APPLICANT RESOURCES

Have an iPhone or iPod Touch? Research schools on the go and keep your applications organized with Clear Admit's new MBA Planner App!

Admissions Director Q&A
Below are links to Clear Admit's exclusive interviews with MBA admissions directors at leading programs.
Dawna Clarke (Tuck)
Rose Martinelli (Chicago)
Judith Hodara (Wharton)
Sara Neher (Darden)
Soojin Kwon Koh (Michigan)
Randall Sawyer (Cornell)
Beth Flye (Kellogg)
David Simpson (LBS)
Liz Riley Hargrove (Duke)
Linda Meehan (Columbia)
Bruce DelMonico (Yale)
Peter Johnson (Berkeley)
Isser Gallogly (NYU)
Mae Jennifer Shores (UCLA)
J.J. Cutler (Wharton)
Jake Cohen (INSEAD)
Rod Garcia (MIT Sloan)
Mary Miller (Columbia)

Clear Admit School Guides
Clear Admit School GuidesBecome an expert on your target schools overnight! Get the program-specific details you need to craft essays that stand out. See how schools compare head-to-head in key areas like recruiting, curricular structure, elective offerings and more. Available for immediate download. As featured in the Economist.

Clear Admit Career Guides
Clear Admit Career GuidesUnderstand career-specific offerings at leading MBA programs and identify the schools that will best support your career goals with the Clear Admit Career Guides! Available for Consulting, Investment Banking, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Healthcare.

Clear Admit 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!

Clear Admit Interview Guides
Clear Admit Interview GuidesBe 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.

Application Deadlines
Below are the upcoming deadlines for admission to top-tier schools.
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
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.

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


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.

Blog Archive

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ARCHIVE FOR JUNE 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

GMAC Admits New Member Schools, Elects New Board Directors

On the heels of its annual conference in Baltimore earlier this month, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a nonprofit education organization dedicated to advancing graduate management education worldwide, announced that it has admitted 12 new member schools and elected seven new business and education leaders to its board of directors.

GMAC, which also owns and administers the GMAT exam, was founded by a group of business school deans in 1954 to increase access to graduate management education for students around the globe. With the admission of 12 new member schools, the total number of GMAC member schools is now 177 from 19 countries.

“We are pleased to welcome these new member schools to our ranks,” David Wilson, GMAC president and CEO, said in a statement. “They are at the forefront of graduate management education around the world, upholding the high standards of excellence and integrity that are a hallmark of membership in the Council.”

The new member schools hail from eight different countries. They include

• Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
• Cass Business School, City University, London, U.K.
• EMLYON Business School, France
• Fudan University School of Management, China
• Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China
• IE Business School (Spain)
• Instituto Panamericano de Alta Direccion de Empresa (IPADE), Mexico
• London School of Economics and Political Science, U.K.
• Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Canada
• St. Petersburg State University Graduate School of Management, Russia
• University of Toledo College of Business Administration, U.S.
• Willamette University, Atkinson Graduate School of Management, U.S.

GMAC also announced the election of seven new members to its board of directors. Leaders in business and education – including deans at several top business school – the new elects join a 14-member board that includes representatives from academe and industry around the world responsible for setting strategic goals and guiding the Council.

The new directors:

• James W. Bradford, dean, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• James M. Danko, dean, Villanova School of Business, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
• Stacey Kole, deputy dean, full-time MBA program and clinical professor of economics, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Peggy Bishop Lane, deputy vice dean and adjunct associate professor of accounting, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Rosemarie Mecca, retired executive vice president and chief financial officer, Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
• Alfons Sauquet, dean, ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain
• Alexander Sevilla, assistant dean and director, MBA programs, Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

“The significant experience of our new directors in both the corporate and graduate management education areas make them especially valuable additions to our board,” GMAC’s Wilson said in a statement. “These are challenging times, and their perspectives and insights will serve our industry and our organization well.”

To learn more, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in General, School: Chicago, School: Penn / Wharton

Trivia Tuesday: Immersion Programs at Cornell’s Johnson School

Welcome to another addition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the programs and policies that impact the student experience at the leading business schools. This week, we turn our attention to the Johnson School of Cornell University and their unusual first-year Immersion Program.

In the spring semester of their first year, students complement their final two core courses with Johnson’s signature Immersion Learning program. The Immersion programs consist of a coordinated set of electives focused on a particular career or industry; these courses invite students to engage with real world business problems across functions and disciplines, as they will later do in their careers. Many career switchers report that Immersions are an effective way to gain an in-depth understanding of their new target industry.

The Johnson School offers eight defined Immersion programs. In line with Johnson’s career orientation, these courses enable students to gain specialized industry exposure early in the MBA experience, making them well-prepared for their summer internships and full-time job searches. While the protocol for each Immersion differs, the cornerstone of the Immersion experience is a practicum in which students work on real projects with companies in the target industry. Despite Cornell’s relatively remote location, students report that executives from major cities and companies are routinely drawn to campus. Lectures and workshops with visiting experts, on-site visits and team presentations are regular components of each immersion.

Approximately 80% of the first-year class typically undertakes one of the eight defined Immersions. While students must bid for placement in their Immersion programs, they report that virtually everyone is enrolled in the Immersion program of their choice. For students whose career interests do not fit within the defined Immersions, Johnson offers a customized Immersion option. Through the customized Immersion, students can work with a faculty advisor to build their own specialized curriculum from the electives offered at Johnson or in the larger University.

For more on the Johnson School’s Immersion Programs or its other unique academic offerings, be sure to check out the school’s website or the Clear Admit School Guide to Johnson!

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in School: Cornell / Johnson, Trivia Tuesday

Monday, June 29, 2009

London Business School Hosts Global Leadership Summit 2009

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and UK Minister for Trade, Investment and Business Lord Davies of Abersoch will deliver keynote addresses today as part of London Business School (LBS)’s Global Leadership Summit 2009.

The summit, the school’s sixth annual, is designed to give corporate guests and alumni a forum in which to reflect and debate with leaders on the global downturn. Featuring one of the most prestigious groups of leaders to be gathered on one stage in London this year, the event also will include several interactive panels discussing how businesses can emerge stronger from the economic crisis.

As part of one panel, Steven Hester and Anshu Jain, two of the world’s most recognized banking executives, will debate the future of the financial system with key regulators and government representatives.

In another, new Unilever CEO Paul Polman will make his first public appearance on a general business platform along with Diageo CEO Paul Walsh. Together, the two will set out their thoughts on world trade.

Finally, Sunil Bharti Mittal, leader of India’s largest mobile phone company, will discuss seizing the upside of a downturn. His company is currently operating in a market that is attracting 10 million new customers a  month.

Senior editors from the Financial Times, the Economist and CNN also will take part in the day’s events, and London Business School faculty Dan Goldstein, Lynda Gratton, Michael Jacobies and Nirmalya Kumar will share their insights as part of a series of “Big Idea” sessions.

To follow live comments from today’s summit, visit LBS’s twitter feed at www.twitter.com/londonBS.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in Events, School: London Business School

Admissions Tip: Addressing Unemployment or Gaps in Employment

Given the emphasis that schools place on a candidate’s work experience, it is important to be proactive in addressing gaps in employment.  When applying to business school, many candidates worry about how the adcom might perceive gaps in employment.  We would like to take some time to discuss strategies for addressing this issue.

It’s not unheard of for an MBA candidate to have a gap in employment, and this will not necessarily impact someone’s candidacy in a negative way.  Gaps might be due to anything from lay-offs to periods of travel.  As a rule-of-thumb, applicants should explain gaps in employment that are three months or longer in an optional essay or, if instructed, on their data forms.  The adcom will not want to play detective with vague dates on an applicant’s resume or large chunks of unaccounted for time. As the adcom will simply want to know what an applicant was doing during a period of unemployment, applicants should show that they made productive use of this time.  It is important for applicants to be open and clear about extended gaps to show that they were not simply spending the time to look for full-time employment.

Addressing current unemployment in applications, however, requires a different strategy than simply discussing past gaps in employment history.  Candidates applying to business school who are not currently employed are in a trickier situation, as business schools view themselves as career accelerators rather than career jump-starters.  The task is not impossible, though, and given the current state of the economy, more candidates are applying to business school during a period of unemployment.  As with addressing gaps in employment, these applicants should not evade discussions centering on this issue.  On the other hand, they should not present unemployment as the reason for applying to business school nor should they suggest that they aren’t presently looking for work due to the need to devote time to their MBA applications (a major ‘red flag’).

In addressing unemployment, applicants should show that they are doing their best to find something temporary or engaging in volunteer work.  Ideally, applicants would show that they are doing something in line with their stated professional goals, like attending conferences or working to secure an internship in a field they want to explore.  Whatever the case, applicants should be honest and appear proactive.

As every applicant is unique, we encourage our readers to contact Clear Admit directly (info@clearadmit.com) if they need guidance on tackling a gap in employment or current unemployment situation.  Send us your resume and sign up for a free one-on-one session with one of our counselors.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Admissions Tips, General

Friday, June 26, 2009

Chicago Booth Essay Topics 2009-2010

The Chicago Booth essay questions for the 2009-2010 admissions season have been announced! Below are the essay questions for the Fall 2010 application. The Fall 2010 Chicago Booth application will be available on the Online Application System in mid-July 2009.

Essays
1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)

1a. FOR REAPPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

2. Please choose one of the following (500 – 750 words):
Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
-or-

Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

Slide Presentation
We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you to tell us about yourself. In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?
We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.
•    The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to this essay.
•    Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.
•    There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.
•    Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. Color may be used.
•    Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
•    You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 5:00 pm in Essay Topics, School: Chicago

New Yale SOM Website Compiles Leading-Edge Faculty Work

The Yale School of Management (SOM) this week announced the launch of a new website bringing together all of the most recent ground-breaking work and research by the school’s esteemed faculty members.

Called “Faculty Insights,” the new site features a collection of the latest working papers, commentaries, interviews and news produced by Yale SOM professors and provides an excellent source of information to prospective applicants who want to stay on top of developments at the school.

Among the initial posts to the site are an analysis of the role the shadow banking system played in the financial crisis by Professor Gary Gorton; a report out of the Millstein Center outlining policy recommendations for reform in the areas of pay for performance, risk oversight and shareholder stewardship; and a commentary by Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld remembering legendary Kidder Peabody financier Albert Gordon.

The multimedia resource also features a collection of video insights from professors as well as a library of audio podcasts. Current topics covered in these sections include issues ranging from the subprime crisis to cognitive dissonance to online advertising.

For prospective applicants considering an MBA at Yale SOM, bookmarking this site is a great way to stay informed.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 4:34 pm in MBA News, School: Yale

Berkeley / Haas Deadlines 2009-2010

The Berkeley / Haas 2009-2010 deadlines have been released. The four admissions deadlines are as follows:

Round One
Deadline: October 20, 2009
Notification: January 27, 2010

Round Two
Deadline: December 10, 2009
Notification: March 17, 2010

Round Three:
Deadline: February 2, 2010
Notification: April 28, 2010

Round Four
Deadline: March 10, 2010
Notification: May 19, 2010

The essay questions are set to be announced in August.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:24 pm in Deadlines, School: Berkeley / Haas

NYU / Stern Essay Topics 2009-2010

The NYU / Stern 2009-2010 essay topics have been announced. The essay topics for the upcoming admissions season are as follows:

Essay 1. Professional Aspirations
(750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Answer the following:
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?

Essay 2. Your Stern Experience
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions:
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.

Essay 3. Personal Expression
Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.

Please do not submit anything that must be viewed or played electronically (e.g. CDs, DVDs, MP3s, online links), that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you are not submitting Essay 3 online, you are required to upload a brief description of your submission in your online application.

Although NYU / Stern’s Round 1 deadline has been announced, the remaining deadlines are set to be released later this summer.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:14 am in Essay Topics, School: NYU Stern

Fridays From The Frontline

Well, hello there and welcome to the latest news from the MBA blogsophere! Clear Admit continues to do its best to track the perspectives, opinions and activities of the wildly diverse group of b-school bloggers out there. This week current students shared insights on their internships while incoming first years continued their preparations and Class of 2012 hopefuls did all they could do to get ready for the upcoming application season.

MBA hopeful Xlick considered the draw of free pizza and a GMAT club happy hour. After a disappointing second GMAT exam, fellow aspirant Hari looked to his readers for advice. Bizwiz made himself a handy chart with all the deadlines for the application season. He wasn’t the only chart maker, Kellogg ‘11 D.G. knew where he was living and made his own pie chart that showed the breakdown of where Kellogg students end up residing. W.P. Carey ‘11 Maverick had his own Indian MBA junta and just a few more things to purchase before he would be ready for school to start. Last week Metal wrote about the relative importance (or unimportance) of anonymity, this week Goizueta ‘11 Ahembeea also weighed in on how much it mattered to remain unknown. McCombs ‘10 Paragon2Pieces knew that many were beginning to prepare for their first day of b-school and conveyed her thoughts on what a first year MBA might need to know.

While we at Clear Admit thought she had already decided, Haas ‘11 Lauren announced her intention to go to, well, Haas. LBS ‘10 OutOnALimb shared a few observations from his first few days at his summer internship. Marshall ‘10 Andrew was excited that his particular field of interest and internship focus, healthcare, was in the national spotlight.  Darden ‘10 Mechanigal, still in India, succumbed to tweeting. The recent Metro crash in D.C. was just one reason that HBS ‘10 Gabrielle started paying more attention to the news. Darden ‘10 JulyDream found herself intrigued by whether the public should think that Apple is Steve Jobs while McCombs ‘10 Metal described the Six Sigma project he is working on as an intern.

Summer has only started to get into the swing of things and already the applicant pool is heating up. As more and more schools announce their 2009-2010 essay topics and application deadlines we’re sure that even more applicant bloggers will come out of the woodwork. In the meantime the experiences of rising first- and second-years will keep those of us tracking the blogosphere satiated with tales of internship lessons and class preparation.

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:38 am in Fridays from the Frontline, Uncategorized

Thursday, June 25, 2009

AIGAC Presents Findings of MBA Applicant Survey at Annual GMAC Conference

The Association of International Graduate Admissions Counselors (AIGAC) was invited to present the findings of its 2009 MBA Prospect Survey to assembled representatives from many of the world’s top business schools as part of the annual Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) conference, which took place in Baltimore last week.

The presentation, delivered by AIGAC President and Clear Admit Co-founder Graham Richmond, outlined some of the major findings of the survey, which was designed to share with the schools AIGAC’s unique perspective on a specific segment of the overall MBA applicant pool, namely those who choose to work with graduate management admissions counselors.  

This unique pool of applicants, most of whom are targeting highly competitive programs at business schools with extremely stringent admissions requirements, trends toward the top tier of business school candidates and represents a segment that leading business schools are very much interested in coming to better understand.

GMAC welcomed the opportunity to have AIGAC present at its annual conference, where representatives from more than 175 member schools gather each year to examine trends and developments in graduate management education. The schools paid close attention to the survey’s findings, which provided information about who AIGAC’s applicants are, how they make the decision to go to business school, what sources of information they use to gather facts about the schools they consider and what impact the current economy is having on their application process.

The AIGAC survey findings were presented for comparison alongside the findings of a broader GMAC survey of overall MBA prospects. The joint presentation helped showcase the particular attributes that distinguish AIGAC’s signature applicant pool.

Among the AIGAC survey findings that schools seemed to consider most notable were the following:

• Three-fifths of surveyed AIGAC prospects (59 percent) scored 700 or higher on the GMAT exam.
• Almost half (44 percent) were international students.
• A majority of prospects (52 percent) cited school websites as the most valued source of information in the application process.
• School viewbooks and brochures were considered far less effective sources of information. (Only 5 percent of surveyed applicants rated them as highly valuable.)
• The overall applicant pool is trending younger than in the past. (Thirteen percent of prospects were under 24, and two-thirds of prospects were between the ages of 25 and 29.)
• While more than a third of respondents (37 percent) reported that the economy influenced their decision to apply to an MBA program now, this factor was still secondary to career advancement.

In a brainstorming session that followed the presentation, GMAC conference attendees examined the ramifications of the AIGAC survey findings. Among the topics of discussion were how best to reach younger applicants, whether producing expensive printed viewbooks and brochures continues to make sense for schools and, as more prospects influenced by the economy enter the application pipeline, how their concerns and interests may differ from those focused first and foremost on advancing their careers.

Richmond, elected to serve a two-year term as AIGAC’s president this past spring, set as one of his goals while in the role to strengthen the organization’s relationships with top business school representatives. He approached GMAC with the idea for the prospect survey and was pleased that the council showed immediate interest in having its findings presented at the conference.

“It’s a real milestone that AIGAC was invited to present at the schools’ annual gathering,” Richmond said. Of course, the high caliber of AIGAC prospects makes them an audience schools are very interested to target, Richmond pointed out. “The schools seemed really interested in the data we were presenting and grateful that we were sharing it with them.”    

To learn more about AIGAC, click here. For more on the 2009 GMAC Annual Conference, click here.

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:30 pm in General, MBA News

GMAT Test Prep Company Profile Series: PowerScore

~A CLEAR ADMIT EXCLUSIVE~

In our continuing series of GMAT test prep company profiles, we spoke this week with Dave Killoran, CEO of PowerScore. Killoran entered the test prep field almost 20 years ago, working initially as an instructor for industry giant Kaplan. Seeking to provide an alternative to Kaplan’s approach to test preparation, he founded PowerScore in 1997.

Operating in several locations throughout the United States and Canada, PowerScore offers a 30-hour GMAT full course and a 16-hour GMAT single weekend course, as well as both live, in-person tutoring and telephone tutoring. PowerScore prides itself on being able to offer one of the lowest full-course prices on the market, as well as a lower per hour cost for individual tutoring.

In the interview that follows, Killoran describes the evolution of the company since its founding, talks about what PowerScore looks for in its instructors and gives a glimpse of what he believes sets the company’s offerings apart.

Clear Admit: How many GMAT tutors do you have? Who are they? What are their qualifications? What markets do they serve?

Dave Killoran: We probably use about 50 to 60 GMAT instructors. They really come from all walks of life, but a requirement to get an interview is to have scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT. We want our students to be able to look at our instructors and feel confident that they can help them improve their own scores.

But while a high score is a requirement for an interview, it is not a guarantee that someone will be hired. We are not looking for someone who has a business background necessarily. We look for someone who is a good speaker, who has a lot of personality, who likes the GMAT, and who likes to teach. Some of our instructors are lawyers, some are business executives, some are working as professors at universities. 

In terms of the markets we serve, we are all over the place. We are stronger in terms of the number of students we serve through our full course programs on the East Coast than on the West Coast. But our weekend courses are offered all over the country as well as in Toronto, Canada; tutoring is offered in most cities in the U.S. and  Canada, and through our books we are able to assist students worldwide.

CA: Describe the type of candidate you feel would be best served by PowerScores’s approach to GMAT prep? What sets PowerScore apart from other test prep companies?

DK: Basically, we have a two-fold approach to test prep. First, we try to teach students the basics of what they are going to be tested on. Some other test prep companies like to go more for a tips or tricks type of approach. While I think there is a place for that, you really have to focus on what the real test subject matter is first.

As for the test subject matter, it’s not as if people don’t know the math, but they may not have seen it since eighth grade. And most people know how to argue, but with critical reasoning, if you don’t understand the underlying foundation of how the test makers actually view the exam you are going to really struggle with the test. So first what we want to do is really provide a foundation so people know what they need to know about the test.

And then we teach them what the test makers are doing when they design the test. The real key is that it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what the people who make the test think.

I think the ideal student for the full-length course is someone who wants more structure and more direction. The full course meets on a regular basis over 10 sessions, so you are constantly coming back and getting feedback, and the lessons are stretched out in a structured manner. It’s a slow build. The full course is definitely our flagship course.

Then there’s the weekend course, which involves 16 hours of lecture packed into a single weekend. The content we cover there is very similar to the full course, we just don’t go over as many questions. But while it’s called a weekend course, there is really a lot more to it. There are pre- and post-course components, which allow you to do work prior to and after the class. Generally, students who take the weekend course tend to be a little more self motivated and have less schedule flexibility. It’s sometimes a lot easier for people to fit the course in over a single weekend than to commit to 10 continuing sessions with the full course. So basically, the difference in ideal students for each comes down to a difference between motivations, structure and schedule.

There are also our tutoring services. Tutoring is the perfect device to transfer information because it is perfectly matched to the individual student. We will sit down and talk to you about your strengths and weaknesses, review your early test results and then we create individual plans that help students directly in a particular way according to their individual needs. Some people are math phobic, so with them we focus on quant. Some people come in and are engineers, so they have the math down, but they might want to focus on critical reasoning. Basically, anyone who has a question in a tutoring session knows he or she is going to get  exactly the answer he or she is looking for.

Finally, there are our books. We have a couple of different books. The first two we published were the Critical Reasoning Bible and the Sentence Correction Bible. They have started to become very popular. In them, we supply more information than might be necessary to allow students to say, “This is what I need, this is what I don’t need.”

We were about to put out a Reading Comp Bible but then thought no one will read it because no one really likes reading comp. Instead, we combined all three parts to create the GMAT Verbal Bible, which we put out eight to nine months ago. And then, probably by next year, we’ll put out the GMAT Math Bible.

CA: Part of the PowerScore sales pitch is that you offer the lowest full-course price out there, as well as some of the lowest per hour tutoring fees. Is that right? What do your services cost?

DK: That’s something that goes way back into my personal history. Basically, I think a lot of what is being offered out there is really overpriced. Some companies have a lot of test centers across the United States and so have a massive overhead. Others I think just charge too much.

Our approach is that we charge what we think is reasonable. The quality of services we provide would warrant our charging more, but we don’t see a reason to do that. The thing I love about this is that it’s a business, but it’s also education. I have a really strong commitment to the fact that when people come to us as students we are trying to help them with the future they want to create. We don’t want to start that out by gouging people.

PowerScore’s GMAT Full Course costs $995; GMAT weekend course, $395; private tutoring ranges from $80 per hour (telephone tutoring) to $150 per hour (open-ended private tutoring). For a full fee schedule, click here. 

CA: Is there anything new on the horizon in terms of services or offerings?

DK: We are in the process of developing two online courses – a live interactive online course and another on demand version of that. I expect them to be available later this year. We’d aimed for October but it’s looking more like November, because when you are trying to develop somehting that is that complicated and complex, it takes some time.

CA: How does a student determine which level of test prep is best for him or her?

DK: We definitely try to put out enough information on our website so people can make an informed decision, and we offer a free GMAT help area on the site to give people an idea of what we do. We like to look at ourselves as not just a friendly company but a very personal company. Some students come in and they really should just buy a book, some people would thrive in the full course, and some others would really benefit from one-on-one tutoring. If anyone has any confusion about what level is most appropriate, we always say just give us a call. When you call us there’s not a big voicemail system where you have to press seven buttons. We like to answer the phone and actually talk to people. And no one here works on commission, so we won’t try to sell you something you don’t need. 

For more information on PowerScore, visit the company website or call (800) 545-1750.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 11:00 am in GMAT Test Prep Company Series

Kellogg Essay Topic Analysis 2009-2010

We’d like to take some time today to offer some guidance on Kellogg’s essay prompts for the 2009-2010 admissions season.  This year, Kellogg has traded its page limits in for traditional word limits – a change that actually translates to less space that applicants have to work with in addressing each prompt.  With its collegial culture always at the fore, Kellogg continues to show an interest in an applicant’s potential contributions to the community, encouraging applicants to discuss what makes them unique and how they would be a valued and active member in the program.

Essay 1 – Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg. (600 word limit)
This is another fairly standard career goals/why MBA essay. As usual, it’s important to remember that specificity of goals is key, and keep in mind that the school prides itself on its collegial culture when addressing the ‘why Kellogg’ issue. One more thing to note is that the request that applicants “assess” their progress to date is unique to Kellogg’s version of this question. This would suggest that it might be appropriate to incorporate a few reflective or even evaluative comments into your discussion of your professional path in order to tailor your perspective to Kellogg’s question.

As is the case with most schools, demonstrating an understanding of the unique merits of Kellogg’s program is crucial to an effective response to this question (as well as the second essay about one’s potential contribution). Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversation with alumni or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to Kellogg – will pay dividends.

Essay 2 – Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit)
This essay is a great opportunity to showcase your various leadership roles in college and afterwards. Given the number of subjects that need to be covered in this response, it would be wise to focus your discussion on two or three leadership examples rather than a laundry list of positions held. Of course, it’s also important to take note of the Kellogg-specific slant of this inquiry. In addition to touching on situations in which you’ve taken the lead and the skills gained and lessons learned from these experiences, you’ll want to think through the ways that you could apply these to the benefit of the Kellogg community, as well as how you could enhance your leadership approach during your time in business school.

Essay 3 – Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)
This question is a new take on an old classic, which asked applicants to provide an assessment of their file as a member of the Admissions Committee.  This is one of the trickier questions out there in the MBA admissions world, as the request that applicants take a third-party perspective on their own applications virtually prohibits them from introducing any new information in this essay, as they must evaluate their own candidacy based upon the information that they have already submitted. The key is to use this response to draw the inferences that you would hope the reader to make based on your application, perhaps explicitly commenting on themes that run through your experience or drawing connections between your goals and some aspect of your background.

With the new focus on why a Kellogg student might want you to join the community, it would make sense to focus on your potential contributions in the classroom and around campus.  Keep in mind that past academic performance may not be as importance to one’s peers as background, interests and hobbies, and perspectives.  Examples of possible material might include discussing your unique achievements, demonstrating that you are in a great position to share something interesting in the classroom, or shedding light on a particular passion that might translate into involvement in one of Kellogg’s clubs.

There are number of additional strategies that work for this essay, and we encourage Kellogg applicants to contact us directly for further information about our counseling services in this regard.

Essay 4 – Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.
a) Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
A topic new to Kellogg’s application, this prompt signals the adcom’s interest in how potential students handle opposition, as well as how effectively they are able to take an unpopular stance in pursuit of some important end. As Kellogg highly values interpersonal skills, the admissions committee is likely interested in learning how you managed any interpersonal fall-out from the decision.  Some background about the situation and the reason you made the decision will naturally be necessary here, but the bulk of your response should focus on your thought process, feelings and actions.

b) People may be surprised to learn that I….
This essay prompt enables candidates to discuss some element of their backgrounds that will show a new and interesting side of themselves that doesn’t come across in the rest of their application materials, and which might make them more three-dimensional to the person reviewing their files.  The prompt might be of most value to applicants from traditionally oversubscribed groups (i.e. engineers and financial analysts), as they may highlight what differentiates them from the rest of the applicant pool.  Beyond the surprising fact itself, it would make sense to offer some reflection on what led one to develop a skill or what implications a unique experience has had for one’s life or career.  For example, an analyst at an investment bank who grew up on a farm might surprise the adcom with the fact that he knows how to shear a sheep, and then move into a discussion of his early years and the way lessons he learned through this experience have served him since.

c) I wish the admissions committee had asked me…
For candidates who don’t have a big surprise up their sleeves, this prompt provides a similar opportunity to share information about their involvements and interests outside of the professional realm or to comment on subjects not mentioned elsewhere in the application.  As this prompt might be the last essay that you tackle, you have the opportunity here to take a step back and assess what the adcom has yet to learn about your background.  Remember that you want to provide a comprehensive view of your candidacy, so if you discussed mainly professional examples in the other essays, it would be good to delve into a personal example here and vice versa.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:58 am in Essay Topic Analysis, General, School: Northwestern / Kellogg

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management Names New Interim Dean

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University yesterday announced that Sunil Chopra, current senior associate dean for curriculum and teaching, will serve as interim dean of the school beginning on September 1st. Chopra, who is also Kellogg’s IBM Distinguished Professor of Operations Management, will replace Dean Dipak Jain, who in May announced his intentions to step down.

“Sunil brings a deep understanding of the school, an outstanding record of scholarship and significant administrative experience,” Kellogg Provost Daniel Linzer said in a statement. Chopra will serve in an interim capacity while Kellogg begins a national search for a permanent successor to Jain, Linzer continued.

Chopra joined Kellogg in 1989 and has been senior associate dean for curriculum and teaching since August 2006, responsible for planning the curriculum, teaching needs and other student activities for the full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs. His research and teaching interests include operations management, supply chain management and network design, and he has co-authored two books on operations management and supply chain management that are used at several top business schools.

“Kellogg has a strong commitment to excellence based on its culture of collaboration and innovation among its faculty, students, alumni and staff,” Chopra said in a statement announcing his appointment. “I look forward to building on this vibrant environment where we partner with our students to develop global leaders who make contributions of lasting significance and faculty continue to do path-breaking research and develop new pedagogy,” he continued. 

To learn more, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 11:00 am in MBA News, School: Northwestern / Kellogg

Michigan / Ross Deadlines 2009-2010

The Michigan/Ross deadlines for the 2009-2010 application season have been released! The full-time MBA deadlines are as follows:

Round 1
Deadline: October 10, 2009
Notification: January 15, 2010

Round 2
Deadline: January 5, 2010
Notification: March 15, 2010

Round 3
Deadline: March 1, 2010
Notification: May 15, 2010

International applicants are encouraged to apply in Round 1 or Round 2. The 2009-2010 application will be available on August 1.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:55 am in Deadlines, School: Michigan / Ross

What’s Your Greatest Strength?

As An Applicant, What Do You Consider Your Greatest Strength?

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Uncategorized

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Next Generation GMAT Exam Now in Development

The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which owns the GMAT entrance exam, is currently developing a Next Generation GMAT, slated for completion in 2013.

Through a three-phase development process, GMAC hopes to build on the strengths of the existing exam by incorporating advances in testing technology to better measure prospective applicants’ skills. It also hopes to expand the range of skills tested by the exam to include those applicable to both traditional MBA programs and newer business programs that have emerged in recent years.

As part of the first phase of development, now underway, an advisory group of faculty members from leading business schools is helping GMAC identify and review potential new skills the GMAT could measure. This advisory group met on February 11th to rate the importance of various skills and recommend changes to the GMAT.

“The process of preparing for the Next Generation GMAT has been both well-planned and extremely sensitive to the needs and concerns of business schools,” said advisory board member Luis Palencia, who is associate dean of the MBA program at IESE Business School. “If this first stage is an indicator of the final result, I know that the new exam will be innovative, valuable and successful,” he added. 

Using the first-phase research, the second phase of development will involve designing and testing exam enhancements to ensure that they meet business schools’ needs. The third phase will focus on exam accessibility, including upgrading test centers as necessary, developing test preparation materials for the new exam and examining ways to make the exam available to more test takers without compromising security.  

To learn more about development of the Next Generation GMAT, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 12:00 pm in GMAT News, General

Trivia Tuesday: International Consulting at Haas

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the programs, policies and resources that help to differentiate the leading business schools. This week we turn our attention to an opportunity for hands-on international development work offered by the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

The International Business Development (IBD) course is one of the most popular electives at Haas. Similar to the international consulting electives at Wharton and Tuck, the course sends small teams of students to consult at client sites around the world for three weeks each summer. The program is open only to first-year students, and the application process includes both essays and an interview.

Students selected for participation are assigned to project teams in January of the first year and work with their teams in the spring semester to conduct background research and analysis. Following the end of first-year classes in mid-May, each team spends a dedicated three weeks on-site with the client, completing such projects as preparing a business plan, conducting market analysis, developing marketing or entry strategies, or recommending operational changes. In keeping with the course’s focus on international development, the sponsor organizations are largely regional companies or non-profits, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Grameen Bank, Comaco, and the U.N. Hunger Task Force.

Although the IBD project is usually delivered to the clients by the end of the three week period on-site, teams may need to conduct follow-up work in the fall semester. In order to provide students with an opportunity to share their findings with other teams and to discuss their experiences, IBD participants meet for two full Fridays during the fall semester. During these meetings, each team presents its project to the class in case format. Upon successful completion of the spring semester preparation, the in-country project, and the fall semester presentations, students receive three elective credits towards their Haas degrees.

To learn more about international study or experiential learning opportunities at Haas and other leading business schools, be sure to check out the schools’ websites or the Clear Admit School Guides!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in School: Berkeley / Haas, Trivia Tuesday

Monday, June 22, 2009

Columbia Business School’s Revised Core Discussed at 2009 AIGAC Conference

Members of the Columbia Business School (CBS) communications team gave a presentation on the school’s revised core curriculum as part of the 2009 Association of International Graduate Admissions Counselors (AIGAC) Conference, which took place last week.

The presentation, as well as a private tour of CBS and New York University’s Stern School of Business, were among several activities organized as part of the 2nd Annual AIGAC conference, held June 16th and 17th in New York City.

Clear Admit’s own Graham Richmond, who serves as the current AIGAC president, was joined by fellow AIGAC board members, individual and business organization admissions consultants and school representatives from INSEAD, Haas, Tuck, Darden, Michigan and Yale for the two-day event focused on the latest news and trends in graduate admissions.

As follow up to the presentation about CBS’s revised core, communications officials distributed to conference attendees a white paper authored by CBS Dean Glenn Hubbard outlining the method and thinking behind the development of the new core.

In 2006, Hubbard convened the Foundations Curriculum Committee (FCC) to evaluate the existing CBS core and make recommendations for a smaller, more flexible curriculum that would still provide its MBA graduates with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in a global marketplace.

The FCC, made up of tenured professors from each of CBS’s five academic disciplines, set out to develop a revised core that would provide students with greater flexibility and the opportunity to tailor their management education toward individual career goals while preserving the exisiting academic calendar and the cluster system, which groups students into cohorts of 65 people for shared learning experiences and long-term career benefits.

The resulting new core – divided into “required core” and “flexible core” sections – reduces the number of required courses from nine to eight, introduces a new co-curriculur module on corporate ethics spanning the entire MBA program, lets first-year students take an additional full-term elective course in their second semester to be better prepared for summer internships and introduces new half-term “flexible core” courses that give students more opportunity to pursue their own professional and academic interests even within the core requirements. The new core was unveiled in fall 2008.

The corporate governance addition to the enhanced core is designed to introduce students to the positive economic effects of strong, responsible governance and ethics on business and society. The new segment, which begins during first-year orientation and continues through a capstone session in the program’s final term.

“The FCC introduced changes to the core that have effectively made a good product better,” writes Hubbard in his white paper. “The overall reducation in the length of the core and the options made available through the flexibile core will result in a more focused and customizable foundational education for all students,” he continued.

To learn more about the CBS core, click here. To learn more about the 2009 AIGAC Conference, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 12:45 pm in General, MBA News, School: Columbia

Admissions Tip: Visiting the Campus

As many applicants are finding out at this time of year, conducting thorough research on MBA programs is an essential step in formulating a list of target schools and crafting convincing essays. Surfing the web and speaking with friends and mentors are great starting points in identifying programs of interest. However, to really get a feel for a school and determine whether it’s a good fit for one’s goals and personality, applicants need to dig deeper and gain some firsthand experience with the program and the people. Visiting the campus is a great way to gather this kind of information, and it can also be advantageous in the application process. Although most formal campus visit programs will not start until the fall (when classes are in session), we’d like to offer a few ‘headstart’ pointers for getting as much mileage as possible out of a trip to your target program.

1) Make yourself known. Putting forth the effort to travel to a school is a signal of interest in the program that the adcom loves to see – but you need to let them know that you’ve made the trip. It is possible to communicate this in your essays and interview, but the simplest route is often to register for a visit through the admissions office. Not only will most schools arrange for you to sit in on a class and have lunch with current students, but many will also make a note of your visit and include it in your file. Be sure to take advantage of all that the admissions office offers in this regard; even if you have friends on campus, it’s wise to speak to as many people as possible.

2) Think it through. Before arriving on campus, you should think carefully about the sort of information you hope to take away from your visit. Whether your inquiries cover something as broad as the night life or as narrow as the syllabus of a particular course, your trip will be much more informative if you come prepared with a sense of the details you hope to glean from information sessions and conversations. Further, it’s a great idea to reach out to members of the community before you arrive; if there’s a club about which you are particularly curious, for instance, you could contact one of its leaders and arrange a conversation over coffee on the day of your visit.

3) Put your best foot forward. Even though your conduct and interactions won’t be on the record in the way that they would be when interviewing on campus, it’s important that you be aware of the impression you’re making. Because spending time on campus is a great way to forge ongoing contacts with students who could become allies for you in the admissions process, you’ll naturally want to put your best foot forward.

We hope that these simple tips will set applicants on the path toward a positive and productive stay on campus. For more tailored guidance on application strategy and school selection, feel free to contact us for a free initial consultation or check out the school-specific information in the Clear Admit School Guides.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Admissions Tips, General

Friday, June 19, 2009

Yale School of Management to Participate in Yellow Ribbon Veteran’s Scholarship Program

Yale University this week announced that it has entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to participate in a supplemental scholarship program to help eligible veterans pay for higher education. Qualified students pursuing their MBA at the Yale School of Management (SOM) are eligible to participate as part of the program.

Called the Yellow Ribbon program, the supplemental scholarship provides matching funds from Yale and the VA for qualified veterans. Yale will provide up to $5,000 – to be matched dollar for dollar by the VA for a total maximum scholarship of $10,000 – for as many as 50 veterans or eligible dependents.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces,” Yale Provost Peter Salovey said in a statement announcing the school’s participation. “We are pleased to join the VA in helping to ensure that a Yale education is affordable for veterans from all walks of life.”

As part of the Post 9/11 GI Bill enacted in 2008, the VA will cover tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate education for veterans who served 36 months of active duty after September 11, 2001. The Yellow Ribbon Program is designed to provide supplementary aid, through agreements with partner universities for matching funds, that will cover tuition and fees that exceed in-state undergraduate levels, either at private institutions or for more expensive graduate study or both.

Prospective applicants to Yale SOM who believe they may be eligible for the benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill are encouraged to contact Yale’s registrar or financial aid officer.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in Financial Aid, MBA News, School: Yale

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