Imran Kanga, Director of Recruitment & Admissions for Rotman School of Management's Full-time MBA at the University of Toronto, discusses what makes the Rotman MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (2:30) | Admissions (19:00) | Financing & Scholarships (35:30) | Careers (39:50)

About Our Guest

Imran Kanga is Director of Recruitment & Admissions for the Rotman School of Management's Full-time MBA Program at the University of Toronto. Previously, Imran worked in a similar capacity for the Schulich School of Business, where he got his MBA in 2010.

What is unique about the Toronto Rotman MBA? What are its key advantages?

• The University of Toronto was ranked 18th globally by Times Higher Education, and #1 in Canada (2022)
• Rotman, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, was ranked #1 Canadian MBA program by Financial Times (2021)
• 250-300 students/intake with 40 nationalities
• Rotman’s office of student engagement curates over 1,000 experiential learning opportunities for students with its Creative Destruction Lab, Self-Development Lab, Business Design Institute, etc
• Rotman requires a one semester, 4-month internship for all students
• Admissions is looking for intellectual horsepower, experience and impact, communication and presence, and spike factor i.e. doing interesting things with your personal and professional lives that demonstrate passion, grit, resilience, innovation, drive and ambition
• Students can specialize in 15 majors
• Toronto was ranked one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist, with a lower cost of living and higher quality of life than many major cities in the US; over half of Toronto's population was born outside of Canada
• Rotman's 2-year MBA allows international Full-Time MBA graduates to be eligible for a 3-year Canadian work permit

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/toronto-rotman-mba-program-admissions-interview-imran-kanga

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Gilbert Chua, Deputy Director of Marketing, Recruitment & Admissions at Nanyang Business School, discusses what makes the Nanyang MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (2:30) | Admissions (11:50) | Scholarships (31:45) | Careers (34:20)

About Our Guest

Gilbert Chua is the Deputy Director of Marketing, Recruitment & Admissions at Nanyang Business School. Gilbert previously served as Head of Recruitment & Admissions for Singapore Management University's Postgraduate Programmes, where he also got his EMBA.

What is unique about the Nanyang MBA? What are its key advantages?

• 1-year program includes 9 core courses + 4 electives + 1 leadership module + 1 business study mission + 1 strategy project, with option to add a summer / fall exchange or get Double Masters with Waseda (Japan), St. Gallen (Switzerland) or Essec (France)
• Offers 5 concentrations in Banking & Finance, Strategy & Innovation, General Management, Marketing Management, Human Capital Management, and Strategy Projects
• Admissions looking for academic capacity, those with "T-shaped" leadership potential, ability to contribute in classroom, and cultural adaptability
• The Nanyang MBA was ranked the 35th worldwide by Financial Times (2020) and 73rd worldwide by the Economist (2019), and Nanyang Technological University was ranked 48th Worldwide in the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings (2020)

Episode summary, show notes and more at: https://touchmba.com/nanyang-mba-program-admissions-interview-gilbert-chua

Could this be the only book you need to prepare for your MBA interviews?

Inspired by Dale Carnegie's classic book, The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Darren shares a simple 3-part framework to help you choose your best 'material' for your MBA interviews.

Checklist 

• Have you earned the right to talk about topic through experience or study?
• Are you excited about your subject?
• Are you eager to share your subject with your interviewer?

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/quick-easy-way-effective-mba-interviewing

Episode Sponsor

Ranked among the top public universities in the US, The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business provides an outstanding MBA experience tailored to your interests and leadership development. Whether switching careers, enhancing a career or starting a business, an MBA from Fisher provides tomorrow’s leaders with the knowledge and skills to succeed today.

Visit fisher.osu.edu to learn more about Fisher’s personalized MBA program and competitive scholarship opportunities.

Sachin Tipnis from the University of Hong Kong discusses what makes the HKU MBA unique, the school's admissions process and career opportunities for HKU MBAs.

Program Highlights (5:15) | Admissions (26:00) | Scholarships (38:36) | Careers (44:27)

HKU MBA Highlights (last updated Jan 2018)

• 14-months, Fall intake, ~60 students/year
• Typical Class: 5 years work exp / 15 nationalities / 660 GMAT
• Has 3 tracks: the London track, the New York track, and the Hong Kong/China track. After finishing 9 months of core courses at HKU, students can study at Columbia University in New York, London Business School in London, or Sudan University in Shanghai for one semester
• Graduates get a 1-year visa to stay in Hong Kong and find a job post-graduation
• Placement, Class of 2015 & 2016: 85% w/job offers w/in 3 months, $77,265 USD avg starting salary
• Top Destinations, Class of 2015 & 2016: 48% Hong Kong / 24% Mainland China / 7% India / 7% Europe / 7% other Asia
• Top Industries, Class of 2015 & 2016: 32% Banking, Finance, Accounting, Insurance  / 29% Consulting, Advisory Services / 19% Consumer Products & Services / 9% IT, Telecoms
• Ranked #1 Asian Business School by Economist for 6 straight years

About Our Guest

Sachin Tipnis is the Executive Director of MBA Programmes at the University of Hong Kong. Sachin was part of HKU's first graduating MBA class and has worked for over a decade developing the HKU MBA. Sachin worked in branding and marketing communications for 7 years before working in higher education.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/hku-mba-program-admissions-update

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.

Want to get a rigorous business education grounded in economics and analytics from a renown US business school? Simon awards 75% of its students scholarships and prides itself on its 90%+ job placement rate within 3 months of graduation. Rebekah Lewin, Assistant Dean of Admissions & Student Engagement at Simon Business School, University of Rochester, joined the show to discuss what makes Simon unique, career prospects for Simon grads, and what fit qualities she's looking for from applicants.

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

What's the best MBA program for supply chain management? Or entrepreneurship? Or marketing?

Many applicants who come to Touch MBA for help picking schools have this exact question. One of the biggest frustrations candidates have is figuring out the key advantages of schools. As one listener wrote, "It's difficult to know which one is the best in a certain area."

In this episode, Darren gives a 3-step framework for quickly and effectively researching a school's academic strengths - "The MBA Physical."

1. Heart - the people
2. Skeleton - the course structure
3. Muscle - the jobs 

Listen on for what key things to look for in each of these areas.

You can also download the template to carry out your school research!

See you next week!

Over the past year hundreds of applicants have come to Touch MBA to get profile assessments and find their best fit schools. One of the most common problems I see is weak career goals.

Career goals are important – and necessary – for you to figure out your best fit schools AND to improve your chances of acceptance.

In this episode, I cover 5 ways adcoms evaluate your career goals so you can make yours bulletproof.

1. Are your career goals defined?
2. Do your career goals reflect a sense of purpose, passion, meaning, and significance?
3. Can adcoms connect the dots between your prior skills/experiences and post-MBA goals?
4. Do you have convincing motivations for pursuing an MBA?
5. Can you make a rock solid case for pursuing an MBA from the school(s) you are applying to?

Who better to learn storytelling from than a two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner for dramatic nonfiction?

This week Darren uses Jon Franklin’s Writing for Story as guidance for “stalking the story” and writing MBA essays that grip and reveal. Franklin pioneered the narrative nonfiction genre, and his book is full of gems for applicants struggling with their essays.

After listening to this episode, you’ll know whether you are a) telling your best stories and b) writing your essays in the most compelling way possible.

According to Franklin, great stories share 4 core elements:

1. Complication: any problem or event that complicates our lives and creates tension
2. Development: the actions the character takes to resolve the complication
3. Resolution: a change in the character or situation that resolves tension
4. Character: a character who cares deeply about and puts significant effort towards resolving the complication

The result? In Franklin’s words: “In the best stories, the odyssey from complication to resolution changes the character profoundly.”

That’s what adcoms are after: getting to know what’s important to you and what has changed you. They are begging to hear your best stories. And that’s why their essays prompt you for complication, resolution, and action that demonstrate your character.

For example, two of Insead's “motivation” essays this year are:

Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)

Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)

Insead is prompting the elements of a great story: complication (i.e. describe a situation where you failed…) and resolution (i.e. tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted…). So give it to them!

For “personal” or “motivation” type essays, be sure your story has a complication and a matching resolution. The action you take in between these elements shows your character and how much solving the problem means to you.

So here's a checklist for finding your best stories:

• What are the biggest problems / obstacles you’ve faced? (complication)
• What you have wanted more than anything? (complication)
• When have you taken massive action to accomplish something? (action)
• When did your actions make an impact? (action)
• What are your proudest accomplishments? (resolution)
• What did you have to overcome to get there? (complication, action)
• What are the most important lessons you’ve learned? When have you changed the most? (resolution)

And here's a checklist for evaluating your essay:

• Do you involve the reader in your story with a complication and create tension?
• Does this complication mean a lot to you?
• Do you take action to solve the problem?
• Do you resolve the complication you bring up?
• Did you change or grow from the experience?

Knowing the core elements of great stories will help you find your best material and write stories adcoms will enjoy reading.

Ms. Christie St-John, Director of Admissions, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, joined the show to discuss the Vanderbilt MBA. The program is focused on giving students a high-touch and flexible education that will prepare them well for internships and job placement success

Vanderbilt's medical, law and education programs are also highly ranked and Owen encourages its MBA students to study across disciplines. Nashville is the epicenter of the US healthcare industry, and Vanderbilt is one of the few business schools in the country to offer a Healthcare MBA.

Owen is focused on attracting the best students and award 70% of their students with scholarship funding based on merit. Christie makes it very clear that school takes a counseling approach in order to admit students who will succeed - and the school's rising rankings and excellent job placement stats attest that her team has done so.

Christie also expands on Owen's focus on leadership development, human organizational performance, its student culture, and of course, admissions. She has held leadership positions in admissions for Vanderbilt and Tuck for nearly 2 decades and gives great tips on how to present yourself in your essays and interviews - and on how to increase your scholarship chances.

Listen on for the insider's scoop...

Carlson MBA Director of Admissions Linh Gilles joined the show this week and we had a great chat about Carlson's focus on experiential learning, the benefits of attending a smaller MBA program in Minneapolis, and how to give yourself the best chance for admissions.

We discuss Carlson's Enterprise program, where students work directly with corporate clients (many of them Fortune 500s) in a consulting capacity over 15-months in 4 areas: branding and marketing, management consulting, new business ventures, and funds investments. By the time students graduate, they'll have a lot more work experience to showcase to employers.

Carlson has a strong reputation in information systems, health care & the medical industry, and entrepreneurship, along with the core business functions. The school benefits from its proximity to Minneapolis' thriving business community, which is home to 19 of the Fortune 500 companies.

Definitely pay special attention to the admissions section of our talk. Linh's shares a wealth of admissions tips that could help you get in to not just Carlson, but other smaller, hi touch programs that emphasize fit.

Enjoy!

What is it like to be an MBA student at UCLA Anderson School of Management?

My good friend Mark Zee, a second year student at Anderson, joined the show to discuss his experience at UCLA. Mark is truly a non-traditional candidate, graduating from Princeton University in 2003, acting in Asia for 6 years, starting an import/export business in Singapore, and then working in educational consulting and finance in Houston, Texas before applying to business school in 2012. Mark shares how he tied all this experience together - and linked them to congruent career goals - in only a few essays.

In this episode, Mark and I discuss:

• Why Mark chose UCLA Anderson
• Application advice to non-traditional & older candidates
• The importance of professional clubs at Anderson & how Mark found his entertainment internship
• Mark's take on Anderson's culture - "a school is only as good as its students"
• Hot industries and career opportunities for Anderson students

How would you like to grab coffee with one of the world's most experienced MBA admissions consultants and pick his brain on what makes a successful application?

This week I asked Paul Bodine, author of Great Applications for Business School, and owner of Paul Bodine Admissions Consulting, about his best advice to clients and admissions trends. Paul has helped hundreds of candidates since 1997 get into the likes of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. This is a conversation you don't want to miss!

In this episode you'll learn:

• The 3 pillars of a successful application (which stand the test of time)
• Why you must make sure your goals are organic to what you've done
• The importance of authenticity in your application - and how to achieve this
• Recent application and admissions trends
• Paul's strategic and tactical advice to clients on what to do with less essays
• Tips to ace group interviews and multimedia essays

Ms. Lisa Piguet, Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at IMD, joins the show this week and generously shares her advice on IMD's accelerated 11-month program, the admissions process and more...

Interesting things I learned about IMD:

IMD is focused on leadership and general management; over 80% of graduates go into industry

Only 90 students are admitted each year from ~40 countries, and the average work experience is 7 years

There's a 2:1 student to faculty ratio

To help develop self-awareness, each student gets 20 sessions with a licensed psychologist

New MBA program director Ralph Boscheck is pushing to get MBAs more exposure to IMD's 9,000 Executive Education participants

Instead of an interview, IMD applicants participate in an assessment day which includes a 1-1 interview with admissions, 5-minute impromptu presentation on a mini-case, lunch with IMD student, and case study class with Professor

IMD is based in Lausanne, which is centrally located in Europe, and has over 350 MNCs (!)

The IMD MBA in a Tweet: "The skills to know, the confidence to act, the humility to lead."

Darren's take: If you're looking for more experienced and international classmates, to transition to a general management role in industry, and to maximize your ROI, consider IMD.

Mr. Praveen Muruganandan, Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Schulich School of Business, joined the show to share more about the Schulich MBA, located in Toronto, Canada. We had a revealing chat about Schulich's unique points and what the school is looking for during the admissions process.

Interesting things I learned about the Schulich MBA:

The Schulich MBA is flexible and customizable. Students can start in January or September, and finish in 16 or 20 months. Students can choose from over 150 electives and 19 specializations. Most grads end up working in Finance, Marketing and Strategy.

The Strategy Field Study is the capstone of Schulich MBA experience; groups of 7-8 students help an organization with its strategy over 6-7 months.

Schulich also has an International MBA (IMBA) program, which requires students to work abroad and to speak 2 languages. There are 30-40 students per cohort.

Toronto is the 4th biggest city in North America and 45% of its residents are international.

Graduates from Schulich get a 3-year postgraduate work permit. It typically takes around 2 years to get permanent residence in Canada. Attending a top Canadian b-school would be a great transition to working and living in North America.[/ulist]

The Schulich MBA in 3 words: global, innovative, diverse. 

Darren's take: if you're looking for a comprehensive and top-tier global program in Toronto, the financial center of Canada, you should consider the Schulich MBA.

Professor Elaine Ferneley, MBA Director at Manchester Business School, joined the show to share more about the Manchester MBA, located in Manchester, UK, and give us an inside look into the admissions process.

Interesting things I learned about the Manchester MBA:

- They don't call it "practice based" learning for nothing. Manchester MBAs are required to do 3 live consultancy projects -  requiring over 600 client facing hours - over the 18 month program. The first consulting project starts on Day 2!  Students are often working for companies 3.5 days during the week. This way all students get substantial experience working for big name companies before they graduate - and many end up with jobs at these organizations.

- Manchester also has its own admissions test, which includes a psychometric evaluation of applicant's personality. Could this be a future trend in MBA admissions?

- Elaine made it very clear that the adcom places a strong focus on interpersonal skills in the application - so be sure to prepare for the interview.  Manchester puts its students in front of companies on Day 2, so your soft skills have to be strong from the start.

- The school has the top ranked accounting/finance group in the UK.

- Manchester is the largest provider of transnational MBA education in the world, delivering its MBA program in the UK, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Miami and Sao Paolo.

- The Manchester MBA in a Tweet: practice-based learning, a good life and good fun!

Darren's take: if you want to get multiple and intensive real-world consulting experience during your Full-time MBA, you should consider the Manchester MBA.

Listen on for the insider's scoop...

How can younger candidates compensate for their lack of experience? What are admissions committees looking for in younger candidates? Darren covers 5 tips to show you belong and will be a valued member of your MBA class. 

Season your application with these 5 ingredients and you'll improve your chances:

1. Strong academic track record
2. Contribution inside class and in student life
3. Atypical, exceptional impact
4. Professionalism
5. Maturity

Prof. Reiji Ohtaki, Program Director of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA, joined the show to talk about Waseda's International MBA Program located in Tokyo, Japan. Prof. Ohtaki runs the career management center and held many senior leadership positions for Hay and Mercer Consulting in Asia Pacific, so he's a great person to talk to about MBAs and careers in Japan.

Listen on for the insider's scoop...

Is it worth it to get an MBA if it's not Harvard, Stanford or Wharton?  Many candidates don't think so. In this episode Darren talks about the top 5 arbitrages that exist in the MBA world. If you know what's important to you, you can still "negotiate up" and get a great educational and life experience at many top MBA programs outside the top 3 (or top 7).

Can an MBA really develop "global leaders you can trust?"  This week I sat down with Anjaney Borwankar, Director of Corporate Develpment, SE Asia, to discuss how IESE MBA strives to fulfill this mission through its global makeup and case-study pedagogy.

Anjan is an IESE MBA alumni, and plays an active role on the admissions committee and career services teams. We had an illuminating discussion about what makes IESE unique, the admissions process, and why candidates should see the IESE MBA as a launching pad for a global career - not just one in Spain. You'll get some great tips here on what the school is looking for. Hint: it's not the GMAT.

Both the Economist and Financial Times recently ranked IESE as #1 and #3 in Europe, respectively, despite Spain's economic troubles. The school has overseas modules in New York, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Nairobi, and is the 2nd largest producer of case studies in the world. If you prefer the case-study method, and want to get a global business education, IESE should be a leading contender.

The IESE MBA in 3 words: global, leadership, positive-impact.

Listen on for the insider's scoop...

Christine and I talk about the exciting new MBA collaboration between Cornell Tech and the Johnson School in New York City that starts next year in 2014. What makes it different from Cornell's traditional MBA? Who should apply? And what should candidates keep in mind when applying to this 1-year program? For the first couple years the program will be held in Google's Manhattan office in the Chelsea district. But here's what Cornell Tech's Roosevelt campus will look like.

Listen on for the skinny on this exciting new offering from Cornell.

This week I spoke with Christine Sneva, who is Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid of MBA Programs at Cornell Johnson. Christine is one of the most enthusiastic guests I've had on the show. And she really opens up on what makes Johnson special and how her team looks at applications. You can really go behind the scenes of Cornell's admissions process in this episode.

Although Johnson's class is relatively small (270 students in 2 year program, 60 in 1 year program), Christine makes it very clear that Cornell's bschool network is the 2nd largest in the Ivy League behind Harvard and that students really benefit from the size and engagement of the "Big Red" network. Johnson's flexible curriculum and 1st year focus on immersions has really helped students with internship (and job) placements.

The Cornell Johnson MBA in 140 characters or less: "#CornellMBA innovative programs & is one of the largest bschools #ILR #Dyson #MMH & most engaged alumni networks, we are Cornellians!"

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!

Mr. Edward Cook, Director, MBA Programs, Melbourne Business School to talk about the benefits of attending one of Australia's top ranked MBA programs and how to get in.

The Melbourne MBA in a Tweet: Global business leaders learning within an intimate and multicultural environment.

Listen on for much, much more...

Jolene and I discuss the value (and reputation) of MBAs in Germany, job opportunities for international MBA students in Germany, and how to get into ESMT.

The program was founded just over 10 years ago by 25 leading companies - including Bayer, Daimler, and McKinsey - who wanted to develop management talent in Germany. The school's EMBA program is ranked #29 in the world by the FT, and ESMT expects to do fairly well in the FT's 2014 ranking (the Economist ranked the MBA program #30 worldwide).  The program has two elective tracks: technology and innovation management and global sustainable development. A good chunk of students (25% this past year!) also start their own companies after graduating, no doubt due to the program's proximity to Berlin.

Candidates can get 3 months of free intensive German language training if they apply early, and can stay for up to 18 months in Germany to look for jobs.  Currently tuition is €29,000 for the 1 year program (after a €9,000 scholarship deduction) - with average starting salaries at €80,500, ROI is immediate and high.

ESMT MBA in a Tweet: The global MBA made in Germany for technology management & sustainable development.

How did Lawrence Cole, author of the popular MBA applicant blog MBAOver30, get into Wharton, Chicago Booth and MIT Sloan as a 36 year old?

Just so you know his stats: Lawrence graduated from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in 2000, worked for over 10 years at UPS and Internet Brands, and “barely broke 700″ on his GMAT. He also started 2 online businesses.

Lawrence is now a first year student at Wharton focused on entrepreneurship.

In this episode, you’ll hear Lawrence and I discuss application tips for older candidates including:

• Why top-ranked MBAs tend to trend younger
• The 2 application “booby traps” you must avoid
• The importance of movement and believability in your application
• How and why to gather as much experiential school data as possible
• Why you shouldn’t force fit in your application
• How to tie together work experience that might seem unrelated
• Common traits adcoms look for from both older AND younger candidates: initiative, impact and purpose

This episode is a goldmine of admissions tips for older candidates. Lawrence has lived and breathed MBA applications for the past year. Be sure to learn from his experience!

Don’t miss this episode – one of our best yet.

Over the past 6 months, I’ve had over 20 MBA Admissions Directors on the Touch MBA Podcast.

I’ve asked all of them, “What would you advise candidates to improve their chances of admissions?”

This is what they told me.

Here are 10 actionable tips you can use right away to boost your admissions and scholarship chances at your target business schools.

Avoid them at your own peril!

Featuring:

Megan Overbay, Duke University Fuqua School of Business 

Nadia Ahrazem, London Business School

Jeff Carbone, MIT Sloan School of Management

A M Kannan, Indian School of Business

Caroline Diarte Edwards, Fortuna Admissions

Lawrence Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Shari Hubert, Georgetown McDonough School of Business

Katherine Alford, Virginia Darden School of Business

Roy Chason, CEIBS

Libby Livingston, Emory Goizueta School of Business

Dr. Shulver and I talk about what makes Warwick's 1-year MBA unique, and what he looks for from candidates during the admissions process. 

Warwick's 1-year Full-time MBA was ranked #3 worldwide for ROI by the Financial Times with graduates experiencing an average salary rise of 84% within 3 years of graduation. The school's curriculum places a heavy emphasis on the practice of management and behavioral sciences. The program is relatively small with about 60 students in each year's cohort.

Michael is a straight shooter and offers a great perspective on how admissions selects candidates and awards scholarships. As a faculty member, he also shares a lot of insight into Warwick's academic offerings.

The Warwick MBA in 3 words: relevant, innovative, caring.

Listen on for the insider's scoop...

Having a hard time differentiating business schools? After listening to this episode, you'll have the toolkit to surgically dissect an MBA's offering. You'll also know a lot more about the student experience at LBS.

James Clark just graduated from LBS and wrote a student blog post, "What I had wished I had known when choosing business schools." In it he lists 22 questions you should ask about your target schools. I found James' perspective insightful and wanted to explore his questions in more detail for the benefit of our audience.

The Goizueta MBA is one of the few top-ranked US programs that can be completed in 1 or 2 years. The school emphasizes Day 1 Readiness: getting students exceptionally ready for class, internships, interviews, and jobs. Listen on as Libby and I discuss admissions tips, career opportunities and more at this intimate and market-oriented program in the US.

Viet is a former management consultant and investment banker - hear his take on picking business schools, getting through the application process and the INSEAD experience.

Jeff and I discuss the flexibility and opportunities of getting your MBA at MIT Sloan. Listen on for admissions tips, career opportunities and more at one of the most entrepreneurial MBA programs in the US and the world.

Darren continues his conversation with Prof. Yoshi about how candidates can stand out in the admissions process and what scholarship, career, and international opportunities there are at the Hitotsubashi ICS MBA.

The Hitotsubashi ICS MBA is one of the top English language MBA programs in Japan. What makes this program unique? And what is the value of a MBA degree in Japan?  Darren interviews Prof. Yoshi Fujikawa, faculty director of the Hitotsubashi ICS MBA program, to learn more.

Darren talks with Mr. Kannan, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, about what makes the Indian School of Business unique - get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in India and Asia.

Darren speaks to Nadia about what makes the London Business School's MBA unique and gets the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in the UK, Europe and the world.

Shari and Darren discuss the Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business MBA focus on global management, integrative learning, and mission to make a meaningful impact in business and society. Get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in the US.

Katherine opens up to Darren about the Darden MBA's focus on general management and the case-study method - get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in the US.

Keegan Pierce, Associate Director of Int'l Admissions, talks to Darren about the flexible ESADE MBA program and shares some insider tips on on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Spain / Europe.

Darren has a lively discussion with Megan about what makes Fuqua unique, and what Fuqua's adcom looks for in applicants. Listen on to get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in the USA.

Andrew Bueno joins the show and shares more INSEAD's unique format, admissions process and scholarship and career opportunities at arguably the world's most international business school.

Darren discusses 3 ways to show "leadership potential" even if you are short on work and management experience. They are demonstrating that you have had vision and made it real, attracted and influenced people, and gotten results. Just about all top MBA programs have "habit of leadership" as an admissions criteria so listen on for specific ways you can show this in your application.

Phillipe and Darren discuss what makes the HEC MBA unique and get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in France / Europe.

Darren and Dirk talk what makes the IE MBA unique - get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Spain / Europe.

Darren speaks to Roy about what makes the CEIBS MBA unique - get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in China / Asia.

Darren interviews James on what Cambridge MBA unique - get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in UK / Europe.

Learn about what makes the Chinese University of Hong Kong's - CUHK MBA unique and get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Hong Kong / Asia.

Learn about what makes the Asian Institute of Management's (AIM) MBA unique and get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Philippines / Asia.

Learn about what makes the Nanyang (NTU) MBA unique and get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Singapore / Asia.

Learn about what makes the Erasmus Rotterdam - RSM MBA unique and get the insider word on admissions, financing and career placements at one of the top MBA programs in Netherlands / Europe.

Your resume is often the first thing MBA admissions officers see. Avoid these 7 deadly mistakes when preparing your resume.

Darren discusses the 4 “questions behind the questions” that admissions officers really want to know. If you can prepare compelling responses to these key questions, you stand a good shot of making the final cut.

Darren discusses 4 ways you can get and keep attention in your application. The primal “croc brain” that receives a pitch is intrigued by pleasant novelty, intrigue, movement, and suspense. Listen on for some very specific ways you can incorporate these elements into your MBA essays and resume.

We take the core concepts from Dan and Chip Heath's Made to Stick and apply them to your MBA application. How can you get admissions officers to pay attention to, remember, believe, care and act for you? The formula for sticky ideas (and applications) is SUCCES.

Ms. Chua Nan Sze, Director of Graduate Studies, NUS Business School, talks to Darren about the latest curriculum changes to the NUS MBA, NUS' focus on international exposure, career placements and what NUS is looking for during the admissions process.

Darren talks to Dr. Zerrillo, Dean of Postgraduate Programs at SMU, about the SMU MBA program, its unique pedagogy, career placements and admissions tips.