Some UK MBA Schools Reject TOEFL Exams

Some major UK business schools including the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School, Durham University Business School, and London’s Cass Business School have all suspended use of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exams as proof of English language ability for students from outside Europe.

Other UK universities are also not accepting the test. Other schools such as Said, Henley, London Business School (LBS), and Warwick have confirmed they will continue to accept the TOEFL test for students outside the European Union. 

The move comes after the BBC uncovered testing fraud. 

The UK government suspended leading test provider English Testing Service (ETS), which administers TOEFL, as official evidence of English language ability after fraud came to light in another ETS-administered test, TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), in February. 

Although ETS will no longer be an acceptable official test provider, the UK’s Home Office will accept any visa applications dependent on TOEFL provided they are submitted and paid up by July 22, 2014.

For more information, please see the original article in Poets & Quants

Crazy MBA Interview Questions from the Financial Times

The Financial Times has the following article about the craziest MBA interview questions.

• If you could be any animal, what would you be?
• How can you think that a company will pay you $100,000 a year after your MBA?
• How many hours would a dog take to walk from Madrid to Barcelona with a can on its tail?
• In what circumstances would you allow a lie?
• What is the weight in tons of Manhattan?
• What would you do if a lion entered the room at this moment?
• So you want to work in finance – tell me how would you value a dinosaur
• Explain your last job profile to a 10-year-old.
• Two, six, 42, 1806 . . . what number comes next?
• A room with a light in the centre. There are 3 switches and only one controls the light. How do you know for sure which switch controls the light if you can only enter the room once?
• Do you believe in Santa Claus?
• Estimate the cost of the ceiling tile above your head including the electricity and plumbing.
• Evaluate yourself on key Bible sins.
• How do you extract greater value for your product from your value chain without hurting the business relationships with your distributors and other value chain players?
• How many golf balls fit inside a 747 jet?
• How many hours would a dog take to walk from Madrid to Barcelona with a can on its tail?
• How would you like to be remembered when you die
• If you had to choose between fighting either a lion or a shark in its natural habitat, which would you chose?
• If you were a shape, what shape would you be?
• If your life would be made into a movie, what would the title be?
• Please prove to me that you are not arrogant.
• Teach me something about my company that I don’t know.
• Tell me about a time you had to ask “why?” five times.
• What do your friends believe is true about you that is actually a lie and why
• What is the chance that two people in the city of New York have the same number of hairs on their heads?

Source: Financial Times

MBA 留学 ニュース: ハース・ビジネススクール Berkeley / Haas Essay Topics 2014-2015

Following up on this spring’s announcement of the application deadlines for the 2014-2015 admissions season, the Haas adcom has also released its 2014-2015 essay topics. 

Applicants this year must respond to three essay questions, down from four prompts last year. The required questions are as follows:

Essay 1: Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world. How did this transform you? (400-500 word maximum)

Essay 2: What is your most significant professional accomplishment? (200-300 word maximum)

Essay 3: What is your desired post-MBA role and at what company or organization? In your response, please specifically address sub-questions a., b., and c.
a. How is your background compelling to this company?
 b. What is something you would do better for this company than any other employee?
c. Why is an MBA necessary and how will Haas specifically help you succeed at this company?
(500-600 word maximum for 3a, 3b, and 3c combined)

Optional Essays:

1.Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
2.If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 word maximum)

For more information, visit the Haas admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: MITスローン MIT / Sloan Essay Topics 2014-2015

MIT / Sloan Essay Topics 2014-2015   
We are interested in learning more about you. In each of the essays, please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did. Please draw upon experiences which have occurred in the past three years.

Essay 1:

The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and generate ideas that advance management practice.  Discuss how you will contribute toward advancing the mission based on examples of past work and activities.   (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)

Essay 2:
Write a professional letter of recommendation on behalf of yourself.  Answer the following questions as if you were your most recent supervisor recommending yourself for admission to the MIT Sloan MBA Program: (750 words or fewer)

• How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
• How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?
• Please give an example of the applicant’s impact on a person, group, or organization.
• Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people.
• Which of the applicant’s personal or professional characteristics would you change?
• Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.

Optional Essay:
The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us to know about you, in any format. If you choose to use a multimedia format, please host the information on a website and provide us the URL.

For more information, visit Sloan’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: UVA / Darden Essay Topic 2014-2015

The 2014-2015 UVA/Darden essay topic has been announced.

 This year’s question is below:

Describe the most courageous professional decision you have made or action you have taken. What did you learn from that experience? (500 words maximum.)


The 2014-2015 Darden deadlines will be updated later this summer. For more information, visit Darden’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: HEC経営大学院 HEC Paris’s January 2015 Intake Deadlines and Essay Topics

HEC Paris’s January 2015 Intake Deadlines   

Applicants to HEC Paris’s full-time and part-time MBA program still have time to apply for　admission to the MBA program’s January 2015 Intake.

HEC uses a rolling admissions process; the remaining deadlines are as follows:

Application Deadline: July 1, 2014
Decision Date: July 25, 2014

Application Deadline: August 15, 2014
Decision Date: September 19, 2014

Application Deadline: September 15, 2014
Decision Date: October 17, 2014

Application Deadline: October 15, 2014
Decision Date: November 14, 2014

Application Deadline: November 15, 2014
Decision Date: December 19, 2014

HEC Paris Essay Topics for January 2015 Intake   

HEC Paris invites applicants interested in January 2015 admission to its full-time and part-time MBA program to complete five required essays and one optional essay. The essay questions, which are posted in the online application, are as follows:

1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words.)
2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words.)
3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words.)
4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words.)
5. Please choose from one of the following essays:
a) What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why? (250 words.)
b) Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it. (250 words.)
c) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc). (250 words.)
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words.)

 Interested applicants can visit the HEC Paris Admissions page for more information.

MBA 留学 ニュース: INSEAD September 2015 and January 2016 Intake Deadlines

INSEAD has released the deadlines for both of its upcoming intakes, September 2015 and January 2016. The INSEAD admissions office added a fourth deadline to both intakes to give interested applicants an additional opportunity to apply.

The two sets of deadlines are as follows:

September 2015 Intake
Round 1
Deadline: September 24, 2014
Interview Decision Notification: October 24, 2014
Final Decision Notification: November 28, 2014

Round 2
Deadline: November 12, 2014
Interview Decision Notification: December 12, 2014
Final Decision Notification: January 23, 2015

Round 3
Deadline: January 14, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: February 13, 2015
Final Decision Notification: March 20, 2015

Round 4
Deadline: March 4, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: April 3, 2015
Final Decision Notification: May 13, 2015

January 2016 Intake
Round 1
Deadline: March 4, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: April 3, 2015
Final Decision Notification: May 13, 2015

Round 2
Deadline: April 22, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: May 29, 2015
Final Decision Notification: July 3, 2015

Round 3
Deadline: June 17, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: July 24, 2015
Final Decision Notification: August 28, 2015

Round 4
Deadline: August 5, 2015
Interview Decision Notification: September 4, 2015
Final Decision Notification: October 9, 2015

Applicants should note that applications must be submitted by 11:59PM Central European Time on the day of the deadline.  For more information, visit INSEAD’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: マコームズ・スクール・オブ・ビジネス UT Austin / McCombs Deadlines, Essay Topics 2014-2015

UT Austin / McCombs Deadlines and Essay Topics for  2014-2015 are as follows

Round 1
Deadline: October 14, 2014
Notification: December 18, 2014

Round 2
Deadline: January 6, 2015
Notification: March 26, 2015

Round 3
Deadline: March 24, 2015
Notification: May 21, 2015
 

 Essay Topics 2014-2015 

1. Imagine that you are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2017. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates, and include any personal and/or professional aspects that you believe to be significant. Select only one communication method that you would like to use for your response.

    Write an essay (250 words)
    Share a video introduction (one minute)
    Share your about.me profile

2. In the Texas MBA program, we promote a diverse and collaborative community by providing opportunities for growth in an academically rigorous environment. Please discuss why McCombs is the right program for you, what you hope to gain from your time in the Texas MBA Program both personally and professionally, and how you will contribute to your classmates’ experiences. (500 words)

Optional Essay: Please provide any additional information to the Admissions Committee that you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the Admissions Committee in considering your application. (200 words)

For example, if your standardized test scores are not exactly what you would like them to be or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting, or finance), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. Discuss any unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or any significant weaknesses in your application or extenuating personal circumstances that you think may impact your candidacy.

For more information, visit the school’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: ミシガン大学 ロス・ビジネス・スクール ・Michigan / Ross Essay Topics 2014-2015

Ross Admissions Director Soojin Kwon announced the essay questions for the Class of 2017. 

In line with Kwon’s sentiment that Ross is “changing it up this year,” the 2014-2015 application features only two essay questions, bringing down the total word count from 950 to 800.  

This year’s questions are below:

1. What are you most proud of professionally and why? 

What did you learn from that experience? (400 words)

2. What are you most proud of personally and why? 

How does it shape who you are today? (400 words)

For more information, visit the Ross admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: UCLA / Anderson Deadlines 2014-2015

The 2014-2015 UCLA/Anderson deadlines have been announced.
This year’s three deadlines are as follows:

Round 1
Deadline: October 22, 2014
Notification: January 28, 2015

Round 2
Deadline: January 7, 2015
Notification: April 2, 2015

Round 3
Deadline: April 15, 2015
Notification: June 3, 2015

Completed applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on the day of the deadline to be considered in a particular round.

For more information, visit Anderson’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: インド商科大学院 ISB Essay Topics 2014-2015

ISB’s essays are now available and can be found in ISB’s online application, which is now live. 

The 2014-2015 essays are as follows:

Essay 1: Innovation or doing things differently it is said is a key to future success. Could you substantiate or negate this idea based on your experience. Please provide examples from your own experience – either examples of your own innovation or examples of others whom you have worked with.  (300 words max)

Essay 2: Applying to and enrolling in a Business School is an important career decision. Critically look at your career to date, the choices you have made, the key influences behind those choices, your goals for the future and how you expect to benefit from the ISB experience in achieving your goals.  (300 words max)

Essay 3: One of the following (200 words max):

A) This experience completely changed my way of thinking.
B) An instance when you went out of the ordinary to achieve something significant, but in hind sight feel you could have done better.

C) Tell us about your role in a team that made a significant contribution to the organization
D) Contribution to peer learning and engagement with the ISB student body are important aspects of the ISB experience. What contribution do you expect to make in this direction during the one year at ISB.

Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (200 words max)

For additional information, please see ISB’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: ウォートン・スクール 締め切り・Penn / Wharton Essay Topics 2014-2015

Wharton has also released its 2014-2015 essay topics.  Applicants this year must respond to only one essay question totaling 500 words, a decrease from last year. 

Required Essay:
What do you hope to gain both personally and professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)

Optional Essay:
Please use the space below to highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy. (400 words)

Reapplicant Essay:
All reapplicants to Wharton are required to complete the Optional Essay. Explain how you have reflected on the previous decision about your application, and discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)

For more information, visit Wharton’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: レナード・N・スターン・スクール 締め切り・NYU / Stern Deadlines 2014-2015

The 2014-2015 NYU/Stern deadlines have been announced. 
This year’s four deadlines are below:

Round 1
Deadline: October 15, 2014
Initial Notification*:
December 15, 2014

Round 2
Deadline: November 15, 2014
Initial Notification:
February 15, 2015

Round 3
Deadline: January 15, 2015
Initial Notification:
April 1, 2015

Round 4
Deadline: March 15, 2015
Initial Notification:
June 1, 2015

*Applicants will receive one of three initial notifications: invitation to interview, waitlist offer, or denial of admissions.

All applications are due at 11:59 p.m. EST on the day of the deadline. Any mailed portions of the application must be postmarked by the deadline date.

For more information, visit Stern’s admissions website.

MBA 留学 ニュース: イェール大学スクール・オブ・マネジメント 締め切り/ Yale School of Management Deadlines 2014-2015

The Yale School of Management announced its MBA deadlines for the 2014-2015 admissions season.
Round 1
September 18th, 2014

Round 2
January 8th, 2015

Round 3
April 23rd, 2015

For more information, please see the Yale SOM Admissions Website

MBA 留学 ニュース: ニュース, ハーバード・ビジネス・スクール 締め切り／ Harvard Business School Deadlines 2014-2015

Harvard Business School (HBS) has announced its deadlines for the Class of 2017.

The deadlines are as follows:

Round 1Deadline: September 9, 2014
Notification: December 2014

Round 2
Deadline: January 5, 2015
Notification: March 2015

Round 3

Deadline: April 6, 2015
Notification: May 2015

All applications are due at 12 noon EST on the day of the deadline. If submitted after 12 noon, applications will be considered in the following round.

For more information, visit HBS’s admissions website.