Erika talks with Anthony Penna, a fellow SBC admissions consultant who spent 10 years with the Wharton School in Career Management and as Associate Director of Admissions for the full-time MBA program. As Anthony served on the implementation and design team for Wharton's Team Based Discussion (TBD) interview format, this episode focuses on his insight advice for MBA candidates who will be interviewing with Wharton.
Feb 10, 2021•22 min•Ep. 42
This episode offers insight into Harvard Business School's unique type of MBA interview, as well as advice on how to prepare.
Feb 03, 2021•25 min•Ep. 41
This episode focuses on when it does or doesn’t make sense to apply in a school’s final application round.
Jan 27, 2021•21 min•Ep. 40
Are you in the extraordinarily enviable position of having to decide between two or more MBA programs? Are you nervous about your choice or unsure of how to go about making such a huge commitment? This episode pulls together advice from the entire Stacy Blackman Consulting staff on how to approach this decision and what factors to consider (both short-term and long-term).
Jan 20, 2021•24 min•Ep. 39
MBA candidates who've been waitlisted can feel like they're in some sort of admissions purgatory. In this episode, our host Erika and her colleague and former MBA admissions director Lisa discuss what options waitlisted candidates have to learn more about why they were waitlisted and what, if anything, they can do to increase their chances of admission.
Jan 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 38
In this episode we share another extensive profile of an applicant Stacy Blackman Consulting worked with. We explain how the former admissions committee members on our staff assessed his candidacy and what ended up happening.
Jan 06, 2021•18 min•Ep. 37
In this episode we share an extensive profile of an applicant Stacy Blackman Consulting worked with. We explain how the former admissions committee members on our staff assessed her candidacy, what advice they gave to strengthen her materials, and what ended up happening.
Dec 30, 2020•25 min•Ep. 36
This episode gives advice (and warnings) to those attempting to pull together MBA applications in the final weeks before the deadlines.
Dec 23, 2020•17 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, Roxanne Mendez, Executive Director of the Riordan Programs, joins us to talk about the experiences of underrepresented minority applicants applying to business school. For nearly 30 years, the Riordan Programs have been helping underrepresented and minority students excel at the country’s top MBA programs. Roxanne will give insight into why the number of underrepresented minority candidates considering top MBA programs is still lower than it should be, and will also share what u...
Dec 16, 2020•20 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, Erika is joined by her SBC colleague Lisa, the former Director of MBA Admissions for the full-time and part-time MBA programs at Rice University’s Jones School, to have a discussion about when it is and isn't a good idea to share deeply personal stories in your MBA essays or interview responses.
Dec 09, 2020•29 min•Ep. 33
Communicating what your classmates will learn from you and how you’ll be an asset to the MBA program you attend is monumentally important. This episode covers ways to get that information across through your resume and essays.
Dec 02, 2020•16 min•Ep. 32
Often times, it's quite a challenge to fit an application, data-form or essay response into the space provided when restrictive character or word counts are in play. This episode focuses on specific ways MBA applicants can edit down essays and short-answer responses without compromising the power of their stories, anecdotes or statements.
Nov 25, 2020•23 min•Ep. 31
This episode covers a quick admissions update from Harvard Business School before diving into why it's important for you to demonstrate your knowledge of and fit with the MBA programs you’re applying to – and how you can do so in both your written materials and your interview responses.
Nov 18, 2020•21 min•Ep. 30
This episode discusses why all business school candidates need to be able to clearly explain why they need an MBA, especially if they are in one of four applicant buckets where it's important to clarify the need for a business degree. Common reasons for getting an MBA are covered, as are reasons that might be realistic but are best left out of one's application materials.
Nov 11, 2020•14 min•Ep. 29
Our host Erika is joined once again by former Kellogg admissions director Beth Tidmarsh for a discussion specifically about behavioral MBA interviews (i.e., "Tell me about a time when..." questions). They cover the types of behavioral questions candidates can expect, advice on how to answer those questions, pitfalls to avoid, and more. They also role-play a few questions and responses for listeners.
Nov 04, 2020•18 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, we welcome back Jay Bryant, a former MBA admissions director who is now a liaison between business schools and ETS, the company behind the GRE® General Test. Our host Erika and Jay will answer questions that listeners sent in about: Differences between the GMAT and the GRE General Test How MBA programs view the two main admissions tests Why admissions tests cover specific subjects When applicants should take their admissions test ... and much more!
Oct 28, 2020•25 min•Ep. 27
Our host Erika is joined by former Kellogg admissions director Beth Tidmarsh for a discussion about MBA interviews. They cover the types of questions candidates can expect, advice on how to answer those questions, what adcoms are looking to get from you out of these interviews, and more.
Oct 21, 2020•20 min
In this episode, our host Erika welcomes Bill Chionis, one of Stacy Blackman Consulting's experts on part-time (PT) MBA programs. They have a discussion about: Whether or not we've seen an increase in interest in PT programs since COVID hit The benefits of PT program vs. a traditional 2-year MBA Similarities and differences between part-time and full-time MBA programs How employers look at PT programs How (and if) PT MBAs can pursue a career switch Part-time MBA application criteria and guidance...
Oct 14, 2020•15 min•Ep. 25
This episode covers: What candidates should make of recent news headlines about "soaring" MBA application numbers due to COVID, and Important context about dings, after HBS's Round 1 interview invites, Round 2 deferral and release notifications went out yesterday.
Oct 07, 2020•19 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, we welcome Jay Bryant, a former MBA admissions director who is now a liaison between business schools and ETS, the company behind the GRE® General Test. Our host Erika and Jay will have a discussion about: What Jay’s been hearing from MBA admissions teams over the past few months regarding what COVID-19 has and hasn’t affected in the admissions process Common questions about the new at-home version of the GRE test Easy things applicants can do to keep admissions-test anxiety at ...
Sep 30, 2020•25 min•Ep. 23
After you submit your MBA applications, should you contact the admissions committee with updates on your candidacy? What should you do if you find an error in your materials? Should you start preparing for your interviews now? This episode answers those questions and more, and advises listeners on the best way to make use of their time between submission deadlines and their interviews.
Sep 23, 2020•17 min•Ep. 22
This episode covers how to make the most of the data form—or the actual online application itself—and why you shouldn't underestimate its importance. We’ll cover: Optional fields Common questions applicants have about confusing fields and dropdowns The awards section(s) How you can use the data form fields to strengthen your candidacy
Sep 16, 2020•21 min•Ep. 21
This episode covers how to prepare for the various kinds of video essays (pre-recorded, live with known questions, and live with randomized questions) several MBA programs require, as well as general tips on what you should wear, where you should record, and more.
Sep 09, 2020•27 min•Ep. 20
This episode covers some last-minute things to think about, do and not do as Round 1 deadlines loom.
Sep 02, 2020•19 min•Ep. 19
This episode covers: - How you should think about and position your short- and long-term career goals in both the short-answer responses on business school applications, as well as in career-related essays. - What you should do if you have no idea what your career goals are, or if the main reason you want to go to b-school is to explore different options for your future career path. - Whether it's a bad idea to say you want to completely change careers or stick with what you’re doing now.
Aug 26, 2020•18 min•Ep. 18
This episode covers common questions MBA candidates have about reapplying -- including specific advice for those who first applied in spring 2020's extended Round 3 (aka "the COVID round") or who originally applied to a 2+2 or deferred admissions program while still in college.
Aug 19, 2020•23 min•Ep. 17
Your resume is perhaps the single most important part of your application materials. This episode covers how to maximize that one precious page.
Aug 12, 2020•20 min•Ep. 16
Round 1 deadlines start to hit a little over a month from now, so while you're in the midst of essay writing, make sure you don't make any of the 6 common mistakes we'll cover in this episode.
Aug 05, 2020•17 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, Erika is joined by Kellogg JD/MBA and fellow SBC consultant Gina for an in-depth discussion about how applicants can use the MBA application process to reflect on what they really value and what kind of work might make them truly happy.
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 14
Since in-person campus visits and traveling information sessions aren’t happening for a while, MBA admissions committees are offering several different types of virtual experiences and online information sessions to help prospective students get to know their programs better. This episode answers the questions: Are these online sessions valuable? How should they be approached? Should they be treated like an interview? Can an online interaction with the adcom help or hurt my chances? What questio...
Jul 22, 2020•18 min•Ep. 13
