To celebrate the 100th episode of the Touch MBA Podcast, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of hearing from just 1 guest today, you’ll hear from 9.

I asked guests from our most downloaded episodes:

“What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their Application?”
Today, you’ll hear answers from some incredibly knowledgeable folks, a group with over 75 years of MBA admissions experience.

You'll get 9 powerful, bite-sized tips (each less than 5 minutes) on mindset, positioning, school selection, resumes, essays and interviews.

I encourage you to listen EVERY minute so you can absorb ALL the advice each guest has to offer.

Applying to top MBA programs is never easy. I hope these words of wisdom inspire you prepare your best application and stay true to who you are and what you value.

Tune in and enjoy!

• Nick Barniville, Associate Dean for Degree Programs, ESMT Berlin (6:20)
• Caroline Diarte Edwards, Former Admissions Director of Insead and Director of Fortuna Admissions (7:54)
• Lawrence Li, Northwestern Kellogg Full-time MBA (13:03)
• Leigh Gauthier, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (15:26)
• Tyler Cormney, CEO & CoFounder, MBA Prep School (19:07)
• Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University (23:56)
• Ashley Lautzenheiser, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at Olin Business School, Washington University of St. Louis (26:20)
• Chua Nan Sze, Director of Graduate Studies, NUS Business School, National University of Business School (29:30)
• Ivan Kerbel, Former Director Career Development Office of Yale School of Management and Founder, Practice MBA (32:58)

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/100

Vince Ricci from VincePrep shares his best MBA interview preparation tips, from mindset to strategy to tactics. Vince has some of the most downloaded Youtube videos on MBA interviews and has helped hundreds of applicants get past this final hurdle so don't miss this one!

About Our Guest

Vince Ricci is Director of Admissions Counseling for Agos Japan and Owner of VincePrep.com, where he has produced over 120 videos on how applicants can ace their MBA essays and interviews. Vince has been a Graduate Admissions Consultant for over 15 years and currently serves as President of The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC). He got Bachelors from Stanford and Masters in Instructional Design from New York University. Vince currently lives in Tokyo with his family.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-interview-prep-tips

Rahul Kewalramani, Insead MBA 16D, shares his thoughts on leading the Insead Private Equity & Venture Capital club, finding jobs in Private Equity and Venture Capital, the January vs. September intake, differences between Singapore and Fountainebleu's campus and cultures, exchanging at Wharton, bidding for exchanges/classes at Insead, entrepreneurship, hot industries at Insead and more.

About Our Guest

Rahul Kewalramani is getting his MBA at Insead, where he is President of the Insead Private Equity & Venture Capital Club. Rahul graduated from McGill University where he studied Economics and Finance. Prior to Insead, he worked for JP Morgan in Mergers & Acquisitions, Macquarie Group covering Telecoms, Media, Entertainment and Technology, and Redmart, an online grocery startup in Singapore, doing corporate development. He will graduate from Insead in December 2016.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/insead-insights-real-time-president-private-equity-venture-capital-club

Son Nguyen is Associate Director of Admissions at Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where he has been since 2014. Previously he was a Corporate Recruiter for Target and Assistant Director of Admissions for the University of Notre Dame. Son got his Bachelors from Notre Dame and his Masters of Science in Strategic Communications from Columbia.

University of Michigan Ross MBA Program Highlights 4:18 Admissions 21:56 Financing 38:58 Careers 42:11

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/michigan-ross-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Michigan Ross MBA program.

Amber Wigmore Alvarez, Executive Director of Career Services for IE, shares her best career tips for international MBA students considering top business schools in Spain. Amber and Darren discuss work conditions for non-EU nationals, Spain's new visa policy, achieving career goals in a 1-year program, and placement trends for IE MBA graduates.

About Our Guest

Amber Wigmore Alvarez is Executive Director of Career Services at IE Business School, Law School and University, where she manages a team of 30 people in the areas of Career Advising, Career Education and Recruiter Relations. She oversees career services for 5,000 current students, 50,000 global alumni and over 4,000 recruiting partners. Amber got her International MBA from IE in 2000 and hosts a monthly podcast focused on career journeys.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/spain-mba-careers

Pin Chin Kwok, UC Berkeley Haas MBA '09, shares her journey pursuing a social impact career as an MBA applicant, student and alumni. Pin majored in Finance & Operations Research at NYU and worked 7 years at Citi in the finance industry before starting her MBA. Pin and Darren discuss what social impact applicants (broadly defined as those who want to work in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, non-profit, government/public policy, and corporate social responsibility) should look for when shortlisting MBA programs, securing internships/jobs in the sector, and planning their careers.

About Our Guest

Pin Chin Kwok is a Singaporean who graduated from UC Berkeley Haas in 2009, where she was co-chair of the Global Social Venture Competition and a Haas Merit Scholar. She pursued an MBA to move from finance to the social impact space. She is currently Innovation Director for LumenLab, a MetLife Innovation Centre, focused on health care innovations. She lives in Singapore with her husband Stefan (also a Haas grad!) and daughter Jodi.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-social-impact

Emma Fisher, NYU Stern MBA '15, joins the show to discuss what international MBA students must know about working in the US during and after their US MBA. Emma and Darren walk through the common visa path for most international students - from F1 student visa to OPT/CPT to H1B. Emma also shares ways international students can maximize their chances of working in the US post-MBA. 

About Our Guest

Emma Fisher is a Canadian who graduated from NYU Stern MBA in 2015. Emma pursued a US MBA to switch careers from private equity to luxury brand marketing. She currently works as a Merchandise Planner for Canada Goose in Toronto.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/us-visas-international-mba-students

Darren offers 3 questions to consider when presenting your extracurricular activities and shares examples from successful applicants. The volunteering / activities / interests / achievements / additional part of your resume is anything but "additional." Make it count!

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/extracurriculars

Darren speaks with Ivan Kerbel of Practice MBA about what applicants need to know about MBA career strategy. A Wharton MBA himself, Ivan headed Yale SOM’s Career Development Office and was also a Associate Director at Wharton’s MBA Career Office. There are few people worldwide who have Ivan’s know-how about MBA career strategy – listen on for the inside scoop!

Questions, links and more at: http://www.touchmba.com/mba-careers-uncovered-ivan-kerbel/

Darren shares 3 overlooked aspects of the MBA experience after going through CEIBS Pre-MBA Bootcamp, an intense 5-day MBA immersion in Shanghai, China. They are:

1. Classroom. You'll be spending at least 700 hours in class - who do you want to learn from?
2. Careers. Opportunities are often different for local & international students - do you know what's more possible for you?
3. Community. You're investing in a family for life - what types of people would you be excited to know now and in the future?

Dana Dubovik is Director of MBA Admissions, Boston University, Questrom School of Business. Dana has been with Questrom since 2008. 

Boston University Questrom MBA Program Highlights 2:40 Admissions 20:10 Financing 36:45 Careers 40:05

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/boston-university-questrom-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Questrom MBA program.

Ashley Lautzenheiser is Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, where she has been since 2010. Ashley got her bachelor's degree in marketing from Olin in 2009. Her main role is admissions for Wash U's full-time MBA program.

Washington University St. Louis Olin MBA Program Highlights 3:12 Admissions 20:04 Financing 32:00 Careers 35:22

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/washington-olin-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Olin MBA program.

Nick Barniville is Associate Dean for Degree Programs, ESMT (European School of Management and Technology), where he has been since 2010. Nick is responsible for the management and development of full-time MBA, Executive MBA and Masters Programmes at ESMT.  Before joining ESMT, Nick was the Director of MBA Programmes at the Smurfit School at University College Dublin for 4 years and at Insead as Director of Communications for 5 years.

ESMT MBA Program Highlights 3:38 Admissions 24:35 Financing 36:28 Careers 42:35

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/esmt-berlin-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the ESMT MBA program.

Kristen Shambo is Associate Director, Graduate Admissions, Carroll School of Management, Boston College. Kristen has been with Boston College for over 10 years in a variety of admissions capacities and got her MBA from Carroll in 2009.

Boston College Carroll MBA Program Highlights 4:05 Admissions 16:35 Financing 32:58 Careers 38:57

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/boston-college-carroll-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Boston College Carroll MBA program.

This episode of Touch MBA is brought to you be Prodigy Finance – the leader in education loans for international postgraduate students. Visit prodigyfinance.com to learn more.

How do you plan to finance your MBA? This can be a very challenging process, especially for students from developing countries who have less access to competitive MBA loans. Ricardo Fernandez, Head of Business Development for Prodigy Finance and Insead MBA '06, discusses financing options for students pursuing their MBA outside their home country, as well as how Prodigy is trying to innovate in this underserved marketplace. Prodigy has processed more than $140m USD of loans for over 4,000 MBA students in 112 countries since it launched 9 years ago.

Darren and Ricardo also talk about the value of the MBA 10 years after graduation and whether MBAs are beneficial for entrepreneurs.

About Our Guest

Ricardo Fernandez is Prodigy Finance's Head of Business Development, working between Madrid, London and New York. After getting his MBA from INSEAD he worked in management consulting for 8 years with Accenture, BCG and KPMG. He then shifted his focus to consult for startup companies in the fintech space, and joined the Prodigy Finance team in 2014. Ricardo got a B.Eng Mechanical Engineering and Material Science from UC Berkeley.

QUESTIONS

• How can students fund their MBA educations abroad? (3:37)
• Why was Prodigy started? (8:16)
• Prodigy's rates, investment model and community benefits (15:35)
• Last tips for financing your MBA (24:50)
• Looking back at your career, 10 years after you got your MBA, what is the biggest benefit you’ve gotten from Insead? (27:30)
• Insead's alumni network and what to look for in alumni networks (29:58)
• At least 50% of Insead graduates start or run their own company at some point in their career - why do you think that is? Are MBAs conducive or even necessary for startups? (34:14)
• How do investors view MBAs? (40:00)

This episode of Touch MBA is brought to you be Prodigy Finance – the leader in education loans for international postgraduate students. Visit prodigyfinance.com to learn more.

Yuan Lee Chung, HKUST MBA '15, discusses why she got her MBA in Asia and the benefits and challenges of attending a top Asian business school. Yuan Lee also studied at Columbia for one-term and shares her thoughts on how Asian and US programs compare.

About Our Guest

Yuan Lee Chung is from Malaysia and got her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) before working in finance for Capital Group and UBS Wealth Management in Singapore. After graduating from the HKUST MBA, where she was Vice President of the MBA Association, she stayed in Hong Kong to work for Hubert Burda Media, where she is Head of Corporate Development.  Learn more about Yuan Lee's HKUST MBA experience at the Ambassadors Forum.

TOPICS & QUESTIONS

• Why Yuan Lee chose HKUST over LBS, IMD, Booth, Insead 
• What Yuan enjoyed most about HKUST
• How Yuan Lee's HKUST experience compared to her exchange term in Columbia
• The HKUST MBA alumni network 
• The reputation of MBAs in Hong Kong and in the finance industry
• Clubs & leadership at HKUST
• The biggest advantage of going to a Asian B-School (opposed to European or US)?
• Last advice for applicants
• Hong Kong's visa policy for MBA graduates

This episode of Touch MBA is brought to you be Prodigy Finance – the leader in education loans for international postgraduate students. Visit prodigyfinance.com to learn more.

Dr. Ralf Boscheck is the MBA Program Director and The Lundin Family Professor of Economics and Business Policy at IMD, where he teaches courses in economics and industry analysis. Dr. Boscheck has been a faculty member at IMD for over 25 years.

IMD MBA Program Highlights 2:55 Admissions 25:32 Financing 41:06 Careers 45:25

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/imd-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the IMD MBA program.

This episode of Touch MBA is brought to you be Prodigy Finance – the leader in education loans for international postgraduate students. Visit prodigyfinance.com to learn more.

With MBA programs shortening their applications and asking for less essays, how can applicants still tell their story? How should applicants approach these MBA essays and what should they write?

Darren speaks with Yale SOM MBA Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico and MBA Admissions Consultant Paul Bodine to get two different perspectives on this common applicant challenge.

At the end of the episode, Darren shares his reflections after helping an Admissions Edge member with his 1 Harvard essay.

Show Notes

• #75 Yale SOM MBA Admissions Interview with Bruce DelMonico – “Educating Leaders for Business & Society”
• #47 Great Applications for Business School with Paul Bodine

This episode of Touch MBA is brought to you be Prodigy Finance – the leader in education loans for international postgraduate students. Visit prodigyfinance.com to learn more.

Ben Parker came to Touch MBA nine months ago for free school selection help. As an Australian government policy maker with little business experience, Ben struggled to understand the MBA world and find the right business schools.

In this episode, Ben shares his journey from researching MBA programs to getting accepted to London Business School and HKUST - all this despite having a less than stellar GMAT and GPA and a non-business background.

You’ll learn what to ask MBA students, alumni, and admissions to shortlist schools, make your story “glow” and improve your essays and interview performance. This episode is about assembling an army of advocates - friends, students, admissions staff - to support your candidacy and sanity during an emotionally challenging application process.

Need help picking the right schools? Go to http://touchmba.com/free-school-selection-guidance/ to get your MBA program match scores and expert advice.

At Touch MBA we believe that school selection is half the battle to having a great (and worthwhile!) MBA experience. In this episode, Darren covers an MBA decision-making process to help you avoid common decision-making biases and choose the right MBA programs.

• Widen your options - to combat narrow framing
• Reality test your assumptions - to combat confirmation-bias
• Attain distance - to combat short term emotions
• Prepare for the worst - to combat overconfidence

Need help picking the right schools? Go to http://touchmba.com/free-school-selection-guidance/ to get your MBA program match scores and expert advice.