Weekly Columns

Keep up with the latest school facts and news from your fellow MBA applicants.

Published: April 6, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: Tuck Net Impact Education Trek

The Net Impact Club at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business recently organized an Education Trek to tour a range of educational organizations in Boston, and this week’s Fridays from the Frontline provides a thoughtful reflection on that experience by one of its participants. Erica Toews, MBA ’18, (pictured above, far left) details the trek’s four stops, which included a Boston public school, a charter school, an education technology company and a nonprofit education organization. Toews’s pre-MBA career included working as a librarian at Stanford Law School, a legal assistant at Google, a teacher with the Fulbright Commission Read more

Published: April 6, 2017

MBA Applicant Spotlight: A Marathon 10 Applications Long

In our new series, "MBA Applicant Spotlight," we're bringing you the personal experiences and lessons of MBA applicants. The MBA application process may have the common thread of being challenging, but each person's journey is different. To kick off the series, we start with Yansong Pang, who applied to 10 MBA programs. He is currently the global president at Global China Connection, one of the largest NGOs connecting Chinese students with young professionals around the world. He graduated from Carleton College and has worked both in buy-side equity research and strategy consulting. Read on for his experience with MBA admissions: Where did you apply? What were the results? I applied to HBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, LBS, Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Yale SOM and Duke / Fuqua and the Jefferson scholarship at UVA / Darden. Read more

Published: April 3, 2017

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: Northwestern / Kellogg or U Penn / Wharton from Europe

In this edition of MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, which highlights the admissions results of students and alumni posted to Clear Admit’s DecisionWire, we round up responses to a candidate trying to choose between Northwestern / Kellogg and UPenn / Wharton for finance. This week, a candidate with acceptances to Kellogg and Wharton, but also a few waitlist placements, reached out on DecisionWire. A community member offered some detailed feedback: Read more

Published: March 30, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: February 2017 MBA Mama of the Month Charanya Kannan

To close out Women’s History Month, we are delighted to feature another amazing woman balancing the demands of pursuing her MBA with the demands of raising a family. Harvard Business School (HBS) second-year MBA student Charanya Kannan was named MBA Mama of the Month for February 2017 by our content partner, MBA Mama. A wife and mother of one, Kannan began her career as a TV anchor in her native India. She went on to earn an engineering degree and a diploma in management from Bombay and to join the Tata Group’s leadership program. Tata sent her to Read more

Published: March 27, 2017

DecisionWire Spotlight: Georgetown / McDonough with Scholarship or NYU / Stern

MBA DecisionWire is a tool for applicants, students and alumni to share more information with their peers—specifically about where they decide to attend business school based on where they applied and were accepted. In this week’s MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, we take a closer look at one candidate’s decision between Georgetown / McDonough with a scholarship or NYU / Stern for consulting. A few comments went straight to the Big Apple: Others dug into the career opportunities of each: The $100k from the Consortium for Graduate Read more

Published: March 23, 2017

Friday from the Frontlines: Why We Need More Women in Business School

This week’s Friday from the Frontlines comes to us from the London Business School’s MBA recruitment and admissions team and addresses the need for—and value of—having more women in business school. Before recently becoming senior director of MBA recruitment and admissions at LBS, Stephanie Kernwein Thrane oversaw the school’s MBA exchange program, which gave her insight into the goings on not only at the London school but also at 34 partner schools around the globe. She is committed to helping promote women in business school and in business and has been actively involved both at LBS and through Read more

Published: March 16, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: MBA Mama and Stanford GSB Student Valerie Rivera

This week's Friday from the Frontline comes to us via our content partner, MBA Mama, an online platform designed to share the stories of women successfully navigating both motherhood and the MBA. As its January Mama of the Month (MotM), MBA Mama featured second-year Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA student Valerie Rivera. Mom to 11-year-old twin boys, Rivera is also a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where she held various leadership positions. Don't miss MBA Mama's exclusive interview with Rivera, below, in which she talks about why she chose Stanford for her MBA and what she's liked most about her time there, some of the time management strategies she employs to keep up with family, school and career, and her plans to open a consulting firm after she graduates. Our thanks to MBA Mama for allowing us to share this interview with the Clear Admit audience. Read more

Published: March 9, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: NYU Stern Student Shares a Recruiting Road Less Taken

Are you considering the luxury retail industry after business school? If so, don’t miss this week’s Fridays from the Frontline, which comes to us from NYU Stern School of Business second-year MBA student Nina Dudhale. New Jersey-native Dudhale worked in digital acquisition marketing at American Express OPEN before coming to Stern, where she has chosen to specialize in luxury marketing and finance. Nina Dudhale, Stern MBA ’17 As she shares in the post below, folks at Stern warned her at the get-go that recruiting in the luxury retail space is less structured than industries like consulting or Read more

Published: March 2, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: HBS Student Offers Advice for Prospective Latino Students

Today’s Fridays from the Frontline contribution comes to us from Karla Mendez, a first-year MBA student at Harvard Business School (HBS). Born in Mexico, Mendez moved to Fresno, California, when she was five with parents who wanted to build a better life for her family. In the thoughtful post below, Mendez shares some of her experiences as a Latina American, including the tension between wanting to maintain a strong connection to her Mexican American roots while not having them define her completely. She also describes the pressure so often felt by immigrants, and sometimes even more so their Read more

Published: February 27, 2017

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: Chicago Booth, Northwestern / Kellogg or UVA / Darden with Family

The choice of an MBA program can comprise a myriad of factors, as seen in this edition of MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, which highlights the admissions results of students and alumni posted to Clear Admit’s DecisionWire. This week, we take a closer look at a candidate with acceptances to U. Chicago Booth, Northwestern / Kellogg and UVA / Darden. While some feedback was positive and direct... Read more

Published: February 23, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: A Day in the Life of an INSEAD MBA Student

INSEAD is definitely riding high these days, having topped the Financial Times’ annual ranking of leading global MBA programs for the second year running. Calling itself “the business school for the world,” it features campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi and more than 90 nationalities represented in its student body. Students complete an accelerated 10-month program, which has helped the school rank especially high in terms of return on investment, since both tuition and the opportunity cost of being out of the workforce is lower for INSEAD students than those in two-year MBA programs. Read more

Published: February 20, 2017

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: MIT / Sloan or Berkeley / Haas for Technology

As acceptance notifications roll out, many MBA candidates are posting their successes and selections on MBA DecisionWire, a tool for applicants, students and alumni to share their admissions results. In this edition of MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, we take a closer look at a candidate with acceptances to Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, MIT / Sloan, and UCLA / Anderson. While the applicant had already pared down the list, he’s still seeking advice to determine where to pursue his MBA: Read more

Published: February 16, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: MIT Sloan’s Israel Lab

Israel is in the news this week following President Donald Trump’s first official meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took place on Wednesday. Our Fridays from the Frontline also centers on Israel, but without touching on the incredibly fraught subject of a one- versus two-state solution for the conflict-ridden region. Instead, we focus on a series of fascinating blog posts written by MIT Sloan School of Management students who spent their winter break taking part in MIT Sloan’s Israel Lab. Now in its second year, Israel Lab takes Sloan students on a journey to one Read more

Published: February 14, 2017

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: Wharton, Columbia, or Booth for Investment Management

MBA DecisionWire is a tool for applicants, students and alumni to share more information with their peers—specifically about where they decide to attend business school based on where they applied and were accepted. In our new series, MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, we’ll be taking a closer look at selected posts. This week, we kick off with one candidate’s decision between Chicago / Booth, Columbia Business School and The Wharton School. Read more

Published: February 9, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: From Herat to Haas, An Afghan Student’s Journey

Today’s Friday from the Frontline is a bit of a departure from our usual practice of sharing first-person accounts—but the story of Sal Parsa on the Berkeley Haas blog so captivated us that we wanted to make sure the Clear Admit audience didn’t miss it. Below, learn how Parsa went from sewing clothes in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to serving as president of the Haas Data Science Club while also working to get a career guidance platform startup off the ground. It’s inspiring, to say the least. Our thanks to Haas and Parsa for allowing us to share the story here. Read more

Published: February 2, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: A Ross Student on How to Act on Climate Change as Business Leaders

How can the business leaders of tomorrow act on climate change? Micaela Battiste, a dual-degree MBA/MS student at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and School Natural Resources and Environment, provides three concrete examples in a recent post on the school’s Student Voices blog. She traveled with a delegation of 10 other Michigan students and faculty to the 2016 United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Marrakesh, part of an effort to bring transparency to the COP process. Returning from that conference, Battiste shares that the number of companies committed to taking action against climate change has Read more

Published: January 26, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: A Haasie Leans In to Increase Ranks of Women in Venture Capital

That women make up only seven percent of partners at the leading 100 venture capital firms wasn’t a deterrent for UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA student Kira Noodleman, it was a challenge. Her self-professed passion for solving “problems that matter” and natural gravitation toward “sink-or-swim” environments led her to a summer internship at Bee Partners, a venture capital firm founded by a fellow Haasie. On the last day of her internship, she was offered a full-time position, which she recently accepted. In the thoughtful post that follows, Noodleman reflects on how Haas’s four “Defining Principles” influenced Read more

Published: January 12, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: Thai Adventure for MIT Sloan Student

Today’s Fridays from the Frontline comes to us from an Indian-born MIT Sloan School of Management MBA student currently in Thailand. Partha Sharma, now in his second year at Sloan, is taking part in the MIT Sloan Global Entrepreneurship Lab, or G-Lab, an experiential learning opportunity in which students spend three months working remotely from MIT with a host company headquartered elsewhere in the world and then three weeks on site at the company’s offices during their January break from classes. This year, Sloan students are in 13 different countries—Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Read more

Published: January 5, 2017

Fridays from the Frontline: Are You My Alma Mater?

Chicago native Sabrina Lakhani’s pre-MBA career took her—literally and figuratively—all over the map. From Babson College in Boston she headed to a small Connecticut marketing consultancy for a couple of years before volunteering as a full-time project coordinator at a hospital for children in Kabul. From there it was on to East Africa, working first on a network of hospitals and later on a network of schools. She then returned to work for her family’s businesses in Chicago before joining a decision heuristics science‒based marketing firm as director of client services. In choosing an MBA program, she wanted one that Read more

Published: December 22, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Navigating Complex MBA Decision-Making Process

Pierre Girard, a 2016 graduate of the Weekend MBA program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, shares his tips for the complex decision-making process that can accompany choosing to pursue an MBA. For Girard, a father to two small children who planned to continue working while getting his MBA, a part-time MBA program was the best way to meet all of his goals. And some of his tips—such as hiring a maid if your budget allows it—seem perhaps less geared toward traditional full-time MBA students than others. But at its core, the bulk of Girard’s advice is applicable no matter what kind of MBA degree you’re planning to pursue. The support of your network, setting realistic expectations about your schedule, and knowing how to prioritize are just as critical for full-time, two-year MBA students as they are for full-time employees who are working toward their MBA in the evenings or on the weekends. Read more

Published: December 15, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Five Tips to Make the Most of Your Campus Visit

Perhaps you’re in the extraordinarily fortunate position of needing to choose between multiple schools that have offered you admission in Round 1. Or maybe you are furiously working on your Round 2 applications. Wherever you are in your process, campus visits can play a vital role in choosing where you ultimately decide to enroll. Today’s Friday from the Frontline post—from Natalia Suarez, a second-year MBA student at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business—provides valuable tips for how to make the most of your campus visit. Suarez, who was born in Colombia but raised in New Jersey and Georgia, Read more

Published: December 8, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Unlocking a World of Opportunities as an International MBA Student

Today’s Fridays from the Frontline contribution comes to us from Prerana Manvi, a second-year student at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. A native of India, Manvi shares in detail her experiences as an international MBA student—including the many opportunities her time at Kenan-Flagler has afforded her. For Manvi, success as an international MBA student has hinged on taking full advantage of in-class opportunities, extracurricular activities and real-world experience. Among other things, she has played an active role in student clubs, serving as vice president of international experience for the Consulting Club and president of the MBA Net Impact Club. Read more

Published: December 1, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: How Did I Get Here? The Road from Science to an MBA

Just how did Chilean native Ignacio Cabrera—with an education in molecular biotechnology engineering and bacteriology and work experience first as research scientist at BioAmber and later as a microbial applications scientist at Kerry Inc.—find his way into an MBA program at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business? Lucky for us, he candidly shared his journey—including the fact that making the choice to leave his scientific career for business school was far from easy—as part of a recent blog post on the Tuck 360 MBA blog. Luckier still, he’s given permission for that blog post to be republished here for all the Clear Admit audience to read. Read more

Published: November 17, 2016

Fridays from the Frontline: Harvard MBA on the Politics of Free Speech

As President-elect Donald Trump begins to establish his cabinet, many are still processing the outcome of the U.S. election earlier this month. At Harvard Business School (HBS), second-year MBA student Preeya Sud, who serves as editor-in-chief of the school's newspaper the Harbus, sought out reaction from her classmates in the days immediately following the election, only to find that few students were comfortable signing their names to their political views, regardless of what those views were. Instead, the Harbus invited students to express their reactions anonymously. Read more

Published: November 10, 2016

Friday from the Frontlines: #MBAsOpenUp at Goizueta

In the wake of an extraordinarily contentious American presidential election with a result that stunned many both within the United States and around the world, much remains uncertain. This much, though, is clear: The election of Donald Trump to serve as its 45th president has revealed the United States as a deeply divided society and underscored the vital importance of dialogue to reach a point of understanding and a path toward a future that supports and protects the rights of all the country’s citizens. Read more

< 1 … 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 … > 30

MBA Applywire

September 16, 2026 7:32pm ET

Applying: Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern

Intake Year: 2028

Pre-MBA Career: Manufacturing Fortune 250

Post MBA Career: Consulting, Energy, Management Consulting, Technology

GPA: 3.23

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: Chicago

Post MBA Location: New York

Notes:

Hello,

Here is my background:
- Graduated Dec 22, Engineering top 10 program USA
- Starting work in Aug 2023 in Engineering Leadership Dev program at fortune 250 manufacturing
- Did 1 year working product marketing in USA
- Did 1 year working an expat in Eastern Europe doing continuous improvement in Manufacturing
- Now Strategic planner for business transformation in a sub business unit that is underperforming (leading corporate planning process/getting involved in manufacturing ops turnaround)

GMAT: Not taken yet but confident I can get above 700

Not sure if my work history/a potentially high gmat score will get me into these schools. Is industrial manufacturing background valued? I've got some good stories to tell and really want to get the MBA to broaden my understanding of other industries and go in a generalist consultant to top firm.

Thanks!

September 16, 2026 12:03pm ET

Applying: Harvard Business School

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: B pharm

Post MBA Career: Consumer Goods, Health, Health Care, Pharmaceutical, Management Consulting, Marketing

GMAT: 720

GPA: 3.7

Location: Mumbai

September 14, 2026 6:31am ET

Applying: Chicago Booth, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg

Intake Year: 2028

Pre-MBA Career: Technology (Industrial Cybersecurity)

Post MBA Career: Technology

GMAT: 695

GPA: 4.57

Years of Work Experience: -9

Location: Singapore

Post MBA Location: USA, Singapore

Notes:

Planning to apply 2027 R1 but doubtful on whether the school list makes sense and whether my profile is competitive enough given the stats. I have a year to prepare for applications so I am trying my best to fix any gaps, and I would be grateful for any insights/advice.

Demographics: 24F, Indian, long-term Singapore resident

GMAT: 695 Focus (Q87 / V84 / DI85) | Superscore: 705

GPA: 4.57 / 5.0 (First Class), B.E. in Computer Science (Specialized in Cybersecurity & AI) from a Singapore university

Field: OT/Industrial Cybersecurity

Work Experience (4 years at matriculation):

Current: Product Cybersecurity Engineer at F500 Industrial Automation MNC. Leading security strategy and activities for a portfolio of industrial/IoT applications. Coordinating cross-functional engineering teams across US and APAC (but no direct reports).

Previous: Cybersecurity Engineer at F100 Industrial Automation MNC. Company award recipient for automating risk assessment processes across APAC teams. Hold specialized industry certifications.

Extracurriculars & Leadership:

Active mentor for foreign domestic workers (financial empowerment + digital literacy) and rural youth employability programs in Asia.

Active speaker/volunteer at a regional Women in Tech community;

College: Dance Captain for 2 years, selected for INSEAD mentorship & Bloomberg Women in Finance programs.

Career Goals

Short-Term: Product Security / Tech Leadership at an industrial technology firm or specialized B2B tech advisory practice.

Long-Term: Launch/lead an industrial cybersecurity advisory practice focused on industrial SMEs across Southeast Asia.

Why MBA: Transition from technical execution to business/product strategy, build executive leadership capability.

Questions: Is the above school list reasonable or should I be dropping (or adding) any schools? Given my overrepresented background, is my profile competitive or do I need to work on some aspects?

Thank you in advance!

September 13, 2026 3:02pm ET

Applying: Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, Penn / Wharton, Rice / Jones, Stanford GSB, UT Austin / McCombs

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Petroleum Engineer

Post MBA Career: Energy, Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil

GMAT: 665

GPA: 3.4

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Texas

Post MBA Location: Texas/Southwest

Notes:

Hey Y'all,

Background: 27M, Mexican-American based in Texas

I am planning to apply this year. I studied petroleum engineering at a large Texas school and graduated with a 3.4 GPA. After graduating, I started working as a field engineer for a oil field services company for about 3 years. I was then promoted into more of an in office engineering role at this service company where I work with modeling & data analysis. I have been doing the in office engineering for about 2 years.

Post MBA, I want to work at a large oil company (think Shell, Chevron, etc) in acquisitions and divestitures using my engineering background + business skills.

Extracurriculars:
-I volunteer with coaching a local youth baseball league
-I volunteer with Hispanic students with college prep & admissions
-I volunteer with GED tutoring

Looking forward to hearing on how to improve my profile! I am really looking to maximize possible scholarships.

September 13, 2026 11:41am ET

Applying: Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Penn / Wharton, Stanford GSB

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: MBB Consulting

Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking

GMAT: 715

GPA: 3.2

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Mexico

Post MBA Location: NYC

View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

September 17, 2026 2:28pm ET

Applied to Harvard Business School

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GRE

GPA: 3.6

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Finance, Venture Capital

Juno Member: Not yet

September 17, 2026 10:38am ET

Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck

Round: Round 1

Received via email on September 08, 2026

Standardized Test: GRE

GPA: 3.56

GRE: 315

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Health Care, Pharmaceutical

Application Location: NYC

Juno Member: Not yet

September 16, 2026 8:28pm ET

Applied to Harvard Business School

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.85

GMAT: 745

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking, Private Equity

Juno Member: Not yet

September 16, 2026 6:03am ET

Applied to Harvard Business School

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.39

GMAT: 695

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Other Industries

Application Location: United Kingdom

Juno Member: Not yet

September 15, 2026 8:29pm ET

Applied to Columbia Business School

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.89

GMAT: 695

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Management Consulting

Application Location: United States, NYC

Juno Member: Not yet

View or Submit Entries

Live
Wire