Calling all SDA Bocconi MBA Applicants: (2017 Intake) Class of 2018!!

Reserved Post.

Whoa!! Why so deadly quiet here? How many are applying in November and December?

Hi! I applied the third week of September, and got an email yesterday informing me I was admitted. I'm very excited to start next fall. If anybody wants any help I could gladly share my application experience. Best of luck to everyone applying!


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Hey everyone
I am Akash from india. Got accepted just yesterday after a 4 week post interview wait. Please feel free to ask me anything about the application process or timelines

Cheers

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Hi everyone

I received email confirmation today that I was accepted. I applied in the first week of October and had my interview in the final week of October. Happy to share application experiences with anyone interested. Good luck to all!

James

Congrats on being admitted Akash and James!! Great to see more future classmates here. It's been quiet here for a while.


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Congrats to you too AxT4 ! Congrats James and welcome to the group !

Nice to finally have some activity. Can you guys introduce yourselves so that we can get to know each other ?

I ll go first : Akash Nayak 26/m from Hyderabad India, gmat 1: 650, gmat 2: 700, worked for a couple of years for a bio pharma company in the international business team and handled projects in East Africa, then moved back home 2,5 years ago to start a dialysis centre which I have been running ever since.

Looking forward to meeting you guys in September !


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Good idea Akash; interesting background. I'll go next:

My name is Andre, I'm 32, from Peru. GMAT 590 (low, I know).
Over 6 years working in supply chain for EPC (O&G) and Mining companies.
Around 3 years in family business related to importation&sales, and later on in real estate development.
Over a year with a restaurant ownership and management experience as well.

Looking forward to September!


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That's a really interesting profile Andre, especially the fact that you have owned and managed a restaurant. Shall we start a https://gmatclub.com/chat group for everyone in MBA 43 ?

I wonder where all the admitted people are ? This group is a bit silent.


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Hi
I submitted my application for MBA 3 days ago.
The video preinterview is pending.
What kind of questions are there in the preinterview?
anything that needs prepration like: Why MBA, why SDA, strengths, weaknesses etc?

thanks
Vikas

Nothing very special in the video pre interview. You will be asked 4 questions for which you will be given 15 seconds to think of your answer and then 1 minute to answer the question.

I was asked questions like : what after mba ? What characteristics should a leader have? What are you long term goals after the mba? Etc...

They basically want to make sure you speak good English and whether it is actually you who has written the essays. (Read your essays before you appear for the preinterview)

Hope that helps , good luck !


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Great answer Akash.

Vikas, just to add a couple of things:
- It might help practicing answering questions under a minute so you can manage the time and not rush or take too long when you actually do the video preinterview.
- Stay calm and speak clearly.
Good luck!


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Ciao a tutti!

I'm excited to have found this group. It sounds like you all have had some really cool experiences, and Bocconi will have a pretty accomplished and high-power MBA class!

I completed my Bocconi interview (over Skype) on Jan. 16th, so from what others have said here it sounds like I should expect a response in about 3 weeks. A little about myself:

American, Male, 31yo, Married w/one little one
Did both undergrad and master's in International Relations - Undergrad at BYU in Utah, Master's at U. of Amsterdam in Netherlands
Served a two-year full time church mission in Italy - learned the language and loved the country (hence my interest in Bocconi)
~5 years WE in tech consulting with Wipro and TEKsystems - in Amsterdam, Houston, and Cincinnati - Oil and Gas and Retail Banking
Also love language learning in general - have studied Arabic, French, Dutch, some German and Spanish

I'm interested in pursuing mgmt. consulting in the Middle East or Europe. I'm also looking into Luxury retail - something I had never thought of before, but the more I read about it the more I think it could be a really good fit for me.

What excites me about Bocconi:
- Living in a world cultural capital
- Access to jobs across Europe
- Diverse student body
- SMALL student body and 1:1 faculty to student ratio - this really makes SDA stand out for me. I'm excited to get to know everyone and have a network for life.
- 1-year, relatively cheaper city (vs. Paris, London, Boston, etc.) - less debt!
- Luxury management track

What worries me about Bocconi:
- Name recognition in US - virtually nil
- Salaries lower than more high profile schools (INSEAD, LBS)
- Less attention from top firms - although I don't know if this is true
- Italian (and European) economy right now - not looking so great

As you can see, I've applied to lots of places, and it won't be until March when I'll have my final responses. And scholarships could definitely sway my choice. So it's too early to say that I will for sure pick Bocconi, but I am leaning that way for the reasons above. In any case, I'm glad to hear from you all. It sounds like you would make great classmates.

Dear all,

Pleasure to e-meet you all and hope to actually have the chance to meeting you in the close future.
I have also applied at SDA Bocconi - full time MBA. I had my interview last week and looking forward to receiving an answer.

A bit about myself: 27 yo, Male, Italian origins, born and raised in Quebec, Canada. Bachelors in Building Engineering. Currently living and working in Dubai, UAE for two years now. Project Management of building design projects. Recently married. Speak English, French and Italian. Learning Armenian.

I have chosen Bocconi because it is the strongest school in Italy and keeps increasing in European and international rankings. I would aspire to working or having business ties in Italy in the future.

Wish you all the best and will keep you posted on my outcome.

Best,

Mixed feelings right now...

On the one hand, I just got my acceptance to Bocconi!

On the other hand, a separate email said that they are unable to offer any scholarship/tuition waiver "this round", and I'll continue to be considered in future rounds. Also, I am required to register and pay a 10.000 euro installment by Feb. 24th (9 days away!). Getting that much cash together quickly would be difficult for me, but I would gladly do it if Bocconi was my only/top choice.

However, I am looking at a couple of options, including a full-tuition offer from a good American school (UNC Kenan-Flagler) and pending decisions in the next couple weeks from other good schools (Oxford SBS, Yale, BYU). And to be honest these schools have been much better in terms of making the application process easy and getting me excited about their programs.

The other schools also do the following:
- Scholarship at time of acceptance (to be fair, maybe some students do get scholarships at this stage, but from reading last year's SDAB forum it sounds like many highly qualified students ended up waiting)
- Much more time between acceptance and deposit (this allows time to arrange federal or other student loans necessary to start paying)
- Lower deposit ~$3.000

Of course Bocconi is a great school, and of course they are the ones to decide to whom they will give scholarships and when. But for me it's looking like I will have to pass on what could have been a great opportunity. Peccato!

Congrats on your admission Dave! Sure looks like you have a difficult decision to make. Have you tried requesting an extension for the 1st installment (never hurts to try)?
It's great you have plenty of choices from other schools and significant financial aid possibilities. Good luck and let us know what you decided!


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Thanks, Andre! That's good advice; I will definitely ask them for an extension since I have nothing to lose. And forgive me if I ranted a bit I guess I was just surprised by the short response period and it had me kind of panicked yesterday. Did you (and others on the forum) have a similar turnaround time to submit your first installment? I can kind of see their logic, because Bocconi is a small and unique school and I think most people who apply there are specifically aiming for Bocconi. Therefore most people, once they're admitted, will not have a problem signing up and getting started. But for people like me who are casting the net a little bit wider, that's a very short time to decide!

In any case, again congratulations to all who have been admitted - that's a great accomplishment in itself. I'll keep you posted on my decision-making process.