Recent News

Published: September 18, 2016

With Round One already under way for a number of programs, it’s the time of year when many applicants are working hard on their application essays and learning more about their target programs in the process of rounding out their “why are you pursuing an MBA/why [insert school name here]” discussions. Keeping this important component of the MBA admissions process in mind, we wanted to take the time today to offer some advice on how to polish this element of one’s file and get the most mileage out of this section. MBA Admissions is Personal Schools look for applicants who seem Read more

Published: September 15, 2016

Chicago’s McGowan Charitable Fund Announces 7th Class of Fellows

Since 2010, the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund has been naming 10 outstanding second-year MBA students as members of its annual class of McGowan Fellows. The fund was created and named in honor of William G. McGowan, an American business leader and founder of MCI Communications, following his passing in 1992. The selected fellows join a prestigious group of alumni from some of the best business schools around the United States. One fellow is chosen annually from each of 10 partner business schools. Each receives full tuition for the second year of his or her MBA studies. Read more

Published: September 15, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Chicago Booth Admissions Director on the Impact of Booth’s Flexible Curriculum

Last week we featured a student blogger from Harvard Business School (HBS) explaining why, for him, that school’s required curriculum provided the business foundation he believes will best prepare him for a seat at any business table. This week, our Fridays from the Frontline comes from Kurt Ahlm, associate dean of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. On the “Booth Insider” blog, Ahlm recently extolled the virtues of that school’s extraordinarily flexible curriculum—though the timing was simply to coincide with Booth’s upcoming Round 1 deadline and was certainly not Read more

Published: September 14, 2016

Business Ethics at Darden: Learning from the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

When word of German car giant Volkswagen’s inconspicuously-titled “Diesel Dupe” broke in late 2015, it was hard to imagine anyone spinning it into a positive teaching opportunity. The scandal erupted when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that the manufacturer had implanted what it called a “defeat device” that altered the performance of its diesel engine vehicles during emission testing in an effort to improve results. Those results, which Volkswagen later admitted were manufactured, were a core of the company’s marketing strategy for its diesel vehicles. Around 11 million cars were implanted with the device, including eight million in Europe, which disguised hazardous gas emissions that were often 40 times the legal U.S. limit. Read more

Published: September 14, 2016

University of Chicago Booth School of Business Names Interim Dean

Accounting professor Douglas J. Skinner has been named interim dean for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the school announced quietly earlier this summer. University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer praised Skinner in his new role, saying, “Doug’s appointment will help sustain the momentum that has been built to further establish Chicago Booth as one of the world’s preeminent business schools while the search for the next dean is conducted.” Chicago Booth Interim Dean Douglas Skinner Chicago Booth Interim Dean Skinner came to Booth in 2005 from the Read more

Published: September 13, 2016

ENTREPRENEURSHIP@ UNC Kenan-Flagler: “Game-Changer” Adams Apprenticeship Program

With its September 15th deadline looming, entrepreneurial first-year MBA students at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School are busily putting the finishing touches on their applications, hoping to secure a spot in the next cohort of an innovative program the school unveiled in early 2015. For the 20 to 30 students chosen, participation in the Adams Apprenticeship could be a “game-changer,” according to Ted Zoller, director of Kenan-Flagler’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. The program, named for UNC benefactor, entrepreneur and pharmaceutical pioneer John Adams and based partially on research done by Zoller himself, is part of a long-term Read more

Published: September 12, 2016

Book Excerpt: The Importance of MBA Essays

Welcome back to our 10-part series, in which we share an excerpt from the recently published book Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions, with added commentary from its author, Alex Brown. In this sixth part of the series, we look at the importance of MBA essays in the business school application process. Book Excerpt: Essays The essays are your chance to shape and tell your story. Make sure to answer each of the essay questions fully. Different schools may ask similar questions but in slightly different ways, so it is important for you to read the Read more

Published: September 12, 2016

Do You Know the Names of the Wharton MBA Clusters?

For most, the images of a lion, dragon, bee and tiger probably aren't the first thing that come to mind when thinking of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. But for first-year MBA students arriving on campus, they quickly become central. The incoming MBA class at Wharton is comprised of 860 students, divided into four 210-student clusters. The names of the clusters? You guessed it. Lion, dragon, bee and tiger. The clusters are further divided into 12 cohorts of 72 students and then further again into 144 “learning teams” made up of five or six students. Read more

Published: September 12, 2016

GMAT Tip: It’s Always the Same with Exponents

When evaluating exponent questions in the quantitative section, many test takers freak out when faced with seemingly messy but frequently appearing problems. “Do I need to know logs?” “Wait, is this testing something from Calculus?” Have no fear – while exponents show up often on the GMAT, how these questions show up is repetitive, requiring that we take the same steps over and to solve them. Key things we need to know when it comes to exponents: When we multiply numbers containing exponents, we add the exponents… but they must have the same base. For example: 2^2 + 2^2 = Read more

Published: September 11, 2016

Real Humans of MBA Admissions: Dawna Levenson of MIT Sloan School of Management

If you’ve got the MIT Sloan School of Management in your sights for the coming application season, you’re very likely busy putting the finishing touches on your Round 1 application—due Thursday. What better time to get a glimpse into the woman who heads MBA admissions for the school? Dawna Levenson has been in her current role as director of MIT Sloan Admissions since March 2013, but she’s been at the school for much longer than that. When she arrived in November 2007, it was as associate director of academic programs for the School of Engineering, and she had been reading MBA applications for the past year. She moved over to admissions in 2012, where she’s since stayed, but her combined experiences really help her know the MBA program inside and out. She also knows the school as a student, having obtained her B.S. in management science at MIT and her M.S., also in management science, at MIT Sloan. And she spent 18 years working for Andersen Consulting, now Accenture, as a consultant. All that experience gives her amazing insight into the goals and aspirations of prospective Sloan applicants and helps her know who will fit best with the school’s signature MBA program. Read more

Published: September 11, 2016

Yale SOM Waives Application Fees For Forté MBALaunchers, MLT MBA Prep Fellows

In the days leading up to Wednesday's first round MBA application deadline for the Yale School of Management (SOM), the school has announced a unique opportunity for all Forté MBALaunchers and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) MBA Prep Fellows. All application fees for corresponding applicants will be waived for the 2016-17 cycle. Forté MBALaunch is a 10-month preparatory program for women applying to business school, designed to help participants build a stronger support network and create a more direct path toward a successful career. Yale SOM has been a proud partner of the Forté Foundation since its founding in 2001. Since then, Forté has helped more than 5,000 women obtain more than $110 million in fellowships to apply toward business school tuition. Read more

Published: September 8, 2016

New Court Decision Allows MBA Tax Deductions

Thanks to a recent court decision in the case of Kopaigora v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, students enrolled in an MBA program—particularly an Executive MBA (EMBA)—can now deduct more education expenses from their taxes. While the case can’t be appealed or formerly cited as precedent, there’s no doubt that the outcome will be influential for the IRS and MBA students all over the United States. Read more

Published: September 8, 2016

UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator Gains Heavy Support

Since 2004, the Ojai Valley Century annual bike ride has fostered a growing appreciation of the beauty and serenity of the Los Padres National Forest northwest of Los Angeles. The alluring mountain views and unique opportunity have helped the popularity of the event the grow steadily over the course of the last 12 years. As more routes have been added, the bike ride has drawn national praise. But aside from the view and journey itself, the bike ride has also fostered growth within the nearby community. This year, the event served as an incubator of sorts. By the Read more

Published: September 8, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Everything You Need to Know About the HBS Required Curriculum

As Stefan Coburn, Harvard Business School Class of 2017, looks back on what he learned in his first year of business school, it’s clear that he is a satisfied customer. “I never could have imagined the extent to which the required curriculum (RC) would deliver so much knowledge in nearly every essential aspect of business, from marketing to finance to operations to leadership,” he writes. If you have HBS in your sights, don’t miss this comprehensive analysis of the school’s signature first-year required curriculum. And if you just hit submit in time for the Round 1 deadline, best Read more

Published: September 7, 2016

ENTREPRENEURSHIP@MIT: MIT Demo Day Celebrates Next Generation of Startups

On Friday, September 9th, 17 teams of MIT students, including MBA students from MIT Sloan School of Management, will have a chance to make a lasting impact on the startup community when they present their pitches for MIT Demo Day. Eighty-six total entrepreneurs comprise the 17 teams, 74 percent male and 26 percent female. The vast majority of the 86 entrants come from backgrounds in business and engineering, mixed with students involved in science, policy and political science, and design. In total, nine “industry verticals” will be represented by the teams: logistics, energy, Read more

Published: September 6, 2016

4 Ways Georgetown Focuses on Diversity

Sponsored Content When it comes to the MBA classroom, diversity helps to create an environment where spirited debate, differing perspectives and innovation can exist. The more diverse the class, the better the classroom experience. That’s exactly why the school places such a strong emphasis on accepting a diverse array of students. Its incoming 2016 Full-time MBA class is made up of 34 percent women, 28 percent minorities and 30 percent international students from 37 different countries, but the school doesn’t stop there. Georgetown McDonough understands that it’s not just about accepting diverse students; it’s about creating Read more

Published: September 6, 2016

Tuck Shines a Spotlight on Its Many Joint/Dual Degree Programs

Students can take multiple paths with an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, but they can also combine the degree in creative and powerful ways thanks to a range of joint- and dual-degree programs that draw on the strengths of Dartmouth’s other postgraduate schools. This array of opportunities gives students at Tuck even more refined ways to direct their burgeoning careers. Tuck’s three joint-degree programs with Dartmouth are the MD/MBA, MPH(Master of Public Health)/MBA, and a PhD/MBA. The MD/MBA joint degree, offered in partnership with Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, can be completed within five to six years. By preparing them to practice both medicine and management, this degree can lead students toward careers in biotech, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and a multitude of similar industries. Read more

Published: September 5, 2016

Book Excerpt: The Importance of a Candidate’s Goals in the MBA Application

Welcome back to our 10-part series, in which we share an excerpt from the recently published book Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions, with added commentary from its author, Alex Brown. In this fifth part of the series, we look at the importance of a candidate’s goals. Book Excerpt: Goals Your career goals are important for the success of your application. Four aspects of your goals will be examined: Articulation of goals: Are your goals focused or are they under-developed Read more

Published: September 5, 2016

GMAT Tip: Don’t Apply Your Outside Knowledge

The way that we tackle the GMAT Critical Reasoning section (or, you know, most of the GMAT) requires we have the unique mindset of pretending we are totally clueless, but also a keen expert who can find the gap in assumptions made by a critical reading prompt. What do we mean by clueless? Let’s start with one of our favorite Critical Reasoning questions: Numerous ancient Mayan cities have been discovered in the Yucatan peninsula in recent decades. The ruins lack any evidence of destruction by invading forces, internal revolts, or disease, and appear simply to have been abandoned. Some archaeologists Read more

Published: September 5, 2016

Prodigy Finance Launches New International MBA Scholarship Program, Five Students to Qualify for $20,000 Each

International community lender Prodigy Finance recently announced a new scholarship program for students accepted to study at U.K. and U.S. business schools. Open to all students who use Prodigy Finance to help fund their postgraduate degree in either the United States or the United Kingdom, the scholarship will provide five students with $20,000 each in funding toward their studies. To be eligible, students need to take a loan from Prodigy before November 30, 2016. “Applying to study at one of the world’s top universities is daunting, and at Prodigy Finance we are committed to making this worthwhile investment Read more

Published: September 1, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Darden MBA Student on Google’s Great Perks

This week’s Fridays from the Frontline post comes to us from Jimmy Figueroa, a second-year MBA student at UVA’s Darden School of Business just back from his summer internship at Google in San Francisco. A veteran of New York’s financial services sector prior to business school, Figueroa had a no-nonsense view of what to expect from a job and an employer. “It was always a no frills environment where you work hard, work long and perform,” he writes. And if you do well, you’ll get rewarded monetarily. Free cafes, gym classes, game rooms—the companies that have those don’t Read more

Published: August 31, 2016

Bloomberg Contributes $32 Million to Launch New Initiative at Harvard for City Leaders

Michael Bloomberg—three-term New York City mayor, philanthropist and Harvard Business School (HBS) alumnus—has committed $32 million to Harvard to design a comprehensive leadership program for mayors and senior aides to advance leadership, management and innovation in cities across the United States and around the globe, the university announced last week. On August 25th, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Harvard University jointly announced the launch of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a unique collaboration between the HBS and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Executive Education programs designed to equip city leaders to confront the increasingly complex challenges facing city governments. Read more

Published: August 30, 2016

Leading Business Schools Pilot GMAC’s Common Letter of Recommendation

Asking your supervisor or former supervisor to take time out of his or her busy schedule to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf is one of the most challenging aspects of the MBA admissions process for many applicants. Now try asking that person to write five different letters, answering five different sets of questions, for the five different schools you’re applying to. Sounds insane, right? And yet it’s precisely the position many prospective MBA applicants find themselves in. Recognizing the burden that letters of recommendation place on applicants and recommenders alike, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) this year is piloting a common letter of recommendation (LOR). Read more

Published: August 29, 2016

Alumni Spotlight: Dan Schulman (NYU Stern)

One of the most accomplished alumni to set foot into the NYU Stern School of Business is Dan Schulman. Schulman has worked as a prominent business leader for around 20 years, most recently being named as CEO of PayPal in 2014. Read more

Published: August 29, 2016

Book Excerpt: The Importance of an MBA Candidate’s Profile

Welcome back to our 10-part series, in which we share an excerpt from the recently published book Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions, with added commentary from its author, Alex Brown. In this fourth part of the series, we look at the importance of an MBA candidate’s profile. Book Excerpt: Your attributes determine the overall strengths of your candidacy. Meanwhile, your personal profile determines, to some extent, who you compete with in the applicant pool and provides the broader context for your experiences as the adcom attempts to craft a diverse class. Schools want Read more

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MBA Applywire

March 6, 2026 9:59am ET

Applying: Harvard Business School, INSEAD, London Business School

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting and Corporate Banking

Post MBA Career: Finance, Private Equity, Management Consulting

GPA: 8/12

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Profile Review: Banking/PE Experience for INSEAD GEMBA (May '27) / LBS EMBA (Jan '28) – Consulting Pivot?

Hi all, looking for a reality check on my profile for top-tier EMBAs with a goal of pivoting into Management Consulting (MBB).

Background:

\* Age: 33 at enrollment

\* Current Role: Associate Director in a major Nordic bank (Corporate Banking/PE/Risk focus).

\* Work Experience: \~7+ years.

\* Current: Lead on liquidity strategy, PE value creation, and covenant restructuring. I manage high-value client portfolios day-to-day, though formal people management/team lead is handled by a Director.

\* Previous: Senior Analyst in Tier-1 US Bulge Bracket and Senior Consultant (Big 4, fast-track promotion).

\* Education: MSc in Finance & Accounting (Top Nordic BS).

\* The GPA Weakness: My academic GPA is on the lower side. However, I have a CFA Level I and have won some industry business cases while at Uni. I’m hoping my professional track record offsets the academic record.

\* Extracurriculars: Board member experience (Mensa/Non-profits).

Goals:

\* Target Programs: INSEAD GEMBA (Flex, May 2027 intake) or LBS EMBA (Blended, Jan 2028 intake).

\* Why MBA: Pivot from finance into Strategy Consulting (MBB) or PE (whom I advise daily).

Questions:

1. How much will a lower GPA hurt me at INSEAD/LBS if my professional trajectory is strong?

2. Does not having formal direct reports (but managing high-stakes client portfolios) hurt my candidacy for these senior-level programs?

3. Is an EMBA actually "consulting-pivot friendly" for someone already at an Associate Director-level in finance?

Appreciate any insights or past experiences from similar paths, thank you!

March 6, 2026 6:09am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Dartmouth / Tuck, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Penn / Wharton, Stanford GSB, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Cybersecurity

Post MBA Career: Management Consulting

GPA: 3.6

Years of Work Experience: 5

Notes:

I’ve been in the cybersecurity space for about 5 years starting at a global Fortune 100 insurance firm before moving to my current org in the critical infrastructure sector. Currently a senior in incident response, I started as an intern. While the role is technical, my focus is on the strategic orchestration of response. Think stakeholder engagement, legal/PR/C-suite coordination, regulatory reporting, compliance, risk.

Outside of work I’m on the board of a non profit(not cybersecurity based), serving as the director of strategy and program development. I also volunteer to do pro-bono cyber consulting for NGOs, focusing more on the governance, planning, and strategic posture but also on other aspects of cybersecurity.

My academic path was non trad: BS cybersecurity from competency based program (pass/fail) then MS cybersecurity from NYU (3.6) working full time through both. Have a number of cyber related certifications, technical and non technical. Became more interested in an MBA last year.

Post-MBA, I’d like to transition into digital strategy consulting(MBB) and eventually move into private equity portfolio operations (focusing on tech strategy and value creation rather than the investment side). Given my professional and academic background which programs should I look into? Selected a few but don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m in test prep right now for the GRE, targeting 325+.

March 5, 2026 6:04am ET

Applying: Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, Vanderbilt / Owen

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Financial Reporting + Investor Relations

Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking

GPA: 3.46

Years of Work Experience: 5

Post MBA Location: NYC

Notes:

Domestic ORM Male
BA Econ (T10 Public) - 3.46 GPA
MS Info Systems (T10 Public) - 3.50 GPA
Passed CFA L1 (L2 in progress)
4 years in Financial Reporting at a large asset manager (A2A promotion)
1 year in Investor Relations at LMM PE firm (potential promo to Senior Associate by application time)
Working on joining a reputable nonprofit ASAP to start gaining volunteer experience + potentially gain a leadership position
Post-MBA goal: Investment Banking (preferably NYC but open to anywhere on east coast + Chicago + Texas)

March 2, 2026 12:12pm ET

Applying: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, Emory / Goizueta, INSEAD, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2026

Pre-MBA Career: Population health (Business Integration Specialist)

Post MBA Career: ZS Associates, PWC Strategy&, Alvarez & Marsal, McKinsey, LEK Consulting, Deloitte, BCG, Bain, Accenture, Consulting

GRE: 304

GPA: 3.37

Years of Work Experience: 5

February 16, 2026 8:01am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia Business School, Cornell / Johnson, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall

Intake Year: 2026

Pre-MBA Career: Media Marketing

Post MBA Career: Beverage, Consumer Goods, Marketing, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Personal Care, Warner Media, Paramount Global, Netflix, Mattel, Media/Entertainment, Coca Cola

GRE: 319

GPA: 3.33

Years of Work Experience: 9.5

Location: India

View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

March 11, 2026 6:46am ET

Accepted to Michigan / Ross

Round: Round 2

Received via phone March 11, 2026

Standardized Test: Granted Waiver

GPA: 3.87

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: South Korea, Seoul

Juno Member: Not yet

March 11, 2026 4:30am ET

Accepted to Imperial

Round: Round 2

Received via email March 11, 2026

Standardized Test: GRE

GPA: 3.5

GRE: 326

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: Beijing, China

Juno Member: Not yet

March 10, 2026 9:33pm ET

Accepted to Vanderbilt / Owen

Round: Round 2

Received via phone March 10, 2026

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.72

GMAT: 655

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Consulting, Consumer Goods, Retail

Application Location: Philadelphia

Note:

Adcom reached out to me via phone today, March 10th. Shared generous scholarship as well, very excited at the prospect of attending!

Juno Member: Not yet

March 10, 2026 3:23pm ET

Accepted to Vanderbilt / Owen

Round: Round 2

Received via phone March 10, 2026

Standardized Test: Granted Waiver

GPA: 3

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Health Care

Application Location: USA

Juno Member: Not yet

March 10, 2026 2:32pm ET

Accepted to Imperial

Round: Round 2

Received via email March 10, 2026

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 7.66/10

GMAT: 725

Program Type: One Year Program

Application Location: India

Juno Member: Not yet

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