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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 3, 2020
Wharton Prism Fellowship Awards Leader in LGBTQIA+ Community
The Wharton School kicked off Pride Month by announcing the first recipient of their new Prism Fellowship, which is designated for an outstanding MBA student who is both a member of and demonstrates leadership in support of the LGBTQIA+ community.  The inaugural recipient of the Prism Fellowship is Colan Wang, who hails from Toronto and works as a business consultant at TD Wealth. Wharton MBA Admissions Director Blair Mannix says: “Colan is an exceptional student and one that we are so excited to be a member of the Class of Read more
Published: June 2, 2020
HBS Reduces Class Size for Fall 2020
Harvard Business School is expecting 720 MBA students to enroll this fall, which is roughly 20 percent smaller than its typical class size of around 930. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, students accepted for the Class of 2022 had until June 1st to submit a request to defer for one or two years.  About 700 accepted students confirmed they would be joining HBS this year, and Director of Admissions, Chad Losee, expects to draw a limited number of additional members from the waitlist. Losee announced Read more
Published: June 1, 2020
You’re Invited to Clear Admit’s MBA Admissions Academy
Calling all business school applicants targeting Fall 2021: We’re launching a webinar series this summer – the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Academy – and you’re invited! Your dedicated admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, will be hosting a series of six webinars to teach you everything you’ll need to maximize your chances of success in the 2020-2021 admissions season. Each hour-long webinar will begin at 12 p.m. EDT. These webinars will build on each other and are designed to be taken as a complete series (though you’re welcome to attend a la carte if you’re Read more
Published: May 31, 2020
Michigan Ross Launches New Internship Program & More amid COVID-19 Pandemic
During business school, a summer internship offers invaluable real-world experience, illuminates lessons learned in the classroom and provides a foot in the door at target post-MBA firms.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of internships typically offered to MBA students has taken a hit.  In response to these trying conditions, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business launched a new internship program and a new summer requirement beginning with their Class of 2022. New Internship Program at Michigan Ross The new internship experience, called Michigan Ross Business Consultant Core, connects students with executives from Read more
Published: May 31, 2020
Episode 105: Wire Taps—From Real Estate to Finance, Due to COVID-19
Press play for another podcast episode of Wire Taps, which features advice from Clear Admit’s admissions experts. Graham Richmond and Alex Brown continue to provide feedback based on profiles shared in MBA ApplyWire and MBA DecisionWire. The first applicant profiled in the podcast is facing some professional hardship due to COVID-19, as the real estate industry took a severe hit: Another MBA hopeful with military experience wants to know how they can Read more
Published: May 28, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Cornell Johnson MBA Diaries – When “Normal” Becomes a Memory of the Past
Many aspects of life have been turned upside down due to COVID-19. MBA students around the world have had to adjust to a "new normal," which Natalie Kirchhoff, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management MBA '21, describes in this edition of Fridays from the Frontline. Read more
Published: May 27, 2020
Why Now is a Great Time to Apply to Business School
Through the toughest of times, business education can provide answers and solutions that not only heal economies, but uplift societies.  The skills offered through an MBA—from finance and analytics, to leadership, management and more—can also empower you to be nimble in times of uncertainty, and prepare you for any business career of your choice. The journey to and through an MBA begins with reflection: Personally or professionally, what is your destination?  An MBA can help you develop your skills, provide freedom in your job and career choice, and expand your network.  Due to COVID-19, many MBA programs have extended Read more
Published: May 24, 2020
Episode 104: Wire Taps—Which School is Best for Financial Services?
Tune into another podcast episode of Wire Taps, which features MBA admissions advice tailored to real applicants.  Clear Admit’s admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, provide feedback based on profiles shared in MBA ApplyWire and MBA DecisionWire. This week, they discuss an applicant looking to stay in Atlanta, another one seeking to eventually expand her business, and a candidate wondering what the best school for financial services is. An applicant interested in staying in Atlanta sought advice: Another MBA Read more
Published: May 21, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone in Business School
Business schools often highlight “experiential learning” opportunities as a hallmark of their MBA programs.  In this Fridays from the Frontline, Sami Abdisubhan, NYU Stern MBA ’20, walks us through what one looks like as a student.  Read on for how the challenges of the experiential course transformed his skill set and perspective, to better prepare him for the professional world. Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone in Business School Sami Abdisubhan, NYU Stern MBA ’20 Sami Abdisubhan is an MBA2 who spent his summer internship at Anheuser-Busch. Sami serves as Read more
Published: May 19, 2020
Episode 103: From Military to MBA Featuring Service to School’s Anna Ivey
From boots to business, an MBA can make perfect sense for military members looking for the next step in their careers. Anna Ivey, Co-founder, Service to School In this podcast episode, special guest Anna Ivey joins Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond to discuss how to successfully transition from the military to business school, the application process and more. Ivey is one of the co-founders of Service to School, a non-profit that provides free admissions counseling and mentorship for veterans transitioning into higher education. A former dean of admissions at the University of Chicago Law Read more
Published: May 17, 2020
Episode 102: Wire Taps—Seeking Deferred Admission
Clear Admit’s admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, cover a range of strategic admissions advice in this new podcast episode of Wire Taps. The two provide feedback based on profiles shared in MBA ApplyWire and MBA DecisionWire, including an applicant planning to defer and more. The duo advises an applicant planning to defer: Another MBA hopeful wants to know if he is overrepresented: An accepted candidate also needed help Read more
Published: May 14, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Chai Night – Giving People the Right to Go Second
In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, learn more about building and maintaining a sense of community in business school.  Northwestern Kellogg MBA student, Ayyub Bokhari, shares how he was inspired to bring together fellow classmates and continue those connections during COVID-19. Chai Night: Giving People the Right to Go Second By Ayyub Bokhari (2Y 2020) Ayyub Bokhari, Kellogg MBA 2Y Class of 2020 Last year around mid-February, internship recruiting for the vast majority of our class was coming to an end. Not only did it mark a Read more
Published: May 13, 2020
MBA Students Host Virtual Game Show to Raise Funds for Doctors Without Borders
Let’s get ready to… fundraaaaaaaise!  The MBA Battle Royale, a virtual game show featuring students from leading business schools, will raise funds for Doctors Without Borders this Saturday, May 16th at 8 p.m. EST.  Tickets are on sale now for $12, $25, $50 or however much more you’d like to donate—100 percent of proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.  If you purchase a ticket, expect a link and password to the Zoom event shortly before it begins this weekend. Support Your School and Watch the Fun MBA Battle Royale Participation Tracker by LeverEdge Read more
Published: May 12, 2020
Real Humans of Adobe: Adrienne Tsai, Northwestern Kellogg ’18, Product Marketing Manager
Chances are you’ve needed to review a PDF this week—and if you have, you’ve used an Adobe product to open it.  In addition to their Acrobat Reader, Adobe Inc., an American multinational computer software company, is also known for Photoshop, Illustrator, Creative Cloud and more. The creative and business range of their products is part of what inspired Adrienne Tsai to join the company.  In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Tsai, a Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’18 and product marketing manager at Adobe, shares how business school prepared her for Adobe and Read more
Published: May 12, 2020
The Berkeley Haas Experience During COVID-19
We continue to check in with MBA students around the globe, as they adjust to business school life that has been moved off campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  For Lipika Grover of Berkeley Haas, connections have been the key to surviving and thriving during this surreal time.  Read on for her story. Lipika Grover, Berkeley Haas MBA ’20 Lipika Grover, Berkeley Haas MBA ’20 How is the online classroom experience going at your school? What’s different about it? We’re all trying to make the most of our online classroom Read more
Published: May 12, 2020
Episode 101: How to Finance Your MBA
Sponsored Content In this podcast episode, learn all about financing your MBA—from the cost of attendance to the mechanics of borrowing (and repaying) student loans.  To illuminate this process, we welcome two special guests, Nikhil Agarwal of LeverEdge, the first collective bargaining group for student loans, and Pritish Nair of Prodigy Finance, a premier lender for students studying abroad. Nikhil Agarwal (left) & Pritish Nair (right) Nikhil Agarwal, a co-founder of LeverEdge, will soon graduate Harvard Business School with an MBA. His pre-MBA work experience included engineering at GE and Boeing, Read more
Published: May 11, 2020
Celebrate our 100th Podcast Episode!
Tens of thousands of MBA hopefuls have tuned into Clear Admit’s various podcast episodes since our debut with the format in March of 2018. We proudly released our 100th podcast episode this week—another advice-packed edition of the series, Wire Taps.  Having reached this milestone, we’re taking a look at our top 10 most popular episodes and more. All-time Top 10 Podcast Episodes From admissions tips to adcom director interviews, the Clear Admit podcast covers a hefty range of content to support MBA applicants’ journeys to and through business Read more
Published: May 10, 2020
Episode 100: Wire Taps—How Can I Re-apply Successfully?
In our 100th podcast episode, Clear Admit’s admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, review profiles shared in MBA ApplyWire and MBA DecisionWire. Tune in for their feedback to MBA applicants and candidates below. Read more
Published: May 10, 2020
The Duke Fuqua Experience During COVID-19
Duke Fuqua MBA student, Jenny Large, captures the essence of b-school life many students are now currently experiencing due to COVID-19: “Life as a member of Team Fuqua hasn’t ended, it has just moved online until we can be together again in person.” MBA students and faculty have made a number of adjustments to the new normal.  Large and another Fuqua MBA classmate, Vinesh Kapil, share below how Duke and the community have come together to thrive during it. Jenny Large, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21 Jenny Large, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21 How Read more
Published: May 7, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Battling the Impact of COVID-19 the Duke Fuqua Way
In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, we hear from a Duke Fuqua MBA student about how and why he started a fundraiser in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Read on for Jeff Gleischman’s story of community and compassion, which he first shared on Duke’s Daytime MBA student blog. Battling the Impact of COVID-19 the Fuqua Way Jeff Gleischman, Fuqua Daytime MBA ’21 By Jeff Gleischman, Fuqua Daytime MBA ’21 I was on my way to Portugal when COVID-19 concerns escalated into worldwide panic. My classmates and I had just Read more
Published: May 6, 2020
The LBS Experience During COVID-19
We continue to catch up with MBA students across leading business schools about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their education.  From London Business School, two first-year students share how classes & clubs are maintaining their strength, as well as what new opportunities they’ve gained from online learning.  Read on for accounts from Tiffanie Sutanto, LBS MBA ’21, and Juan Soler, LBS MBA ’21. Tiffanie Sutanto, LBS MBA ’21 Tiffanie Sutanto, London Business School MBA ’21 How is the online classroom experience going at your school? What’s different about it? Read more
Published: May 5, 2020
The INSEAD Experience During COVID-19
These are trying times, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to thwart normal life.  For MBA students across business schools, this means learning has moved from in-person to online, interactions become more challenging and most club activities are put on hold.  At INSEAD, the school community has risen to the related challenges and Nataliya Rogachkina, INSEAD MBA ’20J, tells us all about it below. Nataliya Rogachkina, INSEAD MBA ’20J Nataliya Rogachkina, INSEAD MBA ‘20J How is the online classroom experience going at your school? What’s different about it? Online significantly diminishes Read more
Published: May 3, 2020
Episode 99: Wire Taps—Because of COVID-19, When Should I Apply?
Join Clear Admit’s admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, for this new podcast episode of Wire Taps. The two provide strategic advice on the MBA application process based on profiles shared in MBA ApplyWire and MBA DecisionWire. Tune in for their feedback below. The duo advises a candidate with from Australia: Another MBA applicant sought their advice on when to apply: An accepted candidate also needed help choosing between Berkeley Haas Read more
Published: April 30, 2020
Fridays from the Frontline: Oxford Saïd GOTO – Will We Have the Courage?
In this edition of Fridays from the Frontline, we follow up with current Oxford MBA student, Saskia Rotshuizen, about how her Global Opportunities and Threats Oxford (GOTO) experience is informing her perspective of the COVID-19 crisis.  The student community is also keen to learn through the online GOTO Climate Action Summit, featuring Al Gore and taking place for any interested parties on May 1st. Will We Have the Courage? Saskia Rotshuizen, Oxford MBA 2019-2020 A few weeks back, I wrote a blog post about the start of my Read more
Published: April 29, 2020
Forté Foundation Annual Impact Report – Diversity & Women in Business
The Forté Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women in business, and, according to their Annual Impact Report of 2019, they’ve excelled in their mission. The business landscape for women is one of underrepresentation. When it comes to S&P 500 companies, less than six percent of CEOs and only 21.2 percent of board members are women.  Forté also reports that women face a pay gap of at least 20 percent compared to their male counterparts, and only around 2 percent of all venture capital funding goes to women.   In response Read more

MBA Livewire

February 17, 2026 4:03pm ET
Rejected at MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via email February 17, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.6
GRE: 335
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Healthcare
Application Location: Houston, TX
February 17, 2026 3:59pm ET
Waitlisted at MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via email February 17, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.93
GRE: 307
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: South US
February 17, 2026 3:54pm ET
Interview Invite to MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via email February 17, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.67
GRE: 329
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: New York City
February 17, 2026 3:49pm ET
Rejected at MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via portal February 17, 2026
Standardized Test: GMAT
GPA: 3.8
GMAT: 675
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Other
Application Location: Peru, Lima
February 17, 2026 3:27pm ET
Rejected at MIT Sloan
Round: Round 2
Received via portal February 17, 2026
Standardized Test: GRE
GPA: 3.2
GRE: 340
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking
Application Location: Vienna
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