2021 Business PhD Applicants

[Dolund]

Just received an offer from INSEAD, still can't believe it.

[PhD1986]

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

Edited February 17, 2021 by PhD1986

[readrepeat]

8 hours ago, Dolund said:

Just received an offer from INSEAD, still can't believe it.

yay! which program?

[Dolund]

48 minutes ago, PhD1986 said:

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

Hi,

I think you can take up an RA position to strengthen your application. I found the following guide very useful while applying

phdguide (1).pdf

[Dolund]

18 minutes ago, readrepeat said:

yay! which program?

Entrepreneurship and Family Entreprise

[skewl]

53 minutes ago, PhD1986 said:

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

I'm sorry to hear that, but good for you for going through this process. As someone actually with a mentor in the management field, i know firsthand that the app process is idiosyncratic. Faculty might just not like your research interests, fewer spots this year, etc.

That being said, I think you're unfortunately at a higher disadvantage because you've been out of school for awhile (so you're likely older than the average applicant and less likely to have recent academic rec letters) and you also don't have a mentor so you don't know what's going on in the field and what faculty are looking for in apps/statements. You also applied to really tough schools, so my advice is to do one/some of the following: get a research job in management/ob, improve your statement (e.g. by being more specific in your interests), and apply more broadly next cycle. 

[PhD1986]

13 minutes ago, skewl said:

I'm sorry to hear that, but good for you for going through this process. As someone actually with a mentor in the management field, i know firsthand that the app process is idiosyncratic. Faculty might just not like your research interests, fewer spots this year, etc.

That being said, I think you're unfortunately at a higher disadvantage because you've been out of school for awhile (so you're likely older than the average applicant and less likely to have recent academic rec letters) and you also don't have a mentor so you don't know what's going on in the field and what faculty are looking for in apps/statements. You also applied to really tough schools, so my advice is to do one/some of the following: get a research job in management/ob, improve your statement (e.g. by being more specific in your interests), and apply more broadly next cycle. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me your feedback. That advice is helpful!

[PhD1986]

26 minutes ago, Dolund said:

Hi,

I think you can take up an RA position to strengthen your application. I found the following guide very useful while applying

phdguide (1).pdfUnavailable

Thank you! The pdf is showing as "unavailable" to me, but may not work since I'm in the states.

[Dolund]

5 minutes ago, PhD1986 said:

Thank you! The pdf is showing as "unavailable" to me, but may not work since I'm in the states.

Try this link http://www.businessphdwiki.com/doku.php

If the link doesn't work google business PhD wiki by Abhishek Nagaraj

 

 

 

[chen48y]

3 hours ago, PhD1986 said:

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

Echoing the posts above. Would also say having pre-doctoral research experience gives you a leg up during the increasingly competitive application process. Here is a link to MIT Sloan predoc opportunities: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/programs/phd/mit-sloan-predoctoral-opportunities

I applied 3 years ago while working full time only to 4 schools and got rejected from all of them. This year, got into my dream school after applying again with a MA degree and pre-doc experience at a leading business school. Don't lose hope! 

[PhD1986]

49 minutes ago, chen48y said:

Echoing the posts above. Would also say having pre-doctoral research experience gives you a leg up during the increasingly competitive application process. Here is a link to MIT Sloan predoc opportunities: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/programs/phd/mit-sloan-predoctoral-opportunities

I applied 3 years ago while working full time only to 4 schools and got rejected from all of them. This year, got into my dream school after applying again with a MA degree and pre-doc experience at a leading business school. Don't lose hope! 

That's very inspiring. I'm so happy for you being able to see those extra years pay off! I'll definitely check out those predoc opportunities; thank you!

[Phd2021fall]

Anyone heard about the Ph.D. in Marketing at University of Texas at Austin?

[PhD21]

53 minutes ago, PhD1986 said:

That's very inspiring. I'm so happy for you being able to see those extra years pay off! I'll definitely check out those predoc opportunities; thank you!

Here's a great resource that some of the top business doctoral programs have been working to develop over the last year. There are some great opportunities listed here, and there's also a detailed explanation about the benefits of these positions: https://www.predoc.org/opportunities

Best of luck!

[YCJ]

Has anyone participated in a virtual visit event BEFORE the admission decision? I am scheduled to participate in one, and I have no idea what to expect.

Since this is before the decision is made, I assume that the faculty members I'd be interacting with would also assess me. Would this be just like a series of interviews? If anyone experienced something like this, please share!

I was thinking about sending emails to the current students to see if they'd have any information, but I feel hesitant to email them because I'm still in the middle of the admission process. Is it a bad idea to email them?:/

[PhD-hopeful]

7 hours ago, PhD1986 said:

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

I applied this cycle for management after ~7 years of work experience. I am interviewing at 7 programs, and was admitted to 2 so far. I would be happy to talk through my experience applying as an "older" (29 - senior citizen!) applicant - feel free to DM me. 

[PhdOM21]

I saw one post that someone got admitted without interview for Operations Management at Kellogg. I had the interview for the same program a while ago, and I wonder whether those who had the interview also got an offer. Anyone has an update for Kellogg OM after the interview? Should I consider myself rejected if I did not hear anything until now? Any news or information would be helpful. Many thanks and fingers crossed for everyone!

[rstphd]

On 1/30/2021 at 10:12 AM, PHDWANNAB3 said:

Has anyone heard from University of Washington (Foster) or University of Texas Austin for management/OB tracks?  Or university of Texas- Dallas for OB tracks? 

I know that UTD has at least contacted initial candidates.

[skewl]

On 2/16/2021 at 1:17 AM, SaeyunKim said:

Someone posted that they got accepted by Michigan Ross's Strategy PhD program, did anyone else hear back from them? 

fyi heard from a current student that michigan strategy has sent out a couple offers already - sounds like the rest of us are waitlist? (but unsure) 

Edited February 18, 2021 by skewl

[memememecanada]

Hi. I have applied to 6 programs in Canada, as follows:

1- Rotman - University of Toronto (Organization behaviour)
2- Sauder - University of British Columbia (Organization behaviour)
3- Schulich - York University (Organisational studies)
4- Ivey - University of Western Ontario (Entrepreneurship)
5- Haskayne - University of Calgary (Entrepreneurship)
6- Beedie - Simon Fraser University (Entrepreneurship/Organisational studies)

I'v had an interview with POI in both Calgary & Simon Fraser, but that was it! Never heard back from these 2, neither was I shortlisted to interviews by the other 4programs.

I'm wondering if anyone applied to the same specialisations and heard back? which of those has the highest acceptance rate for international students with degrees from outside Canada/US? I also wonder when approximately do these universities send decisions (Either acceptance or rejection). Should I assume I'm rejected? ?

Much appreciation for any info!

[college_dropout]

On 2/17/2021 at 2:35 PM, PhD1986 said:

Thank you! The pdf is showing as "unavailable" to me, but may not work since I'm in the states.

What all these people are trying to say, is the single largest factor that will get you into a top phd program is if the faculty who you are targeting at these certain schools know/are friends with the faculty who are writing your letters of recommendation. It's some bullsh*t I know, but I've learned this the hard way after a few year of asking around until I found the right people who were willing to tell me the truth. Incestuous sure, but that's just the game these days. I still hold hope that academia is a meritocracy in the long run, but the reality is if you wanna get into a top school, you need to be networked with the right people

[Dolund]

7 hours ago, memememecanada said:

Hi. I have applied to 6 programs in Canada, as follows:

1- Rotman - University of Toronto (Organization behaviour)
2- Sauder - University of British Columbia (Organization behaviour)
3- Schulich - York University (Organisational studies)
4- Ivey - University of Western Ontario (Entrepreneurship)
5- Haskayne - University of Calgary (Entrepreneurship)
6- Beedie - Simon Fraser University (Entrepreneurship/Organisational studies)

I'v had an interview with POI in both Calgary & Simon Fraser, but that was it! Never heard back from these 2, neither was I shortlisted to interviews by the other 4programs.

I'm wondering if anyone applied to the same specialisations and heard back? which of those has the highest acceptance rate for international students with degrees from outside Canada/US? I also wonder when approximately do these universities send decisions (Either acceptance or rejection). Should I assume I'm rejected? ?

Much appreciation for any info!

I had campus visit with UBC(OB) There were 5 candidates and probably they'll make 3-4 offers. I have already withdrawn my application.

[PhD2026]

On 2/17/2021 at 11:46 PM, PhD1986 said:

Congrats to all of you who have received so many interviews and acceptances!

I applied to Management/OB/Micro programs at

• Harvard,
• Duke,
• Wharton,
• UNC-Chapel Hill, and 
• University of Georgia.

I haven't received any interviews at this point, so I'm assuming it's rejections all around. I've been out of school for a decade now and don't really have anyone to mentor me through this process. I scored well on the GMAT this summer (760) and spent hours upon hours researching POIs and writing my SOPs. As I consider trying again next year, I'm at a loss for what I could do differently to improve my candidacy. To those of you who are seeing success, what do you attribute it to the most? Do y'all have any advice for trying again in the future? 

 

Sorry to hear this! I'm someone with a significant amount of work experience, applied this year in strategy/ management to a few top schools, and got a couple of top admits and interviews at others. I'd say that if you have been doing interesting things out of school which are relevant to your future studies and you can connect them in a cohesive manner to your research interests it is actually a significant competitive advantage. A formal pre-doc or a research project goes a long way towards establishing your skill set and aptitude for research. The schools you applied are leading ones, so all aspects of your application would have to be solid (apart from your impressive GMAT).

Without knowing your full profile, it is hard to comment further. But happy to help on DM..

[PhD2026]

1 hour ago, college_dropout said:

What all these people are trying to say, is the single largest factor that will get you into a top phd program is if the faculty who you are targeting at these certain schools know/are friends with the faculty who are writing your letters of recommendation. It's some bullsh*t I know, but I've learned this the hard way after a few year of asking around until I found the right people who were willing to tell me the truth. Incestuous sure, but that's just the game these days. I still hold hope that academia is a meritocracy in the long run, but the reality is if you wanna get into a top school, you need to be networked with the right people

Would respectfully disagree..Based on what I have seen of the applications process, schools seem to prefer academic recos for sure even from those who have been out of school for a while. In my case, it was recos from good academicians but not really in the field of business/ management. Professional recos don't seem to hold much value.

I think you are spot on about the networking in a slightly different sense - writing about your research interests in a tailored and interesting way to POIs and respectfully requesting to speak to them prior to applications seems to carry a lot of weight.

[college_dropout]

1 hour ago, PhD2026 said:

Would respectfully disagree..Based on what I have seen of the applications process, schools seem to prefer academic recos for sure even from those who have been out of school for a while. In my case, it was recos from good academicians but not really in the field of business/ management. Professional recos don't seem to hold much value.

I think you are spot on about the networking in a slightly different sense - writing about your research interests in a tailored and interesting way to POIs and respectfully requesting to speak to them prior to applications seems to carry a lot of weight.

okay likely you had some heavyweights from econ backing you (or a different top field). Sure, if they google scholar your letter writer and there's a ton of citations, then okay they'll give you a look, but really don't you think by that point it's semantics

[PhD2026]

13 minutes ago, college_dropout said:

okay likely you had some heavyweights from econ backing you (or a different top field). Sure, if they google scholar your letter writer and there's a ton of citations, then okay they'll give you a look, but really don't you think by that point it's semantics

Different field and like I said certainly pedigreed academics with tons of research but not the name dropping Nobel prize types or ones who could just pick up the phone etc etc..the sense I got was that good recos (similar to a good GMAT) helped in screening/ shortlisting (or avoiding rejection) but the SOP, background, writing samples, familiarity/ networking and obviously research fit drove the selection. But I could be wrong..