Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast Clear Admit

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest MBA application deadlines and decision releases. This upcoming week Yale SOM, Harvard, Stanford, UVA / Darden, CMU / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Georgetown / McDonough, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross and Cornell / Johnson are all scheduled to release Round 1 decisions.

Graham highlighted the upcoming MBA admissions events this week. On Monday, December 4, Clear Admit is hosting its monthly Clear Admit+ event, open to all registered users. This is an opportunity to ask questions to our podcast hosts as we move towards the Round 2 deadlines. On Wednesday, December 6, Clear Admit is hosting its second Masters in Management program webinar. Schools participating in this event include Duke Fuqua, Emory Goizueta, Georgetown McDonough, Northwestern Kellogg, and Notre Dame Mendoza. Signup for this event here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

We then had a discussion on the recently released LinkedIn ranking of top MBA programs. They use their self-reported employment data to rank the programs, which is an interesting approach. The outcome of the ranking is reasonable, with a few exceptions.

Graham then highlighted a recent article that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Northwestern / Kellogg. He then noted a three Real Humans articles from Texas / McCombs, London Business School and Georgetown / McDonough. We then discussed two Admissions Tips: one focused on the increasing use of video essays, the second on the importance of the data forms in the admissions process.

We then reviewed the London Business School class of 2025 profile, which looked very reasonable for a top European program in terms of the statistics. We did wonder whether European application numbers were harmed by the Brexit situation (Europe + the U.K. only represents 18% of this recent class).

Finally, we discussed the MBA employment report for UVA / Darden Class of 2023. Their employment statistics fall in line with other top programs, with an increase in consulting placements (even if some of those are delayed), and a small reduction on tech placements, which appears to be in line with the wider employment environment.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a super GRE score of 335. They are an engineer, from India, now working in the U.S. They are targeting next season. They do have three degrees already, so the MBA will be the fourth; they will need to make it clear that they are not simply collecting degrees, and there are broader goals that make sense of their pathway. We also hope they have some hobbies and interests that further differentiate them from other very bright engineers from India.

This week’s second MBA candidate also has a great test score, with a 750 on the GMAT. They are from Azerbaijan, and they are targeting Round 2 for this season. Their longer term goals are for entrepreneurship, and we were very interested in whether this is back in their home country, or where they study for the MBA. We also like their community activities.

The final MBA candidate for this week is debating whether to apply for full-time of part-time programs, weighing up the risk / reward trade offs of both. They appear to have a very decent profile, but their GRE score is at 317. They are targeting next season, so we hope they can really boost that score, and then potentially apply to both program options, to see what opportunities this presents.

This episode was recorded in Milan, Italy and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

Learn about an organization that all of us at Clear Admit are big fans of: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). In their own words, "MLT equips and emboldens high-achieving individuals from underrepresented communities—Black, Latinx, and Native American—to realize their full potential, to make a mark, and make a difference." Special guests include Maura Clark, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at MLT, and two MBAs who have taken part in some of MLT's programming, America Perez Guillen (CBS MBA) and David Harris (Stanford GSB MBA).

As usual, this week's MBA Admissions podcast begins with a rundown of all the latest news regarding application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions. While a few interview invites may remain, and a few candidates are still interviewing, we are moving to the stage of waiting for decision releases; this upcoming week Chicago / Booth and London Business School are scheduled to release Round 1 decisions.

Graham highlighted three upcoming admissions events: on Wednesday, November 29, at 12 pm ET, Clear Admit is hosting an event for Masters in Management programs. Schools participating in this event include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, and CMU / Tepper. The following Wednesday (same time), Clear Admit’s second event for Masters in Management programs will include Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signup for these events here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim On Thursday, November 30th, Clear Admit is hosting an admissions event with seven leading MBA programs, which will share key tips on how to optimize candidates’ MBA admissions opportunities. These seven programs are Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, NYU / Stern, Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/catoptips

Graham also mentioned a recent article that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Michigan / Ross. He then noted a Real Humans article from Johns Hopkins / Carey. We then discussed an Admissions Tip about how to convince schools you 'mean business' by demonstrating the research you've done and ensuring it comes to light in your MBA application essays.

Finally, we discussed two employment reports, from Yale SOM and Cornell / Johnson. Despite a slowdown in technology and consulting hiring, both programs have pretty fantastic numbers across the board in terms of the careers their candidates are able to move into.  This is very much in line with other top MBA programs we've profiled on recent episodes.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from South Africa, and has a good combination of a strong GPA and 730 GMAT. Their work experience, via a rotational program in tech, looks very decent. They are also quite involved in activities outside of work. They are targeting the very elite M7 programs, but we do think they have a strong overall profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate is originally from East Asia, but now lives and works in Canada, from where they did their undergraduate degree. Their GPA is slightly lower than average, but Canada has less grade inflation. Their GRE score is 326, which is decent. They are targeting top 16 programs, which do look within reach.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we ran down all the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. While a few interview invites remain, and a few candidates are still interviewing, we are moving to the oft-challenging stage of waiting for decision releases. This waiting period does create considerable anxiety for MBA candidates.

Graham highlighted the upcoming MBA admissions event on November 30, where seven of the world's leading MBA programs will share tips on how to optimize their MBA admissions opportunities. Signups for the event are here: https://bit.ly/catoptips Clear Admit is also hosting two events for Masters in Management programs, on November 29 and December 6. Schools participating in that event include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, CMU / Tepper, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

Graham then highlighted two articles that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Chicago / Booth and Cornell / Johnson. He then noted a Real Humans article from UNC / Kenan Flagler, which led to a story about how the MBA student challenged their fear of heights. We then discussed an Admissions Tip: knowing your audience, which details the importance of understanding the admissions officers who will be reviewing the applications.

Finally, Graham previewed a recently recorded podcast that he conducted with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and two students who successfully used the service and attended Stanford GSB and Columbia Business School.  Stay tuned for more on this...

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries:

The first MBA admissions candidate is targeting next season for their applications. They have a 700 GMAT and 3.3 GPA. They do plan to retake the GMAT. They have very interesting experience within the Federal Government, helping small businesses in underserved communities. Their goals for the MBA make great sense, and they would appear to be a potentially strong candidate, especially if they improve their numbers profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a strong career in sales within the tech industry, and is looking for the MBA to help them relocate from New York to the west coast, and potentially seek opportunities in the media and sports industries. They do have a lower GRE score of 316, but are planning a retake.

We finished this podcast episode with a short discussion on the risks associated with doing a self-diagnosis in terms of determining why a candidate is rejected from an MBA program.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by reviewing the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. We are still seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire continuing to roll out for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Cornell / Johnson, and several other programs; INSEAD is scheduled to release its Round 1 decision next week.

Graham highlighted the second deferred admissions event that Clear Admit is hosting this upcoming Wednesday, which includes Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Yale SOM and CMU / Tepper. Signup for the event here: https://bit.ly/declearadmit Clear Admit is also hosting its first events for Masters in Management programs on November 29 and December 6th. Schools participating in those events include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, CMU / Tepper, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough, Emory / Goizuetta, Duke / Fuqua and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

We then had a discussion on the impact of the Forte Foundation on female enrollment in top MBA programs. New data reveals that in 58 leading MBA programs, female enrollment is now averaging 42%. We also know that at some of the very top programs, that number rises to above 50%. This is an impressive leap forward from the 30% we were seeing 20 years ago. Some great and important work has been done in this area.

Graham then highlighted three Real Humans pieces, from Cambridge / Judge, Notre Dame / Mendoza and NYU / Stern. Hearing directly from students at these programs is a great way to learn more about the culture of these programs. We then discussed three recently published employment reports, from Georgetown / McDonough, Duke / Fuqua and Emory / Goizueta. Consulting still appears to be the key industry for placements, which also helps drive up the overall median salaries to record levels at these programs.

Graham then mentioned our ongoing fall survey for MBA applicants, which will allow MBA programs to better understand candidates’ communication preferences, interest in sustainability, and international business. You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitfallsurvey

For this week, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries for the candidate profile review portion of the show:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a great GPA of 3.93 and was top of their class. Their GRE score is also decent, at 326. They are a software engineer from India, so they will be potentially considered over-represented, which may present additional challenges as they target round 2. Outside of work, they have a passion for fine art, which may help differentiate their profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate is also from India, and has a super GMAT of 760. They have worked in digital marketing, with great success. They are also very active outside of work, with several different activities, including classical singing. They did apply in Round 1, and have interview invites for all the programs they have targeted. They are now considering their Round 2 strategy.

We finished this podcast episode with a short discussion on speculating patterns for the release of interview invite decisions, for those MBA programs which release decisions over several weeks.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases reported over the past week. We are seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire continuing to roll out for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Cornell / Johnson, and several other programs.

Graham highlighted the deferred admissions events that Clear Admit is hosting, which begin this Wednesday, with Harvard, Stanford, UPenn / Wharton, Chicago / Booth, and UVA / Darden. Signups for the two deferred admissions events are here: https://bit.ly/declearadmit

Graham then mentioned a recently published story for Clear Admit’s sustainability series, from Berkeley / Haas, as well as Clear Admit’s “spooky” admissions tips. He then asked listeners for some help with our fall survey for MBA applicants, which will allow MBA programs to better understand candidates’ communications preferences. You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitfallsurvey

We then discussed two Real Humans pieces, one from Emory / Goizueta and the second from Boston College / Carroll.

As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has super numbers, a 770 GMAT and 3.94 GPA. But they only have two years of work experience. We discussed the advantages of applying now, versus waiting for another year, with more work experience.

This week’s second MBA candidate also has a great GMAT (760). They have 10 years of experience, and are now based in Australia. They are of Indian heritage, but with Australian citizenship. They are debating whether to target Round 2 with additional applications (they applied to a couple of programs in Round 1) or wait until next season. We suggest they target Round 2 as a first step.

The final MBA candidate comes from the military and speaks fluent mandarin. They are also seeking a joint degree with International Relations. We are very interested in their long term goal, and how that fits their narrative. But their overall profile could be very appealing to MBA admissions committees.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Cassis, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!