Campus Chronicles » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

APPLICANT RESOURCES

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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
Become 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
Understand 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
Craft 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
Be as prepared as possible for your MBA interviews this season with the Clear Admit Interview Guides! School-specific sample questions and in-depth strategy, campus visit details and places to stay.

Application Deadlines
Below are the upcoming deadlines for admission to top-tier schools.
Jul 28: INSEAD Jan. Intake R3
Sep 29: INSEAD R2
Sep 30: Duke / Fuqua EA
Oct 1: HBS R1
Oct 4: Cambridge / Judge R1
Oct 4: UPenn / Wharton R1
Oct 6: CBS EA
Oct 6: Stanford GSB R1
Oct 7: Yale SOM R1
Oct 8: Oxford / Saїd R1
Oct 11: Michigan / Ross R1
Oct 13: Berkeley / Haas R1
Oct 13: Chicago / Booth R1
Oct 13: Dartmouth / Tuck EA
Oct 14: Northwestern / Kellogg R1
Oct 20: UCLA / Anderson R1
Oct 22: UNC / Kenan-Flagler EA
Oct 26: MIT / Sloan R1

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 '10-'11 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
GMAT Pill

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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CATEGORY - CAMPUS CHRONICLES

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Campus Chronicles: Summer Reading

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

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

Chicago: Chibus
Columbia: Columbia Bottomline
Cornell Johnson: Cornell Business
Harvard: Harbus
Michigan Ross: Monroe Street Journal
MIT Sloan: Fifteen
NYU Stern: The Stern Opportunity
Stanford: The Stanford Business Reporter
UVA Darden: The Cold Call Chronicle
Wharton: Wharton Journal

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Campus Chronicles

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Cornell Business

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll venture to Ithaca, New York and take a look at student newspaper The Cornell Business to see what’s new and exciting for MBA students at Johnson.

Earlier this spring Johnson students participated in the annual Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration. In the ensuing two days of panels and networking sessions, Johnson students had a chance to mingle with over 200 Cornell alumni as well as faculty and staff from 11 Cornell schools and colleges. Five teams of students from the top universities also participated in the 2010 Cornell Venture Challenge business plan competition, representing the e-commerce, biotech, medical devices, and sustainability industries. Johnson MBA teams included Ezra Pharmaceutical and ZetrOz, both of which were based on technologies developed at Cornell and demonstrated the intersection of scientific research and technology commercialization.

Johnson students also had a chance to participate in the 2010 Microsoft Firenze BXT Innovation Competition. Teams worked to address a current Microsoft problem through adopting a cross functional approach; teams were therefore made up of students from different universities and had members with expertise in business, design, or technology. Johnson’s High Tech Club facilitated the involvement of Johnson MBA students. Although no Johnson students made it to the finals, one team leader from Johnson nonetheless spoke highly of his experience in the competition, saying it was “a great opportunity to work with a talented interdisciplinary team. It was very constructive being able to draw on everyone’s unique expertise to produce truly novel product ideas.”

The Cornell Business recently interviewed leaders of the Johnson Board Fellows program, a group of students who contribute to local non-profit organizations through non-voting membership positions. After developing their partnership with United Way and Food of the Southern Tier this year, the JBF plans to involve community business leaders with the program to a greater extent next year. The new executive director is also eager to involve more students in this volunteer and community service program.

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

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Darden Cold Call Chronicle

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles, our weekly review of MBA student newspapers! Today we’ll travel to sunny Charlottesville, skim through The Cold Call Chronicle, and let you know what’s been going on for MBA students at Darden.

Following their previous initiative with the Building Goodness Foundation (BGF), Darden students recently worked with a Virginia resident on cleaning out and fixing up her home. Thirty volunteers worked together to ensure that the house was both habitable and aesthetically pleasing. This project was part of Building Goodness in April, a subcommittee of BGF.

Participants of the Darden Cup, a series of athletic events, recently took on the dodgeball tournament event. Over 100 students, friends, and family joined in, both playing and rooting for their teams. With Sections B and E advancing through the semi-finals to the finals, each team boasted a self-proclaimed “secret weapon”: for Section B it was one student’s mother, and for Section E it was Professor Bob Landel. Ultimately Section B won, and team members had high hopes of winning the Cup itself. The final event is a 5K run.

The Darden Student Association recently hosted the annual Spring Social. Music was provided by The Stemms, a student band led by Ben Noland ’11, and Blues Jams, a faculty band. Attending students enjoyed the night, commenting that the faculty band was a special treat and one of the reasons they think Darden is unique among business schools.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Virginia / Darden

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Harbus

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll chronicle the lives of MBA students at Harvard Business School by featuring stories from The Harbus, HBS’s student newspaper.

HBS’s Section J recently hosted their annual Section Charity Auction, themed “I Wear My Sunglasses At Night” and held in the Harry Parker Boathouse on the Charles River. Over 120 people attended the auction, representing HBS faculty and Section J members as well as their partners and family members. Items up for bid were donated by Section J members as well as HBS faculty and alumni, and included a champagne brunch with Cordeon Bleu-trained chefs, a poker game with a HBS professor, and a week at a vacation resort. The evening’s highest bidder was student Joe Benevento, who bid $4,700 on a section mate’s donation of “1% of his gross earnings in 10 years.” The auction ultimately raised $34,000, all of which will go to six different charities.

HBS students recently joined forces with Racquet Up DETRIOT, an after-school develop program focused on using squash as well as academic support and mentoring to improve the lives of inner-city public school students in Detroit. Over 75 people attended this organization’s kick-off event, called “R. U. Detriot.” Overall, the event raised $5,500, which is enough for a full-year sponsorship of one student in the program.

Finally, The Harbus Foundation awarded $80,000 to non-profits based in Boston. The Foundation, created by The Harbus News Corporation, provides grants as well as consulting services to Boston-run organizations that promote education, literacy, and journalism. This year, the 13th annual presentation awarded $10,000 to each of the selected eight institutions. The institutions awarded were Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring, Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Boston Learning Center, New England Center for Investigative Reporting, Public Learning Media Labs, The Welcome Project, and Strong Women, Strong Girls.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Harvard

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles, our weekly review of MBA student newspapers! Today we’ll journey to the City of Brotherly Love and peruse The Wharton Journal to see what’s new and exciting for b-school students on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

Last month Wharton hosted the first Presidents’ Summit, in which incoming student government presidents of seven peer business schools gathered at Wharton. These representatives from the MBA programs at Chicago, Columbia, Kellogg, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Wharton ultimately created the MBA Peer School Forum, a student government coalition that aims for inter-school cooperation through sharing ideas and replicating successful initiatives among MBA programs. During the Presidents’ Summit these students shared their experience in areas such as academics, community building, career management and recruiting, alumni relations, and diversity and social impact. They hope that this will continue to be an annual event, involving both incoming and outgoing presidents to ensure the sustainability of the program.

Approximately 600 Wharton students and retail industry professionals recently attended the fourth annual Wharton Charity Fashion Show, held in Philadelphia’s Crystal Tea Room. This year’s theme was “Dress to Impress” and featured 22 student models wearing designers such as Calvin Clein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Nicole Miller, and L.L. Bean Signature. The fashion show ultimately raised a record-breaking $8,000, all of which will be donated to the Mazzoni Center, a non-profit in Philadelphia that provides health services to the LGBT community.

Meanwhile, Wharton’s athletic teams have been celebrating the victorious culmination of their seasons. The Wildmen, the men’s hockey team at Wharton, grew 80% this year and is now the largest sports club at Wharton. In addition to a great record, the Wildmen were victorious in the student-faculty game as well as the Cheesesteak Chalice against Tuck and Yale. Not to be outdone, Wharton’s co-ed softball team, “Roid Rage,” recently won Darden’s 19th Annual MBA Softball Invitation, claiming victory over 12 other MBA programs. Although the team had not played one game together before the tournament, they persevered through pre-game conditioning, Mexican food, and much team spirit.

And that’s the round-up – be sure to come back next week to learn about the events at another MBA campus!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:45 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Penn / Wharton

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Stern Opportunity

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll travel to the Big Apple and see what’s been going on at NYU Stern’s campus by sharing with you the top stories from the b-school’s student newspaper, The Stern Opportunity.

Earlier this month, Stern students had the opportunity to attend the first annual NYU Stern Latin America Business Association (LABA) Summit, titled “Latin America Rising: Risks in Opportunities in a Dynamic Region.” Approximately 70 students, alumni, and guests attended the variety of speeches and forums that touched on the region’s economic, political, and business environment, including a keynote speech given by Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, the former President of Bolivia. Spotlight speakers included a UNDP Chief Economist for Latin America and Chemonics International’s Senior Vice President for Latin America & the Carribean.

Stern students contributed to the non-profit Minds Matter through the recent Fourth Annual Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students Charity Auction. The auction, which included preliminary cocktails, appetizers, and music, commenced with comments from the co-hosts, who then auctioned off 24 Stern students. Many student bids attempted to prove their worth through impressive demonstrations, including a beat box free-style as well as dressing up as a fireman and bringing along a bulldog. Ultimately the auction raise $6,000, all of which will go towards Minds Matter’s mission of inspiring and supporting low-income high schools students to go to college.

Finally, first-years had a chance to represent their blocks and compete against each other in the Block Olympics. Approximately 100 students from the six blocks arrived to compete in the 12 events including basketball, chess, jump rope, volleyball, Twister, Taboo, rock-paper-scissors, and a special “Snuggie-Skill” relay, which included a race to consume half of a blueberry pie. Block 5 ultimately claimed victory as well as the $1,000 prize.

That wraps up the news from Stern! Check in next week to learn the student news from another b-school campus.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Campus Chronicles

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Cornell Business

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at Cornell Johnson’s student newspaper, the Cornell Business, to see what’s been going on for Johnson students.

Earlier this month a team of first- and second-year Johnson students won the IDEAcorps challenge in New Orleans, a competition in which MBA student teams work with local entrepreneurs to create solutions for business challenges faced by the entrepreneur’s start-ups. The eight Johnson students and two faculty advisors from Johnson worked with Chris Laibe, the founder of a medical software services company. The IDEAcorps challenge ran concurrently with New Orleans Entrepreneur week, through which the participating students had the chance to hear from guest speakers, including the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. In addition to the IDEAcorps challenge and Entrepreneur Week, Johnson students had the chance to rebuilt homes in areas recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

In addition, on a recent Sustainable Global Experience Immersion trek to Washington D.C., Johnson students learned about cap and trade and renewable energy from diverse parties including the government, DuPont, USAID, National Geographic, and SustainAbility, a boutique consulting firm, as well as Honest Tea, a startup organic food company. Johnson students came away with knowledge from sustainability leaders and entrepreneurs about the newest actions in energy use, policy, media, and business approaches.

Finally, Johnson students have created a Top 10 list for newly admitted students, aimed at informing them about the business school. With humorous advice about the most popular campus social events, hot spots in Ithaca, and must-have professors, incoming Johnson students should be ready to attend Sage Socials, compete in a Jell-o eating contest, see the Taughannock waterfalls, and take a class from Professor Vishal Gaur.

That’s it for Campus Chronicles this week. Be sure to check back next Thursday to see the recent events on another business school campus!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 7:14 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Cornell / Johnson

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Harbus

In this week’s Campus Chronicles we’ll take a look at The Harbus to see what exciting events have been going on for students on Harvard’s MBA campus.

HBS students recently had the chance to hear from fashion world leaders such as Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Michael Kors, a fashion designer, and Natalia Vodianova, a model and philanthropist. These figureheads came to HBS to speak at a public forum, titled “Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the World of Fashion.” Hosted by a Massachusetts General Hospital affiliate, the Harris Center, the forum focused on the impact of eating disorders in the fashion industry. Wintour and Kors spoke to the current improvements made on shifting the ideal fashion image to a healthier one that reflects the greater portion of American women. The HBS Retail & Apparel Club plans to donate the net proceeds from its Spring Fashion Show to the Harris Center, which works to raise awareness of eating disorders as well as funding for patient care.

The HBS men’s rugby team recently traveled to Ireland, where they played a team from the University of Central Dublin. Although the beginning of their game worked in their favor, ultimately the HBS team lost. Regardless of their defeat, a HBS player was named “Man of the Match” by the Irish team, and everyone celebrated togehter with a post-game drink.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:16 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Harvard

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Campus Chronicles: Monroe Street Journal

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles, our weekly look at business school student newspapers. This week we’ll take a look at the Monroe Street Journal to see what students have been enjoying on the Michigan Ross campus.

Students recently had the chance to attend a lecture on ethics given by Patrick Kuhse. Instead of focusing on business ethics or business law, Kuhse spoke about his personal experience with ethics as it related to his professional career on Wall Street and with the government, which quickly turned into his involvement with fraud. After being caught, Kuhse fled with his family to Costa Rica, living as an international fugitive until he turned himself in and was imprisoned first in Costa Rica and then the U.S. During his time in prison he spoke with fellow prisoner about their actions and the motivations that drove their choices, which helped him formulate a method to make better ethical choices. According to Kuhse, the eight critical thinking errors that lead to unethical actions are: entitlement, super optimism, affection disconnection, seemingly unimportant decisions, situational ethics, victimitis, laziness, and rationalization. Kuhse stressed the importance of making ethical decisions and not seeing money as the most important factor.

Ross recently hosted the Roland Berger case competition, which this year introduced a Roland Berger Challenge Cup that will annually be passed down from winner to winner. The ten teams of four students competing had one case study for which they all had to create a strategy. This year’s case revolved around the merger of four candy companies. After spending two hours drafting their strategy, students presented in front of the judges and received feedback. Finalists were announced, who then had the opportunity to revise their strategy based on the feedback given. After final presentations, the teams received more feedback. The winning team, inaugural holders of the Challenge Cup, attributed their victory to exceptional data analysis and responding well to the feedback.

In the fifth annual Rosstache Competition, 72 Ross students recently had the chance to grow mustaches to raise money for the Penrickton Center for Blind Children. After spending the month of March growing out mustaches of all shapes and sizes, each contestant held the opportunity to raise money by unveiling his or her mustache in an awards ceremony held on April 1st. In addition to raising the goal amount of $9,000, this event allows contestants to win the following awards: Best in Show, Biggest Fundraiser, Redneck, Film and TV Star, Creepy, Blonde/Red, and In Absentia.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:54 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Michigan / Ross

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Darden Cold Call Chronicle

In celebration of the first day of April and the arrival of spring, for this week’s Campus Chronicles installment we’ll travel down to Virginia and peruse the Cold Call Chronicle to see how b-school students at Darden are faring down in the sunny south.

Following their earlier efforts to offer emergency short-term relief to Haiti, Darden students recently teamed up with the Building Goodness Foundation (BGF) to further support Haitians in need. Focusing on funding a medical clinic as well as building and operating a trade school, the partnership has since then crafted a curriculum for the new “Darden Haitian Development Project” (DHDP). The DHDP plans to offer consulting, analysis, and business planning for the medical clinic and school. First and second-year students are encouraged to become involved as the DHDP and the BGF work together to help rebuild Haiti.

Darden students are also back their Global Business Experience trips, which allow them to take a one- or two-week course in a country outside of the U.S. during their March midterm break. In Stockholm, Sweden, students learned about innovations in sustainability and visited the Swedish Chamber of Parliament, as well as enjoyed the Swedish nightlife at Café Opera. The Markets in Human Hope class trip to South Africa included trips to Mittal Steel, the Desmond Tutu HIV/AIDS center, and a bank with microfinance initiatives, as well as a safari and beach trip. Several students participated in the “Doing Business In Mexico” international week at IPADE business school in Mexico City, which also included a beer-tasting at Corona’s parent company Modela and Lucha Libre wrestling. Students found things to laugh about in their trips to Barcelona and Sao Paulo, and student-written poetry was inspired by the Global Business Experience trips to Costa Rica and Bahrain.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:00 pm in Campus Chronicles, School: Virginia / Darden

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at Wharton’s student newspaper, the Wharton Journal, to see what’s been going on for b-school students on Penn’s campus.

Over 100 students attended Wharton’s first retail conference, which covered topics such as entrepreneurship, current market trends, and how to find success in the industry. One of the notable guests at the conference was Tommy Hilfiger, who discussed how he founded and grew his company as well as outlined how being a “premium” and not a “luxury” label has helped him continue to grow despite the current recession. Allen Questrom, the former CEO of JCPenny, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, and what is now Macy’s, discussed the importance of gaining field experience in luxury, middle price, and discount fields, especially given the current economic state. Panel discussions included people such as “Project Runway” winner Jay McCarroll, who said that being an entrepreneur requires people “to be comfortable playing both the role of CEO and janitor at once.” Other panels covered topics such as e-competence and borderless manufacturing, and included representatives from Urban Outfitters, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Destination Maternity, and Target.com.

Following the retail conference, over one dozen members from the Wharton Graduate Retail Club traveled to Europe over their week-long spring break. The trek included trips to Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Burberry, a fashion show in Paris, and meeting with Fabrizio Freda, the new CEO of Estee Lauder.

Another recent trip for Wharton students was the Korea trek, in which 24 students and 15 organizers had the chance to visit Korean companies, meet Wharton alumni based in Korea, and sight-see around Seoul. Business trips included meeting the major executives at some of the key Korean companies, such as Samsung, LG, Posco, and Hyundai.

Finally, Wharton celebrated its first victory at the Tuck Winter Carnival, an event in which over 13 business schools, 30 ski and snowboard teams, and 200 individuals participated. Wharton won the skiing competitions, partly in thanks to their winning costumes, such as a sumo wrestler and Cookie Monster. This also marks the first year Wharton has had a Ski & Snowboarding Club, and members look forward to returning to the skiing event for another victory next year. Wharton’s participant in the Hotdog Competition sported a penguin suit and won the bronze. The last event of the Carnival was the Kneissl Cup, an interschool boat-race competition. In addition to the competitions and an awards dinner, participants had the chance to attend various social events, including an 80s party.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 7:08 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Penn / Wharton

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Stern Opportunity

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll take a look at Stern’s student newspaper, The Stern Opportunity, to see what exciting events have been happening on campus recently for NYU’s b-school students.

Early in the month, 20 students from Stern and NYU’s part-time Langone program visited HBO’s midtown offices for a recruiting informational session. Attendees had the chance to meet the director of recruiting as well as the Senior Vice President of Film Programming, the Director of Affiliate Marketing, the Vice President of International On-Demand, and the Vice President of Product Management, who is a Stern alumna. Each of these panelists discussed that in order to be successful in the media industry, one must demonstrate passion and commitment, as well as possibly take on free or low-paying jobs in order to make contacts.

Also in early March, 20 students from Stern’s Emerging Market Association club went to Zephyr Management and met its CEO Tom Barry and COO Stephan Canter. The group discusses investing in emerging markets and the challenges this presents. Canter outlined how to invest in marketable securities, while Barry discussed the Zephyr philosophy finding a country or region with a compelling story and then determining the best investing strategy for this region. In the ensuing 15-minute Q&A session, Barry outlined the benefits of equity investing and how to manage risk, as well as the importance of understanding the human aspect to each deal.

The Stern Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association (SPHA) hosted their 2010 Spring Symposium, “The New Era of Healthcare: Innovation Through Change,” which over 130 students, alumni, and professions attended. Participants discussed the changes, both positive and negative, occurring in the healthcare industry, as well as the effects of healthcare reform. Keynote speakers included the CEO of Sheridan Healthcare and the CEO of CLS Pharmaceuticals, while industry professionals included leaders from Morgan Stanley, Citi, MedAssets, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Emblem Health, Eisai, and Deloitte. Specific topics of discussion focused on healthcare access, utilization, and end of life care. The symposium ended with several Q&A session and an informal networking event.

Finally, students had the chance to attend the Fifth Annual Private Equity Conference, hosted by the Stern Private Equity Club (SPEC). This year’s theme was “Strategies in an Uncertain Market,” and keynote speaker Mark Patterson, the Chairman of MatlinPatterson, discussed that economic fundaments may prove more helpful than sophisticated models in the current economic climate. Panels included “Distressed Investing and Restructuring, “Technologies for a New Economic Age,” “An Evolving Asset Class,” and “Buyouts: Challenges and Opportunities in the Current Environment,” each of which included guest speakers from a variety of companies, such as Kirland & Ellis, EM Capital, the Carlyle Group, Plainfield Asset Management, and Blackstone Group. Over 300 students, alumni, and industry professionals attended this event. A networking lunch gave students the chance to meet with the various professionals participating in this event.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 5:22 am in Campus Chronicles, School: NYU Stern

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Campus Chronicles: Cornell Business

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at Cornell Johnson’s student newspaper, the Cornell Business, to see what’s been going on for b-school students at the Johnson campus.

Sixteen Johnson students recently returned from the 2009-2010 India Trek, in which they were tasked with completing a consulting project alongside local MBA students from Somaiya’s Institute of Management Studies and Research in Mumbai. Students divided into groups and worked on different projects, including consulting with a bio-diesel company, a university on its strategic plan, and an entrepreneur/inventor on his new exercise machine. In addition, students were able to visit local companies in fields such as bio-tech, venture capital, private equity investment, and pharmaceutics, ultimately meeting with the Governor or the Reserve Bank of India with whom they discussed India’s financial situation. The students also traveled to Bangalore, the Indian information technology hub, where they visited the IM-Bangalore campus, an IT firm, a silk factory, a tractor factory, and the hospital that performs the greatest number of heart operations throughout the world. During their free time, the students enjoyed riding in tuk-tuks, visiting the beaches of Goa, seeing the Taj Mahal.

Meanwhile, other Johnson students spent their winter break on the Hong Kong Trek, where the focus was finding internships and networking for post-grad job opportunities. On the week-long trip, students had the chance to visit 16 companies, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Citi, Nomura (formerly Lehman), Bain, and other banks, buy-side firms, consulting firms, and private equity shops. During these visits, students had the chance to attend information sessions, and there was also the occasional on-the-spot job interview invite. Students also had the chance to meet with Johnson graduates based on Hong Kong during a planned social event.

India or Hong Kong – which Trek interests you most? Feel free to comment below!

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

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll review Wharton’s student newspaper, The Wharton Journal, to see exciting events have been happening for b-school students on campus.

Students recently went on the India Global Immersion Program (GIP), visiting various companies including the Bharti group, and speaking with business and government leaders, such as the Chairman of the Goa Port. In doing so, Wharton students had the unique opportunity to learn about the business environment firsthand. The India GIP also offered students the opportunity to learn about India’s cultural offerings, as the trip including visits to several cities, including Bombay, Bangalore and Delhi.

Wharton students also recently embarked on the 8th annual Caribbean conference and trek. Organized by the Caribbean Business Clubs at Wharton and Harvard, students and graduates from NYU Stern, Chicago, Duke, and Howard traveled to Jamaica, where they first learned from local professionals about the foreign MBA experience. After attending a welcome cocktails event, which including a speech from Jamaica’s Prime Minster, students spend the next day and a half attending panels about localized entrepreneurship, the financial crises, and regional integration. Students also had the chance to relax and enjoy their surroundings, playing beach soccer, jet skiing, cliff diving, and laying out on the beach.

The Secretary General of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Carlos Roberto Osorio, recently spoke at Wharton, discussing the process of Rio de Janeiro’s successful bid for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. Osorio discussed how Brazil won out over Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo, which were perceived as “further developed,” as his country campaigned aggressively for the 2016 games, after losing the bid for 2004 and 2012. Osorio noted that the Olympics have never been held in South America, making this an unprecedented opportunity for growth in the city, country, and continent.

Do the India GIP or Caribbean trek interest you? What Wharton-sponsored trips would you want to take? Feel free to comment below!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:47 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Penn / Wharton

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Harbus

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at HBS’s student newspaper, The Harbus, to see what’s been going on at the Harvard campus for b-school students.

Harvard’s first “J-Term” ran from January 4 to January 22, giving HBS students the choice to enroll in an intensive seminar, join an Immersion Experience Program (IXP) trip, or take on an “independent opportunity,” an academic-based project or trip designed by an individual student. One student took a “winternship,” i.e. a winter internship, at RRE Ventures, an emerging New York venture capital firm focused on technology. During the course of his three weeks at RRE, this student had the chance to observe pitches, evaluate deals, meet with portfolio companies, and represent RRE at industry events.

The IXP offers first- and second-year students a chance to gain field-based learning experiences in one of three domestic locations – New Orleans, Silicon Valley, and Boston – or six international destinations – China, India, Peru, Rwanda, UAE/Bahrain and Vietnam. Approximately 400 HBS students enrolled in the IXP during J-Term 2010.

The IXP in New Orleans focused on re-building homes in parts of New Orleans where people are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, students worked with mission Schools International in Rwanda and consulted with 12 start-ups in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The IXP in UAE/Bahrain included a visit to Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment company, and consulting with local entrepreneurs on a variety of issues, while the IXP in Peru offered students the chance to learn about Lima’s industries, conduct a field study on local businesses in Cusco, and experience Machu Picchu and the Peruvian rainforests. Students who took the IXP in China offered trips to Google China and Chinese flagship companies, such as Lenovo, SMIC, and Wanxiang Auto Parts, as well as JWT, a global marketing communications agency.

What IXP at HBS would you want to take? Feel free to share your thoughts below!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:09 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Harvard

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Darden Cold Call Chronicle

In this week’s Campus Chronicles post, we’ll take a peek at Darden’s student newspaper, The Cold Call Chronicle, to see what exciting events have been happening on the UVA campus.

Motivated by the devastation following the earthquake in Haiti last month, Darden students made a pledge to raise as much money as possible by the end of January. From the 20th to the 30th of last month, an organizing committee and student groups, including the Finance Club, Consulting Club, Wine and Cuisine Club, and Darden Capital Management, worked to collect donations from the Darden community. Within those ten days Darden raised $17,570, which will go to the Red Cross and Food for the Poor.

Students recently had the chance to enjoy Darden’s fourth annual chili cook-off, in which competing teams of chef dress up and present their unique chili to students and student-judges alike. Some of the competing chili concoctions including Deer Chili, Stick to Your Shortribs, Deer Old UVA, and It’s Chili, Witches. The winning team was the Diablos, with team member Daryn Curry dressed up in full body red paint.

Finally, the Darden Chronicle also took the time to check in on some students who are currently studying abroad, allowing those students to highlight these senses of humor regarding the diversity they are experiencing in other countries. Bucky Shafer, who is currently at IESE, chronicled how the late nightlife in Spain has made attending his morning classes somewhat difficult. Meanwhile, Eric Varney ’10 and Woodson Whitehead ’10, who are currently studying at ISB in Hyderabad, India, lamented over the lack of laptop use in class and closed-book exams.

That’s the February round-up at Darden. We’ll leave you with this question: if you were to attend Darden, would you take time away from the campus to study abroad? Which of Darden’s Global Academic Opportunities programs would you do?

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:11 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Virginia / Darden

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Stern Opportunity

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at NYU’s student newspaper, The Stern Opportunity, to see what’s been going on at the NYU campus (besides lots of snow!).

Last week Stern hosted the 18th Annual Stern Women in Business Conference, which was attended by approximately 300 prospective and current students, alumnae, and corporate sponsors. Keynote speakers Andrea Jung, the Chairman and CEO of Avon Products, and Deborah Doyle McWhinney, the President of Personal Banking and Wealth Management at Citigroup led the conference in discussing topics related to this year’s theme, “Adaptation: Creating Opportunity in a Changing Environment.” Jung discussed the importance of the continuing emergence of women in “C-Suite” jobs (i.e. CFO, COO, and CEO) while McWhinney discussed the importance to have passion for one’s work. Attendees also had a chance to take part in four panels, titled “Rise of the Phoenix: Re-Inventing Yourself,” “Leading the Pack: Making the Change from Within,” “Being a Chameleon: Changing Your Career to Fit Your Surroundings,” and “Personal Finance: Creating a Bull Market for your Financial Future.” One of the final events of the day was the Spotlight Workshop, in which Sarena Lin, a Principal of Mckinsey, discussed her book How Remarkable Women Lead, a focused look on a five-year McKinsey study of centered leadership. The day ended with a networking reception where Stern students had the chance to speak with visiting professionals and sponsors.

Early February also gave members of the Luxury & Retail Club the chance to hear from Stern alumni currently working in the retail industry, at companies such as Toys R Us, Coach, Macy’s, Kurt Salmon Associates, and Elie Tahari. The alumni shared stories from their personal experiences, giving Stern student insight into working at small and large companies, as well as in international and consulting positions. The former Stern students also discussed the ways in which their MBA degrees have helped them gain their current jobs as well as progress in their careers. They also cited the importance of being flexible in the retail industry, especially regarding the dynamic needs of their fast-paced businesses with constantly changing trends. Stern has recently launched new specialization in Luxury Marketing to benefit current and prospective students interested in this field.

In an earlier Campus Chronicles post we announced that Stern was hosting its first-ever “Case Co-opetition,” which took place late last month. During this four-day invitation-only event, 22 second-year students from six of the leading business schools worked in inter-school teams to help Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), the competition’s sponsor, create a strategy targeting Generation Y. After hearing from Stern professors and an industry expert, the teams worked together, using an MBUSA-given report on industry trends, performance figures, background information, and market research. They also had the chance to consult with MBUSA representatives regarding their strategy. All the teams received feedback on their final presentations, and the winning team received $4,000 in prize money. Teams were judged based on their presentation’s content and actionability as well as their performance. Students and sponsors alike stressed the importance of the inter-school “co-opetition” aspect of this event, which allowed students to network as well as increased the collaboration and cooperation in the usually intense competition environment.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 4:27 am in Campus Chronicles, School: NYU Stern

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

With the arrival of February this week and all eyes on Punxsutawney Phil , we thought we’d take a trip to another region of Pennsylvania and check out The Wharton Journal to see what’s been going on at the University of Pennsylvania’s MBA campus.

This week Wharton hosted a celebratory open house for the newly renovated building that now houses both the Wharton Leadership Program and Center for Leadership and Change Management. Jeff Klein, the Director of the Wharton Graduate Leadership Program, states that with both programs located in the same place, there will be increased opportunities for collaboration in programming, staff communication, and teamwork. The center includes open cubicles, designated group work spaces, and break rooms, all of which are designed to increase the social and academic experience of students and staff. Students, staff, faculty, and university partners attended the open house and heard speeches from various Wharton leaders, including Mike Useem, who heads the Center for Leadership and Change Management. With the new facilities, Wharton Dean Thomas S. Robertson stated he is confident in the school’s ability to help students become leaders, not just managers, in both the public and private sectors.

The Wharton Partners Clubs, the organization of Wharton students’ significant others, has renamed itself as “Cohort P” – though obviously not an official “cohort” of the school, this organization offers support to partners of Wharton students who are interested in becoming more integrated into and involved in the Philadelphia social, academic, work, and volunteer scene. With 167 members, this organization is an important resource for both Wharton partners and Wharton students themselves, and hosts movie nights, happy hours, cooking classes, a monthly book club, and trips around Philadelphia.

Wharton students are also getting ready to submit their photos to the Wharton Yearbook, a tradition almost 20 years old. Every year the Wharton Yearbook chronicles the student experience, such as cohort and social activities, trips and treks, and other University events. Students are able to reserve copies so they ensure that they get their hands on this book full of memories and potential future networking material.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 5:46 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Penn / Wharton

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Harbus

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll take a look at HBS’s student newspaper, The Harbus, to see what’s been going on at the Harvard campus.

Before leaving for winter break, HBS students had the chance to participate in the Cyberposium 15 conference. With this year’s theme of “Navigating the Digital Storm” the audience of 700 students, professionals, and tech enthusiasts listened to 100 panelists and moderators discuss technology progress, such as cloud computing and cleantech. Keynote speakers included RIM CEO Jim Balsille and YouTube Founder and CEO Chad Hurley, and the most popular panels were “Trends in Digital Media,” “Reinventing eCommerce,” and “Mobile Consumer.”

Last week the Harvard Green Living Program implemented its bi-annual HBS Waste Audit, in which representatives from the program collect and analyze trash samples from the HBS campus. This year they found that 23% of the materials put in the trash are actually recyclable, a number higher than the last two years. However, the number of recyclables wrongly put in the trash has declined about 10% since the first audit in 2005, demonstrating the campus’s overall improvement. To further decrease the amount of recyclables thrown away, HBS has implemented a Single Stream recycling program, as well as offered a number of tips to decrease the use of un-recyclable materials and help students determine the recyclability of certain items.

HBS students in Section E are celebrating their victory as 2009 RC Intramural Soccer Champions. The undefeated Section E took on Section A in the final gaming, winning 5-3 to ultimately clinch the championship. Brian Vickery from the Section E team joked that his team’s victory is due to their good looks when compared to a Section A, while Josh Solera claimed Section E’s emu mascot helped his team win, due to its superiority over Section A’s panda mascot. In all seriousness, however, Section E thanks its fans for supporting them and helping them win the championship. Congratulations Section E!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 6:45 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Harvard

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Campus Chronicles: The Darden Cold Call Chronicle

Last week we introduced you to two new student newspapers in our Campus Chronicles lineup. This week we’ll take a closer look at the Darden Cold Call Chronicle and see what students arriving for their second semester have to look forward to in the coming months.

At the end of January, Darden students will have the chance to attend the first Explore Wine, Beer, and Spirits Industry Day, a new annual event to give students the opportunity to learn about the WBS industry. Participating students will attend panel discussions and network with leading industry companies. The last week of January also offers students to attend the Winter Doldrums Social, the Chili cook-off Cold Call, and the Darden Cup for Dodgeball.

February will usher in both the yearly Women’s Leadership Week as well as events from the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA). During Women’s Leadership Week, students can attend a community-wide that honor women in business, while NAWMBA will host “The Wednesday 10,” where current and upcoming business leaders will speak and network with Darden students on the last Wednesday of every month. In mid-January Darden will also host its 20th yearly charity auction, the 2010 Red Carpet Gala. Proceeds will be donated to Charlottesville’s Shelter for Help in Emergency.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:00 am in Campus Chronicles, School: Virginia / Darden

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