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! Now available in a free 'Lite' version too!

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 DECEMBER 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Twitter Thursdays: News from MBA Programs

Welcome to another edition of Twitter Thursdays, a weekly column in which we highlight the updates of the top MBA programs on Twitter!  If you’re not following Clear Admit already, be sure to check us out on Twitter for updates, special prizes, admissions tips and breaking news.   We’ve also created a list of MBA programs on Twitter to ease your daily access to breaking news from the top MBA programs, as reported by admissions committee members themselves.

Although campus closed early for the holidays, the Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at Anderson, Mae Jennifer Shores, continued to share some strategic tips for applicants.  Rich Lyons, the Dean of the Haas School of Business, is gradually releasing Haas’s full business strategy.   MBA Admissions Coordinator at Judge Business School, James Barker, closed out the semester with some fun in the snow and a few words from the Cambridge Judge Business School Director.  Jon Fuller, the Senior Associate Director of Admissions at the Ross School of Business, reminded prospective students that they can still learn about Ross over the holidays via a local Café Chat.

The Tuck School shared insight from faculty members into lessons learned from the economic crisis. For Round 2 applicants, Chicago Booth posted transcripts from their live chat.  The Wharton School is ending the year on a positive note, sharing some professors’ research about improving morale.  INSEAD gave their followers a “gift” that keeps on giving on Twitter – the feeds of select INSEAD entrepreneurs.

That concludes Twitter Thursdays this week!  If you’re on Twitter, let us know; e-mail wiki@clearadmit.com with your user name and status as an MBA applicant, student or admissions officer so we can add you to the appropriate Twitter list.  Happy “tweeting” and we’ll see you next year with some more Twitter updates!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:07 pm in Fridays from the Frontline, Twitter, Twitter Thursdays

Spring Semester Speaker Series, Conference Schedules Shape Up at UC Berkeley’s Haas School

As winter break draws to an end, MBA students at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business have an exciting array of scheduled speakers and conferences to look forward to in the spring semester.

Beginning in late January, high-profile executives representing industries ranging from healthcare to motion pictures to management consulting will speak at Haas as part of the Dean’s Speaker Series. Walter Robb, chief operating officer of Whole Foods, will be the first speaker in the series, addressing the Haas community on January 26th.

Other scheduled speakers include 

• Steve Ellis, worldwide managing director, Bain & Co. (Feb. 3rd),
• Bill Block, CEO of QED International, a motion picture financing, sales, and production company (March 4th), and 
• Haas Marketing Professor Emeritus David Aaker, whose annual lecture this year is titled “Making Your Competitors Irrelevant,” (in April, specific date to be determined).

Also this spring, Haas will host the second annual Schwab Charitable Philanthropy Speaker Series, organized by the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership. This year’s series will feature panel events focused on using philanthropy to drive innovation and investment advising within the philanthropy field. 

Finally, several student-organized conferences are also planned at Haas:

• Business of Health Care Conference, Feb. 6th 
• Education Leadership Case Competition on the Pittsburg public schools, Feb. 12th and 13th 
• Berkeley Asia Business Conference, Feb. 20th 
• Berkeley Energy Symposium, March 4th, and U.S. Semifinals of International Renewable Energy Case Challenge, March 1st through 5th
• Women in Leadership Conference, March 13th 

To learn more about these and other spring events at Haas, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in Events, MBA News, School: Berkeley / Haas

Campus Chronicles: The Stern Opportunity

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles, our weekly look at MBA student news papers to better understand the vibrant student life at MBA campuses across the US.  This week we’ll travel to New York City, using The Stern Opportunity to see what’s going on at NYU’s MBA program.

Earlier this month Stern students had the chance to attend the Government Business Association’s “Regulating the Financial Markets” event, a panel discussion aimed at exploring the causes of and solutions to the financial crisis.  Both Professor Eric Dinallo, former New York State Insurance Commissioner, and Frank Kelly, leader of Government Affairs and the Investment Advisory group at Deutsche Bank, offered their thoughts about how government regulation could solve this situation, as both men are involved in Congress’s current discussions about financial regulatory reforms.  After Dinallo and Kelly gave speeches, audience members questioned the experts on topics such as rating agency regulations and executive compensation caps.

The Stern Campus Green Initiative and Stern facilities workers recently partnered with the NYU Recycling Program, and together these groups made the campus more “green”: the Kaufman Management Center now has single stream recycling, in which paper, plastic, metal, and glass can be mixed in one recycling bin.  This differs from the previous system, in which the Center had separate bins for each material.  This change was made to help the Stern community recycle more easily and thus make the campus more environmentally sustainable.

In late January, Stern will host its first-ever “Case Co-opetition,” an invitation-only event in which second-year MBA students from Stern, Columbia, Chicago Booth, Harvard, Kellogg, and Wharton will compete for a $4,000 prize.  The event will begin with a welcome reception in which the student participants will participate in team development activities led by Madison Avenue executives and senior level management from the event’s sponsor, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA).  Teams of four students will then spend 48 hours developing a marketing strategy for MBUSA, with access to marketing, consulting, and luxury brand advisors throughout the process.  After the ideas are judged by MBUSA managers, management consultants, and professors, teams may also be selected to implement their winning strategies with MBUSA after the competition.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:34 am in Campus Chronicles, School: NYU Stern

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

GMAT Tip: Ace the Essays? No, Thanks!

Today’s GMAT tip comes from our friends at test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, ManhattanGMAT instructor Stacey Koprince offers advice on how to tackle the essay portion of the GMAT:

We all know that the essays on the GMAT are scored separately and that the schools don’t care as much about the essay scores. We also know we have to write the essays first, before we get to the more important quant and verbal sections, so we don’t want to use up too much brain-power on the essays. Still, we can’t just bomb the essay section; the schools do care about the essays somewhat. So how do we do a good enough job on the essays without expending so much energy that we’re negatively affected during the multiple-choice portion of the test?

We need to develop a template, an organizational framework on which to “hang” our writing. The template will not, of course, tell us exactly what to write. For that, we need the actual essay prompt, which we won’t see until we take the test. We can, however, determine how to organize the information ahead of time, as well as the general kinds of messages we need to convey at various points throughout.

The template should tell us:

-how many paragraphs to use
-the primary purpose of each of those paragraphs
-the kinds of information that need to be conveyed in each paragraph

The template will vary a little bit from person to person; the important thing is to have a consistent template for yourself that you’ve worked out in advance of the official test. In addition, we will need slightly different templates for the two different kinds of essays, so take note of the differences below.

As a general rule, essays should have either four or five paragraphs total. The first paragraph is always the introduction, the last paragraph is always the conclusion, and the body (middle) paragraphs are for the examples we choose to use.

Each paragraph should contain certain things; these are listed in the below sections. The information does not need to be presented in the given order below, though; just make sure that each paragraph does contain the necessary information in some sort of clear and logical order. In addition, the information listed below is the minimum necessary info; you can certainly add more where appropriate.

First Paragraph

-summarize the issue
-state a thesis
-acknowledge that the other side does have some merit
-introduce your examples

The first paragraph should contain a brief summary of the issue at hand in your own words (don’t just repeat what the essay prompt said). For an Argument essay, briefly summarize the conclusion of the given argument. For the Issue essay, briefly summarize the issue upon which the prompt has asked you to convey your opinion. For either, you don’t need more than a one to two sentence summary.

The first paragraph should also contain a thesis statement. The thesis is typically one sentence and conveys to the reader your overall message or point for the essay that you wrote. For the Argument essay, you can write most of your thesis sentence before you get to the test! You already know that the Argument will contain flaws, and that you will be discussing how those flaws hurt the author’s conclusion. Guess what? That’s your thesis!

“While the argument does have some merit, there are several serious flaws which serve to undermine the validity of the author’s conclusion that XYZ.”

DON’T USE THAT EXACT SENTENCE. They’re going to get suspicious if hundreds of people use the same sentence. (Besides, that’s my sentence. Come up with your own!)

Note the opening clause: “While the argument does have some merit.” This is what’s called “acknowledging the other side.” We don’t say, “Hey, your argument is completely terrible! There’s nothing good about it at all!” We acknowledge that some parts may be okay, or some people may feel differently, but our position is that the flaws are the most important issue (that is, our thesis is the most important thing).

On the Issue essay, you won’t be able to write your thesis statement ahead of time, but you do know you’ll have to do two things: (1) establish one clear position for yourself and (2) acknowledge the other side. (“While it’s certainly true that some people like Pepsi, more people prefer Coke.”)

Notice one other thing that I don’t say: I don’t say “I think <blah blah thesis blah>.” I state my thesis as though it is fact and reasonable people surely agree with me. That’s a hallmark of a persuasive essay.

Finally, the first paragraph needs to introduce whatever examples we’re going to use in the body paragraphs below. Don’t launch into the examples fully; that will come later.

Body Paragraphs

You can choose to use either 2 or 3 body paragraphs. (I use 2 body paragraphs, personally. Remember, we just need to be “good enough!”)

Argument essay:

-introduce one flaw
-explain why it is a flaw
-suggest ways to fix the flaw

Issue essay:

-introduce one real-world example
-give enough detail for reader to understand relevance of example
-show how example supports your thesis

The body of an essay is where we support our thesis statement. For the argument essay, your support will come from the prompt itself: brainstorm several flaws from the argument (try to find the biggest, most glaring flaws). Each flaw gets its own paragraph, so you’ll need either two or three, depending upon how many body paragraphs you want to write. Explicitly explain why this flaw makes the conclusion less valid in some way, and then discuss how the author might fix that flaw.

For example, let’s say that an argument claims that firing half of a company’s employees will help the company to reduce costs and therefore become more profitable. While it’s certainly true that chopping half of your payroll will reduce costs, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the company will become more profitable! That loss of personnel may reduce productivity, hurt morale of the remaining employees, and so on. The author of such an argument could bolster the claim by, for example, showing evidence that half of the employees are fully redundant and firing them wouldn’t affect the company adversely (if such evidence actually exists, of course!).

For the issue essay, your support will come from your brain: you’ll have to brainstorm some real-life example (something that actually happened in the past) in order to support your thesis. That example could be something from your own life (work history, school, friend of a friend) or from the broader world (business, history, and so on). Stating that Coke’s market share is higher than Pepsi’s, for example, would bolster your claim that more people prefer Coke.

There is no inherent advantage to a personal example versus a broader world example, but if you use a personal example, be sure to provide enough detail that the reader can understand the relevance. When you use real-world examples that the readers are likely to know, you don’t have to worry about, for example, explaining what Coke and Pepsi are.

Finally, make sure to tie your example specifically back to your original thesis. Don’t make the reader connect the dots: tell him or her exactly how this example supports your thesis.

Conclusion Paragraph

-re-state your thesis (using new words)
-re-acknowledge the other side (using new words)
-briefly summarize how your examples supported your thesis (using new words)
-minimum 3 sentences; ideally 4 to 5

Are you noticing a theme within the above bullet points? Basically, the conclusion paragraph isn’t going to contain much new information. It’s a conclusion; the major points should already have been made earlier in the essay. What you’re doing now is tying everything together in one neat package: yes, the “other side” has some merit, but here’s my point-of-view and, by the way, I proved my case using these examples.

Before you go into the real test, you should have a fully developed template, so that all you have to do is come up with your two examples and your thesis statement, and then “hang” your words on your framework. Practice with the above as a starting point until you develop something with which you’re comfortable. Don’t forget to leave some time to proof your essay; it’s okay to have a few typos, but systematic errors will lower your score.

For more information on ManhattanGMAT, download Clear Admit’s independent guide to the leading test preparation companies here.  This FREE guide includes coupons for discounts on test prep services at ten different firms!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:00 pm in GMAT - AWA, GMAT News, GMAT Test Prep Company Series, GMAT Tips

Wiki Wednesdays: Submit an Interview Report, Receive a Gift Card to iTunes!

Welcome to another edition of Wiki Wednesdays!  As 2010 approaches, we are excited to celebrate the New Year – and new interview reports – with iTunes gift cards!  Any interview report submitted for an MBA program in the Clear Admit Wiki is eligible for a $10 iTunes gift card!  In other words, all you have to do is send us your interview field report for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 iTunes gift certificate.

For the uninitiated, the Clear Admit Wiki is an online repository for MBA applicants to share their experiences with admissions interviews.  As a free and versatile forum, applicants can recount the full list of questions they’ve been asked from alumni, adcom members or second-year student interviewers and even add personal commentary.   This communal sharing of information can help fellow applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness for facing the expected – and the unexpected – questions.

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every applicant who contributes an interview report.  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

  1. Date/Admissions Round
  2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
  3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
  4. List of interview questions
  5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your interview experiences to win an iTunes gift card!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:08 pm in Interview Tips, Wiki Wednesdays

Kellogg School of Management to Host Sixth Annual Super Bowl Advertising Review

With Christmas behind us, marketing buzz now shifts toward the Super Bowl. Indeed, a 30-second advertising spot during the culminating game of the season for American football can command as much as $2.5 to $3 million. Is it really worth it?

These and other questions will be at the heart of the sixth annual Kellogg School of Management Super Bowl Advertising Review. On game day – February 7, 2010 – students at the business school widely regarded as tops in the field of marketing will pick apart the much-hyped Super Bowl advertisements, judging them based on their potential to drive sales, their impact on companies’ bottom lines and their power to improve brand awareness.

Kellogg marketing professors Derek Rucker and Tim Calkins will oversee students as they dissect this year’s Super Bowl advertising in real time. The students, including members of the Kellogg Marketing Club, will rate the advertisers using a set of academic criteria known as ADPLAN, an acronym for Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification and Net equity.

Using ADPLAN, they will examine the qualities that define a successful Super Bowl ad, identify new advertising trends for Super Bowl 2010 and contemplate how marketers can best leverage Super Bowl buzz to increase their return on investment.

Based on these and other academic criteria, the Kellogg students will produce a final ranking of the most and least effective advertisements aired during television’s most-watched event. Leading up to the event, Professors Calkins and Rucker will blog about Super Bowl advertising, providing ongoing commentary and insight, at http://kelloggsuperbowlreview.wordpress.com.

To learn more about the sixth annual Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in MBA News, School: Northwestern / Kellogg

What do You Hope to Change in the New Year?

What Is Your B-School New Year's Resolution?

View Results

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

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

INSEAD Professors Release CEO Rankings

Earlier this month, professors at INSEAD released a new ranking of the world’s best-performing CEOs, with the surprising finding that many star CEOs don’t live up to their reputations. Ultimately the study raises questions about just what constitutes effective long-term leadership and whether and why the business community might place higher emphasis on reputation than performance.

To conduct the survey, INSEAD professors Morten Hansen, Herminia Ibarra and Urs Peyer created a benchmark to measure how CEOs have built value over the long term, examining CEO performance at the world’s largest companies over the executives’ entire time in office.

“The real test of a CEO’s leadership should be how the company performs over his or her tenure,’” Morten Hansen, professor of entrepreneurship and management at INSEAD, said in a statement about the study. “As the current economic crisis has taught us, it’s no longer enough to look at short-term gains in regards to executive performance. It is essential to examine the bigger picture.”

Compiling a list of 2,000 CEOs worldwide, the professors then set to work measuring their actual performance based on hard metrics such as shareholder returns and changes in market value. They whittled the list down to the 200 top-performing CEOs and found some surprises along the way. Of particular note was the fact that the top 200 included a large number of relatively unknown and “unsung” CEOs, while a number of high-profile “celebrity” CEOs didn’t make the cut.

All in all, the leading CEOs truly delivered. On average, the top 50 performing delivered a total shareholder return of 997 percent, with the top-spot CEO delivering an astounding 3,226 percent return (30 percent annually).

Of particular interest to the MBA world, the survey revealed that having an MBA was linked to better CEO performance. CEOs with an MBA degree ranked, on average, 40 places better than the CEOs without an MBA.

The survey also revealed that no single country or industry had a lock on performance. The list of the top 50 performing CEOs includes companies based in the United Kingdom, Russia, India, Germany, China, the United States, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Finland, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland.

The study and a list of the top 50 performing CEOs will appear in the January 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review. For a full list of the top 200 performing CEOs in the world and for more information on the survey, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in General, MBA News, School: INSEAD

Trivia Tuesday: UCLA Anderson Elective Emphases

In this week’s Trivia Tuesday column we turn our attention to UCLA Anderson and its academic offerings. Specifically, we’ll take a look at the options Anderson offers for tailoring elective choices to an intended career path. Though if offers no formal majors or concentrations, Anderson recommends sets of elective courses the administration and faculty see as relevant to particular career paths. These Elective Emphases cover a number of popular career paths and are comprised of five to eleven strongly recommended electives.

The suggested electives are designed to create a comprehensive program of preparation for the career path, and some career path listings even include classes in other UCLA degree programs. In contrast to the subject-area specializations most other leading programs offer, these career area specializations further emphasize Anderson’s practical job orientation. Perhaps the closest approximation of career path emphasis among other programs occurs at Kellogg, which offers the analytical consulting major, drawing upon various departments to comprehensively prepare students for consulting careers.

Anderson students frequently note their career path elective emphases on their résumés. Just as students may complete multiple majors at Kellogg or Wharton, it is common for Anderson students to blend elective emphases in order to accommodate a more specialized career or an entrepreneurial career. For instance, a student might combine entrepreneurship electives with those from the industry of a student’s planned venture. Several of Anderson’s career path elective emphases are profiled below.

Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Emphasis comprises eight strongly recommended electives such as Managing and Financing the Emerging Enterprise, Global Economy, and Topics in Business Law, as well as nine additional course suggestions, making it one of the most comprehensive elective programs at Anderson. All of the school’s teaching and research in entrepreneurship is overseen by the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the first-ever entrepreneurship center at a business school.

Entertainment and Media Management
The Entertainment and Media Management Emphasis is sponsored by Anderson’s Entertainment and Media Management Institute (EMMI). Featuring courses in areas such as entertainment marketing, negotiations, entertainment law and sports management, the EMMI also shares a number of recommended electives with the Masters of Fine Arts Producer’s Program at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Real Estate
Directed by the Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate, which is jointly sponsored by Anderson and the UCLA School of Law, Anderson’s Real Estate Emphasis provides students with comprehensive training in the field of real estate, from finance and investment to entrepreneurship and development. The Center also hosts a range of alumni- and industry-sponsored events, which in 2008-2009 included a research seminar on urban squatting in developing countries and a panel on California’s anti-sprawl law.

For more information on the elective emphases at Anderson or other leading business schools, be sure to check out the Academics section of Clear Admit School Guides!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 4:00 am in School Guides, School: UCLA / Anderson, Trivia Tuesday

Monday, December 28, 2009

Admissions Events Around the Globe for Prospective MIT Sloan Applicants

In some circles, the week between Christmas and New Year’s is a quiet one, for visiting with family and catching up on sleep. Not so, of course, in the world of MBA admissions. With round-two deadlines looming at many top schools, prospective applicants around the globe are busy perfecting their applications as we speak.

For applicants considering Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Sloan School of Management, there are several upcoming events designed to answer questions and provide information about the application process and the MBA program.

Today, the school is hosting MBA information sessions in Santiago, Chile, and Belgrade, Serbia. Tomorrow, December 29th, it will host another information session in Hong Kong.

On December 30th, Sloan will participate in the Israel MBA Forum in Tel Aviv. This annual event draws representatives from top business schools around the globe to provide information on the MBA.

After the New Year, several online events will provide information and tips on the application process. On January 7, 2010, an online chat will focus on the application process and specific tips for prospective applicants. On January 15th, a subsequent online chat will provide information for deferred decision candidates.

Finally, on January 22nd, Sloan will host another MBA Information Session, this time in Istanbul, Turkey.

To learn more about these and other upcoming admissions events at MIT Sloan, click here.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:03 pm in MBA News, School: MIT / Sloan

Admissions Tip: Round Two Recap and Advice

As we prepare to bid goodbye to 2009 and greet the deadline-packed first month of 2010, we would like to take the opportunity to recap the upcoming Round Two deadlines and offer some advice for hardworking applicants.

First, a summary of this month’s deadlines along with the exact time each application is due:

Monday, January 4th
CMU/Tepper, 11:59 p.m. EST

Tuesday, January 5th
Wharton, 5 p.m. EST
Michigan/Ross, 11:59 p.m. EST

Wednesday, January 6th
Dartmouth/Tuck, 5 p.m. EST
Chicago/Booth, 5 p.m. CST
Stanford, 5 p.m. PST
UCLA/Anderson, 9 p.m. PST
Columbia, 11:59 p.m. EST

Thursday, January 7th
UCA/Darden, 11:59 p.m. EST
Duke/Fuqua, 11:59 p.m. EST
Yale, 11:59 p.m. EST

Friday, January 8th
UNC/Kenan-Flagler, 11:59 p.m. EST

Tuesday, January 12th
Cornell/Johnson, 11:59 p.m. EST
MIT/Sloan, 12 p.m. PST

Thursday, January 14th
Northwestern/Kellogg, 11:59 p.m. CST

Friday, January 15th
NYU/Stern, 11:59 p.m. EST

Tuesday, January 19th
Harvard Business School, 5 p.m. EST

For those candidates who have already submitted their Round Two applications, we wish you a hearty congratulations and an exciting New Year’s Eve. However, for the many applicants still working feverishly to finish, we offer a few pieces of last minute advice:

1) Prioritize. The difference between a January 4th and 12th deadline didn’t matter much when you started working on your applications in the fall. However, with just a few days remaining, make sure you are taking deadlines into account as you prioritize your work. Though your NYU Stern essays may need the most revising, save that polishing until after you turn in the Wharton application on the 5th.  Similarly, for those of you really facing the crunch, you may need to take a step back and pare down your list of target schools, as it’s better to submit three or four solid applications than it is to turn in six half-baked efforts.

2) Proof. Tired of reading the same essay for the 19th time? Ask a friend, family member or Clear Admit consultant to provide a final read through, checking for grammar, punctuation, typos, and other easy to miss mistakes. Don’t let a careless error be what the admissions committee first notices about your application.

3) Get a good night’s sleep! While New Year’s celebrations will offer a tempting distraction, remember that clear writing comes from clear thinking, and clear thinking is helped by a good night’s sleep. Ring in the new year, but save the real partying for after the application deadlines!

4) Avoid Loose Ends. While focusing frantically on essays is likely a high priority, do not overlook the fact that there are other components to your application package.  Have you checked with your recommenders to ensure that they’ve done their part?  Have you gathered any needed information for transcript reports?  Have you worked on the application forms (employment history, activities listings, etc)?  In the rush to submit many applicants overlook these critical areas, resulting in an inconsistent application.

As always, you can contact Clear Admit to learn more about our admissions consulting services by emailing your resume to info@clearadmit.com.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:22 am in Admissions Tips, Deadlines

Sunday, December 27, 2009

GMAT Tip: Think Like the Testmaker Series, Volume 2

Today’s GMAT tip comes from Veritas Prep. Earlier this week, we shared with you the first volume of their “Think Like the Testmaker Series.” In today’s article, they present their second installment to help you as you study:

The writers of the GMAT are tasked with a fairly difficult challenge — using fairly basic, high-school level math and verbal skills, they must create questions that will elicit incorrect answers from some of the most intelligent people on the planet. If you’re even interested in taking the GMAT, you’ve either graduated from or intend to shortly graduate from a four-year university, and you likely have at least a few years of quality work experience, plus the desire to spend two years and a healthy amount of money to obtain a Master’s degree. People like you, quite frankly, are difficult to consistently outsmart!

The writers, however, are quite sharp themselves, and realize astutely that intelligent people have learned over time to make time-saving assumptions that allow them to consistently perform at a high level without spending undue time to do so. As a multitasker, you allow yourself to take shortcuts that can be your undoing on the GMAT.

Consider this question:

How many even integers exist within the range -9 to 9?

As you attempt to answer this quickly, you’ll likely note that the range is symmetrical, and that by recognizing 2, 4, 6, and 8 as the positive even integers, you can multiply by 2 to account for all of the negative integers. Accordingly, you might choose 8 as your answer.

In doing so, however, you’ll have forgotten about 0, one of the devilish devices that the GMAT uses to bait unaware test-takers. Zero, quite literally, means “nothing,” making it an easy number to overlook. Furthermore, it’s neither positive nor negative (which mean “greater than zero” and “less than zero,” respectively), so it has no opposite in a situation like this when you might try to bank on the symmetry of the data set to shorten your workload.

To be successful on the GMAT, be keenly aware of the presence of the number 0 in any problems where it could appear. Much like a talented, multi-dimensional football player can cause defenses to always seek for his jersey number on the field (“Where’s number 5? Who’s covering number 5?”), the number 0 should keep you alert, as well. Ask yourself how 0 might factor in to each situation you face (it’s nonnegative but not positive; it’s even; when multiplied, it makes the entire product 0), as it just may be the difference-maker that the authors of the test need to keep your score down.

For more information on Veritas Prep, download Clear Admit’s independent guide to the leading test preparation companies here.  This FREE guide includes coupons for discounts on test prep services at ten different firms!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 pm in GMAT - Quantitative, GMAT News, GMAT Test Prep Company Series, GMAT Tips

Friday, December 25, 2009

Current Applicants Share Their Thoughts on the Clear Admit School and Interview Guides

As many MBA applicants know, the Clear Admit School and Interview Guides are excellent time-saving tools when it comes to gathering school-specific information to prepare for each step of the admissions process. Along these lines, we are pleased to share feedback from two MBA applicants who recently offered details on their individual experiences with these publications:

In a recent post to her blog, MBA applicant ‘Madologue’ discussed her upcoming interview at Darden, praising the Clear Admit Interview Guide to the Darden School of Business for helping her prepare. In the post, Madologue expresses her need to do research before the interview, stating that, “the key to succeed in interview is to clearly understand the nature of the interview…it definitely helps to have a clear idea about how the interview is going to happen.” To gain this level of knowledge, Madologue suggests a specific tool: “One major resource that has been helpful in my interview preparation is the…Clear Admit Interview Guide.”

Touting the publication as “a well researched, extensive guide,” Madologue points out that it not only includes a great deal of information, but it also does so in a manner that is accessible. She says, “Clear Admit has compiled many relevant data points regarding the interview and compiled it in a very readable way in this guide.”  Madologue also draws attention to the time-saving value of the publication, writing that, “Applicants can gain all the relevant information in one place through this guide.” In other words, the Clear Admit Interview Guides will be of particular merit for the busy MBA applicant who is juggling admissions applications and a full-time job.

Madologue wraps up her assessment of the publication by saying, “I feel this guide can be really useful to applicants preparing for their Darden interview.”

We also recently received extensive feedback from one of our School Guide readers, who shared her thoughts on the Clear Admit School Guide to the Yale School of Management, which she calls, “a precious guide.” Like Madalogue, this reader emphasizes how the publication has helped her gain a great deal of knowledge in a short amount of time. In her feedback, she says, “the guide has helped me save a lot of time in doing my homework about the school. Instead of spending days surfing the huge amount of information on the official website of the school, I just read the guide in a couple of hours and gained in-depth information about the school history, core and elective courses, special programs and so on.”

The feedback from our Yale SOM Guide reader goes on to highlight the extensive use of peer-school comparisons in the guide indicating the benefits of having the information presented in the context of offerings at other schools. She responds positively to the head-to-head comparisons, explaining that, “It is through these comparisons that I have understood more about what the school expects from its students and can assess any advantages that I may have if I apply to Yale SOM.”

Another aspect of the guide that particularly appeals to this reader is the tone in which it is written, as each Clear Admit School Guide aims to go beyond the school’s marketing message while providing highly objective information on the program. In her feedback, this reader makes her appreciation of this approach known, saying “The guide provides objective information about the school and lets the reader decide by himself/herself whether the school is suitable for him/her.”

Our publications team would like to thank these two applicants for sharing their honest feedback! For more information on all of our publications, click here. Our full range of publications is available for immediate purchase and download on the Clear Admit online shop.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 pm in Interview Guides, School Guides

Fridays From The Frontline

Hi there and welcome to Fridays From The Frontline, Clear Admit’s regular roll around the rollicking and rousing MBA blogosphere. With the holidays coming up and exams simmering down, this was a rather quiet week on the blogging front, with applicants having the most to say.

XLick
met up with Stern and Johnson current students and alumni in the East Village and appreciated the opportunity to hear their perspectives on the MBA application process. Steve recapped his trip to Ithaca and interview at Cornell, complete with a narrow escape from the epic snowstorm of last weekend. Bizwiz completed seven of his ten GMAT prep books. Illuminati compared business school ranking systems. Madalogue received an acceptance from Tepper and prepared for her Darden interview with the Clear Admit Darden Interview Guide. Ardent Meerkat retook the GMAT but didn’t improve her quant score as much as she had hoped. Hari read books to take his mind off the wait for news from b-schools. Foo Blogger, having already received a zap from Kellogg didn’t hear anything happy from MIT. Rocky flew into Bangalore for fun and a Babson interview.

Kellogg ‘11 Windsor led a trek to the bay area and recounted its overall success. Kellogg ‘11 Orlando recapped his experience with the Neighborhood Business Initiative. Haas ‘11 Sunny Side Up wished all her readers a merry Christmas.

Darden ‘10 July Dream was in India and packing a whole heck of a lot each day. McCombs ‘10 Metal was headed home to India as well, and hoped the food smelled as good as always. Ross ‘10 M@ compiled the best of his 2009 experiences, including getting fat in South Dakota. McCombs ‘10 Paragon2Pieces reviewed her Corporations class. Darden ‘10 Mechanigal reflected on the great group of independent women she knew at the school. INSEAD ‘10 Out Of My Jeans prepared for his departure to France with quite the to do list.

That concludes this week’s Fridays From The Frontline. As first round zaps roll in and second round deadlines loom, it certainly is a fraught time for current applicants but we hope that, for those who celebrate it, their Christmas holidays allow them a little respite from the stress. Until next week, happy holidays!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Fridays from the Frontline

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Twitter Thursdays: News from MBA Programs

Welcome to another edition of Twitter Thursdays, a weekly column in which we highlight the updates of the top MBA programs on Twitter!  If you’re not following Clear Admit already, be sure to check us out on Twitter for updates, special prizes, admissions tips and breaking news.   We’ve also created a list of MBA programs on Twitter to ease your daily access to breaking news from the top MBA programs, as reported by admissions committee members themselves.

While campus closed early for the holidays, UCLA / Anderson’s Dean, Judy Olian, is using the extra time to reflect on UCLA’s tuition hike and recently discovered opportunities on her trip to Saudi Arabia.  Meanwhile, the Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at Anderson, Mae Jennifer Shores, has left some parting holiday tips for applicants.  Rich Lyons, the Dean of the Haas School of Business, summed up some insight into Haas’s business strategy.   MBA Admissions Coordinator at Judge Business School, James Barker, closed out the semester with some fun in the snow and a few words from the Cambridge Judge Business School Director.  Jon Fuller, the Senior Associate Director of Admissions at the Ross School of Business, passed on his admit recommendations to the next level!

The Wharton School was buried under a foot of snow, but still managed to share some professors’ research and Executive Education initiatives.  Meanwhile, The Tuck School shared insight from faculty members into lessons learned from the economic crisis. For prospective students, The Kellogg School of Management sent their student ‘ambassadors’ to their home countries to share what makes Kellogg unique.

That concludes Twitter Thursdays this week!  If you’re on Twitter, let us know; e-mail wiki@clearadmit.com with your user name and status as an MBA applicant, student or admissions officer so we can add you to the appropriate Twitter list.  Happy “tweeting” this holiday season and we’ll see you next week with some more Twitter updates!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:19 pm in Twitter, Twitter Thursdays

Yale SOM to Host Events for Prospective Applicants in Cities Worldwide Over the Holidays

Classes at Yale’s School of Management (SOM) have come to a close for the term and won’t resume until January 11, 2010. But over the holiday break, there are still many opportunities for prospective applicants to learn more about the school’s management program.

Beginning earlier this week and continuing through January 7, 2010, current SOM students will host a series of Winter Break
Socials in more than 15 cities. Planned locations include Beijing, Hong Kong, Kolkata, Manila, Shanghai, Monterrey and several locations in the United States.

According to admissions officials at Yale SOM, the socials are designed to bring prospective applicants together with members of the SOM community to ask questions and share experiences.

To find a Winter Break Social taking place near you, click here

Yale SOM administrative offices will be closed from Thursday, December 24th, through Friday, January 1st. They will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2010.

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

Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

For this week’s Campus Chronicles installment, we’ll take a look at the recent events on Wharton’s campus by reviewing their student newspaper, The Wharton Journal.

Earlier this month students in MGMT 621 had a chance to be taught by Wharton alum Dave Pottruck, the former CEO of Charles Scwab and a current Director on Intel Corporation’s Board.  Pottruck also gave a speech as part of the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program, in which second year MBA students serve on Philadelphia nonprofit organization boards.  Speaking to these students, he expressed his conviction that holding such positions early in one’s career is beneficial in gaining valuable leadership experience while giving back to one’s community.  To excel in these positions, Pottruck encouraged students to value interpersonal relationships over board titles, use personal feedback to increase the board’s effectiveness, and demonstrate genuine interest and curiosity in order to be a persuasive change agent.   The NBLP has other events throughout the year, covering topics such as the role  of a nonprofit’s CEO and the challenges of running a nonprofit organization when compared to a for-profit organization.

Wharton has recently launched a website highlighting the school’s sustainability efforts.  This initiative is similar to many Fortune 500 companies that release Corporate Sustainability Reports, which outline firms’ impacts on the environment and help them engineer sustainability efforts that both add value for ,as well as improve customer’s and employee’s perception of, the companies .  Wharton’s site, “S@W,” allows visitors to view new and ongoing projects regarding energy use, recycling, water conservation, and green initiatives, among other sustainability-related topics.  Though run primarily by Wharton Operations, Emily Schiller WG ’09, was hired as the Associate Director of Sustainable Initiates to help implement this sustainability program.  Recent projects  includes implementing a three-bin recycling program to separate waste, making double-sided printing the standard setting for school computers, using energy conserving lighting settings, and shutting down elevators during light-traffic times.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:00 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Penn / Wharton

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

GMAT Tip: Think Like the Testmaker Series, Volume 1

Today’s GMAT tip comes from our friends at Veritas Prep. In this article, they present the first installment of their “Think Like the Testmaker Series”:

As Veritas Prep’s Director of Academic Programs, Brian Galvin runs all of our GMAT prep courses.

Greetings, readers! In this space over the coming months, the GMAT experts at Veritas Prep want to urge you to think beyond the skills covered on the GMAT — algebra, geometry, grammar, etc.– and get inside the minds of the writers of the exam. The GMAT tests not only your academic capabilities, but also (and more importantly) your problem solving, logical reasoning, and higher-order thinking skills. To employ these skills toward success, it’s helpful to begin thinking about the GMAT as a logic puzzle or mind game — in many respects, you’re in a chess match with the author of each question, trying to anticipate the trap he is setting for you as you calculate your next move.

If you embrace this competitive challenge, you’ll put yourself in a position to better anticipate the steps necessary to ensure that you answer each question correctly, and you’ll also tend to enjoy the process more. Did you dislike Geometry class in high school, but waste countless hours of your life playing Tetris on your GameBoy or computer? Both involve the heavy use of geometrical thinking, but the challenge of Tetris engaged your mind in a way that class may not have been able to do. Think of the GMAT as a game, and you should see great results.

As an initial step in “thinking like the testmaker,” let’s consider one of the time-honored tricks of the GMAT — asking a question that could be asked in multiple ways, and providing answer choices that would answer each of those variations.

Consider the question:

A 40-foot length of rope is cut in to two sections, for which the shorter section is 1/3 the length of the longer. How much longer, in feet, is the longer section of rope than the smaller?

A)    10
B)    13.33
C)    20
D)    26.67
E)    30

Note that this question can be asked in multiple ways. If we break down the question, we’ll find that the shorter piece of rope is 10 feet long and the longer piece is 30 feet. The difference between the two is 20 feet. The question asks for the difference between the two lengths, so the correct answer is 20, or answer choice C. Please notice, however, that if you simply solved for either length of rope, you might be inclined to choose choices A or E, and that, if you mistakenly solved for 1/3 or 2/3 of the initial piece of rope, you’d end up with choices B or D.

Accordingly, the lesson here is that you need to recognize what the question specifically asks for, as the most common wrong answers on the GMAT are simply the right answers to the wrong questions. To become a more astute test taker , ask yourself in practice “How could they ask this question in a different way?” so that you can anticipate the multiple potential questions on each question you face, and remind yourself that you need to be careful when submitting your answer.

For more practice in thinking like the test maker, try a GMAT practice test and track how often you answer the question asked, rather than the question that you thought was asked!

For more information on Veritas Prep, download Clear Admit’s independent guide to the leading test preparation companies here.  This FREE guide includes coupons for discounts on test prep services at ten different firms!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:00 pm in GMAT - Quantitative, GMAT News, GMAT Test Prep Company Series, GMAT Tips

Wiki Wednesdays: Win an iTunes Gift Card for Your MBA Interview Report!

Welcome to another edition of Wiki Wednesdays!  To help spread a little holiday cheer, we are excited to announce that interview reports submitted for any MBA program in the Clear Admit Wiki are eligible for a $10 iTunes gift card!  In other words, if you have interviewed at an MBA program that we feature in our Wiki, all you have to do is send us your interview field report for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 iTunes gift certificate.   

For the uninitiated, the Clear Admit Wiki is an online repository for MBA applicants to share their experiences with admissions interviews.  As a free and versatile forum, applicants can recount the full list of questions they’ve been asked from alumni, adcom members or second-year student interviewers and even add personal commentary.   This communal sharing of information can help fellow applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness for facing the expected – and the unexpected – questions.

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every applicant who contributes an interview report.  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

  1. Date/Admissions Round
  2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
  3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
  4. List of interview questions
  5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your interview experiences to win an iTunes gift card!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:13 pm in Interview Guides, Interview Tips, Wiki Wednesdays

Chicago Booth Admissions Director Provides Guidance for R2 Applicants

In a recent post to her blog, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Admissions Director Rose Martinelli answered some questions and offered some tips to prospective round-two applicants.

For starters, she cleared up one question she hears often, namely, whether applicants in the second round are at a disadvantage versus those in the first. “The answer is no,” she writes. “While your fellow Round One applicants have set the bar, so to speak, we get the majority of applications in Round Two. So overall the level of competition between the rounds is not that significant.”

Having said that, the same is not true if you’re deciding between rounds two and three, she continued. By round three, there are fewer slots left in the incoming class and most scholarships and fellowships will already have been awarded. She also pointed out that international students who apply in the third round still have ample time to apply for visas, but the timing may be more stressful for those who are placed on the waitlist.

In the end, Martinelli advises applying when your application is at its best. “Timing is all about tradeoffs and so we do our best to be clear about what those might be. Now the decision is yours,” she writes.

Beyond timing, preparation is critical to a strong application, Martinelli continues. Make sure you’ve done a thorough self-assessment and also do your research on schools. “While there is only one MBA degree, no two MBA programs are exactly the same,” she writes. You must understand why a particular program fits your specific needs and goals and then demonstrate that fit in your application, she advises.

Martinelli also urged careful attention to detail in answering essay questions. “Many schools have quite similar essays this year, so if you want to stand out from the pack, it is absolutely important that you answer the questions each school is asking,” she writes. Despite their similarities, the questions are not all the same, she warns.

Finally, she encourages applicants to pay a visit to campus, attend one of the more than 70 student-hosted events in cities around the world or participate in a live chat with the admissions staff as part of your research process. And for answers to last-minute questions, she invites applicants to email the admissions office directly at admissions@chicagobooth.edu.

Best of luck to all round-two applicants to Chicago Booth! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out Clear Admit’s Chicago Booth School and Interview Guides, which can help you in  your research and preparation.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:00 pm in Admissions Tips, Interview Guides, School: Chicago

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