How tough is it to get into B-School for the class of 2010?

I suppose it is indeed that tough then. It will be interesting to see if the down-turn in the economy forced a lot of last minute apps this year, or if it will lead to a lot of well prepared apps next year. The timing seemed to fall right as Round 1 came to an end.. As an 09 applicant, I hope they all submitted this year!

~Sam

At Wharton Welcome Weeken, Thomas Caleel said that we had "distinguished ourselves amongst close to 7,400 other candidates". I assume this is R1 and R2. If we project R3 at ~675 people, then we have a nice 8,000 applicants, vs. 6,600 last year. Assuming constant yield (optimistic), they admit 1,150 and admission rate goes down from 17% to 14.3%. Of course, there's a good chance yield will be high, and so they may admit only 1,050 (fewer cross admits with HBS and Stanford), bringing the admission rate down to 13.1%

And next year is only going to be worse...I remember HBS was at 9-10%, MIT was at 11-12%, Wharton at 12-13% back in 2001...

Oh, and best case scenario is you assume the ~7400 was the TOTAL application volume (11% increase, which seems low given numbers I have seen at MIT, etc.), in which case the admission "only" goes down to 14-15%.

Word at the HBS admit weekend was that apps were up about 10%.

Wow you guys are freaking me out. Sucks being an 09 applicant if things really do get worse.

I'm really freaked out also. I don't want to be too heavily influenced by group paranoia...but I'm starting to think that I should pair my school list down even more. Pick 3-4 (as opposed to 6 or 7)schools that really fit me, and that I really fit...then work extremely hard at shaping my entire "package".

I think that you need to be honest with yourself. Not everyone is going to get into a top 5 or even top 10 school. Come up with the best presentation for who you are and really focus on showing your fit. I would say do 3 R1 applications and be prepared for another 2 or 3 in R2. Dont limit yourself to the M7 or top 10s. Go for a variety of schools if you are really serious and dont want to reapply if you dont get a top 5.

I think choosing the right schools for you is the most important thing. The schools that you fit at the best are the ones you have the best chance of getting into.

I am a 2011 applicant, I hope the numbers look better by then

Haas' numbers went up between 20-27% this year. Last year they had 3200, this year they'll have nearly 3900. With a yield of 50% (which may go up this year), they admit roughly 500 students... so it's down to abou 12% this year (13.7% last year)...

but don't worry too much, they said that they don't expect a 20% increase for 2009, probably 10-15%. If you're starting now, you're already way ahead of everyone else! Keep contributing here and we'll help you get into your dream school.

It's also important to remember that if you have some specific goals, then its worth applying to school which can support those goals, or can make those goals more achieveable. e.g if you wish to work in the East or West Coast, then consider applying to schools based in those areas because you will get more companies from those regions visiting your school. Same applies if you wish to work internationally, look for schools which have strong alumni bases in the countries you wish to target (or apply to a strong regional international school).

Likewise, if you are targetting Finance, then a school based in a financial hub is important. e.g NY, Chicago, London etc. (If you want a back door into a top IB, consider Hong Kong or Singapore). If Hi-Tech is your thing, West Coast will provide more opportunities.

You make me feel happy.

Offer only applies if the dream school is a real one and not an imaginary one

Kellogg has said they are up about 20% this year...last years class was too big and yield should probably be stronger this year. So they should be in the teens.

For the M7 across the board, it seems we will see admit rates dip sub 20% with Harvard slipping possibly into the single digits with Stanford.

Yes, it does suck. Sorry

c'est la vie ... trying to time the market is very difficult ... and far too many potential problems could materialize. I think folks need to dig deep to determine whether this is the right move, right time and right place.

Also - a very important question is whether it is a this year or bust situation. A lot of folks may have multiple years to apply so that should be taken into account as well.

Having said all of the above, I too am quite miffed at what is going to happen this year.

ii think t's even tougher for me,an overseas student