Darren talks with N'doli Jean-Hugues "Cherif," a French and Ivorian candidate who gained admission to both INSEAD and London Business School's MBA programs. Cherif, an older full-time MBA candidate with diverse experience across five roles - including audit, management consulting, investment banking and infrastructure project finance in the public and private sector - shares his five key success factors for MBA admissions. Topics Introduction (0:00) Cherif's Background & Pre-MBA Plan & G...
Aug 25, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 230
Darren confronts his own "AI anxiety" with Sabine King, Director of the Career Accelerator at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at University of New South Wales (UNSW). Together, they explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the demand for MBA graduates, the evolving strategies of career services, and how leading business schools are equipping their students to thrive in an AI-world. Topics Introduction (0:00) AI's impact on demand for MBAs (5:50) How AGSM embeds A...
Apr 29, 2025•41 min
Darren shares 3 design thinking exercises from Bill Burnett and Dave Evan's Designing Your Life that will help you build a joyful life - and find MBA programs you are excited about. Topics Introduction (0:00) Make Odyssey Plans - Imagining Life 1, 2 and 3 (3:45) Prototype - "Building is Thinking" (8:20) Wayfind - Following Energy and Engagement (13:30) Show Notes Designing Your Life - How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life The Fail-Safe Solopreneur - 6 Essential Practices to Manage Your Well-Bei...
Feb 25, 2025•19 min
Ann-Marie Stephenson and Colleen McLister, Senior Recruitment Manager and Admissions Manager of MBA Programmes at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, discuss the Frankfurt School MBA's admissions criteria, admissions process, scholarships and more. After listening to this episode, you will have a thorough and nuanced understanding of how to submit your strongest application to the Frankfurt School. Topics Introducing Ann-Marie Stephenson & Colleen McLister (0:00) What about the...
Jan 24, 2025•55 min
Sara Vanos, Executive Director of Marketing & Admissions for MBA Programs at HEC Paris, discusses what makes the HEC Paris MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction to HEC Paris MBA and Sara Vanos (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the HEC Paris MBA Unique? (3:20) HEC Paris MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (29:15) Career Opportunities after HEC Paris - What to Know & How to Prepare (52:50) About Our...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? Bridget Pujals, University of California Berkeley Haas MBA '24 and Co-Founder of Saelo, shares her experience being an active founder during her Full-time MBA. What resources did she find most helpful? What should active and aspiring entrepreneurs consider before and during their MBA? And finally, what differentiates the MBA as a launchpad for founders? Bridget shares specific steps she (and other entrepreneurs at Berkeley) took to de-risk their startups...
Sep 03, 2024•50 min
Steven DeKrey, Senior Advisor and Professor Emeritus at HKUST Business School, has over 40 years of experience in building and running top-ranked MBA programs worldwide, including at Northwestern Kellogg, the University of Florida, Asian Institute of Management and HKUST, where he was Founding Director of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program. Darren asks Professor DeKrey about the value of top MBA programs in Asia, how applicants can stand out in the admissions process, who should apply to Full-Time M...
Aug 12, 2024•50 min
Melody Jones, Co-Founder of Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting, has been helping applicants get into top 10 MBA programs for over a decade. How does Vantage Point help applicants triple their chances compared to other applicants? Melody shares key learnings, examples and questions you can use right away to craft a compelling application. Topics Introduction (0:00) Melody's MBA Story, Career & Co-Founding of Vantage Point (2:45) Vantage Point's Philosophy for Serving Applicants (11:00) V...
Jun 19, 2024•47 min
What should you do if you have 10+ years of working experience but are looking for an MBA-type experience to build your skills and network? Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, joins the show to discuss his experience with three mid-career MBA alternatives: Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development (HBS PLD), London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (LBS Sloan Masters), and 500 Global's Accelerator program. Listen on to learn more about t...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Inspired by Kevin Kelly's Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I Knew Earlier , Darren shares 10 bits of wisdom that could materially improve your chances of getting into business school and building a successful career. Topics Introduction (0:00) School Selection (3:00) Support Network (8:20) Positioning (10:30) Resumes (15:45) Essays (20:05) Interviews (22:00) Communication (26:10) Show Notes Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Course Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I Knew Earlier by ...
Apr 16, 2024•29 min
Sometimes, it's hard to differentiate MBA programs. That is not the case with GLOBIS University, Japan's number 1 MBA, which prizes entrepreneurial skills, societal impact, and helping its students find their kokorozashi (personal mission). Professor Tomoya Nakamura, President of GLOBIS USA, discusses what makes the GLOBIS MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Started by Harvard Business School MBA graduate and entrepreneur Yoshito Hori in 1992 as a single m...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Beau Gresham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Mastercard and NYU Stern MBA '20, shares his journey as an applicant, student, and alumni of NYU Stern. How did Beau transition from the military to consulting through the MBA? How was the NYU Stern Full-time MBA experience? How did Beau break into mergers & acquisitions consulting at Deloitte, and then land his current job at Mastercard? And how does Beau view the MBA three years after graduating? Topics Introduction (0:00) Beau's Backgroun...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Darren shares more hard-earned application lessons from four listeners (now graduated MBAs) : drawing a roadmap for the admissions team, prioritizing conversations when picking schools, "prematurely applying" and being strategic yet flexible Want to share your hard-earned application lessons? Contact us at https://touchmba.com/contact Topics Introduction (0:00) Tips for the Untraditional Applicant - Kate, Texas McCombs MBA (2:30) Rankings Don't Matter. Go Where You'll Find the Conversations You ...
Jan 29, 2024•28 min
Touch MBA's goal has always been to offer you evergreen content that will help you shortlist and get into best-fit MBA programs. We invite listeners to share lessons from their MBA application journeys not just on the podcast, but in written form, too. These short reflections are full of timeless application wisdom! Darren shares three lessons from three listeners that have stood the test of time: how to overcome working for a relatively unknown company, how to research and find best-fit b-schoo...
Jan 20, 2024•25 min
How are top business schools using the GMAT Focus exam, which will replace the GMAT in January 2024? What do you need to score and on which sections? Do schools prefer the GMAT, GMAT Focus, or GRE? Darren asks Admissions Directors from two top schools – Toronto Rotman (#1 in Canada by the Financial Times) and IESE (#1 in Spain by the Financial Times) – tough questions about the GMAT Focus test and GRE. Listen on to get your GMAT Focus questions answered and to understand how top b-schools use st...
Dec 21, 2023•42 min
Professor Adrian Buss, Associate Professor of Finance and Academic Director of MBA Programs at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, discusses what makes the Frankfurt School’s MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights – What Makes the Frankfurt School MBA Unique? (4:20) Frankfurt School MBA Admissions & Scholarships – How to Improve Your Chances? (20:45) Career Opportunities after Frankfurt School – ...
Oct 17, 2023•46 min
Professor Wan Wongsunwai, Associate Dean of MBA Programmes and Director of MBA Programmes at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School, discusses what makes the CUHK MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the CUHK MBA Unique? (4:30) CUHK MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (27:30) Career Opportunities after CUHK Business School - What to Know & How to ...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr
Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, discusses what makes the Duke Fuqua MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights – What Makes the Duke Fuqua Daytime MBA Unique? (6:55) Duke Fuqua MBA Admissions & Scholarships – How to Improve Your Chances? (29:10) Career Opportunities after Duke Fuqua – What to Know & How to Prepare (59:30) About Our Guest Shari Hubert is...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 13 min
"We pride ourselves in being at the center of business and technology... We've asked employers, 'How would you describe our students?' and most often the words we get back are 'humble, hardworking and good problem solvers.' I think that's fantastic and that's how I would describe our students as well." Dr. Jonathan Clarke, Interim Dean at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business, discusses what makes the Scheller MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topi...
Aug 28, 2023•42 min
Sue Oldham, Associate Dean at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management, discusses what makes the Vanderbilt MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the Vanderbilt MBA Unique? (4:40) Vanderbilt MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (19:30) Career Opportunities at Vanderbilt - What to Know & How to Prepare (39:45) About Sue Sue Oldham is Associate Dean at ...
Jul 10, 2023•52 min
Shelly Heinrich, Associate Dean, MBA Admissions and Director of Marketing at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, discusses what makes the Georgetown MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the Georgetown MBA Unique? (3:30) Georgetown MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (23:00) Career Opportunities at Georgetown - What to Know & How to Prepare (45:00) A...
Jun 28, 2023•52 min
Thomas Caleel, former Head of MBA Admissions for Wharton, takes us behind the scenes of how an Admissions Director builds a class and what he or she looks for from applicants. What are the key qualities and characteristics that admissions committees look for? How did Thomas' team review 8,000 applicants per year? And how can you craft a thoughtful, authentic and compelling application that stands out? About Thomas Thomas Caleel is host of the Admittedly Podcast and Chairman and Founder of Global...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min
You’ve heard about US News & World Report and Financial Times Global MBA Rankings, but did you know Financial Times also ranks business schools’ alumni network and career effectiveness? Or that QS ranks business schools worldwide according to specialization? After updating Touch MBA’s school matching algorithm , Darren shares his top 5 “undercover” subrankings that can help you shortlist best-fit MBA programs. Darren also shares 3 ways to shortlist business schools that could lead to a bette...
May 31, 2023•31 min
Wedad Sunny, Deputy Director and Head of Marketing and Admissions of MBA Programmes at National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, discusses what makes the NUS MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more. NUS is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top universities by QS (#11 in 2023), Times Higher Education (#19) and US News & World Report (#26). Its MBA programme, run by NUS Business School, was ranked #1 in Asia by Poets & Quants and #25...
May 23, 2023•47 min
Nikhil Agarwal, Co-Founder of Juno, shares optimal strategies to minimize your MBA student loans in 2023. Nikhil shares everything you you need to know about the following variables to secure the best financing package for your situation: Loan terms Repayment schedules Variable vs. fixed interest rates Federal vs. private loans Juno has helped thousands of students access over $700M in loans at preferential rates and terms. Take advantage of Nikhil's deep experience in this space to secure the m...
Apr 24, 2023•48 min
Rebecca Loades, Director of MBA Programs at European School of Management and Technology (ESMT Berlin), discusses what makes the ESMT Berlin MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. ESMT was founded in 2002 by 25 leading companies - including Bayer, Daimler, and McKinsey - who wanted to develop management talent in Germany. The school is the fastest in history to be triple accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA and was ranked the #1 German business school by the F...
Mar 20, 2023•59 min
Paula Amorim, MBA Admissions Director at IESE Business School, discusses what makes the IESE MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Topics: Introduction (0:00) IESE MBA Program Highlights - What Makes IESE Unique? (5:10) IESE MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances (33:50) Career Opportunities at IESE - What to Know & How to Prepare (59:55) About Our Guest Paula Amorim is the MBA Admissions Director at IESE Business School. Before ...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Paul Bodine, one of the world's most experienced admissions consultants and president of Admitify, shares how he helps clients with seemingly par-for-the-course profiles discover their game-changing assets. How does Paul help his clients dig deep to unearth their most remarkable stories? How does he advise his clients to present these stories? If you feel like your profile is nothing special, you are most likely mistaken - even the most common profiles have parts which are uncommon. Sixty percen...
Mar 02, 2023•35 min
Tilla Caveng, a full-time MBA student at National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, shares her top application tips and lessons learned from her first 6 months at NUS. Questions Introducing Tilla (0:00) Tilla's Pre-MBA Career & MBA Application Journey (2:52) Tilla's Best Application Tips (12:45) Tilla's NUS MBA Experience - What She Has Learned So Far (34:20) Applying for Internships/Jobs & Networking as an International Student in Singapore (54:50) About Tilla Tilla Caveng ...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Jochem Kroezen, Academic Director of Rotterdam School of Management's (RSM) Full-time MBA Program, and Maria Tsachli, Recruitment & Admissions Manager, Americas, discuss what makes the RSM MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Introduction (0:00) | Program Highlights (4:00) | Admissions (25:00) | Careers (50:55) About Our Guests Jochem Kroezen is the Academic Director of RSM's Full-time MBA Program, and Associate Professor of Organization Theory at RSM. ...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min
