Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual discussion around application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions for this season. This week, Round 3 and 4 continue with several application notifications; several programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Northwestern / Kellogg, Emory / Goizueta, CMU / Tepper, Duke / Fuqua and INSEAD. Graham highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The first event is on Wednesday, May 8th, and includes Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough and Texas / McCombs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then noted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham then mentioned an admissions tip that focuses on the reapplication process. While this is targeted to candidates who were not able to secure a seat at a top MBA program this season, we also discussed candidates who are debating whether to reapply next season, or go to business school this season. Graham then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: UCLA who works at Google, Harvard who works at Amazon and UC / Irvine who works at PepsiCo. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is targeting leading executive MBA programs, rather than full-time MBA programs. They have 15 years of experience, most of which has been in digital marketing. They currently work at Nestle. They have a 720 GMAT score and a 3.02 GPA. This week’s second MBA candidate has a 326 GRE and a 3.43 GPA; they work at IBM in technical sales. They plan to return to IBM after the MBA, and then move on to work in their family business. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between USC / Marshall and CMU / Tepper. While both MBA programs are in the same tier, they will offer different experiences. We think the candidate needs to really think hard about their post MBA goals, in order to help drive their final decision. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest application deadlines and decision releases for this season. This week Round 3 and 4 continue with several application deadlines; some programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including UVA / Darden, Georgetown / McDonough, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Texas / McCombs and Michigan / Ross. Graham highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Application Overview webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The first event is on May 8th, and includes Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough and Texas / McCombs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then mentioned two admissions tips that focus on MBA scholarship negotiation, and how important scholarship offers can be to a final decision. Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: Northwestern Kellogg at Google, Duke / Fuqua at Accenture, Rochester / Simon at Bain and Texas / McCombs at Tesla. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very strong GRE score of 332, and they graduated with a first class engineering degree, in India. Their career focus has been in software engineering in the non-profit sector. We like their overall profile, and recommend they target the first rounds. This week’s second MBA candidate is planning several years ahead for their MBA experience. They need to overcome a very low 2.4 GPA. There are steps they can take to help mitigate this concern, and we detailed some of those steps. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Cornell / Johnson and UVA Darden, with a goal for MBB consulting. They are an international student and wonder whether the Ivy name from Johnson should be a factor. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we kick things off with our usual discussion of the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. This week, Round 3 continues with several application deadlines, including deferred admissions deadlines for Harvard (2+2) and UPenn / Wharton. Graham then highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event (with 20 leading business schools!); signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting over the course of May, with signups here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then mentioned that Stanford GSB has now appointed a new Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, after a year-long search following the departure of Kirsten Moss. Erin Nixon is a Stanford alumna of the MBA program, and an undergraduate alum. She will begin her new role on July 1. Graham also noted a recently published tech careers piece, written by Clear Admit’s CEO, Eliot Ingram. While the tech sector is in a hiring squeeze for MBAs, it still represents one of the three major b-school employers. Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: Emory / Goizueta working at McKinsey, IESE working at BCG, Washington / Foster working at Microsoft, and Chicago / Booth working at Goldman Sachs. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has spent 8 years as a paralegal, and is now planning to use the MBA to transition over to the business side of deal making. They have a strong GRE score of 330, and are also heavily involved in additional activities. A potentially very decent profile, overall. This week’s second MBA candidate appears to have a strong career in the venture capital sector in India. However, we worry about their overall numbers; their GRE score is 319. We recommend they retake this test, and target the first rounds. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua and Michigan / Ross. They are seeking a health-care related career. They have a partner, so they need to factor that into their decision-making. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. This week Round 3 continues with several application deadlines, and UPenn / Wharton and Duke / Fuqua are scheduled to release interview invite decisions. Graham started with a story of his random meeting with a podcast listener (and current Wharton student), who he met at a car rental agency. Graham then highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting, with signups here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars We then had a discussion about the recently published 2024 U.S. News MBA ranking of U.S. based MBA programs. For the second year in row, there is a significant emphasis on career outcomes in this ranking, rather than an emphasis on the quality of the incoming class. Some of the order of the ranking appears to be off, as a consequence of this. Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on the waitlist, which also provides direct access to a video that we hosted for the Admissions Academy. This video is now freely available for all to watch. Graham then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: Cornell / Johnson working at Amazon, Columbia working at Google, and Georgetown / McDonough working at Johnson & Johnson. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is applying next season. They have decent numbers, with a 3.72 GPA and 326 GRE. They have 3 years of work experience in consulting. We discussed what they might do to improve their overall profile, over the next several months. This week’s second MBA candidate has recently left their work, to take a break, before starting business school. They appear to have a strong professional record at top tech companies, and a decent GPA. They have gained a test waiver to the programs they are targeting; we are not convinced that’s the right approach. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Northwestern / Kellogg, Duke / Fuqua (with money) and IESE. They also need to consider their spouse’s options, as they weigh whether to do an MBA in Europe or the United States. This episode was recorded in Schenectady, New York, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

As usual, this week's MBA Admissions podcast kicks off with a discussion of all the latest MBA application deadline and decision release news for this season. Last week, MIT / Sloan released its Round 2 final decisions. Cornell / Johnson also released some of their final decisions. This week Round 3 continues with several application deadlines. Graham promoted the MBA applicant survey we now have in the field. We are trying to encourage as high a response rate as we can get. The survey is at https://www.bit.ly/caspringsurvey Graham also noted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on how candidates should decide between different MBA program offers, and how to get the most out of the admitted students events that many top MBA programs offer in the month of April. These events are very important to attend for two broad reasons: to help candidates make their final decisions, as well as to begin the process of transitioning to the new MBA adventure. Graham then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from London Business School working at Uber, Maryland / Smith working at Merck, and UPenn / Wharton working at General Mills. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate applied to London Business School this season, but was rejected after the interview phase. They have a 319 GRE score and a 3.1 GPA. While they appear to have a strong professional background, we are encouraging them to retake the GRE, ahead of next season. This week’s second MBA candidate also has a 3.1 GPA, but there GMAT is a little better, at 710. They also have a very decent professional background, as well as very interesting extra-curricular activities and interests. Their target is Duke / Fuqua’s early action round. We think there is a strong potential benefit from retaking the GMAT, if they can gain 20-30 points. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between UCLA / Anderson with some scholarship and UNC / Kenan Flagler with a full scholarship. We think the decision really boils down to where they want to be, geographically, post MBA. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual rundown of MBA application deadlines and decision releases for this season. Last week we saw several top MBA programs release their final Round 2 decisions. This week, MIT / Sloan and Cornell / Johnson are among those releasing decisions. There are also several Round 3 application deadlines. Graham highlighted the new Spring survey that Clear Admit is running, to get a better sense of how MBA candidates select their target programs. Answering this survey really helps Clear Admit better understand the MBA community, and provides great insights for top MBA programs. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/caspringsurvey Graham then mentioned a new Clear Admit event, which is an in-person MBA admissions fair, to be held in Chicago on May 15. Most of the top MBA programs will be in attendance. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham highlighted three Real Humans Alumni pieces: alums from IMD working at Bain, Ohio / Fisher working at JPMorgan Chase, and NYU / Stern working at Hulu. Finally we discussed the second in Clear Admit's series of post-MBA career reports. This one focuses on consulting careers, and not only which programs send the most candidates into consulting careers, but also which programs have a stronger focus on MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) consulting. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has very strong numbers, with a 334 GRE and a 3.83 GPA. They have four years of experience, most recently as part of the legal team at a Private Equity firm. They want to pursue the MBA to return to private equity, on the investment side. We think this is very doable, but might be worth looking at investment banking as a short term goal. This week’s second MBA candidate has been a lawyer for eight years, and wants to use the MBA to pivot to consulting in the short term, then a strategy or general counsel role in the longer term. They have a strong GPA of 3.75, but perhaps are a little light on the quant side. They still need to take the GMAT, so a very strong score will help. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Berkeley / Haas and Texas/McCombs, with a $35k scholarship. They have free tuition based on the GI bill. They want to do consulting, post MBA. They also have additional personal reasons that makes this decision a little more complicated. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and decision notifications for this season. Interview invites for Round 2 are now coming to an end as schools have shifted into handing out admissions decisions. Speaking of which, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM, Harvard, London Business School, Stanford, Northwestern / Kellogg, and Washington / Foster are releasing their final Round 2 results next week. Best of luck to everyone awaiting word! Graham highlighted the new Spring survey that Clear Admit is running, to get a better sense of how MBA candidates select their target programs. Answering this survey really helps Clear Admit better understand the MBA community, and provides great insights for top MBA programs. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/caspringsurvey Graham then mentioned a Clear Admit event, with CMU / Tepper, which focuses on the MBA for non-traditional candidates. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/nontradMBA Graham also shared tidbits from four Real Humans Alumni pieces: alums from Harvard, working at PepsiCo, Stanford working at Uber, Berkeley / Haas working at Nike and Yale SOM working at EY-Parthenon. Finally we discussed the first in Clear Admit's series of post-MBA career reports. This one focuses on finance careers, and shows quite clearly which are the best MBA programs for buy-side finance roles, as well as for roles in investment banking. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has very respectable numbers, with a 730 GMAT and 3.54 GPA. They began their career in oil and gas, and more recently are working in the area of carbon capture. They are really targeting the very top programs, which we think they have a realistic chance to attain. This week’s second MBA candidate has an outstanding profile, all around. They have a fantastic GPA, complemented by a 730 GMAT. They have very decent work experience, with progressive roles, and their additional volunteer activities look good, too. We recommend they stick to one post-MBA short term goal, while targeting the very best MBA programs and considering geography as well. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua and UVA / Darden. They have a very good scholarship offer from Fuqua, which may tip the balance in their favor. They are still waiting to hear back from Northwestern / Kellogg. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the wave of Round 2 MBA application decisions that are forthcoming. Interview invites are now dwindling for Round 2 as we approach the end of Round 2. Georgetown / McDonough, IESE, Emory / Goizueta, Chicago / Booth, Berkeley / Haas, Texas / McCombs, UCLA / Anderson and INSEAD are releasing their final Round 2 decisions this week. Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on Round 2 waitlists, and financing the MBA. The latter was written by Juno, which operates a platform to group admitted MBA candidates and source low interest rate student loans. Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces: alums from California Irvine / Merage working at Johnson & Johnson, Notre Dame / Mendoza working at Amazon, Rice / Jones working at Goldman Sachs and Duke / Fuqua working at Kearney. Finally, Graham highlighted a recently published piece on INSEAD, which had a focus on International Women’s Day. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very interesting profile having graduated from FIT, with a strong GPA; she is also a first-generation college graduate and has seven years of experience. We are very concerned with her lower GRE score of 304. Any increase in that score should have a very positive impact on MBA options. This week’s second MBA candidate has a very good academic profile, along with a 326 GRE. They are very focused on the education sector, with a long term goal of starting their own school. We really like the profile, and wonder if they should also add Harvard and Stanford to their list of target programs. The final MBA candidate for this week has several offers from top-30 programs, with significant scholarships. They are also on the waitlist for UNC / Kenan Flagler. They only have two years of experience and are considering whether to attend next season, or to wait and reapply. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. Interview invites continue for some top MBA programs, but we are getting towards the end of the cycle and closer to Round 2 decisions. UV / Darden, Michigan / Ross, Duke / Fuqua, UNC / Kenan Flagler, and Dartmouth / Tuck are releasing their final Round 2 decisions next week. Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on the background check process for admitted candidates. He then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from Rochester / Simon, working at Google, Texas / McCombs working at Bain, and Emory / Goizueta working at Microsoft. Finally, Graham highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontline story that focused on Michigan / Ross’s hosting the Climate CAP MBA summit. This led to a short discussion on the increasing interest, among top MBA programs, for issues related to climate transformation. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a super GRE of 340, but unfortunately has a poor academic record, due to the onset of depression. They now have six years of work experience in the oil and gas sector. We think they will have a few challenges to mitigate the undergraduate record, but it is doable. This week’s second MBA candidate has an education background and has served as a teacher, with a special interest in climate change. They want to pursue the MBA to transition into the business of sustainability. They still need to take the GMAT or GRE, and we think that doing very well on the test will be very important. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between London Business School and Columbia Business School. They are from China and want to work in consulting in the Middle East. They already have an engineering degree from Columbia, and Columbia has offered them a significant scholarship. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. Interview invites continue for some top MBA programs, but we are getting towards the end of the interview window and closer to round 2 'decision weeks'. Speaking of decisions, CMU / Tepper is releasing its final Round 2 decisions this week. On Wednesday of this week, Clear Admit will be hosting an AMA live chat with NYU / Stern, signups are here: https://canyuama Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on the interview process (unusual interview practices and post-interview protocol), as we are now deep into the interview season for Round 2 candidates. Graham then highlighted two Real Numbers posts from Clear Admit, which focused on average GMAT scores and average GRE scores of top MBA programs based in the United States. Stanford and Harvard top the list for best GMAT scores, but Yale tops the list for GRE scores. Graham then mentioned two Real Humans Alumni pieces, the first two in this series for this season. Featured are alums from Chicago / Booth working at Citi, and IESE working at Allianz. Graham highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontline story that focused on NYU / Stern’s efforts on impact investing. That led to a brief discussion on the efficacy of batteries used in electric vehicles and mobile phones. And finally, Graham noted a recently published podcast where he interviewed J.R. McGrath at CMU / Tepper; they discussed all the different types of MBA offerings that are now available. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a first generation college grad who went on to complete a BS in Chemical Engineering, and then to serve in the Navy as a Nuclear Power School instructor. We like their overall profile, but think they should try to take the GRE one more time. This week’s second MBA candidate is being sponsored by their firm to do the MBA. They are seeking a one-year MBA program, so they can return to work soonest. We wonder whether they might be better served by also considering some of the leading two-year MBA programs. The final MBA candidate for this week has several offers, and is debating between Michigan / Ross with a $150,000 scholarship, Berkeley / Haas with a $100,000 scholarship, or MIT / Sloan with a $75,000 scholarship. They are from Europe and seeking a career in tech, or consulting, preferably on the west coast. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

Delve into the landscape of MBA program formats with special guest J.R. McGrath, Executive Director of Masters Admissions at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, J.R. is well-equipped to navigate the diverse offerings in MBA education. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the spectrum of MBA options, ranging from traditional full-time programs to innovative hybrid and online formats. J.R. provides a comprehensive overview of Tepper's diverse program offerings, shedding light on the unique features and benefits of each format. From access to campus resources to internship opportunities and specialized services like the Accelerate Leadership Center, J.R. outlines the wealth of resources available to prospective candidates. The episode concludes with practical advice for MBA applicants, highlighting the importance of crafting a compelling narrative around career goals and leveraging available resources throughout the application process.

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual rundown of the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. Interview invites continue for many top MBA programs. We predicted that MIT / Sloan will have released their interview invites towards the end of last week; Sloan is the last leading MBA program to release interview invites in batch form. On Wednesday, this week, Clear Admit continues its event series for Masters in Management programs, signups are here: https://bit.ly/camimfeb The following Wednesday, March 6, Clear Admit will be hosting an AMA with NYU / Stern, signups are here: https://canyuama Financial Times released its MBA rankings for top MBA programs from all around the world. UPenn / Wharton took the top spot, INSEAD was ranked number two. Missing from the top-10 were Harvard and Stanford, which really harms the credibility of the resource. Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on couples who are applying to MBA programs, together. This allowed us to reminisce on an old podcast episode where we featured a couple who came on the show, live. Graham then highlighted three Real Numbers posts from Clear Admit, which focused on the percentages of minorities, women and international students at top MBA programs. Graham then mentioned two Real Humans pieces, focused on students from Columbia and HEC. We then discussed the recently published employment reports for Columbia and London Business School. Columbia’s Class of 2023 employment report showed a slight weakening in the percent of MBA candidates with jobs, three months after graduating. LBS’s career outcomes report for the MBA class of 2023 is closely aligned with INSEAD’s, reflecting the slightly lower average starting salaries compared to their U.S. peer schools. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very interesting 'lived experience' and has come very far as a first generation Hispanic candidate. Their academic profile is superb and they have a 740 GMAT score. We think they should be targeting the very best programs. This week’s second MBA candidate has a very decent profile, as an auditor with a strong academic profile. They are of Asian descent. We worry that they want to waive the GMAT test, and this may harm their overall opportunities for access to their best MBA program. The final MBA candidate for this week has offers from UCLA / Anderson, with money, Berkeley / Haas, no money, and CMU / Tepper with money. Initially they wanted to do their MBA program in Los Angeles. Now they are debating between Anderson and Tepper. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this special MBA Admissions Wire Taps episode, we focused our entire conversation on Wharton’s team-based discussion interview (Wharton TBD). Wharton released it’s interview invites for Round 2 last week, so we thought it would be appropriate to share our deep understanding of this unique interview process. We discuss the history of the team-based discussion interview, as well as why Wharton has adopted this methodology; it is an attempt to mimic the learning-team experience at Wharton. We highlight some issues with that thinking. We also discuss the topic of this season’s team-based discussion interview, and then detail approaches in order for candidates to be most effective in the interview. We then walk through best practices for the brief one-on-one interview that occurs after the team-based interview is complete. Our hope is that this episode provides invaluable and timely advice to those interviewing at Wharton, as well as those curious about the school's unique process - or team dynamics in general. Best of luck! This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we kicked things off with a discussion around the fact that we are now starting to see more interview invites for Round 2 candidates, specifically for programs like Columbia, Michigan / Ross, London Business School, Harvard, Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. This upcoming week, UPenn / Wharton will release its Round 2 interview invites. On Wednesday, this week, Clear Admit is hosting an event for deferred admissions candidates, signups are here: https://bit.ly/defeb24 On February 21, Clear Admit begins its event series for Masters in Management programs, featuring several top programs. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/camimfeb On March 6, Clear Admit will be hosting an AMA with NYU / Stern, signups are here: https://canyuama U.S. News released its ranking of online MBA programs. Indiana / Kelley continues to top the list. Michigan / Ross is notably absent from the list, again. Graham then discussed the stars system we have for Clear Admit community members who post comments and like comments on the Clear Admit wires. We are now offering Amazon gift cards to the biggest contributors! Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on the seven hardest MBA interview questions. Graham also noted the publication of our Real Numbers series, which last week focused on MBA class sizes and the costs of US MBA programs. He then highlighted a Fridays from the Frontlines piece, which focused on the African American Union at Harvard Business School. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate was enlisted in the military and exited as a Captain before joining a government agency in the software engineering domain, they are applying next season. They have a strong GPA, as well as a very decent masters degree. We wonder if their 323 GRE score is their best score, or should they retake the test. This week’s second MBA candidate is also applying next season, and has yet to take the GMAT. They appear to have a very interesting professional background, with a strong focus in the transportation sector in Indonesia. Their long term goal is to return to Indonesia and return to the transportation sector. The final MBA candidate for this week has several offers from top MBA programs, with many including significant scholarship offers. They are weighing whether Wharton is worth the risk, with no money, versus Haas, with a large scholarship. Their principle goal is VC in Los Angeles. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

Take a deep dive into leadership education. Host Graham Richmond welcomes special guests from Georgetown McDonough, Professor Evelyn Williams and Matt Gallo (MBA '21), who share their experiences and perspectives on leadership development in business education. Tune in to explore the leadership training at Georgetown McDonough, including the "Leadership Communications" course, the transformative Executive Challenge, the invaluable contributions of Leadership Fellows and more.

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing interview invite news out of Harvard and Duke. As we get further into the R2 cycle, we are now starting to see more invites for candidates, specifically for aforementioned programs like Harvard and Duke, but also for the likes of Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. This upcoming week, London Business School will release its Round 2 interview invites. Clear Admit is hosting is its monthly Clear Admit+ webinar later today, Monday, February 5. Alex and Graham will take all questions related to MBA admissions. A big focus of the event will be on MBA interview preparation. On Wednesday, February 7 (and again February 14), Clear Admit is hosting events for deferred admissions candidates, with several leading MBA programs; signups are here: https://bit.y/defeb24 On Thursday, February 8, Clear Admit is hosting an AMA with UC / Irvine. More details on our website. Graham highlighted Real Humans pieces for Maryland / Smith and ESCP that were recently published on Clear Admit. We then discussed a Fridays from the Frontline feature on a student at Duke / Fuqua, who is pivoting from digital marketing to brand management. Because we have moved into interview season, we are seeing more interview tips being published on Clear Admit; last week the focus was on interview etiquette. Graham then highlighted a recently recorded podcast episode with Georgetown / McDonough that focused on leadership...stay tuned for details! For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is an army veteran, with a legal background. They have really good numbers, too. Because they have worked for 10 years, we think they need to focus on fit, as well as articulate a firmer long-term goal. This week’s second MBA candidate has a really interesting background in the performing arts. Their numbers are very decent, although the quant section of their GRE might raise a concern. Doing some additional course work, like GMAC’s Business Fundamentals, might well serve them well. The final MBA candidate for this week has offers from NYU / Stern and UNC Kenan Flagler with a considerable scholarship at the latter. Because of their personal circumstances, we think that Kenan Flagler may be the better option, but it's clearly a tough call. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releasesfor Round 2. We are now starting to see a few interview invites for Round 2 candidates, specifically for programs like Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. This upcoming week, Duke / Fuqua and Harvard Business School will release their Round 2 interview invites. Clear Admit is hosting is next Clear Admit+ virtual event on Monday, February 5. Alex and Graham will lead this event, and will take all questions related to MBA admissions. A big focus will be on MBA interview preparation. Graham also briefly mentioned upcoming events in February for Deferred Admissions candidates and Masters in Management candidates. Graham highlighted a Real Humans piece for Harvard, recently published on Clear Admit. This included a discussion about the academic profiles of incoming students at Harvard. We then discussed employment reports from INSEAD and Texas / McCombs. What is striking is the gap in average starting salaries for top MBA programs based in the United States and their counterparts in Europe. This led to a discussion about how firms offer different salaries based on different geographies. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has applied to 12 programs, via The Consortium. They have a very good GPA (3.66) but they have waived the GMAT. Because they are seeking scholarship offers from the programs they are targeting, we suggest they still try to take the GMAT or GRE. This week’s second MBA candidate is planning to apply next season, and has a strong profile from the military. They also have a good GPA from one of the Service Academies, as well as a great GMAT of 750. We think they will be a very strong candidate, but we provided some thoughts on their post MBA plans. The final MBA candidate for this week has offers from Chicago / Booth, Columbia Business School, and NYU Stern. Their offer from Stern is a full-ride, which makes their decision very difficult. They would like to go into venture capital, but that may be a tough industry to break into, wherever they attend. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in glorious West Philadelphia. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest news from Round 2 MBA applications. We are now starting to see a few interview invites, specifically for programs like Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll. Clear Admit is hosting a Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for this Wednesday, January 24 at 8 pm ET. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, including Dartmouth / Tuck, NYU / Stern, Georgetown / McDonough and Washington / Foster, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans Graham highlighted an Adcom Q&A for NYU / Stern’s one year program in Abu Dhabi, as well as a recently published Real Human’s story that focused on six students at Manchester / Alliance. Graham then highlighted a story on Dartmouth / Tuck, which focuses on three MBA alumni who work in Investment Banking. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a female from Vietnam who has worked in a non-traditional field. She also has very strong stats, and we like her overall profile. We think she should be targeting some additional programs from higher tiers. This week’s second MBA candidate is from India, but was educated in the United States at the undergraduate level, and then received a Masters from the U.K. They’ve worked in the risk area of finance for two years. We worry that their post MBA goals could be better developed, we also would like to see more additional interests, outside of work. The final MBA candidate for this week has several MBA offers, and wants to remain in Boston, after her MBA, while pivoting into Marketing. She also has a young family. Should she explore her options with programs from a higher MBA tier, or remain in Boston for her MBA? This was the question we discussed. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by noting that the Round 2 admissions process continues with a few key deadlines remaining at MIT / Sloan, NYU / Stern, and INSEAD and many applicants who applied to programs with early-January deadlines turning their attention towards admissions interviews. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll. Clear Admit is hosting a Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for January 24. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, including Dartmouth / Tuck, NYU / Stern, Georgetown / McDonough and Washington / Foster, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips which focus on application data forms, and resume versus application-based interviews; we are now moving to the interview preparation phase of Round 2. Graham also mentioned two Real Humans pieces that were recently published, covering students from MIT / Sloan and CEIBS. We then discussed the recently released Employment Report for the Chicago / Booth Class of 2023. With an average starting salary of $180,000, their report looks very robust. Interestingly, they saw a slight uptick in placements on the west coast, and in tech. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from South East Asia, and works in consulting. Their GMAT is 710, and this appears to be the weakest aspect of their overall profile. We really like their work experience and their extra-curricular activities, as well as the fact that they completed their undergraduate degree in the US. This week’s second MBA candidate is a first-generation immigrant to the United States. They pursued a double major in Engineering, and their GPA is a 3.22. They were also quite busy in outside activities during their undergraduate studies. They have a GMAT of 720, so their numbers combination is not outstanding. They also appear to have interesting work experience, with a focus on entrepreneurship. The final MBA candidate for this week has some terrific options to consider, which include Harvard, Northwestern / Kellogg and Michigan / Ross. Some financial awards also make the options to consider less clear cut. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the flurry of Round 2 MBA application deadlines that dominate the beginning of January. This upcoming week, we see several top business schools have their deadlines. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll. On Tuesday at 12 pm ET, Clear Admit is hosting an event with CMU / Tepper, which focuses on its Data Analytics masters program. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cmuanalytics Clear Admit is also hosting a Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for January 24 at 7 pm ET. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, including NYU / Stern, Georgetown / McDonough and Washington / Foster, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips which focus on two key aspects related to finalizing the MBA admissions essays: word counts and essay polishing. One question that is becoming more obvious: how can we best use Generative AI in the essay writing and editing process? Graham then highlighted two Real Humans pieces that were recently published on Clear Admit, covering students from Yale SOM and Berkeley / Haas. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very solid GMAT score of 730, but their GPA is a very troubling 2.5. They suffered from mental health issues during their undergraduate experience. Their long term goals are in the mental health space. They will need to address concerns surrounding the GPA in the optional essay; we think they really also need to take some additional coursework. This week’s second MBA candidate has a very decent 720 GMAT score, and has a chemical engineering undergraduate degree, with a 3.67 GPA from their graduating University. We think there’s a lot to like about this profile, but nothing that absolutely stands out. They might want to consider also exploring 1-2 more top 16 tier MBA programs. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Columbia and Northwestern / Kellogg, while also applying to UPenn / Wharton and MIT / Sloan in Round 2. . They want to be on the east coast, after their MBA, with a focus on healthcare and pharma. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!