U.S. STEM MBA Programs: An Overview STEM certification programs have proven application bonanzas for top business schools. STEM certification may have begun pre-pandemic as a way to alleviate uncertainty in the visa process, but the programs have proven to be a robust inducement for MBA applicants, particularly from foreign countries. According to Poets & Quants,…
Vanderbilt Owen MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2022-2023]
Vanderbilt’s MBA program is small, collegial, collaborative, and very close-knit. The school has been called a “hidden gem” because it ranks in the top 5% to 10% of all business schools in the world but is often overlooked in favor of the M7 schools. However, those who do some research may find that this is…
From the Mouths of MBA Adcom Members: How to Get Accepted
Looking for the best possible admissions advice? How about admissions advice from the admission committee members themselves? Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted and host of the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast has a collection of highly enlightening interviews with directors of admissions and adcom members of top business schools! Listen in as Linda asks her adcom…
The MBA Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR): An Overview
One of the key pieces of an MBA application is the letter of recommendation. This letter, usually written by managers, gives the admissions committee an insightful perspective on the MBA candidate. However, since each program has their own unique form, and candidates are often hesitant to ask managers to fill out multiple recommendations, applicants often limit the number…
AIGAC 2019 MBA Applicant Survey Results Released
AIGAC (the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants) recently released their 2019 MBA Applicant Survey, which substantiates the idea that today’s applicants continue to consider human interaction to be a competitive advantage. More and more, applicants see the importance of talking to current MBA students when selecting schools and making decisions. Current applicants continue to…
Times Higher Education (THE) Unveils Its Long-Awaited Best Global MBA Programs
Times Higher Education (THE) in partnership with the Wall Street Journal recently released its analyzed reams of data about graduate management education and produced a ranking of “high-achieving global MBA programs.” The study ranked the programs in 20 separate performance indicators, leading to an aggregate score indicating the strength of each program and school. These…
Admissions Tips for Vanderbilt’s MBA Program [Episode 233]
This week we welcome Christie St. John, Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. Christie earned her PhD in French and Italian from Vanderbilt and worked at Vanderbilt as Director of International Relations before becoming the Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Tuck. Christie returned to Vanderbilt as Director of MBA…
Admissions Straight Talk: Interview with Christie St-John and Sandy Kinnett
For this week’s episode of Accepted Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted’s biweekly podcast, we interviewed Dr. Christie St-John, Director of Admissions, and Sandy Kinnett, Associate Director of Career Management at Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. Check out the full recording to hear our fascinating conversation about Vanderbilt Admissions and a specialization in Human and…
AIGAC 2017 MBA Applicant Survey Results Released
AIGAC (the Association of Independent Graduate Admissions Consultants) released the results of their 2017 MBA Applicant Survey, which shows an interesting paradox about millennials: they love the instantaneous availability of information in today’s digital world, yet also feel that personal attention and human contact are extremely important. Other data show that the applicant pool continues…
The MBA Admissions Directors’ Recipe for Rejection
We asked 14 admissions directors, “What behavior or information would cause you to reject an MBA applicant who otherwise is a strong candidate?” While the recipe for instant rejection may vary slightly from school to school, the common ingredients are ethical lapses and poor behavior. These are broad categories that each admissions director elaborates on…