According to GMAC, increased test taking activity in Europe is part of surge in interest in MBA and other graduate management education programs worldwide. During the 2009 testing year, which runs from July 1st to June 30th, global GMAT testing volume reached an all-time high of 265,613. Of these test takers, for the first time ever this year more than half were non-U.S. citizens. Overall, test taking volume is up 32 percent since 2004. In Europe specifically, it has grown by 30 percent during the same time period.

The recent analysis of test taking volume also revealed new trends in where test takers are sending their scores. Almost 10 percent of GMAT score reports sent globally in testing year 2009 went to programs located in 10 European countries, up from 6.9 percent of scores sent five years earlier. Of these 10 European countries, the United Kingdom and France received the most number of score reports.

“More and more Europeans are recognizing that high-quality management education is available in their own back yard,” Julia Tyler, GMAC marketing executive, said in a statement.

GMAC researchers have found that European citizens are sending a significantly smaller share of their GMAT score reports to programs in the United States and instead sending them to programs in Europe, particularly to British, French, Dutch and Spanish business schools. According to GMAC’s data, the most popular European MBA programs among European citizens in 2009 were those at INSEAD, London Business School and IESE Business School.

For more details on trends in GMAT testing and score sending, click here.

Before getting into contest details, let’s take peek at a couple of the latest contributions.  A candidate for Michigan / Ross interviewed with an adcom member, who asked the following questions:

1. Can you give me an example of when you worked in a team?  What was your role and how did you contribute?
2. I understand you don’t know what the other applicants are like, but how are you unique?  What can you bring to the table that sets you apart from others?
3. What do you do during your free time?
4. Are there any questions that I haven’t asked that you think I should?

A Round 2 applicant to Berkeley / Haas shared the following questions, as posed by an alumna:

1. What will success look like for you? How do you define success?
2. Tell me about a time when you had an idea and you were swimming against the tide – what did you do to get your idea/plan across?
3. If you were admitted, what’s unique about you that you could contribute to Haas? What about outside the classroom?
4. Tell me something that’s not on your resume.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their interview experiences this season and helped fellow applicants!  If you’re eager to contribute, we’ll be awarding a $10 Amazon gift certificate to applicants that submit interview reports for INSEAD, London Business School, Stanford GSB or Yale School of Management through next Tuesday, March 9th!  In other words, all you have to do is send us your interview field report for the selected schools for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 Amazon gift certificate.   You must send your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com to be eligible; 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?)

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 about admissions interviews.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!

Before getting into contest details, let’s take look at a couple of the latest contributions.  A Round 2 candidate for Duke / Fuqua faced the following questions in a blind interview with an alumnus:

1. Tell [me] something about your family background.
2. How will you contribute at Fuqua?
3. What does leadership mean to you?
4. What is one thing you are proud of?
5. What other schools have you applied to? Prioritize them, give reasons.
6. How will you explain your job to a 6-year-old?

An accepted IESE applicant shared the following questions, as posed by an adcom member:

1. Can you tell me about one memorable event from your childhood?
2. Tell me about your parents – Where do they live and what do they do?
3. Why did you quit your previous job?
4. Tell me one instance when you disagreed with your boss and how did you handle the situation?
5. Tell me once instance when you had to work with a team member with whom you could not get along.  How did you handle this?
6. What other schools have you applied to and why?

For more reports, be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki! Thank you to everyone who has shared their interview experiences this season and helped fellow applicants!  If you’re eager to contribute, we’ll be awarding a $10 Amazon gift certificate to applicants that submit interview reports for Columbia Business School, Duke / Fuqua, London Business School or NYU / Stern through next Tuesday, February 23rd!  In other words, all you have to do is send us your interview field report for the selected schools for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 Amazon gift certificate.   You must send your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com to be eligible; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one iTunes or Amazon gift card per person).

Have you had to explain your school choice in your MBA admissions interviews?  Leave a comment below to explain how you handled it!

Wharton came in second this year, followed by Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business and INSEAD. To view the full rankings, click here.

LBS’s strong showing was due in great part to the broad educational experience it offers, according to the FT. “One of the best decisions of my life was to go to LBS for a full-time MBA,” one alumnus reported. “[It] has enriched my life, from education to career development, to making new friends and gaining new perspectives.”

Another added: “You not only learn from the school curriculum but from the deep cultural diversity of the student population. There is no place else that can offer this advantage to the extent that London Business School does.”

In a statement announcing its second consecutive top ranking, LBS Dean Sir Andrew Likierman pledged that the school will maintain its international diversity and global reach.

LBS is one of only three schools to have held the number one spot since the rankings were launched in 1999, and it is the only non-U.S. school to do so. According to an FT report accompanying the 2010 rankings, the school’s gradual ascent from eighth place 12 years ago to first today indicates as a broader trend the diminishing dominance of U.S.-based schools over the past decade.

The number of U.S. schools in the FT rankings’ top 25 has decreased over the years, from 21 in 2001 to 11 this year. The remaining 14 schools in the top 25 for 2010 include 11 from Europe and three from Asia.

The FT attributed this shift in great part to the fact that the return on investment for studying toward an MBA – measured in terms of salary increase – has fallen since 2005, and most significantly so in the United States.

But in spite of a weaker showing in the top 25, U.S. schools still make up the majority of the top 100 ranked programs, claiming 56 in this most recent ranking. The United Kingdom, with 17 of the top 100, is the second most represented country, and overall schools from 20 different countries appear, the FT added.

The Multidisciplinary Action Project at Ross is the centerpiece of the first-year curriculum. In the course, student teams are paired with companies in the U.S. and abroad to complete a significant consulting assignment. The teams work for Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs and non-profits on projects related to business plan development, human resource planning, marketing, process improvement, growth strategies and more. MAP is designed to provide a capstone experience to the first year, demanding that students draw on the lessons learned across the general management core classes. The faculty and administration believe that the process of working with a team and client to define a project, assemble and analyze needed information, and recommend an action plan is an important experience that builds the leadership skills necessary to identify and solve future problems.

Some past MAP projects include assessing the agricultural sector of Tanzania for the Acumen Fund, working with the Business for Social Responsibility to analyze water use and waterwaste management in apparel factories in China, and creating a marketing strategy for Proctor and Gamble in Ohio. Past locations have included local projects in Ann Arbor and Dearborn, Michigan, domestic projects in California, Arizona and Connecticut, and international projects in India, Uganda, Brazil and the Czech Republic.

At London Business School, second-year students undertake a paid consulting engagement to solve a company’s critical business problem. Teams of two or three students work with a company’s management to determine the project’s scope, deliverables and remuneration.

London students have worked with a wide range of companies on the second year project, including NGOs, charities, and the regional offices of multinational corporations like IBM and Nike. Projects have also been wide-ranging, although each involves research and analysis of a concrete business problem. Interim deliverables vary based on the arrangement with the company, but all teams are required to produce a final written report summarizing their findings and suggesting solutions. Students typically negotiate payment from £100 to £300 per workday, although those without relevant industry experience are often willing to accept lower compensation, as are students who work for startups or charities. Most projects extend from two to four months, with students devoting 25-30 working days to the undertaking – all while completing other coursework.

For more on the opportunities for hands-on learning at Ross or LBS, or to explore the experiential learning offerings at other leading business schools, be sure to check out the Academics and Special Programs sections of the Clear Admit School Guides!

An Early Action applicant to Tuck interviewed with a second-year student and addressed the following queries:

1. Why MBA? Why now?  Why Tuck?
2. Talk about a time you worked in a team.
3. Talk about a time you disagreed with your boss/supervisor and how it was resolved.
4. Imagine you are selling yourself to the adcom. What are the three things about yourself you would want them to know?

On Kellogg’s campus, an accepted Round 1 applicant recalled the following questions from his adcom interviewer:

1. So your job involves a lot of leadership. Tell me about some of your other leadership experiences.
2. What is the accomplishment you are most proud of in your career?
3. Your community involvement involves working with a lot of different organizations. Tell me about one specific project you’ve worked on.
4. Tell me about your time at your undergraduate university.
5. How would you contribute to Kellogg?

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews!  For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every fifth applicant who contributes an interview report.  Plus, between now and next Tuesday, December 14th, the first 15 candidates that submit interview reports for Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, UT / McCombs or London Business School will receive a $10 gift certificate to iTunes!  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).

As always, we wish the best of luck to Round 1 applicants undergoing the interview phase of the admissions process!  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.  Stay tuned to this blog for an array of interview tips in the coming weeks, and be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki for firsthand interview accounts.

The shadowing project at LBS enables students to gain a firsthand perspective on the daily role of a high ranking manager by “shadowing” that person for up to a week as they perform their job. Students report that they benefit immensely from this exposure, which illuminates skills they need to develop to succeed as managers.

Before entering the workplace of their “shadowees,” as they are called, students examine key studies and concepts in managerial behavior, building a theoretical framework to help them assess the management situations they will witness during the project. After the shadowing period, students synthesize their observations in a graded report that objectively profiles the leadership style of their shadowee.

To set up the Shadowing Project, students are expected to initiate contact with a manager of their choosing, and to arrange mutually acceptable dates for the shadowing to take place. While the task of contacting a high-level manager and pitching the shadowing idea may seem daunting, LBS explains that learning to harness the LBS network and preexisting professional contacts is one of the project’s key takeaways for students. The shadowing project can be completed between January and May in either the first or second year. The actual shadowing need not occur over five consecutive days, so students and their shadowees may decide to schedule the shadowing dates around critical meetings or events that it would be most helpful to witness.

Of the managers LBS students have shadowed over the past few years, about 15% have been CEO’s, 25% Managing Directors, General Managers or Vice Presidents, and 10% have held the highest ranking finance post in their organizations. In addition to the more traditional shadowees at investment banks and pharmaceutical companies, students have shadowed prominent figures in politics, as well as the management of a symphony orchestra. More than one-third of students travel outside the UK for the project.

For more on the projects and experiential learning opportunities at London Business School or other leading MBA programs, be sure to check out the Academics and Special Projects sections of the Clear Admit School Guides!

Among schools surveyed by the FT, overall enrollment in EMBA programs has dropped 9 percent – and it is believed to have dropped even more among lower-ranked schools. But multi-continent EMBA programs are proving the exception. They are the only programs to have increased enrollment this year, the FT reports.

Unlike regular MBA enrollment, which is often counter-cyclical to the economy, EMBA enrollment generally drops when times get tough, especially as corporate sponsorship dries up. But multi-continent programs are bucking the trend this year, and topping the FT rankings.

Each of this year’s top four programs is taught on at least two continents. They include partnerships between Kellogg and Hong Kong UST Business School (No. 1); HEC Paris, London School of Economics and NYU Stern (No.2); Columbia and London Business School (No. 3); and a program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business taught in the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore (No. 4).

Even with a price tag of more than $100,000, these and other multi-continent programs are still attracting students, including many who opt to sponsor themselves. According to Vince Frillici, a Washington, DC-based political lobbyist, his decision to pursue an EMBA now through the OneMBA program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler school is already paying dividends. ““I feel it is adding value for my clients already,” he told the FT.
 
Taught at five schools in Brazil, China, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United States, Kenan-Flagler’s OneMBA was particularly attractive to Frillici precisely because of its global scope. “It’s a cliché, but the whole world is like a global village,” he told the FT.

A change in format for part-time EMBAs has helped support the growth of multi-continent programs. In place of the evening and weekend format of years past, EMBAs now often feature a modular structure in which students study in one-week blocks.  “We find that people will fly one hour for each day [of the module],” dean of EMBA programs at INSEAD, told the FT.

To read the full FT Global EMBA special report article, click here. To view the interactive 2009 EMBA rankings, click here.

Question 1 (600 words):
In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA?

Question 2 (200 words):
Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision?

Here, the typical career goals essay is broken down into two discrete inquiries. This format clearly underlines the importance of having both a short- and long-term career plan in the MBA admissions process. Though the compartmentalization of the short and long term discussions might make it a bit more difficult to adapt content written for applications to other schools, it does signal the extent to which the adcom wants to hear about each of the topics raised. Developing one’s long-term goal discussion over 200 words, with a stopping point at the five-year mark, could be a great opportunity for applicants who often cover this topic in a single sentence to meet the word limit in their essays for other schools. The question also incorporates a “why now?” query, prompting candidates to explicitly justify the timing of their applications given the current stage of their careers.

Question 3 (500 words):
Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Include any specific challenges you have faced. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your first year study group?
While this question seems to invite a broad commentary on the history of the applicant’s leadership and teamwork experiences at or outside of the workplace, keep in mind that the most effective essays are those that provide specific details and vivid anecdotes. A general comment about the various leadership roles you’ve held is certainly in order, but it would be wise to use this as an introduction to an example that exemplifies your leadership/teamwork skills and style. Because LBS specifically asks applicants to address specific challenges that they’ve faced in their interpersonal interactions, it would be beneficial for candidates to reflect on strategies they’ve developed to overcome and navigate any obstacles. You should also include information about how you can apply these processes to future work at LBS. Note that the question about LBS study groups offers applicants a great chance to showcase their familiarity with the program and prove that they’ve done their homework, as well as demonstrate that they’ve thought through the contribution they would make and the strengths they could bring to the program.

Question 4 (400 words):
Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute?
This question asks candidates to broadly discuss the clubs and events in which they would like to participate. Because it’s easier to be an active member in multiple clubs than it would be to lead more than one organization, this framing gives candidates a wide berth to discuss how their interests and experiences to date would translate to contributions on several fronts. As with any essay of this sort, it would be ideal to link the clubs and events you cite to established interests or elements of your career goals, as these will help the admissions committee readily see how you are poised to make a contribution. Taking the time to learn about the school’s special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversation with alumni or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to London Business School – will pay dividends here.

Question 5 (150 words):
Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these?
This question allows applicants the opportunity to showcase their international experience, both professionally and personally, and is designed to gauge the applicant’s ability to navigate unfamiliar terrain and resolve cross-cultural issues. The word limit does not afford much room for detail, especially for applicants with extensive experiences abroad to recount, so a sound strategy might be to focus on providing detail about the lessons and skills gained from these situations.

“My gift will help the School encourage its aspiring leaders to better understand the nature and practice of entrepreneurship and innovation.” he commented. The founder of Liberty Life and Liberty International, and cofounder of Abbey Life, Sir Donald has developed several other prominent global businesses including Standard Bank and South African Breweries (now called SABMiller).

Entrepreneurship is already one of London Business School’s most distinguished programs, and ranks as one of the top three subjects in size. Now, thanks to Sir Donald’s generous donation, Associate Professor of Strategic and International Management Michael G. Jacobides will become the Sir Donald Gordon Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and chair the program. A faculty member since 2000, Professor Jacobides has completed award-winning research on how industries evolve and change over time. In response to his new role, he said, “I am honoured to serve as the Sir Donald Gordon Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. . . . Sir Donald’s generosity will help support research on innovation, change and entrepreneurship that can benefit not only entrepreneurs, but also society as a whole.”

To learn more about this story, click here.

Find out about Entrepreneurship programs at all of the top schools in Clear Admit’s Career Guide to Entrepreneurship!

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Would a donation to an MBA program in support of your future career influence your decision to apply?