In this episode, finance veteran and Gies College of Business professor Rich Excell shares his journey from global trading floors around the world to becoming an award-winning educator. He discusses the evolution of derivatives and market efficiency, the realities of trading risk, and why today’s students bring a fresh sense of optimism to finance. Along the way, Rich offers candid stories from his career—including surviving a $25 million trading loss—and explains how great investors balance qua...
May 27, 2026•24 min•Season 7Ep. 24
A fire sale? An arms race? However you term it, business schools are slashing rates – we look at how applicants can score a scholarship.
May 26, 2026•27 min•Season 7Ep. 23
We talk over the picks on Poets&Quants’s inaugural Career & Admissions Bestseller List, from ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ to ‘What Colour is Your Parachute’.
May 19, 2026•29 min•Season 7Ep. 22
In this faculty spotlight, Professor Aimee Barbeau of Gies College of Business explains how she introduces first-year students to business through ethics, experiential learning, and real-world impact projects. She challenges common misconceptions about capitalism by framing business as a value-creating, ethical practice and shows how tools like AI and hands-on corporate partnerships help students build practical skills and rethink the role of business in society.
May 12, 2026•19 min•Season 7Ep. 22
AI is rapidly reshaping the MBA - and some business schools are racing ahead faster than others. In this episode, who leads the charge and what questions MBA applicants should ask about AI adoption.
May 12, 2026•27 min•Season 7Ep. 21
Thinking about a dual-degree MBA? In this episode, we break down the most popular pairings – from MBA/MPP to MBA/JD – who they make sense for, costs and career trade-offs.
May 05, 2026•28 min•Season 7Ep. 20
How much do rankings actually matter to employers? Plus, we talk about career pivots into consulting
Apr 28, 2026•31 min•Season 7Ep. 19
From volatility to greatest gains: we dig into the ups and downs of this year's list
Apr 21, 2026•32 min•Season 7Ep. 18
Poets&Quants Founder John A. Byrne bids farewell and introduces Executive Editor Pola Lem
Apr 14, 2026•22 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Nikhil Jain applied four times before getting in. This is what he discovered once he got there
Apr 08, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Gies Business professor Sandra Corredor explores one of the biggest misconceptions students have about business: the idea that there’s always a correct decision. Drawing from her research and teaching, she explains how success comes from thoughtful design, attention to detail, and embracing uncertainty - both in corporate strategy and personal career paths.
Apr 06, 2026•17 min•Season 7Ep. 16
How Wharton dominates rankings of business school academic research
Mar 31, 2026•23 min•Season 7Ep. 15
We discuss the 20th anniversary of the AIGAC (Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants)
Mar 24, 2026•26 min•Season 7Ep. 14
What if accounting isn’t about numbers—but about uncovering the story behind them? In this episode of Poets&Quants’ Faculty Spotlight, Gies College of Business professor Fei Du joins John A. Byrne to share how intellectual curiosity, and a desire for freedom, shaped her path into academia. What began as a practical career choice in China evolved into a passion for decoding financial statements as “clues” to how organizations think and act. Du explains how accounting, when done right, is less...
Mar 18, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 13
What you need to know about the one-year option
Mar 17, 2026•22 min•Season 7Ep. 12
What international students experience in a program abroad
Mar 10, 2026•23 min•Season 7Ep. 11
We analyze the severe downturn in international applicants due to the Trump administration
Mar 03, 2026•29 min•Season 7Ep. 10
What we really think of the latest ranking from Fortune which has Wharton on top and Stanford missing
Feb 24, 2026•21 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Special guest Conrad Chua, former executive director of The Cambridge MBA, helps us dissect the newest FT ranking
Feb 18, 2026•41 min•Season 7Ep. 8
The GRE and TOEFL are for sale. Here's why and what it means for test taking
Feb 10, 2026•24 min•Season 7Ep. 7
This year, round 3 applications are less a Hail Mary pass than ever before due to slumping application volume at top business schools
Feb 03, 2026•30 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Gies College of Business marketing professor Aric Rindfleisch reflects on why he chose marketing and how his research on materialism reveals why buying more doesn’t lead to happiness. He discusses his passion for teaching in the College’s fully online iMBA program, the balance between digital and analog worlds, and why business schools must put humanity at their core in an AI-driven world.
Feb 02, 2026•23 min•Season 7Ep. 6
We reveal the unexpected strengths of MBA programs that aren't well known
Jan 27, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 4
We discuss the implications to international students if OPT is wiped out
Jan 19, 2026•24 min•Season 7Ep. 3
We discuss the latest questions admission teams are asking candidates this year
Jan 13, 2026•23 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Our predictions for business education and the MBA in this new year.
Dec 31, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Our interview with Andrew Walker, director of research analysis for the Graduate Management Admission Council
Dec 23, 2025•29 min•Season 6Ep. 42
Plenty, according to a new survey of admission officials at business schools. We discuss and debate the findings.
Dec 16, 2025•25 min•Season 6Ep. 41
We distill the latest employment reports for this year's MBA grads and remark on the deportation of a Babson student
Dec 09, 2025•26 min•Season 6Ep. 40
Reading the tea leaves in the newest class profiles at the top business schools
Nov 25, 2025•34 min•Season 6Ep. 39
