In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are now moving into the new season as MBA programs begin their pre-term activities.

The next Clear Admit event series begins in September and will run for three works, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Five top MBA programs will participate in each event, signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba

Graham highlighted one admissions tip, whether to apply in Round 1 or Round 2, and two additional Clear Admit stories that were published last week. The first looked at our team’s favorite MBA admissions essays, and also highlighted each team member’s choice for a new admissions essay. The second article was a little fun; we explored some of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and how they might be applied to MBA admissions.

Graham then discussed three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Manchester / Alliance, Georgia / Terry and ESCP in Paris.

Graham then highlighted two recently published podcasts that were recorded during GMACs annual conference. These podcasts feature admissions officers from Washington / Foster and MIT / Sloan, answering three questions related to MBA admissions: candidates’ use of AI in the admissions process, the use of video in the admissions process, and aspirational trends that they a seeing from their candidates.

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

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is an environmental scientist from India. She has 11 years of work experience, winning awards and publishing her work. We really like the experience, but her numbers are a little on the weaker side.

This week’s second MBA candidate has very good numbers with a 740 GMAT, a 3.7 undergraduate degree and a graduate degree, both in STEM. They have worked in IT consulting and an AI startup. They are also active outside of work. All around, a very decent profile.

The final MBA candidate for this week has worked for 5 years in non-profit, social impact and the tech sectors. Their work experience appears to be impressive, and their goals should be impactful. They have a decent GMAT of 720, which is still below the median for the very top programs. Their undergraduate degree GPA is also a little below the median.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France 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!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; a few MBA programs are still reducing their wait lists as pre-terms approach; we then discussed the value and importance of pre-term to help set up candidates for their MBA experience.

Clear Admit’s summer essay workshops have now come to a very successful conclusion; the next series of events will begin in September. Graham highlighted Harvard’s recent announcement that their MBA program is now STEM certified. This allows international students more scope for remaining in the United States in the short term, post MBA. Harvard is following a significant trend for leading MBA programs which started with Rochester / Simon.

Graham noted that Berkeley / Haas has a new dean; one of Haas’s previous deans has now moved up in the administration at Berkeley (Rich Lyons, as Chancellor of UC Berkeley), which we assume is a good thing for the business school, generally.

Graham then highlighted two admissions tips. The first focuses on the value of campus visits, the second is essentially a useful list of all the early round deadlines for the top MBA programs. This useful resource also includes links to each program’s respective essay topic analysis, and much more.

Graham then discussed three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Chicago / Booth, Boston College / Carroll, and CEIBS.

Graham then highlighted two recently published podcasts he recorded during GMAC's annual conference. These interviews feature admissions officers from Yale SOM and Cornell / Johnson, answering three questions related to MBA admissions: candidates’ use of AI in the admissions process, the use of video in the admissions process, and aspirational trends that they a seeing from their candidates.

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

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate was a medical doctor and then moved on to McKinsey. We really like that profile. They are targeting the trilogy of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton, which is quite ambitious, but they can always expand their selection in the second round, if necessary.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from the Midwest and has a rather unorthodox pathway to pursuing the MBA, starting out their career as a reporter, then working at a startup, and now in banking. They do have a strong profile; the one weakness may be their quantitative abilities.

The final MBA candidate for this week is a military candidate who has also worked in the private sector for a couple of years after leaving the service. If we can assume a strong military experience, we think there’s a lot to like, and targeting top 16 programs makes sense. They are also a marathoner.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France 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!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, which soon turned into a short quiz with Alex testing Graham on key admissions dates for next season; Cambridge / Judge leads the way with a Round 1 application deadline of August 27.

Graham highlighted the summer application series that Clear Admit is hosting, which concludes this Wednesday, July 31, with Yale SOM, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, and IESE. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays

We then discussed a recently published article on Clear Admit which clusters together the key themes for essay topics for MBA programs. While Alex guessed two key themes correctly, he failed on the remainder; the clusters do reveal what is very important for admissions officers as they review their MBA candidates.

Graham noted two recently published MBA admissions tips. The first focuses on creating an MBA admissions resume, the second was an admissions tip for younger MBA candidates. Graham then discussed four recently published Adcom Q&As, from Cambridge / Judge, Notre Dame / Mendoza, UPenn / Wharton and Toronto / Rotman.

Graham then highlighted three recently published, and soon to be published, podcasts that were recorded during GMACs annual conference. These podcast feature admissions officers from Cambridge / Judge, Duke / Fuqua and Cornell / Johnson, answering three questions related to MBA admissions: candidates’ use of AI in the admissions process, the use of video in the admissions process, and aspirational trends that they a seeing from their candidates.

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

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a Hispanic male with a PhD, and experience at an MBB; this experience revealed to them why they need an MBA. They have entrepreneurial aspirations.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from India, and is a little worried about the quant score of their GMAT. We are less concerned, and think they need to leverage their interests in the life sciences as part of their MBA strategy, all while applying in Round 1.

The final MBA candidate for this week is currently still an undergraduate student, but has been working 40 hours a week, while maintaining a super GPA and being very active on campus. They are debating whether to pursue an MBA, or MS in Finance, directly after completing their undergraduate degree.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France 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!