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 v...
May 07, 2014•48 min
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 th...
Mar 31, 2014•26 min
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 t...
Mar 27, 2014•31 min
Are you struggling with post-MBA career goals in your application? Top business schools are looking for well-researched and realistic career goals. But exactly how can you do this? Especially when you're strapped for time? Steve Dalton, Senior Associate Director of the Career Management Center at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and author of the 2 Hour Job Search , joined the show this week to share his systematic formula to efficiently and effectively target potential employers and s...
Mar 21, 2014•38 min
Most of the top-ranked business schools in Asia are in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. But what if you can't afford to leave your job or city to pursue your MBA? IE Business School and Singapore Management University (SMU) have teamed up to help such professionals in South East Asia and launched a 10-month blended MBA, which combines residential segments in Singapore and Madrid with weekly online classes and forum discussions. Most people (including myself) consider "online MBAs" a way for b...
Mar 07, 2014•24 min
Are there really more MBA job opportunities in Hong Kong and China? How has the market changed and what are employers looking for? This week I sat down with Marjorie Chang, Director of CUHK's Career Management Centre, to separate fact from fiction. Listen on to get an "on the ground" picture of the job market in Hong Kong and China. You'll also get insight into how MBA admissions evaluates your post-MBA career goals
Feb 14, 2014•43 min
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-a...
Feb 06, 2014•39 min
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 ...
Jan 30, 2014•45 min
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...
Jan 21, 2014•34 min
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: Strong academic track record Contribution inside class and in student life Atypical, exceptional impact Professionalism Maturity...
Jan 10, 2014•15 min
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...
Dec 14, 2013•27 min
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).
Dec 12, 2013•14 min
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 la...
Nov 27, 2013•59 min
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...
Nov 14, 2013•19 min
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...
Nov 08, 2013•1 hr 6 min
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...
Oct 31, 2013•34 min
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). T...
Oct 22, 2013•46 min
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 disc...
Oct 03, 2013•37 min
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,...
Sep 24, 2013•37 min
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...
Sep 19, 2013•38 min
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 d...
Sep 13, 2013•43 min
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.
Sep 05, 2013•44 min
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.
Aug 28, 2013•37 min
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.
Aug 22, 2013•43 min
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.
Aug 08, 2013•49 min
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.
Aug 08, 2013•32 min
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.
Aug 01, 2013•57 min
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.
Jul 26, 2013•43 min
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.
Jul 19, 2013•45 min
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.
Jul 12, 2013•37 min
