Fridays from the Frontline
Keep abreast of the latest happenings in the business school blogosphere! This weekly column summarizes recent posts from MBA student and applicant blogs.
Fridays From the Frontline: Choices
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, MBA applicants, current students, and admissions bloggers have made important choices from a variety of different topics in the business school sphere, and life in general.
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Fridays From the Frontline: Divergent Paths
The following is a guest post from Naija MBA Gal that was originally published on her blog. Naija MBA Gal is a consultant specializing in risk assurance at one of the big consulting firms, and she is planning to attend the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in Fall 2015. You can follow Naija MBA Gal’s application journey on her blog.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
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Fridays From the Frontline: Four Tips for Marketers
The following is a guest post from Ray Hwang, a first-year student in Kellogg’s Two-Year MBA Program. The post was originally published on Kellogg's Full-Time MBA blog, The Inside Perspective. Ray is a leader in both the Marketing Club and High Tech Club, and he will be interning at LinkedIn on the Product Marketing team this summer. Before Kellogg, Ray worked at General Mills.
When I was young, my brother and I would occasionally use a branch or toy hammer to bang each other on the knee, hoping to see the patellar reflex in action. We saw doctors do it on TV and, as over-confident children, naturally felt we could achieve the same results without any training. Unsurprisingly, it never really worked. To this day I’m still unconvinced I actually have the knee-jerk reflex.
There is a reflex, however, which I undeniably have and I’m sure you do, too. It’s a new digital reflex, brought on by the rise of mobile, to turn to whatever device is at hand to satisfy our need for information right in the moment. For example, recently my friend told me about a movie he enjoyed the night before, and without even thinking, I pulled out my phone to read reviews and find a theater near me where it was playing.
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Fridays from the Frontline: GMAT Quant–Advanced Concepts
The following is a guest post from Jonathan Taves, that was originally published on his website, EF Essays: Essays on Economics and Finance.
With math on the GMAT, there’s always room for seconds. For those seeking a score higher than the 560 average, the following advanced concepts are important to learn. They’re less frequently tested than the concepts we discussed last week, so don’t spend hours and hours trying to master all iterations of combinatorics, for example. Competence, not mastery, should be the goal here.
However, these are tested, and so in that sense, aren’t really “advanced” at all. They’re essential. Unfortunately, these concepts are rarely covered in math review guides that aren’t GMAT-specific. Make sure to supplement your studying with lessons on Distance/Speed/Time, Probability, and Combinatorics (Permutations and Combinations).
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Published: April 30, 2015
Fridays from the Frontline: Stop Wasting Your Time on Essays
The following is a guest post from Scott Duncan that was originally published on his blog. Scott is a medical device engineer who is going to Harvard Business School in the fall to transition from designing medical devices to leading medical device companies. You can follow his journey to a HBS acceptance on his blog.
I’m still trying to figure out all of the things I did differently this year that earned me a spot at HBS. Since I had practice writing essays from my previous attempt at applying, and I had really worked hard at defining my core reasons for applying – writing went a lot easier this year.
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Published: April 23, 2015
Fridays from the Frontline: Hello, MBA Class of 2018
The following is a guest post from Jonathan Taves, that was originally published on his website, EF Essays: Essays on Economics and Finance.
On Sunday, Jordan Spieth, a twenty-one year old from Texas, won The Masters. In 1997, a twenty-one year old also won The Masters: Tiger Woods. Amid Mr. Woods’ victory celebration, a reporter asked him if he had anything to say to the viewers back home. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “Hello, world.” The day after The Masters, it only seems fitting that I borrow that iconic response as I announce my intent to reapply to MBA programs:
Hello, MBA Class of 2018
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Fridays from the Frontline: Musings
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, MBA applicants, current students, and admissions bloggers have mused upon a variety of different topics from the business school sphere, and from life in general.
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Fridays from the Frontline: Tasting the Fear
The following is a guest post from Naija MBA Gal that was originally published on her blog. Naija MBA Gal is a consultant specializing in risk assurance at one of the big consulting firms, and she is planning to attend the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in Fall 2015. You can follow Naija MBA Gal’s application journey on her blog.
I’ve officially committed to the Booth class of 2017 and I know its a great decision. So why am I afraid? There is definitely no way I will be worse off come 2017 but I’m not all about being rational.
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Published: March 19, 2015
Fridays from the Frontline: “How I’m Handling the Wharton Waitlist”
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, the column in which we highlight the experiences of MBA bloggers. The following is a guest post from TopDogMBA with valuable advice for other applicants about handling business school waitlists that originally appeared on his blog. TopDogMBA has 12 years of experience in corporate investment banking, and he was admitted to MIT Sloan and INSEAD and waitlisted at Wharton. Follow TopDogMBA for more top-notch advice, MBA application stories, and photos of TopDogMBA's adorable dog Beatrice.
I’ve thought a long time about whether to post this since it puts me way out there, but I tried real hard to think how a Wharton student would deal with it. My conclusion is that the collaborative Wharton spirit would prevail and they’d share their insight with others in the same situation so here goes…
As you probably know, I got waitlisted by Wharton in R1 and, despite getting admitted by the two other schools I applied to, Wharton remains my top choice. Being on the waitlist is a strange existence though, where you know you came within a hair’s breadth of being admitted yet didn’t quite make the cut.
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Published: February 26, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: Busy, Busy
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s weekly summation of posts from the business school blogosphere. This week, MBA applicants and current students alike are busy with the demands of the application process or business school life.
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Published: February 12, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: Experience
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, MBA applicants, current students, and admissions bloggers have stressed the value of experience in a myriad of ways.
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Published: February 5, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: MBA Admissions Advice
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, the column in which we summarize happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, admissions representatives from top schools provide applicants with insight and advice on their blogs.
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Published: January 29, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: Reflections
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, applicants and current students took time to reflect on the application process and events and programs in their lives.
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Published: January 22, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: Life As Usual
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, the column in which we summarize happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, current students are enjoying life in business school, while applicants have been quiet after the Round 1 decision announcements and the Round 2 deadlines.
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Published: January 15, 2015
Fridays from the Frontline: the Waiting Game
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week marked the passing of many round-two application deadlines, and the beginning of a long period of anticipation for numerous business-school applicants.
Naija MBA Gal gives us her thoughts on waitlisting and what her strategies are for improving her chances as she awaits a decision, while Grant Me Admission muses on the reasons he was rejected and his strategies for applying again, in an interview that was picked up by Fortune Magazine. As she waits for the next GMAT testing date Blackgirlmbaoncampus starts another round of studying to improve her score, and reviews her visit to the Paris campus of INSEAD.
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Published: January 8, 2015
Fridays From the Frontline: Decisions, Decisions
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, the column in which we summarize the past week’s business school blogosphere happenings. This week, the MBA applicant bloggers who received acceptances are trying to decide where to go to school, while the MBA current student and program bloggers are setting their new year’s resolutions.
MBA applicant (and admit!) bloggers have faced several different decisions in the last week. GrantMeAdmission decided to apply for the Riordan MBA Fellows Program, while MBA on my Mind resolved to apply to top MBA programs during the 2015 admissions cycle. Under Prescription is trying to choose between MIT Sloan and Dartmouth. PullingthatMBAtrigger has finished her round 2 applications.
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Published: December 18, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Congratulations
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summary of happenings in the business school blogosphere. This week, Round 1 decisions came out, and several bloggers got fantastic news! We here at Clear Admit would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to everyone who was admitted this week!
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Published: December 11, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Beginnings and Endings
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summation of goings-on in the business school blogosphere. This week is a week of beginnings and endings, as some applicants work on their final list of schools and begin the application process, while others are anxiously waiting for news from their top choice schools.
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Published: December 4, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Resources for Applicants
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summation of happenings in the business school blogosphere. As applicants begin working on their Round 2 applications in earnest, MBA applicant bloggers are sharing several resources for other applicants. Current students are reflecting on their MBA experiences so far and turning their attention to another application process: the job search.
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Published: November 20, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Steps
Welcome back to Fridays from the Frontline, our weekly summary of news and happenings from the business school blogosphere. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of The Little Prince, once said "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step." In the world of business school, current applicants are taking steps forward in their application process, while current students take steps through their business school life.
MBA applicants are currently consumed with planning their next steps. PullingthatMBAtrigger has put together her final school list for round 2. MBA Black Girl on Campus is using her “All Things MBA” spreadsheet to plan her application, and My Life of Bliss examines her pre-MBA profile as she prepares to apply to MBA programs. While some applicants are preparing for their next set of applications, others are finishing round 1 interviews and waiting to hear back from their round 1 choices. TopDogMBA is consumed with interview prep for MIT Sloan and Wharton. Naija MBA Gal is staying away from the business school applicant forums until she receives interview news from Stanford. My Journey to Business School shares a summary of her UCLA interview for other Anderson hopefuls, and Under Prescription summarizes his interviews with Tuck and MIT Sloan.
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Published: November 6, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Interview Invitations, Interview Reports
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s weekly summary of the business school blogosphere. This week, current applicants are talking about their interview invites and experiences, and current students are talking about what they’ve learned—inside and outside of business school.
This week, MBA applicants have provided a treasure trove of interview reports in their blog posts. Naija MBA Gal describes her recent interview at Booth —she’s excited because she feels that it went well. GrantMeAdmission discusses his interview with Kellogg and Scott Duncan talks about his interview at MIT Sloan. The Engineer MBA describes interviewing at HBS, and exploring MIT Sloan’s campus in horrible weather. TopDogMBA recently received interview invites from MIT Sloan and Wharton.
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Published: October 30, 2014
Fridays from the Frontline: Anticipation, Excitement, and Heartbreak
Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s weekly summation of posts from business school applicants and students. This week, some applicants are beginning to receive admissions decisions, while others have just finished their interviews and are eagerly waiting for news. Current business school students are excited to discuss the opportunities they’re encountering in business school.
Among current applicants, Ellie from Coffee Beans and Tea Leaves just received word that she was admitted early decision to Fuqua! Unfortunately, Pullingthatmbatrigger received word that she had been dinged from Fuqua after interviewing at the school—she’s still waiting to hear back from Yale SOM.
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Published: October 23, 2014
Fridays From the Frontline: Interview Season
Fridays From the Frontline is Clear Admit’s weekly summation of posts from the business school blogosphere. In his second book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell argues that first impressions are often more accurate and influential than conscious and deliberate judgments. This week, applicants strive to make good first impressions in their MBA interviews, while current students do the same while meeting classmates and during job interviews.
Among current students, Scottgduncan practices interviewing by recording his responses on his webcam and then watching them back. Also, he details the questions he was asked during his Kellogg interview.
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Published: October 16, 2014
Fridays From the Frontline: In the Thick of It
Fridays From the Frontline is Clear Admit’s weekly summation of posts from the business school blogosphere. This week, applicants are in the thick of things, submitting their applications, doing interviews and even hearing back about their results, while current students offer thoughtful takes on their time in business school.
Among current applicants, Pullingthatmbatrigger lets us in on his approach to writing business school essays, and also reports that his interview at Fuqua went smoothly. Along the same lines, Roadtomymba enumerates the criteria he used to select his recommender, while Grantmeadmission shares individual thoughts on his five different applications to top business schools. Also completing an interview this week, Scottgduncan summarizes his experience taking the Kellogg video essay, and received word that he was deferred to round 2 at Harvard Business School.
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Published: October 9, 2014
Fridays From the Frontline: Some Kind of MBA Madness
Fridays From the Frontline is Clear Admit’s weekly summation of posts from the business school blogosphere. Author Sherrilyn Kenyon once said, “I don’t suffer from insanity – I enjoy every minute of it.” This week, applicants continue wading through the craziness of the business school admissions process, while current students discuss the opportunities and challenges facing them in business school.
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