Eddie Asbie from Cornell University's Johnson School of Management discusses what makes the Cornell MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Cornell MBAs.

Program Highlights (7:14) | Admissions (29:50) | Scholarships (52:07) | Careers (58:38)

Cornell MBA Highlights (last updated Dec 2017)

• 1-Year Cornell Tech MBA (New York City), May intake, ~50 students/year
• 1-Year MBA (Ithaca, New York), May intake, ~75 students/year
• 2-Year MBA (Ithaca, New York), September intake, ~275 students/year
• Typical 2-Year Class: 5 years work exp / 35% international / 700 GMAT
• Offers 7 immersions in corporate finance, investment research and asset management, strategic marketing, strategic operations, digital technology, sustainable global enterprise, and investment banking
• Placement for 2-Year, Class of 2016: 94% w/job offers w/in 3 months, $121,000 USD avg starting salary, $31,000 USD avg signing bonus
• Top Destinations for 2-Year, Class of 2016: 53% NorthEast US / 18% West US / 8% Midwest US / 5% Southwest US / 4% Asia
• Top Functions for 2-Year, Class of 2016: 33% Finance / 29% Consulting / 22% Management / 11% Marketing
• ROI: one-third of class win merit-based scholarships, up to 25 students/year can win Roy H. Park 2-Year Full Tuition Fellowship
• Ranked #16 by US News and World Report in 2018

About Our Guest

Eddie Asbie is the Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management. Eddie has worked over 5 years for the Cornell MBA and specializes in helping military, underrepresented and dual degree program candidates. Previously Eddie served as an Admissions Advisor for University at Buffalo.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/cornell-johnson-mba-admissions-interview

Episode Sponsor

When should you use an MBA admissions consultant? How can you get the most value? What should you look for when hiring one?

As a former MBA Admissions Director and Admissions Consultant, Darren shares his thoughts.

Questions 

• Why are MBA Admissions Consultants so expensive? Are they worth the fees? (6:25)
• Should you hire an MBA Admissions Consultant? Which service should you get? How can you get the most value? (13:10)
• What you should look for from an Admissions Consultant? (19:43)
• Questions to ask an MBA admissions consultant (21:12)
• A framework to help you make the decision (22:15)

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/should-you-hire-an-mba-admissions-consultant

Episode Sponsor

The IESE MBA in Barcelona is consistently ranked Top 15 worldwide by the Financial Times. Do you want to challenge yourself and take your career to the next level? IESE’s full time MBA program will transform your capacity to think strategically, explore new perspectives and be a leader in today’s global world. The IESE MBA: Give us 19 months and we give you a lifetime of impact.

Get informal feedback on your profile at mba.iese.edu or visit us on campus at our Open Days.

Katie Lloyd from Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business joins the show to discuss what makes the Georgia Tech MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Georgia Tech MBA students.

Program Highlights (4:19) | Admissions (21:03) | Scholarships (37:00) | Careers (41:18)

Georgia Tech Scheller MBA Highlights 

• Fall intake, 22 months, 80 students/year
• Class: 80 students / 4.5 years work exp / 25% international / 680 GMAT
• Students can explore 8 immersive tracks at the intersection of business and technology: technology commercialization, leading new ventures, innovating for sustainability, business analytics, computational finance, leading digital transformation, managing technology products, supply chain innovation
• ROI: two-thirds of class win funding through graduate assistantships and fellowships
• Placement for Class of 2016: 95% w/jobs w/in 3 months, $108,000 USD avg starting salary, $16,000 USD avg signing bonus
• Top Industries for Class of 2016: 40% Consulting / 19% Technology / 14% Financial Services / 6% Transportation & Logistics / 6% Consumer Products / 4% Health Care
• Ranked #29 by US News & World Report in 2018 MBA Rankings

About Our Guest

Katie Lloyd is Executive Director of MBA Admissions at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business. Previously, Katie served in senior admissions roles for Emory's Goizueta Business School, including Director of Admissions for its 1-year MBA. She has over 20 years over experience in MBA admissions. Katie attended Vanderbilt for her Bachelors, Indiana University Bloomington for her Masters and University of Georgia for her Doctor of Education.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/georgia-tech-scheller-mba-admissions-interview

Episode Sponsor

Vivien Koh from Essec Business School joins the show to discuss what makes the Essec Global MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Essec Global MBA students.

Program Highlights (3:28) | Admissions (21:28) | Scholarships (28:22) | Careers (31:02)

Essec MBA Highlights 

• September intake, 12 months, 100 students/year
• Students can study on French and/or Singapore campuses, depending on major
• Offers 6 majors in Luxury Brand Management, Hospitality Management, Finance, Strategy & Management, Enterprise Innovation, and Digital Business
• Top Destinations for Class of 2016: 50% France / 25% Asia / 10% Middle East & North America / 10% Europe (excluding France) / 5% North America
• Top Industries for Class of 2016: 30% Services / 25% Consulting / 20% Industry / 15% Startups / 5% Public Sector & NGOs / 5% Finance & Banking
• Ranked #27 by QS Global MBA Rankings 2018 (#13 in Europe)

About Our Guest

Vivien Koh is Executive Director, Business Development and Marketing for ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific. Previously, Vivien was Head of New Business Sales, Asia Pacific-Japan for Google and ASEAN Regional Sales Director for Oracle. Her sales and marketing career in technology sector spans over 20 years. Vivien received her MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/essec-global-mba-admissions-interview/

Episode Sponsor

Roughly one third of the top 100 business schools have started Masters in Business or Data Analytics programs, in response to the growing need for workers who can leverage data assets for competitive advantage.

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in the growing industry of data and business analytics?

Darren invites Shane Rai, Co-Founder of TenPoint7, a machine learning-as-a-service company, to share his experience as a technology consultant turned entrepreneur in the data analytics and service industry.

This is Part 4 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

• Shane's background (3:39)
• The difference between data science, data analytics and business analytics (7:00)
• How to break into the industry (11:00)
• What background & experience are data-centric companies looking for? (15:13)
• Is AI going to take over the world? (20:30)
• Selling data intelligence services (24:30)
• Interviewing for a data analytics role - what you need to know (26:41)
• Real world examples of data analytics in action (33:24)
• Worst parts of the job (37:50)
• Shane's recommended resources (39:46)
• Shane's final thoughts on the data analytics industry (41:20)

About Our Guest

After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Computing and Software Systems, Shane Rai worked 7 years for Deloitte Consulting in the technology service area, and then 2 years as Product Manager for SDL Social, which provides social media analytics and intelligence tools. Shane currently leads product development for TenPoint7, a machine-learning-as-a-service and data consulting provider based in Seattle.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-data-and-business-analytics

Episode Sponsor

The IESE MBA in Barcelona is consistently ranked Top 15 worldwide by the Financial Times. Do you want to challenge yourself and take your career to the next level? IESE’s full time MBA program will transform your capacity to think strategically, explore new perspectives and be a leader in today’s global world. The IESE MBA: Give us 19 months and we give you a lifetime of impact.

Get informal feedback on your profile at mba.iese.edu or visit us on campus at our Open Days.

7 senior MBA Admissions Directors from Berkeley Haas, Cornell Johnson, Virginia Darden, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, and Yale School of Management came to Vietnam this Fall for an MBA admissions panel.

Darren shares the questions asked and lessons learned from the event.

Questions

1. GMAT or GRE - does it matter? (5:08)
2. How do schools evaluate undergrad transcripts? (5:39)
3. Should only business students apply for MBAs? (6:32)
4. What does the ideal resume look like? (7:33)
5. What do adcoms want to see in essays? (9:19)
6. Optional essay - should it be used? (11:13)
7. Letter of recommendations - what are b-schools looking for? (13:24)
8. Tips for interviews? (15:25)
9. How can applicants show interest in programs? (17:32)
10. What if your recommender is not a native English speaker? (18:06)
11. Common myths in the MBA application process? (18:25)
12. Does visiting a school campus increase chances? (21:03)
13. How do schools view multiple GMAT scores? (22:08)
14. How are IR and AWA evaluated and used? (23:27)
15. What if adcoms see conflicting evidence/data points for quant scores? (23:57)
16. Is international experience important? (26:07)
17. Interviews - is there any difference between adcom and student interviews? (27:47)
18. Do adcoms consider how long you’ve worked for your recommender? (29:05)
19. What is most stressful part of getting an MBA? (29:20)
20. Rewarding part? (30:00)
21. Bonus - Darren’s key takeaways from the event (31:42)

Admissions Directors at Multi-School Admissions Event in Ho Chi Minh (Sep 2017)

Eddie Asby (Cornell Johnson, Associate Director of Admissions & Financial Aid)
Candace Gonzales (Berkeley Haas, Associate Director of Admissions)
Rita Morrow (Virginia Darden, Associate Director of Admissions)
Jessica Brown (Duke Fuqua, Assistant Director of Admissions)
Taya Sapp (Michigan Ross, Associate Director of Admissions)
Maria Derlipanska (Yale Som, Associate Director of Admissions)
Fatema Dalal (NYU Stern, Director of MBA Admissions)

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/21-mba-application-questions-answered

Episode Sponsor

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in venture capital?

Darren invites his friend Garrett to share his experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into venture capital and as an interviewer for Hewlett Packard Ventures.

Garret has worked in venture capital and related jobs in San Francisco for 7 years – don’t miss his hard-earned insights into the industry!

This is Part 3 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

• Garrett’s background (4:50 )
• What do venture capitalists do? (9:56)
• What work background & experience are venture capital (VC) firms looking for? (17:00)
• The importance of networking to break into the industry (20:39 )
• How helpful are business school reputations and rankings in recruiting (23:40)
• Common entry points into VC as an MBA? (25:34)
• The (lack of a) recruiting process in VC (26:10)
• How VC’s and startups perceive MBAs (28:50)
• Interviewing with VCs - what you need to know (32:21)
• Traits of successful VCs (35:38)
• Best part of job? Worst part of job? (38:12)
• Venture capital opportunities for international MBAs in US (44:42)?
• Garrett’s recommended resources (48:47)
• Garrett’s final thoughts on succeeding in venture capital (50:07)
• Business school geography and venture capital (52:46)

About Our Guest

After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Garrett Wong worked 3 years as an investment banker at Wachovia and UBS, and then 2 years as a corporate development associate at Cisco, where he evaluated venture capital investments in clean tech and technology. After getting his MBA from Wharton, Garrett worked in a number of PE, VC and product management roles before joining Hewlett Packard Ventures.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-venture-capital

Episode Sponsor

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in investment banking?

Darren invites his friend Scott to share his experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into investment banking and as an MBA recruiter for Wells Fargo Securities.

Scott has worked in investment banking for 7 years after his MBA – don’t miss his hard-earned insights into the industry!

This is Part 2 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

• Scott's background (3:40)
• The 2 paths to entering investment banking (6:46)
• What do investment bankers do? (8:50)
• Common roles for recent MBA graduates (10:58)
• What is the recruiting process? (15:02)
• Bulge bracket vs. boutique investment banks (24:39)
• How b-schools help with recruiting (28:40)
• The Wharton alumni network and how to stay connected (30:10)
• What investment banks are looking for in new MBA hires (33:00)
• Interviews and dealing with technical questions (43:20)
• Scott's recommended resources for interview prep (49:35)
• The role of office locations and ìcore b-schools in recruiting (51:05)
• Investment banking opportunities for international students in the US? (59:20)
• Best part of job? Worst part of job? (1.01:05)
• Scott's final thoughts on succeeding in investment banking (1.07:25)

About Our Guest

Scott Dragicevich played professional baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays before going to business school. After getting his MBA from Wharton majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship, Scott joined Wells Fargo Securities in New York City covering transportation and logistics. He currently works as Vice President - Investment Banking and Capital Markets, for Wells Fargo Securities in Los Angeles.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-investment-banking

Episode Sponsor

What is the difference between Full-time, Part-time, Online and EMBA degrees? Which one makes most sense for you?

A number of you coming to Touch MBA for school selection help are considering multiple MBA program formats so I thought it would be good to dedicate one short episode to covering key differences from an admissions, curriculum, career and reputation perspective.

Dirk is involved in all 4 MBA programs for IE Business School so I played the role of “applicant” and asked him common questions I get.

About Our Guest

Dirk Hopfl is Director, IE Center Singapore for IE Business School. Dirk got his MBA from IE in 1999 and done admissions and development for IE's graduate and undergraduate programs for over 15 years.

Episode Sponsor

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in management consulting?

Darren invites his friend Sandra to share her experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into consulting and as an MBA recruiter for McKinsey & Company.

Sandra worked in management consulting for 5 years after her MBA - don't miss her hard-earned insights into the industry!

This is Part 1 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

• Sandra’s background (3:42)
• The role summer internships play in the recruiting process (6:12)
• Common types of consulting jobs for MBA grads (11:06)
• The recruiting process for management consulting (12:52)
• What McKinsey is looking for in hires? (16:00)
• What if you don’t go to a top-ranked b-school? (20:00)
• What do applicants need to know about succeeding in consulting? (21:41)
• Misconceptions about management consulting (27:16)
• Best part of job? Worst part of job? (32:24)
• Consulting opportunities for international students in the US? (38:08)
• The role of locational offices in recruiting (44:18)
• Recommended resources for breaking into management consulting (48:36)

About Our Guest

After getting her MBA from Northwestern Kellogg, Sandra worked for McKinsey & Company for 5 years. She currently lives and works in New York.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-management-consulting

Episode Sponsor

How can you make a memorable impression on MBA Admissions Officers at MBA recruiting events? Drawing on his experience recruiting at MBA Tours and information sessions, Darren shares 3 tips for how you can stand out.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/interacting-with-mba-admissions-officers

Episode Sponsor

Why did an American Ivy League graduate decide to pursue an MBA in China?

In 2015 Jesse Miller decided to pursue his MBA at CEIBS, ranked #11 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2017 and China's top-ranked program.

Jesse discusses the pros and cons of pursuing a top-ranked MBA in Asia, his experience as a minority American student at CEIBS (Shanghai) and ISB (Hyderabad) where he studied one semester, and how he jumped from working in fashion to the entertainment industry. Jesse also shares his thoughts on the startup and entrepreneurship environment in China.

Listen to one applicant's take on using the MBA to chart your own path.

Questions

• Jesse's background  (4:06)
• Why Jesse chose to study in China after graduating from a top US university (7:14)
• The case for and against getting an MBA in China (9:06)
• How Jesse secured his internship and job  (14:50)
• CEIBS' alumni network and student clubs (17:26)
• Jesse's thoughts on CEIBS' reputation inside and outside of China (21:00)
• Exchanging for 3 months at the Indian School of Business (23:00)
• Jesse's thoughts on the startup and entertainment industry in China (27:20)
• Jesse's final thoughts on who should pursue MBAs in China (33:16)

About Our Guest

Jesse Miller graduated from Brown University where he majored in Political Science and Government. He then led the expansion of his family jewelry business into China. At CEIBS, Jesse was President of the CEIBS MBA Energy and Environment Club and played an active role in CEIBS eLab Incubator. Jesse speaks fluent Chinese and recently started working as an International Development Manager at Shanghai Media Group, one of China's largest media conglomerates.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/charting-your-own-path-in-china-ceibs

Episode Sponsor

Stephen Huber discusses his MBA experience at USC Marshall, from what he did to get off the waitlist, to preparing his wife for an intense first year, to leading the High Tech and Interactive Gaming Associations, to landing internships and jobs in tech and the hard-to-break into entertainment industry.

After listening to this talk, you'll have a good idea of what it takes to make the most of your MBA experience, especially as a career switcher.

Stephen is also open to answering your questions about the the USC Marshall experience on our Ambassadors Forum.

Questions

• What Stephen did to get off the waitlist  (9:31)
• Preparing significant others for the Full-time MBA experience (14:06)
• How to prepare for your first semester (21:13)
• Recruiting and Internships at USC (22:06)
• How USC Marshall has transformed Stephen (32:35)
• The importance of professional clubs at USC (38:07)
• What most applicants don't know about USC (46:10)
• Stephen's advice on what applicants should look for in an MBA program (49:20)

About Our Guest

Stephen Huber got his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the UC Berkeley and worked as a Nuclear Engineer for General Dynamics before starting business school. Stephen recently completed his first year at USC Marshall's Full-time MBA program and will graduate in Summer 2018.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/usc-marshall-mba-insights-real-time/

Episode Sponsor

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t

It's not that admissions officers (or readers, movie-goers, consumers) are mean or cruel. They are just busy.

How can you reward your application readers for their gift of time and attention?

By telling an interesting story.

How do you do this with your MBA applications?

Inspired by Steven Pressfield's book, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, Darren offers 3 pillars to frame your MBA story: concept, theme, and structure (hook, build, payoff).

Darren also dissects 3 successful applicants' positioning through the lens of these core story elements.

By choosing what to focus on, represent something bigger than yourself, and using a story structure embedded in our collective unconscious, you make your application more memorable, and easier for admissions to process.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/nobody-wants-to-read-your-shit

Episode Sponsor

Your LinkedIn profile could be the first thing business schools see.

Darren draws on his admissions experience and shares 7 tips to make a good first impression, reinforce your MBA story, and highlight additional qualities not in your application.

MBA programs are looking at your social media, especially your LinkedIn profile. Take 15 minutes to follow these guidelines, optimize your LinkedIn presence, and represent yourself well to b-schools, MBA students & alumni, and future employers.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/linkedin-tips-mba-applicants

Episode Sponsor

Many MBA applicants are interested in entrepreneurship, but have trouble reconciling the cost of an MBA with their goal of starting a business. Darren invites 2 recent Wharton MBA graduates, Alex Kubo and Renata Arauz De Stefano, to discuss if an MBA helps you become a better entrepreneur. Alex currently works at Burrow.com, a Y Combinator backed startup in New York City, and Renata started Mwayi, a fashion social enterprise that brings customized, African-print apparel to US consumers.

How helpful is an MBA for starting your own business? For joining startups? How can you make the most of your MBA experience if you have entrepreneurship goals? Is it tough to go this route when your peers are getting high paying jobs? Can entrepreneurship be taught? Listen on to get the perspective of 2 students who started organizations during their MBA.

About Our Guests

Alex Kubo graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then worked as a Project Manager and Project Engineer for ExxonMobil before attending Wharton, where he majored in Entrepreneurial Management and Marketing. After a summer internship and consulting role at Andela, Alex joined 2 of his Wharton classmates in the Fall of 2016 to help lead Burrow.

Renata Aráuz-DeStefano majored in International Relations and French at Tufts University and worked for 4 years at FINCA International in microfinance before heading to Wharton. In her second year, she started Mwayi, a fashion social enterprise. This summer, she will be investment banking for Bank of America - Merrill Lynch.

• Alex Kubo, Burrow (4:50)
• Renata Arauz DeStefano, Mwayi (39:15)

Episode summary, links and more at http://touchmba.com/mba-for-entrepreneurs-worth-it/

Episode Sponsor

Caroline Diarte Edwards and Darren cover best practices for securing great MBA letters of recommendation. Don’t miss this detailed and open-ended discussion between 2 former Admissions Directors so you can sidestep common mistakes and understand what top b-schools consider an excellent letter of recommendation.

Questions

• Why recommendations are important (3:16)
• Who to select as your recommender (6:06)
• How to prepare and what to give your recommenders (19:06)
• Last tips on to get great MBA recommendations (37:00)

About Our Guest

Caroline Diarte Edwards is Co-Founder and Director of Fortuna Admissions. Caroline was Director of Admissions for the Insead MBA from 2005 to 2012. Caroline got her MBA from Insead in 2003 and is a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/great-mba-letters-of-recommendations

Episode Sponsor

Sabaina Kamara, a Touch MBA listener and Admissions Edge Member, details what she did each step of the way to craft her best story - one that got her admitted to 4 top 20 US b-schools, including Michigan Ross, where she will head to this Fall. Sabaina also shares the benefits of applying through the Consortium, and her best application tips on career goals, school selection, GMAT, resumes, essays and MBA interviews.

Also Sabaina has generously shared her Michigan Ross MBA essays below - check them out.

Questions

• How Sabaina decided on her MBA career goals and researched b-schools (4:08)
• Applying through the Consortium (11:56)
• Sabaina's best tips on the GMAT, and MBA resumes, essays and interviews (22:30)

About Our Guest

Sabaina Kamara got her B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland and worked as a Human Resources Analyst for a top management and employment law firm in Washington, DC, where she advised federal contractors on diversity related issues such as affirmative action and equal employment opportunity compliance. Sabaina will be starting the Michigan Ross MBA in Fall 2017.

Episode summary, links and Sabaina's Ross essays at: http://touchmba.com/sabaina

Episode Sponsor

“I’m In – Now How Do I Pay For B-School?” 

Most applicants are 100% focused on getting IN a top MBA. Then after the euphoria of getting in, the hard reality of financing the MBA hits them in the face. Darren talks to Phil DeGisi, Chief Marketing Officer of CommonBond, about what US applicants can do to get the best MBA loans for US MBA programs.

Darren and Phil also talk about the Dartmouth Tuck MBA, the MBA's usefulness in the marketing industry, and what US applicants should look for in an MBA network.

Questions

• What should applicants think about (strategically) to secure the best MBA loan (6:16)
• What is the common financing path for most US MBAs? What federal and private loan options are available? (8:40)
• Federal loans vs. private loans (12:28)
• Estimating your MBA costs and last financing tips (19:40)
• What applicants can do now (tactically) to secure a great loan (21:30)
• How Phil has benefited from the Dartmouth Tuck MBA (30:08)
• How to gauge the strength of MBA alumni networks (32:36)
• Phil's thoughts on the MBA's value in the marketing industry (34:50)

About Our Guest

As Chief Marketing Officer at CommonBond, Phil DeGisi oversees the marketing, business development, and creative teams. Prior to joining the CommonBond team, Phil held ecommerce and digital marketing roles spanning startups and large organizations, including Quidsi (a subsidiary of Amazon), littleBits electronics, and Walmart.com. Across these roles, he led direct response marketing, customer retention, and site merchandising/optimization efforts. Phil received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and his BA from Vassar College with a degree in economics.

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

Episode Sponsor

Matt Reesor from Queen's University Smith School of Business joins the show to discuss what makes the Queen's MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for Queen's MBA students.

Program Highlights (3:00) | Admissions (25:10) | Scholarships (51:40) | Careers (56:30)

About Our Guest

Matthew Reesor is the Director of the Queen’s MBA at Smith School of Business. He has held administrative leadership and faculty positions at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (NUCB) and Queen’s University. His research, focusing primarily on communications and language policy, has been published and widely referenced in academic journals.

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

Episode Sponsor

How do top business schools use the GMAT to evaluate you? What exactly are they looking for? What do you need to score and on which sections? When should you retake the GMAT? Do schools prefer the GMAT or GRE?

Darren asks Admissions Directors from 3 top schools - Michigan Ross (USA), IESE (Spain) and HKUST (Hong Kong) - tough questions about the GMAT. Listen on to get your GMAT questions answered!

• Son Nguyen from Michigan Ross MBA (4:46)
• Anjaney Borwankar from IESE MBA (20:30)
• Gary Lo from HKUST MBA (33:55)
• GMAT Lessons Learned (50:44)

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

Episode Sponsor

Amid all the attention paid to rankings, average salaries, and ROI, one crucial part of the MBA experience often gets overlooked - faculty. After all, you are spending more than 700 hours in class at most top MBA programs. In this episode, Darren invites Professor Gregor Halff to give you a behind the scenes look at the life of a business school professor. What does their typical day look like? What are their responsibilities? What are they looking for from MBA students? And what should MBA applicants look for and expect from MBA faculty? Listen on to better understand what b-school professors do and how this could influence your experience.

About Our Guest

Gregor Halff is Professor of Corporate Communication (Practice) & Deputy Dean, Singapore Management University (SMU). He is also Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. Gregor got his PhD in Communication from Westfõlische Wilhelms-Universitõt and was previously Managing Director for Publicis Group, one of the largest communications company in the world.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/life-as-a-business-school-professor

Lawrence Chan and Professor David Ahlstrom of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) MBA program join the show to discuss what makes the CUHK MBA unique, the school's admissions process and the career opportunities in the region.

• Program Highlights (2:48)
• Admissions (19:30)
• Careers (32:40)

CUHK MBA Highlights 

• A pioneer in business education, CUHK offered Asia's first MBA in 1966
• Students can complete the course in 12 or 16 months
• CUHK offers 4 specializations in Finance, Marketing, China Business, and Entrepreneurship
• Financial Times ranked CUHK MBA 36th worldwide in 2017
• 70-80 students/year
• Top Industries for Class of 2016: 22% Banking & Finance / 22% Investment and Asset Management / 15% Business and Management Consulting / 9% Private Equity & Venture Capital

About Our Guests

Lawrence Chan is Administrative Director (Marketing and Student Recruiting), MBA Programs at CUHK. Lawrence went to CUHK for his bachelor and MBA degrees and has over 2 decades of experience in sales, promotion and recruiting in Hong Kong and China

David Ahlstrom is a Professor in the Department of Management at CUHK, where he has taught for over 20 years. He obtained his PhD in Management and International Business from New York University after working several years in government and industry. His research interests include managing in Asia, innovation and entrepreneurship, decision-making, and management and organizational history.

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

Neethling McGrath, an Admissions Edge Member, shares the ups and downs of applying, reapplying and getting into his first choice: Columbia GSB.

Neethling shares what he did differently the second time around and what he believes were the factors for his application success

To those of you who got dinged and are re-applying to top programs, this episode is for you.

• Neethling applies the first time (5:15)
• Gets dinged form his 2 schools, now what? (9:50)
• How Neethling focused his career goals and improved resume (14:20)
• How to reach out to current students, faculty and admissions (19:11)
• Dealing with space constraints in reapplicant essay (25:40)
• Neethling's reflections and lessons learned (29:34)

About Our Guest

Neethling McGrath got his Bachelors in Electronic Engineering and Masters Degree in Music Technology from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Before pursuing his MBA, he worked as a consultant for KPMG Management Consulting focusing on telecommunications, technology and media. A recording engineer, Neethling has also recorded live concerts, bands and solo performers.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/advice-for-mba-reapplicants-neethling-mcgrath-columbia

You decide you need an MBA. You check your schools' application deadlines - only 1 month left before Round 1 apps are due!  What to do?

Clare Simonis found her herself in this situation last Fall. With deadlines 1 month away, she applied to HBS, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Berkeley Haas. She got into HBS and Haas and will be starting at HBS this Fall.

In this episode, Clare shares her journey and tips for those of you scrambling to apply last minute. Not the ideal situation - but certainly a common one. Enjoy the episode!

• Clare's application strategy with only 1 month left before the deadline (6:25)
• Prepping for interviews at HBS, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Berkeley Haas and deciding on HBS (22:02)
• Miscellaneous application tips and thoughts on MBAs vs. starting a business (28:30)

About Our Guest

Clare Simonis graduated from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, majoring in Supply Chain and Operations Management and minoring in Asian Languages and Literature. She worked for Deloitte Consulting as a Management and Strategy Consultant for 3 years and current serves as Chief of Staff to the Integrated Care Group President at Fresenius Medical Care North America.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/last-minute-application-tips-clare-simonis-hbs

With 200,000 MBAs graduating each year, are business schools preparing "career ready" employees?

In a sweeping survey of 10,000 recruiters, 3,000 business school students (both MBAs and undergraduates), and 500 business school career center leaders, Jeff Kavanaugh found that all three constituencies had different perceptions of what’s important and where they stand.

Darren and Jeff discuss the 4 main skills recruiters are looking for, where business school graduates are perceived as falling short, and what you can do to boost your employability. Jeff also shares what competencies consulting firms are looking for from MBAs, and what non-consultants can do to break into the industry.

About Our Guest

Jeff Kavanaugh is a Senior Partner at Infosys Consulting, where he heads North American recruiting at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Dallas, where he teaches Developing Customer Insights, a course focused on critical and creative thinking. Jeff got his Bachelors from from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and MBA from the University of North Texas.

Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/business-school-students-career-ready-jeff-kavanaugh/