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 t...
May 23, 2017•38 min
“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 ...
May 16, 2017•39 min
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)...
May 09, 2017•1 hr 9 min
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...
Apr 28, 2017•55 min
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 appl...
Apr 21, 2017•28 min
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 Bus...
Apr 07, 2017•47 min
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 ...
Mar 17, 2017•39 min
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 comm...
Mar 03, 2017•38 min
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 shor...
Feb 21, 2017•44 min
To celebrate the 100th episode of the Touch MBA Podcast, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of hearing from just 1 guest today, you’ll hear from 9. I asked guests from our most downloaded episodes: “What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their Application?” Today, you’ll hear answers from some incredibly knowledgeable folks, a group with over 75 years of MBA admissions experience. You'll get 9 powerful, bite-sized tips (each less than 5 minutes) on mindset, posit...
Dec 25, 2016•39 min
Vince Ricci from VincePrep shares his best MBA interview preparation tips, from mindset to strategy to tactics. Vince has some of the most downloaded Youtube videos on MBA interviews and has helped hundreds of applicants get past this final hurdle so don't miss this one! About Our Guest Vince Ricci is Director of Admissions Counseling for Agos Japan and Owner of VincePrep.com, where he has produced over 120 videos on how applicants can ace their MBA essays and interviews. Vince has been a Gradua...
Dec 15, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Rahul Kewalramani, Insead MBA 16D, shares his thoughts on leading the Insead Private Equity & Venture Capital club, finding jobs in Private Equity and Venture Capital, the January vs. September intake, differences between Singapore and Fountainebleu's campus and cultures, exchanging at Wharton, bidding for exchanges/classes at Insead, entrepreneurship, hot industries at Insead and more. About Our Guest Rahul Kewalramani is getting his MBA at Insead, where he is President of the Insead Privat...
Dec 05, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Son Nguyen is Associate Director of Admissions at Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where he has been since 2014. Previously he was a Corporate Recruiter for Target and Assistant Director of Admissions for the University of Notre Dame. Son got his Bachelors from Notre Dame and his Masters of Science in Strategic Communications from Columbia. University of Michigan Ross MBA Program Highlights 4:18 Admissions 21:56 Financing 38:58 Careers 42:11 Go to http://www.touchmba.c...
Nov 25, 2016•58 min
Amber Wigmore Alvarez, Executive Director of Career Services for IE, shares her best career tips for international MBA students considering top business schools in Spain. Amber and Darren discuss work conditions for non-EU nationals, Spain's new visa policy, achieving career goals in a 1-year program, and placement trends for IE MBA graduates. About Our Guest Amber Wigmore Alvarez is Executive Director of Career Services at IE Business School, Law School and University, where she manages a team ...
Oct 31, 2016•47 min
Pin Chin Kwok, UC Berkeley Haas MBA '09, shares her journey pursuing a social impact career as an MBA applicant, student and alumni. Pin majored in Finance & Operations Research at NYU and worked 7 years at Citi in the finance industry before starting her MBA. Pin and Darren discuss what social impact applicants (broadly defined as those who want to work in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, non-profit, government/public policy, and corporate social responsibility) sho...
Oct 24, 2016•50 min
Emma Fisher, NYU Stern MBA '15, joins the show to discuss what international MBA students must know about working in the US during and after their US MBA. Emma and Darren walk through the common visa path for most international students - from F1 student visa to OPT/CPT to H1B. Emma also shares ways international students can maximize their chances of working in the US post-MBA. About Our Guest Emma Fisher is a Canadian who graduated from NYU Stern MBA in 2015. Emma pursued a US MBA to switch ca...
Oct 19, 2016•55 min
Darren offers 3 questions to consider when presenting your extracurricular activities and shares examples from successful applicants. The volunteering / activities / interests / achievements / additional part of your resume is anything but "additional." Make it count! Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/extracurriculars
Sep 23, 2016•24 min
Darren speaks with Ivan Kerbel of Practice MBA about what applicants need to know about MBA career strategy. A Wharton MBA himself, Ivan headed Yale SOM’s Career Development Office and was also a Associate Director at Wharton’s MBA Career Office. There are few people worldwide who have Ivan’s know-how about MBA career strategy – listen on for the inside scoop! Questions, links and more at: http://www.touchmba.com/mba-careers-uncovered-ivan-kerbel/
Aug 06, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Darren shares 3 overlooked aspects of the MBA experience after going through CEIBS Pre-MBA Bootcamp, an intense 5-day MBA immersion in Shanghai, China. They are: Classroom. You'll be spending at least 700 hours in class - who do you want to learn from? Careers. Opportunities are often different for local & international students - do you know what's more possible for you? Community. You're investing in a family for life - what types of people would you be excited to know now and in the futur...
Jul 26, 2016•22 min
Dana Dubovik is Director of MBA Admissions, Boston University, Questrom School of Business. Dana has been with Questrom since 2008. Boston University Questrom MBA Program Highlights 2:40 Admissions 20:10 Financing 36:45 Careers 40:05 Go to http://www.touchmba.com/boston-university-questrom-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Questrom MBA program.
Jun 28, 20160
Ashley Lautzenheiser is Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, where she has been since 2010. Ashley got her bachelor's degree in marketing from Olin in 2009. Her main role is admissions for Wash U's full-time MBA program. Washington University St. Louis Olin MBA Program Highlights 3:12 Admissions 20:04 Financing 32:00 Careers 35:22 Go to http://www.touchmba.com/washington-olin-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the pr...
Jun 15, 20160
Nick Barniville is Associate Dean for Degree Programs, ESMT (European School of Management and Technology), where he has been since 2010. Nick is responsible for the management and development of full-time MBA, Executive MBA and Masters Programmes at ESMT. Before joining ESMT, Nick was the Director of MBA Programmes at the Smurfit School at University College Dublin for 4 years and at Insead as Director of Communications for 5 years. ESMT MBA Program Highlights 3:38 Admissions 24:35 Financing 36...
May 27, 2016•59 min
Kristen Shambo is Associate Director, Graduate Admissions, Carroll School of Management, Boston College. Kristen has been with Boston College for over 10 years in a variety of admissions capacities and got her MBA from Carroll in 2009. Boston College Carroll MBA Program Highlights 4:05 Admissions 16:35 Financing 32:58 Careers 38:57 Go to http://www.touchmba.com/boston-college-carroll-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, fi...
May 16, 20160
How do you plan to finance your MBA? This can be a very challenging process, especially for students from developing countries who have less access to competitive MBA loans. Ricardo Fernandez, Head of Business Development for Prodigy Finance and Insead MBA '06, discusses financing options for students pursuing their MBA outside their home country, as well as how Prodigy is trying to innovate in this underserved marketplace. Prodigy has processed more than $140m USD of loans for over 4,000 MBA st...
May 09, 20160
Yuan Lee Chung, HKUST MBA '15, discusses why she got her MBA in Asia and the benefits and challenges of attending a top Asian business school. Yuan Lee also studied at Columbia for one-term and shares her thoughts on how Asian and US programs compare. About Our Guest Yuan Lee Chung is from Malaysia and got her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) before working in finance for Capital Group and UBS Wealth Management in Singapore. After graduating fro...
Apr 30, 20160
Dr. Ralf Boscheck is the MBA Program Director and The Lundin Family Professor of Economics and Business Policy at IMD, where he teaches courses in economics and industry analysis. Dr. Boscheck has been a faculty member at IMD for over 25 years. IMD MBA Program Highlights 2:55 Admissions 25:32 Financing 41:06 Careers 45:25 Go to http://www.touchmba.com/imd-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the I...
Apr 15, 2016•1 hr 2 min
With MBA programs shortening their applications and asking for less essays, how can applicants still tell their story? How should applicants approach these MBA essays and what should they write? Darren speaks with Yale SOM MBA Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico and MBA Admissions Consultant Paul Bodine to get two different perspectives on this common applicant challenge. At the end of the episode, Darren shares his reflections after helping an Admissions Edge member with his 1 Harvard essay. Sh...
Apr 08, 2016•32 min
Ben Parker came to Touch MBA nine months ago for free school selection help . As an Australian government policy maker with little business experience, Ben struggled to understand the MBA world and find the right business schools. In this episode, Ben shares his journey from researching MBA programs to getting accepted to London Business School and HKUST - all this despite having a less than stellar GMAT and GPA and a non-business background. You’ll learn what to ask MBA students, alumni, and ad...
Feb 05, 2016•45 min
At Touch MBA we believe that school selection is half the battle to having a great (and worthwhile!) MBA experience. In this episode, Darren covers an MBA decision-making process to help you avoid common decision-making biases and choose the right MBA programs. W iden your options - to combat narrow framing R eality test your assumptions - to combat confirmation-bias A ttain distance - to combat short term emotions P repare for the worst - to combat overconfidence Need help picking the right sch...
Jan 22, 2016•21 min
Stephen Sweeney is Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions at McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin. Stephen got his MBA from McCombs in 2011. Go to http://www.touchmba.com/texas-mccombs-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business MBA program.
Oct 09, 2015•51 min
