Article: What Happens When You Apply to Stanford B-School

http://poetsandquants.com/2011/02/02/what-happens…

This is a pretty good article about the admissions process at Stanford, and presumably, other top schools. Of particular interest is the following paragraph, which legitimizes the common assumption that B-Schools “lump” people of particular groups (i.e. Europeans, or Bankers or PE people).

"Every application is read by one person. After the initial read, a staffer writes a statement on the application and provides a recommendation to Bolton. Sometimes, an application might be turned over to another staffer with expertise in a specific area such as private equity so that the applicant could be compared to others with similar experience. Bolton, whose job it is to shape a highly diverse incoming class, ultimately makes the final decision on who gets an offer."

7 Comments
 

Woah. Interesting read on the questions, doesn't seem that groundbreaking but definitely important to know ahead of time. I feel that given the fact that half the applicants are dropping $5k on prep assistance, they ought to just release the questions so the playing field is more fair for everyone involved, especially if they're touting the new search for "a diverse representation of all professional disciplines" in each incoming class.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

God, thinking about it, I think I would rather have a testicle removed than have to do another application to business school (and actually care about getting in). All of the self-reflection, bullshit, reference letter coaching...trying to take who you are and some how make it magically fit to be perfect answers for preconceived questions the adcoms made...its horrible. The constant email checking, gmat club post reading, interview travel, taking part in prospective student meetings to make you want to go just to be later rejected....and then getting more emails after being rejected because you are on an old distro list.

I have mad respect for people who like me finished the gauntlet of doing multiple business school applications. Thank god its over.

 
Best Response
jc100021God, thinking about it, I think I would rather have a testicle removed than have to do another application to business school (and actually care about getting in). All of the self-reflection, bullshit, reference letter coaching...trying to take who you are and some how make it magically fit to be perfect answers for preconceived questions the adcoms made...its horrible. The constant email checking, gmat club post reading, interview travel, taking part in prospective student meetings to make you want to go just to be later rejected....and then getting more emails after being rejected because you are on an old distro list.

I have mad respect for people who like me finished the gauntlet of doing multiple business school applications. Thank god its over.

Well put. Thinking about it, it realy has to be the most pretentious shitshow of a process going that we're force fed to believe as coming from a "higher intellectual" place. What a hellacious process (not the actual work involved which is staggering, but the false reflection on one's past, the false promises of "lessons learned," the fake-ass candor and humility.) It's like something out of the cultural revolution, just a pretentious circle-jerk.

 

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