School Q&A

Published: August 31, 2022

Associate Dean Q&A: George Andrews of Rice Jones Graduate School of Business

For this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we head to Texas to learn about the MBA program at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business (Rice Business). George Andrews joined Rice Business in the fall of 2014 as associate dean of degree programs, leading each of the MBA programs, the Career Development Office,… Read more

Published: August 25, 2022

Associate Director of Admissions Q&A: Lindsay Haberman of UCI Merage

We head to California to learn about University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business (UCI Merage) from Lindsay Haberman, Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions for the Full-Time MBA Program, in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Lindsay joined the Merage School in April 2015 and has worked primary with the… Read more

Published: August 23, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Dibyendu Bose of the Indian School of Business

In this edition of our ongoing Admissions Director Q&A series, we hear from Dibyendu Bose, the Senior Director of Admissions & Financial Aid and Alumni Engagement at Indian School of Business (ISB), about their Post Graduate Program in Management (PGP). His marketing portfolio includes the flagship MBA and EMBA equivalent programmes (PGP suite) as well as… Read more

Published: August 18, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Maria Pineda of University of Maryland Smith School of Business

For this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, it’s time to learn all about the MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Maria Pineda has been with UMD Smith for over 15 years. As the Senior Director of Admissions, Maria manages the recruiting efforts for Full Time MBA… Read more

Published: August 16, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Chris Adams of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A, get an inside look at MBA admissions and opportunities at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. Chris Adams is the Director of Recruitment and Outreach for graduate programs at OSU Fisher and has the scoop on what makes the university and its Columbus, OH, base… Read more

Published: August 12, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Chris Healy of Manchester AMBS

We have another informative Admissions Director Q&A for you, this time with Chris Healy, the Head of MBA Marketing & Recruitment at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) at the University of Manchester. Chris has 15 years of experience in graduate management education and a passion for GME that has only grown over time. He’s implemented… Read more

Published: August 11, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Anna Farrus of IMD

Director of MBA Recruitment and Admissions at IMD, Anna Farrus, joins us for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series. Anna started at IMD business school in 2018. She oversees MBA recruitment and admissions and, earlier this year, took on the additional role of heading up the Career Development Center. Prior to her current… Read more

Published: August 5, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Gail Saegert & Jessica Lunce of SMU Cox

Learn about the SMU Cox School of Business in this Admissions Director Q&A with two associate directors of full-time MBA admissions from the program, Gail Saegert and Jessica Lunce. Gail Saegert (L) and Jessica Lunce (R), Associate Directors, Full-Time MBA Admissions at SMU Cox Gail graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in… Read more

Published: August 4, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Wendy Guild, Ph.D., of University of Washington Foster School of Business

This edition of our Admissions Director Q&A takes us to Seattle to hear all about the University of Washington Foster School of Business from Assistant Dean of MBA Programs, Wendy Guild, Ph.D. At Foster, Wendy’s administrative work reflects her longstanding commitment to student development through her collaborative strategic leadership of advertising, marketing, recruitment, admissions, curriculum,… Read more

Published: August 2, 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… Read more

Published: July 27, 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… Read more

Published: July 26, 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… Read more

Published: July 21, 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… Read more

Published: July 19, 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… Read more

Published: July 14, 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… Read more

Published: July 12, 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… Read more

Published: July 5, 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… Read more

Published: June 30, 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… Read more

Published: June 28, 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… Read more

Published: March 30, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Lisa Rios of NYU Stern School of Business

In this Admissions Director Q&A, Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean of NYU Stern MBA Admissions, joins the Clear Admit podcast to discuss all things admissions-related at the leading b-school. As a member of the Admissions team since 2008, Lisa has evaluated nearly 50,000 Full-time MBA applications and seen nearly 5,000 new full-time students start their MBA journey.… Read more

Published: February 16, 2022

Admissions Director Q&A: Amy Mitson & Pat Harrison of the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business

Get the inside scoop on MBA admissions at Dartmouth Tuck, as Co-Executive Directors of Admissions & Financial Aid, Amy Mitson and Pat Harrison, share everything you need to know about the leading business school in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A. Co-Executive Directors of Admissions & Financial Aid, Amy Mitson (L) and Pat Harrison… Read more

Published: December 8, 2021

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

In another installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series, Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at the Yale School of Management, joins us to discuss admissions and more about the MBA program. He joined Yale SOM in October 2004 and has led the Admissions Office since November 2006. Before joining Yale, Bruce was an attorney… Read more

Published: December 1, 2021

Admissions Director Q&A: David Simpson of London Business School

Welcome to another edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, featuring David Simpson of London Business School. There, David is Recruitment and Admissions Director for the MBA and Masters in Finance (MiF) programmes. He has been with the school for 25 years, starting in admissions, moving through various roles in marketing and business development, before… Read more

Published: November 24, 2021

Admissions Director Q&A: Eddie Asbie of Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we welcome Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Eddie has spent the past 17 years of his professional career in higher education, primarily within the admissions field. Over the last nine… Read more

Published: November 17, 2021

Admissions Director Q&A: Soojin Kwon of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business

We continue to deliver insights into MBA admissions with our Admissions Director Q&A series. This week, we are excited to welcome Soojin Kwon, Managing Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions and Program at Michigan Ross. Soojin Kwon, Managing Director for Full-time MBA Admissions and Program at Michigan Ross Soojin has led MBA Admissions since 2006 and,… 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?

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