow is the annual turkey, mashed potato and pie festival that many know as Thanksgiving. In honor of the holiday, we thought we would ask MBA aspirants for a positive perspective on the whole application process.

What Are You Thankful For In Regards To Your Admissions Process?

The support of my family.
The essay/application feedback I have received from my friend/colleague/admissions counselor.
The fact that I got in somewhere!
Wireless internet and the ability to check my status everywhere I go.
The Clear Admit wiki/blog.
I’ll only be thankful when I know the results.

. . . → Continue Reading

Johnson School MBA-Managed Hedge Fund Outpaces the Market

At Cornell’s Johnson School of Business, MBA students put theory into practice in a very real way – managing $14 million of other people’s money. And according to a recent article in the Cornell Chronicle, the student-managed Cayuga Fund consistently beats the market, returning 5.95 percent to investors in 2007.

The hedge fund counts between 40 and 50 investors, primarily Cornell alumni, who have entrusted their money to students to manage as part of a year-long course called Applied Portfolio Management. Sanjeev Bhojraj, Johnson associate professor of accounting, teaches the course.

With 32 students, this year’s class is the largest yet. And for the first time, first-year students are working as analysts to assist the second-year portfolio managers.

The Cayuga Fund is a market-neutral . . . → Continue Reading

Admissions Director Q&A: Columbia Business School Assistant Dean Linda Meehan

Before joining Columbia University in 1989, Linda Meehan’s pursuits included teaching and running a home business, among others. She moved to Columbia Business School (CBS) in 1993, where she serves as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Dean Meehan recently took time out of her busy schedule amid CBS’s rolling admissions process to answer a few of our questions. Read on to learn about some of the interesting new elective courses the school will offer this spring, as well as just how the admissions process unfolds for CBS applicants.

Clear Admit: What’s the single most exciting development, change or event happening at Columbia this coming year?

Linda Meehan: Columbia Business School is leading the charge in this new era of business school education, . . . → Continue Reading

Trivia Tuesday: Chicago Booth’s International MBA

It’s time once again for Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the programs, policies and possibilities at the leading business schools.

As business goes global, business leaders are increasingly expected to understand the nuances of doing business on the international stage. For prospective students interested in a career in international business, Chicago Booth’s IMBA offers an intriguing option. Chicago Booth is one of the few leading MBA programs to offer students an opportunity to pursue a specialized International MBA (IMBA) degree. To receive the IMBA, full-time MBA students must study abroad for one academic term, demonstrate proficiency in a non-native language and complete a concentration in international business.

The concentration in international business consists of at least five courses in international business, at . . . → Continue Reading

Darden Teams Clean Up at 2008 Innovation Challenge

The sixth annual Innovation Challenge, billed as the world’s largest business innovation competition for MBA students, took place this past weekend in Charlottesville, and hometown teams from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business beat out international competitors to win each of the three prizes in the event’s final round.

Darden teams took three of the ten spots in the final competition, out of an initial field that included more than 260 entering teams representing 55 schools and 48 countries. Competing teams have nine days to write a concept plan to address one of five real-world challenges facing the competition’s corporate sponsors. Twenty-five teams advance to the semi-final round to pitch sponsors directly with their plans, and ten teams meet face . . . → Continue Reading

Admissions Tip: The Long Essay

Essay content you’ve polished for one school often serves as a great starting point for the next application, but as we’ve often said, customizing this text for the school in question is key. One particular challenge we see applicants struggle with each year is effectively expanding a short essay they’ve written for one program (such as Harvard’s 400 word “career vision” document or Kellogg’s two-page, double-spaced essay about one’s career to date, goals and interest in their MBA) in responding to a question on the same topic but with a longer limit. With this in mind, we’d like to offer some pointers on converting condensed comments to more extensive remarks.

1) Expand in proportion. When taking an existing response as a starting . . . → Continue Reading

Oxford’s Saïd Business School Hosts Annual Entrepreneurship Forum

In a post earlier this week, we looked at the ways in which administrators and alumni at top schools are encouraging business students to channel their entrepreneurial energies amid the current financial crisis. Entrepreneurship is in the headlines at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School this week as well, as the school prepares to host its 8th annual Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford conference.

This year’s forum, “A 360-Degree View of the Valley,” is designed to offer students just that. Luminaries from across Silicon Valley will join leading European entrepreneurs and Oxford faculty and MBA students for an array of masterclasses and panel debates focused on the big issues and future directions of innovation. The conference will take place on Monday, November . . . → Continue Reading

Fridays From The Frontline

And welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s ongoing dive into the depths of the deliriously detailed lives of MBA aspirants and current students. Seven days never goes by quite as fast as in the b-school blogosphere. Each week, additional applications are submitted or worked upon, recruiting schedules wax and wane and interviews, for jobs or admission, are replayed over and over in each candidates’ head. This week was no exception, aspirants continue to deal with the stress of hearing (or not hearing) from their round one schools while current b-schoolers continued to do their best to manage their time efficiently.

An unavoidable part of the business school application process, for most, is a ‘zap’ here or there (Note: we’re . . . → Continue Reading

Admissions Director Q&A: Liz Riley Hargrove of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business

As part of our continuing series of discussions with admissions directors at top business schools around the world, we are pleased to offer this recent interview with Liz Riley Hargrove, Associate Dean of Admissions at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Hargrove has spent almost her entire professional career at Duke. After starting in undergraduate admissions at North Carolina State University, she joined the staff at Duke in 1993 and has been there ever since.

In the interview that follows, Hargrove shares her excitement about Fuqua’s plans for global expansion, describes the school’s philosophy of collaborative leadership . . . → Continue Reading

Campus Chronicles: Harvard’s Harbus

This week we return to Harvard’s Harbus to discover the latest events and initiatives on the HBS campus.

Harbus reports the launch of a student blog titled “Economic Policy Review,” developed by four students in September.  Aiming to offer a non-partisan commentary on issues that currently plague the U.S. economy, the blog (www.econblog.org) delves into economic policy, touching on topics such as domestic energy policy, trade policy, campaign finance laws, and global competitiveness.    One of the blog’s creators, Kyle Sable, stated that the idea for the blog arose in his BGIE section when he recognized the “disjunction between sound economic principles and the polices that are often enacted.”  Hoping to close this gap and . . . → Continue Reading

Darden, Kellogg, Kenan-Flagler All Encourage Entrepreneurship in the Face of Economic Crisis

When life deals you lemons, make lemonade. Or, more precisely, open your own lemonade stand. That’s the message several top business schools are projecting to students amid the current economic crisis.

In a blog post last week entitled “One answer to a recession: start a business,” Dean Robert Bruner of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business reminded students that “financial crises and recessions are as much about new beginnings as dreadful endings.”

Bruner cites the example of a Darden alum, J. Bryan Murphy (’86), whose aspirations as a real estate developer were dashed by the recession of 1991-2. But instead of hunkering down and settling for something safe, Murphy and his partner decided to head to Europe, where . . . → Continue Reading

Wiki Wednesdays: UNC Kenan-Flagler, Northwestern Kellogg

Welcome to this week’s installment of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight fresh additions to the Clear Admit Wiki, an online collection of firsthand accounts of MBA applicants’ experiences with the admissions process. Before we take a closer look at some recent posts, we’d like to share an email we recently received from an appreciative Wiki user.  This note sheds some light on how the Wiki can be helpful in the MBA interview process:

—– Original Message —–
From: xxxxxx
To: wiki @ clearadmit . com
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 5:01 PM

The interview page in the wiki section of the Clear Admit website is a godsend! The questions provided by the students were very helpful in preparing for my interviews, both on and . . . → Continue Reading

How Do You Wait?

How Do You Handle The Stress of Waiting to Hear Whether You Have Been Accepted or Denied?

I check my email and/or application status every ten minutes, I can’t help myself.
I’m going on a vacation and I’m not taking my laptop, cell phone or worries beyond the security gates.
I practice the art of positive thinking and visualize my acceptance letter.
I am confident of my fate, it’s not great to have to wait but I’m not stressed.
I go to the gym and sweat it out.

View . . . → Continue Reading

Interview Insights from Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth Admissions Directors

In a post to the Stanford Graduate School of Business Admissions blog last week, Director of Admissions Derrick Bolton shed some light on the timing of interview invitations. “Please be assured that your likelihood of admission bears no relationship to when you receive your interview invitation,” he wrote. “The timing of your invitation simply depends on when we review your file.”

And as for the order in which Stanford GSB reviews applications, there is no pattern, Bolton said. Interviews for Round 1 applicants start as soon as possible after the application deadline, which is typically early November, and continue through mid-January.

“We expect to send Round 1 interview invitations pretty regularly, every business day or so, through mid December,” he said. . . . → Continue Reading

Trivia Tuesday: Health Sector Management at Fuqua

It’s time once again for Trivia Tuesday, our regular exploration of the special programs and opportunities that differentiate the leading business schools. This week we take a look at Fuqua’s Health Sector Management program.

Duke University began offering healthcare education in 1930 alongside its opening of the Duke Hospital. In the more than three-quarters of a century since then, the Health Sector Management program (HSM) has evolved into one of the preeminent healthcare management education programs in the nation, alongside Wharton’s Health Care Systems major. Today, the HSM program enrolls over one-fifth of each Daytime MBA class, making it the largest healthcare program affiliated with a leading business school.

Fuqua’s affiliation with Duke University and location in the North Carolina Research Triangle area . . . → Continue Reading

BusinessWeek 2008 Business School Rankings: A Closer Look

Today we’ll take a closer look at how the various top programs fared in BusinessWeek’s most recent business school rankings, released last week.

Chicago Booth held firmly to the number one spot it secured in the 2006 rankings, boasting high scores in both the corporate recruiter and graduate surveys. Harvard Business School (HBS) and Wharton traded places this year, with HBS climbing to number two and Wharton slipping to number four. BW’s Louis Lavelle attributed Wharton’s slide to a poorer showing in the intellectual capital category this year than in 2006. 

Columbia, meanwhile, advanced from the number 10 spot to number seven, but MIT Sloan and Berkeley’s Haas School of Business each slipped slightly. Also noteworthy was the fact that Southern . . . → Continue Reading

Admissions Tip: The Comparison Trap

We wanted to take some time today to discuss a frequently-made mistake in the application process. In their desire to make their case to their target MBA programs, many applicants devote sentences and even paragraphs to explaining why the school in question is their “first choice” and arguing its superiority over other schools.

Though certainly understandable, this is actually not a very productive exercise. Let’s consider a few reasons why, from the schools’ point of view:

Tell me something I don’t know. A popular strategy – and not always bad one – for applicants seeking to demonstrate their fit with one school above any other is to study its website to understand the program’s self-determined selling points, and then profess an interest in . . . → Continue Reading

Fridays From the Frontlines

Hello and welcome to another chapter in Clear Admit’s on-going Fridays From the Frontlines series. Our look into the times, tastes and tribulations of b-schoolers continues this week with continued excitement and disappointment as many second years wrap up their recruiting season and aspirants get closer and closer to interview dates and begin to consider round two applications.

In positive news, fishee chimed in to share the news of his recent interview invitation from Wharton. Ahembeea vented his own Wharton interview frustrations with a letter and shared his Ross interview experience. Samantha was also feeling a little bummed about Wharton and wished that b-schools were more like law school. D.G. had a mixed week, . . . → Continue Reading