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Posts by Lauren Wakal

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Lauren Wakal has been covering the MBA admissions space for more than a decade, from in-depth business school profiles to weekly breaking news and more.
Published: June 18, 2026
Weekly Refresh: MBA Deadlines & Essay Questions, Analyzed
Welcome to Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. We continue with updates for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle with some deadlines and essay advice. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: Berkeley / Haas INSEAD Northwestern / Kellogg Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Georgia Tech Scheller Harvard Business School Read more
Published: June 16, 2026
What’s the MBA Really Worth? Alumni from Goldman, JPMorgan, Carlyle, and More Weigh In
Is an MBA worth the time, the cost, the commitment? Rather than answer with statistics, the voices of those who’ve lived it may provide the most convincing case of all. Many graduates featured in our Real Humans: Alumni series joined the financial services industry and we take a close look at their accounts to assess the value of the MBA. Across industries and institutions, recent business school graduates who joined some of the world’s most prestigious firms offer a remarkably consistent answer: Yes, the MBA Read more
Published: June 16, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Addressing Unemployment or Gaps in Employment
Given the emphasis that MBA programs place on a candidate’s work experience, it is important to be proactive in addressing unemployment or gaps in employment. When applying to business school, many candidates worry about how the adcom might perceive gaps in employment. Gaps in Employment It’s not unheard of for an MBA candidate to have a gap in employment, and this will not necessarily make a negative impact on someone’s candidacy. Gaps might be due to anything from Covid to lay-offs to periods of travel. As a rule of thumb, MBA applicants should explain gaps in employment that are three Read more
Published: June 14, 2026
The Week Ahead: Late Round Decisions, June 15-29, 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! Late Round Decisions We are moving closer to the end of the 2025-26 application cycle. Monday, June 15, Minnesota / Carlson is scheduled to release its Round 5 decisions. Wednesday, June 17, Boston College / Carroll is scheduled to release its Round 5 decisions. Friday, June 19, Imperial Business School is scheduled to release its Round 4 decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” about MBA admissions, including interview invitations and Read more
Published: June 11, 2026
Fridays from the Frontline: Running AI Workshops at Berkeley Haas
In this Fridays from the Frontline, we catch up with Pepe Alonso about his efforts to launch AI workshops for his fellow Berkeley Haas MBA students. Read about his motivation, impact and more below. Running AI Workshops at Berkeley Haas By Pepe Alonso, MS in AI, and Berkeley Haas MBA ’27 Hometown: Montevideo, Uruguay Undergraduate Institution & Major: Computer Science, Universidad ORT Uruguay Pre-MBA Work Experience: Software Engineer, Engineering Manager, Head of Product and Engineering for 8 years in the Software Agencies and Startups Why Haas? I wanted to be in Read more
Published: June 10, 2026
UNC Kenan-Flagler Doubles Space for Teaching & Student Life with New Building
UNC Kenan-Flagler has ushered in a new era with the opening of Steven D. Bell Hall, a state-of-the-art academic facility designed to support the school’s continued growth and enhance the student experience. The building, which welcomed its first classes in Spring 2026, doubles the school’s space for teaching, student life, and community engagement for undergraduate business, Master of Accounting, Master of Science in Management, full-time MBA, Evening Executive MBA, and PhD candidates. The new building, which is approximately 156,000 square feet, is named in honor of alumnus Steven D. Read more
Published: June 9, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Considering the Campus
There are many factors that go into deciding whether to apply to a specific school, one of which is the physical place where you’ll be spending 1-2 years, which is why we’ve rounded up some campus visit tips. Whether speaking with current students or touring the campus for yourself, it’s helpful to approach these information-gathering experiences with as clear a sense of what matters to you as possible. Campus Visit Tips: Factors to Consider 1. Facilities Are state-of-the-art classrooms and impressive new architecture a priority for you? Would you prefer a school that is headquartered in a single building to Read more
Published: June 7, 2026
The Week Ahead: IESE Decisions, June 8-12, 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! We are moving closer to the end of the 2025-26 application cycle. Friday, June 12, IESE is scheduled to release its Round 4 decisions. How “The Wires” Can Help Visit MBA LiveWire for the latest “buzz” about MBA admissions, including interview invitations and decision notifications. There are 5 Ways MBA LiveWire Helps You Navigate Admissions. Access MBA ApplyWire to explore the application strategies of fellow candidates. Add your plan and get quick Read more
Published: June 4, 2026
Building an AI Healthcare Startup as Johns Hopkins Carey MBA Students
Sponsored Content From Bedside Insight to AI-Enabled Patient Safety: How Two Full-time MBA Students at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Are Building CareCue For students in the Full-time MBA program at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, entrepreneurship is not a side pursuit, it is embedded directly into the academic experience. With access to one of the world’s leading academic medical centers and a deeply interdisciplinary university, students can move quickly from idea to execution. That dynamic is evident in CareCue, a startup founded by Full-time MBA student Andy Charlorin and developed alongside classmate Vijay Read more
Published: June 4, 2026
Weekly Refresh: New Season’s Deadlines – Plus MBA Essay Questions, Analyzed
Welcome to Weekly Refresh, a roundup of admissions advice and updates on the Clear Admit site. We are officially kicking off the 2026-2027 admissions cycle with some deadlines and essay advice. Essay Tips Drafting your application essays? See the latest of our experts’ advice in our Essay Topic Analysis. The following schools recently released their essays—click for our advice: London Business School Deadlines Released See the admissions deadlines that have rolled out: Berkeley / Haas Cambridge Judge Columbia Business School Duke / Fuqua Indian School of Read more
Published: June 4, 2026
Fridays from the Frontline: LBS Austin Global Experience – Breakthrough Technology
As part of his Global Master’s in Management studies at London Business School, Henrik Rettedal Skjaeveland, GMiM ’27, signed up for a Global Experience in the tech hub of Austin, Texas–and there he found a glimpse of the future, a dedicated community, and pure inspiration. Read on for more about his experience in this Fridays from the Frontline. Austin Global Experience – Breakthrough Technology By Henrik Rettedal Skjaeveland, LBS GMiM ’26 Hometown: Stavanger, Norway Undergraduate institution & major: The Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), Business Administration and Economics Read more
Published: June 3, 2026
Event Recap: How Top Business Schools Evaluate and Select Candidates
We go right to the source in Clear Admit events, as MBA admissions representatives participate in exclusive roundtable sessions and breakout panels about the application process. Just last month, 20 top MBA programs1 shared their evaluation philosophies, application mechanics, and advice for prospective students in our MBA Application Overview Webinar Series. Across the four sessions, trends emerged regarding how business schools evaluate and select candidates. We synthesized the insights from the admissions representatives to share the top trends and help you frame your candidacy for the upcoming admissions season. Key Trends from Clear Read more
Published: June 2, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Making Your List of Business Schools
You’ve decided the MBA is the next stop on your career path. What now? The smartest applicants are those who take the time to create an informed MBA application strategy—a well thought-out game plan that can help you obtain your goals as effectively as possible. This includes making a list of your target business schools. One of the first tasks you’ll need to tackle is school selection: strategically choosing which schools to apply to, while considering how your experience and stats compare to those of current students (or, how “competitive” your application will be at each program). How many MBA Read more
Published: May 31, 2026
The Week Ahead: Late Round Decisions & Carlson Deadline, June 1-5, 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. Monday, June 1, USC / Marshall is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Minnesota / Carlson has its Round 5 application deadline. Wednesday, June 3, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper is scheduled to release its Round 4 decisions. Thursday, June 4, London Business School is scheduled to release its Round 3 decisions. Friday, June Read more
Published: May 28, 2026
Fridays from the Frontline: Implementing Claude Code Training at Berkeley Haas
In a follow-up to the recent AI news out of Berkeley Haas, we caught up with Colton Hess, MBA/MPH ’26, to take a deeper dive into his related efforts–specifically, leading one-on-one Claude Code training for fellow Haas students. He has scheduled more than 30 hour-long “activation” sessions to guide students on how to use Claude Code for their projects. Read about his efforts, motivation and more below in this Fridays from the Frontline. Implementing Claude Code Training at Berkeley Haas By: Colton Hess, Berkeley Haas MBA/MPH ’26 Hometown: Dallas, TX Undergraduate institution Read more
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 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 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 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 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 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 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
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
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

MBA Livewire

June 18, 2026 11:51pm ET
Accepted from Waitlist to Cornell / Johnson
Round: Round 2
Received via phone June 18, 2026
Standardized Test: Granted Waiver
GPA: 3.1
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Juno Member: Not yet
June 18, 2026 4:15pm ET
Rejected at NYU Stern
Round: Round 4
Received via email June 18, 2026
Standardized Test: GMAT
GPA: 3.74
GMAT: 615
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Healthcare
Application Location: Bay Area, California
Juno Member: Not yet
June 17, 2026 3:30pm ET
Rejected at Berkeley / Haas
Round: Round 4
Received via portal June 17, 2026
Standardized Test: Granted Waiver
GPA: 3.74
Post MBA Career: Healthcare
Application Location: Bay Area, California
Juno Member: Not yet
June 17, 2026 12:16am ET
Accepted to Michigan / Ross
Round: Rolling Admissions
Received via phone June 16, 2026
Standardized Test: Granted Waiver
GPA: 3.88
Post MBA Career: Real Estate
Juno Member: Not yet
June 15, 2026 5:37pm ET
Accepted from Waitlist to Dartmouth / Tuck
Round: Round 2
Received via phone on June 10, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.5
GRE: 325
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Finance
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: Canada
Juno Member: Not yet
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