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CATEGORY - SCHOOL: IESE

Thursday, October 02, 2008

IESE Essay Topic Analysis 2008-2009

IESE’s essay topics remain unchanged this year.  The very focused questions and narrow word limits of IESE’s application present a fairly straightforward but challenging task. Due to the recurring two-year time frame of some questions and the generally pointed inquiries, it seems likely that viable topics will come immediately to the applicant’s mind (without extensive brainstorming and mulling over possibilities). At the same time, applicants will need to think carefully about the big picture their individual responses create as well as make sure they share as much relevant information as they can in each short answer.

Essay 1: Please describe your short term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)
Essay 2: Please describe your long term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)
Our general advice about tackling the standard career goals essay applies to these questions, but IESE’s unique format should be taken into account as well; though the two responses should come together to form a coherent discussion (with a long-term goal that follows naturally from the short-term objective), it’s also a good idea to limit one’s remarks to the specific topic in question. This probably won’t be difficult given the restrictive word limits. One more thing to consider is that even though the program doesn’t explicitly ask about the reasons the applicant is seeking an MBA, it would be ideal to include a sentence or two about how the IESE education would provide preparation over both the short- and long-term.

Essay 3: Describe two substantial accomplishments and one failure in a professional or private endeavour. (600 word limit)
With its 600-word limit and three-topic prompt, this question is like Harvard’s first essay with a twist: the addition of a failure to the mix. Remember that because this will be the first response about your past experiences that the adcom will read, it will set the tone for the rest of your materials. It might be a good idea, then, to think carefully about what qualities, impact and lessons you would like to convey in this essay before deciding on topics for the remaining ones.

Essay 4: Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which you used a contact from your network to achieve a personal or professional objective. (200 word limit)
This is an unusual question as far as MBA application essays go. It seems likely that the school is seeking to gauge the applicant’s interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain connections, as these traits have obvious implications for the ongoing strength of the school’s alumni network. Without explicitly pointing to your value as a future alum (it’s often dangerous to make statements that make it sound like you assume you’ll be admitted), you’ll want to emphasize the qualities the school might be seeking in its graduates in sharing the details of your interaction in this situation.

Essay 5: Describe the most difficult project (personal or professional) that you have faced recently (within last two years). (200 word limit)
Because MBA students will no doubt face difficult tasks and interactions both during and after their time in the program, it makes sense for the adcom to be curious about how applicants respond to adversity. In addition to describing the nature of the challenges you faced on this project, you’ll obviously want to explain the steps you took to overcome them and end with a comment on the positive outcome.

Essay 6: Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which it was difficult to convince others. (200 word limit)
This question is another instance of the school using a past experience as an indication of current abilities and future behavior. Though you’ll no doubt have much to say in very few words, it would make sense to draw out the interpersonal elements of the situation and highlight the thought process behind the steps you took to convince others of the merits of your ideas.

Essay 7: I wish that the application had asked me… (200 word limit)
This question offers candidates a great way to round out their set of essays and tackle an element or angle that they could not work into their responses to the other prompts.  For some advice on how to navigate this open ended question, refer to our comments on Kellogg’s Essay 4B.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

IESE Deadlines 2008-2009

Organized around six rounds of admission, the IESE Business School deadlines have been posted for the MBA program this coming season. The School encourages non-EU citizens to apply by the fifth round in order to prevent any problems procuring visas.

The six deadlines for the 2008-2009 admissions season are:

Round One
Deadline: October 27, 2008
Notification: December 5, 2008

Round Two
Deadline: December 8, 2008
Notification: February 6, 2009

Round Three
Deadline: January 19, 2009
Notification: March 20, 2009

Round Four
Deadline: March 2, 2009
Notification: April 24, 2009

Round Five
Deadline: April 20, 2009
Notification: May 22, 2009

Round Six
Deadline: June 8, 2009
Notification: July 3, 2009

Those interested should note that the last three dates are provisional and may be subject to change.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Spain’s IESE Business School Launches Pre-Admission Program for University Students

IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, recently launched a new initiative designed to attract university students at the beginning of their careers. As with Harvard Business School’s 2+2 program, students pre-admitted to the new Youth Talent Program (YTP) will have a spot reserved for them in the IESE class after they have completed two years’ work experience at a participating firm.

IESE developed the program in an effort to attract junior- and senior-year university students at the world’s top universities. Students are invited to apply for YTP after completion of their basic university degree. If chosen for pre-admission to IESE, they are then presented to top companies for recruitment opportunities. Official admission to the YTP program is awarded once a candidate has been offered a contract with a participating firm.  

Before beginning the workforce component of the program, participants spend the summer following their senior year at IESE for a Next Steps Workshop. Upon completion of the workshop, they then report to work. After fulfilling their two-year contract with their firm, they return to Barcelona for the IESE MBA. Upon graduation, students once again return to their participating firm to put their knowledge to work.  

Many of the world’s leading corporations have agreed to participate in YTP. Among the firms taking part are McKinsey & Co., Johnson and Johnson, the Boston Consulting Group, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, BBVA, Santander and CEMEX.

To learn more about the new YTP program at IESE, click here.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: School Choices

Welcome to another edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight some particularly poignant posts from the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of MBA applicants’ experiences with the admissions process. While spring is in full swing, some candidates are still undergoing interviews (as can be seen in the recent UCLA / Anderson and INSEAD reports added to the Wiki) while prospective applicants are giving the GMAT a go.

During the fall and winter, however, many applicants dread answering the question “why this school instead of that one?” in their essays and interviews. Now that admissions notifications are out, the question is resurfacing once again. Some admitted applicants are choosing between multiple offers, while others are considering attending a school that they researched only briefly in the fall. And of course, many applicants are now debating the pros and cons of relocating with their significant others.

One applicant, as shared on the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki, approached this debate based on criteria such as geographic location, weather, class size and international opportunities, among several other points.

Another candidate broke down her choice among eight schools according to the individual programs, which can lead to a much more detailed and nuanced argument, not to mention a potentially dizzying list of preferences! This candidate, however, approached the debate head-on with a succinct list of perks and pitfalls. For example, when identifying the pros and cons of a few programs, she wrote:

1. “IESE: I was really excited about the possibility of studying in a dual language MBA program. The IESE program is a two year U.S. style MBA program top ranked globally but with a smaller class size compared with similar U.S. schools.
2. + : international experience, foothold into European job market, Barcelona, case study method, very American friendly program.
3. - : name recognition in US not very strong though increasing, exchange rate makes it a “very expensive language class” to quote one of my bosses.

1. UCLA: I applied to UCLA to give myself a west coast option and to throw in a wild card to see how my profile would be accepted at a slightly larger program with a less specialized program. I was attracted to the international focus and exchange opportunities afforded to students.
2. + : west coast school, international focus
3. - : state school, comparatively limited resources”

For this candidate’s observations on the six other programs, be sure to check out the School Choices page. No matter the approach to trimming one’s short or long list of choices, it can always help to organize one’s thoughts, priorities and data points in writing. The School Choices page can be a great forum for breaking down one’s decisions, so we encourage candidates to share their debates by creating an account or sending their thoughts to wiki@clearadmit.com.

As a final reminder for those still interviewing or interested in sharing interviews from this season, it’s the last day to win a $10 iTunes gift certificate for an interview report for the following schools: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Stanford GSB, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM, INSEAD and LBS (limit one gift card per applicant). To be eligible for the prize, simply e-mail your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com.

We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki this season! We look forward to awarding some last minute iTunes gift cards as well as reading some dynamic debates about programs. Happy deliberating!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

European B-Schools Heat Up as Economy Slows

European business schools have received top billing in the past week in both BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal, with both publications reporting increased application volume at schools across the region.

According to the Journal piece, published Friday, business schools across Europe, which have seen application volume rise steadily in recent years, expect a further surge amid current global economic instability. This would follow the usual pattern of past slowdowns, when would-be analysts and managers looked toward graduate business programs as a place to ride out market uncertainty.  

Executive education programs, though, could suffer a hit, according to the Journal, as companies previously happy to fund continuing education for their employees are forced to slash budgets.

The Journal piece goes on to say that for good or bad, the state of the economy is what has people talking on European campuses. “It’s very much the hot topic at the moment in business schools,” Jeanette Purcell, chief executive of London-based Association of MBAs, a consortium of 145 business schools around the world, told the Journal.

For many, the focus is on recruitment trends. According to the Journal, recruitment of new MBAs in the finance sector has already slowed, and both students and faculty are fearing drop-offs in other sectors as well. Administrators are saying that graduates from European programs are increasingly looking for jobs in the stronger Asian economies, the Journal reports.

Professors, meanwhile, see many of the recent stories in the financial press as perfect fodder for classroom lessons and discussion. From the international movement of bad debt to the rouge trader blamed for billions in losses at French bank Société Générale, the crises have been “helpful from a teaching point of view,” Simon Taylor, a finance lecturer at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, told the Journal.

Greater Employer Demand for International Experience, Bargain Prices
An article in BusinessWeek on Thursday also turned the focus on European business schools, citing curriculum improvements, growing corporate demand for international experience and shorter, cheaper programs as factors drawing business school applicants in ever greater numbers toward European business schools.

According to the BW report, applications to INSEAD, the French business school with campuses in Fontainebleau and Singapore, jumped 20 percent in the past year, and American student enrollment grew 24 percent over 2007, to 73 students. Barcelona’s IESE had 32 percent more applications from the U.S. and expects to enroll 35 Americans in the next class – a 60 percent increase. ESADE, also based in Barcelona, has received an overwhelming onslaught of inquiries from American applicants as well, BW continued.

Speaking to BW, INSEAD Dean Frank Brown suggested that more and more young people recognize the value of an MBA, but fewer want to devote two years – the length of most U.S. programs – to earning one. Others credit the U.S. recession as a contributing factor to higher European B-school applicant volume, BW reports.

The dollar’s week performance against the euro raises the cost of European programs for U.S. students, but even so, tuition at schools overseas represents a bargain. BW reports that the average tuition at the top 10 European schools is less than $73,000, vs. $86,600 at Harvard Business School, and about $95,000 at Wharton.

Another draw for American students, according to BW, is the European schools’ effort to enhance their focus on issues of social justice. Responding to student demand, several top European schools have added a wealth of new courses on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and doing business in developing countries, as well as founding new centers devoted to these and other issues.

Finally, according to BW, European business programs on average are smaller and more diverse than their American counterparts. Compared to Harvard and Wharton, whose MBA classes are 63 and 55 percent American, respectively, European schools are much more international. French students make up just 14 percent of the MBA class at France’s Paris HEC and Brit’s comprise a mere 5 percent of Oxford’s MBA class.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: IESE and Wharton Interview Reports

Welcome to another installment of Wiki Wednesdays, where we take a peek at some of the latest posts to the Clear Admit Wiki! This week, we’re bouncing from Barcelona to Philadelphia, highlighting recent interview reports from IESE and Wharton. Below are a few particularly noteworthy points in these entries.

Let’s begin with a pairing of questions as reported by a recent candidate for IESE:

1. What will be [your] greatest challenge at IESE, why?
2. Following my answer [the interviewer] asked about weak areas and particular examples from work experience and how I managed to [get] over [them].

These questions suggest an interest in an applicant’s preparation for the MBA program and expectations of what potentially lies ahead. Such prompts could also provide the opportunity to discuss adjusting to IESE’s curricular structure or learning environment, which could be a chance to showcase one’s research on the program. After reflecting on a chosen weakness, though, the key emphasis should be on growth (as one’s learning process could be a predictor of planned development at IESE).

One should also consider what the IESE interviewer didn’t ask. According to the interview reports in the Clear Admit Wiki, an IESE candidate noted, “Unfortunately for me [the interviewer] didn’t ask anything about my hobbies,” but a Wharton applicant was faced with the query, “What do you do outside work?” It’s also worth noting that, unlike IESE interviewers, Wharton interviewers do not have access to an applicant’s complete file.

Both schools, however, demonstrated an interest in international experience and school choices. An IESE candidate was asked,

1. What do [you] intend to do after graduation? In which country?
2. Why IESE? What is/are [your] first choice school/s and why?

…while a Wharton applicant faced the following questions:

1. What was it like to be in [country X, Y]?
2. There are lots of great schools; why Wharton?

In regards to international experience, IESE sought to pinpoint the applicant’s future plans in this instance, whereas Wharton considered past endeavors. The questions on school choice offer the opportunity to reveal one’s thought process and research efforts, but it is important to be wary of pledging that one’s sights are solely set on one school in particular. Presenting a well-constructed case of desired MBA elements could not only help establish how a school is uniquely suited to meet your needs, but also highlight other areas of your application, such as career goals or extracurricular activities.

That wraps up this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays. We extend our gratitude to those who have posted in the Clear Admit Wiki over the past few weeks! If you would like to add your experience to the Clear Admit Wiki, simply create an account or send your reports to wiki@clearadmit.com.

Remember to check out the Clear Admit School Guides as well as our Interview Guides for key points on preparation. Best of luck to those in the midst of Round 2 and Round 3 interviews!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

BusinessWeek 2007 EMBA Rankings Preview

For our readers with an interest in executive education, we wanted to point out that BusinessWeek Online is poised to announce its bi-annual ranking of global EMBA programs. Though the main ranking page still points to the 2005 addition, the site has just published a slideshow featuring the top 25 schools. We’ll post again with some commentary once the feature is made more official, but in the meantime, here’s a preview of this year’s top-ranked programs:

1. Northwestern (Kellogg)
2. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
3. University of Chicago
4. University of Michigan
5. USC (Marshall)
6. Columbia Business School
7. Emory (Goizueta)
8. UCLA (Anderson)
9. Duke (Fuqua - global)
10. UNC (Kenan Flagler)
11. Southern Methodist University (Cox)
12. Georgetown (McDonough)
13. Cornell (Johnson)
14. Ohio State (Fisher)
15. Instituto de Empressa
16. IMD
17. IESE
18. INSEAD
19. NYU (Stern)
20. London Business School
21. ESADE
22. Thunderbird
23. Queen’s University
24. Washington (Olin)
25. Villanova University

Monday, October 01, 2007

Economist Intelligence Unit Full-Time MBA Ranking 2007

The Economist Intelligence Unit released its annual ranking of MBA programs last week. The ranking methodology for this list considers four factors - new career opportunities, personal development/educational experience, increase in salary and networking potential - as evaluated based on data from the schools and surveys from students and recent alumni. Another interesting feature of the Economist ranking is that a school’s ratings over the three previous years are also taken into account, tempering the effect of dramatic changes in policies or resources and reflecting and more gradual increase in quality as a student would experience them.

Readers can visit the EIU site for a great interactive MBA ranking chart to see how the schools stack up in a number of different criteria. The top 20 overall, meanwhile, are listed below:

1. University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
2. Stanford Graduate School of Business
3. IESE Business School - University of Navarra
4. Dartmouth College–Tuck School of Business
5. IMD - International Institute for Management Development
6. California at Berkeley, University of–Haas School of Business
7. University of Cambridge Judge Business School
8. New York University Stern School of Business
9. IE Business School
10. Henley Management College
11. Cranfield School of Management
12. Michigan, University of - Stephen M Ross School of Business
13. Harvard Business School
14. Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
15. London Business School
16. MIT Sloan School of Management
17. INSEAD
18. Columbia Business School
19. Ashridge
20. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Business and Management

Chicago has moved into the #1 position this year, propelled to the top by its stellar career service resources, displacing IESE, which had enjoyed the top spot for two years in a row. Other notable movers include Haas (up four stops from a 10th place finish last year), Cambridge (to 7th from 11th) and IE, which rose from a #16 ranking to crack the top 10.

The Economist rankings have historically shaken up the generally held notions about how schools stack up (evidenced by Stern’s #8 status as compared to Wharton’s absence from this year’s top 20), highlighting the importance of careful research and consideration of what one is looking for from an MBA program.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Admissions Tip: Off-Campus Information Sessions

For all those applicants who have recently opened a calendar to plot out the next few months, only to realize they can’t possibly fit campus visits in on top of full time jobs and essay writing, never fear! It’s true that traveling to a school’s campus is the ideal way to learn about their MBA program, but this is simply not a viable option for applicants who are located remotely or unsure of their level of interest in a given school - the good news is that the school might very well come to them. Many b-schools are getting ready to hit the road and embark on worldwide tours to dispense information and recruit qualified applicants. Such events offer a great opportunity for applicants to meet with admissions staff (and sometimes with current students and/or alumni), learn about the program and ask specific questions.

Some of the top schools are already on the road, so we recommend looking into the travel schedules for programs of interest and planning accordingly. Keeping in mind that these schedules are updated and amended throughout the fall, here are some of the top programs’ itineraries for the months ahead:

Berkeley / Haas:
https://ssl.haas.berkeley.edu/Admissions/Events/index.cfm
Chicago GSB:
http://gsb.uchicago.edu/fulltime/admissions/events/
Columbia:
http://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/events
Duke / Fuqua:
https://www.fuquaworld.duke.edu/www/public/infosess_all_view.jsp
HBS:
http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/generalevents.html
Northwestern / Kellogg:
http://www1.kellogg.northwestern.edu/receptions/main.asp
Michigan / Ross:
http://www.bus.umich.edu/Admissions/Mba/forumsreceptions/ForumsTours.htm
MIT / Sloan:
http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/sotr.php
Stanford GSB:
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/outreach/info_sessions.html
NYU / Stern:
http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/admissions/cgibin/sched_events2006F.cgi
Dartmouth / Tuck:
http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admissions/events.html
UCLA / Anderson:
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x5542.xml
UNC / Kenan Flagler:
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/News/Events/embambainfo.cfm
UVA / Darden:
https://apply.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/app…
U Penn / Wharton:
http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/events/
Yale SOM:
http://mba.yale.edu/MBA/admissions/events.shtml

IESE:
http://www.iese.edu/aplicaciones/emba/events/events_emba.asp?lang=en
IMD:
http://www.imd.ch/programs/mba/infosessions/index.cfm?bhcp=1
INSEAD:
http://www.insead.edu/mba/offevents/index.cfm?fuseaction=offcampus
LBS:
http://www.london.edu/programmes/informationsessions.html

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Admissions Tip: Late-Round Considerations

After a relatively sleepy February, March is upon us with its extensive list of application deadlines and decision notification dates. Let’s take a look at the long list of Round 3 (or 4 or 5) deadlines spread over the next two months:

March 1: Columbia (int’l applicants), Darden R4, Ross R3, Wharton R3
March 7: HBS R3
March 9: Johnson R4, Kellogg R3
March 12: Haas R4
March 14: Chicago R3, IESE R5, Stanford R3, Yale SOM R3
March 15: Stern R3
March 19: CMU/Tepper R3
March 21: Duke/Fuqua R3
March 28: INSEAD R4
March 31: UT Austin/McCombs (final)
April 5: Tuck April Round
April 18: Columbia (final), IESE R6
April 25: UCLA/Anderson R4
April 27: LBS R4
April 30: CMU/Tepper R4

While it’s always best to apply as early as possible, the difference between applying in round one and applying in round two is, for most applicants, a marginal one. However, the later rounds are a very different game. Because most of the seats in the incoming class will have been given away by the time round two decisions are released, the acceptance rate in the third round is dramatically lower than that for the first two deadlines of the season.

To maximize your chances of a later round acceptance, demonstrating your interest in the school and submitting thoughtful and error-free written materials will be crucial. Just as applying in round one is generally taken as a sign of interest in a given program, applicants submitting their materials in a later round need to work extra hard to convince the adcom that they are genuinely interested in the school and are not simply applying as an afterthought because interview invitations didn’t come through in round two. Demonstrating that you would make a valuable contribution to the community and providing evidence that you have taken steps to engage current students and alumni will work to your advantage.

As always, we’d like to recommend the in-depth Clear Admit School Guides to those applicants who are targeting the later deadlines and just beginning to investigate certain programs, and to encourage those who’ve visited the campus and interviewed to share their experiences in the Clear Admit Wiki. Potential R3 or R4 applicants are also welcome to contact Clear Admit directly to discuss the strength of their later round candidacies and learn more about our one-on-one counseling services.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

IESE Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

With the deadline for IESE less than a week away, we wanted to follow up this morning’s post about upcoming deadlines for international programs with some comments on the essay questions for that particular school.

The very focused questions and narrow word limits of IESE’s application present a fairly straightforward but challenging task. Due to the recurring two-year time frame of some questions and the generally pointed inquiries, it seems likely that viable topics will come immediately to the applicant’s mind (without extensive brainstorming and mulling over possibilities). At the same time, applicants will need to think carefully about the big picture their individual responses create, and make sure they share as much relevant information as they can in each short answer.

Essay 1: Please describe your short term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)
Essay 2: Please describe your long term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)
Our general advice about tackling the standard career goals essay applies to these questions, but their unique format should be taken into account as well; though the two responses should come together to form a coherent discussion (with a long-term goal that follows naturally from the short-term objective), it’s also a good idea to limit one’s remarks to the specific topic in question. This probably won’t be difficult given the restrictive word limits. One more thing to consider is that even though the program doesn’t explicitly ask about the reasons the applicant is seeking an MBA, it would be ideal to include a sentence or two about how the IESE education would provide preparation over both the short- and long-term.

Essay 3: Describe two substantial accomplishments and one failure in a professional or private endeavour. (600 word limit)
With its 600-word limit and three-topic prompt, this question is like Harvard’s second essay with a twist: the addition of a failure to the mix. Remember that because this will be the first response about your past experiences that the adcom will read, it will set the tone for the rest of your materials. It might be a good idea, then, to think carefully about what qualities, impact and lessons you would like to convey in this essay before deciding on topics for the remaining ones.

Essay 4: Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which you used a contact from your network to achieve a personal or professional objective. (200 word limit)
This is an unusual question as far as MBA application essays go. It seems likely that the school is seeking to gauge the applicant’s interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain connections, as these traits have obvious implications for the ongoing strength of the school’s alumni network. Without explicitly pointing to your value as a future alum (it’s often dangerous to make statements that make it sound like you assume you’ll be admitted), you’ll want to emphasize the qualities the school might be seeking in its graduates in sharing the details of your interaction in this situation.

Essay 5: Describe the most difficult project (personal or professional) that you have faced recently (within last two years). (200 word limit)
Because MBA students will no doubt face difficult tasks and interactions both during and after their time in the program, it makes sense for the adcom to be curious about how applicants respond to adversity. In addition to describing the nature of the challenges you faced on this project, you’ll obviously want to explain the steps you took to overcome them and end with a comment on the positive outcome.

Essay 6: Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which it was difficult to convince others. (200 word limit)
This question is similar to MIT’s prompt about advocating for a position, and is another instance of the school using a past experience as an indication of current abilities and future behavior. Though you’ll no doubt have much to say in very few words, it would make sense to draw out the interpersonal elements of the situation and highlight the thought process behind the steps you took to convince others of the merits of your ideas.

Essay 7: I wish that the application had asked me… (200 word limit)
For some advice on how to navigate this kind of open ended question, see our thoughts on Kellogg’s Essay 4E.

Best of luck to everyone working to complete this application in the coming days!

Upcoming International Deadlines

Though the majority of MBA applicants are finished with or in advanced stages of the application process, we know that there are a significant number who are still working toward the later deadlines coming up over the next few months. For those thinking about the international elements of a potential post-MBA career, we thought we’d post a quick reminder of the upcoming deadlines for some of the leading European schools:

February 14: IESE Round 4
February 23: LBS Round 3
March 23: Oxford/Said Round 3
March 28: INSEAD Round 4
April 1: IMD Round 2 (January Term)
June 5: Cambridge/Judge (rolling)
June 30: ESADE (rolling)

One thing to note is that while time is running out to apply to London Business School, prospective students interested in completing an MBA in the UK still have a good amount of time to prepare a solid application to Oxford or Cambridge.

Best of luck to those planning on applying! Stay tuned to this blog in the coming days for some tips on handling the essay questions for each of these programs. For an evaluation of your candidacy at these and other leading schools, feel free to send your resume or CV to info@clearadmit.com for a free initial assessment.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2007

The Financial Times just released it’s 2007 ranking of global MBA programs. The rankings take into account school data, a survey of recent alumni, and an assessment of research at each school. The rankings are made based on the career progess of alumni, the global focus of the program, and the intellectual capital generated by the school. The full list, which can be found here, includes 100 MBA programs and can be sorted based on a variety of criteria. The top 20 schools in the overall ranking are listed below.

1. University of Pennsylvania: Wharton
2. Columbia Business School
3. Harvard Business School
3. Stanford University GSB
5. London Business School
6. University of Chicago GSB
7. INSEAD
8. New York University: Stern
9. Dartmouth College: Tuck
10. Yale School of Management
11. Ceibs (China)
11. Instituto de Empresa
13. IMD
14. MIT: Sloan
15. University of Cambridge: Judge
16. IESE Business School
17. UCLA: Anderson
18. HEC Paris
19. Northwestern University: Kellogg
19. University of Michigan: Ross
19. University of Oxford: Said

Alongside the rankings, the Financial Times also released a special report on MBA education, including interviews with business school deans, alumni and professors, analysis of recruitment trends, and additional information on the rankings.