Jonathan Pfeffer
Real Humans of Harvard Business School’s MBA Class of 2021
In this edition of Real Humans, we are pleased to introduce a handful of MBA students who each earned a coveted spot in Harvard Business School’s Class of 2021. While this year’s Round 1 MBA applicants anticipate interview invitations, let’s get to know the latest set of students who made it through HBS’s highly selective admissions process. The MBA program at HBS received 9,228 applications last year, and 938 of that group matriculated this fall. The large class size at HBS supports diversity of experience and perspectives throughout the learning experience. Across the board, the program has solid numbers in... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Melissa Rapp of the Emory Goizueta Business School
We continue our Admissions Director Q&A series with a stop in the Southern U.S.—Atlanta, Georgia, more specifically. Melissa Rapp is the Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School there. In this role, she leads the team responsible for the recruitment, evaluation, and matriculation of students across Goizueta’s portfolio of MBA programs. Rapp has worked at both small and large institutions helping to form and implement admissions strategies. Most recently, she was Director of Admissions for Full-Time MBA and MSMS programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Janice Kennedy of Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business
We continue our ongoing Admissions Director Q&A series with the Executive Director of Recruiting and Admissions, Janice Kennedy, of Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Kennedy joined the school this year on the heels of a long career in commercial leadership roles within pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, and consulting. Kennedy brings the career view of what is next for those who choose the MBA journey. Her experience leading teams, mentoring and developing others fits well in the Recruiting and Admissions Department. Read on to learn about the Rice Jones MBA, their new Global Offsite Elective destinations to Vietnam and... Read more »
Fridays from the Frontline: A Latina in Business School – On Being the Bridge at UCLA Anderson
First-generation and multicultural students know all too well the challenges of navigating disparate languages, communities, frameworks, and disciplines. Amanda Sol Peralta took to the UCLA Anderson blog to talk about her experiences being the bridge in a variety of social and professional settings. A Latina in Business School: On Being the Bridge at UCLA Anderson by Amanda Sol Peralta (’20) National Hispanic Heritage Month always prompts me to reflect on the community that I unwittingly joined when I moved to the U.S. 25 years ago. This fall, as I begin business school at UCLA Anderson, it’s made me recommit to... Read more »
Real Humans of Rochester Simon’s MBA Class of 2021
Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester has cultivated a reputation as an MBA program that values both hard and soft skills in its business leaders, which this year’s incoming class reflects to a high degree. The MBA Class of 2021 consists of 107 students representing 18 different countries of origin. While Simon’s representation of women MBA candidates of 34 percent in recent years sits below the 38 percent national average, the incoming class reports an impressive jump to 42 percent women representation for 2021. Additionally, the school ranked second in 2018 for percentage increase in women’s salary... Read more »
Real Humans of Duke Fuqua’s MBA Class of 2021
We continue our exploration of MBA student life in our Real Humans series down in Durham, North Carolina. The Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has walked us through many appealing features of the city and the school culture. As you’ll see on the following pages, the Daytime MBA Class of 2021 agrees—Fuqua is the place to be. Tradition and community are a part of the school’s DNA. Fuqua students benefit from participating in traditions such as Fuqua Friday or the Duke Basketball Campout. They also participate yearly in Rise Against Hunger, a meal distribution... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: IESE’s Pascal Michels
This installment of our ongoing series, Admissions Director Q&A, takes us to the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain, and the business school, IESE. An IESE full-time MBA graduate of 2010, Pascal Michels joined IESE as an associate director on the career services team in 2013 and took over the role of full-time MBA admissions director in 2017. A recovering finance professional, Pascal finds true meaning in working with people and is passionate about business education. Currently he is in the last steps of getting certified as an Executive Coach by Columbia University in New York. In his free time, he claims... Read more »
Fridays from the Frontline: Wait, How Did I Get to Oxford?
Each individual path to business school is unique, and the MBA application process often functions as the great equalizer for prospective students. In other words, applications are opportunities to showcase one’s originality within the established framework of your desired school’s culture. Beyond the standard rigamarole of GMAT scores, securing undergrad transcripts, and getting up to speed on quant pre-reqs, assembling a knock-out personal statement and prepping for in-person interviews can be trying, even for the most seasoned professionals. Nikita Pancholi took to the Oxford University’s Saïd Business School blog to offer insights on how to put your best foot forward... Read more »
Real Humans of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Class of 2021
Home to 13.2 miles of bike lanes, over 95 restaurants and bars, 250 acres of parks, 12 theaters and live music venues all with a population of under 60,000, Chapel Hill is routinely ranked one of the nation’s top college towns. And within that landscape, the collaborative and supportive culture at UNC Kenan-Flagler left a strong impression on each of the MBA candidates featured in this edition of Real Humans. Whether during the application process or kicking off the new school year, students and staff dedicated their time to each other to ensure a positive and fruitful experience. And that’s... Read more »
Real Humans of Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA Class of 2021
Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management students praise the diverse, friendly, and supportive on-campus atmosphere. The overall Class of 2021 demographics further support this culture. Of the 474 full-time MBA students in the most recent class, U.S. minorities account for 26 percent of the student body while international students represent 32 percent of the group. Twenty-nine percent of the Class of 2021 majored in STEM subjects for their undergraduate degrees, 49 percent in economics/business, and 24 percent in humanities subjects. GMAT scores ranged between 620 and 780, with the average landing at 730. While Kellogg has seen a year-over-year increase... Read more »
Clear Admit Admissions Director Q&A: Judi Byers of Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management
We continue with our updates to Admissions Director Q&As with a trip to Ithaca, NY. Judi Byers is the Executive Director of Admissions & Financial Aid for the residential MBA programs at Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. She leads a team of 14 admissions professionals and directs the strategic recruitment and admissions activities for the Two-Year and One-Year MBA programs in Ithaca. Read on to hear from Byers about Cornell’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts, its NYC curriculum, the Cornell Application Guide, LEAD events to get to know candidates, and more! Clear Admit:What’s the single most exciting... Read more »
Fridays from the Frontline: Expanding My Worldview Through HBS’s FIELD Global Immersion
First-year Harvard Business School MBA students take part in the FIELD Global Immersion course. Over the course of a semester, they work with a global business, which has a product or service issue to solve. Students are expected to choose a city or country they do not have prior experience with, and the course culminates in a weeklong visit to the business. There are so many reasons the study abroad component has become indispensable to the MBA education. To study abroad is an opportunity to understand–as current HBS student Reggie Smith wrote in a recent blog post–how to “innovate in... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Luke Anthony Peña of Dartmouth Tuck School of Business
Since 2017, Dartmouth Tuck‘s Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Luke Anthony Peña, has developed and implemented strategies for recruiting, selecting, and enrolling MBA candidates who possess the greatest potential to become tomorrow’s wise leaders and contribute to and thrive in Tuck’s distinctly immersive learning community. Peña previously served as director of MBA admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he led its marketing and recruitment teams, and managed all external outreach including events, online programming, and social media. At Stanford GSB, he introduced and implemented data analytics to enhance recruitment and yield efforts, and created digital... Read more »
Real Humans of NYU Stern’s MBA Class of 2021
As last season’s MBA applicants transition to students at their target programs, we are excited to begin introducing them in our Real Humans of the MBA Class of 2021 series! We start in New York City with New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and you should stay tuned as we make our way around the world to additional leading business schools. When asked, “Why the Stern School of Business?” students of the incoming NYU Stern Class of 2021 applauded the customizable curriculum and the school’s New York City location as highest on their list of reasons. Candidates... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Dawna Levenson of the MIT Sloan School of Management
We are moving right along in our Admissions Director Q&A series with a trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dawna Levenson is an Assistant Dean of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management there. Dawna Levenson, Assistant Dean of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management As the co-lead of the team, she shares responsibility for all recruiting, evaluation, conversion and marketing activities in support of the MBA, Sloan Fellows MBA, Master of Finance (MFin), Master of Business Analytics (MBAn), and Master of Science in Management Studies (MSMS) programs. Prior to this role, Levenson was the Director of Admissions for 5 years... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Soojin Kwon of the Michigan Ross School of Business
Welcome to another edition of our series, Admissions Director Q&A! This week, we are excited to feature Soojin Kwon, the Managing Director for Full-time MBA Admissions and Program at the Michigan Ross School of Business. Kwon has led MBA Admissions since 2006 and, since 2016, the student experience and academic advising of the MBA programs. Before joining Ross, Kwon was a Manager in Deloitte’s Strategy and Operations practice. Prior to consulting, she served as a Presidential Management Fellow, doing rotations with the Senate Budget Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and Department of Commerce. Kwon holds an MBA from Ross, a Master... Read more »
Fridays from the Frontline: Yale SOM Internship Spotlight – Anna Collura ’20
The first-year MBA internship is arguably the second-most important milestone behind actually getting into business school. It is the moment where theory translates into praxis; when business school students have an opportunity to fully embody a year’s worth of knowledge and see how it applies to real-world situations. Second-year MBA student Anna Collura ’20 took to the Yale SOM blog to explain how she applied lessons from her first year at Yale her internship at George State University this past summer. Fridays from the Frontline: Yale SOM Internship Spotlight – Anna Collura ’20 by Anna Collura Yale MBA ’20 Internship:... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Bruce DelMonico of the Yale School of Management
We continue our Admissions Director Q&A series with the Assistant Dean for Admissions at the Yale School of Management, Bruce DelMonico. He has been at the school for close to 15 years, and has been running the Admissions Office for roughly 13 of those years. During that time, he has seen the school grow both in size and in stature, and looks forward to its continued momentum under the leadership of incoming Dean Charles. DelMonico says he was drawn to Yale because of its mission to educate leaders for business and society and has stayed because the school is one... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Rodrigo Malta of Texas McCombs School of Business
There are so many new and exciting developments at the Texas McCombs School of Business, Rodrigo Malta couldn’t name just one. He’s joined us for this Admissions Director Q&A to fill us in on the changing scenery and curriculum at the school, what he wishes more applicants knew about, how the admissions process works, what you may face in an interview and more. Malta, the Managing Director of MBA Recruitment and Admissions at Texas McCombs, was born and raised in Brazil and moved to the United States in high school. After earning his bachelor’s degree in management from Missouri State University... Read more »
Admissions Director Q&A: Renee Cherubin of the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management
This edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series takes us to the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. We first met Renee Cherubin this past summer when she stepped into the role of Senior Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions. Prior to Kellogg, Cherubin spent nine years in strategy consulting and talent at Deloitte Consulting. She earned her MBA from Kellogg in 2006 and had also graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s in business from Miami University. Now, she is an active member of the admissions leadership team focused on attracting the best and brightest candidates to Kellogg’s full-time degree... Read more »
