APPLICANT RESOURCES

Admissions Director Q&A (New!) Below are links to Clear Admit's exclusive admissions director Q&A sessions.
Dawna Clarke (Tuck)
Rose Martinelli (Chicago)
Judith Hodara (Wharton)
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Soojin Kwon Koh (Michigan)
Randall Sawyer (Cornell)
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Clear Admit School Guides
Eighteen titles available! Understand how the leading programs compare and learn more about the MBA experience in and beyond the classroom through Clear Admit School Guides. As featured in the Economist.

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.

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay*
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Columbia*
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IESE*
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Michigan / Ross*
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NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '08-'09 commentary

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Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Round 2 Deadline Week Advice, Info from Chicago Booth

As those of you hard at work on applications know only too well, it’s a whopper of a deadline week for Round 2 applicants. Congratulations to everyone who got applications in yesterday to Harvard Business School and London Business School. Next up: Chicago Booth, Stanford GSB and Yale SOM, just to name a few…

The January 7th deadline for those and other schools (Tuck, Fuqua and Darden, too) is upon us. And a blog post yesterday by Rose Martinelli, director of admissions for Chicago Booth, provided some information and advice for applicants working furiously toward that school’s 5 p.m. deadline.

For starters, Martinelli and her staff are on hand to answer any last-minute questions applicants may have. In fact, she writes, “we have extra staff available to answer questions by e-mail, telephone or through our discussion forum.” She also invited applicants to reach out to her directly by email at rose.martinelli@chicagobooth.edu.

Reminding applicants that the official Chicago Booth Round 2 deadline is today at 5 p.m. Central  Standard Time, Martinelli also had this to say: “I would encourage you to avoid waiting until 4:59 p.m. to submit.” 

Best of luck from those of us here at Clear Admit to everyone up against deadlines this week. Don’t forget to keep us posted – and keep tabs on the experiences of other applicants – through the Clear Admit Wiki.

Wiki Wednesdays: Northwestern / Kellogg, Michigan / Ross

Welcome to this year’s first edition of Wiki Wednesdays! As we near this week’s peak of Round 2 deadlines, we’re taking a breather from the mountainous climb with a closer look at the latest contributions to the Clear Admit Wiki, an MBA applicant-generated repository of experiences with the admissions process.  This week, we’re bouncing from Chicago to Ann Arbor, highlighting new reports from Northwestern / Kellogg and Michigan / Ross.  Below are a few particularly noteworthy points in these entries.

One of a pair of Kellogg candidates shared the following questions from an alumni interviewer:

1. Why do you want to get an MBA in Chicago?
2. Walk me through your undergraduate experience.
3. I’ve gathered that you would like to go in to [your career], why is that?
4. If admitted to several top schools, how would you choose between them?

While the other applicant addressed these queries:

1. Tell me about a challenging situation you faced in a group / team situation.
2. How do you define leadership?
3. Who is a good negotiator?
4. Have you ever been in a negotiation where it wasn’t win - win, rather, win-lose or lose-lose?
5. Describe an accomplishment you’re proud of.
6. At Kellogg, students tend to get involved in a lot of clubs - which ones would you be interested to join?

Moving on to Michigan, once blogger Ricky found his way to the Ross interviewer’s location, he faced the following questions:

1. [Describe your] role at IBM and [your] experience of leading a team.
2. How do [you] handle the communications with the clients and going about customer satisfaction?
3. How [did you] manage a situation when a team member or peer was not performing well?
4. [Tell me about] a time when [you] faced a setback in the workplace or [school.]
5. Why Ross? What appeal to [you] about Ross?
6. What would [you] add to Ross?

Thanks to everyone who has posted to the Clear Admit Wiki in the past few weeks! We hope that Round 2 applicants will replicate the efforts made by the Round 1 crowd and post their interview reports to the Clear Admit Wiki. You can add to the Wiki either by creating an account or sending your reports to wiki@clearadmit.com. Best of luck to everyone who has MBA interviews in the New Year! Be sure to stick to your resolution of checking out the Clear Admit School Guides as well as the Clear Admit Interview Guides for key points on preparation!

What Does 2009 Have In Store For You?

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Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Advice for Recently Admitted Students from a Tuck School of Business First-Year

The Tuck School of Business Admissions Blog recently featured a post by a current student offering words of wisdom to recently admitted applicants about questions you should start asking now regarding your career search process.

When she was admitted to Tuck, Natasha V. (Tuck ’10) began asking more detailed questions about the curriculum, community, housing, etc. But she failed to learn more about what her job search would be like for her desired career, figuring that she had two years to find a job.

“The reality is, first-years are already in full-swing of applying for internships, which should (hopefully) lead to full-time jobs next year,” she writes. “So, my two-year deadline turned out to be more like four months… two very different timelines!”

In retrospect, Natasha wishes she’d asked more questions earlier on about what her job search would look like. To newly admitted students at Tuck or elsewhere, she encourages asking the career office the following general questions: 

1. For your desired career, which companies recruit on-campus for internships and full-time positions?

2. For your desired career, how many students find internships or jobs through on-campus recruiting?

3. For your desired career, how many students interned or accepted full-time jobs in that area?

Natasha makes a good point. Getting admitted is just the beginning, and assessing what each school offers in terms of your particular career goals is a very important component of the MBA admissions process.

You’ll do well to take her advice to heart. Also watch this space in the months ahead for additional career-related admissions guidance. To those who’ve been admitted, a hearty congratulations. And to those anxiously awaiting word, best of luck!

Trivia Tuesday: Public Management at Stanford

It’s time again for another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the programs and opportunities that differentiate the leading business schools. This week let’s take a look at an academic program that prepares students to enter careers in the public and non-profit sectors.

Stanford’s Public Management Program (PMP) was founded in 1971 to promote communication and collaboration between leaders of government and business and to address misunderstandings between politicians and those in the private sector. The program became part of the Center for Social Innovation in 2000, and today has the broader mission of preparing students to address social problems.

The PMP offers students the option of obtaining a Certificate in Public Management as a sign of their commitment to and preparedness for a career in the sector. About 15% of each GSB class obtains this certificate, the first and only of its kind. To qualify, students take 16 relevant course units drawn from approximately 30 electives, including an independent study option. This independent study can be academic, analyzing a specific sector or organization, or can be an internship, consulting engagement or strategy planning role at a sponsor organization.

Within the Certificate program, students who are especially focused can pursue an optional specialization in Government, Nonprofit Management or Socially Responsible Business.

This program is a great way for students interested in public management or socially responsible business careers to develop an understanding of issues in these fields and to differentiate themselves in the recruitment process.

For more on Stanford’s public management program or other options for tailoring your studies, visit the school’s website or check out the Special Programs section of the Clear Admit School Guide to Stanford!

Monday, January 05, 2009

Recessions Are Good Times to Consider a Return to School, New York Times Says

A piece in the New York Times yesterday weighed the pros and cons of applying to graduate school during a recession. Under certain circumstances it can make a lot of sense, the report concluded.

For prospective applicants who have been laid off and are having trouble finding another job, applying to graduate programs – including an MBA – can make sense if it will help you advance in your career.

“Let’s say you’ve spent 10 years in finance and you want to stay in this career,” hypothesized Jeffrey Heath, a managing director of the Landstone Group in Manhattan, an affiliate of the recruitment firm MRINetwork. “In a couple of years the market will be healthier and you will have your master’s degree,” he told the Times.

Working toward a graduate degree also can help offset the psychological toll that being unemployed can take, he added. 

But say, instead, you are looking to reinvent yourself – perhaps enter the financial market for the fist time. Here, too, going back to school now can be the right choice, according to career experts consulted by the Times. Graduate programs can help you establish the contacts you’ll need in a new field, points out Eileen Kohan, executive director of the career planning and placement center at the University of Southern California.

Of course, there also may be some pitfalls associated with returning to school during a recession, the Times piece points out. For starters, the competition will be fierce. As has been the case in each of the last four United States recessions since 1980, the number of applicants taking the GMAT has surged as the economy has gone south. You won’t be the only person thinking that now might be a good time to think about getting that MBA.

But in answer to the question of whether employers might view going to graduate school as merely a way of “hiding out” during the recession, the Times report says probably not.

“Because this recession is worse than any in recent memory, there is a common acceptance among employers that people are having a tough time finding jobs, especially in finance,” according to the article. 

At the same time, you will need to show to potential employers that an MBA makes sense for your career, the report continued.

“The burden is going to be on you to prove to potential employers you didn’t just do this because you lost your job,” Anna Ivey, president of Boston career counseling firm Ivey Consulting, told the Times. “Either a degree makes sense for you or it doesn’t,” she continued. “The only thing a layoff affects is your timing.”

To read the Times Q&A in its entirety, click here.

Admissions Tip: Essay-Writing Difference Makers

We often stress that, to present oneself effectively in one’s application essays, it is critical to think carefully about what a given question is asking and what this might indicate about a specific school’s admissions priorities. Of course, it’s also imperative to communicate clearly and appropriately regardless of the target program or particular inquiry.

As many applicants are feverishly putting the finishing touches on their essays for programs with deadlines this week and next, we wanted to offer a few general guidelines to keep in mind during that final revision.  Time is tight, we know, but a few small changes can make a considerable difference, so today we’re going back to basics and offering a few broadly applicable tips on tone and style to keep in mind when polishing the written elements of your applications.

1. Be Professional.  While a number of schools ask fun questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” materials, it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You do want your unique narrative voice to come through, but even professional writers know to vary their tone based on their audience. As such, you should avoid using slang and conversational speech patterns in your writing.

2. Emphasize Action.  A common pitfall for many applicants is lapsing into the passive voice, constructing sentences about how some unseen force or agent acted upon something or someone else (e.g. “we were required to” or “the project was completed”) rather than putting their own thoughts and actions at the fore. By making a conscious effort to write “I/he/she did x” rather than “x was done to y” you can make your comments more informative, dynamic and, often, more concise.

3. Avoid Repetition. It’s often a good idea to give the reader a sense of an essay’s direction through an introduction and to sum up the key ideas through a conclusion, but ideally each sentence of an essay will add some new information to the document or build the reader’s understanding of what you’ve already written. Keeping this rule in mind as you revise can help trim a response down to the word limit and ensure that you are including as much relevant information about your candidacy as you can within the allotted length.

For those of you still struggling with your essays as the deadlines approach, feel free to reach out to Clear Admit by sending your resume to info@clearadmit.com.  Our team is ready to help with last minute application reviews!  Best of luck to everyone!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Winter Break Means Travel for Haas Business Students

Students from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley are headed to Beijing, Brazil, Bollywood and elsewhere over winter break to witness global business in action.

Some of the planned trips are along more traditional lines, like the Finance Club’s annual Wall Street Trek, but others include MBA seminars by the Clausen Center for International Business in developing economies like Brazil and India. In Brazil, students will visit companies in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, while in India they will head to the high-tech capital of Bangalore, followed by a visit to Mumbai for a glimpse of Bollywood studio Mehboob Productions.

Another trip, the Israel Trek 2009, is designed to help students better understand that country’s cultural, religious and business cultures. The 11-day January excursion, organized by the Jewish Business Club, will feature meetings between Haas students and President Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-level leaders.
 
Still more students will visit China in January as part of two differing groups. The Finance Club will tour eight banks in Hong Kong, and the Haas Winter Break China Trek will companies in Beijing and Shanghai, with side trips to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
 
Travels will continue into the spring semester as well, when students will get to immerse themselves in Japan’s history and business culture as part of the second annual Haas Japan Trek, planned for March during spring break.

To learn more about travel opportunities as part of a Haas MBA, click here.

Fridays From The Frontline

Welcome to the first Fridays From The Frontline of 2009! On the second day of this brand new year, Clear Admit is happy to provide another round of b-school bloggers’ experiences. From posts looking back to looking forward towards worrisome interviews, this diverse blogosphere community had a lot to say over the past week.

Ahembeea reflected on his 2008 MBA journey, noting that it wasn’t completely over. MBAlmighty had to write a short essay for his ISB interview. Leonidas, after a fresh round of zaps, was considering his plan B options. D.G. found himself overwhelmed by Kellogg information. Mike’s new years resolution was to accept Kellogg’s offer of enrollement, regardless of Fuqua’s scholarship. Omne, like Ahembeea, considered how far his MBA aspirations had come over the last year and looked forward to future changes.

Darden ‘10 Mechanigal and other ‘Charlottesville orphans’ gathered for Chanukah and Christmas celebrations and, much as she wanted it, did not eat chocolate cake. Darden ‘10 JulyDream was enjoying her time on the west coast, and running into soccer studs/authors. McCombs ‘10 Metal wished his readers a happy new years and commented on the gym/cigarette statistics for this part of the year. Wharton ‘10 TinyDancer looked back on the months that led up to her enrollment at the school, and the drinks consumed, resumes dropped and classes passed that followed.

Darden ‘09 Anand also took some time to look over his last 365 days and his business school progress. Fellow Darden classmate Mandy, shared photographs from her Christmas in South America. Chicago Booth ‘09 MaybeMBA looked back on her life and thought about the meaning of money in it.

Clear Admit hopes that all new years inspired self-reflection has resulted in a positive outcomes, and that those who were out late on Wednesday have fully recovered for the upcoming weekend! With less than a week to go before a slew of round two deadlines, we’re sure that many applicants will be burning the midnight oil in order to get that last essay ‘just so’. Good luck and happy new year!

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Campus Chronicles: A New Year’s Resolution

As we welcome in the year 2009, it is time to make a New Year’s resolution.  What better resolution than to read the newspapers of your top MBA programs?  Here is a list of the MBA programs which are regularly profiled in this section:

Chicago: Chibus
Columbia: The Bottom Line
Harvard: Harbus
Michigan Ross: The Monroe Street Journal
MIT Sloan: Fifteen
NYU Stern: Stern Opportunity
Wharton: Wharton Journal

These campus newspapers are a great way to get a feel for student culture and on-campus events, so whether you’re adding the final polish to your Round 2 applications or preparing for a future interview, it’s worth taking the time to read the student news.

In particular, reading through current and back issues of MBA newspapers can be a great source of information on student-run conferences, ongoing controversies impacting student life, the way in which students interact with each other, and the classes, projects and trips that generate excitement on campus.

Applicants may also want to pay attention to whether a school has a regularly published student newspaper. If the school does not, how do students tend to get news about campus events? How do they express their opinions or concerns about campus issues? Candidates visiting a school without an active newspaper should consider talking with current students to learn how groups at the school publicize events, how students make their voices heard to the administration, and whether there are other outlets for sharing reviews and perspectives on campus life.

Finally, applicants with a talent for writing, photography, or design may want to mention their interest in working on the campus newspaper in their application essays, since schools are usually hoping to maintain (or build) a quality student news publication.

Happy reading!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

HBS Admissions Answers Round 2 Applicants’ Questions

In a post last week, Harvard Business School (HBS) Director of Admissions Deirdre Leopold promised new details this week for round 2 applicants. Yesterday she delivered.

In yesterday’s post, Leopold provided answers to some of the questions her office has been hearing the most over the past few days.

For starters, she informed applicants that they should expect their online status to remain as “submitted” until notification day, which is April 2nd. There is no such status as “under review” or anything similar.

She also assured anxious applicants scheduled to take the GMAT in the next few days that they needn’t worry about whether their official report from GMAC reaches her office by January 6th. “You need to report a GMAT score when you submit the application,” she wrote. If verification from GMAC arrives slightly later than the application deadline, that’s fine.

The TOEFL is a different matter, she wrote. “You need to have taken the TOEFL and have an official score to report before you can submit the application,” she said. As a reminder, only those candidates whose undergraduate university instruction was NOT in English are required to take the TOEFL.

Finally, Leopold clarified for round 2 applicants that they do not need to wait until their recommendations have been send before submitting their own application. “The requirement for submitting is that you input the names/information about your recommenders,” she wrote. Recommendations can be submitted any time up until the January 6th deadline at 5 p.m. EST, she added, but there is no need to wait until then to submit an actual application.

Wiki Wednesdays: Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua Interview Reports

With 2009 nearly upon us, welcome to the final 2008 edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we share fresh interview reports published in the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of MBA applicants’ experiences and observations! As most schools have distributed decisions to Round 1 candidates, we’re taking a break from the race to Round 2 deadlines to peruse a few interview reports from Dartmouth / Tuck and Duke / Fuqua.

A recent Tuck candidate recounted the following interview experience with an adcom member:

1. Walk [me] through [your] resume, starting from undergrad. What [were you] involved in outside of class in undergrad?
2. Why MBA? (Which led to discussion of goals after school.)
3. Why Tuck? (It seems they ask everyone this)
4. Tell about a time / how [you] work in teams.
5. Tell about a time / how [you] lead.
6. How will [you] get involved in Tuck, outside of class? (what groups and activities?)

Blogger MissionMBA shared the following questions from his Fuqua interview in the Clear Admit Wiki:

1. Tell me something about yourself, starting with your education.
2. Tell me about a team-effort that did not work out well.
3. Tell me about a time when you had to convey a difficult message to somebody.
4. How would you enrich the cultutre at Fuqua?
5. If given a chance, what would you like to change in your life?

That wraps up Wiki Wednesdays for 2008!  We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki this year and we look forward to receiving plenty of reports in 2009!  If you would like to contribute a report of your experience in applying for an MBA, simply e-mail your interview report, campus visit account or school comparison evaluation to wiki@clearadmit.com.  You can also post directly to the Clear Admit Wiki by creating an account.  Thanks again to all those who have contributed this year and best of luck to those undergoing the application process in 2009!

What Form Follows Your Function?

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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

NYU Stern Begins Search for New Dean as Thomas Cooley Prepares to Step Down

Thomas Cooley, who has served as dean of New York University’s Stern School of Business since August 2002, plans to step down, according to a report earlier this month in the Financial Times. NYU Stern is now beginning its search for a new dean, the report continued.

Cooley, a macroeconomist, was a former faculty member at Wharton, Rochester and Santa Barbara before coming to NYU Stern, where he replaced George Daley, who is now dean at Georgetown. 

In his tenure at Stern, Cooley has hired more than 90 faculty, the FT reported. Under his watch, the school also has raised more than $190 million in the latest fundraising initiative and set up 24 professorships, the FT continued.

Setting up joint programs with schools outside the United States has been a particular focus for Cooley. He has helped to establish programs with schools in Hong Kong, Switzerland and the Netherlands, according to the FT report.

Clear Admit will provide more information regarding NYU Stern’s search for a new dean here as it becomes available.

Trivia Tuesday: London Business School’s Shadowing Project

In this week’s Trivia Tuesday column we turn our attention to experiential education across the pond, examining the Shadowing Project at London Business School.

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!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Hedge Fund Expert Teaches Students the Industry at Yale SOM

The Yale School of Management (SOM) is among a handful of other schools in the New York area that have begun to offer students a course in hedge fund operations and management taught by someone with real-world experience, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

At most business schools, students can study aspects of hedge funds in classes like investment management, financial engineering, endowment management and entrepreneurship, the Times reported. But at Yale SOM, students study under Leon Metzger, an 18-year industry veteran and founder of Paloma Partners, one of the “granddaddies” of the hedge fund industry, the Times continued.

In a syllabus modeled after an offering memorandum for a hedge fund, Metzger advises students interested in learning the secrets of moneymaking to register for a different class.

His is grounded in current events and practical application of theory. As an example, the Times reported that a class devoted to valuation involved a three-hour discussion of Merrill Lynch’s sale of $30 billion of collateralized debt obligations to the Lone Star Funds for 22 cents on the dollar and financing support.

“Talking about valuations is slightly more interesting than watching grass grow or paint dry, but talking about this sale brings the topic to life,” Metzger told the Times.

Other class exercises put students in front of real-life hedge fund insiders, who judge the students’ presentations of their mock hedge funds. Jacob Navon, an executive recruiter who served as one such judge, praised the Yale SOM class for teaching students presentation and other practical skills. “That’s an angle not uniformly taught,” he told the Times.

Yale SOM dean Sharon Oster told the Times that she views teachers like Metzger with real-life experience as providing a valuable complement to the academic curriculum.

Other New York-area schools, including New York University, Columbia and Cornell, are doing the same, according to the Times report. Still other schools recognize the need to include a focus on hedge funds as part of a complete business school education.

“Hedge funds have become such a big factor in financial markets that in order to make sure your students’ knowledge base is current, you really have to cover hedge funds somewhere in the curriculum,” Andrew W. Lo, professor at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and director of the M.I.T. Laboratory for Financial Engineering, told the Times.

In fact, at Yale SOM, few of the students in Metzger’s class plan to pursue careers in hedge funds. “I knew a long time ago what I was going to be doing, and it wasn’t hedge funds,” Yulee Newsome, a student in the class, told the Times. Newsome will join Dow Chemical when he graduates. “But it seemed to me that I would be pretty remiss if I left business school and didn’t know about one of the more important aspects of finance,” he continued.

Admissions Tip: Round Two Recap and Advice

As we prepare to bid goodbye to 2008 and greet the deadline-packed first month of 2009, we would like to take the opportunity to recap the upcoming Round Two deadlines and offer some advice for hardworking applicants.

First, a summary of this month’s deadlines along with the exact time each application is due:

Friday, January 2nd
Ross/Michigan, 11:59 p.m. EST

Tuesday, January 6th
Harvard Business School, 5 p.m. EST
London Business School, Noon EST

Wednesday, January 7th
Booth/Chicago, 5 p.m. CST
Yale, 11:59 p.m. EST
Tuck/Dartmouth, 5 p.m. EST
Fuqua/Duke, 11:59 p.m. EST
Darden/UVA, 11:59 p.m. EST
Stanford, 5 p.m. PST

Thursday, January 8th
Wharton, 5 p.m. EST
Anderson/UCLA, 9 p.m. PST

Monday, January 12th
Northwestern/Kellogg, 11:59 p.m. CST
Cornell, 11:59 p.m. EST

Tuesday, January 13th
Sloan/MIT, Noon PST

Thursday, January 15th
Stern/NYU, 11:59 p.m. EST

For those candidates who have already submitted their Round Two applications, we wish you a hearty congratulations and an exciting New Year’s Eve. However, for the many applicants still working feverishly to finish, we offer a few pieces of last minute advice:

1) Prioritize. The difference between a January 2nd and 8th deadline didn’t matter much when you started working on your applications in the fall. However, with just a few days remaining, make sure you are taking deadlines into account as you prioritize your work. Though your MIT Sloan essays may need the most revising, save that polishing until after you turn in the Wharton application on the 8th.  Similarly, for those of you really facing the crunch, you may need to take a step back and pare down your list of target schools, as it’s better to submit three or four solid applications than it is to turn in six half-baked efforts.

2) Proof. Tired of reading the same essay for the 19th time? Ask a friend, family member or Clear Admit consultant to provide a final read through, checking for grammar, punctuation, typos, and other easy to miss mistakes. Don’t let a careless error be what the admissions committee first notices about your application.

3) Get a good night’s sleep! While New Year’s celebrations will offer a tempting distraction, remember that clear writing comes from clear thinking, and clear thinking is helped by a good night’s sleep. Ring in the new year, but save the real partying for after the application deadlines!

4) Avoid Loose Ends. While focusing frantically on essays is likely a high priority, do not overlook the fact that there are other components to your application package.  Have you checked with your recommenders to ensure that they’ve done their part?  Have you gathered any needed information for transcript reports?  Have you worked on the application forms (employment history, activities listings, etc)?  In the rush to submit many applicants overlook these critical areas, resulting in an inconsistent application.

As always, you can contact Clear Admit to learn more about our admissions consulting services by emailing your resume to info@clearadmit.com.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Fridays From The Frontline

Another seven days have slipped through our collective fingers, and here we are for another Fridays From The Frontline. Applicants have continued to receive news from their first round applications while enrolled students wrapped up their first semesters/terms/quarters and headed home to celebrate (or not) the holidays. The gift of an acceptance certainly lifted the spirits of many a blogger, while the zaps that others received should not be taken as a definitive sign of whether they were ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’, as much as a reflection of the sheer competition all applicants are facing this season.

While not an acceptance, Ahembeea did receive his waitlist notification from Tuck and shared a few lessons from his application process. MissionMBA also heard from Tuck and considered his placement on the school’s waitlist a ‘ray of hope’.  While they began the wait on tenterhooks to see if they get off the waitlist, The Teacher was unfortunately zapped and wondered what his next step should be.  Maverick was waitlisted by W.P. Carey, but had an optimistic outlook. MBAlmighty was happy to be invited to interview by ISB. Earlybird, aware of the fierce competition for an acceptance from Harvard, considered other top choices. Samantha was getting into the Kellogg and cookie-eating spirit. Samantha’s future Kellogg classmate, D.G., shared his plan for fully taking advantage of this chance and realizing his ambitions. Mike’s Kellogg admission packet arrived, and he elaborated on his plans in regards to his remaining HBS and Duke applications.  Soni, also, found an admission packet in his mailbox, for Chicago Booth. Maxwriter wished the blogosphere a merry Christmas and happy new year.

Speaking of Christmas, LBS ‘10 N.A.S. posted an open letter to ‘Mrs. Klaus’, requesting a number of things including help with slaying the ‘Facebook monster’. Darden ‘10 JulyDream enjoyed the holidays and slept past noon for the first time in months. Fellow Darden community member, Anand, shared his outlook on the rigors of the program. Darden ‘09 Mandy was loving her Patagonia Christmas. Ross ‘09 M@ was reminded of what was really important during his Christmas, the result: a punch in the face from reality. Chicago ‘09 MaybeMBA empathized with those hearing from their round one schools.

Here we conclude our traipse through the treacherous travels and terrific treats of the past week. For those of you who celebrated Christmas yesterday, we hope that you received gifts that made you smile and that your stockings were properly stuffed. As round two deadlines become even more imminent, we hope that those planning to send applications have planned accordingly and will have a (relatively) stress-free next two weeks!

Chicago Booth Admissions Chat, Holiday Hours

In a recent post on her blog, Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions Rose Martinelli reflected on a successful year at the Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business and shared details about her office’s hours and resources for prospective applicants who will be working on their applications over the holidays.

“We will have staff available during normal working hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST) on December 23rd, December 29th, December 30th and flexible hours on December 24th and December 31st,” she wrote.

Chicago Booth also will hold an admissions chat on Tuesday, December 30th, at 9 a.m. CST. “This is a great time for you to get any last minute questions answered,” Martinelli advised.

To participate in the hour-long chat, bookmark this page. A “Join Now” button will become active half an hour before the chat begins.

In the meantime, you also can review transcripts of recent admissions chats at Chicago Booth. An archive is available in the Chicago Booth Chat Center.  Finally, don’t forget to read Rose Martinelli’s Admissions Director Q&A with Clear Admit.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Campus Chronicles: NYU Stern’s Opportunity

‘Tis the day to be jolly, as it’s time for another edition of Campus Chronicles!  Today we turn our attention back to NYU Stern, checking out what the student newspaper, Opportunity, has to reveal about the latest happenings on campus.

Opportunity sheds light on the efforts of NYU Stern’s ProMotion Pictures Program to create branded content for Cisco’s Digital Cribs Campaign.  This campaign enables students to delve into how individuals employ technology in innovative ways to encourage consumers to adopt these new technologies.  In working on these creative interpretations, both business and film