Sponsored Content The Flex MBA at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business is a catalyst for professionals looking to pivot their careers, offering a comprehensive curriculum and career support tailored to individual goals. Designed for working professionals, the Flex MBA degree is delivered on a timeline—24 to 60 months— that allows students a seamless balance…
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Sponsored Content Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA program stands out for its robust entrepreneurship offerings, catering to students eager to dive into the world of startups and innovation. In the last 15 years, approximately 10 to 12 percent of Tuck students have embarked on starting or joining an early-stage company immediately after completing their studies. At the…
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The UCLA Anderson Class of 2023 MBA employment report is out, and the cohort made some significant gains in the job market. Out of 365 graduates, 312 (or 85.5 percent) sought employment. Roughly 75 percent of those seeking employment received job offers by graduation, and nearly 87 percent received an offer by three months of…
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In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, we meet Martina Crane, a technologist with an insatiable curiosity and passionate creativity. Crane had mastered major entertainment events for international entertainment icons, but wanted to indulge in her interests in technology and purpose-driven work. The MBA program at Columbia Business School promised diverse courses and…
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Duke Fuqua’s student team, OptiGen, took home a $22,000 award from the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) 2024’s National Pitch Event in April. “The EnergyTech University Prize provides a unique opportunity for students to think creatively and deeply about how to translate cutting-edge energy technologies into successful businesses,” says Professor David Brown of Duke Fuqua.…
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As late round decision notifications roll out from MBA programs, we know that many of our readers will be asking about the background checks conducted by leading business schools. Here are some quick facts to help explain this part of the MBA admissions process: 1. What are background checks? Background checks involve the verification of…
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When you can describe your pre-MBA career as a series of adventures, what could possibly top that? For Noha Sahnoune, it was the gaming industry. In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, Sahnoune shares her journey to her goal of a career at the intersection of the quantitative and creative, and how Chicago…
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Conversational interview with a current student. Questions asked: – Walk me through your resume. – Why MBA? – Why Columbia? – What can you contribute to this school? – What clubs are you looking to join?
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Interviewer was very nice, was genuinely interested in my answers, shared his thoughts and joked around a bit. Interview was 45 minutes long with the first 30 minutes of him asking me questions and then the last 15 for me to ask him questions. Started off by introducing himself then asked the following questions: –…
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Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with a discussion of our BIG event in Chicago on Wednesday May 15th; please join us if you can, by signing up here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair We then turned to a discussion of the week ahead; several programs are releasing final decisions…
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Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 3 Decisions Round 3 decisions are beginning to roll out. Monday, May 13, UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Wednesday, May 15, USC / Marshall…
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If you want to take the next step in your career, but aren’t sure how to, Ryan Van Slyke’s path to the Duke Fuqua MBA might help guide your decision-making process. In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, Van Slyke recalls his nontraditional career history and the experiences that factored into his choice of…
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Get ready for the 2024-2025 admissions season by verifying your b-school plans in MBA ApplyWire. This social tool was designed to help applicants develop their MBA application strategy by drawing on the collective wisdom and input of the active Clear Admit applicant community. ApplyWire allows applicants to share the schools they are considering applying to…
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In this Real Humans: Alumni, we meet Seda Sürenkök, who pursued an MBA at Cornell Johnson to achieve her vision of working in tech. The career opportunities, cultural fit, and campus experience Sürenkök was looking for were all there, along with an immersion-based program that provided the technical skills and enhanced leadership and communication abilities…
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Interview had the standard fit of questions about my background – education, work experience, any extra-curriculars. The adcom member was very kind and drove the conversation in a professional yet light manner. Questions like: why MBA? why CBS? why now? etc. were asked. Be ready for those types of questions. They also asked about other…
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It was very chill. Asked about my experience in my job and how those skills will translate to a future career, and general behavioral questions.
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As you prepare for the MBA admissions process, you might want to consider whether you should undertake additional undergraduate-level course work before you apply. Who Should Take Additional Pre-MBA Coursework? There are two reasons that it might benefit a candidate to complete additional coursework as part of their MBA application strategy. If your undergraduate transcript…
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When Maria Deloso wanted to build upon her career in food marketing, she knew she needed to learn more about general management, strategic thinking, and consensus-building. In this Real Humans: Alumni, Deloso describes how her experience in sustainable food led her to the MBA program at Berkeley Haas. Haas provided the skillset necessary for Deloso to…
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Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Rounds 3 and 4 Underway. Round 3 decisions are beginning to roll out. Monday, May 6, CMU / Tepper has its Round 4 application deadline. Tuesday, May 7, Cambridge / Judge…
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Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual discussion around application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions for this season. This week, Round 3 and 4 continue with several application notifications; several programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Northwestern / Kellogg, Emory…
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When Anna Barskaya needed to sharpen her business acumen to take the next step in her career, the IMD MBA program had the right offerings to propel her to Amazon. In this Real Humans: Alumni, Barskaya digs into why IMD was the right next step for her as well as some lessons from her journey…
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If you’re looking to advance to the next stage in your career, pivot to a new industry, embrace new experiences, engage with new people, and refine your leadership style, how do you make it happen? For Claudia Santa Cruz, it was through an MBA program. Santa Cruz was drawn to Notre Dame Mendoza by its…
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In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, Nina Sabharwal tells us how her need for reflection on and realignment of her career path led her to an MBA at Stanford GSB. Sabharwal credits the GSB’s curriculum and programs for making her venture outside her comfort zone and giving her the freedom to focus…
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Thinking about reapplying to business school? It hurts to get a “no” from all the MBA programs you applied to, but it happens to a lot of applicants – especially those who apply to the very best business schools in the world. The good news is that it’s quite common for unsuccessful applicants to apply…
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The combination of cultural fit and career support drew Patricio Parodi to UCLA Anderson for his MBA, preparing him for success at Google. In this edition of our Real Humans: Alumni series, Parodi shares how Anderson offered the right tech, finance, and entrepreneurship curriculum as well as what made Google a great place to land…
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Applying:
Columbia,
Duke / Fuqua,
HEC Paris,
IESE,
London Business School,
Northwestern / Kellogg,
NYU Stern,
UCLA Anderson
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Social Impact, Education
Post-MBA Target Industry:
Consulting, Consumer Goods, Non Profit/SI, Undecided
GMAT: 710
GPA: 6.3
Years of Work Experience: 6
Location: LATAM
Post MBA Location: USA/UK/France
Notes:
I'm very social impact oriented, with several examples of extracurricular / volunteer experiences. First full time job was at a Social Impact Fund founded by a Peace Nobel Laureate.
Solid career working with Marketing/Branding on the Educational sector, two of the companies I worked for are NASDAQ listed. Strong leadership skills (I've been leading people for 4 years now).
My recommender is a Columbia MBA Graduate, Marketing Director at my current employee and my career mentor.
Undergrad GPA is my main concern. Intend to take the MBA Math and give another shot at the GMAT to improve quant score.
I am extremely passionate about mitigating income inequality, seen up close through my upbringing in New York City. While there are a myriad of ways to "do good", my whole motivation for going to business school is to strengthen my skills and network to be a strong business leader who acts with advocacy in mind. Short term, I'd like to intern at an organization like the Nonprofit Finance Fund, where I can apply MBA skills in financial planning to advocacy projects. After graduation, I'd like to still join a corporation to bolster my experience and network before switching to government or non-profit. Companies I would be interested in include Bridgespan or Wachs Strategies, or within the corporate social responsibility or policy arms of big consulting firms or tech firms.A born and bred New Yorker, I witnessed socioeconomic disparities firsthand, and its impact on education and opportunities. Prior to joining Big 4 consulting, after graduation, I worked at the New York City Council, a food injustice non-profit and a public policy firm. This spurred me to study economic policy analysis and urban planning at a highly regarded state university. Today, as a senior business consultant, I engage with major decision-makers e.g. Wall Street chiefs and hedge fund C-Suites. Realizing the impact corporations have on the national landscape and reconciling this with my background in non-profit work, I want to leverage my relationships for stakeholder buy-in on policy issues. During an MBA, I'd build skills in strategy, particularly in corporate social responsibility, develop my communication skills, and take courses in purpose-lead marketing and impact investing, in order to pursue roles where I’d utilize business acumen to shape policy or social impact.
Applying:
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper,
Cornell / Johnson,
Dartmouth / Tuck,
Duke / Fuqua,
Harvard Business School,
HEC Paris,
Michigan / Ross,
MIT Sloan,
Northwestern / Kellogg,
NYU Stern,
U. Chicago Booth,
UPenn / Wharton,
UVA / Darden,
Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Product Associate
Post-MBA Target Industry:
Consulting, Technology, Asset Management, inc. HF, Commercial Banking, Non Profit/SI Companies:
AT Kearney
, Bain
, Booz Allen Hamilton
, BCG
, Deloitte
, McKinsey
, Amazon
, Apple
, Facebook
, Google
, Hewlett Packard
, IBM
, Lenova
, LinkedIn
, Microsoft
, Oracle
, Tesla
, Uber
, Blackrock
, Goldman Sachs
, JP Morgan Asset Management
, Vanguard
, Bank of America
, Bank of New York
, Capital One
, Citibank
, Goldman Sachs
, JP Morgan
, Morgan Stanley
, PNC Bank
, State Street
, Wells Fargo
GMAT: 720
GPA: 3.78
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: Mumbai, India
Post MBA Location: United States
Notes:
My childhood dream of becoming "everything" when I grew up might have seemed unrealistic, but in hindsight, it perfectly reflects my career trajectory. Growing up in a middle-class Indian family, stability and predictability were valued. This steered me towards Chartered Accountancy, a secure and respected profession. While I excelled in this role, a nagging curiosity about technology and a desire to make a real impact simmered within me. This internal conflict would become the driving force behind my professional journey – a constant exploration of where my passions and purpose intersected.
Embracing the analytical rigor of Chartered Accountancy, I honed my attention to detail and problem-solving skills. But the call of technology proved too strong. So, I made a bold move, transitioning to consulting at Deloitte. Leading the Accounts Receivable module for Ford USA was a crash course in project management and cross-cultural collaboration. The success of the project, `which led to my promotion to Senior Consultant` , was a testament to my ability to deliver under pressure. However, the fragmented nature of consulting left me yearning for a deeper connection to the product development lifecycle.
This yearning led me to Vera Solutions, a social impact organization that perfectly aligned with my values. Beyond the social good aspect, I saw a chance to leverage technology for positive change. Fueled by my analytical background, I spearheaded the development of an analytics tool, diving into vast datasets to identify user behavior and client satisfaction. These insights helped us tailor communication strategies, leading to a remarkable 5% reduction in churn rate. This experience underscored the power of data-driven decision making in the product world. Furthermore, I streamlined the design process flow, defining key stages and milestones to ensure a smooth development pipeline. These achievements cemented my passion for product ownership and the impact technology can have on social initiatives.
`My passion for social impact extends beyond Vera Solutions. I actively volunteer with Resolution Project and Tavishi, NGOs focused on child safety and education. These experiences have provided me with invaluable insights into the challenges faced by underprivileged communities, further reinforcing my commitment to using technology for positive social change.`
My vision for the future is clear – to build a social impact company that harnesses technology to create lasting change. Business school represents the next crucial step in this journey. The opportunity to learn from diverse individuals, develop my leadership skills (mentioning examples of leadership from your career or volunteering work), and gain a comprehensive understanding of various industries will be invaluable assets on this path. My short-term goals align with this vision – to hone my product management skills in a Big Tech company or contribute strategic insights as a consultant to understand the constraints and solve for such issues in varies sectors across companies and projects. Throughout my career, I have actively sought challenges, constantly seeking new avenues to learn and grow. Business school represents another exciting chapter in this continuous learning process.
As the first person in my family to pursue this path, I am not only driven to excel academically but also to contribute meaningfully to the business school community. The prospect of collaborating with like-minded individuals who share a passion for innovation and social good fills me with immense enthusiasm. My diverse experiences, unwavering commitment to growth, and burning desire to create positive change make me a strong candidate for an MBA.