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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: August 1, 2022
Wharton MBA Class of 2024: Holding Steady & Stellar
See the Wharton MBA Class of 2025 profile here. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania just released the class profile for the MBA Class of 2024. The school received 6,319 applications, a 14 percent drop from last year, and 877 candidates will matriculate this month. The class maintains gender parity, with 50 percent of the new class comprised of women. Other statistics also mirror or stay within single digits of the profile for last year, showing that Wharton is holding steady in the wake of Covid. Here are Read more
Published: August 1, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Morgan Janela of Columbia Business School
We welcome Morgan Janela, a Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School, for our latest Admissions Director Q&A to discuss all things CBS MBA admissions. Morgan oversees the operations and evaluations team, and serves as a member of the Admissions Committee for the MBA and Executive MBA programs, reading, evaluating, and interviewing candidates. Before leading the operations team, she worked on the full-time recruiting team, who helped oversee on-campus recruiting events. Prior to joining CBS in September 2013, Morgan was an Assistant Director of Admission at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Program Assistant Read more
Published: July 28, 2022
Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Percentage of Female MBA Students
Over the past decade, the percentage of female MBA students has been on the rise across leading business schools. USC Marshall was the first leading business school to achieve gender parity while others have achieved or continue to strive for that benchmark. The Forté Foundation has also consistently reported that women are either gaining or holding their ground on b-school campuses. Look at the chart below to see the percentage of female MBA students at leading business schools around the globe. Business School % Women Arizona State University Read more
Published: July 27, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Rebecca Mallen-Churchill of ASU Carey
Get the inside scoop on the ASU W. P. Carey School of Business, as Rebecca Mallen-Churchill, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment, shares what you need to know about getting into the MBA program in our latest Admissions Director Q&A. Mallen-Churchill graduated from ASU in 2005; while earning her degree in theatre and Italian, she also discovered her love for higher education while working for the Graduate Admissions office. After gaining work experience in the hospitality industry and traveling the world, she returned to W. P. Carey in 2013. She has led the recruitment team there since 2019. Read on Read more
Published: July 26, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Eddie Asbie of Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management
In our latest installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we welcome Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions & Scholarship at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, to the podcast to discuss all things admissions and more. Eddie has spent the past 18 years of his professional career in higher education, primarily within the admissions field. Over the last 10 years, he has called Ithaca and Johnson home. Eddie’s responsibilities have included helping develop the Two-Year and One-Year Residential MBA programs, along with recruiting the U.S. Military, Read more
Published: July 25, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Kirsten Moss of Stanford GSB
In our latest Admissions Director Q&A, we interview Kirsten Moss, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid at Stanford GSB. She digs into everything you need to know about the leading business school, including what makes a strong application, what to expect in the interview and more. Kirsten Moss, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid, Stanford GSB Prior to Stanford GSB, Kirsten held roles in leadership coaching, consulting, admissions and more. In addition to being an executive coach for senior executives in various sectors, she had worked as a consultant for Egon Read more
Published: July 20, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Steven Ji of CEIBS
Steven Ji, the assistant director of the MBA Marketing, Admissions & Financial Aid Department at CEIBS, joins us to talk about the leading MBA program in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Ji joined the CEIBS MBA Admissions Department as his first job after graduating from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1999. He also received his Diploma in Management from the Executive Education Programme at CEIBS in 2008. Read on for his insights into what makes a great admissions essay, the program’s hallmark courses, what to expect in your admissions interview Read more
Published: July 19, 2022
Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: MBA Class Size at Top Programs in Europe
MBA class size in Europe varies as much as it does in the U.S. London Business School and INSEAD lead the pack with around 500 students each. At the other end of the spectrum, some European schools have fewer than 60 candidates. ESMT Berlin and Imperial College of Business fall at the smaller end with class sizes of 40 and 53, respectively. Cambridge Judge, Esade and Rotterdam Business School all hover around 150-220 in class size. HEC Paris approaches 300 members of their class, while Oxford Saïd exceeds 300. IESE Business School lands around 350 members while IE Business School Read more
Published: July 19, 2022
Early & Round 1 MBA Deadlines 2022-2023
To help you stay organized, we’ve compiled a chart of the earliest deadlines, including Early Action and Round 1, of the top business schools in one place. For schools that have announced their essay topic(s), you’ll find links to our corresponding Essay Topic Analysis in the “Essay(s) Released” column. We will continue to update this table as more Round 1 MBA deadlines and essay topics are announced. Deadlines are for Round 1 (unless otherwise noted). Last updated: August 16, 2022 School Deadline Decision Essay(s) Released? Application Live? Oxford / Saïd 8/31/2022 10/26/2022 Read more
Published: July 18, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Chad Losee of Harvard Business School
Chad Losee is back for this Admissions Director Q&A to tell you all about Harvard Business School (HBS) admissions, the entrepreneurial might of the MBA program, what to expect in your interview and more. Losee joined the HBS MBA Admissions and Financial Aid team as Managing Director in 2016. After graduating from HBS as a Baker Scholar in 2013, he worked for a year as a fellow in the Dean’s Office, helping to launch HBS Online among other projects. In 2014, Losee returned to Bain & Company’s Dallas office, where he had worked as Read more
Published: July 13, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Rebekah Lewin of the University of Rochester, Simon Business School
In another installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we hear from Rebekah Lewin, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions and Programs at the University of Rochester, Simon Business School, about the Simon MBA application, admissions and more. Rebekah has over 20 years of undergraduate and graduate admissions and program management experience, primarily at the University of Rochester. In her current role, she oversees strategy related to recruitment, admissions, financial aid, career management and student experience aspects for all MBA and MS programs. Rebekah is involved in several board and advisory roles, including Read more
Published: July 12, 2022
Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Class Size of Top U.S. MBA Programs
Business schools come in all shapes and sizes and the class size of top MBA programs can be a factor in considering fit. From networking to a tight-knit culture to campus opportunities, class size can reveal much about an MBA program. No matter which program you choose, the top MBA programs strive to ensure relationship building during full-time b-school life. Some larger programs, such as Harvard Business School and CBS, mainly break the student body down into cohorts/sections/clusters of dozens of students. Other U.S. business schools, like Wharton, also have Learning Teams, groups of 5-6 students who Read more
Published: July 11, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Dawna Levenson of MIT Sloan
In the latest interview for our Admissions Director Q&A series, the Assistant Dean of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Dawna Levenson, returns to delve into all things MIT. Dawna Levenson, Assistant Dean of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management As the leader of the admissions team, Dawna oversees all recruiting, evaluation, conversion and marketing activities in support of the MBA, Sloan Fellows MBA, Master of Finance (MFin), Master of Business Analytics (MBAn), MBA Early Admission, and Master of Science in Management Studies (MSMS)  programs. Prior to this role, Dawna was the Director of Admissions Read more
Published: July 7, 2022
HEC Paris & Launching a Life in France: Michael Venditto, HEC Paris MBA ‘21
Sponsored Content When Michael Venditto, HEC Paris MBA ’19, set his sights on working in Europe, he began with a search of its top business schools. HEC Paris immediately stood out for its diverse and intimate environment that would ultimately empower his professional changes in geography and industry. There is so much joy – and many challenges – to be found in crossing into a new culture and Michael found both equally. For instance, his self-proclaimed “Americanness” came into sharp focus as he navigated a new culture. He found some of the history he had studied in Read more
Published: July 6, 2022
Dartmouth Tuck Receives Largest Gift in School History–$52 Million
Dartmouth Tuck hit a fundraising milestone this week with a $52.1 million anonymous pledge–the largest in the school’s history. The pledge is designated to create the Dartmouth Summit on Health, Wealth, and Sustainability. The recurring summit will bring together leaders from the private and public sectors, academic researchers, and students to resolve global challenges as seen through the intersecting roles of public policy, health care, climate change, politics, and finance. “This historic gift will have an enduring and far-reaching impact, not only at Tuck and Dartmouth, but in organizations and communities throughout the world,” says Dean Matthew J. Slaughter. Read more
Published: July 5, 2022
Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Average GRE Scores by Top U.S. Business Schools
Average GRE scores by business school can provide applicants with a sense of the rigor of the MBA program, expectations of the adcom and general competitiveness of the applicant pool. While the GMAT used to be the only accepted admissions exam at leading MBA programs, many have opened up to other options, including the GRE. The GRE consists of a 60-minute Analytical Writing section, which includes two essays that applicants have 30 minutes each to complete. An additional Verbal Reasoning section also features two 30-minute sections of 20 questions each. Another two sections are devoted to Quantitative Read more
Published: July 4, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Donna Swinford of Chicago Booth
This Admissions Director Q&A is all about Chicago Booth admissions, as Donna Swinford discusses the review process, essays, interviews and much more about the MBA program. Swinford has been at Booth since 1997 and joined the office of Admissions in 2005. She’s seen the admissions process at Booth from pretty much every angle over the course of her tenure, having served in several roles, including head of Operations and Evaluation, before transitioning to her current position as Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions for MBA Programs. Read on for her insights into Read more
Published: June 30, 2022
HEC Paris & Launching a Life in France: Georgina Young, HEC Paris MBA/MPA ‘19
Sponsored Content We continue ”HEC Paris & Launching a Life in Paris” with more insights into how the HEC Paris MBA is an ideal vehicle for change—62 percent of the recent graduating class changed their location with nearly a quarter settling in France. For Georgina Young, HEC Paris MBA/MPA ’19, returning to France from Australia was a dream for several years. She credits HEC Paris as the “entry point,” helping her establish a life there. She interned for the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee during her MBA and continues to live her passion for the athletic industry at 17 Read more
Published: June 29, 2022
Juno Hits High Goal of Guaranteed Lowest Rates for MBA Students
A message from our Partner, Juno. Nikhil Agarwal and Chris Abkarians, co-founders of Juno, recently marked a milestone for the company and its MBA student members: creating a low-price guarantee in the private student lending marketplace. Juno counts on collective bargaining to secure better MBA student loan rates for MBA candidates. By utilizing competition among banks and analyzing the subsequent deals that become available, Juno is able to get members significantly reduced interest rates and creates the most value for its student members.   “When we first started Juno four years ago, our end goal was to be able to Read more
Published: June 29, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Steve Thompson of Northwestern Kellogg
In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, Steve Thompson, Senior Director of Admissions at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, digs into the many offerings at the school as well as insights and tips about the Kellogg application. As the leader of Full-Time admissions, Steve is focused on attracting the best and brightest candidates to Kellogg’s portfolio of Full-Time MBA programs. Steve has played a critical leadership role at Kellogg since January 2018, when he first joined the team as director of the Executive MBA Program. Prior to Kellogg, Steve worked Read more
Published: June 28, 2022
Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: Average GMAT Scores for Top European Business Schools
If you completed the new GMAT Focus edition, now simply referred to as the GMAT, with a score ending in a 5, please refer to Coming to Grips with the New GMAT scores. The analysis below refers to the traditional GMAT test. We’ve compiled the average GMAT scores for the top European business schools in the chart below. See where your GMAT score lands or, if you have yet to take the GMAT, get a sense of what score you need to target to be competitive. Business school admissions use the GMAT score as a sign of applicants’ academic Read more
Published: June 27, 2022
Admissions Director Q&A: Lisa Rios of the NYU Stern School of Business
We are excited to kick off our annual Admissions Director Q&A series, in which MBA admissions directors shed light on their program’s application process, essays and more. To start the 2022-2023 round of exclusive Q&As, Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean for MBA Admissions at the NYU Stern School of Business, joins us to discuss the Stern application, interview & much more. Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern Lisa leads a team of 20 professionals, overseeing the core admissions function for Stern’s full-time MBA programs, as well as marketing and operations. Lisa Read more
Published: June 23, 2022
HEC Paris & Launching a Life in France: Clare Cartwright, HEC Paris MBA ’20
Je ne regrette rien. Translation: I have no regrets. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? Did you study geography in class and marvel at the globe? Where did you imagine living or working or visiting? How have you stepped outside of your culture recently? What changes do you want to make in your career? While some of these questions may be easier to answer than others, there’s never been a clearer path to change–and avoiding regrets–than business school. HEC Paris is particularly adept at supporting MBA students in changing industry, function Read more
Published: June 22, 2022
Key Takeaways from The Economist 2022 Best Full-time MBA Ranking
Harvard Business School tops The Economist’s 2022 full-time MBA ranking, as more business schools elected to participate again. As many may recall, most of the top U.S. MBA programs abstained from last year’s Economist ranking due to the pandemic. This resulted in a top-10 that was half European MBA programs and half American MBA programs. Last year, IESE and HEC landed in the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest ranking U.S. programs taking part last year were Michigan Ross (#3), NYU Stern (#4), U. Washington Foster (#8), CMU Tepper (#9), U. Minnesota Carlson Read more
Published: June 21, 2022
Admissions Tip: 3 Ways to Show an MBA Program That You Mean Business in Your Essays
During the MBA application process, you’ll need to learn more about your target programs in the process of rounding out your “why are you pursuing an MBA/why [school name here]” essays. Keeping this important component of the MBA admissions process in mind, we wanted to offer some advice on how to polish this element of your file and get the most mileage out of this section. MBA Admissions is Personal Schools look for applicants who seem genuinely excited about their program, and the best way to bring this across in your essays is to come Read more

MBA Livewire

May 8, 2026 10:47am ET
Accepted from Waitlist to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 3
Received via phone May 8, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.9
GRE: 311
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: New Jersey
Note:

Waitlisted R3 and accepted in R4 with $! quant was low - completed MBA math, sent 2 updates, talked to current students, sent an additional LoR, showed my genuine interest in Fuqua. Super excited!
Juno Member: Not yet
May 8, 2026 10:15am ET
Accepted from Waitlist to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 4
Received via phone May 8, 2026
Standardized Test: Executive Assessment (EA)
GPA: 3.13
EA: 160
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Consulting, Manufacturing/Automotive/Aerospace
Application Location: Connecticut
Note:

Military applicant. Waitlisted in Round 2 with a 317 GRE and I took the EA while on the waitlist.
Juno Member: Not yet
May 8, 2026 4:06am ET
Accepted from Waitlist to Chicago Booth
Round: Round 2
Received via email May 8, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 4.01/4.5
GRE: 325
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Consulting, Energy, Finance
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: South Korea, 서울특별시
Juno Member: Yes
May 8, 2026 1:28am ET
Interview Invite to Cornell / Johnson
Round: Round 3
Received via email May 7, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.9
GRE: 327
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Technology
Application Location: CA
Juno Member: Not yet
May 7, 2026 8:13pm ET
Rejected at Berkeley / Haas
Round: Round 3
Received via email May 7, 2026
Standardized Test: GMAT
GPA: 3.74
GMAT: 615
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Healthcare
Application Location: Bay Area, California
Note:

Recommended to transfer application to EWMBA
Juno Member: Not yet
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