P&Q’s Must Reads: Applications Skyrocket At The World’s MBA Programs

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: Applications Skyrocket At The World’s MBA Programs

Apps are booming to graduate business programs in a way that makes even the Covid-19 surge pale in comparison. According to data released this week by the Graduate Management Admission Council, total applications to graduate B-school programs in 2024 increased an impressive 12% from 2023 to 2024 — a sharp reversal from two straight years of declines that followed the pandemic-fueled boom of 2020-2021.

You can dig deeper into the application numbers in this story, now up on our homepage.

No. 2: Which Program Is Better: Harvard Or Stanford?

In the latest in our Ultimate Smackdown series, Stacy Blackman Consulting compares the most important stats for two of the most desired MBA programs in the world: Harvard Business School or Stanford Graduate School of Management.

Blackman’s team of former MBA admissions officers compare each school’s admission process, application essays, class demographics, rankings, salary data and more. This package also looks at the biggest changes since 2021 when the two behemoths last faced off in our smackdown challenge.

You’ll find this story, and all its valuable insights, on our homepage.

No. 3:  Northwestern Kellogg Becomes The 2nd M7 School To Achieve Gender Parity

Gender parity in full-time MBA programs has long been a goal of business schools. More and more, it’s becoming a reality.

This fall, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management became the second M7 school to enroll 50% women in its full-time MBA program, following The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which accomplished the feat for three straight years beginning in 2021. But Wharton’s streak ended this fall, making Kellogg the only one of the so-called Magnificent 7 business schools to currently enjoy an even split of women and men in their flagship program.

This story, also on our homepage, also breaks down Kellogg’s other important stats for the MBA Class of 2026.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week – which you can find in our admissions hub from the main menu. 

First up: Should You Be Honest In Your MBA Applications? This advice column from North Star Admissions explains when you should come clean when talking about leaving a previous job, your future career goals, and past failure and mistakes.

Next: Interviewing At Tuck? Be Prepared To Answer These Questions.  This article from Fortuna Admissions details five questions every Tuck prospect should expect.

Finally: Mastering The Berkeley Haas MBA Interview. This article, also from our friends at Fortuna, outlines the Haas principles, the standard Haas questions, and more of what every Haas prospect should expect during their interview.

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.