Admissions Director Q&A

Clear Admit’s exclusive interviews with admissions directors at the world’s leading MBA programs.

Published: July 18, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Rebekah Lewin of the University of Rochester, Simon Business School

Let’s dig into MBA admissions at the University of Rochester, Simon Business School with Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions and Programs Rebekah Lewin in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Rebekah has over 20 years of undergraduate and graduate admissions and program management experience. In her current role, she oversees strategy related to… Read more

Published: July 13, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Shari Hubert of Duke Fuqua

Go behind the scenes of MBA admissions at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business with Associate Dean of Admissions Shari Hubert in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Hubert oversees recruitment and admissions for the school’s portfolio of ten business degree programs. Prior to Fuqua, she was in charge of admissions for… Read more

Published: July 11, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Donna Swinford of Chicago Booth

Get an inside look at admissions at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business with Donna Swinford, Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions for MBA Programs, in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Donna has been at Booth since 1997 and joined the Office of Admissions in 2005. She’s seen the admissions process… Read more

Published: July 6, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Rebecca Mallen-Churchill of ASU Carey

Let’s dig into Admissions Director Q&A ASU Carey with Rebecca Mallen-Churchill, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment, 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… Read more

Published: July 5, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Lindsay Loyd of NYU Stern

Take a deep dive into MBA admissions at the NYU Stern School of Business with Lindsay Loyd, Executive Director of MBA Admissions, in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Lindsay leads the recruiting and admissions efforts for Stern’s Full-time MBA Programs, including the two-year Full-time MBA, and focused one-year MBAs: the Andre Koo… Read more

Published: June 30, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Charlotte Russell-Green of Cambridge Judge

Go behind the scenes of MBA admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School with Head of MBA Recruitment and Admissions Charlotte Russell-Green in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. After training in Drama and Theatre at Goldsmiths in London, Charlotte transitioned into marketing after graduation and has now worked in the MBA market for… Read more

Published: June 28, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Imran Kanga of Toronto Rotman

Get a closer look into MBA admissions at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management with Director of Recruitment and Admissions Imran Kanga in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Imran’s motivation to join Rotman stemmed its culture of community and collaboration inherent in the students, faculty and staff there. Rotman’s focus on… Read more

Published: June 23, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Hollie Hinton of The Ohio State Fisher

Get an insider’s view of MBA admissions at The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business with Senior Director of Admissions Hollie Hinton in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Hollie is a versatile professional who, prior to becoming Senior Director of Admissions, forged multimillion-dollar partnerships between The Ohio State and… Read more

Published: June 21, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Nathan Eisenberg of Michigan Ross

Dig into MBA admissions at the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business with Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Nathan Eisenberg, M.S., in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Nathan was raised in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan and earned his undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan University and graduate… Read more

Published: May 25, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Coni Zingarelli of Rice Business

In this Admissions Director Q&A, we hear from Coni Zingarelli, the executive director of recruiting, admissions and student financial services at Rice Business. Previously, she served in roles with Temple Fox and UCI Merage. She is passionate about helping students find the right graduate program to further their personal and professional aspirations. Coni spent the… Read more

Published: March 31, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Narottam Kishore of BITSoM

Sponsored Content We return to our Admissions Director Q&A with Narottam Kishore, the Head of Admissions & Outreach and Student Affairs at BITS School of Management, Mumbai (BITSoM). BITSoM is a new business school under the aegis of BITS Pilani, identified as Institution of Eminence by the Government of India. Narottam has been at BITSoM… Read more

Published: March 30, 2023

Admissions Director Q&A: Liz Hutchinson of IE Business School

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we welcome Liz Hutchinson, the Head of Admissions, Graduate Programs at IE University in Madrid. In this role, Liz oversees the enrollment for over 30 master’s degrees within IE Business School, IE School of Architecture and Design, IE Law School, IE School of Science and Technology, and… Read more

Published: December 22, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Benoit Banchereau of HEC Paris

We are delighted to have Benoit Banchereau return for another Admissions Director Q&A on behalf of HEC Paris. Benoit has been leading the marketing and the recruitment for the full-time MBA, EMBA and Trium EMBA programs of HEC Paris for the last seven years. He started his career as a journalist in France and in… Read more

Published: October 26, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Melissa Rapp of Emory Goizueta

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A, Melissa Rapp, Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions for Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, digs into MBA admissions, how to approach the application essays and much more. Melissa leads the teams responsible for the recruitment, evaluation, and matriculation of students across the portfolio of Graduate Business programs including MBA… Read more

Published: October 19, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Shari Hubert of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

In this Admissions Director Q&A, get the inside scoop on MBA admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions, is responsible for overseeing recruitment and admissions for the school’s portfolio of ten business degree programs. Prior to Fuqua, she was in charge of admissions for the Full-time and Evening… Read more

Published: October 14, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Teresa Peiro-Camaro of INSEAD

We continue our Admissions Director Q&A series with Teresa Peiro-Camaro, the Associate Director, Global Admissions at INSEAD. Based in Fontainebleau, France, she leads the Admissions Office team, which oversees the admissions process for Degree Programmes and is responsible for the class composition for Executive Degrees and MBA. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring that… Read more

Published: October 12, 2022

Admission Director Q&A: J.R. McGrath of Carnegie Mellon Tepper

The new Executive Director of Masters Admissions at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business joins us for this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A. J.R. has been at Tepper for the past 19 months as Director of Masters Recruiting and just accepted the role of Executive Director at the beginning of October. He has… Read more

Published: September 28, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Paula Amorim of IESE

We continue to deliver behind-the-scenes insights into MBA admissions in our Admissions Director Q&A with Paula Amorim, the Director of Admissions of the Full Time MBA at IESE Business School. She joined the Admissions team after completing her MBA at IESE in 2016 and was previously responsible for the Latin American market, based in the… Read more

Published: September 21, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Taya Sapp of Michigan Ross

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, Taya Sapp, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Michigan Ross, shares insights into admissions and more at the MBA program. Taya earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and then, seeking to return to her alma mater and Ann Arbor, joined the Ross full-time MBA… Read more

Published: September 16, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Mikale Elliott of WashU Olin

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we land in St. Louis, Missouri, to learn about Washington University’s Olin Business School. Mikale Elliott, Graduate Programs Recruiter at WashU, spent her undergraduate career at the University of Missouri–Columbia studying business communication and gaining experience recruiting underrepresented minorities. After graduating, she took a non-traditional pathway… Read more

Published: September 14, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Cara Sonnier of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business

This edition of our Admissions Director Q&A takes us to Athens, Georgia, to learn all about the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business MBA program from Cara Sonnier, the Director of Admissions. Cara began working for Georgia Terry in the alumni relations and development office managing events for the college. Working with the Full-Time… Read more

Published: September 9, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Betsy Ryan of the Minnesota Carlson School of Management

We continue with our Admissions Director Q&A series with Betsy Ryan, MS, the Senior Associate Director of Admissions for MBA & MS Programs at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She holds a Master’s in Community Counseling from Mount Mary University (WI) and has over 10+ years of experience working with adult, graduate,… Read more

Published: September 6, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Rodrigo Malta of Texas McCombs

Rodrigo Malta, Managing Director of MBA Marketing, Recruiting & Admissions at the Texas McCombs School of Business, joins us to reveal what’s new about McCombs’ admissions and more in this edition of our MBA Admissions Director Q&A series. Originally from Brazil, Rodrigo cites that one of his proudest moments was becoming a US citizen in 2008, which… Read more

Published: September 2, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Bruce DelMonico of the Yale School of Management

In another installment of our MBA Admissions Director Q&A series, we hear from Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at the Yale School of Management. Bruce joined Yale SOM in October 2004 and has led the Admissions Office since November 2006. Before joining Yale, Bruce was an attorney focused on First Amendment, white collar, and commercial… Read more

Published: September 1, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Bailey McChesney of Vanderbilt Owen

We continue with our Admissions Director Q&A series with Bailey McChesney, the Director of MBA Admissions at Vanderbilt Owen. As part of her role, Bailey manages the application evaluation process, incoming student onboarding experience and MBA Recruiting & Admissions Fellows. Bailey began with Vanderbilt Business in March 2011 in an admissions operations role in which she facilitated many… Read more

MBA Applywire

November 28, 2023 1:19pm ET

Applying: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, Georgetown / McDonough, Indiana / Kelley, Michigan / Ross, U. Washington / Foster, UCLA Anderson

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Lead Engineer at OEM automotive company

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Consumer Goods

GMAT: 690

GPA: 3.0

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Indiana

Notes:

-White, US and Middle Eastern dual citizenship.
-Why MBA: Automotive is transitioning in the next 10 years with EVs. I want to pivot from product engineering into product planning during this period. Having trouble breaking in without an mba or business background. Returning with MBA and an engineering background will make me a very strong candidate.
- 3.0 GPA in Mech Engr, struggling to get gmat past 690 (Q44,V40).
-Greenbelt certificate worth 96 hours towards PMI cert.
-Starting company Business Leadership certificate at state uni this upcoming year. Will receive an additional GPA for this.
- Lead engineer managing multiple multi million dollar projects at household name car company. Started on projects on production line equipment and transitioned to a lead product engineer managing prototype car deployment at factories. Exposure everywhere from production line to proposals to executives.
-Extracurriculars: Leading company diversity initiative to rewrite job postings for division and general volunteer work.

November 25, 2023 6:56pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, INSEAD, London Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, U. Chicago Booth, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Project Management

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology

GRE: 335

GPA: 3.4

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: United States

Post MBA Location: US

Notes:

Have a MS in Civil English (3.74/4)
Pursuing a professional MS in Software Engg (3.9/4) and will be finished by next year
Work ex: 2 promotions in 5 years - currently leading a satellite office for my company in Univeristy Research Park of an R1 university - responsible for managing 40 interns in AI/ML space and developing relationships with the university ecosystem
Ethnicity - Indian but living in US for 8 years

November 24, 2023 10:03am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cambridge / Judge, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, ESADE, Georgetown / McDonough, HEC Paris, IE Business School, IESE, Imperial, Indian School of Business, INSEAD, London Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Other, Oxford / Saïd, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC / Marshall, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Venture Capital, Private Equity, Asset Management, inc. HF Companies: Accell Partners , Andressen Horowitz , Battery Ventures , Charles River , Draper Fisher , First Round Capital , Kleiner Perkins , NEA , Sequoia Capital , Venrock , Other , Bain Capital , Blackstone , Carlyle Group , Goldman Sachs Principal Investment Group , TPG , KKR , Blackrock , Fidelity , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GMAT: 740

GPA: 8/10

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: Mumbai, India

Post MBA Location: USA, India, Dubai, and Singapore

Notes:

I need to transition from an ESG role to a private equity/ Asset Management/ Venture Capital, especially in a deal making role (core finance and not ESG jobs). My job experience includes:- 1. Business Analyst Intern (Product)- ZiffyHealth; 2. ESG Research Analyst Intern (Corporate Governance)- SG Analytics; 3. ESG Research Associate II (Climate Solutions)- Morningstar (Sustainalytics); 4. ESG Associate Consultant (Strategic Business Transformation)- Ernst & Young ~ 2 years of experience (3 years will be done by next year December).

November 23, 2023 3:52am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, INSEAD, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth

Intake Year: 2024

Pre-MBA Career: Fintech/Banking product management

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology Companies: AT Kearney , Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Amazon , Apple , Google , Tesla

GMAT: 750

GPA: 71.6

Years of Work Experience: 6

Location: Azerbaijan

Post MBA Location: United States

November 22, 2023 3:28pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Indiana / Kelley, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2024

Pre-MBA Career: Epidemiologist/Data Analyst

Post-MBA Target Industry: Pharmaceutical Companies: Johnson & Johnson , Merck , Novartis , Pfizer

GRE: 315

GPA: 3.64

Years of Work Experience: 3

Post MBA Location: South USA

Notes:

I have a MPH with a GPA of 3.94. I understand that my GRE is bad but given this is EOY, I am so swamped at work that I’m half dying. I would love love to get scholarships though.
My why? I am an epidemiologist who pivoted into data analytics to be able to utilize my quant skills but DA is just not how I see myself and I’d like to move back into healthcare, albeit the pharmaceutical/business side of it hence MBA.
EC: I actually volunteer to help international student qualified under certain immigration categories petition for green cards. I volunteer with my local group and volunteer with Food for the Hungry in sponsoring a child in Bolivia. In the past, I’ve worked with children of immigrants to learn ESL.
I don’t want to rewrite GRE because there’s no time to improve my scores in time to submit for Round 2. Am I reaching?

View or Submit Entries