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All You Need To Know About The S7 MBA Programs (Super 7)

The S7 MBA programs (The “Super 7“) was formed in 2008 as a response to the S7 MBA programs and does around 40 admissions events every year. Their place in the rankings, and their admissions and employment data make them world-class business schools.

Today, though they are not part of the S7 network, schools like UCLA, Tuck and Tepper are considered to be on the same level.

Schools in the S7 MBA programs include:

S7 MBA Programs List

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Berkeley Haas School of Business

Along with Stanford, Haas is the only Elite MBA in the Bay Area. Haas is well-known for its focus on tech innovation as an integrating social impact with for-profit business models and would provide you with an unrivaled access to the Valley – Haas is the #1 school for Tech with 33% of its graduate going into the industry.

UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business is a highly popular destination, especially among international applicants. This means the bar to demonstrate fit is quite high, and you also need to stand out in a very competitive applicant pool. Before applying, make sure your profile (demonstrated interests, your experiences, your impact, and how you have gotten things done) is a good fit for their values: innovation / ‘question the status quo’, proactively taking action to help others / ‘beyond yourself’, spirit of intellectual inquiry/ ‘student always’, and humility / ‘confidence without attitude’. Getting some of these across well in writing can be a challenge for some applicants, so leave at least a month at the end to get feedback from others.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 283
  • Admissions Rate: 17.7%
  • Yield Rate: 46.3%
  • Average GMAT: 725
  • Average GPA: 3.67
  • Women: 37%
  • International Students: 35%
  • Average Work Experience: 5.3
  • Median Salary: $137K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 93%
  • Consulting: 25.1%
  • Finance: 15%
  • Tech: 32.9%
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Yale School of Management

With a strong legacy, Yale is a school that is increasingly popular among MBA applicants. We love their innovative Raw Case study method and their Integrated Curriculum. Yale is known to be at the intersection of business and society, and usually ranks #1 or #2 for its number of graduates going into nonprofits.

As an Ivy League university, Yale needs no introduction, and its prestigious brand extends to its School of Management. Aside from typical components that most MBA applications include, Yale’s video questions allow them to hear directly from you in a relatively spontaneous way, and the behavioral assessment helps them evaluate your interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. A common pitfall is that applicants often don’t consider highlighting aspects of their background that would actually be useful. Be sure to highlight any background experiences that demonstrate how your perspective would contribute to the diversity of the SOM community.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 345
  • Admissions Rate: 25.2%
  • Yield Rate: 42.8%
  • Average GMAT: 720
  • Average GPA: 3.64
  • Women: 42%
  • International Students: 44%
  • Average Work Experience: N/A
  • Median Salary: $130K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 92.4%
  • Consulting: 37.2%
  • Finance: 23.8%
  • Tech: 12.8%
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Michigan Ross School of Business

Surely one the most underrated top MBA programs, Ross is the ideal school for people looking at entering Consulting or Tech (Ross is one of Amazon’s preferred schools). It is a school to have on your list if you value the financial aspect as Elite MBA applicants usually receive generous scholarships.

Michigan Ross is consistently among the top rankings for MBA programs, and features like MAP (multidisciplinary action projects) and Ross Open Road continue to attract the high achieving, community-minded applicants. The essays are relatively short, so especially for Ross, you need to make the most of other aspects of your application (letters of recommendation, CV, etc). Ross values powerful ideas, purpose-driven leaders, and positive impact; if you can demonstrate how you already embody these values, you’re on your way to demonstrating a strong fit with Ross.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 421
  • Admissions Rate: 31%
  • Yield Rate: 45.6%
  • Average GMAT: 719
  • Average GPA: 3.50
  • Women: 45%
  • International Students: 27%
  • Average Work Experience: 5.6
  • Median Salary: $129K
  • Median Bonus: $28.5K
  • Offers at 3 months: 97%
  • Consulting: 32%
  • Finance: 15.1%
  • Tech: 21.6%
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NYU Stern School of Business

Location matters and where best than New York City to pursue your MBA? As for Columbia, we like Stern a lot because of its ideal location and we see a lot of applicants having the school on their list because of that. With a strong placement in Consulting and Finance and top firms being regular employers of Stern MBA, you can head there confidently.

Stern is a hugely popular MBA program, including for international applicants, due to its location and reputation. This application actually takes even longer than many others, as it includes photographs with descriptions in addition to essay content. You will also need an EQ endorsement, which is essentially a letter of recommendation (LOR), but with an emphasis on EQ strengths. As your typical (LOR) may not suffice without some amendments, be sure to give your endorser time to add a specific example demonstrating your emotional intelligence. You should also highlight your interpersonal skills throughout the application though. In addition, take some time early on (at least a few months before applying) to reach out to alumni and MBA ambassadors to learn more about the program and experience, as this can also help give you a better sense of how you would fit with and contribute to the school.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 350
  • Admissions Rate: 26.1%
  • Yield Rate: 38.1%
  • Average GMAT: 721
  • Average GPA: 3.52
  • Women: 37%
  • International Students: 33%
  • Average Work Experience: 4.9
  • Median Salary: $140K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 95.3%
  • Consulting: 37.1%
  • Finance: 29.4%
  • Tech: 15%
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Duke Fuqua School of Business

Strong name, strong community and a very solid career placement for its graduates make Duke MBA a preferred choice for many applicants. Duke is one of the strongest schools in Healthcare but has a solid placement with top Consulting, Tech and Finance firms.

Fuqua has a very unusual essay, which can seem daunting to applicants. They ask for 25 random things about yourself. Once you stop to consider how many interesting life experiences, hobbies, and fun facts you actually have to share, there could be hundreds! Start a few months early, and prepare to prioritize. Even though these are fun, “random” things, you can prioritize those that shed light on who you are, what you care about, and what you love. De-prioritize (and delete) those that are probably similar to what many other MBA applicants have also experienced. Here it helps to have another perspective. Be sure to also highlight your community involvement – not necessarily in the 25 random things, but as and when it makes sense for you to do so throughout the application.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 395
  • Admissions Rate: 22.9%
  • Yield Rate: 56.8%
  • Average GMAT: 705
  • Average GPA: 3.50
  • Women: 43%
  • International Students: 37%
  • Average Work Experience: 5.5
  • Median Salary: $135K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 97%
  • Consulting: 32%
  • Finance: 20%
  • Tech: 23%
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UVA Darden School of Business

A traditional university but an innovative and global business school, Darden offers one of the best programs in Data Science. Darden is often celebrated as the best school for student satisfaction. Career stats are excellent with close to 36% and 25% respectively entering Consulting and Finance.

Like other very competitive business schools, Darden will want to know about your leadership and impact. However, a common pitfall is that applicants fail to brainstorm broadly enough. Applicants sometimes forget to consider this from more than just the professional angle; Darden is interested in the academic and personal dimensions as well. You should aim to cover all three areas, and form a cohesive narrative across your resume, essays, letter(s) of recommendation, and possibly even the additional information. This takes some time and strategy at the outset, so be sure to start early.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 336
  • Admissions Rate: 36.3%
  • Yield Rate: 42.5%
  • Average GMAT: 713
  • Average GPA: 3.48
  • Women: 40%
  • International Students: 33%
  • Average Work Experience: 5
  • Median Salary: $135K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 97%
  • Consulting: 35.5%
  • Finance: 24.4%
  • Tech: 15%
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Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

Like Yale, Cornell is an Ivy League school, and its brand attracts many high performing applicants. Make no mistake, it’s not an easy MBA to get into! Start early and reach out to students, alumni, and staff. This is an opportunity many applicants don’t take advantage of, but engaging with the Johnson community can help you decide if it is a good fit for you as well as identify how you hope to have an impact on their MBA community.

Cornell’s main weakness? Its location. However, the Cornell MBA is one of the finest in the world and a school of choice for people looking at a career in Finance with 37% of their most recent graduating class entering the industry.

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At A Glance

  • Class Size: 282
  • Admissions Rate: 38.3%
  • Yield Rate: 48%
  • Average GMAT: 696
  • Average GPA: 3.42
  • Women: 35%
  • International Students: 32%
  • Average Work Experience: 5
  • Median Salary: $131K
  • Median Bonus: $30K
  • Offers at 3 months: 94%
  • Consulting: 28%
  • Finance: 37%
  • Tech: 15%