The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

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 AI into its curriculum & career services (8:30) AI tools for resume optimization (11:30) The importance of authenticity & one's mindset in using AI (13:30) What AI skills do employers expect from MBAs? (17:00) Using AI for psychometric testing, initial assessments & interview preparation (26:00) Using AI for career exploration (30:00) AGSM's AI courses & resources (36:00) Ethical use of AI (38:40) About Our Guest Sabine King is the Director of the Career Accelerator at 
Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. Previously, she worked for Education First as a Program Manager and Cox Purtell as a Recruiting Specialist. She graduated with a degree in Business Management from the International School of Management in Germany. Show Notes AGSM MBA UNSW AI Institute ChatGPT Microsoft CoPilot Crystal - The Personality Data Platform VMoc - Career Acceleration Platform Case Coach - Case Interview Prep Platform Graduate First - Job Assessments Expert Still need help? Get a free profile review, including best-fit MBA programs & ways to strengthen your profile MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants) The Best MBA Programs in Australia 

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-Being Working for Yourself #46 Steve Dalton's The 2 Hour Job Search: The 80/20 Formula to Target Employers & Secure First Interviews #188 Steve Dalton's The Job Closer – Giving Job Seekers Straightforward Frameworks that Work Fast and Work Well #192 MBA Coffee Chats: Thoughtful Advice on How to Get the Most Out of Your MBA with Adam Putterman, Kellogg MMM '19 #194 Building a Professional MBA Network with Nicolle Lee, Wharton MBA '22 #156 Three Questions to Ask Before You Make a Career Move with Gary Lo MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

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 Frankfurt School MBA Surprises International Students? (4:00) How much German do Frankfurt MBA students need to thrive? (8:45) Frankfurt School MBA's Admissions Criteria & Process (11:30) Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (24:30) Advice on Recommendations, Case-Study Essays, Career Goals (35:00) Final Tips for Applicants (46:15) Show Notes Frankfurt School of Finance & Management Full-time MBA Programme Contact the MBA Team at the Frankfurt School #227 Inside the Frankfurt School Full-Time MBA: Admissions & Recruitment Insights with Ann-Marie Stephenson & Colleen McLister #215 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management MBA Program & Admissions Interview with Prof. Adrian Buss MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

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 Guest Sara Vanos is Executive Director of Marketing & Admissions for MBA Programs at HEC Paris, where she has been for over 10 years. Previously, Sara worked in the careers office for the University of Toronto Rotman. Sara got her EMBA from HEC Paris and her undergraduate degree from Ryerson University. Show Notes HEC Paris Full-time MBA HEC Paris MBA GMAT/GRE Requirements Touch MBA's Writeup & Highlights of HEC Paris MBA MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

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 and increase their odds of success. After listening to this conversation, you'll get a much clearer picture of whether an MBA makes sense for your entrepreneurial goals. Topics Introduction (0:00) How Bridget's entrepreneurial plans evolved during her MBA (4:00) Lean launchpad at Berkeley Haas (7:50) Co-founder dating (9:45) What entrepreneurial resources Bridget found most useful at Haas (14:30) Professors as an influential resource for MBA founders (18:40) How other active & aspiring entrepreneurs approached the MBA (25:00) Tips for active & aspiring founders to make the most of their MBA investment (30:15) Importance of student culture for MBA entrepreneurs (33:30) Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? (39:00) About Our Guest Bridget Pujals graduated from University of California's Berkeley's Haas School of Business Full-time MBA program in 2024, where she focused on building her startup. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Saelo in San Francisco, which offers high-tech, clinical skin treatments. Before getting her MBA, Bridget worked for Meta as a Senior Product Manager (Messenger) and Product Lead (Privacy for Instagram Direct), and before that, Postmates in business development and product management roles. Bridget graduated from University of California Irvine with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry. Show Notes Follow Bridget Pujals on LinkedIn #196 How I Got Into UC Berkeley Haas MBA (and HBS, Wharton, UCLA too!) & Breaking into Product Management with Bridget Pujals Saelo University of California Berkeley Haas MBA Berkeley MBA Resources for Entrepreneurs Berkeley's Lean Launchpad Accelerator Y Combinator's Co-Founder Matching Platform Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions by Jan Simon Growth Marketing with Bill Pierce MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

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, 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 MBA, Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, and whether leadership can be taught. Listen carefully to materially improve your chances of finding a great business school and getting in! Topics Introduction (0:00) What makes top MBA programs in Asia and Hong Kong different? (4:06) The quality of top Asian MBA programs vs. top US programs (10:30) How important are local language skills for MBA graduates outside the US? (14:10) What questions applicants should ask when researching MBA programs? (18:35) MBA rankings and other signals of quality (24:30) Who should apply to Full-time MBAs, Part-time MBAs and Executive MBAs (EMBA) (28:30) Understanding EMBA Admissions (34:50) Can leadership be taught? The importance of learning agility (38:45) How can MBAs demonstrate leadership skills to employers? (46:40) About Our Guest Steven DeKrey is Senior Advisor and Professor Emeritus at HKUST Business School. He has over 40 years of experience in building and running top-ranked MBA programs worldwide, including at Northwestern Kellogg, the University of Florida, and HKUST, where he was Founding Director of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program. He has served as a board member on AACSB and EQUIS, the two most respected accreditation bodies in graduate business education, and today, teaches graduate students and executive training programs in leadership, corporate governance and board member development. Steven has written over 15 cases for the Thompson Case Center, 9 of which have been published by Harvard Business School Publishing. Before starting his career in business education, Steven worked as a School & Sports Psychologist in Iowa. He got his PhD in School & Sports Psychology from the University of Iowa and his MBA from Northwestern Kellogg. Show Notes Follow Professor Steven DeKrey on LinkedIn HKUST MBA Kellogg-HKUST EMBA Tiger, Peacock, Owl, Koala - Which Kind of Leader Are You? MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

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) Vantage Point's 3x Success Factors (13:00) Factor 1: Who Are You? (17:00) Factors 2 & 3: What Do You Want? Why? (23:00) Rejected Application Analyses for Columbia, MIT, Harvard, Stanford (34:00) What if you have the same career goals as everyone else? (41:00) Melody's Last Two Tips for Applicants (43:00) About Our Guest Melody Jones is Co-Founder of Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting. Previously, Melody worked as a Marketing Manager for L'Oreal in New York City and prior to her MBA, Melody worked in finance at Wachovia and Wells Fargo. Melody got her MBA from the Columbia Business School and her Bachelors in Marketing & International Business from the University of Virginia. Show Notes Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting #221 Excellent Advice for Living (and MBA Applications!) MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com Learn effective strategies to secure admission to top-ranked MBA programs with Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Course. Gain insights from successful resumes, essays, and case studies of admitted MBAs. Save thousands on consulting fees while optimizing every aspect of your application: https://go.touchmba.com/edge  Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants): https://touchmba.com/favorite-mba-application-tools/ 

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 the learning experience, alumni networks and benefits of attending each of these programs! Topics Introduction (0:00) Richard's career arc before business school (4:40) Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development (8:40) The London Business School Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (22:45) 10 Adventures and the 500 Global Accelerator Program (48:00) Richard' advice for entrepreneurs considering mid-career MBA alternatives (59:00) About Our Guest Richard Campbell is Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, which helps people book personalized, active vacations worldwide. Before 10Adventures, Richard worked as COO of Vista Projects, an industrial engineering firm that helps clients navigate the digital transformation of their operations. Richard got his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary; after ten years growing Vista Projects, he took Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development and then completed London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy. In 2023, he joined 500 Global's Accelerator program in Calgary, where he currently resides. Richard also hosts the 10Adventures Podcast and serves on the Board of Directors for The Alpine Club of Canada. Show Notes Richard Campbell on LinkedIn 10Adventures Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development The LBS Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy 500 Global Richard's Review of HBS LDP program Richard's Review of the LBS Sloan Masters program Richard's Review of 500 Global's Alberta Accelerator John Kotter's 8-Step Change Model from Leading Change Verne Harnish's Scaling Up Platform How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christenson Dan Cable Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Entrepreneur's Organization (EO) Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com Learn proven strategies to get into top-ranked MBA programs and optimize every part of your application through Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Course. See resumes, essays and case-studies of admitted MBAs. Save thousands of dollars on consulting fees: https://go.touchmba.com/edge 

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 Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly Outsight #93 Which Extracurriculars? #190 3 Timeless Application Strategies from MBA Admissions Strategy (2005) by Avi Gordon #131 The Quick & Easy Way to Effective MBA Interviewing #113 Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t #51 Stalking the Story for Your MBA Essays #4 Four Ways to Get and Keep the Adcom's Attention #3 Six Ways to Make Your MBA Application Stick Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 marketing course in Tokyo, GLOBIS has grown to become Japan's largest MBA program, consulting with 60-70% of public Japanese companies with learning hubs in 5 countries. Listen on to learn what makes getting an MBA at GLOBIS - and in Tokyo - unique. Topics Introduction to GLOBIS and Tomoya Nakamura (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the GLOBIS MBA Unique? (6:30) GLOBIS MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (33:30) Career Opportunities after GLOBIS - What to Know & How to Prepare (55:00) About Our Guest Tomoya Nakamura is President of GLOBIS USA. Tomoya started his professional career at Marubeni Corporation, reorganized an investment company at Advantage Partners (a buyout VC firm), and was the Senior Managing Director of Sun-Life Corporation. He served as Dean of the English MBA Programs at GLOBIS University while also starting the GLOBIS global training business and continues to serve as the main facilitator for various corporate clients. He primarily lectures on leadership, kokorozashi, and globalization. Tomoya graduated from the Hitotsubashi University with a Bachelors in Social Studies before getting his MBA from Harvard Business School. Show Notes GLOBIS Full-time MBA Free Online President's Seminar: Leveraging Japan's No.1 MBA to the World's No.1 MBA with AI & Technovate, Mr. Yoshito Hori, March 12, 2024 (6:30pm-7:30pm PST) Schedule a personal consultation with GLOBIS MBA admissions advisors Touch MBA's Summary of the GLOBIS Full-time MBA:  https://touchmba.com/globis-mba-program-admissions-interview-tomoya-nakamura/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 Background (4:00) Beau's MBA Application Journey & Lessons: School Selection, GMAT, Career Goals (6:30) MBA Application Resources for Military Veterans (20:30) Beau's #1 Tip: Finding "Champions" (23:30) Beau's NYU Stern MBA Experience (33:30) Breaking into Consulting- How Beau Landed his Internship & Job with Deloitte (39:00)  The NYU Stern Network in NYC & Study Abroad Trips (53:00) Beau's Post-MBA Career with Amazon & Deloitte (1:00:00) Advancing at Deloitte & Transitioning to Mastercard (1:07:00) Beau's Last Tips for Applicants (1:21:00) About Our Guest Beau Gresham is Director of Strategic Initiatives in Cybersecurity at Mastercard. Previously, Beau worked as a Senior Consultant & Manager in M&A Strategy for Deloitte. Prior to his MBA, Beau served in the US Army in a variety of leadership, operational and combat roles, including as a Company Commander in Afghanistan. Beau got his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business with specializations in Finance, Strategy & Management, his Masters in Management and Leadership from Webster University and his Bachelors in Political Science & Government from the University of South Florida. He currently serves on the Stern Alumni Council. Show Notes Beau Gresham on LinkedIn Avanti Prep Admissions Consulting Team (mention Touch MBA + Beau Gresham) NYU Stern MBA Programs Hiring Our Heroes - Connecting Military to American Business Service to School - Helping Veterans Apply to Best College or Graduate School What's Next? A Military Veteran's Guide to Maximizing Your MBA by Matthew Cowsert Deloitte's CORE Leadership Program American Corporate Partners (ACP) Mentorship MBA Veterans Career Conference & Expo GMAT Club Panel on Breaking into Consulting, featuring Beau Gresham #136 Military to MBA to Management Consulting with Alex Tuininga, Harvard MBA '18 Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Online Course Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

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 Want to Have - Eileen, Oxford Said MBA (10:00) Five Things I Learned When I Applied to Business School - Anonymous, NYU Stern Tech MBA (13:50) Be Strategic, Yet Adaptable - Jasper, McMaster DeGroote MBA (20:15) Show Notes My Application Journey - Touch MBA Listeners Share Hard-Earned Lessons Share Your Journey and Lessons Learned Surprise, I'm Going to Business School! (tips for the untraditional applicant) by Kate Galloway, Texas McCombs MBA '20 Rankings Don't Matter. Go Where You'll Find the Conversations You Want to Have by Eileen Chen, Oxford Said MBA '19 Five Things I Learned When I Applied to Business School by Anonymous NYU Stern Tech MBA '22 The Key to MBA Success? Be Strategic, Yet Adaptable by Jasper Isip, McMaster DeGroote MBA Jasper Isip '23 PESTLE Analysis Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Online Course Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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-schools, and how to deal with dings. Want to share your hard-earned application lessons? Contact us at https://touchmba.com/contact Topics Introduction (0:00) Working for an Unknown Company - Daming, Northwestern Kellogg MBA (4:30) Determining Best-Fit Schools - William, Texas McCombs MBA (10:30) Dealing with Dings - Bren, Emory Goizueta MBA (17:30) Show Notes My Application Journey - Touch MBA Listeners Share Hard-Earned Lessons Share Your Journey and Lessons Learned Admitted to Kellogg, Insead, Ross, Fuqua, Johnson – Here's How I Did It I Got Into 8 Top MBA Programs; These Are My Top 3 Tips 2 Years, 8 Dings and 2 Scholarships Later  –  My Reflections on the MBA Application Process Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Online Course Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

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 standardized test scores when making admissions decisions. Topics Introduction (0:00) Toronto Rotman MBA - Agnes Mak (4:20) IESE MBA - Tomofumi Nishida (30:20) About Our Guests Agnes Mak is the Assistant Director, Recruitment & Admissions managing the East Asia region for the Full-Time MBA program at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management. She has over 20 years of professional experience in higher education and business advisory. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she was a Partner at KPMG Canada and held numerous leadership roles to attract and promote international talent. Tomofumi Nishida is Deputy Director (Asia, MBA Admissions) for IESE Business School, where he has been since 2016. Prior to IESE, Tomo worked for NTT DOCOMO as a strategic investment analyst and account manager in corporate sales. Tomo got his B.A. in Occidental History from the University of Tokyo and MBA from IESE.

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 – What to Know & How to Prepare (36:15) About Our Guest Dr. Adrian Buss is Associate Professor of Finance and Academic Director of MBA Programs at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Prior to joining the Frankfurt School, Adrian taught as an Associate Professor of Finance at Insead for over 10 years. Adrian graduated from the University of Mannheim with a Masters of Science in Mathematics and Business Informatics before getting his PhD in Finance at Goethe University Frankfurt. Show Notes Frankfurt School of Finance & Management MBA Program Touch MBA's Summary of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management Full-time MBA:  https://touchmba.com/frankfurt-school-finance-management-mba-program-admissions-interview-adrian-buss/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 Prepare (47:20) About Our Guest Professor Wan Wongsunwai is Associate Dean of MBA Programmes and Director of MBA Programmes at CUHK Business School, where he has worked for over 7 years. His research interests include financial reporting quality, corporate governance, entrepreneurship and private equity. Before coming to CUHK, he taught and researched at Insead and Northwestern Kellogg Professor Wan earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics at Imperial College and later received his Doctor of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. Prior to obtaining his doctoral degree, he worked at KPMG in London, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Hong Kong and then as an equity analyst with ABN AMRO Bank in Hong Kong, covering software and information technology. Show Notes CUHK Full-time MBA Touch MBA Episode write-up and overview of the CUHK Full-time MBA:  https://touchmba.com/chinese-university-of-hong-kong-cuhk-mba-program-admissions-interview-wan-wongsunwai Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She has been with Duke for 6 years. Previously, Shari served as Associate Dean of Admissions at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business as well as Director of Recruitment for the Peace Corps. Shari has also worked at Citi, GE, NBC Universal, The Boston Consulting Group and Merck in a variety of recruiting, consulting and marketing roles. Shari graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and majored in French at Dartmouth University as an undergraduate. She serves on a number of HBS Alumni Boards, Pyxera's Global Board of Directors and is a Forte Partner Advisory Council Member. Show Notes Duke Fuqua MBA The Fuqua Show on Spotify The Duke MBA Admissions Interview: What to Expect and How to Prepare Touch MBA Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of the Duke Fuqua Daytime MBA:  https://touchmba.com/duke-fuqua-mba-program-admissions-interview-shari-hubert Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

"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. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the Georgia Tech Scheller MBA Unique? (4:00) Scheller MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (17:20) Career Opportunities after Georgia Tech Scheller - What to Know & How to Prepare (32:20) About Jonathan Jonathan Clarke is Interim Dean and Associate Professor of Finance at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business. From 2012-2018, Dr. Clarke served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, where he helped raise the school's profile. Dr. Clarke was named to the Poets and Quants 2018 list of Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors, and also voted the 2009 and 2013 MBA Core Professor of the Year. He has taught custom programs for NCR, Clorox, Georgia Pacific, Lockheed Martin, and the National Football League. Dr. Clarke is on the board of the Eastern Finance Association, on the editorial board of The Financial Review, and edits the Handbook of Modern Finance. Dr. Clarke received his PhD from the Katz Graduate School of Business and the University of Pittsburgh and his undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington. Show Notes Georgia Tech Scheller Full-time MBA Program Tech Square Atlanta Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) - Georgia's technology business incubator Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of the Georgia Tech Scheller MBA: https://touchmba.com/georgia-tech-scheller-mba-program-admissions-interview-jonathan-clarke/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management, where she is responsible for recruiting and admissions, enrollment management, academic and student affairs, and the career management center. Previously, she worked at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business as Executive Director of Recruiting & Admissions and Alumni Engagement. Before jumping into higher education, she worked over 10 years as a consultant. Sue got her B.A. in English from Rice and her MBA from Vanderbilt. Show Notes Vanderbilt MBA Vanderbilt's MBA Admissions 101 Webinar - Find the Next One Here Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of Vanderbilt MBA: https://touchmba.com/vanderbilt-mba-program-admissions-interview-sue-oldham Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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) About Shelly Shelly Heinrich is Associate Dean of MBA Admissions and Director of Marketing for Georgetown's University McDonough School of Business. Previously, she worked as a Client Services Director for Wunderman Thompson and Young & Rubicam. Shelly got her EMBA from Georgetown and her Masters in Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Show Notes Georgetown MBA Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of Georgetown MBA: https://touchmba.com/georgetown-mba-program-admissions-interview-shelly-heinrich Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com    

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 Education Opportunities, LLC, an international education consulting and admissions advisory firm. Thomas served as the Head of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid for The Wharton Business School from 2005 - 2008, where he observed how exceptional candidates were able to successfully differentiate themselves. Thomas graduted from the University of Pennsylvania twice, first with a Bachelors in International Relations and then with an MBA from Wharton in 2003. Topics Introducing Thomas Caleel (0:00) What "holistic MBA admissions" means to Thomas (7:00) Behind the scenes of how Wharton reviews 8,000 applicants to build a class (16:25) How applicants can stand out (20:55) How Thomas helps his clients find their authentic voice (25:20) Thoughtful MBA goals (30:30) How Thomas' team evaluated GMAT/GRE scores (34:45) Advice for international students (40:10) Thomas' thoughts on MBA ROI (46:20) How Thomas views the MBA, 20 years after graduating (54:00) Should entrepreneurs get an MBA? (57:00) Show Notes Thomas Caleel Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-wharton-mba-application-process-thomas-caleel/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 better MBA experience and investment. Topics Understanding Rankings & Subrankings (0:00) Darren's 5 Favorite Subrankings for MBA Applicants (7:30) A Process to Quickly Evaluate Schools (23:45) Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/undercover-mba-subrankings Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2023. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights – What Makes the NUS MBA Unique? (3:30) NUS MBA Admissions & Scholarships – How to Improve Your Chances? (19:30) Career Opportunities at NUS – What to Know & How to Prepare (38:40) Show Notes NUS MBA Get your profile assessed by the NUS MBA admissions team before you apply Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of NUS MBA: https://touchmba.com/nus-mba-program-admissions-interview-wedad-sunny Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

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 most favorable rates and terms for your MBA student loans. About Nikhil Nikhil Agarwal is Co-Founder of Juno. Nikhil got his Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Nikhil validated the Juno business model his first year at HBS when he helped 700 MBA students from 10 business schools save over $14,000 USD on their loans through collective bargaining. Topics Introducing Nikhil Agarwal & Juno (0:00) Optimal strategies to minimize your MBA student loans (12:30) Nikhil's thoughts on maximizing long-term net worth (30:00) How international MBA students can minimize their MBA loans (33:00) How students can join Juno & negotiate with lenders for better rates (37:00) Nikhil's thoughts on optimizing your MBA experience (45:00) Show Notes Juno (support Touch MBA and Juno by signing up here) Touch MBA's Guide to Financing Your MBA and the Best MBA Student Loans Episode write-up and links: https://touchmba.com/strategies-optimal-mba-student-loans-nikhil-agarwal-juno/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 Financial Times in 2022. Topics Introduction (0:00) Program Highlights - What Makes the ESMT Berlin MBA Unique? (2:30) ESMT Berlin MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances? (22:00) Career Opportunities at ESMT Berlin - What to Know & How to Prepare (44:05) About our Guest Rebecca Loades is Director, MBA Programs at ESMT Berlin. Previously, she worked for the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) for over 10 years in numerous roles, including as Director of Masters Programs and Director of Next Generation GMAT. Rebecca studied mechanical engineering as an undergraduate at University of Bradford and got her MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management. Show Notes ESMT Berlin MBA Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of ESMT Berlin MBA: https://touchmba.com/esmt-berlin-mba-program-admissions-interview-rebecca-loades Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 joining IESE, Paula worked as a Project Manager for Grupo Marista, a non-profit in Brazil. Paula got her Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and MBA from IESE in 2016. Show Notes IESE MBA Get feedback on your profile from IESE MBA's Admissions Team before you apply Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of IESE MBA: https://touchmba.com/iese-mba-program-admissions-interview-paula-amorim Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 percent of Admitify's MBA clients gain admission or interview invitations at Stanford, Wharton and Harvard, and Admitify's clients win over $2M in scholarships each year. Listen on to learn Paul's process for identifying your game-changing differentiators. About Paul Admitify's president, Paul Bodine, is among the world's most experienced admissions consultants. A graduate of University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University, Paul is the author of 6 books on admissions including the best-selling Great Applications for Business School, Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance, and Perfect Phrases for Letters of Recommendation (McGraw-Hill). Paul was recognized in Poets & Quants Admissions Coach Hall of Fame in 2021 for his 5 consecutive years on the Best Consultant list. He was one of only three consultants who made every single ranking since the inaugural list of the Top 10 in 2017. He is also ranked as a Top 10 Consultant With The Most Positive Client Reviews Over Time. Paul's Admitify team has over 140 years of collective admissions consulting experience with more than 2,000 admitted clients. Paul has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Money magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and Poets & Quants, Topics Introducing Paul Bodine & Admitify (0:00) Finding Your Game-Changing Assets (4:30) Which Differentiators Should You Present? (11:35) Case-Studies of Digging Deeper to Find Unusual and Remarkable Stories (17:20) Presenting Your Remarkable Stories in Essays (23:05) Learn More About Paul Bodine & Admitify Admitify - Mention TOUCH MBA to get $300 off First-school package, and then $250 off each additional school for multiple school packages OR $100 off 5-hour packages and $150 off 10-hour packages Episode write-up and links: https://touchmba.com/admitify Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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 is currently attending the Full-time NUS MBA program in Singapore, where she was awarded the NUS MBA Dean's Award. Prior to NUS, Tilla worked for Kaiser Partner Wealth Advisors, a family-owned wealth advisor operating in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, as a business analyst and chief of staff for the CEO. She was a trainee lawyer at Baker McKenzie Switzerland. Tilla received her Masters and Bachelor of Law from University of Zurich. Episode write-up and links: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-national-university-of-singapore-mba-tilla-caveng-nus-mba/ NUS MBA: https://mba.nus.edu.sg/  Consult 1-1 with NUS MBA Admissions Team before you apply and get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

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. Before joining RSM, Jochem worked as an Associate Professor in International Business at Cambridge University's Judge Business School. Jochem got his Masters in Business Research from RSM. Maria Tsachli is Recruitment & Admissions Manager, Americas, for RSM's International MBA Program. Previously, Maria worked for booking.com as a commercial advisor. Maria got her Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Mass Media from Ethnikon kai Kapodistriakon Panepistimion Athinon and her Masters in Social and Cultural Anthropology from VU Amsterdam. Show Notes RSM MBA Episode write-up and snapshot/stats of RSM MBA: https://touchmba.com/rotterdam-school-of-management-mba-program-admissions-interview-jochem-kroezen-maria-tsachli/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

“A well-crafted story helps create a magical sort of clarity. It can illuminate an experience your audience could not have fathomed a few minutes before, or draw them so close that they imagine they can feel your heart beating.” - How to Tell a Story by The Moth Compelling stories make admissions officers feel closer to you - like they know you better. Inspired by How to Tell a Story by The Moth, Darren highlights three tools you can use immediately to improve your stories, so you can show adcoms who you really are and draw them closer to you. Darren also shares over a dozen questions that will help you identify riveting stories for your MBA application. Topics A Story about Touch MBA (0:00) The Moth (4:40) Shift (6:50) Scenes (9:20) Stakes (13:20) Applying the 3S's to Your MBA Application (16:20) Episode write-up and show notes: https://www.touchmba.com/3s-scintillating-storytelling-the-moth Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

We're nearing 200 episodes of Touch MBA. Feeling nostalgic, Darren reflects on 10 lessons for applicants from 10 years of Touch MBA! 10 Lessons from 10 Years of Touch MBA Introduction (0:00) Know Your Must Haves (2:00) Work on Your MBA Pitch with Others (5:50) Master the MBA Coffee Chat (9:10) Connect Your MBA Objectives with Those of MBA Admissions (12:45) The GMAT Matters (16:15) Resumes: Show How You've Impacted Organizations (19:12) Essays: Unforgettable > Impressive (21:15) Interviews: Answer the Questions Behind the Questions (30:40) Selecting Business Schools: Who Do You Want to Marry? (33:15) Careers: Be Humble, Hungry, and Do Your Homework (36:15) Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/ten Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Chris Tran, London Business School (LBS) MBA '22, shares lessons learned from applying to and attending LBS, as well as how he landed his first post-MBA consulting gig in London. Questions Introducing Chris (0:00) Chris' Pre-MBA Career & MBA Application Journey (3:45) Consulting as a Post-MBA Career Goal (9:55) Chris' Top 3 Tips for Applicants (12:30) How Chris Honed his Application Story (16:40) Preparing for the LBS MBA Interview (22:05) Highlights from Chris' LBS MBA Experience (28:45) Making the Most of Your MBA Time (47:45) Structuring Your Network & Getting Help from Alumni (48:15) Consulting Internships & Recruiting at LBS (49:40:) About Chris Chris graduated from London Business School's Full-time MBA program in 2022 and works as a Business Strategy Consultant for Accenture (UK). Chris received his Bachelors in Actuarial Science from Keele University. He then worked in investment management in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for 8 years before getting his MBA. Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-london-business-school-mba-chris-tran Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Tony Ngo, Harvard Business School '08, shares how he used the MBA to pivot to Vietnam, first in finance, and then as an edtech entrepreneur with Everest Education. Questions Introducing Tony (0:00) Tony's Pre-MBA Career & MBA Application Journey (5:00) Tony Pivots Towards Asia - Post-MBA Careers & Relationships (7:15) Networking Your Way to Jobs vs. Resume Drops (13:10) Having a Focus / One Question in Mind During Your MBA (21:00) Succeeding in Private Equity & Hedge Funds (24:40) Sponsors for Educational Opportunity - Vietnam (32:00) Tony's Pivot from Finance to EdTech (36:30) What MBAs Need to Know About Working in EdTech (47:10) About Tony Tony Ngo is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Everest Education (E2), which offers live small classes online and operates a network of premium learning centers offering a variety of subjects, including math, English Language Arts, college admissions consulting, test prep, and tutoring. Since 2014, he also has been a board member at Nam Long, a publicly-traded real estate developer. In 2009, he founded Sponsors for Educational Opportunity - Vietnam, a non-profit developing leadership capacity among young professionals in Vietnam. Tony graduated from Harvard Business School in 2008 and received his Bachelors (Economics) and Masters (Industrial Engineering) from Stanford University. After getting his MBA, Tony was an investor for Bridger Capital, a long-short equities hedge fund, where he covered Asian and Technology, Media and Telecom investments from 2008-2015. Tony frequently speaks and writes about leadership, community building, parenting, and career development. Tony lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and two children. Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/pivoting-to-vietnam-breaking-into-edtech-tony-ngo Connect with Tony online: https://linktr.ee/thaytonyoi Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Bridget Pujals shares lessons learned from her MBA application journey, culminating in admits to Harvard, Wharton ($70K scholarship), UCLA Anderson ($100K scholarship), and Berkeley Haas ($175K scholarship). She will attend UC Berkeley Haas this Fall. While her results are spectacular, Bridget took the GRE three times, and spent two years researching, preparing, and applying to b-schools. As Bridget makes clear, “It was a two year grind to make this happen. No one sees the tears.” Bridget and Darren discuss the importance of knowing your priorities, starting your essays early, and the benefits of working with an admissions consultant. And after working in product management roles at Postmates and Facebook for 6 years, Bridget shares her thoughts breaking into product management at startups and tech giants. Questions Introducing Bridget (0:00) Bridget's Pre-MBA Career & MBA Application Journey (3:20) Bridget's Best Application Tips (18:20) Prepping for MBA Interviews (29:00) The Consortium & Scholarships (33:00) Picking & Prepping Recommenders (37:40) Breaking into Product Management (41:00) How Bridget Plans to Pursue Entrepreneurship at Berkeley Haas (54:20) About Bridget Bridget Pujals will be attending the UC Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA in Fall 2022, where she will focus on entrepreneurship. After graduating from UC Irvine with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry, Bridget worked for Postmates in business development and sales before transitioning into a product management role. She then worked for Facebook as a Senior Product Manager (Messenger) and Product Lead (Privacy for Instagram Direct). Bridget also launched a coaching service to help more women break into product management roles in technology and serves as a Startup Mentor for First Round Capital. Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/how-i-got-into-uc-berkeley-haas-mba-bridget-pujals Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

“The most frustrating part I have found is the vast amount of information about schools, applications, and chances that is out there. It's been hard to sift through all the noise and really figure out what schools are good for you and what your actual chances are.” – Margaret, USA Feel the same way? Trust me, you're not alone. We've helped over 3,500 MBA applicants from 50 countries shortlist MBA programs, and hear comments like this all the time. What if you could figure out MBA programs you're excited about AND competitive at, that would be a great investment in your future? And do this with the least time and effort? I'm a former MBA Admissions Director who has thought about this problem – how to make school selection easier – for the past 10 years. I've also observed where applicants end up applying and attending. Why? So I could cut out any part of the research and selection process that has no utility. In other words, to save you time. I would like to share with you the 4-step method that I believe is most effective for shortlisting best-fit MBA programs. The best part of this method? It will give you the best chance of getting in, too. Topics Introduction (0:00) Rankings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (3:40) Step 1: Reflect on Your A, B, and C (9:25) Step 2: Determine Your "Must Haves" (12:10) Step 3: Evaluate Your Competitiveness (17:00) Step 4: Interact to Find Fit (22:00) Conclusion (24:45) Show Notes How to Choose the Right MBA Programs for You: Follow these Four Steps to Find the Right Business Schools Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/business-school-selection-simplified Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Nicolle Lee, Wharton MBA '22, shares how building relationships helped her reach her MBA goals - including breaking into the real estate industry. After listening to this episode, you'll have a detailed and instructive case study of what's required to make a career pivot at a world-class business school. Questions Nicolle's Wharton MBA application & interview strategy (4:00) How Nicolle pursued her real estate career goals at Wharton (18:10) Real estate case competitions and student clubs (25:25) How Nicolle secured her real estate internship - and then job - at Morgan Stanley (32:20) Nicolle's second year at Wharton + conducting hundreds of coffee chats (44:00) Wharton's culture and resources for social impact & women empowerment (50:15) Nicolle's last thoughts on making the best MBA investment (55:25) About Nicolle Nicolle Lee is a second year MBA at Wharton majoring in Real Estate and Finance. After graduating from Columbia University with a Bachelors in Financial Economics, she worked at Banc of California and then Voya Financial doing venture capital, strategy and business development. After graduating from Wharton, Nicolle will work for Morgan Stanley's Real Estate Investment Banking group in New York. Episode Sponsor – Queen's University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/building-a-professional-mba-network-nicolle-lee-wharton-mba Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

What are corporate recruiters looking for from business graduate students? And how do median MBA salaries compare to those of specialized business masters programs? Darren shares 3 interesting findings from GMAC's Corporate Recruiters Survey. This way, you can think more like an admissions officer, and put forward your strongest application. This episode is about taking advantage of GMAC's free market intelligence reports to inform your graduate school plans and strategy. Topics Introduction (0:00) Most important skills for business school graduates (6:00) MBA salaries vs. other business masters salaries (11:10) GMAT testing statistics per country (14:45) Episode Sponsor – Queen's University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Show Notes gmac.com market intelligence GMAC's Corporate Recruiters Survey GMAC's Profiles of GMAT Testing #190 3 Timeless Application Strategies from MBA Admissions Strategy (2005) by Avi Gordon Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/hiring-trends-salaries-business-school-graduates-gmac-corporate-recruiters-survey Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

How can you make the most of your MBA experience? After reflecting on their own MBA experiences and those of hundreds of successful grads, Adam Putterman, Northwestern MMM '19, and Bob Manfreda, Stanford GSB '19, wrote MBA Coffee Chats: Thoughtful Advice on How to Get the Most out of your MBA. The book answers frequently asked questions from recent MBA admits, and aims to help this group have more productive coffee chats with MBAs before starting business school. Darren invites Adam, who graduated from Northwestern's Dual Degree MBA & M.S. in Design Innovation program, to discuss how to find people to have coffee chats and what to ask. The two also discuss prioritizing time and personal growth at business school. At Touch MBA, we're all about helping you make the best MBA investment. Although MBA Coffee Chats is intended for MBA admits, why not get a sneak preview of the best practices and big questions you'll need to answer before starting your MBA? Questions Introducing Adam (0:00) Why MBA coffee chats? (4:30) How to find people and what to ask (8:20) Writing an MBA "to don't list" (25:45) Getting peer feedback (32:15) Adam asks Darren questions about podcasting (35:30) About Adam Adam Putterman is Co-Founder of Ours, a relationship wellness company. He got a dual MBA and MS in Design Innovation Degree (MMM) from Northwestern University. Before attending Kellogg, Adam got his B.S in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and worked for Deloitte as a consultant. Episode Sponsor – Queen's University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Show Notes MBA Coffee Chats by Bob Manfreda and Adam Putterman mbacoffeechats.com Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/mba-coffee-chats-adam-putterman/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Back by popular demand, Graciela Brewer returns to reflect on her Harvard Business School experience. We discuss what she found easier and more difficult than expected, how she has made the most of her HBS MBA, and her thoughts on how applicants can best prepare for business school. Questions Introducing Graciela Brewer (0:00) Graciela's Harvard Business School experience: expectations vs. reality (4:00) What Graciela found most valuable about her HBS experience (17:30) HBS during the pandemic (23:10) Graciela's involvement in the Latino Student Organization and Socioeconomic Inclusion Task Force (28:00) Graciela's thoughts on prioritizing mental health, well-being and family at HBS (34:00) How Graciela landed her internship - and post-MBA job - at Toast (38:00) Taking advantage of "time off" at business school (47:00) Graciela's advice for MBA applicants: talk to students and work on your stories! (51:30) How Graciela would re-design the HBS MBA (55:30) Last thoughts for applicants, including her formula for student involvement (1:00:00) About Graciela (Grace) Graciela Brewer is a second year MBA at Harvard Business School. After she graduates, she will help Toast, which makes software for the restaurant industry, with design operations. Before attending Harvard Business School, Grace got her B.S in Information Science from Missouri University of Science & Technology and worked as a Senior UX Designer at Netsmart. Episode Sponsor: Queens University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-hbs-mba-graciela-brewer Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

Darren shares three foundational application strategies from Avi Gordon's MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing (2005) that have stood the test of time. It's always advantageous to master the fundamentals of any art form - including constructing a winning MBA application. Listen on to review the basics! Topics Introduction (0:00) Marketing to Adcoms (3:50) Attributes that Count (10:40) Points, Stories, Analysis (19:40) Episode Sponsor – Queen's University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/mba-admissions-strategy-avi-gordon Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

What do MBA applicants need to know about breaking into the healthcare industry? Darren invites Veeral Desai, Harvard Business School MBA '07, to share his experience moving from Bain & Company's Healthcare Practice to senior executive roles at Vantage Oncology and agilon health. Veeral shares his best tips on narrowing your target list of organizations, connecting with alumni, and acing the recruitment process. A big part of Veeral's roles has been recruiting MBAs, so don't miss his advice on how to give yourself the best chance of building a successful career in healthcare. This is Part 12 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here. Questions Introducing Veeral (0:00) Veeral's MBA journey and why Veeral pursued a career in healthcare (5:30) Why and how Veeral moved on from Bain & Company to Vantage Oncology (12:00) Tactics to break into healthcare (16:00) Interacting with MBA alumni (24:30) Acing the healthcare recruiting process (28:00) Key skills to succeed in healthcare (34:30) The ups and downs of Veeral's healthcare experience (44:15) How Covid has affected the healthcare industry (48:30) About Veeral Veeral Desai is the Chief Strategy and Development Officer at agilon health. Veeral joined agilon health in 2017 as President of Enterprise Operations, where he led the creation of agilon's operating platform, and held P&L and operating responsibility spanning the Western and Eastern regions of the company. Prior to agilon, Veeral served in several senior executive roles at Vantage Oncology (most recently as President of Operations) overseeing the growth and development of Vantage into a leading national cancer delivery network. Before joining Vantage, Veeral spent nearly a decade as a leader in the healthcare practice of Bain & Company. Veeral received his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Episode Sponsor: Queens University's Smith Full-time MBA The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting Yoursmithmba.com/touchmba Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/mba-careers-healthcare. Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Steve Dalton, a senior career consultant and program director at Duke University's Fuqua School, shares time-saving techniques for choosing a career and acing common interview questions from his new book, The Job Closer. Having worked in MBA career services for over 16 years, Steve also shares what MBA employers are looking for, how Covid-19 has changed recruiting, and one of his favorite exercises for helping MBAs make difficult career decisions. Questions Introducing Steve (0:00) Why Steve wrote The Job Closer and hates tips (5:00) Choosing a career in 63 minutes (15:00) Answering the "tell me about yourself (TMAY)" interview question with "FIT" (21:15) Can Steve's recipes be too formulaic? (33:30) What MBA employers are looking for (36:35) Building rapport online with recruiters (41:00) The "Sleep On It" exercise for making difficult decisions (44:20) Inner vs. outer ring careers (51:30) About Steve Steve Dalton is the author of The 2-Hour Job Search and The Job Closer, founder of the corporate training firm Contact2Colleague, and a senior career consultant and program director at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where he got his MBA in 2004. Steve lives in Durham, North Carolina. Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/the-job-closer-steve-dalton/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Amy Duckworth, Director of Admissions at Imperial College Business School, shares what makes the Imperial MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (2:00) | Admissions (13:00) | Financing & Scholarships (26:10) | Careers (29:10) What is unique about the Imperial MBA? What are its key advantages? Imperial College is one of the world's leading STEM institutions, ranked 12th globally by the Times Higher Education 1-year MBA completed at two campuses (South Kensington and White City) in London Imperial is launching a new MBA curriculum for Fall 2022 class, which includes a year-long LEAD (Leadership, Ethics, Awareness, Diversity, Society) module Full-time students are encouraged to collaborate with the wider Imperial College student body and MBAs from Imperial's 3 other MBA programs Admissions is looking for intellectual ability, strong professional track record and leadership potential as well as a bent towards innovation and collaboration Students can specialize in Analytics, Entrepreneurship or Finance The Imperial College Union runs over 340 clubs, societies and projects, the largest range of student-led activities of any university in the UK Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/imperial-mba-program-admissions-interview-amy-duckworth Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Sabine Noe, Director of Recruitment & Admissions for WHU's MBA Programs, shares what makes the WHU MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (1:50) | Admissions (14:45) | Financing & Scholarships (27:00) | Careers (32:00) About Our Guest Sabine Noe leads the Recruitment & Admissions Teams for MBA Programs at WHU's Otto Beisheim School of Management, where she has worked for over 5 years. Sabine graduated from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg with a Masters in Political Science & Sociology. What is unique about the WHU MBA? What are its key advantages? Ranked #1 in Germany and #14 in Europe by the Financial Times (2021) Ranked #6 for Entrepreneurship worldwide by Financial Times (2018); WHU alumni have founded 13 unicorns (companies valued over $1 billion USD before IPO) Located in Dusseldorf (population 600,000), a creative and start-up hub in Germany. More than 400 advertising agencies call Dusseldorf home, as well as hundreds more startups The program's leadership module offers intensive training – both in and out of the classroom – aimed at helping students develop critical soft skills necessary to be effective managers MBA candidates are required to participate in short-term study periods in the U.S., India and China. Partner universities include Kellogg, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and CEIBS/Fudan The program offers two potential start dates – March or September – and an intensive, four-week German language course that candidates can participate in before starting the MBA Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/whu-mba-program-admissions-interview-sabine-noe  Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Emily Brierley, Head of Cambridge MBA Recruitment and Admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School, discusses what makes the Cambridge MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (2:30) | Admissions (17:30) | Financing & Scholarships (28:30) | Careers (36:45) About Our Guest Emily Brierley is Head of Cambridge MBA Recruitment and Admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, where she has worked for over 5 years. Emily graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a Bachelors in American Studies. What is unique about the Cambridge MBA? What are its key advantages? The University of Cambridge is one of the world's most prestigious institutions, ranked 5th globally by Times Higher Education (2022) Each Cambridge MBA belongs to 1 of 31 colleges affiliated with the University, which could include undergraduates and masters/PhD students studying different disciplines Requires 3 team projects over the year that emphasize real world, experiential learning Admissions is looking for academic achievement, clear career progression and ambition, international experience and global outlook, and strong interpersonal and collaborative skills Interviews are conducted by Cambridge Judge Business School faculty members Students can specialize in 10 concentrations The area surrounding Cambridge is known as ‘Silicon Fen;' 900 high tech firms operate within 50 miles of the city Cambridge attracts the largest investment per capita in Europe, five times that of London. The total amount of capital (including VC) invested in Cambridge startups is £600 million. International MBA graduates can remain in UK for employment for 2 years under new post-study work visa Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/cambridge-mba-program-admissions-interview-emily-brierley/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Imran Kanga, Director of Recruitment & Admissions for Rotman School of Management's Full-time MBA at the University of Toronto, discusses what makes the Rotman MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (2:30) | Admissions (19:00) | Financing & Scholarships (35:30) | Careers (39:50) About Our Guest Imran Kanga is Director of Recruitment & Admissions for the Rotman School of Management's Full-time MBA Program at the University of Toronto. Previously, Imran worked in a similar capacity for the Schulich School of Business, where he got his MBA in 2010. What is unique about the Toronto Rotman MBA? What are its key advantages? The University of Toronto was ranked 18th globally by Times Higher Education, and #1 in Canada (2022) Rotman, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, was ranked #1 Canadian MBA program by Financial Times (2021) 250-300 students/intake with 40 nationalities Rotman's office of student engagement curates over 1,000 experiential learning opportunities for students with its Creative Destruction Lab, Self-Development Lab, Business Design Institute, etc Rotman requires a one semester, 4-month internship for all students Admissions is looking for intellectual horsepower, experience and impact, communication and presence, and spike factor i.e. doing interesting things with your personal and professional lives that demonstrate passion, grit, resilience, innovation, drive and ambition Students can specialize in 15 majors Toronto was ranked one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist, with a lower cost of living and higher quality of life than many major cities in the US; over half of Toronto's population was born outside of Canada Rotman's 2-year MBA allows international Full-Time MBA graduates to be eligible for a 3-year Canadian work permit Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/toronto-rotman-mba-program-admissions-interview-imran-kanga Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

Francesca Roveda, responsible for recruitment and admissions for SDA Bocconi's MBA program, discusses what makes the SDA Bocconi MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (5:30) | Admissions (28:26) | Financing & Scholarships (48:00) | Careers (55:30) About Our Guest Francesca Roveda is responsible for recruiting candidates for the MBA, Executive MBA and Specialized Masters program for Bocconi University's School of Management. Francesca has been with Bocconi for nearly 30 years, starting in the marketing office and then moving over to recruiting and admissions in 2008. What is unique about the SDA Bocconi MBA? What are its key advantages? Located in downtown Milan, which has the third largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid and is recognized as one of the world's finance and fashion capitals; Paris, London and Barcelona are a one-hour flight away SDA Bocconi MBA starts in September and lasts 12 months, but can be extended an additional 3 months for personal or group projects, internships or exchange 100 students per class from 30 countries; 75% of students are from outside Italy Admissions is looking for applicants who truly listen and respect diversity and have strong interpersonal skills to work in groups  Students can specialize in Finance, Marketing & Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Luxury Business Management SDA Bocconi is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2021  Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/sda-bocconi-mba-program-admissions-interview-francesca-roveda Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Safira Djati shares her journey from private equity analyst in Indonesia to the NUS MBA, where she is President of the NUS MBA Student Council. How has Covid affected the program and what has most surprised her about the NUS MBA so far? Safira shares the importance of student clubs and her takeaways from leading the 38th NUS MBA Student Council as its first female and Indonesian president. Finally, Safira touches on being a mother and making the most of her MBA. Questions Safira's background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to NUS (3:20) Safira's NUS MBA experience vs. expectations (8:30) MBA recruiting during Covid (14:00) What Safira has learned from the MBA (17:00) Singapore job-seeking as an international student (20:05) Building connections in VC/PE (24:20) Safira's experience running for President and leading the 38th NUS MBA Student Council (30:10) Safira's advice for mom MBAs (46:20) Safira's last thoughts on making the most of your MBA (52:00) About Safira Safira Djati currently attends the NUS MBA. Prior to NUS, she worked as a Manager and Investment Analyst for PT PPA Capital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Safira graduated from Universitas Prasetiya Mulya with a Bachelors in Economics. Safira is President of the NUS MBA Student Council, runs her own jewelry business, XAVIA Jewelry, and is looking to pursue a private equity, venture capital or impact investing role after graduation. Show Notes Connect with Safira on LinkedIn Get your profile assessed by NUS MBA Admissions Team Chat with NUS MBA Student Ambassadors NUS MBA Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-nus-mba-student-council-president-safira-djati-nus-mba Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

Most applicants get an MBA to step out of their comfort zones. But, what about pursuing your MBA and subsequent five-year marketing career in Hong Kong as an American? Tony DeGennaro, who majored in Political Science and Philosophy at Rutgers, shares his winding journey to the CUHK MBA, one of the top-ranked business schools in Asia, to running a boutique marketing agency targeting Chinese consumers, to now working as a Digital Strategist for First Page Digital, an online marketing agency with offices in 9 countries. What has Tony learned from studying and working in Hong Kong? Questions Tony's background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to CUHK (3:45) Tony's biggest challenge during the MBA (13:40) The two things Tony took away from his MBA experience (17:10) Can entrepreneurship be taught? (21:20) How Tony ended up running his own boutique marketing agency (22:10) Tony's current role at First Page Digital (27:50) Tony's thoughts on the future of digital marketing and the marketing industry in Hong Kong (29:50) Tony's tips for landing a post-MBA job in a foreign country (33:30) Leading the Marketing Club at CUHK (37:00) What Tony would have done differently (43:20) How Hong Kong has changed over the past 5 years (45:20) Tony's last tips to applicants (50:00) About Tony DeGennaro Tony DeGennaro is an Enterprise Digital Strategist at First Page Digital. Previously, he was Director of Marketing and Business Development for Dragon Social, a boutique marketing agency in Hong Kong. Tony graduated from Rutgers with a Bachelors in Political Science and Philosophy, and worked in sales and as an English teacher before attending the CUHK MBA. Show Notes Connect with Tony on LinkedIn Meet Tony at CUHK MBA's Information Session & Alumni Sharing Webinar on August 25, 2021 Get your profile assessed by CUHK MBA Admissions Team CUHK MBA Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/taking-the-road-less-traveled-tony-degennaro-cuhk-mba/ Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Samuel Adeoye, UBC Sauder MBA '22, has an amazing story to tell about applying to 18 business schools over two years, and getting full-scholarship awards at 8 of them. How was he able to do this? And what has he learned from his application journey from Abuja, Nigeria to Vancouver, Canada? Questions Samuel's background (4:18) Samuel's 2-year journey applying to over 15 business schools (8:00) Samuel's advice to low income applicants on applying to business schools and winning scholarships (20:52) Why Samuel started City of Lane and LanePod (30:40) Samuel's Sauder MBA experience so far and landing an internship at Microsoft (41:54) About Samuel After getting his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Samuel Adeoye interned as a Highway and Transportation Engineer while launching a podcast tech startup, and then worked as an Implementation & Design Engineer for Arup, a global architecture and civil engineering consulting firm. He then worked as a consultant for The Bluepen Company, a boutique consulting company serving small and medium sized enterprises in Nigeria. In March 2020, Samuel founded City of Lane, a community of MBA Alumni, students and applicants looking to leverage their MBA experience for an economically and politically inclusive Africa. Samuel is currently a Mastercard Scholar pursuing his MBA at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, in Vancouver, Canada. Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/fully-funded-mba-samuel-adeoye-ubc-sauder-mba Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com  

Justin Taines, RSM MBA '21, shares his journey from developing kids and family entertainment shows in Los Angeles to the RSM MBA, based in the Netherlands. Why did Justin pursue an MBA (instead of an EMBA) despite having over 10 years of work experience? What was his experience at the RSM MBA as an older student and during Covid? Questions Justin's background (2:15) Justin's shortlist of schools (4:30) Why Justin took the GRE instead of the GMAT (12:36) Justin's positioning and application tips (16:40) Justin's RSM MBA experience (27:10) Justin's thoughts on his (forced) hybrid MBA experience (35:33) Justin's recruiting experience and lessons (45:45) What Justin wished he knew before starting his MBA; how to best prepare for your MBA (1:05:45) About Justin After getting his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of Arts, Justin Taines worked in creative development, developing kids and family entertainment shows. He then worked in business development, building animation studios and helping the city of Jerusalem build up its animation industry. He also started and sold a retail cannabis cultivation venture before heading to the Rotterdam School of Management for his MBA. Justin is currently freelance consulting while exploring new roles post-MBA. Episode write-up: https://touchmba.com/rsm-mba-justin-taines Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com