The Leading Independent
Resource for Top-tier MBA
Candidates

Recent News

Published: May 26, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Consider Pre-MBA Courses Before Applying
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 is devoid of quantitative coursework, the admissions committee might be concerned about the lack of data points as they assess whether you’re prepared for an MBA curriculum. Taking additional college-level coursework to demonstrate proficiency in this area can alleviate this concern. Of course, if your Read more
Published: May 25, 2026
Real Humans of PepsiCo: Farnosh Mojtabaee, Texas McCombs MBA ’25, Associate Finance Manager
In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, we meet Farnosh Mojtabaee, a dentist who loved her work, but needed a different long-term path. The MBA program at Texas McCombs prepared her for finance and business strategy, and helped her swap dental tech for desktop tech. Read her story about how she pivoted from healthcare to consumer goods at PepsiCo below. Farnosh Mojtabaee, Texas McCombs MBA ’25, Associate Finance Manager at PepsiCo Age: 32 Hometown: Austin, TX Undergraduate Institution Read more
Published: May 24, 2026
The Week Ahead: Late Round Decisions & Rice Deadline, May 25-29, 2026
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Application season is slowing down Application deadlines do continue, but we are moving closer to the end of the 2025-26 application cycle. Wednesday, May 27, Rice Business has its Round 4 application deadline. Thursday, May 28, Stanford GSB is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Friday, May 29, Ohio State / Fisher and SMU / Cox are scheduled to release their Round 4 decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” Read more
Published: May 24, 2026
MBA Wire Taps 493: Indian engineer, 725 GMAT. Full-time vs Part-time. Stern vs Sloan
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see MBA programs release their final decisions. This upcoming week, Stanford, Ohio State / Fisher and SMU / Cox are releasing final decisions. A few MBA programs are also continuing to their next admissions rounds, including Rice / Jones. Graham noted that Clear Admit is continuing its MBA application overview events this week with the final two events, on May 26 and 27. Again, the majority of the leading MBA programs Read more
Published: May 21, 2026
Fridays from the Frontline: Journey from MBA to CEO through Endless Frontier Labs at NYU Stern
In this Fridays from the Frontline, we get an inside look at the Endless Frontier Labs (EFL), a mentorship program for novel early-stage science and technology startups at NYU Stern, with Santiago Gomez-Garcia, MBA ’26. Gomez-Garcia was paired with digital tech startup AlphaChoreo. During his MBA, he stepped into a provisional CEO role and is continuing in that capacity after graduation. Learn more about EFL and how the opportunity impacted Gomez-Garcia’s education and career path below. Journey from MBA to CEO through Endless Frontier Labs at NYU Stern By Santiago Gomez-Garcia, NYU Stern Read more
Published: May 21, 2026
Why an MBA Remains One of the Best Pathways into Management Consulting Careers
For decades, consulting has been one of the most popular career paths for MBA graduates. The work offers exposure to complex business problems, strong compensation, and a fast track to leadership roles across industries. Even as the business landscape evolves with artificial intelligence reshaping many industries, consulting firms continue to recruit heavily from MBA programs. Across global business schools, consulting consistently lands among the top post-MBA destinations. At many leading MBA programs, the share going into consulting is even higher.  An analysis of MBA Class of 2025 employment reports found that consulting represented more than 30 percent Read more
Published: May 20, 2026
Real Humans of Bain & Co.: Emilia Banks, Vanderbilt Owen MBA ’23, Consultant
A large acquisition at her tax-focused firm inspired Emilia Banks to be part of the broader strategic conversation. To level up to her professional goals, she needed an MBA from Vanderbilt Owen. In this Real Humans: Alumni, Banks explains how the program taught her the skills she uses daily in her new career at Bain & Company and more.  Emilia Banks, Vanderbilt Owen MBA ’23, Consultant at Bain & Company Age: 33 Hometown: Franklin, TN Undergraduate Institution and Major: Washington & Lee Read more
Published: May 20, 2026
Rice Business Dean Departs for Wake Forest Presidency
After roughly ten years of service to Rice University, as dean of the Jones Graduate School of Business and the Virani Undergraduate School of Business, Peter Rodriguez is set to take on a new role, becoming 15th president of Wake Forest University as of July 1st. Rice Dean Peter Rodriguez. Photo courtesy of Rice. The news of this change came with high praise for the near decade-long leader: “Peter Rodriguez has been a transformative leader for Rice Business and our university,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “Under his ambitious, steady guidance, the school significantly expanded its Read more
Published: May 19, 2026
Real Humans of the Carnegie Mellon Tepper MSBA
In this special edition of our Real Humans: Students series, we meet some members of the part- and full-time Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) classes at the Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business. The mix of students are united by a shared goal: leveraging data to drive better business decisions. From early-career analysts to working professionals across industries, this group reflects the program’s blend of rigorous analytics training with real-world application. To start, students like Annie Winkler bring a STEM foundation and growing experience in Read more
Published: May 18, 2026
Real Humans of Accenture: Alexandrea Lim, IESE MBA ’25, Senior Strategy Consultant
In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, we meet Alexandrea Lim, who wanted to grow her career internationally and saw the MBA as a way to accelerate her personal and professional goals. At IESE, the MBA program prepared her to approach ambiguity and shape high-stakes leadership decisions across industries better by connecting her with people and opportunities. Follow her journey from MBA to senior strategy consultant at Accenture below. Alexandrea Lim, IESE MBA ’25, Senior Strategy Consultant at Accenture Age: 28 Hometown: Manila, Philippines Undergraduate Institution Read more
Published: May 17, 2026
The Week Ahead: UNC Deadline, Chicago & Cornell Decisions, May 18-22, 2026
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Application season is slowing down! Application deadlines do continue, but we are moving closer to the end of the 2025-26 application cycle. Wednesday, May 20, UNC / Kenan-Flagler has its Round 4 application deadline. Thursday, May 21, Chicago / Booth is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Friday, May 22, Cornell / Johnson is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” about MBA Read more
Published: May 17, 2026
MBA Wire Taps 492: Vietnam to Europe. Darden vs Johnson. Stern vs Ross
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s episode we began by discussing Clear Admit’s events hosted in Atlanta. The annual MBA admissions fair, which included the majority of the top US-based MBA programs, also included several panel discussions. A great way to kick off the new admissions season. Graham then noted that Clear Admit is hosting several MBA application overview events in May, on May 19 and 20, this upcoming week, followed by events on May 26 and 27. Again, the majority of the leading MBA programs participate in these valuable events. Signups are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Read more
Published: May 14, 2026
Real Humans of Twitch: Eddie Chen, Yale SOM MBA ’23, Senior Product Manager
In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, we meet Eddie Chen, whose pivot from the oil and gas industry to software tech came with a new way of thinking. Adept at breaking down complex technical problems, Chen learned how to frame those problems in terms of a financial, organizational, and human lens at Yale School of Management (SOM). Overall, he credits the Yale MBA for making him a more empathetic and effective leader in his product manager role at Twitch. Read his story below. Eddie Chen, Yale SOM MBA ’23, Senior Product Manager Read more
Published: May 14, 2026
Fridays from the Frontline: What I Wish I Had Known Before My First Year at Fuqua
You’ve made it through the MBA application season and now you’re wondering, what will my first year be like? Having just wrapped up his first year of the Daytime MBA program at Duke Fuqua, Derek Rhodes reflected on this pivotal time and shares his related b-school insights in this Fridays from the Frontline. What I Wish I Had Known Before My First Year at Fuqua By Derek Rhodes, Duke Fuqua Daytime MBA ’27 Preparation for business school usually focuses on logistics, like housing, recruiting timelines, and brushing up on quant subjects. Read more
Published: May 13, 2026
Real Humans of OpenAI: Wenjia You, Wharton MBA ’24, Technical Program Manager
After three years in the consulting industry, Wenjia You decided she wanted to grow from being a strong operator into a broader leader. Drawn to the intersection of technology, media, and fandom, she saw business school as the natural next step, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was where she was going to develop the global perspective she needed. In this Real Humans: Alumni, You shares how her MBA experience prepared her for a new career in AI. Wenjia You, Wharton MBA ’24, Technical Program Manager at OpenAI Hometown: Read more
Published: May 12, 2026
Johns Hopkins Carey Receives $50M Gift
The W.P. Carey Foundation made another generous donation–$50 million–to the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School this month, continuing its nearly two decades-long support of the Baltimore-based institution. Back in 2007, JHU Carey was established through the support of an initial gift of $50M from Wm. Polk Carey,  founder of the W. P. Carey Foundation. The latest $50M donation brings the foundation’s cumulative support of the school to $125M. “Our goal at the W. P. Carey Foundation is to prepare generations of professionals with a calling for leadership in business and civic life,” said William P. Carey II, the foundation’s chair and grand-nephew of Read more
Published: May 11, 2026
New Dean Named at Texas McCombs
Beginning July 1st, Bradley Staats will serve as dean of the University of Texas (UT) Austin McCombs School of Business. Staats is a UT alumnus with nearly 30 years of industry and academic leadership experience. He was selected after a national search that began last fall. Bradley Staats, incoming dean of the McCombs School of Business. Credit: UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professional History Staats will be joining McCombs from his current role as the Ellison Distinguished Professor of Operations and senior associate dean for strategy and academics at the UNC Kenan-Flagler. There, Staats oversees academic strategy and Read more
Published: May 11, 2026
Real Humans of Microsoft: Bryan Stromer, HBS MBA ’25, Senior Product Marketing Manager
Going back to when he initiated a correspondence with the CEO of KB Toys as a child, Bryan Stromer knew he wanted a future in the business world. In this Real Humans: Alumni, he shares how the case method and more drew him to Harvard Business School, and how the MBA shaped how he thinks about his work today, launching AI products for Microsoft. Bryan Stromer, HBS MBA ’25, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Age: 31 Hometown: New York City  Undergraduate Institution and Major: Vanderbilt Read more
Published: May 11, 2026
AI Woven into New MBA Curriculum at IESE
MBA students matriculating at IESE Business School in September 2026 will engage in a new curriculum, centered around AI. In response to a changing business landscape, IESE seeks to prepare its students for the impact AI has had and will continue to have on business leadership, the nature of work, decision-making and more. “We made a deliberate choice not to bolt AI onto a couple of electives and call it a transformation,” said Marc Badia, Deputy Dean of IESE Business School. “AI now runs through every first-year course, because in two years our graduates will Read more
Published: May 10, 2026
MBA Wire Taps 491: Airlines to consulting. Startup experience, 685 GMAT. Engineer to banking
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see MBA programs release their final decisions. This upcoming week, UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough, Boston College / Caroll, Yale SOM, MIT / Sloan, UCLA / Anderson, Washington / Foster and Washington / Olin are releasing final decisions. A few MBA programs are also continuing to their next admissions rounds, including Toronto / Rotman, Boston College / Carroll and Vanderbilt / Owen. Graham noted that Clear Admit Read more
Published: May 10, 2026
The Week Ahead: Late Round Deadlines & Decisions, May 11-15, 2026
Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Late Round Deadlines & Decisions Several leading MBA programs continue to have application deadlines, while a few are also continuing to release decisions. Tuesday, May 12, Boston College / Carroll has its Round 5 application deadline. UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Wednesday, May 13, Toronto / Rotman has its Round 4 application deadline. Northwestern / Kellogg and Georgetown / McDonough are scheduled to release their Round 3 decisions. Boston College Read more
Published: May 7, 2026
Podcast: From Classroom to Career — Experiential Learning at SMU Cox
Sponsored Content Take a deeper dive into the student experience at the SMU Cox School of Business in this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. Joseph Cahoon, Director, Folsom Institute for Real Estate, SMU Cox This episode builds on a recent conversation host Graham Richmond had with SMU Cox Dean Todd Milbourne. In that episode, we learned about the momentum around Dallas, the future of management education, and the broader vision for SMU Cox. This episode goes a layer deeper — into the student experience itself — with a focus Read more
Published: May 7, 2026
Real Humans of Amazon: Carly Wolberg, Dartmouth Tuck MBA ’23, Senior Product Manager
Carly Wolberg interrupted her successful tenure at Amazon to invest in her personal and professional growth at business school. Her decision of where to attend came down to community, program structure, values, and traditions. Dartmouth Tuck delivered what she was looking for. In this Real Humans: Alumni, we learn how Wolberg gained the hard and soft skills to open doors, spark conversations, and propel her career. Carly Wolberg, Dartmouth Tuck MBA ’23, Senior Product Manager at Amazon Age: 32 Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC Undergraduate Read more
Published: May 7, 2026
How Bay Area AI Funding Drove MBA Tech Industry Hiring in 2025 at Stanford GSB and Berkeley Haas
The 2025 MBA employment reports reveal a striking divergence across top programs: Stanford GSB and Berkeley Haas posted double-digit increases from 2024 to 2025 in the share of MBA graduates accepting tech industry jobs with Berkeley Haas jumping 14 percentage points to 39% and Stanford GSB rising 13 percentage points to 35%, the largest tech share either program has reported in over seven years. While HBS and MIT Sloan notched modest gains, Northwestern Kellogg, Chicago Booth, and Yale SOM all moved in the other direction. What’s driving the gap? Read more
Published: May 7, 2026
WashU Olin & AI: New Scholarship & Exec Ed Offerings
Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU Olin) announced two new offerings related to AI: a scholarship for their Master’s in AI for Business program, and additional executive education training, called AI Transformation for Business. Joe MacDonald, deputy dean at WashU Olin Business, remarks, “AI is creating one of the most significant opportunities for reinvention in the workforce we’ve seen in decades. Universities have a critical role to play, not only in helping individuals build new skills, but in working alongside organizations to shape how AI is applied in the real world.” Master’s Read more

MBA Applywire

21
June 29, 2026 11:59am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cambridge / Judge, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, ESADE, Harvard Business School, HEC Paris, IESE, INSEAD, London Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Penn / Wharton, Stanford GSB, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2027
Pre-MBA Career: Quant/ Software Engineer at top Investment Bank
Post MBA Career: Private Equity, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Management Consulting, Technology, Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Google, Microsoft, Uber, Nomura, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Jefferies Group, Barclays, Investment Banking, Finance, McKinsey, Kearney, BCG, Bain, Consulting
GRE: 322
GPA: 7.45
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: India
Post MBA Location: US, UK, Middle-East
Notes:

Background:
24F, Indian
GPA - 7.5 from a Tier 1 Indian college

Participated in CBSE Swimming nationals, and won medals in relay

Took part in badminton clusters

Was part of the prefectorial body in which we welcomed delegates from all around the world

Took part in a NASA program wherein we visited the Johnson Space Centre in Houston

College:

Not good GPA but can defend it

Part of college badminton team and won many laureates

Got bronze in an inter-collegiate tournament as the women’s badminton team captain. And created history as this wasn’t achieved before by any woman’s badminton team

Was the sportswoman of the year for my college

Was part of the incubation center management team of the college. Was part of the strategic relations team (where we almost got Steve Wozniak to deliver a speech) and was the event management team lead

Work Experience:

3yrs Software eng/ quant experience in a top investment bank (front office and back office Eng roles)

Got a promotion

Lead a 2months intern project

What are my chances for the above colleges for a MBA and can I expect any scholarship?

Should I retake the test? Planning to apply in R1
3
June 27, 2026 6:22am ET
Applying: Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB
Intake Year: 2027
Pre-MBA Career: 2x Founder & Management Consulting
Post MBA Career: Consulting, Finance, Management Consulting, Technology
GRE: 301
GPA: 2.93
Years of Work Experience: 6
Location: Dubai
Post MBA Location: USA
Notes:

Two-time founder (marketing agency during undergrad, then a fintech post-graduation), ex-Kearney consulting, currently on the founding team of a boutique financial consulting firm. Based in Pakistan, 29. Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Undergrad from LUMS (top business school in Pakistan) with a 2.91 GPA, which I know is my main weakness.
Targeting HBS, Stanford, and MIT Sloan for R1. I'm aware these are reaches given my GPA. GRE is in progress, currently retaking to push into the 315 to 320 range with a strong quant score to offset the academic profile.
Post-MBA goal is to scale into senior operating or founder roles in fintech and financial services, building on my consulting and startup background.
6
June 24, 2026 12:12pm ET
Applying: Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, Georgia / Terry, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM
Intake Year: 2027
Pre-MBA Career: United States Marine Corps Logistics Officer
Post MBA Career: Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, McKinsey, Other Industries, Consulting
GPA: 3.23
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: North Carolina
Post MBA Location: Virginia/North Carolina
Notes:

GMAT/GRE waiver, realistically what are my chances? I have 4 major exercises and 1 deployment. The reason for the waiver is time constraints as I am currently deployed.
2
June 22, 2026 9:40pm ET
Applying: HKUST, Nanyang
Intake Year: 2027
Pre-MBA Career: Healthcare
Post MBA Career: Health Care
GMAT: 620
GPA: 7.0
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: India
Post MBA Location: Europe
Notes:

I'm a dentist from India exploring international MBA programs and would appreciate some advice from people who have either gone through a similar transition or have experience with MBA admissions and outcomes.

My long-term goal is to move into the healthcare/healthtech ecosystem, potentially in areas such as healthcare consulting, product management, healthcare strategy, or healthtech startups. I am particularly interested in leveraging my clinical background rather than moving into a completely unrelated field.

I'm currently evaluating MBA programs in Europe and Asia (Singapore, Japan, HongKong)

For context, I have a GMAT Focus score of 575 with 4 years of work ex within the clinical and corporate side of the healthcare sector
7
June 22, 2026 9:03am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia Business School, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, NYU Stern, UVA / Darden
Intake Year: 2027
Pre-MBA Career: Consulting
Post MBA Career: Consulting
GRE: 320
GPA: 3.76
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: Boston
Post MBA Location: NYC
View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

June 29, 2026 7:40pm ET
Interview Invite to Columbia Business School
Round: Round 1
Received via email June 29, 2026
Standardized Test: Executive Assessment (EA)
EA: 162
Program Type: January Intake
Juno Member: Not yet
June 29, 2026 1:39pm ET
Rejected from Waitlist at Columbia Business School
Round: Round 2
Received via portal June 29, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.21
GRE: 339
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking
Application Location: Vienna
Juno Member: Not yet
June 29, 2026 12:10pm ET
Accepted to Harvard Business School
Round: Early Decision
Received via portal on June 24, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.9
GRE: 323
Program Type: Deferred Enrollment
Application Location: Utah
Juno Member: Not yet
June 28, 2026 5:48pm ET
Rejected from Waitlist at Columbia Business School
Round: Round 2
Received via portal on June 24, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.9
GRE: 322
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: UK
Note:

Frustrating that no feedback is given. Felt like I had a great profile/ fit for the program. Good luck to anyone else still waiting
Juno Member: Not yet
June 27, 2026 4:08pm ET
Accepted from Waitlist to MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via phone on May 21, 2026
Standardized Test: GMAT
GPA: 3.1
GMAT: 675
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Other Industries
Juno Member: Not yet
View or Submit Entries
Live
Wire