Darren talks to Andrew, a recent MIT Sloan MBA graduate, about his internship and job search experience at Sloan. Andrew worked for Target as a Senior Analyst doing business intelligence and analytics before business school. He landed an internship with Uniqlo (one of the world's top 5 retailers) in New York City and will be heading to Cupertino to work for Apple this month. This episode will give you a great feel for how recruiting works at top US business schools and what to look out for as you shortlist programs based on your career goals. The two also talk about social life at MIT Sloan and what to look forward to. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS

1. Why Andrew applied to MIT Sloan (2:00)
2. How Andrew found his internship with Uniqlo (3:06)
3. Securing internships in a different industry or function (8:08)
4. How Andrew found his job with Apple & tech recruiting at MIT Sloan (13:12)
5. The job search process at MIT Sloan (17:15)
6. The role of alumni in the recruiting process (19:00)
7. Andrew's school selection advice for MBA applicants (20:25)
8. MBA social life: Year 1 vs. Year 2 (22:10)
9. Andrew's thoughts on classmates and culture at MIT Sloan (28:30)

Do you know how to solve a problem that has no precedent?

Kelly Wilson, Executive Director of Masters Admissions at Carnegie Mellon's  Tepper School of Business, shares with Darren how Tepper equips its students to do this through a mastery of analytics, year-round leadership development program, and one-on-one attention with professors. Kelly and Darren also talk in depth about Tepper's admissions process, how to prepare for Tepper's behavioral interviews, and the school's extensive career services.

About Our Guest

Kelly Wilson is Executive Director of Masters Admissions at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Before joining Tepper in 2012, Kelly worked as an Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions for Georgetown McDonough School of Business and Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. Kelly got her MBA from George Mason University and Masters of Management of Information Systems from Katz.

Program Highlights (2:51), Admissions (16:46), Financing (30:37), Careers (33:01)

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/carnegie-mellon-tepper-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business MBA program.

At Touch MBA we help point applicants in the right direction when it comes to best-fit schools. But which schools should you target in the first, second or third rounds? Should you apply to all your top choices in round 1?

In this episode, Darren talks to Dean Nordheilm, who came to Touch MBA last Fall and just got into Kellogg. Dean applied to 4 top schools - Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Northwestern Kellogg - and learned many lessons along the way. We discuss his "round strategy" as well as how he positioned himself and researched schools. Don't miss these great tips from someone who just got admitted!

Questions

1. Dean's background (2:32)
2. Dean's positioning tips (4:10)
3. Researching and presenting your post-MBA goals (6:08)
4. Which schools to apply to? (9:30)
5. Dean's round strategy and reflections (15:32)
6. Do your applications get better to each subsequent school? (17:20)
7. Getting recommendations for multiple rounds and schools (18:30)
8. Not setting expectations too high (20:50)
9. The importance of building up your application network (23:45)

Over the past decade, Tyler Cormney and MBA Prep School have achieved a 90% success rate with clients at the world's top schools. What are the key steps to preparing an application that puts you in the top 10%? Hint: it's not your essay(s).

Don't miss this value-packed episode and feel free to ask Tyler your questions in the comments!

You can find a list of questions asked at http://touchmba.com/how-to-apply-for-a-top-mba-tyler-cormney-mba-prep-school

About Our Guest

Tyler Cormney is the CEO and Co-Founder of MBA Prep School. Tyler graduated from Harvard Business School with Distinction and has a Masters Degree in Professional Writing from USC. Tyler has been helping MBA applicants for 10 years and his company has a 90% success rate for top-ranked business schools.

Questions

• Why preparing to apply is the most important step in the application process (3:47)
• How to determine your "points of difference" (6:50)
• Which points of difference should you highlight? (10:20)
• Career goals and how to tell your "career story" (12:45)
• A different and better way to answer "why do you need an MBA?" (17:40)
• Developing a compelling "career purpose" (19:28)
• How to show long-term and short-term MBA goals (24:10)
• Why self-reflection is the secret weapon in MBA applications (26:40)
• Admissions trends applicants should be aware of at top 7 schools (28:18)
• With schools shortening applications, how can applicants still tell their story? (33:28)
• Cultivating mentor relationships early for your recommendations (36:34)
• Common mistakes applicants make (37:44)
• The necessity of putting together a support team (40:20)

Many of our podcast listeners come to Touch MBA to get free school selection help. One of them, Li Daming, recently got into Northwestern Kellogg, Insead, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua and Cornell Johnson with scholarship funding. How did he do it?

Daming has literally invested hundreds of hours (and plane miles!) in the application process – be sure to benefit from his experience as he shares his best tips. There’s lots of gold nuggets in this one. Enjoy…

I’m always excited to hear listeners succeed in their MBA journeys. If you would like to share your story, please get in touch at darren at touchmba.com – we’d love to feature you on the show.

Daming’s educational and professional background and career goals (3:25)

Common misconceptions about MBA admissions (8:32)

What if you don’t work for a well-known company? (12:02)

Do you need a high GMAT to get in? (14:52)

Daming’s process to select schools (16:56)

How to research schools (20:19)

How to tell your best story and Daming’s “fit in, stand out” positioning strategy (25:50)

Recommendation tips (31:16)

Daming’s top 3 interview tips (32:13)

What questions to ask at the end of your interview (38:46)

Final thoughts and advice (41:25)

There’s no perfect school for everyone, so the saying goes. Education, like love, is all about fit.

Top business schools are looking for candidates that would fit with their program, culture, and values. And you should be looking for programs that match your goals too. How can you demonstrate fit in your application without sounding disingenuous or even worse, like everyone else?

Darren shares 4 common mistakes applicants make when trying to prove fit. This comes from reading thousands of applications. Listen on to learn 4 simple strategies you can use to convincingly demonstrate you belong at your target schools.

• Remember, there is no perfect school for you
• Speak the same language as the tribe
• Don’t repeat the school’s marketing pitch; fit should reveal you
• Avoid using school buzzwords; embody them instead

Go to www.touchmba.com/podcast to get more insider admissions tips and free school selection help.