James Kent, Marketing Manager for the MBA Admissions & Marketing Team at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), discusses what makes the CEIBS MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (3:00) | Admissions (23:40) | Scholarships & Covid-19 (39:40) | Careers (49:30) About Our Guest James Kent is the Marketing Manager for the MBA Admissions & Marketing Team at CEIBS. James got his Bachelors in Chinese and Management from ...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 169
This episode is from my new podcast, ASE , which explores making a living and life as a solopreneur. I bring on artists, social entrepreneurs, and solo founders to explore the self-employed, creative life and how to do your best work. A number of my salsa friends in their 20s and 30s have found it helpful, so I thought I'd share it with you too. ASE showcases a different, more personal side to me (with some cursing, so be warned!). And for those of you who are looking for more MBA admissions con...
Aug 28, 2020•28 min•Ep. 168
How did Henry Nguyen, who graduated from Kellogg 20 years ago, launch Vietnam’s first technology venture capital fund, Vietnam’s first professional basketball team, and Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise? Henry recounts his journey from travel writer to MD to MBA to Wall Street and then back to Vietnam, where he has built a career as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Henry also gives a behind a scenes look into putting together a winning bid for LAFC, b...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 167
Why did a Colombian civil engineer choose to do his MBA in Israel? Manuel Fajardo shares his journey to the Tel Aviv University’s Sofaer Global MBA, and how the program’s focus on new venture creation has helped him pursue his business idea. About Manuel Manuel Fajardo will graduate from the Sofaer Global MBA this Fall. Before getting his MBA, Manuel worked as General Manager of EDS LA PAZ, and as COO and Chief Engineer at Agregados el Rodeo in Colombia. Manuel got his degree in Civil Engineerin...
Jul 16, 2020•38 min•Ep. 166
Darren invites Dirk Hopfl from IE Business School to share how Covid-19 has affected its MBA program and IE's plan moving forward. IE, based in Spain, is one of Europe's leading business schools with one of world's most international MBA programs, regularly admitting 90% of its students from 75 countries outside Spain. Its response offers one possibility for how MBAs will evolve to meet student needs during a pandemic. About Dirk Dirk Hopfl is Regional Director South East Asia for IE Business Sc...
Jul 03, 2020•25 min•Ep. 165
Tawan (Tina) Suvapatrachai shares her MBA journey from Bangkok to Virginia Darden and then back to Thailand to do strategy for Samsung. Like many international applicants, Tina didn't have the chance to visit her four target US business schools. How did she research schools and find her best fit? Why did she choose Darden and what did she take from her Darden MBA experience? Questions Tina's background (3:40) Tina's school research and application tips (5:00) How the MBA did not give Tina more c...
May 16, 2020•52 min•Ep. 164
As a UX Designer and mother in Kansas City with no MBA network, Graciela Brewer wasn't sure if she "had a sliver of a chance" at her targets: HBS, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern and Cornell Tech. Four months later, she got into all four programs. In this episode, Grace shares how she shortlisted schools, submitted her strongest resume, essays, and recommendations, and stayed sane during a stressful application process. Questions How Covid-19 is affecting Grace's HBS plans (5:24) How family and motherhood ...
May 01, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 163
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky has dedicated his professional life to helping others overcome cognitive biases and make better decisions. In this episode, Darren and Dr. Gleb discuss ways MBA applicants can make better decisions when it comes to business school and their careers. Questions Why Dr. Gleb has dedicated two decades of his life to overcoming cognitive biases with decision making (3:00) Autopilot vs. Intentional decision making (7:45) When our gut serves us in career decisions (14:30) Best practi...
Mar 05, 2020•51 min•Ep. 162
Do you have to quit your job to get your MBA? Darren invites Chris Healy from Alliance Manchester Business school to share how the part-time / professional MBA has evolved with new technology and student and employer demands. If you're unsure about getting an online, blended, part-time or Executive MBA, you'll get key insights from this episode. Questions How the part-time / professional MBA has evolved over the past 15 years (2:30) How employers view part-time / professional MBAs (15:50) Networ...
Feb 13, 2020•56 min•Ep. 161
Inspired by the Harvard Business Review article Experience Doesn’t Predict a New Hire’s Success, Darren shares how you can demonstrate you're a great fit for your target MBA programs - or your next employer - even if you're short on experience. If you feel like you lack relevant work experience for the MBA, this episode is for you. Show Notes Experience Doesn’t Predict a New Hire’s Success (Harvard Business Review) Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/experience-does-not-...
Jan 31, 2020•14 min
Sachin Tipnis, Senior Executive Director of HKU's MBA, EMBA & 6 specialized Masters programs discusses the Hong Kong protests, curriculum changes, admissions, and picking the right Masters program for your career goals. The Hong Kong Protests - How Has this Affected Students? (2:45) Curriculum, Admissions and Career Services Updates with the HKU MBA (17:30) Full-time MBA vs. Specialized Masters vs. EMBA - Which Should You Choose (45:15) HKU MBA Highlights (last updated Jan 2020) 12-months, F...
Jan 16, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 159
Gregory Wool, Cornell Johnson MBA '21, scored below average on the quantitative section of the GMAT. How did he overcome this score to not only get into Cornell Johnson, but win a prestigious tuition free scholarship? Gregory also shares his experience surviving a packed first semester, leading the student consulting club, and recruiting into strategy consulting. Questions Gregory's application and GMAT journey (4:40) What Gregory did to overcome his low quant score (8:50) Gregory's experience w...
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Around half of Insead MBA graduates end up working in consulting each year. Darren invites Massine Bouzerar, Insead MBA '19J, to share how he landed a job with Bain & Company AND made the most of his ten months at Insead's Fontainebleau campus. Questions Massine’s overview of management consulting recruiting at Insead (4:35) Differentiating yourself from thousands of other MBA students applying to consulting firms (7:55) How Massine's career plans evolved at Insead (10:30) Work visas in Euro...
Oct 02, 2019•54 min•Ep. 157
Gary Lo, Managing Director of Glo Consulting and former Head of Admissions for the HKUST MBA, shares three questions to ask before you make a career move - MBA included. Aside from working for 10 different companies in 7 industries, Gary has counseled hundreds of MBAs and professionals as a career coach, so don't miss this episode if you're thinking about making a career move. Questions Gary's three questions to ask before you make a career move (3:10) Is following your passion practical? (13:50...
Sep 23, 2019•57 min•Ep. 156
Darren recently attended a panel "Preparing Your Application: Advice from MBA Admissions Directors” at the MBA Tour in Ho Chi Minh. In this episode, he unpacks the application advice given by five admissions directors. Why should you get an MBA? (3:16) What type of experience are top business schools looking for? (7:20) How can you assess school fit? (10:12) What are your top essay tips? (13:00) What are your top interview tips? (16:37) Admissions Directors on MBA Tour Panel (August 2019) John-D...
Sep 09, 2019•22 min•Ep. 155
Cristian Molina Cornejo, Tuck MBA '21, shares how MBA applicants can take advantage of two programs that champion diversity and inclusion: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium. Cristian also gives his best application tips after getting into four out of five top 20 US MBA programs. Questions Cristian's background (3:20) What you need to know about MLT (14:25) What you need to know about Consortium (26:00) MLT's Professional Development program and its network (30:55) How t...
Aug 26, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 154
Hailing from Nigeria and having never visited the US, how did Ikechukwu Edeagu shortlist and apply to MBA programs? And what was his process for navigating internships and the job search as an international student? Listen to get a real-time, inside look into one international student's MBA experience at UNC Kenan Flagler. Questions Ike's background (3:53) How Ike shortlisted business schools (8:02) Ike's application tips for international students (14:20) Ike's thoughts on financing your MBA (2...
Aug 20, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 153
Do you feel like your MBA story is a bit bland? Or uninspiring compared to the applicant profiles you see online? What if you haven't overcome insurmountable odds or accomplished something amazing? Darren explores the possibilities of kishōtenketsu - a four act story structure used by Japanese and Chinese writers for centuries. What makes this story structure interesting is that it relies on contrast - not conflict - to generate interest. Kishōtenketsu in 4 acts: Ki (start) Shō (development) Ten...
Apr 09, 2019•16 min•Ep. 152
Dr. Christoph Schneider, Associate Director of MBA Programme and Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems, City University Hong Kong, discusses what makes the City U Hong Kong MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (4:06) | Admissions (18:30) | Scholarships (33:58) | Careers (36:38) About Our Guest Christoph Schneider is the Associate Director of the MBA Programme at City University Hong Kong, where he has also been Assi...
Apr 08, 2019•46 min
Darren invites Susan Bertulli, Director, MBA Career Management at Ivey Business School at Western University to discuss MBA employment reports. First, why and how are MBA employment reports produced? Then, what should you look for? Which employment figures and statistics matter? How can you use them to shortlist b-schools and plan your career? The Ivey MBA has been ranked #1 in Canada for five years running by Bloomberg Businessweek for both student and recruiter satisfaction, so don't miss this...
Mar 26, 2019•56 min•Ep. 150
Betsy Kacizak, Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment, and Brad Chandler, Director, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business of University Wisconsin-Madison, discuss what makes the Wisconsin MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (10:45) | Admissions (29:56) | Scholarships (45:32) | Careers (49:08 About Our Guests Betsy Kacizak is the Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment at t...
Feb 25, 2019•59 min•Ep. 149
Guest Host Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross MBA '19, invites her section-mate Sheela Lal to share her experience applying for internships, founding DrunkShrub and securing a full-time job post-graduation. Listen to get a real-time, inside look into the MBA experience at a top b-school like Ross. Questions Sheela's background and reasons for getting an MBA (0:47) Sheela's approach to landing an internship (7:20) Sheela founds DrunkShrub (10:33) How Sheela took advantage of Ross' resources to further...
Feb 04, 2019•30 min•Ep. 148
Sean Ferguson, Associate Dean and Director of MBA Program for the Asia School of Business (ASB), discusses what makes the ASB MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (2:28) | Admissions (24:47) | Scholarships (40:20) | Careers (47:15) About Our Guest Sean Ferguson is the Associate Dean and Director of MBA Program for the Asia School of Business. Prior to joining ASB, Sean was Associate Dean of Masters Programmes at HKUST Business School and ...
Jan 27, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 147
Darren shares "three P’s" you can use to clarify the value of your accomplishments in your resume and MBA application. Doing so will paint a clear picture of your performance for MBA admissions officers and employers. How did your performance compare to the previous year’s performance? How did your performance compare to the plan ? How did your performance compare to that of your peers ? If you can match these to the "three P's" of leadership, you can can show even more impact: People responsibi...
Nov 29, 2018•20 min•Ep. 146
Seán Meehan, Dean of the MBA Program at IMD, discusses what makes the IMD MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (5:33) | Admissions (22:41) | Scholarships (41:30) | Careers (45:10) About Our Guest Dr. Seán Meehan is the Martin Hilti Professor of Marketing & Change Management and the Dean of the MBA program. He joined IMD in 1997 after working for Arthur Anderson and Deloitte, where he was Director of Marketing. Seán got his PhD in Mark...
Nov 19, 2018•53 min•Ep. 145
In 2017, US applicants made up 4% of candidates to European MBA programs and 2% of candidates to Asian MBA programs (versus nearly 70% to US MBA programs). What do you need to know about getting a top-ranked MBA abroad? Eddy Zakes shares why he chose to uproot his young family to pursue his MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, as well as the pros and cons of his experience. Darren also asks Eddy - currently the Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at IESE - abo...
Oct 30, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 144
Chris Healy, Head of MBA Marketing & Recruitment of Alliance Manchester Business School discusses what makes the Manchester MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (3:40) | Admissions (29:48) | Scholarships (41:40) | Careers (45:45) Manchester MBA Highlights (last updated Sep 2018) Manchester has a Full-time MBA, Global Part-time MBA, and Kelley-Manchester Global MBA The Full-time MBA lasts 12, 15 or 18 months and has 1 intake/year in th...
Oct 03, 2018•55 min•Ep. 143
Imran Kanga, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions, Schulich School of Business, discusses what makes the Schulich MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (5:13) | Admissions (22:00) | Scholarships (34:30) | Careers (37:25) About Our Guest Imran Kanga is the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions, Schulich School of Business at York University, where he manages global recruitment for Schulich's Full-time MBA and Internat...
Sep 24, 2018•43 min•Ep. 142
Are you pursuing an MBA to make a "3 dimensional" (3D) jump into a new geography, function and industry? Laura Pan, currently a full-time MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan, Italy, shares how she went from wastewater treatment engineer to luxury brand manager, her dream job. Laura shares what it's like to study in Italy, as well as the mindset necessary to capitalize on opportunities as an MBA student. Laura also opines on the myth and reality of attending a business school outside the top 10. Question...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 141
Brandon Kirby, Director of MBA Marketing and Admissions at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, discusses what makes the RSM MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (8:07) | Admissions (28:32) | Scholarships (57:48) | Careers (1:04:40) About Our Guest Brandon Kirby is the Director of Marketing & Admissions of the Rotterdam School of Management's MBA Program at Erasmus University. Brandon got his MBA from UNC Kenan-F...
Aug 27, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 140
