Upcoming December MBA Application Deadlines
As winter approaches and December comes into clear view, let’s review all the major upcoming MBA application deadlines for December and January. Get those applications in ASAP so you have more time to enjoy the holidays with friends and family as you await your acceptance letter in 2019. Best of luck, and Happy New Year in advance! Continue reading…
October MBA Deadlines: NYU Stern, Ivey, Lehigh, and More
Douglas Adams once wrote, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Prospective MBAs applying for business school can appreciate Adams’ humorous writing, but should do their best to not live by the British author’s procrastinating prose. That’s where MetroMBA comes in! Check out our list of upcoming MBA program application deadlines in our top metros: Continue reading…
Applications Down 4.5 Percent at HBS, But Applicant Quality Remains High
The release of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Class of 2020 profile statistics last week revealed that the Boston school—like many of its U.S. peers—saw a decrease in overall application volume, but median GMAT score and GPA remained unchanged from the prior year at 730 and 3.71 respectively. The admit rate, 11 percent, was also unchanged year over year. So though he was working from a smaller pool of 9,886 applicants (down from 10,351 last year), Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee did not sacrifice on quality.
Harvard Business School Application Slips for Class of 2020
HBS is one of many leading U.S. business schools to see application volume drop off in this most recent application cycle. A strong economy paired with concerns among international applicants about potential student and work visa challenges made for even more dramatic declines at schools like UNC Kenan-Flagler and Georgetown’s McDonough School, which reported double-digit drops of 18.3 and 16.2 percent respectively. Yield at HBS–which is to say the percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll–slipped from 91 to 90 percent. Still, HBS remains far and away the leader in this statistic.
Applications are down 4.5 percent at HBS, but declines across other U.S. MBA programs was much more apparent.
At HBS, the 4.5 percent application volume decline was spread between both international and domestic applicants. International students make up slightly more of the HBS class this year, 37 percent compared to 35 percent last year. They hail from 69 countries as compared to 70 for the Class of 2019.
Another interesting development is the increase in GRE takers among admitted students. A record-setting 15 percent of the incoming class got there on the strength of their GRE scores, up from 12 percent last year. It’s only in the past couple of years that schools have begun to disclose the percentages of students who submit GRE scores in lieu of GMAT scores, which used to be the gold standard. But at HBS and elsewhere, a growing number of applicants seem to be taking schools at their word that they are indeed test agnostic.
There were not a lot of major shifts elsewhere in the statistics for the newest HBS class. The percentage of women is down by one point, slipping from 42 to 41 percent. U.S. ethnic minorities remained constant year over year at 26 percent of the class. The average age also remains unchanged at 27.
Applicants from Private Equity, Tech, Increase
In terms of prior work experience, there were again few shifts from the prior year. Slightly more students came in from private equity/venture capital (16 percent, compared to 15 percent last year), tech (also 16 percent, up from 15), and government/non-profit (7 to 8 percent). These upticks correlate with small declines in students from industrial/heavy manufacturing and other services. Military veterans make up 5 percent of the Class of 2020, on par with the Class of 2019.
And in terms of what students in this year’s entering class studied as undergraduates, again HBS showed little fluctuation. Economics/business majors make up the largest portion—46 percent, up from 45 percent last year. STEM undergrads also increased one percentage point, from 36 to 37 percent. Humanities/social science undergraduates made up just 17 percent of the class, down from 19 percent last year.
To view HBS’s complete Class of 2020 profile, click here.
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from our sister site, Clear Admit.
July MBA Application Deadlines Are Coming Up
Yes, it’s finally summertime and the livin’ is easy, but that doesn’t mean you can sleep on these upcoming MBA application deadlines. Take a look at which programs have deadlines coming up, and get these applications in now so you can hurry back to the beach and work on that tan! Continue reading…
Admissions Tip: How to Reapply to Business School
Consulting expert Alex Brown from Clear Admit recently offered up four incredibly valuable tips for potential students who want to reapply for a business degree, which you can read below.
With many MBA programs getting close to being ready to release their final round decisions, the application season will soon be coming to a close. While we would like to hope that today’s topic isn’t apropos for too many of our readers, we wanted to offer some advice to applicants who’ve been rejected from their preferred programs and are planning on reapplying next season. While it’s important to take some time to deal with the disappointment, it’s never too early to begin thinking about the next season, and there are a number of steps you can take to improve your candidacy and move toward a stronger application.
Reevaluate.
While it’s certainly difficult when things don’t go as planned, this is actually a great chance to take stock of your career and goals and to make sure that an MBA is still a logical and necessary step at this point. It’s this sort of reflection that can lead to refined career goals and a clearer sense of the reasons you need a business education.
Revisit your applications.
Once you’ve gained some distance from the emotional and time-consuming application process, it’s wise to review the materials you submitted to the schools with a critical eye. Having learned much about the process simply by applying, it’s likely that you’ll be able to identify a number of things that you could have done better. Whether you suspect your downfall was something like a strategic misstep in an essay or interview or a more glaring weakness like a low GMAT or lack of extracurricular involvement, there is plenty of time to address your shortcomings before submitting an application next year.
Consider your data points.
Your results this year may reflect some valuable information about your competitiveness at a top program. It’s important that you only apply to schools that you would be happy attending, but if you were unsuccessful at all of the programs to which you applied, it might be time to think about how realistic your list of target schools was and to add a few more to the mix. This is especially true for applicants who only applied to one or two programs this time around; there is an element of randomness and luck in the admissions process, and no matter how qualified the applicant, we recommend that a candidate target four to six programs to have a strong chance of success.
Schedule a feedback session, if applicable.
While it’s possible that you’ve identified your weaknesses in retrospect or even were aware of them when you went into the process, if you’ve been denied by a school that offers feedback to applicants and are planning on reapplying, you should absolutely take advantage of this opportunity to learn of the adcom’s perspective and demonstrate your commitment to the program. In fact, reapplying without seeking feedback when offered can raise questions for the adcom about how seriously an applicant is taking the process and the school. Of course, some schools do not offer feedback to anyone and others, such as Tuck, selectively offer feedback only to particularly promising candidates. There is naturally high demand for this service at programs that provide slots on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s important that you make a point of requesting a feedback session at the earliest possible time.
How Can You Get a Job at Boston Consulting Group in 2018?
Boston Consulting Company—a global management consulting firm— has offices across more than 90 cities and 50 countries, advising clients in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, including a healthy chunk of Fortune 500 companies. Considered one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world, BCG was ranked fourth in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2018.
But, how can an MBA help you land a BCG job?
Working for BCG
According to Management Consulted, BCG has a demanding recruiting and hiring system. The firm hires undergrads as associates who work for two to three years before moving on or pursuing an MBA. However, it is very difficult and highly unlikely for an associate to make the leap to consultant without an MBA. If you’re hired as an MBA, you enter as a consultant with plenty of room for growth—to project team leader, principal, and then, finally, as a partner partner.
According to former BCG senior partner Lucy Brady, the company looks for a candidate’s record of academic and professional success, but also want to hire candidates who have overcome setbacks.
“We look for resiliency and adaptability, and the ability to learn from your mistakes and grow from them,” she said in a previous interview.
CNN revealed that 11.72 percent of MBAs want to work for BCG. However, BCG’s recruiting process is demanding, with Glassdoor previously ranking the firm among the most difficult companies to interview with.
The high job demand and lengthy interview process isn’t without reason: MBAs typically thrive at BCG due to the companies the emphasis on career development. BCG’s PTO (predictability, teaming, and open communication) policies allow for a healthy work-life balance for employees, which has paid numerous dividends. Internal surveys have shown that the program has led to a 74 percent increase in reported intentions to stay with the company for the long term. BCG was also among the companies that signed the 2016 White House Equal Pay Pledge.
BCG Recruiting on Campus
BCG actively recruits students on college and university campuses around the world. Campus visits are a way for students to connect with BCG, learn more about potential job opportunities, and feel out whether a career at BCG is a good fit.
“We have a presence at many of the top universities across the U.S., including Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, University of Michigan, Duke, and the University of Texas,” Tina Gao, BCG recruiting director, said in a previous interview. “We come to campus and hold a presentation to introduce the company and then are available for Q&A sessions. We also come back to help people train for our interviews and learn more about the company. We’ll come back to campus to interview the candidates we choose.”
You can see more upcoming BCG on campus events here. However, if your campus does not have a dedicated page, BCG encourage students to complete an online application for consulting internships.
BCG Internships
BCG’s consulting internship programs can be a great opportunity for students to get a feel for the the life of a consultant. BCG Associate and Consultant interns work with current BCG consultants, and are expected to contribute to a real client project. Interns are considered as true case team members and are tasked with everything from working on client projects to socializing with colleagues.
According to BCG, internships vary depending on the project or location. Some interns are expected to travel, but do return to their home offices at the end of each week for special events and social activities. Orientation and training sessions ease interns int their roles before being assigned to a case that aligns with their personal and professional goals, as well as the firm’s business needs.
BCG accepts online applications from exceptional business school, engineering, science, law, and humanities students who are nearing the completion of their undergraduate or graduate studies.
BCG MBA Fellows
If you’re an MBA who wants to get your foot in the door at BCG, it’s worth looking into the BCG Fellows MBA Program, which provides top applicants with monetary awards and individual mentorship by BCG consultants.
The fellow program is only available to full-time MBAs studying at the following business programs: Columbia Business School, Fuqua School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stern School of Business, Tuck School of Business, Anderson School of Management, Booth School of Business, Ross School of Business, Darden School of Business, The Wharton School and Yale School of Management.
BCG MBA Salaries
If you score a job at BCG, you’ll also be earning a big paycheck—well worth the hours of MBA studies and the rigorous recruiting process. According to Management Consulted, MBAs hired a BCG make earn the following within their first year of employment:
- Signing Bonus: Up to $30,000
- Base: $147,000
- Relocation: $2,000-8,000
- Performance Bonus: up to $44,100
- Retirement: Profit-sharing into a 401k
