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Johnson Graduate School of Management

Cornell MBA Events - January 2025

Cornell Johnson will host 22 MBA events in January 2025, including 17 in-person and 5 virtual sessions.

Virtual Chats

The Virtual Winter Meet & Greet: Ask Me Anything sessions will be held on January 3, 4, 6, 8, and 19, allowing participants from any location to engage with current students and ask questions directly.

Related Research: Cornell MBA Salary Trends vs. M7 Salary Trends vs Top 20 MBA Salary Trends

Cornell MBA Events - September 2024

In September 2024, Cornell MBA will host a total of 11 events, including 3 virtual and 8 in-person sessions.

Virtual Events

The virtual events include the 2YR MBA – IMBA Virtual Fair on September 18th, where prospective students can connect with admissions officers, alumni, and current students from top MBA programs. 

On September 25th, the Virtual Forté MBA Forum will offer an opportunity for students to network with admissions representatives and hear from successful MBA women. 

Cornell MBA Events - August 2024

In August 2024, the Cornell MBA program features a diverse range of events, totaling 17, including 15 in-person and 2 virtual sessions. 

The month kicks off with the "SEED Business School Festival" in Hyderabad on August 1 and in Bangalore on August 3. Both events will allow prospective students to interact with representatives from top North American business schools, ask questions about their MBA programs and admission processes, and potentially win a fully sponsored 3-day trip to their dream business school.

Cornell MBA Events - July 2024

In July 2024, Cornell Johnson School of Management has scheduled eight of events to engage with prospective MBA students. These events include a mix of 7 in-person gatherings and 1 virtual session, to learn about the MBA program, connect with admissions representatives, and gain insights into the application process.

Cornell MBA Total Cost and Funding Tips

The total cost of the Cornell MBA Program for two years is $222,872, whereas the first year cost is $111,436. 

Total Cost (Cornell MBA) (1 Year)

The student activity fee, health cost, and administrative fee for the two-year MBA in Ithaca are among the required payments for the first year of the student's MBA program.

The total cost for one year, i.e., $111,436, covers Tuition ($83,106), Student Activity Fee ($110), Housing and Food ($19,428), Books and Supplies ($2,650), Health Fees ($550), Miscellaneous ($2,398) and Transportation ($3,194).

MBA Admissions

Cornell MBA Events - June 2024

Cornell Johnson's MBA program have just 3 events for the month of June 2024, out of which two events are virtual whereas one is in-person.

The month starts with a virtual MBA Spotlight Fair on June 11, hosted by the GMAT Club, providing a platform for interactive discussions with admission representatives from top business schools, including Cornell Johnson.

Location

Cornell MBA - Top Employers (2023)

In the fourth and final part of the Cornell MBA Salary Series for the 2023 graduating class, we cover top Employers recruiting at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. 

The Cornell MBA Class of 2023 comprises of top 15 employers for full-time positions. The list comprises Consulting giants like Bain & Company, BCG, Deloitte, Altman Solon, McKinsey, and Strategy&, highlighting the program's strength in preparing graduates for roles in strategy and management consulting. 

Cornell MBA Salary 2023 - By US Regions & International

In the third part of the four part series, we cover Cornell MBA placements and salary by regions in the US and International placement trends.

The Cornell MBA Class of 2023 exhibits a strong focus on North America, with an impressive 95% of graduates securing employment within the region, 1% lower than the previous year. The remaining 5% are distributed globally, reflecting the program's international reach with a competitive $125,000 median base salary. 

Cornell MBA Salary 2023 - By Function

In the second part of the Cornell MBA Series for the 2023 graduating class, we cover MBA Functions.

The Cornell MBA Class of 2023 employment report reveals Consulting as a dominant function, with an impressive 40% of graduates securing positions in this field. The class also demonstrates a significant presence in Finance and Investment Banking, with over a third of graduates, 26% and 12%, respectively, finding roles in these sectors.

Cornell MBA Salary 2023

For Cornell’s 2-year MBA 2023 graduating class, out of the 306 graduates, 285 sought full-time employment, and the class exhibited a high job placement rate, with 94% securing positions within three months of graduation. 

Notable variations were observed in the offer rates based on work authorization, with 97% for those with US authorization and 88% for those without accepting the offers in 3 months. 

Johnson MBA Admission Interview Tips

Johnson at Cornell University MBA Admission interviews are by invitation only. The admission team provide a variety of interview options namely campus visits, alumni interview in your country and Skype interviews.

Interview Conducted by:
AdCom, Alumni or Current Students (In some cases, AdCom and Current Student will be present in the interview)

Duration: 30 Minutes to 1 Hour and 30 minutes

Style of Interview: Pleasant to Formal by AdCom, and Aggressive to Formal by current Students/Alumni

Tips

Dos


Tip 1: Read your resume

Like any top MBA Admissions interview, interviewers at Johnson MBA will use the resume as the first point of reference. Make sure that your strengths and achievements are highlighted.  Download resume guide for reference. Read your resume several times so that you have a clear idea on how to articulate the projects, extra-curricular and other achievements.

Tip 2: Visit the Campus

2014-15 Cornell MBA Essay Topics

Cornell Johnson MBA Application Essays for 2014-15 have been released. There is one mandatory essay (2000 character or 1000-word limit) for all applicants. For 2-Year Ithaca applicant, there is a question about post-MBA job, and for the 1-Year Ithaca applicants, the question is how pre-MBA experience aligns with their post-MBA target jobs. In addition to the required questions, and the questions catering to the 1-year and 2-year MBA applicants, there is an optional essay question where applicants are asked to explain about their weaknesses: GMAT Score, GPA or other aspects of the application.

Find out more

Cornell Johnson MBA Employment Report: Latest Trends in Salary & Job Function

Cornell MBA Employment Report
Cornell Johnson MBA Employment report has been released. The mean salary for 2-Year MBA program in 2012 was $106,100 whereas 1-Year MBA program led students to earn $113,720. Interestingly, the mean sign-in bonus for 1-year MBAs was $19,620, six thousand dollars less than what was offered to 2-year MBAs.


Get information about Cornell MBA Employment Trends and Salary

MBA Admissions

Performance Learning at Cornell MBA: Track your performance with $2,50,000 Investment, 8 Immersions PLUS Customized Immersion

Cornell Johnson MBAExperiential Learning is given added emphasis at Cornell University's Johnson School to the extent that it is known under a different name altogether - Performance Learning. Not only are students given opportunities for real life Business experiences, they must also perform, delivering results in these circumstances.

MBA Admissions

Cornell University - Johnson School of Business MBA Funding


The Grace LeGendre Endowment Fund, Inc., an affiliate of the Business and Professional Women's Clubs of New York State, Inc. Applicants must be permanent residents of New York State and meet other qualifications.

The International Fellowships Program provides support for up to three years of formal graduate-level study. Fellows will be selected from countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Russia, where the Ford Foundation maintains active overseas programs. U.S. nationals are not eligible, although Fellows may study in the United States.

The Grace LeGendre Endowment Fund, Inc., an affiliate of the Business and Professional Women's Clubs of New York State, Inc. Applicants must be permanent residents of New York State and meet other qualifications

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, Graduate/Medical Scholarship Program: Must have attended high school in Santa Barbara County and have graduated from a secondary school in Santa Barbara County. Re-entry Adult applicants who have resided in Santa Barbara for a minimum of the last three years as a non-student may also be eligible.

MBA Funding

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

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