EssaySnark

  • about
  • contact
  • help
  • sign up
  • login
CLICK FOR MORE!
  • Essay Questions
    • Harvard
    • Stanford
    • Wharton
    • Chicago Booth
    • Kellogg
    • MIT Sloan
    • Tuck
    • NYU Stern
    • Columbia
    • Yale SOM
    • Berkeley Haas
    • UVA Darden
    • Duke Fuqua
    • Michigan Ross
    • UCLA Anderson
    • Cornell
  • Strategy Guides
    • MBA Reapplicant Guide
    • Pitching Entrepreneurship as Your Post-MBA Career
    • Applying to European Business Schools
    • School-Specific MBA Application Guides
      • Harvard 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Stanford 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Wharton 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Kellogg 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Chicago Booth 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Columbia 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • *MORE SCHOOL-SPECIFIC GUIDES HERE*
  • MBA Consulting
    • Free essay reviews
    • What stage are you in?
    • Military MBA
    • Testimonials & Reviews
  • My SnarkCenter
    • My Strategy Guides
    • My Favorite Posts

($) OH NO! Bschools in trouble! (aka, Are MBA applications REALLY tanking?)

July 2, 2019 by EssaySnark - Discusses Harvard, Yale SOM Leave a Comment

Apparently it’s time for our “Is there a bubble?!?” post.

We write these every few years (2015 version: Our annual “bubble” post; 2014 version: The whole “MBA bubble” thing rises again; 2011 version: The cost of education/is there a bubble? 8-part series), because apparently it’s a cyclical trend. The media gets bored, or someone (usually an academic) gets ticked off at the fact that there are a bunch of MBA students pushing salaries higher in corporations everywhere (starting salaries of fresh-minted MBA grads are now higher than what many professors make at lower-tier schools) and we get another round of articles in business publications about the end of the MBA as we know it.

We shouldn’t get too cheeky, of course; it’s very possible that the bottom will fall out of this market, and then where would we be? With no MBA essays left to snark?

That definitely happened to law schools not even that long ago.

But despite what you may have read in the news, it doesn’t look like there’s risk of that happening for bschools anytime soon.

Part of the issue is when you hear about trends among business schools, they’re almost always being reported on across all business schools. You may not be aware of just how many business schools there are in this country. Like, thousands. We only talk about ~20 of them here, because the folks who wander into Snarkville are looking to go to one of the most prestigious, competitive, selective programs. The best of the best. The ones you need help in crafting a pitch to, because of how few they accept. We don’t waste your time talking about the essay questions for the University of Louisiana’s school of business because — no offense to Moody but — you don’t need the ‘Snark’s help getting in. It’s just not the same situation.

So when you get a headline from a reputable institution like Inside Higher Ed that applications to MBA programs in the U.S. are falling , well… Yes, that statement is true. But it’s not true at every school, especially not the schools that you care about, or not to the extent that they are saying.

How about some data:

HBS App Volumes

Or to put it differently:

We just randomly chose Yale as the second curve to include in that graph. It’s a good school that’s been on the upswing, and has fairly representative trendlines compared to its peers (which we would say roughly are places like MIT, Tuck, Columbia, and Duke, in terms of the competitiveness factor). As you can see, yes apps are down — but are they really DOWN?

As in, like down in the dumps?

No. They’ve only come off their recent highs.

So an easy takeaway message here folks:

No matter if you’re talking Harvard or Stanford, or some slightly less-competitive place, IT’S STILL REALLY EFFIN’ HARD TO GET IN.

 
 
 

Side note: Law schools may be in a recovery! Registrations for taking the LSAT have gone up. However, this also could be due to change in policy where test-takers can now cancel the LSAT score, which is new to this test. That change made a massive difference in the economy for GMAT tests and the apparently ceiling for scores. It would not be surprising though that the same politics that have made international MBA applicants shy away from coming to the U.S. has also motivated a new crop of applicants to try for law school. To, you know, go into politics or something, and make a difference. If you’re really feeling motivated to make some change happen in this country, law school might be a better place to be.

Filed Under: law, the admissions consulting industry Tagged With: trends Bschools: Harvard, Yale SOM

« Previous: ($) Speaking about values: What is the Behavioral Assessment at Yale and should you be scared?
Next: ($) MBA app volumes and you »

So who the heck is EssaySnark, anyway?!

We're the snarky experts in MBA admissions!

Sometimes amused and often appalled by what candidates write in their MBA applications to top bschools, EssaySnark created this little blahg to share common mistakes. Learn from them and avoid making admissions directors laugh (or want to hurl) when they read your essays. If you are hoping to have your essay reviewed anonymously on the blahg for free, submit it for consideration.

Want EssaySnark's personal assistance with your MBA applications? Start with our menu of consulting services and please read the Help FAQ to learn how we operate. Still have questions after doing all that? Email Team EssaySnark at gethelpnow at essaysnark dot com.

Good luck on your apps, Brave Supplicant!

Tell us what you think. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up for the 'Snark via email

Enter your address to get weekday blahg posts by email.

UPCOMING MBA APP DEADLINES

  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 2
    in 3 weeks
  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 3
    in 3 months, 0 weeks
  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 4
    in 4 months, 2 weeks
   
   

CLASS OF 2025 MBA APPLICATION STRATEGY GUIDES

From a former BSer:
"love the guide books!"




    The 2022 Stanford MBA Application Guide - for "what matters most" in your MBA application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Stanford GSB for the Class of 2025
   
    The 2022 Harvard MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2025!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Harvard Business School!
   
  The 2022 Wharton MBA Application Guide - even more advice on how to get to a win with those essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for The Wharton School - with clear guidance for the 2022 essays!
   
  The 2022-2023 Columbia MBA Application Guide
SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia Business School for 2022-2023 applications
   
    The 2022 MIT Essay Guide covers the org chart, the cover letter and 'introduce yourself' video, plus the new optional short-answer question on "the world you come from" -- and everything else you need to know!
SnarkStrategies Guide for MIT Sloan MBA - totally revised for the Class of 2025!
   
    The 2022 Kellogg Essay Guide - with a full methodology to identify your 'lasting impact' and your 'values'
SnarkStrategies Guide for Kellogg MBA - revised for 2022!
   
    The 2022 UVA Darden MBA Application Guide gives insights on the essays, Early Action, the possibility of a test waiver, and everything else going on here!
SnarkStrategies Guide for the Darden MBA - updated for the Class of 2025 requirements!
   
   
The Yale SOM MBA Application Guide for Class of 2025 candidates!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Yale SOM - updated for 2022
   
    The 2022 Berkeley-Haas MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2025 application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Berkeley Haas - refreshed and updated, with brainstorming exercises and structured maps to help you focus your stories!
   
    The 2022-2023 NYU Stern MBA Application Guide that covers the essays, the EQ Endorsement and test strategies!
SnarkStrategies Guide for NYU - discusses your requirements for the Class of 2025 essays!
       
   
   
Get started now - without doing any work! The Comprehensive Profile Review will help you start your strategy for your MBA applications.


EssaySnark® is a registered trademark. All content copyright © 2010–2023 Snarkolicious Press · Privacy Policy