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In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the recent events and activities that Clear Admit has been involved in, including our MBA Fair in Boston, and online admissions events series that wrapped up last week. More than 600 attendees participated in our most recent virtual event, which included admissions representatives from UPenn / Wharton, Stanford, Texas / McCombs, Columbia and Yale SOM. Graham noted two articles that have been recently published on Clear Admit. The first focuses on the different teaching methods that are used in top MBA programs. The second focuses on financial aid issues relevant to U.S.-based candidates, including FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Graham then highlighted two Real Numbers articles that focus on Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) and Health Care placements. Graham highlighted five Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from Yale SOM working at Amazon, IMD working at Disney, Cornell / Johnson working at Invenergy, UPenn / Wharton working at Aepnus Technology, and Chicago / Booth working at American Express. 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 695 GMAT and 3.8 GPA. They are seeking a top MBA with goals to pivot to the entertainment industry. This week's second MBA candidate has not yet taken the GMAT, but everything else about their profile looks very strong. Their long-term goal is to develop a chain of dental practices. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Northwestern / Kellogg, with a significant scholarship, and Harvard. They want to work in venture capital or private equity. 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 Round 3 activity on LiveWire; interview invites and final decisions continue to roll out for this shortened application round; next week Chicago / Booth and Imperial Business School are scheduled to release final decisions. Graham noted the Clear Admit promotion, where for every new entry we receive on DecisionWire, that maps out a candidate's entire application journey, Clear Admit will donate $10 to the Forte Foundation. Graham highlighted the remainder of Application Overview events series that will be hosted this week on Tuesday (Berkeley / Haas, UVA / Darden, Washington / Foster, UNC / Kenan Flagler, and Georgia Tech / Scheller) and Wednesday (Columbia, Stanford, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM, and Texas / Austin). Signups for those events are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Graham also mentioned an event on Thursday for London Business School's One Year MBA program. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/lbs1year Graham noted a deep-dive analysis article on MBA tech career placements for the most recent graduating classes. Not surprisingly, Big Tech placement has dropped off at most top MBA programs. Graham highlighted two Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from Duke / Fuqua working at EY-Parthenon, and UCLA / Anderson working at Google. Finally, Graham noted the recently recorded podcast featuring the leader of career services at Georgetown / McDonough, talking about the triple jump - changing industries, functions and 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 works in investment banking and is from Ghana. They have a 325 GRE score. This week's second MBA candidate is from Argentina and appears to have a very interesting profile, but their GRE score of 309 is going to be an issue. They plan to retake. We also think they should reconsider their school targeting. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Chicago / Booth and Michigan / Ross, with scholarship. This episode was recorded in Boston, 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!

In this week's MBA admissions podcast we began by discussing the Round 3 activity on LiveWire; interview invites and final decisions continue to roll out for this shortened application round; next week UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, IESE, MIT / Sloan, Yale SOM, Minnesota / Carlson, Columbia, Washington / Foster, UCLA / Anderson and Washington / Olin are scheduled to release final decisions. Graham noted a new Clear Admit promotion, where for every new entry we receive on DecisionWire, that maps out a candidate's entire application journey, Clear Admit will donate $10 to the Forte Foundation. Graham then highlighted Clear Admit's MBA admissions fair in Boston, on Wednesday. This event includes panel discussions, one of which is focused on Consulting hiring and is led by Bain. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend, along with London Business School. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 The remainder of Application Overview events series will then be hosted, virtually, on May 20 and 21. Signups for those events are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Graham noted two articles recently published on Clear Admit. The first covers the broad topic regarding what you can do with an MBA, looking at post MBA careers. The second article is a deep-dive research piece that examines placement statistics of the top MBA programs, for those seeking an MBA for their entrepreneurial ambitions. It's no surprise that Harvard and Stanford top the list of programs that future entrepreneurs join. Graham highlighted three Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from HEC / Paris who established a Search Fund, Washington / Olin working at Applied Materials, and Ohio State / Fisher working at Bank of America. Finally, Graham discussed a forthcoming podcast featuring the leader of career services at Georgetown / McDonough. 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 engineer who is now working in the renewable energy space. They have a 3.57 GPA and need to retake the GRE. This week's second MBA candidate is from Canada, and is also an engineer, working in Toronto. They have nine years of experience, and a 337 GRE. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Cornell / Johnson, UVA / Darden and Michigan / Ross, and is seeking a career in investment banking. 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 Round 3 activity on LiveWire; interview invites are now starting to roll out for this shortened application round. Next week Harvard and UPenn / Wharton have deadlines for their deferred admissions programs. Graham noted Clear Admit's Application Overview May series of events. These online events will be hosted on May 6 and 7, and May 20 and 21. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Sandwiched in the middle of these events is Clear Admit's MBA admissions fair in Boston, on May 14th. This event includes panel discussions, one of which is focused on Consulting hiring and is led by Bain. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend, along with London Business School. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 Graham noted a recently published article on Clear Admit that focuses on three alumni from Dartmouth / Tuck who are focusing on areas of social impact. This does help illustrate the broad relevance and impact of a top tier MBA. Graham highlighted three Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from Maryland / Smith working at JPMorgan Chase, Harvard working at Disney+, and Yale SOM working at Microsoft. Finally, we discussed two late-arriving 2024 career reports, from UCLA / Anderson and USC / Marshall. Both programs are showing similar trends that we have seen from other top programs this season. This includes a slight dip in the percentage of those who have offers, that were seeking jobs. Both programs do show some very similar statistics, overall. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has an undergraduate degree in accounting, a master's in accounting, and is now pursuing a master's in finance, part-time, while looking at MBA programs. This led to a discussion on the dangers of being considered a degree-collector. This week's second MBA candidate is choosing between UVA / Darden or waiting a year to reapply. They are seeking a career in consulting. The final MBA candidate is choosing between INSEAD and NYU / Stern's one-year Tech 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 by discussing the Round 3 activity on LiveWire; interview invites are now starting to roll out for this shortened application round. Graham then announced the recent partnership Clear Admit has now established with Leland, which will now become our partner for MBA admissions coaching, test prep, and career counseling. Graham noted Clear Admit's Application Overview May series of events. These online events will be hosted on May 6 and 7, and May 20 and 21. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Sandwiched in the middle of these events is Clear Admit's MBA admissions fair in Boston, on May 14th. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend, along with London Business School. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 Graham noted a Clear Admit admissions tip focused on what candidates need to do, if they were not able to secure admissions at the targeted MBA programs. Graham then highlighted two recent articles from Clear Admit that focus on NYU / Stern's new dean, and UPenn / Wharton's new AI major. We then discussed the recent publication of 2025 US News's rankings, which led to a discussion on their overall methodology. Graham highlighted four Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from IMD working at Johnson & Johnson, Cornell / Johnson working at Elephant Energy, Vanderbilt / Owen working at Amazon, and London Business School working as an entrepreneur. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is clearly non-traditional; for that reason, we discussed some of the approaches that non-traditional candidates need to pursue, including a strong focus on “why MBA” and their goals. This week's second MBA candidate is choosing between Berkeley / Haas and Northwestern / Kellogg's MBAi. They want to do product management in tech, in Texas. The final MBA candidate is choosing between UVA / Darden and NYU / Stern. They have a full-ride scholarship at both and want to purse MBB consulting. This episode was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; Stanford, UPenn / Wharton and MIT / Sloan were among the top MBA programs releasing decisions last week. For this upcoming week, Round 3 admissions deadlines are rolling on, while Oxford / Said and Ohio State / Fisher have decision deadlines. Graham noted Clear Admit's Application Overview May series of events. These online events will be hosted on May 6 and 7, and May 20 and 21. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Sandwiched in the middle of these events is Clear Admit's MBA admissions fair in Boston, on May 14th. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 Graham noted a Clear Admit article from the Friday's-from-the-Frontline series from an LBS MBA student, discussing the EQUALL conference, which is focused on gender equality. Graham also noted a recently published admissions tip that focuses on how to negotiate scholarships with business schools. Graham highlighted three Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from UPenn / Wharton working at Pfizer, Ohio State / Fisher working at Deloitte, and Chicago / Booth working at Nike. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from Brazil, and has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, and is now working at a bank, focused on data. They have a 710 GMAT score and are targeting next season. This week's second MBA candidate is choosing between several top MBA programs, including Chicago / Booth and Northwestern / Kellogg. They want to work in consulting in Chicago, post MBA. The final MBA candidate also has several choices, but has narrowed down their decision to be between Indiana / Kelley, with a full scholarship, and Michigan / Ross. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; Harvard, Northwestern / Kellogg, Chicago / Booth, Berkeley / Haas, Washington / Foster, UCLA / Anderson, Texas / McCombs and London Business School were among the top MBA programs releasing decisions last week. For this upcoming week, Stanford, UPenn / Wharton, MIT / Sloan and Cornell / Johnson are scheduled to release their final decisions. Graham highlighted the Spring Survey that Clear Admit conducts each season. These surveys are important to understand the decisions of each applicant-cohort. Here is the link for this season's survey: https://bit.ly/casurvey25 Graham noted Clear Admit's Application Overview series of events scheduled for May. These online events will be hosted on May 6 and 7, and May 20 and 21. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/appoverview25 Sandwiched in the middle of these events is Clear Admit's MBA admissions fair in Boston, on May 14th. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 Graham noted a Clear Admit article that shines the spotlight on ESADE and their work to become carbon neutral. He then highlighted the first in a series of Clear Admit career trends articles, focused on Class of 2024 consulting placements at leading MBA programs. As we have reported over several episodes this season, consulting placements are generally down across the top MBA programs. However, consulting remains a critical industry for top MBA graduates - with most schools sending a third of their class into the domain. Graham then noted a Fridays-from-the-Frontlines feature that focuses on MBA students from London Business School who traveled to Singapore and explored sustainability efforts. Graham highlighted four Real Humans alumni spotlights, alums from Duke / Fuqua working at McKinsey, Indiana / Kelley working at Microsoft, Michigan / Ross working at JP Morgan and Columbia working at Netflix. 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 the UK and now lives in the US. They have a 675 GMAT score, and a 3.1 GPA undergraduate degree, followed by a 3.8 GPA master's degree in finance. Their focus is on real estate. This week's second MBA candidate is an electrical engineer who also has a master's degree. They work in the semiconductor industry as a product manager; they also have a 675 GMAT score. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua (with a $40,000 scholarship), and Georgetown / McDonough. They are seeking a consulting career. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; a few MBA programs are still releasing a few interview invites, but we are getting closer to the end of the Round 2 cycle; CMU / Tepper, Johns Hopkins / Carey and Ohio State / Fisher are scheduled to release final decisions for R2 candidates this upcoming week. Graham highlighted the MBA Fair Clear Admit is hosting in Boston, on May 14th. Twenty-four of the top 25 U.S.-based MBA programs are planning to attend. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/mbafair2025 Graham then mentioned the publication of an admissions tip that focuses on strategies for those on a waitlist. Graham then discussed a new Real Humans piece that focuses on students at Harvard Business School. Graham also highlighted two Real Numbers features, that focus on average GMAT scores at leading b-schools and the percentage of international students in MBA programs. We then discussed the Class of 2024 career report released by Texas / McCombs. They did see an uptick in recruiting for tech-related jobs, which bucked a trend we are seeing with other top MBA programs. This may be a function of another recent trend - tech firms moving to Texas. 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, and had experience in the military in special operations, as well as more recent role as a financial advisor. They have a total of 13 years of experience, but we worry their current GRE score of 315 is a little low. This week's second MBA candidate applied in Round 2, is from India and works in the tech space. Despite being potentially over-represented, they have received several invitations to interview, including from Stanford. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Northwestern / Kellogg, with a scholarship, and UPenn / Wharton. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; UPenn / Wharton and MIT / Sloan released their interview invites last week; Washington / Olin, Georgia Tech / Scheller, SMU / Cox and Oxford / Said are scheduled to release final decisions this upcoming week. We then discussed the “user behavior” of Ask Clear Admit, Clear Admit's new AI chatbot. The bot has received nearly 1,500 prompts since its launch. Graham then highlighted the webinar series for Master's in Management candidates; the final webinar in this series is on Wednesday, and features Chicago / Booth, Emory / Goizueta, Indiana / Kelley, Duke / Fuqua and London Business School. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham noted the continuation of Clear Admit's articles about great podcast, where we place the spotlight on podcasts from the leading MBA programs. This final spotlight features podcasts from leading business schools in Europe. We then had an animated discussion on the recently published Financial Times 2025 global MBA rankings. One key point we made is that a ranking of top MBA programs really does need to include Stanford... Graham then mentioned the publication of two admissions tips that focus background checks and applying to MBA programs as a couple, as well as two Adcom Q&As, from INSEAD and Babson / Olin. Finally, Graham highlighted a Real Numbers feature on US minority representation at top MBA programs, and a recently recorded podcast episode featuring the GM of the Philadelphia Phillies, who is doing an Executive MBA at Wharton. 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 planning ahead but needs to retake the GRE (score of 292) and also consider taking additional coursework to counter their 3.0 GPA. This week's second MBA candidate is also planning ahead in terms of their applications, is a first-generation college graduate, who appears to have a strong career and activities record. They will also need to perform well on the standardized test. The final MBA candidate is deciding between USC / Marshall, Texas / McCombs and Washington / Foster, with very similar scholarship offers. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; interview invites continue to roll out for Round 2 candidates; UPenn / Wharton and MIT / Sloan have yet to release their Round 2 interview invites. Alex discussed the release of a “Prompt Guide” for Clear Admit's new Ask Clear Admit admissions bot. This guide is designed to help candidates get the most out of their engagement with the chat bot. So far, we have seen more than 1,000 prompts. Graham then highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Master's in Management candidates; the first of these webinars features Michigan / Ross, CMU / Tepper and Georgetown / McDonough.  Signups are here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham noted the continuation of Clear Admit's series of articles about podcasts, where we place the spotlight on podcasts from the leading MBA programs. Graham then mentioned the publication of an admissions tip focused on post interview activities. This led to a plea for MBA interview reports, in order to support Clear Admit's comprehensive MBA interview archive. Graham then highlighted two real numbers stories, focused on female enrollment (very well done, Johns Hopkins / Carey!) and tuition costs for European-based MBA programs. Finally, we discussed one more MBA career report from London Business School. Their career statistics generally follow similar patterns we have identified with prior career reports that we have published this season, although they were able to gather data from an impressive 100% of the graduating class. 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 Brazil and is looking ahead for the MBA applications. They have still to take the GMAT, and they are seeking other areas they can strengthen before they apply. This week's second MBA candidate has a 334 GRE and strong legal experience from London. They also appear to have interesting activities outside of work and could be a very strong candidate. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Chicago / Booth and Northwestern / Kellogg, with very similar scholarship offers. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; interview invites continue to roll out for Round 2 candidates; last week, Chicago / Booth, Columbia, and Michigan / Ross released interview invites, along with those programs which trickle out invitations across several weeks (e.g. Stanford, Yale, et al). This week, INSEAD is scheduled to release their Round 3 interview invites. Graham highlighted the second webinar for Deferred Admissions candidates, scheduled on Wednesday, which includes CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Columbia, Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/de0225 Graham then mentioned the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management candidates, taking place later this month, with signups here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham mentioned several MBA news stories: London Business School is launching a Smart EMBA, which takes a blended learning approach. Clear Admit published two podcast-related posts; the first focuses on podcasts from some of the top-16 MBA programs, and the second looks at UPenn / Wharton's Ripple Effect podcast. Finally, Clear Admit also published a story regarding Duke / Fuqua students doing a career trek in Silicon Valley. Graham then highlighted two admissions tips. The first focuses on the versatility of the MBA, the second looks at questions a candidate might want to prepare, ahead of their MBA interview. Clear Admit's Real Numbers series is now back; the first two articles in this series focus on class sizes across the top US MBA programs, and the yearly cost of attendance at American b-schools. Finally, we discussed one more MBA Class of 2024 career report from Berkeley / Haas. Their career statistics follow similar patterns we have identified with prior career reports that we have published this season. 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 through the deferred admissions process, so is still an undergraduate student. They have a 3.9 GPA and a 730 GMAT score. This week's second MBA candidate is planning to apply either next season, or the season after. They have a 3.2 GPA, with a positive upward trend. They have a 322 GRE, which we think they might want to retake. They are also still determining between post-MBA goals in finance or consulting. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Dartmouth / Tuck and Berkeley / Haas, and they are seeking a short-term goal in private equity. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; interview invites continue to roll out for Round 2 candidates; Harvard was one of the top MBA programs to release their interview invites last week. This week, London Business School is scheduled to release their Round 2 interview invites. We then had a quick discussion regarding our new admissions bot, “Ask Clear Admit”. It is very interesting to be able to see what types of prompts MBA applicants are using for the bot, some of which are a little unexpected. We are now planning to write a prompt guide, to help users get the most out of their bot experience. You can find the chat bot here: https://ai.clearadmit.com Graham noted two upcoming webinar series. The first is for Deferred Admissions candidates, with signups here: https://bit.ly/de0225 The first webinar in this series, on this Wednesday, features Berkeley / Haas, UPenn / Wharton and Stanford. Next week we have CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Columbia, Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. The second webinar series is for Masters in Management candidates, with signups here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham highlighted two MBA news stories. The first story covers the best business school podcasts, focusing on podcast from M7 programs. The second looks at an entrepreneurial program at Georgetown / McDonough called “Bark Tank”. Graham then mentioned three admissions tips, each focused on the MBA admissions interview process. Finally, we discussed two more MBA career reports from Cornell / Johnson and INSEAD. Both MBA programs show the same resilience as other top MBA programs, while facing the headwinds of a tighter employment market. That said, it's clear that top European-based MBA programs, like INSEAD, have a lower starting salary than their peer programs in the United States. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries. This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from India and has a strong GMAT score of 715. They also have solid work experience, but are worried that they have a lower GPA and few outside activities. We were also concerned that they were only able to target Round 2. This week's second MBA candidate is choosing between CMU / Tepper and Texas / McCombs. They have a decent sized scholarship from Tepper. They want to move into tech product management. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Columbia and Kellogg. They are targeting consumer-packaged goods and marketing, but they have a preference for New York City. 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 Round 2 activity on LiveWire; this upcoming week we have two more application deadlines, Arizona / Carey and Minnesota / Carlson. Last week, we saw more interview invitations rolling out for UVA / Darden, Dartmouth / Tuck, Yale SOM, Northwestern / Kellogg and CMU / Tepper. We then discussed the role out of Clear Admit's latest innovation, our “Ask Clear Admit” chat bot, which launched the prior Thursday. We have seen hundreds of prompts come in from applicants as we launched, and the quality of the responses has impressed! You can find the chat bot here: https://ai.clearadmit.com Graham noted two upcoming webinar series. The first is for Deferred Admissions candidates, with signups here: https://bit.ly/de0225 The first webinar in this series, on February 5, features Berkeley / Haas, UPenn / Wharton and Stanford. The following week we have CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Columbia, Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. The second webinar series is for Masters in Management candidates in late February, with signups here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham highlighted two MBA news stories. The first story focuses on Stanford GSB's new Dean, Sarah Soule, who has appeared on a prior Clear Admit podcast. The second covers the release of U.S. News 2025 online MBA rankings. Indiana / Kelley tops those rankings, as it has done in prior years. Graham then highlighted an admissions tip focused on the five most commonly asked MBA interview questions.  Graham also noted a Real Humans story from HEC / Paris. Finally, we discussed two more MBA career reports from Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM. Both MBA programs show the same resilience as other top MBA programs, while facing the headwinds of a tighter employment market. 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 based in India and working for a large conglomerate to which they intend to return. They are applying in Round 2, and we are a little concerned that this may present more challenges than if they had been able to apply in Round 1. This week's second MBA candidate also has a very interesting MBA profile but has a weak GPA of 2.9. We discussed mitigating actions they will need to take, ahead of applying next season. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Columbia and Yale SOM, and are planning a career in Clean Tech, hoping to move into private equity in that industry. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, 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!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing Round 2 activity on LiveWire; this upcoming week we have two more application deadlines, Imperial College and Boston College / Carroll. Last week, we saw more interview invitations rolling out for UVA / Darden, Dartmouth / Tuck, Yale SOM, Northwestern / Kellogg and CMU / Tepper. We then discussed the roll out of Clear Admit's latest innovation, our “Ask Clear Admit” AI chat bot. We are excited to get customer feedback and hope this new tool will become a “best in class” for chatbots that are specifically trained on MBA admissions-related content. You can find the chatbot here: https://ai.clearadmit.com Graham noted two upcoming webinar series. The first is for Deferred Admissions candidates, with signups here: https://bit.ly/de0225 The first webinar in this series, on February 5, features Berkeley / Haas, UPenn / Wharton and Stanford. The second webinar series is for Masters in Management candidates, with signups here: https://bit.ly/mim0225 Graham highlighted two admissions tips. The first admissions tip focuses on the role of letters of support, and how they are different to letters of recommendation. The second admissions tip focuses on group interviews like the Wharton team-based discussion exercise. Graham also noted two Real Humans stories from Manchester / Alliance and Emory / Goizueta's MIM program. 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 based in India and working at one of the MBB firms. They have super numbers (335 GRE, 3.94 GPA) and are planning ahead for a future admissions season. This week's second MBA candidate also has a very strong profile (331 GRE, 3.7 GPA), and works for an MBB firm in the United States. Their passion appears to be in the urban mobility space. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Columbia, Stern, Yale SOM and a few other top MBA programs. They also have very good scholarship offers. They are seeking a career in social impact, in New York City. 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 new season of MBA admissions; this upcoming week we have many Round 2 application deadlines, including Harvard, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, CMU / Tepper, Rice / Jones, Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, UVA / Darden, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Washington / Foster, Notre Dame / Mendoza, SMU / Cox, Stanford, Northwestern / Kellogg, Johns Hopkins / Carey, Vanderbilt / Owen, Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Cornell / Johnson, USC / Marshall, IESE, Georgia / Terry and Georgia Tech / Scheller. Graham highlighted two admissions tips for those finalizing their admissions essays; these essay tips focus on word limits and the optional essay. Graham then discussed a Real Humans post focused on holiday celebrations. Graham then presented the Class of 2024 career placement reports from Columbia, Northwestern / Kellogg and UPenn / Wharton. This finalizes our reviews of the M7 career reports, and we are seeing the outcomes of a tougher placement market for these top programs. 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 only applying to two programs, Duke / Fuqua and UVA / Darden. They did apply last season to some different programs, and we worry that they may be challenged by applying in Round 2 this season. This week's second MBA candidate was a NCAA Div 1 athlete with an outstanding GPA. They now work in their family business, focused on sports. While their GMAT is not outstanding, we wonder if they should target a few programs from a higher tier. The final MBA candidate is deciding between Washington / Foster, with $66k scholarship and Vanderbilt / Owen with $100k scholarship. They want to pursue a career in consulting or technology. 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 next chapter of the 2024-25 MBA admissions cycle, which begins on January 3rd with Round 2 deadlines for UPenn / Wharton and London Business School. Graham highlighted an admissions tip which focuses on the GMAC standard letter of recommendation which has been adopted by many leading MBA programs. This format simplifies the admissions process for recommenders by standardizing the questions to which they need to respond. Graham then discussed a new Real Humans that features students from Toronto / Rotman. Graham also presented the career placement reports from Stanford and Michigan / Ross.  We are continuing to see a trend that shows that a higher percentage of MBA graduates are moving on to financial services careers; Ross experienced a significant decline in consulting placement. Stanford is also reporting consulting placements are down for their Class of 2025 interns from last summer, which may be an early signal for next year's career placement report. 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 planning to apply for next season. They are a cloud engineer with a computer science major and psychology minor. They also have interesting activities outside of work. Their GRE is 324, and we think it might make sense to try to improve that score. This week's second MBA candidate is only targeting two programs, Berkeley / Haas and Stanford, which we think is very risky. Their GRE score is 318, which will present significant challenges for these two programs. The final MBA candidate is deciding between UPenn / Wharton, Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM. They also have scholarship offers at each program to factor into 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 activity of MBA LiveWire; the last couple of weeks has seen significant activity as the majority of the top MBA programs have released their round 1 decisions. For this upcoming week Texas / McCombs is one of the few remaining top programs that is scheduled to release its Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted five admissions tips that have been published on the Clear Admit site this week. These include tips about scholarship offers, their impact on final decisions and whether they are negotiable. For Round 2 candidates, the admissions tips focused on resume preparation, career goals and building business school connections. We then discussed two Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Texas / McCombs and Dartmouth / Tuck. This then turned into a conversation on how to seek out willing students and alumni with whom to connect. Graham then presented the Class of 2024 career placement report from Dartmouth / Tuck. Overall, Tuck's placement statistics remain impressive considering the market conditions. There has been a greater emphasis on placement within the North-East and Mid-Atlantic regions. 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 personal profile and has degrees from outstanding academic institutions in Europe. They also have a lot of entrepreneurial experience, over several years. We do worry about their quant profile, which is illustrated by their sub-par GRE score. This week's second MBA candidate is planning to apply in two years' time, so is thinking ahead. They will want to retake their GRE, to improve their current 317 score. They have the opportunity to develop a very decent profile over the next couple of years. The final MBA candidate is deciding between UPenn / Wharton and Chicago / Booth. Booth is offering them additional scholarship, but we wonder if that is enough to influence 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 activity on MBA LiveWire; several top MBA programs will be releasing their Round 1 decisions this week, including Harvard, UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, MIT / Sloan, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, UVA / Darden, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, Georgetown / McDonough, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Notre Dame / Mendoza, Vanderbilt / Owen, Rice / Jones, Johns Hopkins / Carey and Arizona / Carey. Washington / Olin is releasing Round 2 decisions and Oxford / Said is releasing Stage 3 decisions. Graham noted a recently published story on Clear Admit that focuses on four students at Dartmouth / Tuck who are focused on healthcare. Graham then highlighted two admissions tips, the first tip focuses on how to reflect on negative admissions results, and the second explores the role of the video essay in the admissions process. We then discussed two Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at UC Irvine / Merage and Berkeley / Haas. Graham then presented the second career placement report of the season, from NYU / Stern. While overall, the placement statistics are in line with last season, one potentially troubling statistic is the lower percentage of students reporting accepting a job, three months from graduation. This is a stat we will be looking at closely for subsequent career reports. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has a really interesting profile, which includes doing NGO work in conflict zones. We believe this is the type of candidate that top MBA programs really aspire to enroll. Their GPA is going to be slightly lower than the median for top MBA programs, but they have completed a masters degree and a calculus course, which helps compensate. This week's second MBA candidate is planning a second round strategy, based on the results from their Round 1 programs. They have received a few interview invites and are now considering whether to aim higher, or go with more safety programs. The final MBA candidate is from Africa, has five years of work experience and a very decent GPA. But their GRE score is very low; we really hope they are able to prepare more and retake the test. 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 activity of MBA LiveWire; Duke / Fuqua released its Round 1 interview invites last week, along with other programs that continue to roll out these decisions. Upcoming this week, IESE, SMU / Cox, Georgia Tech / Scheller and Imperial College are scheduled to release their Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, and includes Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham also noted the Clear Admit survey that's in the field, and focuses on issues related to building relationships with MBA program participants. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/casurveyfall24 Graham discussed a presentation he is helping to put together for an upcoming GMAC conference, which addresses how MBA admissions adcom are using Gen AI in their admissions process. There is no doubt that admissions workflows will be impacted with this exciting technology shift. We then discussed the introduction of Clear Admit's incentive scheme to encourage more community activity on the Wires platforms. This season, we are seeing a higher level of engagement, which is very exciting. Graham then highlighted a recently published focus on two Stern MBAs who are veterans, in honor of veterans' day. Finally, we discussed three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at UPenn / Wharton, Maryland / Smith and Cambridge / Judge. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is a reapplicant from last season. She has a strong focus on the education sector, which ties well with her long-term goal. She has a super GPA of 3.82, but her GRE score is a little less prominent at 323. This week's second MBA candidate is a deferred-admissions candidate. They have a perfect GRE score of 340 and appear to have all the pre-conditions for a strong profile. They are targeting all the top 7 MBA programs; we think they can shorten that list. The final MBA candidate has a perfect GPA of 4.0. They work in audit in Florida, and are planning to apply next season, with three years of experience. They also have decent activities outside of work. We discussed their application strategy and things they can do now, to improve their overall profile. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire; UPenn / Wharton released its interview invites for Round 1 last week, while Chicago / Booth released deny decisions for those who it did not invite for an interview. Several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. For this upcoming week, Cornell / Johnson is scheduled to release its interview invite decisions for Round 1, while Irvine / Merage, Oxford / Said, Maryland / Smith and Washington / Olin all have application deadlines. Georgetown / McDonough is scheduled to release its Early Action round decisions. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinars series scheduled for deferred admissions candidates, which begins on November 6 with Columbia, Harvard, Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cadefermba Graham also noted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham then highlighted a recently published story that covers the history of the “M7” group of MBA programs, as well as an admissions tip on some of the more unusual interview practices at top MBA programs. Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Emory / Goizueta, Vanderbilt / Owen and Boston College / Carroll. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries. This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from Italy, now living in Spain.  They appear to have a very solid career history and outside activities. They also have a master's degree in economics. Unfortunately, they were not able to perform well on the GRE test, so have requested test waivers. We think this will harm their MBA options, overall. This week's second MBA candidate applied to all their programs in Round 1 and appears to have a decent profile, overall. This includes a 3.64 GPA, 324 GRE and 5 years of work experience. They already have an interview invite at Dartmouth / Tuck. The final MBA candidate is from Brazil, and appears to have a very good profile overall, but has taken the Executive Assessment test, instead of the GMAT or GRE. Like our first candidate this week, we think this may negatively impact their overall options. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire; UVA / Darden released its Early Action round decisions, last week, Michigan / Ross also released its interview invites, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Johns Hopkins / Carey. They are also scheduled to release their Early Action round decisions. UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 1 interview invites. Graham highlighted this week's Real Humans webinar on Wednesday, which will include students from Dartmouth / Tuck, Columbia, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua, signups are here: https://bit.ly/rhlive1024 In November and December Clear Admit will be hosting webinars for deferred enrolment candidates, as well as events for candidates applying to Masters in Management programs. Graham then highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on the seven hardest MBA interview questions, and group interviews. The latter tip focuses on Wharton's team-based interview, which is an unusual format, relative to other top MBA programs.  Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Georgetown / McDonough, Chicago / Booth and Florida / Warrington. We then discussed Texas / McComb's recently published Class of 2026 profile. They managed to increase their class size from 241 students to 255. The actual profile of the class is quite similar to the prior year's class profile, which included an average GMAT score of 704, and GRE score of 321. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has applied to 12 MBA programs in Round 1, which is an extraordinary effort. They appear to have very decent work experience and outside of work activities. They also have a strong GPA. We do wonder if their GMAT score of 655 is their weak point. This week's second MBA candidate has recently graduated from their undergraduate degree. They are now a software engineer. They are looking to apply for their MBA in several years' time, so they are planning ahead. We offered general advice in terms of what to do over the next several years. The final MBA candidate is targeting Round 2 and has still to complete the GMAT or GRE. They appear to have good work experience, but we worry that their undergraduate record is going to be a real weakness. They want to transition into Investment Banking and are targeting the very top programs. They may need to adjust some of their target programs. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire; Harvard released all its Round 1 interview invites last week, as several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Michigan State / Broad, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen and Georgia / Terry. Cambridge / Judge has its Round 2 deadline this week. IESE and London Business School are scheduled to release interview invites for their Round 1 candidates and Oxford / Said is scheduled to release its final decisions for its Stage 1 candidates. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar focused on MBA programs from the West Coast, including Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, UCLA / Anderson, Washington / Foster and UC / Irvine. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/westcoastmba Clear Admit is also hosting a Real Humans webinar on October 24th, which will include students from Dartmouth / Tuck, Columbia, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua. Graham then mentioned two recently published admissions tips focused the value of the MBA degree, and interview etiquette. The latter tip will be the first in series focused on interview preparation. Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at CMU / Tepper, Duke / Fuqua and Ohio State / Fisher. We then discussed three recently published class profiles, from NYU / Stern, Chicago / Booth and UPenn / Wharton. Like prior profiles for this season, application volumes were up, and the profile of the incoming classes remains strong. Stern's stats are especially impressive for a program that sits just outside the leading M7 MBA programs. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from Africa and appears to have an outstanding profile. They have a GPA of 3.88 and a GRE score of 329. They are also a first-generation college graduate with a solid finance experience. This week's second MBA candidate has built their career around affordable housing. That is their long-term goal and they were once homeless. They also have strong numbers, including a 330 GRE score. The final MBA candidate for this week is from India and works in tech-related sales. They are targeting Round 2, which might not be ideal. They are also considering retaking the GRE, their current score is 318. A higher score will certainly help their overall profile. 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 busy season that is upon us; we have several MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week; Georgetown / McDonough and Johns Hopkins / Carey have their Early Action round deadlines. Stanford, Michigan / Ross, Columbia, Yale SOM, INSEAD, Northwestern / Kellogg and Berkeley / Haas have their Round 1 application deadlines. The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series begins this week and runs for three weeks, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Our first event includes INSEAD, London Business School, UPenn / Wharton, Emory / Goizueta and Michigan / Ross. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba Graham highlighted recent news from GMAC, which is launching a new writing exam, now that the AWA element of the traditional GMAT test has been eliminated. We discussed Harvard admissions team's desire to see a writing sample for all its candidates. Graham then highlighted several admissions-related articles that have been recently published on Clear Admit. They include admissions tips focused on GMAT and GRE test waivers (don't if you are able to take a test) and MBA programs which don't require the test (we still encourage candidates to take a test). Admissions tips that focus on video essays, which are becoming more popular, and the need to avoid comparing your target MBA program with other programs, through the admissions process. Finally, Graham noted an in-depth survey of visa requirements for international MBA students who plan to study outside their home country. Graham highlighted three Adcom Q&As, from IMD, Vanderbilt / Owen and Cornell / Johnson. We then discussed two recently published class profiles. UCLA / Anderson experienced an incredible 41% increase in application volume last season, and Duke / Fuqua was able to recruit a class where female enrolment eclipsed 50% for the first time. Both these class profiles are very impressive. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and a Question from LiveWire: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is going to be sponsored for their MBA by a “big 4” consulting firm. They appear to have done very well at work, and they also have a very good profile for sustainability initiatives. Their numbers, 3.3 GPA and 690 GMAT, are a potential area of concern. This week's second MBA candidate enlisted in the military straight out of high school. Once they completed their military service they started their undergraduate degree at a community college, they have now transferred to Stanford, and are studying Mechanical Engineering. We anticipate they have a very interesting “lived experience” that may play well in MBA admissions. The final MBA candidate for this week posed a question on MBA LiveWire regarding their reapplication process. They are planning to retake the GRE, as well as transition to a new job. The question is whether to apply in Round 1 or Round 2. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire; we have several MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week; Duke / Fuqua, UVA / Darden and Notre Dame / Mendoza have their Early Action round deadlines. Harvard, UPenn / Wharton and London Business School have their Round 1 application deadlines. The next Clear Admit event series is now only one week away and runs for three weeks, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Our first event includes INSEAD, London Business School, UPenn / Wharton, Emory / Goizueta and Michigan / Ross. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba Graham highlighted two recently published stories on Clear Admit. The first looks a which of the top MBA programs offer a STEM designation. It is clear this has been an interesting trend that began with Rochester / Simon and has recently included Harvard.  The second story focuses on some of the recent Olympic athletes who are completing their MBAs. We are great admirers of the talent, dedication and perseverance it takes to compete at the very top of any endeavor. Graham then noted two admissions tips that were recently published by Clear Admit. The first tip focuses on the importance of understanding the background of the admissions readers. The second tip discusses the need to do deep research on each of the MBA programs that a candidate is targeting. Graham then mentioned six recently published Adcom Q&As, from HEC Paris, Imperial College, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Washington / Olin, Northwestern / Kellogg, and UCLA / Anderson. We then highlighted a new MBA admissions series that focuses on “famous” MBA alumni, which we think highlights the real value of the MBA from top tier MBA programs. This series will focus on MBA alumni in a variety of sectors including technology, health care and retail, finance and philanthropy, and automotive and energy. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from South Africa and appears to have had a very strong career to date in finance roles in the tech sector. Their GMAT is a 730 and they are targeting the M7 MBA programs. This week's second MBA candidate works in academia as a researcher in the health care domain. They want to transition out of academia, their long-term goal is to work for an organization like the Gates Foundation. They have a GRE score of 330. The final MBA candidate for this week is from Ghana. They have a GRE score of 312, but plan to retake the test. They do have a strong GPA and decent work experience, but their post MBA goals could be strengthened. This episode was recorded in Pescoluse, Italy, 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 Graham began by discussing our September MBA admissions event series; several top MBA programs are scheduled to participate. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba We then did something very different - we had a deep conversation about our backgrounds, and work history together, which has extended beyond 20 years. We wanted to highlight our MBA admissions experience, so listeners can get a better sense for who is providing the weekly commentary on MBA admissions. We covered our time together at UPenn / Wharton, where we launched several applicant-facing web initiatives that were industry firsts at the time. These included Wharton's student2student applicant discussion forum, a student blogging initiative, as well as an online interview scheduler. We then discussed the formation of Clear Admit, and its evolution, as it pivoted from being a leading applicant consulting firm to what it is today - an online community where candidates can get unfiltered and free guidance so they can present their best applications. It has been a long journey together, but a very enjoyable journey. We hope that comes across during our Wire Taps weekly podcast show! For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has a super GMAT score of 750 but has a more modest undergraduate GPA of 2.99. They also have a graduate degree, and both degrees are in engineering. Their work experience appears to be very decent, in tech product management. Their post MBA goals are to pursue consulting in the short term, and then return to the tech industry. This week's second MBA candidate also has a super GMAT score (760), but also has a poor undergraduate record. They were compromised by their mental health. They completed an MBA directly after their undergraduate degree, to help compensate. They work in climate finance, and ultimately want to return to this field after a stint in consulting. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire, which soon turned into a short quiz with Alex testing Graham on key admissions dates for next season; Cambridge / Judge leads the way with a Round 1 application deadline of August 27. Graham highlighted the summer application series that Clear Admit is hosting, which concludes this Wednesday, July 31, with Yale SOM, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, and IESE. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays We then discussed a recently published article on Clear Admit which clusters together the key themes for essay topics for MBA programs. While Alex guessed two key themes correctly, he failed on the remainder; the clusters do reveal what is very important for admissions officers as they review their MBA candidates. Graham noted two recently published MBA admissions tips. The first focuses on creating an MBA admissions resume, the second was an admissions tip for younger MBA candidates. Graham then discussed four recently published Adcom Q&As, from Cambridge / Judge, Notre Dame / Mendoza, UPenn / Wharton and Toronto / Rotman. Graham then highlighted three recently published, and soon to be published, podcasts that were recorded during GMACs annual conference. These podcast feature admissions officers from Cambridge / Judge, Duke / Fuqua and Cornell / Johnson, answering three questions related to MBA admissions: candidates' use of AI in the admissions process, the use of video in the admissions process, and aspirational trends that they a seeing from their candidates. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is a Hispanic male with a PhD, and experience at an MBB; this experience revealed to them why they need an MBA. They have entrepreneurial aspirations. This week's second MBA candidate is from India, and is a little worried about the quant score of their GMAT. We are less concerned, and think they need to leverage their interests in the life sciences as part of their MBA strategy, all while applying in Round 1. The final MBA candidate for this week is currently still an undergraduate student, but has been working 40 hours a week, while maintaining a super GPA and being very active on campus. They are debating whether to pursue an MBA, or MS in Finance, directly after completing their undergraduate degree. 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 activity on MBA LiveWire, with most top MBA programs finalizing their incoming classes; there is still some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins this Wednesday, July 10, with Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Columbia, UPenn / Wharton and UVA / Darden. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted a recently published admissions tip focused on selecting recommenders. Graham then highlighted three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Emory / Goizueta, ESMT and Harvard Business School, and also discussed a recently published Friday's from the Frontlines which focuses on a VC competition won by Northwestern / Kellogg students. Graham then noted the publication of a new podcast which was another recording from one of the panel discussions during the in-person Chicago MBA admissions event that Clear Admit hosted. This discussion centered on the key elements of the applicant profile, including test scores, GPA, work experience and extra-curricular/additional activities.  Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, Yale SOM and Emory / Goizueta participated in this discussion. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate began in investment banking, but soon switched to strategy consulting focused on life sciences. They have a very strong GPA of 3.87; their GRE is OK, but does not stand out. This week's second MBA candidate appears to have a strong tech-focused career in India, having graduated from a top Indian university. They have a decent GMAT of 730, their GPA is 6.8 out of 10. Their post MBA goal is product management, then entrepreneurship. The final MBA candidate for this week played Division 1 football in the Big Ten Conference, and has now pursued a career in Real Estate. Post MBA they plan to join their family firm in Real Estate. They have a very strong GMAT (705); their overall GPA is a little weaker. 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 releases for this season. For this upcoming week, we will see decision releases from Harvard and UPenn / Wharton for their deferred admissions programs; we are also still seeing some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham then mentioned two recently published Clear Admit stories. The first story focuses on the new GMAT test, and how to compare scores with the old GMAT test. The key is to look at the percentile scores. The second story highlights NYU / Stern's move to change the title of one of its MBA program offerings from Fashion to Luxury and Retail. Graham then noted the publication of a new podcast episode which was a recording from one of the panel discussions during the in-person Chicago MBA admissions event that Clear Admit hosted. This discussion centered on strategy consulting recruiting and is a conversation with Noble Stafford at Bain and Company. Graham finally highlighted the publication of three Adcom Q&As, from Michigan / Ross, ASU / Carey and Michigan State / Broad. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from Brazil. They have a super GMAT score of 735 and their overall profile looks very strong. We think they would benefit by providing more clarity around their post MBA goals. This week's second MBA candidate is a second year analyst at one of the MBB firms. They are based in Australia, and also have a very good GMAT score of 740 (old test format). We think there is a lot of potential upside, but it would be good to know a little more about their activities outside of work. The final MBA candidate for this week applied this season, and has quite a few options, including Case Western Reserve / Weatherhead with a nice scholarship. They are also still on the waitlist at USC / Marshall, and we discuss whether it makes sense to pursue Marshall further. This episode was recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana 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!

This week on episode 367, we interviewed Grant Halloran, CEO of Planful, Kartik Hosanagar, UPenn Wharton professor and director of the Wharton AI Center and Steve Dennis, renowned thought leader on business strategy and innovation, former senior leader at two Fortune 500 companies, top global retail influencer and author of Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Topics covered include:

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with a quick report from Graham on how Clear Admit's first ever in-person event for applicants went in Chicago; spoiler alert: it was a great success!  Alex then followed with an update on the latest MBA application decision releases for this season: this week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Rounds 3 and 4, including Cornell / Johnson and Georgetown / McDonough; Harvard and UPenn / Wharton are releasing interview invites for their deferred admissions rounds. Graham highlighted the final spring online webinar that Clear Admit is hosting this Wednesday at 12 pm ET, which will feature CMU / Tepper, Columbia, UPenn / Wharton, INSEAD and London Business School. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then mentioned a recently published Clear Admit admissions tip, regarding background checks on admitted candidates, before moving on to discuss three 'Real Humans Alumni' pieces, an MBA alum from Duke / Fuqua who works at Pfizer, an MBA from Columbia who works in AI for Amazon, and an MBA alum from Chicago / Booth who works at Xbox. We then discussed the MBA Class of 2023 career report from UCLA / Anderson. This report is quite late in the cycle, but highlights the many strengths of the Anderson MBA program, especially if you are interested in being on the West Coast after business school. Finally, we discussed a U.S. Department of Energy competition won by MBA students from Duke / Fuqua. The winning concept related to how to manage power generation when the renewable inputs are variable. 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 appears to have a very strong professional career, and is from Latin America. While their GMAT is decent (710), their GPA is the weak point. We discussed strategies to mitigate the lighter GPA. This week's second MBA candidate also has a modest GPA of 3.0. They have a super GMAT (695 on the new version of the test) and appear to have done well in their marketing career, despite navigating a layoff. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Duke / Fuqua and London Business School. These are two quite different options, and we discussed those differences. They want to be in the United States in the longer term, 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 a discussion of our BIG event in Chicago on Wednesday May 15th; please join us if you can, by signing up here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair  We then turned to a discussion of the week ahead; several programs are releasing final decisions for Round 3, including UPenn / Wharton, USC / Marshall, MIT / Sloan, Yale SOM, Oxford / Said, UCLA / Anderson and Washington / Foster. Graham then highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The second event in the series is on Wednesday, May 22th. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then mentioned a recently published admissions tip that focuses on pre-MBA additional coursework; this might be useful for candidates who have very little quantitative studies in their undergraduate studies, or for candidates who need to address below par grades. Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: Berkeley / Haas who works at Pepsi, IMD who works at Amazon, Notre Dame / Mendoza who works at Microsoft, and Stanford who works at Myc0Works. For the candidate profile review portion of the show this week, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is targeting Stanford. They have a very interesting background in EdTech, they also have their own YouTube channel with a significant number of followers, as a content creator. We worry that only targeting Stanford can be risky, but they do appear to have an attractive profile. This week's second MBA candidate is from India, and also has French citizenship. They have strong numbers, and appear to have done well in their career, to date. They want to target the top programs, and we encourage them to include those programs in the first round. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between UCLA / Anderson and USC / Marshall, with substantial scholarships. They are seeking buy-side finance roles, and wonder if one of these options will be good enough, or should they reapply to higher-tier programs next season. 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 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!

#GAZA: The suspect fraudulent statistics of the Hamas Health Ministry. Profesor Abraham Wyner  UPENN WHARTON Professor of Statistics and Data Science.  Director of Undergraduate Program in Statistics and Data Science Faculty Co-Director of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers 1940 Gaza beaches, Australians

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 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!

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!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the flurry of decisions we have witnessed from all the top MBA programs as Round 1 decision deadlines have passed. While things will be a little quieter on LiveWire now, as we head closer to the Christmas holiday, DecisionWire is getting very popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll or turn to the Clear Admit community for advice. Graham noted a new Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for January 24. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for the event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans Graham also mentioned the next Clear Admit+ event which is scheduled for January 3rd, one day before Round 2 deadlines for 10 of the leading MBA programs.  Please join us by signing up here: https://www.clearadmit.com/private-webinar-series/ We then discussed the recently published Poets & Quants 'aggregate' MBA ranking. Most of our conversation focused on UPenn / Wharton's position in the ranking at #31, as a result of not being able to participate in the Financial Times ranking. Graham highlighted three Real Humans pieces from Clear Admit, focused on Washington / Olin, IMD, and Chicago / Booth. We then discussed three MBA employment reports, from MIT / Sloan whose top industry is Consulting, Berkeley / Haas whose top industry is Tech, and UPenn / Wharton whose top industry is Financial Services. 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 Africa and has really interesting professional experience which may help them stand out. Their GRE score is a very respectable 327, but we worry that their GPA of 3.01 may raise concerns, despite it being a computer science degree. This week's second MBA candidate has a GMAT score of 655. Because this is the new GMAT focus edition, we needed to convert this score to a 700-710. They have a strong GPA (3.6) and decent work experience in Canada. They also have a good spread of target MBA programs. The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Dartmouth / Tuck (with scholarship), UVA /  Darden (no money) and possibly Northwestern / Kellogg. If they are admitted to Kellogg, we see a tough choice between Kellogg and Tuck, and geographical preferences will likely play a part in the 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 flurry of activity on LiveWire relating to R1 decision releases for a number of top schools.  This upcoming week will continue to be busy with UNC / Kenan Flagler, Northwestern / Kellogg, Oxford Said, UPenn / Wharton, UCLA / Anderson, Texas / McCombs and Washington / Foster all scheduled to release Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted two Real Humans pieces from Clear Admit, focused on IESE and Vanderbilt / Owen. We then discussed the recently published MBA class of 2025 profile from Columbia, and three employment reports, from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth / Tuck. The profile of recruiters at Harvard and Stanford is different from other “M7” programs, with more focus on buy-side financial services, and less focus on consulting. Graham also highlighted an Adcom Q&A from Yale SOM, as well as a topical admissions tip that was published last week: how to handle rejections from top MBA programs. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries. This week's first MBA admissions candidate has a very interesting profile, and it appears that she also has really strong leadership experiences. She applied in Round 1, and has received interview invites. Her one clear weakness is a 305 GRE score. This week's second MBA candidate has some pretty amazing entrepreneurial experience from West Africa; they helped start a budget airline. They still need to take the GMAT, which is a potential concern. They are targeting some of the more unique programs like Stanford's one year MSx program, and the Sloan Fellows Program at MIT. The final MBA candidate for this week is an engineer who is targeting next season for their MBA applications. Their combination of a 690 GMAT (with a relatively low quant score) and 3.0 GPA is a little concerning. We are hoping they are able to boost the GMAT, even if only a little. 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 reported over the past week. We are seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire continuing to roll out for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Cornell / Johnson, and several other programs. Graham highlighted the deferred admissions events that Clear Admit is hosting, which begin this Wednesday, with Harvard, Stanford, UPenn / Wharton, Chicago / Booth, and UVA / Darden. Signups for the two deferred admissions events are here: https://bit.ly/declearadmit Graham then mentioned a recently published story for Clear Admit's sustainability series, from Berkeley / Haas, as well as Clear Admit's “spooky” admissions tips. He then asked listeners for some help with our fall survey for MBA applicants, which will allow MBA programs to better understand candidates' communications preferences. You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitfallsurvey We then discussed two Real Humans pieces, one from Emory / Goizueta and the second from Boston College / Carroll. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries. This week's first MBA admissions candidate has super numbers, a 770 GMAT and 3.94 GPA. But they only have two years of work experience. We discussed the advantages of applying now, versus waiting for another year, with more work experience. This week's second MBA candidate also has a great GMAT (760). They have 10 years of experience, and are now based in Australia. They are of Indian heritage, but with Australian citizenship. They are debating whether to target Round 2 with additional applications (they applied to a couple of programs in Round 1) or wait until next season. We suggest they target Round 2 as a first step. The final MBA candidate comes from the military and speaks fluent mandarin. They are also seeking a joint degree with International Relations. We are very interested in their long term goal, and how that fits their narrative. But their overall profile could be very appealing to MBA admissions committees. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Cassis, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this week. The past week has seen Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire for UPenn / Wharton, Columbia, UCLA / Anderson, Georgetown / McDonough, Emory / Goizueta, as well as Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, and Cornell / Johnson. Graham highlighted two upcoming events that Clear Admit is hosting. Our monthly Clear Admit+ event is on Wednesday at 12 pm ET; we also have two events for candidates who are targeting deferred admissions, featuring Berkeley, Columbia, Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard,  Stanford, Wharton, UVA Darden, and Yale.  Signups for these deferred admissions events are here: https://bit.ly/declearadmit Graham then highlighted recently published stories from Clear Admit's new sustainability series, featuring Yale SOM and Duke / Fuqua. He then noted the publication of an admissions tip that focuses on video-based interviews, and a schedule for Round 2 deadlines. The majority of those deadlines fall on three consecutive days after the new year, making things challenging for candidates targeting those programs. We then discussed the recently published employment report for NYU / Stern. Like other recent employment reports, the numbers are impressive, with an average starting salary of $175,000. Consulting is the largest employer, moving ahead of finance, which was a little surprising. Finally, we discussed two Real Humans pieces, one from INSEAD and one from Cornell / Johnson. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate appears to have very decent work experience in consumer packaged goods. They also have a very solid GRE score of 331. Their GPA is a little lower than the medians of the programs they are targeting. They did undertake lots of extra-curricular activities while at university. They applied to several programs in Round 1, with interview invites to all their targets except for Wharton. This week's second MBA candidate is a mechanical engineer with only one year of work experience. They are hoping to apply next season, with two years of experience. They still need to take the GMAT. We had a good discussion on whether two years of work experience will optimize their opportunities in terms of MBA programs. The final MBA candidate is a first-generation immigrant, based in Philadelphia. They have had a very unorthodox career, to date, and are now completing their undergraduate degree. But we think they have a very interesting story to tell. Their GPA is outstanding. They still need to take the GRE. And we think they should broaden their list of target programs. 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 upcoming MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this new season; for this week UPenn / Wharton and Duke / Fuqua are scheduled to release interview decisions. We are also seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire for Columbia, Michigan / Ross, as well as Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Dartmouth / Tuck and Cornell / Johnson. Graham highlighted a $25 million gift that was received by Northwestern / Kellogg to add further support to its Entrepreneurial Programs, via its Zell Fellows Program. Graham then highlighted two class profiles recently published on Clear Admit, for Michigan / Ross and for Georgetown / McDonough. Both classes look to be holding steady, but it was interesting to see an uptick in international enrollment at McDonough. We then discussed a Real Humans piece for Georgia / Terry. The statistics on class size for these three programs highlights the fact that generally, the higher the tier of a top MBA program, the greater the class size, which makes perfect sense. (Exceptions to this rule include Stanford GSB). Graham also reported on our first employment report for the Class of 2023, this from Michigan / Ross. Their numbers look very decent, with an average starting salary of $175,000. Consulting is the largest sector of employment, led by McKinsey, Bain and BCG (MBB) as the schools top employers. This led to a discussion about hiring freezes in strategy consulting and how delayed start dates we are hearing about may not be captured in the statistics. Finally, Graham highlighted two additional podcast he's recently hosted; the first with Indiana / Kelley with a focus on career services, and the second with NYU / Stern, discussing career pivots (coming soon). As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has had a strong nine-year career in the Army and is looking for the MBA to allow them to transition to the private sector. Their goals of consulting, followed by a leadership role in an aerospace or defence company, make perfect sense. Their stats are decent, with a 326 GRE and a 3.51 GPA.  Can they overcome being an older candidate, and are they targeting the right schools? This week's second MBA candidate has super numbers, and is an investment banker, based in Hong Kong. We worry that they are applying with only two years of work experience completed. Because they have strong numbers, they may still be successful, but we wonder if their opportunities might not be better in 1-2 more years.  There are also some concerns around their ECs... The final MBA candidate is from Ghana and has an aerospace undergraduate degree. Their work experience has been with their family business in textiles, with a focus on business development and supply chain management. Their goals appear to be around entrepreneurship, and they are now looking to see which MBA programs they should target.

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this week.  Dartmouth / Tuck, MIT / Sloan, Oxford / Said and Duke / Fuqua all have their Round 1 MBA application deadlines; we are also seeing Round 1 interview invites for Northwestern Kellogg and Yale SOM on MBA LiveWire. Graham highlighted our final Essay Insights series, which runs on Wednesday of this week, with UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM, UVA / Darden and Michigan / Ross; these events are very popular and bring together the leading MBA programs to talk about their admissions essay topics. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cafallessays Graham then shared some tidbits from a recently published Adcom Q&A from Washington / Foster and discussed a recent admissions tip, published on Clear Admit, which addresses how not to compare MBA programs in admissions essays. We then discussed the recently published BusinessWeek ranking of MBA programs, and some of our misgivings about these rankings. That said, well done to Stanford GSB for topping the list this year. Our final discussion centered on NYU / Stern's recent announcement of a new MBA program and campus in Abu Dhabi. This one year MBA program will have a heavy focus on the Middle East and North Africa regions. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is a female candidate from India who has extensive work experience in the non-profit sector. She has a little concern about her academic profile, and how that might limit her opportunities for target programs. While her GRE is decent at 325, her GPA is a slightly weaker 3.28, (but she does have some mitigating circumstances that can help address the lower grades). This week's second MBA candidate is from the Marine Corps, and has outstanding numbers; A GRE score of 336 and a GPA of 3.91. They are targeting the best MBA programs, and we think that they should be, assuming a strong pre-MBA career in the Marines. The final MBA candidate is doing really interesting work in the area of digital trust. They are also an advocate for digital trust and freedom of expression in their home country. We think this type of work profile will stand out. Their numbers are also very strong, with a 3.7 GPA and a 329 GRE score. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in the City of Brotherly Love by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this new season; for this week Harvard, UPenn / Wharton and London Business Schools have their Round 1 deadlines, Duke / Fuqua and UVA / Darden have their Early Action deadlines. Graham then highlighted our next Essay Insights series, which run on September 13, 20, and 27; signups for this popular series are here: https://bit.ly/cafallessays Graham then mentioned two Adcom Q&A articles, where we interview admissions directors at Georgia / Terry and Boston / Carroll. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate participated in Teach for America, and then subsequently won a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English abroad. They also have extensive roles on boards. Unfortunately we worry about their academic profile, for which they have already taken MBA Math. But improving their GRE score, and applying in Round 2, will be very advantageous. This week's second MBA candidate is from Chile and has an engineering undergraduate degree. They are an older candidate (the engineering degree took 6 years) and have recently been laid off from work, during the tech lay-offs. While they are currently able to focus full-time on preparing their MBA applications (and preparing to take the GMAT), we think they might also benefit by doing some additional volunteer work in an area about which they are truly passionate. The final MBA candidate is debating whether to apply full-time or part-time. Their valid concern is that at their stage of career, they are making a very good salary, and are also married with family. But we think the risk / reward scenario favors doing a full-time MBA, and targeting M7 programs. Their overall profile looks really strong, both from an academic standpoint, and from a professional standpoint. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, PA 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 upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this new season, as we close out last season. Graham then highlighted several events that Clear Admit is hosting over the next month. Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 22, we host a webinar with CMU / Tepper: https://bit.ly./teppermbawebinar, on Monday, August 28, we have a Clear Admit+ webinar, and we have a Real Humans webinar which includes alumni and students from top MBA programs on August 30th: https://bit.ly/rhwebinar5. We will also be hosting our next Essay Insights series in early September... Graham then highlighted three Adcom Q&As, where we interview admissions directors at Cornell / Johnson, Washington / Olin and ESMT Berlin. Later in this podcast episode, we also had a conversation about UPenn / Wharton's recently released class profile for the Class of 2025. This is the first released profile from a top MBA program. What was notable, aside from a decline in application volume, was the corresponding 5 point drop in the average GMAT score. It will be interesting to see if these declines are reflected at other top programs... As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is an instructor pilot in the Air Force. They appear to have done very well during their military service. They have a strong GRE of 334, but their GPA is their weak point, at 2.5. Taking Business Fundamentals, MBA Math, or the equivalent may help. We do hope they are able to overcome this aspect of their candidacy as everything else looks very strong. This week's second MBA candidate has a strong entrepreneurial profile, both in Argentina and the United States. They are also first generation, and do some additional work for those with low incomes. The one worry we have for this profile is the combination of the GMAT (710, 42 quant) and GPA of 3.2. Because the quant score of the GMAT is low, we really think any improvement there will have impact. And they can then apply in Round 2. The final MBA candidate is a two-time cancer survivor, which had impact on their academic record (3.36). They do have a 337 GRE, and their work experience and community experience looks strong. Their goals are related to their life experience, and overall, this does look like a very strong candidate. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, PA 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 Alex and Graham begin by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for the 2023-24 season and bid goodbye to the 2022-23 season (with students now showing up on campuses for pre-term). Graham then highlighted several events that Clear Admit is hosting over the next month. These events include a webinar with CMU / Tepper (August 22nd): https://bit.ly./teppermbawebinar, a Clear Admit+ webinar, scheduled for August 28th, a Real Humans webinar which will include alumni and students from top MBA programs (August 30th): https://bit.ly/rhwebinar5 , and our next Essay Insights series which will begin in early September. Graham then highlighted four Adcom Q&As, where we interview admissions directors at UPenn / Wharton, Harvard, Emory Goizueta and Manchester / Alliance. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is an Airforce officer who has already transitioned to the private sector in the aerospace / defence industry. Alex and Graham think they have a very strong profile, all together, except that their GPA is a low, 3.0. In light of this, it might make sense to do Business Fundamentals, MBA Math, or something equivalent, just to show academic preparedness. Their GRE score is a decent 326. This week's second MBA candidate has an interesting profile which includes being first-gen, part of the LGBTQ+ community, and coming from Wales and France. This led to a discussion about the importance of talking about their “lived experience”, which will likely be unique, in this case. Their academics and work experience appear to be very decent. Alex and Graham also like their goals. They will need to retake the GRE, with good preparation, to target a score that reflects their best effort. The final MBA candidate this week is also a military candidate, but from the U.K. Their profile appears to be very strong, overall, except for their GRE score of 320. We encourage them to apply in Round 2, and look to really try to push that score up. They look like a strong candidate (with a good GRE) for the very top MBA programs in the world. This episode was recorded in Highgate Springs, VT 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!

Welcome to the 300th episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast! Thank you for tuning in and helping us reach this landmark recording.  A very special thanks to everyone who sent in audio clips with well wishes to mark the occasion too; these clips were mixed into episode #300 to ensure a very celebratory vibe! Getting down to business, this week's episode kicks off with Alex and Graham basking in the milestone of recording so many podcasts.  Graham then highlighted three Adcom Q&As, from Chicago / Booth, NYU / Stern, and ASU / Carey. Graham also discussed the July event series, Essay Insights, which began last week (with a record number of attendees!); this Wednesday we will hear from Chicago / Booth, Dartmouth / Tuck, UPenn / Wharton and UVA / Darden. This is a very popular series that runs throughout July and early August; signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay As usual, your hosts tackled three candidate profile reviews drawn from three recent ApplyWire entries: Up first is a candidate who served in the military for seven years before transitioning to a consulting role with Accenture. He has a 3.4 GPA, but Alex and Graham worry about the relatively low GRE score of 306. It will be important to really try to improve this score, especially on the quant side. It also makes sense to look at MBA Math, HBS CORe or GMAC's Business Fundamentals. This week's second candidate is still early in his career and looking to apply in one or two years' time. He has a strong GPA, and Alex and Graham are hoping he can also attain a very good GMAT score. The candidate is not fulfilled with his current career situation and is assessing his options in terms of which direction to go. Of the choices offered, Alex and Graham think moving to the crypto startup makes most sense. This week's final candidate is a chemical engineer with a strong academic record through to the masters level. They also appear to have great work experience, and are focused on issues that are important (climate tech). We hope they can deliver a strong test score, and will be appealing to the very best MBA programs. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, PA 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!

This week's show begins with Alex quizzing Graham about his recent trip to San Diego for this year's GMAC conference, followed by a mention of some limited waitlist movement seen on MBA LiveWire.  Graham and Alex then pivoted to a discussion on the recent supreme court decision that has a large impact on how admissions can consider race in their admissions decisions. Your hosts believe that while this will necessitate some changes to the admissions process, there will be still processes that can be adopted to ensure diverse business school classes that represent all. Graham then highlighted the July event series, Essay Insights, which begins this Wednesday with Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua and Georgetown / McDonough. This is a very popular series that runs throughout July and early August; signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay Graham then mentioned an Adcom Q&A from Cambridge / Judge; these new Q&As include a new question for each of our adcom that asks about waitlists. Graham then discussed two new Real Humans alumni pieces, an alumni from Emory / Goizueta at BCG, and an alumni from INSEAD at Meta. He then highlighted a new admissions tip which focuses on the importance of addressing gaps in employment. As usual, this episode includes assessments of three real candidates, taken from recent ApplyWire entries on the site. The first candidate has a 770 GMAT, and appears to have very interesting work experience and goals in the environmental area. Their one glaring weakness is their 2.9 GPA. Graham and Alex discussed ways to mitigate this weakness, and also suggested they may want to broaden their list of target programs beyond the big three of Harvard, Stanford and UPenn / Wharton. This week's second candidate hasn't taken the GMAT yet, but is concerned they will land a score in the 680-700 range, with a weakish quant result. All other aspects of their profile look very interesting. Graham and Alex discussed ways to mitigate a lower GMAT, if that is in fact the case. Candidate #3 appears to have very interesting work experience and a strong academic profile, from India. She also has one weakness, and that looks like the quant aspect of the GRE. She is also a history major, so it would really behove her to try to improve her quant profile, as she is targeting the very best programs. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, 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!

We're back this week with another episode of WireTaps, and Alex and Graham get the show started with their usual discussion of activity on LiveWire.  While the LiveWire updates have slowed down as the 2022-23 admissions season comes to its end, there was a little movement on the Chicago Booth waitlist last week. Graham then shifted gears to highlight two events Clear Admit is hosting. The first is a Real Humans event which brings students and alums together to discuss their experiences with candidates. This event includes students and alumni from UPenn / Wharton, NYU / Stern, MIT / Sloan, Michigan / Ross and Dartmouth / Tuck.  It will be held this Tuesday, June 20th and you can still signup here: https://bit.ly/realhumansmba The second is a set of events focused on MBA admissions essay insights, to be hosted on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning July 12th, where leading MBA programs will discuss each of their admissions essays. This is a very popular series, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay  Graham then shared insights from four Real Humans Alumni stories: an Indiana / Kelley grad at Deloitte, an LBS grad at Bain, a Rice / Jones grad at Goldman Sachs and a Washington / Foster grad at Amazon. Graham also mentioned two admissions tips that were recently published, one focused on understanding the campus and facilities of the different MBA programs, and the second which helps candidates select which MBA programs to target. On a more sombre note, Alex and Graham acknowledged the recent passing of Laurie Hietanen (Stewart) who had been a leading admissions professional at CMU / Tepper, and then went on to work at the Forte Foundation. Laurie was simply a great human being, and will be missed by many in the admissions industry. As with every WireTaps episode, Alex and Graham tackled three candidate profile reviews, drawn this week from recent ApplyWire entries: This week's first candidate has a very strong profile all around. While their 680 on the GMAT is below average, they took the test without any preparation, and plan to retake before applying. Alex and Graham think that with a strong score, this applicant really should be targeting the very best programs in Round 1. Stanford would be at the top of the list, for example. A lot of their work has been focused on climate issues and their one concern (that they haven't worked at an 'elite' firm) is unfounded. Up next, candidate #2 is from India, with a super GRE of 335. They work for an MBB firm, supporting their front office work. They want to use the MBA to get them to Texas, and transition to the front office within the same firm. They also want to gain some scholarship money to help defray the costs. They will need to target the first round, and spread their list of target programs over a wide spectrum of tiers. Our final candidate is from Nigeria, now working in London, with another great GRE score of 332. They have five years of experience, but are 32 years old. They are targeting the very best programs, so as an older candidate, fit will be quite an important issue to address. Alex and Graham were also puzzled at the difference between their age and years of work experience, concluding that they may well have a PhD or additional post-graduate coursework already. 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!

Alex and Graham's first WireTaps episode for June gets rolling with the usual review of activity on LiveWire, which includes waitlist decisions and final decisions from Rounds 3 and 4. This upcoming week should feature final decisions from UVA / Darden and MIT / Sloan (for their deferred admissions programs) and for Texas / McCombs and London Business School. Alex and Graham then had a brief discussion about the still-vacant admissions director seats at HBS and Stanford GSB admissions. It looks like both programs will head into next season with leaders in interim roles as their searches continue. Graham highlighted three Real Humans Alumni stories: a UNC / Kenan Flagler alum at Google, a CMU / Tepper grad at Morgan Stanley and a Michigan Ross grad at McKinsey.  Graham then mentioned a recent Adcom Q&A with Coni Zingarelli at Rice / Jones, which includes tips regarding how to authentically address the admissions essays. Graham and Alex also discussed a Real Humans event, where Clear Admit brings together students and alumni of top programs for a discussion regarding their experiences. This event is scheduled for June 20th, and registration is at https://bit.ly/realhumansmba As always, this episode of WireTaps features three profile reviews of actual candidates, taken from ApplyWire entries on the site: First up is a two-time Olympic athlete who has moved on to technical recruiting at major tech companies after a decade in Olympic training and coaching. They still need to take the GMAT, but intend to do so in the near-term. Because they are an older candidate, and also have three young children, they are debating between targeting a full- or part-time MBA program. In light of a planned career pivot, Alex and Graham do think the full-time program might be the best pathway forward. This week's second candidate is another older candidate, but instead of 10 years of training in sports, this one has a very distinguished military career as a pilot. Alex and Graham do worry that the combination of this candidate's GMAT and GPA are a bit too far below the medians for the programs they are targeting, so the suggestion of a potential retake of the GMAT was raised. This week's final candidate also has a slightly below median combination of GMAT and GPA. They have a marketing background and are seeking programs that will help them further in the marketing field. Michigan / Ross, Indiana / Kelley and even UPenn / Wharton might be worth adding to their list. A retake on the GRE may also be warranted. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in 'always sunny' Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

Another, week, another episode of WireTaps!  Alex and Graham began the show with the usual discussion around activity on LiveWire, which now includes decision deadlines for the shorter Round 3 application cycle and some deferred enrollment interview invites.  Graham then highlighted three Real Humans Alumni stories, an INSEAD grad at Accenture, a CMU / Tepper grad at Amazon and a UPenn / Wharton grad at Pfizer. Graham also mentioned a recently published admissions tip that covers scholarship negotiation. He then reminded listeners about the MBA admissions event series that Clear Admit is hosting in May, which began last Wednesday, and continues this Wednesday with Duke / Fuqua, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Emory / Goizueta, and Texas / Austin. This series offers admissions overviews from each of the programs. Event signup is here: https://bit.ly/cambaevents For this week's candidate profiles and dilemmas, Alex and Graham tackled two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: The first featured candidate has super numbers (770, 3.68) and spent two years in a leadership development program before moving to a family business (a winery). Alex and Graham like their experience and think that they should be targeting the top programs. The one concern is their post MBA goals; Alex and Graham want to ensure the goals are relevant and plausible while also being impactful. Your hosts also discussed issues related to sourcing recommendations, and around the candidate's desire to be in Salt Lake City, post-MBA. This week's second candidate appears to have interesting work experience across four countries, including Germany. We do worry about their combination of numbers (322, 2.9); they have taken additional coursework to bolster their GPA. They have also already taken the GRE four times. There are strengths in this profile, but there are weaknesses that need mitigating. The third and final candidate this week is weighing offers from Berkeley / Haas with no scholarship and Duke / Fuqua with a large scholarship. They do want to be in the Bay Area, or Seattle, post MBA, which favors Haas, but they are not seeking tech employment. We encourage them to look closely at the Fuqua networks in those regions, and see if they think that Fuqua might work. They also love Fuqua's culture, which is an important consideration. 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!

This episode begins with an in-depth review of the 2024 U.S. News full-time MBA rankings, which were released last week after a delay. U.S. News has changed its ranking methodology which caused some shifts in their ranking, but Chicago / Booth did retain the top spot! Alex and Graham share thoughts on the rankings changes, and continue to assert the reality that a tiered ranking system is always better than an ordinal one. Graham noted that 5 of the top MBA programs now have a median GMAT score of 740, which is pretty crazy. Your hosts then speculate that this is a result of more admitted candidates taking the GRE. Graham highlighted four Real Humans Alumni stories, a Georgetown / McDonough grad at Citi, a Harvard grad at Bain, a NYU / Stern grad at Accenture and a Michigan / Ross grad at Bain. These are always great reads for anyone targeting those programs or companies. Graham also highlighted the upcoming virtual event series that Clear Admit is hosting in May, which begins on Wednesdaywith Harvard Business School, UPenn / Wharton, Berkeley / Haas, London Business School, and INSEAD. This series offers admissions overviews from each of the programs and vital insights into the application process. Event signup is here: https://bit.ly/cambaevent For candidate profiles this week, Alex and Graham tackled two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: WireTaps candidate #1 is from Colombia and works in Real Estate and Construction. They have a 323 GRE score, and may plan to retake the test. They had originally targeted applying in the late rounds this season, but have now pushed their plans to the first rounds next season. Alex and Graham really like the profile, and hope that with a slightly higher GRE score, and early round applications, they will have very decent options. This week's second candidate is from a more non-traditional background, but with a focus on health care. They have had a difficult upbringing which has helped inform some of their decisions. They have a strong undergrad GPA, but still need to take the GMAT or GRE. Their work experience does look very decent, but Alex and Graham have questions about their goals, outside interests, personal background, and more. The final candidate for this week has been admitted to Dartmouth / Tuck with a decent scholarship, Ross (slightly less money), Northwestern / Kellogg (less, still) and Yale SOM (with no support). Alex and Graham argue that it's a toss up between Kellogg and Tuck... This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in leafy West Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who've been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

This episode of WireTaps begins with some discussion around the flurry of MBA LiveWire posts (Harvard and Stanford were among the top MBA programs releasing decisions last week). For those of you keeping score at home, MIT / Sloan and Cornell / Johnson are scheduled to release their admissions decisions this week, and, there are a number of Round 3 application deadlines in the coming days. Following all the chatter about deadlines, Graham highlighted two stories we published, one covering how to select your target MBA programs, and the other discussing the importance of scholarship when determining where to attend. Graham also highlighted two Real Human Alumni pieces, one from an INSEAD graduate working at Amazon, the other from a UPenn / Wharton alum working at Google. This episode also features three candidate reviews, one taken from an ApplyWire entry and two taken from DecisionWire entries: First up this week is a candidate in the Bay Area working in compliance. They want to move over into finance (specifically PE and VC) and are debating whether to apply to Berkeley / Haas for their full-time program or their part-time offering. Alex and Graham think that with their career pivot they might be better off looking at full-time options, and should perhaps look beyond only targeting Haas. They still need to take the GMAT as well. This week's second candidate has the good fortune of choosing between offers at Texas / McCombs, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM and NYU / Stern. They have scholarship money to factor in, too. But more interestingly, they are really debating whether they should attend a full-time MBA program given their current salary level (high) their age (older) and their desire to start a family. Alex and Graham discuss the importance of considering the long term implications of the choice. The third and final candidate this week is weighing offers between Michigan / Ross and UCLA / Anderson, with a desire to work for big tech post-MBA. Both appear to be very comparable in terms of what they can offer, so geography and fit should be key factors in their decision making. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who've been joining us. Please remember to rate and review the show, and to help spread the word to anyone you know who might be considering an MBA!

This week's episode tackles 'March Madness' - of the MBA admissions variety - as more and more top MBA programs are releasing their final decisions for Round 2. UPenn / Wharton is one of the many programs scheduled to release their decisions this upcoming week. Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip that focuses on navigating the wait list. He then highlighted two alumni Real Humans pieces, for HBS and Deloitte, and NYU / Stern and Carlyle. The latter alumna discussed the importance of patience and persistence when recruiting outside of the traditional career paths of consulting and investment banking. Alex and Graham then discussed a recently published piece on Clear Admit that reviewed the demand for tech jobs at leading MBA programs; that discussion was tempered with the recent news of all the layoffs in the tech sector. As always, this episode features real candidate profiles, sourced from one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: WireTaps candidate #1 is a fighter pilot who appears to have a very strong military career. The one area of their application that is concerning is a lower undergrad GPA (a 2.8 in aerospace engineering). Alex and Graham discuss options for mitigating this area of concern as well as the importance of a longer term post-MBA goal, especially for an older candidate. This week's second candidate is weighing two quite different options, a full-ride at Minnesota Carlson, versus a place at SDA Bocconi. They are looking at FMCG or Luxury retail for their post-MBA goals, hence the diverse considerations. Alex and Graham discuss some of the key factors that should help influence their decision. This week's final candidate is looking at options between two online MBA programs (CMU / Tepper and Michigan / Ross) and the full-time program at Vanderbilt / Owen. It looks like they prefer the online route, so they can remain at work. Alex and Graham provide some guidance in terms of how to choose between these two options. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who've been joining us, and please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen!

This episode of the Clear Admit podcast kicks off with a discussion about the flurry of activity on MBA LiveWire, which includes a good volume of interview invites (UPenn / Wharton added to the numbers this week), as well as a few waitlist admits. Alex and Graham then had a decent discussion regarding the Financial Times's 2023 MBA Global rankings. Three basic themes were discussed: Columbia's first #1 place, Wharton's absence, and your hosts' overall dislike of ordinal rankings (and the additional issues of trying to merge global programs into a single ranking). Graham highlighted two pieces from the Clear Admit site - a Valentine's Day piece that focused on the issues of applying to business school as a couple, and an interview tip that highlights the five most common questions in an MBA admissions interview. We then discussed London Business School's Class of 2022 employment report. They have a lower starting salary than their peer programs in the U.S., and it appears that more graduates are finding work in the U.K. rather than the wider Europe, which is likely a Brexit effect. That all said, LBS does very well with recruiters at leading companies like McKinsey, Bain and BCG. Finally, Graham highlighted an event we are hosting this Wednesday with current students at top programs including Berkeley / Haas, Chicago / Booth and SMU / Cox.  Sign up here: https://bit.ly/rhstudentslive This episode features three candidate reviews, taken from three ApplyWire entries: The first candidate has a really interesting background in media and entertainment. They have a strong GPA from "HYP" (Harvard, Yale or Princeton) and are seeking an MBA to transition to consulting (in the short term). They are targeting next season, and Alex and Graham think if they really do well on the GMAT and show decent quant skills overall, they should be aiming high. Alex and Graham also point out that Wharton is notably absent from their target list of programs. This week's second candidate graduated from Penn State with a 3.21. They have a GRE of 322, so both numbers fall a little below the median for the target programs they've selected. They have completed the CFA, and appear to have strong work experience, so Alex and Graham are hoping for some interview invites. Because they might want to target Denver post MBA, we discussed the importance of identifying programs that have a decent network in Denver. This week's final candidate is an M&A lawyer in India. They are targeting next season, and are looking at top European-based MBA programs. They seek to transition to VC/PE, which may be a tough pivot, especially if looking at one year programs. Alex and Graham stress the importance of acing the GMAT, showing strong quantitative scores, and applying in the first rounds. This candidate should be aiming high. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who've been joining us!

This episode once again kicks off with a look at the latest interview invites popping up on MBA LiveWire. Alex and Graham then talk about how they anticipate seeing UPenn / Wharton invites this upcoming week, as well as those for MIT / Sloan. Graham also highlighted a recently published interview tip that discusses the differences between a resume-based interview and an application-based interview. Graham and Alex then discussed the recently published article on finance careers, with a “hat tip” to Wharton for leading the way in venture capital recruits. Your hosts also discussed a Real Humans piece focused on six current Wharton MBA students; it's really required reading for anyone considering Wharton. Graham also highlighted a piece by a Tuck student about an event organized by Columbia regarding business in Africa. A good example of the cooperation among leading MBA programs. Finally, Graham highlighted a virtual event we are hosting with current students at top programs including Berkeley / Haas, Wharton / UPenn, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Chicago / Booth, and SMU / Cox.  Register here: https://bit.ly/rhstudentslive As usual, this episode features three candidate profile reviews, in this instance taken from three ApplyWire entries. Our first candidate is from Colombia and works in real estate and construction. Alex and Graham like those aspects of their profile. The candidate have a 321 GRE (wish it was a little higher) and a 3.15 GPA (which will be below average). The latter is complemented by a graduate degree GPA of 3.65. They're applying in Rounds 2 and 3, and have received an interview invite from  Michigan / Ross. Fingers crossed!  This week's second candidate is applying as an undergraduate to deferred enrolment programs. Alex thinks they should reduce their target school list and only apply to the top programs, for now. They can always reapply in several years' time. Alex and Graham like their internship experience, they are an under-represented candidate, and their GMAT is at 700. Some very decent potential overall. Wiretaps candidate #3 is originally from Africa, but has been in the United States for most of their life. They have a longer set of work experience, as well as a masters degree. They have not taken the GMAT yet, and are targeting next season. We are hoping to see a GMAT above 700, and really like their profile, overall. WireTaps is recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It is produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in glorious West Philadelphia. Thanks for listening and stay safe everyone!

In this episode of WireTaps, Alex and Graham discuss the flurry of interview invites popping up on MBA LiveWire. Many programs are starting to release their Round 2 invites - and some appear to be earlier than last season. Graham highlighted the renewal of Dartmouth Tuck's Dean's tenure, as well as the s school's decision to waive the GMAT for recently laid-off tech workers; your hosts discussed the implications of that latter decision, which is a tactic that several programs are adopting. Graham also commented on a recently published piece that looks at trends in tech recruiting (we are clearly seeing the down slope of what might have been a bubble). Your hosts then discussed a recently published piece on the cost of European MBA programs, where there is quite a broad range in price. Graham then reminded listeners about the two deferred enrolment events that Clear Admit is hosting this Wednesday and then on February 8. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/defer23 For this episode's candidate reviews, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: The first candidate reviewed is targeting next season. She has a very interesting profile, with a strong focus on data analytics. Her academic record also looks very strong. Her big concern is the GMAT test, which she hasn't taken, but is nervous about as she claims to be a poor standardized test taker. Alex and Graham discussed the implications of this, and how things might be if she had a GMAT score of 650 vs. 700+.  This week's second candidate looks to have a decent career in financial services and is awaiting word from Cornell / Johnson and NYU / Stern on R2 applications. Alex and Graham worry about the combination of a 700 GMAT score and 3.2 GPA (an international degree). Despite these concerns, your hosts are keeping their fingers crossed for interview invites. This week's final candidate is taken from a DecisionWire entry.  The lucky applicant is debating between offers from UPenn / Wharton and Yale (with a large scholarship). They are focused on entrepreneurship and there are potentially good reasons to choose either option... This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced in 'always sunny' Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

WireTaps kicks off this week with a timely discussion about the importance of interview preparation for those candidates entering that phase of the MBA admissions cycle (this included a conversation about Clear Admit's free Interview Archive: https://www.clearadmit.com/category/interview-reports/).  Graham then highlighted the employment reports recently published for Stanford and Cornell / Johnson. Both programs are offering impressive numbers from last season. The challenge to business schools this season will be how to replicate these strong numbers in the less favorable economy that we are now experiencing. Graham also highlighted a recent Clear Admit article that focuses on the decline in the tech sector for MBA job seekers; this led to some discussion about whether or not this news portends a more challenging time across the board for the Class of 2023. Before getting into this week's candidate reviews, Graham mentioned the two deferred enrolment events that Clear Admit is hosting on February 1 and February 8. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/defer23 This week's featured candidates were sourced from two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: First up, an early-bird candidate who appears to have a very interesting military background with a focus on cyber security. They worry about their undergraduate record (3.04 in Electrical and Computer Engineering) and are taking steps to mitigate that. As part of that, they need to target a very strong GMAT score. That said, Alex and Graham love the overall profile, and think there might be options at the very best programs when this candidate applies next season. This week's second candidate has a super GMAT of 760. They have an accounting degree with a 3.23 GPA (slight concern) and a CPA. They also have a passion for online gaming, which may shape their long term goal, and Alex and Graham think this might be an interesting aspect of their profile to set them apart. Along those lines, your hosts did wonder why USC / Marshall is not a target program. Finally, this week's final candidate review comes from a DecisionWire post where a lucky applicant is debating between offers at UPenn / Wharton, Columbia and MIT / Sloan. They want a large network, which favors Wharton and Columbia, and they want to be in New York City, post MBA, in tech or early stage VC. Comments on the site leaned towards Wharton, but the applicant may need to wait to see if Columbia will offer them scholarship... This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia by the incredibly hard-working, always reliable Dennis Crowley (shout-out to Dennis's dad, who Dennis credits with instilling in him these traits). Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

This week's show begins with a rundown of all the activity on MBA LiveWire for the last week, which included MBA admissions decisions from Berkeley / Haas, Northwestern / Kellogg, UCLA / Anderson, and UPenn / Wharton. This upcoming week will be a little quieter with Washington / Foster and Indiana / Kelley scheduled to release their Round 1 decisions, but hopefully all of those tuning into the show who are awaiting word will receive some good news before the holidays!  After the opening segment, Graham highlighted the Real Humans pieces from Dartmouth / Tuck and Minnesota / Carlson, while also running down the latest employment report for Chicago / Booth. The average starting salary of $175,000 is very impressive (up over $20K from last year!). Like many peers, Booth also experienced a slight downturn in tech sector hirings, with a small upswing in placement for financial services. As usual, this WireTaps episode tackles profile reviews for three MBA applicants who shared their details on ApplyWire: First up is a candidate who is on the Dartmouth / Tuck waitlist from Round 1, and is also waiting for their decision from Northwestern / Kellogg (they will know this decision when the podcast airs). They have improved their GMAT score from 710 to 730 since they originally applied in Round 1, and Alex and Graham think this improvement will make a difference. They are preparing their Round 2 strategy and had questions about how to proceed in light of the new score and waitlist situation. This week's second candidate has an interesting background in retail and food. They are targeting next season, and we think they should be aiming high, especially in the first round. Their numbers (740/3.65) are pretty fantastic, as is a potential narrative that weaves together their background on a farm, experience to date, and professional aspirations. This week's final candidate has been through a life experience that's almost unimaginable. Since then, they have spent several years in the US Army, and appear to have done very well. That said, Alex and Graham worry about their numbers (312/2.7) and provide some guidance in terms of what they need to do to optimize for Round 2, or even think about Round 1 next season. This episode was recorded in Cornwall and London, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, PA, USA. Thanks for tuning in, and please remember to spread the word about the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast, or at least buy a t-shirt!

About Angus Fletcher My research explores why children are more creative than computer AI--and how to use literature, art, and stories to increase innovation, resilience, and joy. I work with teams at UPenn Wharton, US Army Special Operations, Hollywood, Silicon Valley AI startups, trauma nurses, and public elementary schools. I'm the author of Wonderworks (Simon & Schuster, 2021) and Storythinking (Columbia University Press, 2023) and dozens of peer-reviewed articles in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Harvard Business Review, etc. For the full show notes and transcription checkout: https://www.superpowers.school/ Watch episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/paddydhanda/ ★ BUY ME KO-FI ★ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation: https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda Contact Paddy at: pardeep_dhanda (at) hotmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/superpowers-school/message

Happy Halloween!  This week's podcast starts off with a truly spooky tale about the "Infamous HBS 119"...a story that didn't end well for MBA applicants back in 2005.  On more of an upbeat note, Alex and Graham congratulated Stanford GSB alum, Rishi Sunak, on his new role of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Activity on MBA LiveWire was very busy last week with many candidates reporting interview invites including UPenn / Wharton and MIT / Sloan candidates - Alex and Graham mentioned that they anticipate the same for this upcoming week. Graham then highlighted the new Real Humans pieces from UMD / Smith, UGA / Terry, IMD and UNC / Kenan Flagler. Graham also highlighted the Adcom Q&A from Emory / Goizueta as well as its employment report. Emory has a terrific average starting salary ($165k) which is likely tied to the school's sending 55% of graduates to consulting. 66% of their students remain in the Southern region of the United States, making it a very strong program for that area. Graham and Alex also discussed MIT / Sloan's Class of 2024 profile. The profile, itself, is very good, but the class size appears to have dropped quite considerably, leading your hosts to believe that they also experienced a drop in applications.  Graham also highlighted Clear Admit's upcoming Deferred Enrolment event; signups are here: https://bit.ly/defermba As usual, this episode features three candidate profile reviews, taken from ApplyWire entries: First up, Alex choses a military candidate, with nine years of experience who has unfortunately been rejected in Round 1 by Harvard and Wharton (without interviews). While Alex and Graham understand this is a tough start to the process, they believe there is a spot for this candidate among the top programs with his remaining applications in Round 1. If Round 2 is needed, Alex and Graham think he should still target M7 and top-16 programs. This week's second candidate is an Indian national, with strong tech and operations experience in the United States. He also has strong numbers and was waitlisted last season at several top programs. He reapplied to the same in Round 1 this season, and there is everything to suggest they may have better news this time out. The third candidate profile featured this week only targeted Stanford in Round 1, and has received an interview invite. He is very focused on the online video gaming industry and wondering whether any other top programs would be suitable, if he is not successful with Stanford. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the marvelous Dennis Crowley in the City of Brotherly Love. Please tell at least one person about the Clear Admit podcast and don't forget to rate and review this show wherever you listen! Best of luck to everyone applying to business school, and don't forget you can always email Graham and Alex at info@clearadmit.com using the subject line 'Wire Taps'.

This week's episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast kicks off with a review of the upcoming admissions deadlines, including R1 interview invites for UPenn / Wharton and Duke / Fuqua.  Your hosts also discuss the wave of Early Action decisions out of Darden and Fuqua. Graham then highlighted the Real Humans pieces for Vanderbilt / Owen and Ohio State / Fisher as well as a recent adcom Q&A with Fuqua' Shari Hubert, noting that half their incoming class receives some form of merit-based scholarship. Graham also presented NYU / Stern's recently released employment report, which includes huge average starting salaries; Alex suggested that the large number of finance placements and the school's New York City location must be at least partially responsible for these impressive figures. Graham highlighted an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, focused on whether or not to take a test (GMAT/GRE vs. waiver); signups are here: https://bit.ly/testornotest. Graham also highlighted Clear Admit's upcoming Deferred Enrolment event; signups are here: https://bit.ly/defermba As usual, this episode features three real candidate profile reviews; coming from both LiveWire and ApplyWire entries. First up, Alex selects a candidate who was denied admission at Columbia ED, following their alumni interview. They have a very strong GMAT, work in MBB consulting, and are from South Africa. Based on the limited information shared by this candidate, the decision appeared surprising, so Alex and Graham discussed some of the possible reasons. Your hosts also encouraged the candidate to not loose focus, and to continue applying to top programs in Round 2.  This week's second candidate has charted a path from Colorado to Philadelphia (UPenn undergrad) to London where she is working for a large sports team, in human resources. Alex and Graham really like her profile, and think with the less traditional career path, she may be an appealing candidate for top programs, despite her numbers not jumping off the page (they are certainly near the averages at leading MBA programs). She also has a great post-MBA plan. The final candidate for this episode is a faculty member of economics at a university in India. They now want to transition into the business world. Alex and Graham wonder if they might be better off applying next season, with a more concrete plan... This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the immensely talented Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia. Thanks so much for tuning in to the show. Please remember to rate, review, and share the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast! Best of luck to all who are currently applying to business school...

This week we are honored to have Angus Fletcheron the Driving Change Podcast. Angus is a Professor of Story Science at Ohio State's Project Narrative. His lab uses a combination of neuroscience and narrative theory to identify specific stories that can boost creativity, empathy, problem-solving, and resilience. His research has been called "mind-blowing" by Malcolm Gladwell and "life-changing" by Brene Brown, and has been published in journals from Harvard Business Review to The New York Academy of Sciences. His current research partners include UPenn Wharton and teams at US Special Operations. In this episode, Angus and Jeff break down the essentials of what Story Science is and how you can use it to become more creative and apply it to your every day life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/driving-change-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/driving-change-podcast/support

This week's action-packed episode runs the gamut from admissions gossip to HBS interview invites, and from Fortune's MBA ranking to candidate profile reviews...  Alex and Graham kick things off by reviewing the upcoming MBA admissions deadlines, including UNC / Kenan Flagler, Texas / McCombs and USC / Marshall.  They also discuss the activity on MBA LiveWire as Harvard released its Round 1 interview invites. This led to a segment on the forthcoming departure of Chad Losee from Harvard, who joins admissions directors from Stanford, Columbia, Michigan, Tepper, and more as part of an admissions exodus. Graham then highlighted the Real Humans pieces from Emory / Goizueta, ESADE, London Business School and Rochester / Simon as well as the recently published class profiles for Stanford, Chicago / Booth and UVA / Darden. And finally, before tackling three ApplyWire entries, Graham asked Alex to weigh in on the recent MBA ranking from Fortune. As to the this week's profile reviews: first up, Alex picks a finance candidate from London. They have very good numbers (750, 4.0) and have targeted all the usual suspects in terms of top programs in the Northeast of the U.S. While they are active at work, with respect to additional activities, Alex and Graham are curious what they do outside of work. There was also some discussion regarding their heritage, and its potential impact on their candidacy. This week's second candidate also has an outstanding GMAT (750), but their GPA is slightly lower. They are a reapplicant, and have made some improvements over the additional year. Their goal is entrepreneurship, and Alex and Graham encouraged them to also consider UPenn / Wharton (they do not want to be on the West Coast, which rules out some additional options). Finally, Alex selects an Indian lawyer, who is targeting next season. There is a lot to like about their experience, and the numbers are very good, too. Because they already have 8 years of experience, Graham and Alex would have preferred if they were targeting this season, but next season, in the first rounds, may well be fine, as long as they have a good focus on their “fit”. Fit because they are a lawyer, and also because they are on the longer end of the work experience spectrum. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered in West Philadelphia by the Steve Albini of podcasts, Dennis Crowley. Thanks for tuning into the show and please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this show wherever you may be listening!

This week's show kicks off with a short “celebration” of the 250th episode of Clear Admit's podcast. Over 3+ years we've had 264,000 listens, with listeners tuning in from nearly every corner of the globe! Alex then discussed this week's upcoming deadlines, which include Harvard, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua. Graham highlighted the Real Humans piece recently published for Michigan / Ross MBA students, and your hosts discussed the value of these pieces for understanding fit for each of these programs. Graham also highlighted the Adcom Q&As from Vanderbilt / Owen and Rice. Graham then reviewed NYU / Stern's recently released MBA student class profile. Some very interesting numbers, in terms of applications, admits and class size. Graham also highlighted two recent news stories regarding Harvard's new needs-based scholarship commitment, and a gift received by Emory / Goizueta to help fund scholarships. Finally, Graham alerted listeners to the upcoming essay workshop series, which includes three events on September 14 (Berkeley / Haas, Yale SOM, Chicago / Booth, Cornell / Johnson), September 21 and September 28. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitfall As usual, this episode tackled three profile reviews, drawn from recent ApplyWire entries. First up, Alex chooses a female engineer with five years of experience and a passion for sports. Her post-MBA goals make sense, and there's a lot to like in the overall profile - but the GRE is 319. This might be enough for her dream target school (Duke/Fuqua) but Alex and Graham debate the notion of her delaying applications to Round 2 and taking one more shot at pushing the score up a few points. This week's second candidate appears to have a very strong profile coupled with great numbers (328/3.73). They are weighing whether to apply this season or next season, and we strongly encourage a few applications for this season. Our final candidate is from North Africa,  and is somewhat of a non-traditional entrepreneur. At 33, they are going to be older than their classmates, but the biggest concern is their undergraduate GPA. We suggest some remedial work, but do think they might have what it takes for some of the European programs they are targeting. This episode was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in historic Philadelphia. It was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. Thanks for reading this far, and for tuning in!

This episode kicks off with a brief conversation about Alex and Graham's first webinar for Clear Admit+ subscribers. It was a fun and intimate event, allowing your hosts to provide direct feedback on specific subscriber questions. The second Clear Admit+ webinar is scheduled for Monday, August 29. More details on Clear Admit+ are here:  https://www.clearadmit.com/clearadmit-plus-members/ Beyond ClearAdmit+ news, Graham highlighted the recently published UPenn / Wharton class profile. Wharton is the first school to announce their class profile this season, and it certainly includes some impressive numbers. One element that your hosts neglected to mention is the drop in application volume (14%), which will likely be a feature of most class profiles for this season. Graham then noted how we are closing in on the start of next season's early deadlines, which begin at the end of August. He also noted a Real Numbers piece on the percentage of women in MBA classes. Wharton leads the way at 52% (this has now dropped slightly to 50% with the new incoming class) with Northwestern / Kellogg close behind. USC / Marshall, which had been the first top program with more than 50% female students, has dropped back to 36%. Graham also highlighted an upcoming webinar, scheduled for August 17, which brings together alumni from top programs who now work at firms like Microsoft and Deloitte to talk about their MBA journey. As usual, this episode features assessments of three real candidates, taken from ApplyWire entries on the site. First up we have a candidate who is originally from India, and now works in the oil and gas industry with an interest in seeking out sustainable solutions for less developed communities (based on their own childhood experience). The dilemma they face is whether they should retake their GMAT and push their applications to Round 2, or apply in Round 1 with a 720 GMAT score. We discuss the pros and cons, and also highlight an alternative pathway. Our second candidate works in the sports and entertainment sector for a consulting firm, and is a sponsored MBA prospect. They are planning to retake the GMAT (currently at 680) and are weighing whether they should discuss their outside-of-work experiences in sports betting. Finally we have a military candidate who is going to apply with 10 years of experience, much of this with the special forces. They plan to retake the GRE and potentially take HBS CORe. Their main question revolves around the process of deferral, and whether they can apply this season with the aim to defer to the following season. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in the City of Brotherly Love. Thanks for listening!

The latest episode of the podcast begins with an exciting announcement about Clear Admit+, our new subscription service! Clear Admit+ provides subscribers with exclusive content and tools.  It includes access to the Admissions Academy, a digital course consisting of more than four hours of proprietary video content that podcast hosts Graham and Alex recently recorded in London. It's designed to move you through the admissions process, from researching the right programs, developing your “personal inventory”, tackling each element of the written application, and preparing for the interviews. The subscription also includes access to the Clear Admit Data Dashboard (a tool to explore historical admissions outcomes), a private monthly webinar series, and unlimited access to our publications. More details are here:  https://bit.ly/clearadmitplus Beyond all the excitement about Clear Admit+, Graham highlighted the recent Adcom Q&As with Harvard, CEIBS and Rochester / Simon. He also noted the Real Numbers piece that looks at class sizes; this turned into a conversation about why top programs have larger class sizes (Stanford is an exception to this rule). Graham then highlighted the ongoing MBA essay workshop series; this Wednesday's event includes admissions representatives from Columbia, MIT / Sloan, Stanford, UPenn / Wharton and NYU / Stern. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessays As usual, this WireTaps episode features extensive reviews of three MBA applicants, taken from a set of ApplyWire entries: First up Alex picked a candidate from Belgium who works in the live entertainment space and is also a pilot in his spare time. He has completed a master's degree, but is a little concerned about his GMAT (710).  Despite these concerns, Alex and Graham feel there is a lot to like about the overall candidacy. This week's second candidate has a better overall GMAT score (730), but curiously has a lower quantitative score. We use the word 'curious' because he is an electrical engineer by training, working in the energy sector. He is looking only at 'reach' programs this season, and will reapply next season if not successful. Finally, we have a candidate who is a policy advisor for a Republican Senator. Prior to this, they worked in Big 4 consulting. Alex and Graham express concern about their academic profile; the numbers aren't outstanding, and they are essentially targeting only the very best programs. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the one and only Dennis Crowley in leafy West Philadelphia. Please remember to rate and review our show wherever you may listen.