Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

Episode 392: On-Campus or Online? Kelley’s Plus-Flex Lets MBA Students Decide Oct 29, 2024

Flexibility is becoming a highly sought-after feature in today’s MBA landscape, and Indiana Kelley has just taken a big step forward by launching their new +Flex option. With this, full-time MBA students now have the choice to complete their second year either online or in person. This opens up endless possibilities, whether students want to travel, work remotely, or stay on campus in Bloomington for a more immersive experience. Learn more about this option with special guests, Emily Stern, Director of Student Services and Global Programs, and John Hill, Faculty Chair of the MBA Program.

MBA Wire Taps 391—Italian, test waiver. Solid profile, Tuck invite. Brazilian, EA test. Oct 28, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 390—12 MBA Programs, Planning ahead, Aiming for Investment Banking Oct 21, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 389—African, 332 GRE. 715 GMAT, 2.9 GPA. Consultant, 294 GRE Oct 14, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; Columbia released Round 1 interview invites last week, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Rice / Jones, The Consortium, Texas / McCombs, Arizona / Carey, Boston / Carroll, Indiana / Kelley and Notre Dame / Mendoza. NYU / Stern has its Round 2 deadline this week. Imperial College is scheduled to release interview invites for its Round 1 candidates and Duke / Fuqua is scheduled to release its final decisions for its Early Action candidates.

Graham mentioned this week’s webinar focused on MBA programs on 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, 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 a recently published admissions tip focused on the five MBA interview questions you need to ace. These are the most common MBA interview questions that most top MBA programs will be asking. Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at UNC / Kenan Flagler, IMD and Indiana / Kelley.

We then discussed three recently published class profiles, from Berkeley / Haas, Stanford and Washington / Olin. All these class profiles look very good. It is interesting to note that Stanford’s median GRE score is the same as the median GRE score at Washington / Olin. We discussed why this may be the case. Haas’s stats appear to be impressive for a program that sits just outside the leading M7 MBA programs, much like NYU / Stern’s stats that we covered last week.

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 has a GRE of 332. They also have a graduate degree. They appear to have very solid work experience and are active outside of work. They are targeting Sloan in Round 1, and then additional programs in Round 2.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from the US military and has a very strong GMAT of 715. We do worry about their 2.9 GPA, for which they did provide some mitigating circumstances. They also have a high GPA in their graduate degree which may help.

The final MBA candidate for this week has six years of consulting experience and is also active in their community. They have a GRE score of 294, which may really harm their options. They plan to retake the test and apply in Round 2. They might also consider undertaking some additional coursework.

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles, California 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!

MBA Wire Taps 388—African, 329 GRE. Homeless to affordable housing. Tech sales, 318 GRE. Oct 07, 2024

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!

Episode 387: Admissions Director Q&A with Emily Brierley of Cambridge Judge Oct 02, 2024

We continue our popular Admissions Director Q&A series with Emily Brierley, Head of Cambridge MBA Recruitment and Admissions at the Cambridge University’s Judge Business School. Emily has been with Cambridge Judge since 2016 and became a core part of the MBA Recruitment and Admissions team by 2018. She started out in operations and candidate management before taking on her current leadership role in August 2021. You might recognize her from a short episode from the GMAC conference this summer, but in this episode, we're going to dive deeper into the admissions process at Cambridge Judge and get Emily’s expert insights on what it takes to succeed as a candidate.

MBA Wire Taps 386—750 GMAT, partner considerations. 329 GRE or 720 GMAT. Reapplying to Marshall Sep 30, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are starting to see interview invites released for Round 1 for programs like Yale SOM, Berkeley / Haas, and Northwestern / Kellogg. Upcoming this week, we have several Round 1 deadlines including MIT / Sloan, Duke / Fuqua, UCLA / Anderson, CMU / Tepper, USC / Marshall, Washington / Foster, Washington / Olin, Maryland / Smith, SMU / Cox, Minnesota / Carlson, UVA / Darden, Emory / Goizueta and Georgia Tech / Scheller. Oxford / Said has its Stage 2 deadline, too.

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

Graham then highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on letters of support, and different types of MBA admissions interviews. Graham then noted two Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Cornell / Johnson and London Business School.

We then discussed three recently published class profiles, from Harvard, MIT / Sloan and Dartmouth / Tuck. Like prior profiles for this season, application volumes are up, and the profile of the incoming classes remains strong. This did, however, lead to a discussion regarding median GMAT scores versus GRE scores.

Finally, Graham noted a recently published podcast he hosted with David Simpson of London Business School.

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 an outstanding academic profile, with a 3.85 GPA and 750 GMAT score. They have a health care focus, and as part of their school selection, they need to consider their partner’s continuing career.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a 720 GMAT and a 329 GRE, which led to a conversation as to which is better. They have a strong technical focus, which includes their own entrepreneurial experience.

The final MBA candidate for this week is a reapplicant for USC / Marshall. They have improved their GRE score, and other elements of their profile should also be improved. We suggest they also apply to UCLA / Anderson.

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!

Episode 385: Admissions Director Q&A with David Simpson of LBS Sep 25, 2024

In his 25+ years at London Business School (LBS), David Simpson, Recruitment and Admissions Director for the MBA and Masters in Finance, has worked across a range of roles in admissions, marketing, and business development. Recently, he sat down for a special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, hosted by Graham Richmond, to share his journey, insights, and tips for prospective students as part of our Admissions Director Q&A series. This in-depth conversation offers listeners a rare peek behind the curtain of LBS admissions.

MBA Wire Taps 384—Senior, deferred admissions. From India, 760 GMAT. 330 GRE, from South Korea. Sep 23, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are starting to see interview invites released for Round 1 for programs like Yale SOM and Northwestern / Kellogg. Upcoming this week, we have several Round 1 deadlines including Toronto / Rotman, Imperial College, Dartmouth / Tuck and IESE.

The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series concludes this week, on Wednesday, and includes Duke / Fuqua, CMU / Tepper, Columbia, Texas / McCombs and Georgetown / McDonough. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba

Graham also highlighted the upcoming webinar focused on MBA programs from the West Coast, including Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, UCLA / Anderson, UC / Irvine, and UW Foster. Signups are here: bit.ly/westcoastmba

We then discussed two recently published MBA rankings, from LinkedIn and Bloomberg / BusinessWeek. While we understand the importance of rankings for candidates’ research, we discussed the integrity of these rankings, relative to the reality of the marketplace of top MBA programs.

Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused the optional essay, which, for most MBA programs, is truly optional and should be tackled with caution.

Graham then noted the recently published Adcom Q&A from Stanford. This included a conversation about how to address Stanford’s first essay prompt, which is Alex’s favorite MBA admissions essay. Graham then highlighted the beginning of Clear Admit’s Real Humans series that focuses on current students. This series kicked off with a focus on Rice / Jones and Michigan State / Broad.

We then discussed two recently published MBA class of 2026 profiles, from Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. Both programs appear to have very decent class profiles overall. Yale’s does stand out with its academic numbers.

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 senior at university and looking to apply for deferred admissions. They have some decent internships in the health care space. They have also undertaken some entrepreneurial work. They still need to take the GMAT and need to aim very high.

This week’s second MBA candidate is applying from India and is applying in Round 1. They do appear to have a very strong profile, overall, with a GMAT score of 760 and several promotions at work.

The final MBA candidate for this week is a London-based software engineer, originally from South Korea, who has worked for some major tech companies. They have a strong GRE score of 330, and are looking to transition to product management, before working at their family business.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 383—Southern European in Hospitality. PhD engineer, 750 GMAT. Family Business goal. Sep 16, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we have a couple of MBA admissions deadlines upcoming this week, for NYU / Stern and Chicago / Booth.

The Clear Admit “Inside the MBA Admissions Process” event series continues this week and next week. Our second event, on Wednesday, includes Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Yale SOM, UNC / Kenan Flagler, and NYU / Stern. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba

Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on understanding the importance of the word count requirements for the MBA admissions essays. Graham then noted a Clear Admit story on the rise of Master’s in Management programs in the United States, as well as an Adcom Q&A from Rice / Jones.

We then discussed two recently published class profiles. Both Michigan / Ross and Cornell / Johnson reported strong profiles for their incoming classes, following the early trend we are seeing for this season’s new MBA candidates.

Finally, Graham noted a recently published podcast he hosted with UNC / Kenan Flagler, which focuses on their renowned Investment Management program. One of the student co-hosts on the podcast used to be a Wire Taps listener when they were applying to 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 is from Southern Europe and has worked extensively in the hospitality sector. They have a strong undergraduate GPA, but their GRE is 319. They are taking MBA Math.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a very strong focus on technology in the energy sector. They have a PhD and a GMAT score of 750. They also have 10 years of experience. They have a very specific goal focus, but we wonder if they need to broaden their list of target programs.

The final MBA candidate for this week is planning to use the MBA to transition to their family business, to create a tech-focused vertical. They also have significant work experience of nine years, and they have a decent GRE score of 327. Their GPA is likely their weakest element, at 3.12.

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!

Episode 382: Investment Management Opportunities at UNC Kenan-Flagler Sep 11, 2024

For those looking to pursue a career in investment management, UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a comprehensive, immersive experience that prepares students to compete at the highest levels—whether through its robust curriculum, real-world learning opportunities, or powerful alumni network. The Alpha Challenge, PRIME course, and a host of other initiatives provide a springboard for students to succeed, regardless of their prior experience. Hear from special guests Pramita Saha, the Executive Director for the Center for Excellence in Investment Management, and Jesús Fernandez, second-year MBA student and President of the school's Investment Management Club, for a deep dive into investment management opportunities at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

MBA Wire Taps 381—Big 4 Sponsored, 690 GMAT. Enlisted military. Stanford Undergrad. Reapplicant, Round 1 or 2. Sep 09, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 380—South African, tech. Academic to MBA. Ghanian, 312 GRE Sep 02, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 379—Argentina to Spain. GMAT waiver. Military to renewables Aug 26, 2024

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 than had a thoughtful conversation about the value of a top MBA, weighed against the risk of the investment in pursuing the degree.

The pros of pursuing an MBA, in a world where things are changing in quite extraordinary ways due to AI, geopolitical challenges, climate change, and other large shifts, are substantial. Learning from the best faculty, learning with similarly motivated peers, and seeking to understand the challenges that lie ahead, is a critical advantage of a top MBA program.

Combine this with the network of candidates in the MBA program, and alumni who have come before, and these networks can really help foster valuable connections - whether for long-term friendships or career opportunities.

Finally, the career resources that these MBA programs have available to help candidates pursue their post MBA goals, are very substantial and form a critical aspect of the overall MBA experience.

So, the cost of the MBA, and its opportunity cost associated with leaving a career, is substantial. But the payback can be very rewarding, especially when viewed from a longer term perspective.

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 Argentina and is seeking an MBA from Spain’s top MBA programs. This is not unusual for candidates from Argentina. They have a super GPA, their GMAT is a decent 710. They appear to have had a strong career to date and were also a track and field national champion.

This week’s second MBA candidate already has some deferred admissions options from when they were an undergraduate student. They have now worked for several years in what appears to be very decent experiences. They are planning to apply to more MBA programs, but we are concerned about their reluctance to take the GMAT or GRE.

This week’s final MBA candidate is a military candidate, who is looking to pivot into renewable energy, post MBA. They had a mechanical engineering undergraduate degree, with a 3.1. Their GMAT score is 645, but they also have an EA of 161.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 378—Tech PM to MBA. Climate finance to MBA. Aug 19, 2024

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!

Live Admissions Q&A: Alex Lawrence of UCLA Anderson Aug 14, 2024

Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Alex Lawrence brings 20 years of experience at UCLA Anderson to this special edition of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. Hear his takes on admissions at UCLA, career goal trends, campus highlights and more.

MBA Wire Taps 376—Published environmental scientist. STEM major, AI experience. Social impact consultant. Aug 12, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; we are now moving into the new season as MBA programs begin their pre-term activities.

The next Clear Admit event series begins in September and will run for three works, on September 11th, 18th and 25th. Five top MBA programs will participate in each event, signups are here: https://bit.ly/insidemba

Graham highlighted one admissions tip, whether to apply in Round 1 or Round 2, and two additional Clear Admit stories that were published last week. The first looked at our team’s favorite MBA admissions essays, and also highlighted each team member’s choice for a new admissions essay. The second article was a little fun; we explored some of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and how they might be applied to MBA admissions.

Graham then discussed three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Manchester / Alliance, Georgia / Terry and ESCP in Paris.

Graham then highlighted two recently published podcasts that were recorded during GMACs annual conference. These podcasts feature admissions officers from Washington / Foster and MIT / Sloan, 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 an environmental scientist from India. She has 11 years of work experience, winning awards and publishing her work. We really like the experience, but her numbers are a little on the weaker side.

This week’s second MBA candidate has very good numbers with a 740 GMAT, a 3.7 undergraduate degree and a graduate degree, both in STEM. They have worked in IT consulting and an AI startup. They are also active outside of work. All around, a very decent profile.

The final MBA candidate for this week has worked for 5 years in non-profit, social impact and the tech sectors. Their work experience appears to be impressive, and their goals should be impactful. They have a decent GMAT of 720, which is still below the median for the very top programs. Their undergraduate degree GPA is also a little below the median.

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!

Live Admissions Q&A: Dawna Levenson of MIT Sloan Aug 09, 2024

Applying to MIT Sloan for your MBA? Tune into this special Live Admissions Q&A with Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Levenson. She talks about AI in admissions, what's happening at the institutional level, and how to handle the video component of the MIT Sloan application - and more.

Live Admissions Q&A: Brent Nagamine of Washington Foster Aug 07, 2024

Representing the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, Director of Admissions Brent Nagamine joins the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast live from the GMAC Conference. Brent talks about AI in admissions, what the Foster adcom looks for in the video component of the application, career trends and more with host Graham Richmond.

MBA Wire Taps 373—Doctor to MBA. Reporter to MBA. Military marathoner. Aug 05, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; a few MBA programs are still reducing their wait lists as pre-terms approach; we then discussed the value and importance of pre-term to help set up candidates for their MBA experience.

Clear Admit’s summer essay workshops have now come to a very successful conclusion; the next series of events will begin in September. Graham highlighted Harvard’s recent announcement that their MBA program is now STEM certified. This allows international students more scope for remaining in the United States in the short term, post MBA. Harvard is following a significant trend for leading MBA programs which started with Rochester / Simon.

Graham noted that Berkeley / Haas has a new dean; one of Haas’s previous deans has now moved up in the administration at Berkeley (Rich Lyons, as Chancellor of UC Berkeley), which we assume is a good thing for the business school, generally.

Graham then highlighted two admissions tips. The first focuses on the value of campus visits, the second is essentially a useful list of all the early round deadlines for the top MBA programs. This useful resource also includes links to each program’s respective essay topic analysis, and much more.

Graham then discussed three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Chicago / Booth, Boston College / Carroll, and CEIBS.

Graham then highlighted two recently published podcasts he recorded during GMAC's annual conference. These interviews feature admissions officers from Yale SOM 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 was a medical doctor and then moved on to McKinsey. We really like that profile. They are targeting the trilogy of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton, which is quite ambitious, but they can always expand their selection in the second round, if necessary.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from the Midwest and has a rather unorthodox pathway to pursuing the MBA, starting out their career as a reporter, then working at a startup, and now in banking. They do have a strong profile; the one weakness may be their quantitative abilities.

The final MBA candidate for this week is a military candidate who has also worked in the private sector for a couple of years after leaving the service. If we can assume a strong military experience, we think there’s a lot to like, and targeting top 16 programs makes sense. They are also a marathoner.

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!

Live Admissions Q&A: Laurel Grodman of Yale SoM Aug 02, 2024

If you're planning to apply to the Yale School of Management for your MBA, tune into this special edition of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast for what to expect from the application process and more. Wire Taps host Graham Richmond sat down with Laurel Grodman, Assistant Dean for Admissions, to dig into some key topics, including the guidance and support regarding using AI in the application process, what to expect from the video component of the Yale MBA application, which is the next step once applicants click "submit," and industry trends among MBA candidates.

Live Admissions Q&A: Eddie Asbie of Cornell Johnson Jul 31, 2024

Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Eddie Asbie, sat down with Clear Admit Co-Founder Graham Richmond at the GMAC Conference this summer for a chat about MBA admissions. Eddie covers a lot of ground about the Cornell Johnson MBA in this short interview! The Cornell Johnson MBA application features a "fill in the blank" career goals prompt, which Eddie digs into in the special Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast episode below. Eddie also talks about trends in the applicant pool, particularly regarding careers, as well as how artificial intelligence can play a part in the application process. He also touches on what they're looking for in their Impact Essay and what can come up in the admissions interview. And, if you're interested in investment banking, hear why you should add Cornell Johnson to your target b-school list. It's another must-listen Live Admissions Q&A!

MBA Wire Taps 369—655 GMAT, completed PhD. 675 GMAT, do they explain? 4 years of experience, still an undergraduate. Jul 29, 2024

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!

Live Admissions Q&A: Shari Hubert of Duke Fuqua Jul 26, 2024

If you're applying to Duke Fuqua for your MBA, this is a must-listen special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. Shari Hubert, the Associate Dean of Admissions, reviews the history of their "25 Random Things" essay and offers insider advice on what the admissions team is looking for in response to the creative prompt. She also touches on AI in the application process as well as career trends.

Live Admissions Q&A: Emily Brierley of Cambridge Judge Jul 24, 2024

Tune into another special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the 2024 GMAC conference, to learn more about Cambridge University's Judge Business School. From AI in the application process to the video component of the Judge application, Emily offers her insights into the admissions process. She also touches on career trends she's been seeing during her tenure in admissions.

MBA Wire Taps 367—M7 realistic? 760 GMAT, from India MiM before MBA? Jul 22, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, where last season is essentially closing out, with MBA programs reducing their wait lists as the beginning of orientation approaches.

Graham highlighted the summer essay insights series that Clear Admit is hosting, which continues this Wednesday, July 24, with CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Georgetown / McDonough, Cornell / Johnson and Vanderbilt / Owen. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays

Graham noted a recently published article on MBA programs and their use of AI, clearly a fast moving area. Graham then discussed three recently published Adcom Q&As, from NYU / Stern, Duke / Fuqua and Bath.

Graham then highlighted a recently published podcast that was recorded during GMACs annual conference. This podcast features a long-serving adcom from Dartmouth / Tuck 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 has a decent profile, with a strong finance background. Their academic record is strong, their GMAT is 720, after a couple of retakes. The key question is how competitive they will be at the M7 programs they are targeting.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from India, and has a pretty entrepreneurial story, to date. They have also co-founded a school, which appears to have had good impact. Their GMAT is an outstanding 760.

The final MBA candidate for this week is currently still an undergraduate student, and is debating whether to pursue a masters in management degree, ahead of pursuing an MBA degree in a few years. They do appear to be very active on campus, and have an outstanding academic record, and decent internships.

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!

Live Admissions Q&A: Amy Mitson of Dartmouth Tuck Jul 17, 2024

Tune into this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the 2024 GMAC conference, to learn more about the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Amy Mitson, Director of Admissions, Recruitment and Marketing at Dartmouth Tuck, offers insights into the student experience, MBA admissions, career trends and more.

MBA Wire Taps 365—Cyber warfare to Finance. Special Operations, 333 GRE. Tajikistan, to Moscow and Berlin. Jul 15, 2024

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, we are seeing more MBA programs reducing the size of their wait lists ahead of the beginning of their programs.

We then discussed Clear Admit’s MBA admissions book, authored by Alex, which is freely available on the Clear Admit site: https://www.clearadmit.com/products/admissions-books/ This book will provide MBA candidates a comprehensive understanding of the MBA admissions process, and enable candidates to really determine the best way to present their candidacy. It is also an easy and fast read.

Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit is hosting, which began last Wednesday to great success in terms of attendance and content; two MBA programs announced their new MBA admissions essays during this first session. This Wednesday, July 17, is our second session and we will hear and learn from Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, UNC / Kenan Flagler, Texas / McCombs, and Washington / Foster. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays

Graham noted a recently published admissions tip focused on GMAC’s common letter of recommendation. For candidates applying to multiple programs, they will likely need to use this recommendation format for at least some of those programs. Graham then mentioned a unique full tuition scholarship offered by HEC Paris.

Graham then shared tidbits from four recently published Adcom Q&As, from Columbia, CMU / Tepper, Washington / Foster and Florida / Warrington.

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 military candidate who has worked in cyber warfare, and has a masters degree in computer science. They are looking to use the MBA to transition into the finance sector and investment banking.

This week’s second MBA candidate is also from the military, and is applying for their MBA after also considering going to law school. They also have a super GRE of 333, and very interesting experiences in the military in special operations.

The final MBA candidate for this week is originally from Tajikistan, and she’s worked and been educated in several countries including Russia and Germany. We think adcom will really like her profile, but may have concerns with potentially weaker quant skills, and fuzzy post-MBA goals.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 364—Life sciences to MBA. Unicorn Tech to MBA. Big Ten Football to MBA Jul 08, 2024

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!

Episode 363: Roundtable Insights from Duke Fuqua, Emory Goizueta, Georgetown McDonough & Yale SoM Jul 03, 2024

Select MBA admissions experts convened at the Clear Admit MBA Fair to discuss some components of a successful MBA application. In this special podcast episode, Shelly Heinrich, Associate Dean & Managing Director, MBA Admissions, Georgetown McDonough; Allison Jamison: Assistant Dean of Admissions, Duke's Fuqua School of Business; Melissa Rapp, Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions, Emory Goizueta Business School; Amber Walsh, Senior Associate Director, MBA Admissions, Yale SOM, dig into the following questions: What is the role of standardized testing and past academic performance? How much work experience is needed, and what aspects are important? Why do admissions teams look at hobbies, volunteer work, and collegiate involvement?

MBA Wire Taps 362—Manufacturing to MBB. Handling employment gaps. Liberal arts to product management. Jul 01, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with a rundown of all the latest MBA application news - ranging from admissions deadlines and essay topic releases to forthcoming decisions and waitlist updates.

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 noted two recently published admissions tips; the first is about the importance of post-MBA goals, the second focuses on how to handle gaps in employment.

Graham then highlighted the recently published essay prompts for Harvard. HBS is taking a slightly different approach to their essays this season, as the admissions office is now under new leadership.

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 how to handle the application materials that a candidate has direct control over; London Business School, Northwestern / Kellogg, Texas / McCombs and CMU / Tepper participated in this discussion.

Graham finally highlighted the publication of four Adcom Q&As, from Rochester / Simon, Maryland / Smith, emlyon, and IESE.

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 their career in manufacturing, and then moved on to MBB consulting; we like that transition. They plan to retake the GMAT, which is currently a 700.

This week’s second MBA candidate has 12 years of experience, placing them at the long end of the spectrum; they will need to justify “why now” is the right time. They have had some employment gaps, due to chronic health issues, and were recently laid off from their most recent role, unrelated to health. They do appear to have developed a strong resume, but they will face challenges in the MBA admissions process.

The final MBA candidate for this week has very good numbers, and graduated top of their class. They are currently a consultant, and are looking to move into product management. Overall, they have a strong 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!

Episode 361: Roundtable MBA Insights from Kellogg, LBS, Tepper & Texas Jun 26, 2024

We continue to share panel discussions from the Clear Admit MBA Fair with this podcast episode, which focuses on articulating career goals, brainstorming for essays, choosing recommenders, and preparing for interviews. The panel includes Alessandra Gazzola from London Business School, Jerry Langfelt from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, Rodrigo Malta from UT Austin McCombs, and J.R. McGrath from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, with each sharing their expertise on specific topics.

MBA Wire Taps 360—735 GMAT, from Brazil. Australian MBB. Weatherhead vs Marshall wait list Jun 24, 2024

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!

Episode 359: Your Post-MBA Consulting Career – Expert Advice from Bain & Co.’s Recruiting VP Jun 19, 2024

Whether you're curious about pre-MBA preparation or what makes Bain a unique workplace, this episode is packed with actionable advice and insider knowledge for aspiring consultants. We dive deep into the world of strategy consulting with Noble Stafford, Vice President of Recruiting for Bain & Company's Chicago office.

MBA Wire Taps 358—Reapplicant, entrepreneur. Military, retaking GMAT. Navy to Renewable Energy Jun 17, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we kicked things off with our usual rundown of the latest admissions news. We are still seeing some activity around wait lists at few MBA programs. We then discussed the delayed roll-out of the Harvard MBA admissions essay for this upcoming season. It looks like HBS is planning to change their more traditional essay prompt, and there appears to be much anticipation about this change. All will be unveiled later this month...

Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application essay series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups have recently opened and are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays

Graham then noted the publication of a new podcast episode which is a recording of one of the panel discussions during the in-person Chicago MBA admissions event that Clear Admit hosted. This discussion centered on answering several key questions about the MBA degree; who is it for, when should one pursue it, why, what's the ROI, etc. The show features admissions directors from Cornell / Johnson, Harvard, NYU / Stern and Michigan / Ross, with Graham moderating.

Graham then highlighted a recently published Clear Admit admissions tip, which focuses the importance of the campus environment; this led to a discussion about the Penn campus in Philadelphia.

Graham then noted the publication of Clear Admit’s first Adcom Q&A for this new season, from Ohio State/Fisher.

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 India, and is reapplying next season, after gaining admissions this season for USC / Marshall and CMU / Tepper. They have a strong blend of tech and entrepreneurial experience, as well as decent additional activities. They have a very good GMAT, but their GPA is the weak spot.

This week’s second MBA candidate is a military candidate with a 700 GMAT score and a 3.15 GPA. They are not being overly ambitious with their target programs. They plan to retake the GMAT this summer, as well as take some additional coursework to bolster their profile.

The final MBA candidate for this week is also from the military, this time on the nuclear engineering side for the Navy. They have a strong GMAT of 740, and while their GPA is a little modest, they played Division 1 Baseball as an undergraduate.

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!

Episode 357: Roundtable Insights from Cornell, Harvard, Michigan & NYU Admissions Directors Jun 12, 2024

Recorded live at the Clear Admit MBA Fair, admissions directors from top business schools share their insights on key questions prospective MBA students often need answering in this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. The episode features Eddie Asbie from Cornell Johnson, Dana Fernandez from Harvard Business School, Matthew Ganderson from Michigan Ross, and Lindsay Lloyd from NYU Stern.

MBA Wire Taps 356—INSEAD or bust. Liberal Arts to Product Management. Doctor to Solar Energy Jun 10, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by running down all of the latest b-school admissions news. We are still seeing quite a lot of activity around waitlists at a number of 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 have recently opened and are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays

Graham then highlighted a recently published Clear Admit admissions tip, which focuses on how to build your ideal list of target MBA programs.

Graham then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces; an MBA alum from Chicago / Booth who now works at BCG, an alum from Goizueta / Emory who now works at Bank of America and an alum from UC Irvine / Merage who now works at Amazon. Finally, Graham highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontlines article from a student who is taking part in 'Stern Solutions', an experiential learning program from NYU / Stern.

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 only targeting INSEAD. They have a very strong GMAT of 705, a decent GPA and nearly 10 years of experience in the Fintech space. They are currently working in South Korea.

This week’s second MBA candidate also has a GMAT of 705, and is a product manager coming from a liberal arts background. They are from the Midwest of the United States.

The final MBA candidate for this week is from Nigeria and has trained to be a medical doctor. After one year of being a physician, they switched to lead a Solar company. They also have a high test score, a 333 for the GRE.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 355—10 years of experience. Online or Executive MBA. Back to India. Jun 03, 2024

This week's MBA Admissions podcast began with our usual rundown of the latest MBA application news for this season. This week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Rounds 3 and 4, including London Business School, CMU / Tepper and Texas / McCombs; there is also still some waitlist activity being reported on LiveWire.

Graham highlighted two recently published Clear Admit admissions tips; the first looked at the impact of volunteer activities in an MBA application, the second focused on choosing between MBA programs.

Graham then noted two Real Humans Alumni pieces; an MBA alum from IESE who is now an entrepreneur, and an alum from Northwestern / Kellogg who now works at BCG. Graham also discussed a report from the Kellogg Climate conference, as well as a feature on a Dartmouth / Tuck MBA creating a startup while in business school. We then discussed a Real Humans piece from UCLA / Anderson, which features six MBA students from the program.

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 India and now works in Canada. They have 10 years of work experience, which places them at the high end of the spectrum for traditional full-time MBA programs. Should they target one-year MBA programs? How high should they aim?

This week’s second MBA candidate has developed a VC-backed startup over the last several years. They also have a STEM PhD. They are looking at online/hybrid or executive MBA programs, so they can continue with their startup, while studying for their MBA.

The final MBA candidate for this week is originally from India, but studied in the United States for their undergraduate degree, and then went into banking in the U.S. They then moved back to India for a Fintech startup. This is a rather unorthodox move for an MBA admissions candidate. They also have very good numbers.

MBA Wire Taps 354—Low GPA, LATAM. Low GPA, strong GMAT. London Business School vs Fuqua. May 27, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 353—Income equality issues. Big tech or consulting. Columbia vs Stern. May 20, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases as the 2023-24 admissions season draws to a close. This week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Stanford and Chicago / Booth.

Graham highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The second event in the series is on Wednesday, and includes Dartmouth / Tuck, Yale SOM, UVA / Darden, and UNC / Kenan / Flagler. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars

Graham then highlighted a recently published Clear Admit article that highlights the benefits of posting an entry to MBA ApplyWire. This is Clear Admit’s tool that allows candidates to share their profile and list of target MBA programs, and then get feedback from the Clear Admit MBA community. Some of these profiles are then discussed on this Wire Taps podcast.

Graham then noted one Real Humans Alumni piece, an MBA alum from Cornell / Johnson who works at Amazon. Finally, we discussed a Friday’s From the Frontline piece which focused on a Duke / Fuqua MBA student who discussed his long pathway to the realization that an MBA was a good next step.

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 strong passion for focusing on income inequality issues, and how an MBA can help them develop their skills to further impact this issue. They also have decent numbers, and may well be a strong MBA candidate.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from India, and appears to have an impressive professional background, evolving from accountancy to product management in tech, with a focus on social impact. They should target the first rounds.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between NYU / Stern, to which they have already paid a deposit, and Columbia, where they have only recently been admitted. In the long run, they want to be on the west coast.

This episode was recorded in Chicago, Illinois 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!

MBA Wire Taps 352—Stanford or bust? First round targets. Anderson vs Marshall. May 13, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 351—720 GMAT, Executive MBA. 326 GRE, is it enough? Marshall vs Tepper May 06, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual discussion around application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions for this season. This week, Round 3 and 4 continue with several application notifications; several programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Northwestern / Kellogg, Emory / Goizueta, CMU / Tepper, Duke / Fuqua and INSEAD.

Graham highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The first event is on Wednesday, May 8th, and includes Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough and Texas / McCombs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then noted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair

Graham then mentioned an admissions tip that focuses on the reapplication process. While this is targeted to candidates who were not able to secure a seat at a top MBA program this season, we also discussed candidates who are debating whether to reapply next season, or go to business school this season.

Graham then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: UCLA who works at Google, Harvard who works at Amazon and UC / Irvine who works at PepsiCo.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is targeting leading executive MBA programs, rather than full-time MBA programs. They have 15 years of experience, most of which has been in digital marketing. They currently work at Nestle. They have a 720 GMAT score and a 3.02 GPA.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a 326 GRE and a 3.43 GPA; they work at IBM in technical sales. They plan to return to IBM after the MBA, and then move on to work in their family business.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between USC / Marshall and CMU / Tepper. While both MBA programs are in the same tier, they will offer different experiences. We think the candidate needs to really think hard about their post MBA goals, in order to help drive their final decision.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 350—332 GRE, India Engineer. Overcoming 2.4 GPA. Johnson vs Darden Apr 29, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest application deadlines and decision releases for this season. This week Round 3 and 4 continue with several application deadlines; some programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including UVA / Darden, Georgetown / McDonough, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Texas / McCombs and Michigan / Ross.

Graham highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Application Overview webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The first event is on May 8th, and includes Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough and Texas / McCombs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars

Graham then mentioned two admissions tips that focus on MBA scholarship negotiation, and how important scholarship offers can be to a final decision.

Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from: Northwestern Kellogg at Google, Duke / Fuqua at Accenture, Rochester / Simon at Bain and Texas / McCombs at Tesla.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very strong GRE score of 332, and they graduated with a first class engineering degree, in India. Their career focus has been in software engineering in the non-profit sector. We like their overall profile, and recommend they target the first rounds.

This week’s second MBA candidate is planning several years ahead for their MBA experience. They need to overcome a very low 2.4 GPA. There are steps they can take to help mitigate this concern, and we detailed some of those steps.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Cornell / Johnson and UVA Darden, with a goal for MBB consulting. They are an international student and wonder whether the Ivy name from Johnson should be a factor.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 349—330 GRE, Paralegal. 319 GRE, Venture Capital. Tuck vs Duke vs Ross Apr 22, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 348—326 GRE, is that enough? Taking a break, before MBA. Kellogg, Fuqua or IESE? Apr 15, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 347—319 GRE, reapplying. Targeting Duke / Fuqua. Anderson vs Kenan Flagler Apr 08, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 346—334 GRE, private equity. Lawyer to consulting. McCombs vs Haas Apr 01, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual rundown of MBA application deadlines and decision releases for this season. Last week we saw several top MBA programs release their final Round 2 decisions. This week, MIT / Sloan and Cornell / Johnson are among those releasing decisions. There are also several Round 3 application deadlines.

Graham highlighted the new Spring survey that Clear Admit is running, to get a better sense of how MBA candidates select their target programs. Answering this survey really helps Clear Admit better understand the MBA community, and provides great insights for top MBA programs. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/caspringsurvey

Graham then mentioned a new Clear Admit event, which is an in-person MBA admissions fair, to be held in Chicago on May 15. Most of the top MBA programs will be in attendance. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cachicagofair

Graham highlighted three Real Humans Alumni pieces: alums from IMD working at Bain, Ohio / Fisher working at JPMorgan Chase, and NYU / Stern working at Hulu.

Finally we discussed the second in Clear Admit's series of post-MBA career reports. This one focuses on consulting careers, and not only which programs send the most candidates into consulting careers, but also which programs have a stronger focus on MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) consulting.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has very strong numbers, with a 334 GRE and a 3.83 GPA. They have four years of experience, most recently as part of the legal team at a Private Equity firm. They want to pursue the MBA to return to private equity, on the investment side. We think this is very doable, but might be worth looking at investment banking as a short term goal.

This week’s second MBA candidate has been a lawyer for eight years, and wants to use the MBA to pivot to consulting in the short term, then a strategy or general counsel role in the longer term. They have a strong GPA of 3.75, but perhaps are a little light on the quant side. They still need to take the GMAT, so a very strong score will help.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Berkeley / Haas and Texas/McCombs, with a $35k scholarship. They have free tuition based on the GI bill. They want to do consulting, post MBA. They also have additional personal reasons that makes this decision a little more complicated.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 345—730 GMAT, retake ? Super 3.96 GPA. Fuqua vs Tuck Mar 25, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 344—GRE 304, FIT. GRE 326, Education innovator. Attend MBA or wait Mar 18, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the wave of Round 2 MBA application decisions that are forthcoming. Interview invites are now dwindling for Round 2 as we approach the end of Round 2. Georgetown / McDonough, IESE, Emory / Goizueta, Chicago / Booth, Berkeley / Haas, Texas / McCombs, UCLA / Anderson and INSEAD are releasing their final Round 2 decisions this week.

Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on Round 2 waitlists, and financing the MBA. The latter was written by Juno, which operates a platform to group admitted MBA candidates and source low interest rate student loans.

Graham then noted four Real Humans Alumni pieces: alums from California Irvine / Merage working at Johnson & Johnson, Notre Dame / Mendoza working at Amazon, Rice / Jones working at Goldman Sachs and Duke / Fuqua working at Kearney.

Finally, Graham highlighted a recently published piece on INSEAD, which had a focus on International Women’s Day.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a very interesting profile having graduated from FIT, with a strong GPA; she is also a first-generation college graduate and has seven years of experience. We are very concerned with her lower GRE score of 304. Any increase in that score should have a very positive impact on MBA options.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a very good academic profile, along with a 326 GRE. They are very focused on the education sector, with a long term goal of starting their own school. We really like the profile, and wonder if they should also add Harvard and Stanford to their list of target programs.

The final MBA candidate for this week has several offers from top-30 programs, with significant scholarships. They are also on the waitlist for UNC / Kenan Flagler. They only have two years of experience and are considering whether to attend next season, or to wait and reapply.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 343—340 GRE, depression. Teacher with sustainability passion. LBS vs CBS Mar 11, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. Interview invites continue for some top MBA programs, but we are getting towards the end of the cycle and closer to Round 2 decisions. UV / Darden, Michigan / Ross, Duke / Fuqua, UNC / Kenan Flagler, and Dartmouth / Tuck are releasing their final Round 2 decisions next week.

Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on the background check process for admitted candidates. He then noted three Real Humans Alumni pieces, alums from Rochester / Simon, working at Google, Texas / McCombs working at Bain, and Emory / Goizueta working at Microsoft.

Finally, Graham highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontline story that focused on Michigan / Ross’s hosting the Climate CAP MBA summit. This led to a short discussion on the increasing interest, among top MBA programs, for issues related to climate transformation.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a super GRE of 340, but unfortunately has a poor academic record, due to the onset of depression. They now have six years of work experience in the oil and gas sector. We think they will have a few challenges to mitigate the undergraduate record, but it is doable.

This week’s second MBA candidate has an education background and has served as a teacher, with a special interest in climate change. They want to pursue the MBA to transition into the business of sustainability. They still need to take the GMAT or GRE, and we think that doing very well on the test will be very important.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between London Business School and Columbia Business School. They are from China and want to work in consulting in the Middle East. They already have an engineering degree from Columbia, and Columbia has offered them a significant scholarship.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 342—First gen, Naval Officer. One-year vs Two-year MBA. Sloan vs Haas vs Ross Mar 04, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. Interview invites continue for some top MBA programs, but we are getting towards the end of the interview window and closer to round 2 'decision weeks'. Speaking of decisions, CMU / Tepper is releasing its final Round 2 decisions this week.

On Wednesday of this week, Clear Admit will be hosting an AMA live chat with NYU / Stern, signups are here: https://canyuama

Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on the interview process (unusual interview practices and post-interview protocol), as we are now deep into the interview season for Round 2 candidates.

Graham then highlighted two Real Numbers posts from Clear Admit, which focused on average GMAT scores and average GRE scores of top MBA programs based in the United States. Stanford and Harvard top the list for best GMAT scores, but Yale tops the list for GRE scores. Graham then mentioned two Real Humans Alumni pieces, the first two in this series for this season. Featured are alums from Chicago / Booth working at Citi, and IESE working at Allianz.

Graham highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontline story that focused on NYU / Stern’s efforts on impact investing. That led to a brief discussion on the efficacy of batteries used in electric vehicles and mobile phones. And finally, Graham noted a recently published podcast where he interviewed J.R. McGrath at CMU / Tepper; they discussed all the different types of MBA offerings that are now available.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a first generation college grad who went on to complete a BS in Chemical Engineering, and then to serve in the Navy as a Nuclear Power School instructor. We like their overall profile, but think they should try to take the GRE one more time.

This week’s second MBA candidate is being sponsored by their firm to do the MBA. They are seeking a one-year MBA program, so they can return to work soonest. We wonder whether they might be better served by also considering some of the leading two-year MBA programs.

The final MBA candidate for this week has several offers, and is debating between Michigan / Ross with a $150,000 scholarship, Berkeley / Haas with a $100,000 scholarship, or MIT / Sloan with a $75,000 scholarship. They are from Europe and seeking a career in tech, or consulting, preferably on the west coast.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

Episode 341: Choosing an MBA Program Type Feb 27, 2024

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

MBA Wire Taps 340—First gen, from Mexico. Auditor, seeking test waiver. Anderson vs Tepper Feb 26, 2024

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!

MBA Wire Taps 339—Wharton’s Team-based discussion Interview Feb 19, 2024

In this special MBA Admissions Wire Taps episode, we focused our entire conversation on Wharton’s team-based discussion interview (Wharton TBD). Wharton released it’s interview invites for Round 2 last week, so we thought it would be appropriate to share our deep understanding of this unique interview process.

We discuss the history of the team-based discussion interview, as well as why Wharton has adopted this methodology; it is an attempt to mimic the learning-team experience at Wharton. We highlight some issues with that thinking.

We also discuss the topic of this season’s team-based discussion interview, and then detail approaches in order for candidates to be most effective in the interview. We then walk through best practices for the brief one-on-one interview that occurs after the team-based interview is complete.

Our hope is that this episode provides invaluable and timely advice to those interviewing at Wharton, as well as those curious about the school's unique process - or team dynamics in general. Best of luck!

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 338—Army captain, 323 GRE. Indonesian transportation buff. Wharton vs Haas and Scholarship Feb 12, 2024

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!

Episode 337: Leadership Education at Georgetown McDonough Feb 08, 2024

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

MBA Wire Taps 336—Army JAG, 740 GMAT. Classical Music buff. Stern vs Kenan Flagler and Scholarship Feb 05, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing interview invite news out of Harvard and Duke. As we get further into the R2 cycle, we are now starting to see more invites for candidates, specifically for aforementioned programs like Harvard and Duke, but also for the likes of Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. This upcoming week, London Business School will release its Round 2 interview invites.

Clear Admit is hosting is its monthly Clear Admit+ webinar later today, Monday, February 5. Alex and Graham will take all questions related to MBA admissions. A big focus of the event will be on MBA interview preparation. On Wednesday, February 7 (and again February 14), Clear Admit is hosting events for deferred admissions candidates, with several leading MBA programs; signups are here: https://bit.y/defeb24 On Thursday, February 8, Clear Admit is hosting an AMA with UC / Irvine. More details on our website.

Graham highlighted Real Humans pieces for Maryland / Smith and ESCP that were recently published on Clear Admit. We then discussed a Fridays from the Frontline feature on a student at Duke / Fuqua, who is pivoting from digital marketing to brand management.

Because we have moved into interview season, we are seeing more interview tips being published on Clear Admit; last week the focus was on interview etiquette. Graham then highlighted a recently recorded podcast episode with Georgetown / McDonough that focused on leadership...stay tuned for details!

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is an army veteran, with a legal background. They have really good numbers, too. Because they have worked for 10 years, we think they need to focus on fit, as well as articulate a firmer long-term goal.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a really interesting background in the performing arts. Their numbers are very decent, although the quant section of their GRE might raise a concern. Doing some additional course work, like GMAC’s Business Fundamentals, might well serve them well.

The final MBA candidate for this week has offers from NYU / Stern and UNC Kenan Flagler with a considerable scholarship at the latter. Because of their personal circumstances, we think that Kenan Flagler may be the better option, but it's clearly a tough call.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 335—3.66 GPA, test waiver. Military candidate, 750 GMAT. Booth vs Stern full-ride. Jan 29, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releasesfor Round 2. We are now starting to see a few interview invites for Round 2 candidates, specifically for programs like Chicago / Booth, Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. This upcoming week, Duke / Fuqua and Harvard Business School will release their Round 2 interview invites.

Clear Admit is hosting is next Clear Admit+ virtual event on Monday, February 5. Alex and Graham will lead this event, and will take all questions related to MBA admissions. A big focus will be on MBA interview preparation. Graham also briefly mentioned upcoming events in February for Deferred Admissions candidates and Masters in Management candidates.

Graham highlighted a Real Humans piece for Harvard, recently published on Clear Admit. This included a discussion about the academic profiles of incoming students at Harvard. We then discussed employment reports from INSEAD and Texas / McCombs. What is striking is the gap in average starting salaries for top MBA programs based in the United States and their counterparts in Europe. This led to a discussion about how firms offer different salaries based on different geographies.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has applied to 12 programs, via The Consortium. They have a very good GPA (3.66) but they have waived the GMAT. Because they are seeking scholarship offers from the programs they are targeting, we suggest they still try to take the GMAT or GRE.

This week’s second MBA candidate is planning to apply next season, and has a strong profile from the military. They also have a good GPA from one of the Service Academies, as well as a great GMAT of 750. We think they will be a very strong candidate, but we provided some thoughts on their post MBA plans.

The final MBA candidate for this week has offers from Chicago / Booth, Columbia Business School, and NYU Stern. Their offer from Stern is a full-ride, which makes their decision very difficult. They would like to go into venture capital, but that may be a tough industry to break into, wherever they attend.

This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in glorious West Philadelphia. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 334—Vietnamese teacher. Finance candidate, lack of goals. Boston or bust. Jan 22, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest news from Round 2 MBA applications. We are now starting to see a few interview invites, specifically for programs like Yale SOM, Dartmouth / Tuck, UVA / Darden and Northwestern / Kellogg. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll.

Clear Admit is hosting a Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for this Wednesday, January 24 at 8 pm ET. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, including Dartmouth / Tuck, NYU / Stern, Georgetown / McDonough and Washington / Foster, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans

Graham highlighted an Adcom Q&A for NYU / Stern’s one year program in Abu Dhabi, as well as a recently published Real Human’s story that focused on six students at Manchester / Alliance.

Graham then highlighted a story on Dartmouth / Tuck, which focuses on three MBA alumni who work in Investment Banking.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a female from Vietnam who has worked in a non-traditional field. She also has very strong stats, and we like her overall profile. We think she should be targeting some additional programs from higher tiers.

This week’s second MBA candidate is from India, but was educated in the United States at the undergraduate level, and then received a Masters from the U.K. They’ve worked in the risk area of finance for two years. We worry that their post MBA goals could be better developed, we also would like to see more additional interests, outside of work.

The final MBA candidate for this week has several MBA offers, and wants to remain in Boston, after her MBA, while pivoting into Marketing. She also has a young family. Should she explore her options with programs from a higher MBA tier, or remain in Boston for her MBA? This was the question we discussed.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 333—710 GMAT, is it enough? ORM, does it matter? Is Harvard always best? Jan 15, 2024

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by noting that the Round 2 admissions process continues with a few key deadlines remaining at MIT / Sloan, NYU / Stern, and INSEAD and many applicants who applied to programs with early-January deadlines turning their attention towards admissions interviews. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll.

Clear Admit is hosting a Real Humans admissions event, scheduled for January 24. This event will bring together students from a variety of top MBA programs, including Dartmouth / Tuck, NYU / Stern, Georgetown / McDonough and Washington / Foster, ready to answer questions from MBA aspirants. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans

Graham highlighted two recently published admissions tips which focus on application data forms, and resume versus application-based interviews; we are now moving to the interview preparation phase of Round 2.

Graham also mentioned two Real Humans pieces that were recently published, covering students from MIT / Sloan and CEIBS.

We then discussed the recently released Employment Report for the Chicago / Booth Class of 2023. With an average starting salary of $180,000, their report looks very robust. Interestingly, they saw a slight uptick in placements on the west coast, and in tech.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from South East Asia, and works in consulting. Their GMAT is 710, and this appears to be the weakest aspect of their overall profile. We really like their work experience and their extra-curricular activities, as well as the fact that they completed their undergraduate degree in the US.

This week’s second MBA candidate is a first-generation immigrant to the United States. They pursued a double major in Engineering, and their GPA is a 3.22. They were also quite busy in outside activities during their undergraduate studies. They have a GMAT of 720, so their numbers combination is not outstanding. They also appear to have interesting work experience, with a focus on entrepreneurship.

The final MBA candidate for this week has some terrific options to consider, which include Harvard, Northwestern / Kellogg and Michigan / Ross. Some financial awards also make the options to consider less clear cut.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 332—Overcoming a super low GPA? Chemical engineer, to strategy. Columbia vs Kellogg Jan 08, 2024

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!

Episode 331: Exploring the Fundamentals of Leadership Development Jan 05, 2024

Dr. Mike Christian joins the MBA Admissions Podcast to discuss leadership development. His distinguished research informs this interview about whether leadership can be taught, the skills that employers seek, and what MBA applicants can consider to showcase their leadership. He also touches on the evolving significance of leadership in a world dominated by big data and artificial intelligence, and more. Dr. Christian is the Director of Academic Leadership and Chair for the Organizational Behavior Area at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

MBA Wire Taps 330—Low GRE, from Central Europe. Boston goal, but odd program selection. Kelley versus Olin Jan 01, 2024

Happy 2024!!! In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we turn our attention towards the coming wave of Round 2 MBA application deadlines. These deadlines come thick and fast and will dominate the first two weeks of this month. DecisionWire also remains popular, as Round 1 MBA candidates start making decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll.

Graham noted the next Clear Admit+ event which is scheduled for this Wednesday at 12 pm ET, one day before Round 2 deadlines for 10 of the leading MBA programs. On January 9th, Clear Admit is hosting an event with CMU / Tepper, which focuses on its Data Analytics program. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cmuanalytics Clear Admit is also hosting a 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 this event are here: https://bit.ly/carealhumans

We then discussed a new program that CMU / Tepper is rolling out this season, an accelerated version of their MBA program for those who already have taken some business academic coursework. This is another example of how top business schools are innovating their offerings in order to meet market needs.

Graham then highlighted a recently published admissions tip which focuses on the notion that MBA candidates shouldn’t just tell MBA programs that they are the best, they should focus on showing each program why they are a great fit. This is a common error with MBA applicants.

Graham then highlighted a Friday’s from the Frontline feature, which highlighted a student from Notre Dame / Mendoza and her experience in Chile as a part of their Mod-Away program. This led to a discussion on the importance of really looking at the individual offerings of the programs that candidates are targeting, in order to identify the right academic and extracurricular fit.

We then discussed Northwestern / Kellogg’s recently published Class of 2023 employment report, which was in line with many of the top MBA programs we have already featured; Kellogg experienced a slight uptick in consulting placements, and downward trend for tech placement, and a corresponding downward trend in West Coast placement.

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 interesting profile, from Central Europe. Their one weakness is their GRE score of 311. They may target this season, or return next season with a retake on the test.

This week’s second MBA candidate is quite similar, in terms of having an interesting profile, and a relatively weaker GRE score, this time its 318. They want to be in Boston post MBA, and this has driven their target school selection in part. We discussed some alternatives to their list.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Indiana / Kelly and Washington / Olin. They are from Brazil and want to move to the midwest of the U.S. They also have scholarship offers at both programs to consider.

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! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024, and for positive admissions results!

MBA Wire Taps 329—Low GPA, how to mitigate? Medical school drop-out. Goizueta versus Darden Dec 25, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing all the latest activity on LiveWire and DecisionWire. Over, the past three weeks, we have witnessed all the top MBA programs releasing their Round 1 decisions. While things are a little quieter on MBA LiveWire now (as we enter the Christmas break), DecisionWire remains popular, with Round 1 MBA candidates starting to make decisions as to which MBA program they will enroll. We also noted that Round 2 deadlines are just after the New Year, so Round 2 candidates are likely to be busy with their preparation for these upcoming deadlines.

Graham noted a new admissions event that Clear Admit is hosting with CMU / Tepper on January 9, which focuses on its Data Analytics program. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cmuanalytics Clear Admit is also hosting a 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 this 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.

We then discussed a new program that Chicago / Booth is rolling out, to begin this upcoming fall term. To compliment their Masters in Management program, Booth is now launching a Masters in Finance program, for those who are completing their undergraduate degrees. We had a short debate about the trends in the specialized, pre-experience master's domain - and talked about what this means for the MBA market.

Graham then highlighted two recently published admissions tips, focused on weighing up MBA scholarship offers, and making decisions regarding which program to attend. Both these tips are very topical with the release of Round 1 decisions, and the subsequent entries on MBA DecisionWire.

Graham then highlighted three Real Humans pieces from Clear Admit, focused on Ohio State / Fisher, Dartmouth / Tuck and Washington / Foster.

For the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is targeting next season for their applications. Their combination of GPA (2.98) and GRE (322) is a little on the light side for the top MBA programs they are considering; we are recommending a GRE retake as well as some additional coursework, which might include GMACs Business Fundamentals. Their work experience appears to be the strength of their profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a really strong academic profile, and a great GMAT of 740. They did drop out of medical school, and we had a long discussion on how to best present this, as they pivot their goals to the business-side of healthcare.

The final MBA candidate for this week is deciding between Emory / Goizueta (with scholarship) and UVA / Darden. They are targeting a career in Consulting in the North East. A very tough decision, indeed.

MBA Wire Taps 328—327 GRE, but lower GPA. 655 GMAT, the new test format. Tuck versus Darden and Kellogg. Dec 18, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 327—Super profile, 305 GRE. Airline entrepreneur. Engineer, 690 GMAT. Dec 11, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 326—Engineer, 335 GRE. Azerbaijani, future entrepreneur. Part-time versus Full-time options Dec 04, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest MBA application deadlines and decision releases. This upcoming week Yale SOM, Harvard, Stanford, UVA / Darden, CMU / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Georgetown / McDonough, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross and Cornell / Johnson are all scheduled to release Round 1 decisions.

Graham highlighted the upcoming MBA admissions events this week. On Monday, December 4, Clear Admit is hosting its monthly Clear Admit+ event, open to all registered users. This is an opportunity to ask questions to our podcast hosts as we move towards the Round 2 deadlines. On Wednesday, December 6, Clear Admit is hosting its second Masters in Management program webinar. Schools participating in this event include Duke Fuqua, Emory Goizueta, Georgetown McDonough, Northwestern Kellogg, and Notre Dame Mendoza. Signup for this event here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

We then had a discussion on the recently released LinkedIn ranking of top MBA programs. They use their self-reported employment data to rank the programs, which is an interesting approach. The outcome of the ranking is reasonable, with a few exceptions.

Graham then highlighted a recent article that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Northwestern / Kellogg. He then noted a three Real Humans articles from Texas / McCombs, London Business School and Georgetown / McDonough. We then discussed two Admissions Tips: one focused on the increasing use of video essays, the second on the importance of the data forms in the admissions process.

We then reviewed the London Business School class of 2025 profile, which looked very reasonable for a top European program in terms of the statistics. We did wonder whether European application numbers were harmed by the Brexit situation (Europe + the U.K. only represents 18% of this recent class).

Finally, we discussed the MBA employment report for UVA / Darden Class of 2023. Their employment statistics fall in line with other top programs, with an increase in consulting placements (even if some of those are delayed), and a small reduction on tech placements, which appears to be in line with the wider employment environment.

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 super GRE score of 335. They are an engineer, from India, now working in the U.S. They are targeting next season. They do have three degrees already, so the MBA will be the fourth; they will need to make it clear that they are not simply collecting degrees, and there are broader goals that make sense of their pathway. We also hope they have some hobbies and interests that further differentiate them from other very bright engineers from India.

This week’s second MBA candidate also has a great test score, with a 750 on the GMAT. They are from Azerbaijan, and they are targeting Round 2 for this season. Their longer term goals are for entrepreneurship, and we were very interested in whether this is back in their home country, or where they study for the MBA. We also like their community activities.

The final MBA candidate for this week is debating whether to apply for full-time of part-time programs, weighing up the risk / reward trade offs of both. They appear to have a very decent profile, but their GRE score is at 317. They are targeting next season, so we hope they can really boost that score, and then potentially apply to both program options, to see what opportunities this presents.

This episode was recorded in Milan, 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!

Episode 325: Management Leadership for Tomorrow Nov 28, 2023

Learn about an organization that all of us at Clear Admit are big fans of: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). In their own words, "MLT equips and emboldens high-achieving individuals from underrepresented communities—Black, Latinx, and Native American—to realize their full potential, to make a mark, and make a difference." Special guests include Maura Clark, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at MLT, and two MBAs who have taken part in some of MLT's programming, America Perez Guillen (CBS MBA) and David Harris (Stanford GSB MBA).

MBA Wire Taps 324—South African with tech experience. Canada-based finance career. Nov 27, 2023

As usual, this week's MBA Admissions podcast begins with a rundown of all the latest news regarding application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions. While a few interview invites may remain, and a few candidates are still interviewing, we are moving to the stage of waiting for decision releases; this upcoming week Chicago / Booth and London Business School are scheduled to release Round 1 decisions.

Graham highlighted three upcoming admissions events: on Wednesday, November 29, at 12 pm ET, Clear Admit is hosting an event for Masters in Management programs. Schools participating in this event include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, and CMU / Tepper. The following Wednesday (same time), Clear Admit’s second event for Masters in Management programs will include Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signup for these events here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim On Thursday, November 30th, Clear Admit is hosting an admissions event with seven leading MBA programs, which will share key tips on how to optimize candidates’ MBA admissions opportunities. These seven programs are Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, NYU / Stern, Yale SOM and UVA / Darden. Signups for this event are here: https://bit.ly/catoptips

Graham also mentioned a recent article that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Michigan / Ross. He then noted a Real Humans article from Johns Hopkins / Carey. We then discussed an Admissions Tip about how to convince schools you 'mean business' by demonstrating the research you've done and ensuring it comes to light in your MBA application essays.

Finally, we discussed two employment reports, from Yale SOM and Cornell / Johnson. Despite a slowdown in technology and consulting hiring, both programs have pretty fantastic numbers across the board in terms of the careers their candidates are able to move into. This is very much in line with other top MBA programs we've profiled on recent episodes.

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from South Africa, and has a good combination of a strong GPA and 730 GMAT. Their work experience, via a rotational program in tech, looks very decent. They are also quite involved in activities outside of work. They are targeting the very elite M7 programs, but we do think they have a strong overall profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate is originally from East Asia, but now lives and works in Canada, from where they did their undergraduate degree. Their GPA is slightly lower than average, but Canada has less grade inflation. Their GRE score is 326, which is decent. They are targeting top 16 programs, which do look within reach.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, 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'!

MBA Wire Taps 323—Federal employee seeking transition. New York City to West Coast. Nov 20, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we ran down all the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. While a few interview invites remain, and a few candidates are still interviewing, we are moving to the oft-challenging stage of waiting for decision releases. This waiting period does create considerable anxiety for MBA candidates.

Graham highlighted the upcoming MBA admissions event on November 30, where seven of the world's leading MBA programs will share tips on how to optimize their MBA admissions opportunities. Signups for the event are here: https://bit.ly/catoptips Clear Admit is also hosting two events for Masters in Management programs, on November 29 and December 6. Schools participating in that event include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, CMU / Tepper, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

Graham then highlighted two articles that Clear Admit published for its Sustainability series, from Chicago / Booth and Cornell / Johnson. He then noted a Real Humans article from UNC / Kenan Flagler, which led to a story about how the MBA student challenged their fear of heights. We then discussed an Admissions Tip: knowing your audience, which details the importance of understanding the admissions officers who will be reviewing the applications.

Finally, Graham previewed a recently recorded podcast that he conducted with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and two students who successfully used the service and attended Stanford GSB and Columbia Business School. Stay tuned for more on this...

For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries:

The first MBA admissions candidate is targeting next season for their applications. They have a 700 GMAT and 3.3 GPA. They do plan to retake the GMAT. They have very interesting experience within the Federal Government, helping small businesses in underserved communities. Their goals for the MBA make great sense, and they would appear to be a potentially strong candidate, especially if they improve their numbers profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate has a strong career in sales within the tech industry, and is looking for the MBA to help them relocate from New York to the west coast, and potentially seek opportunities in the media and sports industries. They do have a lower GRE score of 316, but are planning a retake.

We finished this podcast episode with a short discussion on the risks associated with doing a self-diagnosis in terms of determining why a candidate is rejected from an MBA program.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, 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'!

MBA Wire Taps 322—3.93 GPA, software engineer. 760 GMAT, Round 2 strategy? Nov 13, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by reviewing the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. We are still seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire continuing to roll out for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Cornell / Johnson, and several other programs; INSEAD is scheduled to release its Round 1 decision next week.

Graham highlighted the second deferred admissions event that Clear Admit is hosting this upcoming Wednesday, which includes Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Yale SOM and CMU / Tepper. Signup for the event here: https://bit.ly/declearadmit Clear Admit is also hosting its first events for Masters in Management programs on November 29 and December 6th. Schools participating in those events include Chicago / Booth, Michigan / Ross, CMU / Tepper, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough, Emory / Goizuetta, Duke / Fuqua and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitmim

We then had a discussion on the impact of the Forte Foundation on female enrollment in top MBA programs. New data reveals that in 58 leading MBA programs, female enrollment is now averaging 42%. We also know that at some of the very top programs, that number rises to above 50%. This is an impressive leap forward from the 30% we were seeing 20 years ago. Some great and important work has been done in this area.

Graham then highlighted three Real Humans pieces, from Cambridge / Judge, Notre Dame / Mendoza and NYU / Stern. Hearing directly from students at these programs is a great way to learn more about the culture of these programs. We then discussed three recently published employment reports, from Georgetown / McDonough, Duke / Fuqua and Emory / Goizueta. Consulting still appears to be the key industry for placements, which also helps drive up the overall median salaries to record levels at these programs.

Graham then mentioned our ongoing fall survey for MBA applicants, which will allow MBA programs to better understand candidates’ communication preferences, interest in sustainability, and international business. You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitfallsurvey

For this week, Alex selected two ApplyWire entries for the candidate profile review portion of the show:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a great GPA of 3.93 and was top of their class. Their GRE score is also decent, at 326. They are a software engineer from India, so they will be potentially considered over-represented, which may present additional challenges as they target round 2. Outside of work, they have a passion for fine art, which may help differentiate their profile.

This week’s second MBA candidate is also from India, and has a super GMAT of 760. They have worked in digital marketing, with great success. They are also very active outside of work, with several different activities, including classical singing. They did apply in Round 1, and have interview invites for all the programs they have targeted. They are now considering their Round 2 strategy.

We finished this podcast episode with a short discussion on speculating patterns for the release of interview invite decisions, for those MBA programs which release decisions over several weeks.

This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, 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'!

MBA Wire Taps 321—770 GMAT, 2 years of experience. Indian, moved to Australia. Army, speaking fluent Mandarin. Nov 06, 2023

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'!

MBA Wire Taps 320—331 GRE, CPG candidate. Mechanical Engineer, two years of experience. First-generation immigrant, IT experience. Oct 30, 2023

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!

Episode 319: Pivot Your Career with an NYU Stern MBA Oct 24, 2023

Two special guests join host Graham Richmond to discuss how the MBA program at the NYU Stern School of Business can help candidates pivot or switch careers. Lauren Calio, Senior Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern, and Núria Boj, a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, dig into how an MBA can help candidates change careers, school resources to consider and much more.

MBA Wire Taps 318—Army to aerospace and defence. Investment banker, two years of experience. Ghanian, textile business. Oct 23, 2023

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.

Episode 317: Inside Career Services at Indiana Kelley Oct 19, 2023

Chart your path beyond business school with an inside look at career services at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. The head of career services, Rebecca Cook, and a current Kelley MBA candidate, Andrew Lash, join host Graham Richmond to illuminate how Indiana Kelley prepares MBA students to find career success.

MBA Wire Taps 316—Journalism to Banking. Pakistani to the U.S. Real estate, from Peru Oct 16, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming MBA application deadlines; for this week it’s NYU / Stern and UNC / Kenan Flagler; we are also seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire for Chicago / Booth, London Business School, as well as Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, Dartmouth / Tuck and Cornell / Johnson. This week, Duke / Fuqua and UVA / Darden will be releasing their Early Action round decisions.

We then discussed a new content series that Clear Admit launched last week, which focuses on what top MBA programs are doing to prepare leaders for the challenges of climate change and broader sustainability issues. The first article in the series comes from Harvard.

Graham highlighted the continuing Real Humans series; last week Clear Admit published content from Duke / Fuqua, Toronto / Rotman and Michigan / Ross. We then discussed the newly published class profiles from CMU / Tepper, NYU / Stern, Texas / McCombs and MIT / Sloan. Each of these class profiles reflects strong classes, despite a small downturn in application volumes.

Graham then mentioned two upcoming events that Clear Admit is hosting: the first is with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) on Wednesday, signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/clearadmitmlt The second event will be a Real Humans event, bringing together MBA students from leading programs, later in October.

Finally, Graham talked about two additional podcasts that he’s recently hosted: the first is an Adcom Q&A with Stanford, and the second is a discussion with Manish Dharia from GMAC, exploring the roll out of the new GMAT Focus Edition.

As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from China, which led to a discussion as to whether they are coming from an over-represented group of candidates. They completed an undergraduate degree in journalism, but pivoted to investment banking, which we thought was a very interesting pivot. They have a very solid GMAT of 730, but a slightly lower GPA of 3.3.

This week’s second MBA candidate is a 29 year old female, originally from Pakistan, who completed their undergraduate and their work experience in the United States. They appear to be a very interesting candidate, but we do worry about the combination of a lower GPA (due to cultural adjustments) and lower GRE of 317. They have taken the test several times, but plan to take it one more time, ahead of Round 2.

The final MBA candidate has had a career in Real Estate, and is originally from Peru, with goals to return to Peru in the long run. They have a strong GPA from the United States, but have not yet taken the GRE. Their work experience also looks very strong, they have been working for 9 years. They also have a masters degree in Real Estate.

Episode 315: GMAT Focus Edition Q&A with GMAC’s Manish Dharia Oct 12, 2023

We welcome a special guest to the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast to review what’s on many MBA hopefuls’ application checklist: The GMAT. In particular, we’re going to dive deep into the new GMAT Focus format with Manish Dharia, Director, Product Development at Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC). Manish has been at GMAC, the non-profit organization that owns and produces the GMAT, since 2015 and served in a number of product management roles while making his way to the director role. Since he is currently in charge of all product development, he knows pretty much everything there is to know about the new GMAT Focus exam!

Episode 314: Admissions Director Q&A with Jamie Schein of Stanford GSB Oct 10, 2023

Tune in to learn about the ins and outs of admissions at Stanford GSB! We are excited to welcome Jamie Schein, the assistant dean of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid at Stanford GSB, to the podcast to discuss the leading MBA program, admissions essay tips, the interview process and plenty more.

MBA Wire Taps 313—Fintech to media. Teacher to human resources. Strategy consulting to Biotech Oct 09, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines; for this week it’s Texas / McCombs; we are also seeing Round 1 interview invites on MBA LiveWire for Dartmouth / Tuck, Northwestern / Kellogg, Yale SOM, Stanford and Harvard, which released all its Round 1 interview invites last week. This week, London Business School and INSEAD are scheduled to release Round 1 interview invites.

Graham highlighted two events Clear Admit is hosting in the upcoming weeks: one is a Real Humans event featuring MBA students from leading programs, the second is an event Clear Admit is hosting with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). Last week, we hosted our monthly Clear Admit+ event, which focused on Round 1 interview prep. It was a very good event, with lots of terrific questions from the audience. Our next Clear Admit+ event will be held in early November.

Graham then highlighted an Adcom Q&A with Northwestern / Kellogg, and detailed a couple of new classes the program is offering; one focused on AI and the rules for AI, the second focused on energy financing with a focus on sustainable energy. Graham then mentioned several Real Humans profiles, published on Clear Admit, from Indiana / Kelley, CMU / Tepper, and ASU / Carey.

We then discussed several class profiles that have been announced, from Stanford, Chicago / Booth, UVA / Darden, Cornell / Johnson and Berkeley / Haas. The numbers from Stanford are just really impressive, but all programs appear to be holding quite steady with their class profiles, despite a small downturn in application volumes.

As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries.

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has a super GMAT of 780, and a slightly low-than-average GPA (3.4). They were super busy during their undergraduate studies. They appear to have had an interesting career path in fintech, and now want to move over to media, with a tech focus. They also have very decent activities outside of work.

This week’s second MBA candidate worked as a school teacher before switching to human resources at a consulting firm. Her numbers are a little on the lighter side (680 / 3.3), and she is now doing MBA Math. She applied to MBA programs in Round 1, so should be getting some early indications on where she stands. We think it might make sense to look at a couple of Top 16 programs for Round 2, and to consider retaking the GMAT, if necessary.

The final MBA candidate is a sponsored candidate from PWC. They’ve worked in strategy consulting, and will return, but they also have a nice focus on biotech and healthcare; they have very solid additional activities. A strong GMAT of 760 also helps. They do look like a decent candidate for M7 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!

Episode 312: The Flex MBA Online at Georgetown McDonough Oct 04, 2023

Ways to earn an MBA have evolved. In this special edition of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, we explore the increasingly popular format of the Flex MBA Online. We are excited to welcome Sudipta Dasmohapatra, the Senior Associate Dean of the MBA Programs and a Professor of Business Analytics at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, to the podcast to dive into the school’s Flex MBA Online, its structure, duration and features.

MBA Wire Taps 311—Enlisted Helicopter Pilot. Oil and Gas to Clean Energy. First-generation Vietnamese. Oct 02, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming application deadlines; for this week Georgetown / McDonough, CMU / Tepper, Washington / Foster, Emory / Goizueta and UCLA / Anderson have Round 1 deadlines, and Cambridge / Judge has a Round 2 deadline; we are also seeing Round 1 interview invites for Dartmouth / Tuck, Northwestern / Kellogg and Yale SOM on MBA LiveWire. This week, Harvard and IESE will be releasing interview invites.

Graham highlighted two recently published Adcom Q&As from Berkeley / Haas and INSEAD, and discussed two recently published MBA admissions tips which address letters of support, as well as the five most popular MBA interview questions.

We then discussed four newly published MBA Class Profiles, from Harvard, Kellogg, Yale SOM and Tuck. This included an interesting conversation regarding median GRE scores.

Finally, we promoted the upcoming Clear Admit+ webinar, scheduled for Wednesday of this week. The primary focus of this webinar will be on MBA interview preparation. Signup is here: https://www.clearadmit.com/private-webinar-series/

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 military candidate who enlisted, and then went back to gain their undergraduate engineering degree from a Service Academy, and is now a helicopter pilot. They have had an unorthodox pathway, but we think they have a strong profile in most aspects. We do worry a little about their age, and how this relates to their post MBA pathway.

This week’s second MBA candidate worked in the oil and gas sector, and then pivoted to clean energy via MBB. We really like their overall profile, and think their weakest link is the GMAT of 710. They might want to add 1-2 more target programs, but overall we really like their goals.

The final MBA candidate is a first-generation candidate who has also had a career in the oil and gas sector, and is also looking to switch to a clean energy focus. Their GMAT is also a 710, which will be a little below the median of the programs they are targeting. We do suggest casting a slightly wider net, including MBA programs like Michigan / Ross and Cornell / Johnson.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 310—Non-profit candidate. Marine Corps with Math degree. Digital trust and safety Sep 25, 2023

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'

MBA Wire Taps 309—Over-represented, but under-targeting? MBB candidate, climate focus. Super GRE, poor GPA Sep 18, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this new season; for this week NYU / Stern, IESE, Cornell / Johnson and Chicago / Booth all have their Round 1 MBA application deadlines; Duke / Fuqua is scheduled to release interview invites for its Early Action round.

Graham highlighted our next Essay Insights series, which continues on Wednesday of this week, with CMU / Tepper, Columbia, Georgetown / McDonough, Texas / McCombs and UNC / Kenan Flagler; 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 insights from a recently published Adcom Q&A from Shelly Heinrich at Georgetown McDonough.

Our final discussion focused on the recently published MBA class profile for Duke / Fuqua. Their class profile matched some of the observations we identified with the class profile of UCLA / Anderson (the class profile we discussed on last week's show). Fuqua is reporting a smaller class size, while keeping the quality of the class close to constant. We did also discuss the ranges of test scores and GPAs, but we think candidates would prefer to know the medians, or both.

As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries:

This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from India - and therefore is over-represented in the pool. At the same time, they appear to have very good numbers and strong work experience, balanced by decent volunteer activities outside of work. They are not over-reaching with their target programs in the first round, and we wonder if they should have targeted 1-2 M7 level programs.

This week’s second MBA candidate is also a strong candidate, based in the U.S. An All-American athlete from a top liberal arts college, they are working in consulting (MBB) with a focus on the climate. Their only weaker area is a slightly lower-than-average-for-top-programs GRE score. Should they apply in Round 1 with this score (325) or delay to Round 2 with a higher score. We think the latter might be a good strategy, or at least split the applications over two rounds.

The final MBA candidate is an entrepreneur who has a great GRE score (333) but a poor GPA (2.9). While they have an upward trend for the GPA, they will need to use the optional essay to add context. They might also consider taking Business Fundamentals, or other similar options to show that they are prepared and committed to the academic aspect of the MBA experience.

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!

MBA Wire Taps 308—Military service, low GMAT. Military service, low GRE. Is a test waiver the right option? Sep 11, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this new season; for this week Stanford, Yale SOM, INSEAD, Columbia, Northwestern / Kellogg, Berkeley / Haas and Michigan / Ross all have their Round 1 application deadlines.

Graham highlighted our next Essay Insights series, which begins on Wednesday of this week, and continues the following two Wednesdays; 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 mentioned two pieces of correspondence that we received last week, which led to discussions on the merits of One Year MBA programs that have a special industry focus, and the value of the full-time MBA program for a candidate who is also considering part-time options.

We then discussed the recent announcement of the new MBA Admissions Director at Harvard Business School. Rupal Gadhia, an HBS alumna, will be joining the admissions team in October. Following this, we discussed a new initiative from INSEAD, that highlights their inclusion of sustainability content within the core curriculum of their MBA program.

Graham then highlighted three Adcom Q&As, where we interview admissions directors at Texas / McCombs, Vanderbilt / Owen and UNC / Kenan Flagler. Graham also noted three new admissions tips posted to Clear Admit last week, each highlighting different aspects of the admissions essay writing process.

Our final discussion focused on the recently published profile of UCLA / Anderson for the Class of 2025. While the quality of the class remains strong, we did note a decline, over the last two seasons, of the class size. We speculate if this trend will be seen with other leading MBA programs as class profiles continue to be published.

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 military candidate who appears to have very good service experience. Our key concern regarding their profile is their GMAT score, which will be below average for the top programs. Because this appears to be the weakest part of the application, we are really encouraging them to retake the test. They can also expand their list of target programs, to include 1-2 more from the M7 group, and a few programs from the top 16 tier.

This week’s second MBA candidate is also from the military, and also appears to have a strong professional record. But like our first candidate, their achilles heel appears to be their test score, this time a GRE of 310. While they have taken this text three times already, each time they have improved. We are hoping for one more re-test, and pushing the applications to Round 2, rather than applying in Round 1 with the current score.

The final MBA candidate is considering doing a test waiver, based on their undergraduate record, and their analytical work experience. They are also concerned that they need to apply in Round 1, before their life gets more hectic with a forthcoming family addition (new baby). That all said, we really encourage them to apply in Round 2 (they can get all their application materials prepared early) and find time to prepare and take the test. This should open up more access for them to leading 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!

MBA Wire Taps 307—Teacher, but low numbers. Chilean engineer. Full-time MBA or Part-time? Sep 04, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 306—Peruvian with huge GMAT. Tech candidate into music. Ballerina with great potential. Aug 28, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming Round 1 deadlines for this new season, which kicks off with Cambridge / Judge this week. Graham then highlighted several events that Clear Admit is hosting over the next month. Later today, we are hosting our monthly CA+ webinar, that is open to all registered members of the Clear Admit community. This webinar will cover preparation for the forthcoming Round 1 application deadlines. We also have a Real Humans webinar, on August 30th, which includes alumni and students from Chicago / Booth, NYU / Stern, Yale SOM and Berkeley / Haas. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/rhwebinar5. Graham then highlighted three Adcom Q&As, where we interview admissions directors at CMU / Tepper, Oxford / Said and London Business School. We then had a discussion on Emory / Goizueta’s new Masters in Management program, which offers graduating seniors a direct pathway to their graduate management studies. We are seeing this trend develop, as Goizueta follows Chicago / Booth with this move. Graham also noted the recently published admissions tips on when to apply (Round 1 versus Round 2) and the value of nurturing advocates in the MBA admissions process. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from Peru, and has an outstanding GMAT score of 770. They also appear to have very strong work experience, both in Peru and now in the United States. Their goals make sense. One weaker spot might be their extra-curricular activities, but we still think they are a very strong candidate, overall. This week’s second MBA candidate also has very strong numbers, with a 750 GMAT score and 3.85 Engineering and Math degree. They work in tech, and outside of work they do several activities which include music and tax preparation. All around, they appear to also be a strong candidate. The final MBA candidate is a former professional ballerina who has now gone on to establish a strong marketing career. Their one weak spot is a GRE score of 300. We are really hoping they wait until Round 2, and prep hard to get a GRE score that better reflects their academic potential. With a strong GRE score, they would be a very compelling candidate for top 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!

MBA Wire Taps 305—Air Force pilot, 2.5 GPA. Argentinian entrepreneur. Cancer survivor, 337 GRE Aug 21, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 304—Aeronautics engineer, 3.0 GPA. Welsh and French, 318 GRE. British military officer, 320 GRE Aug 14, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 303—Chemical Engineer from Trinidad and Tobago. Education sector, low GRE. Super profile, next season Aug 07, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast Alex and Graham began by discussing a new survey that Clear Admit has launched, which investigates the media habits of MBA candidates. All participation is greatly appreciated; the survey is here: https://bit.ly/casummarysurvey Graham then noted a new Master in Management program offered by Chicago / Booth which led to a discussion of some of the more unusual formats being offered by leading programs for graduate management education. Graham then highlighted a Real Humans piece featuring an alum of Dartmouth / Tuck at Citi, and two Adcom Q&As from MIT / Sloan and Maryland / Smith. Graham and Alex also discussed the first Clear Admit+ webinar for this season, to be held later today (Monday, August 7th) at 12 pm ET. This webinar is open to all registered members of Clear Admit. As usual, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has an outstanding profile, which includes a 3.99 GPA in chemical engineering. They are from Trinidad and Tobago and work as a process engineer. The one slightly weaker element of their candidacy is their 324 GRE. The score itself is decent, but relative to the rest of this profile, Alex and Graham think it could be better. One more retake might yield positive dividends. Candidate #2 has a very non-traditional profile, having worked extensively in the education sector. Their experience is very interesting, but key to their candidacy will be to show how the MBA makes perfect sense for what they plan to do post MBA. They are keen to apply in Round 1, but Alex and Graham think they should wait until Round 2, and retake the GRE, which is much lower than the median for the programs they are targeting. The final MBA candidate for this episode has another super profile all around. They have strong numbers (336 GRE, 3.68) and their work trajectory looks very interesting, going from research, to consulting to “doing”. They are planning to wait one more year to apply, but Alex wonders if it might make sense to target this season with a couple of reach programs, to see what happens. his 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!

MBA Wire Taps 302—Strong profile, no GMAT yet. Great numbers, over-represented? 319 GRE, weakest spot. Jul 31, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast Graham led things off by discussing the MBA Essay Insights series which wraps up this Wednesday. This season’s series has seen record levels of attendees (600+ each week); our final event brings together MBA admissions leaders from Cornell / Johnson, UCLA / Anderson, Washington / Foster, INSEAD, and London Business School. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay Graham then highlighted the recent survey Clear Admit has developed to understand the media habits of MBA candidates. These anonymous surveys allow us to gather data to really understand the behavior of the MBA applicant community, and we really appreciate all participation. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/casummersurvey Moving on to recent news and admissions tips, Graham talked about a Clear Admit article that covers the cost of applying to top MBA programs. This piece features a podcast listener’s journey through the MBA admissions process and offers some amazing advice on how to save money in the b-school application process. Alex and Graham then discussed two Adcom Q&As, the first featuring SMU / Cox and the second featuring IESE. Graham then highlighted Clear Admit’s very popular essay topic analysis series, and last week we featured the essays from Yale SOM. As usual, Alex and Graham tackled three candidate profile reviews, drawn from recent ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate has not yet taken the GMAT, but everything else points to a very strong profile, so Alex and Graham hope that with a GMAT in the 700s, she will be strongly considered by the very best programs. One concern this candidate expressed is her extra curricular profile, which is something Alex and Graham discuss on the show. This week's second candidate appears to have a very solid work profile, combined with strong numbers (740 GMAT, 3.76 GPA). Alex and Graham encourage them to apply in the first round, as it’s possible that they are part of a more over-represented pool of MBA candidates. Our final candidate comes from the military, and also has a masters degree. They are only targeting Georgetown / McDonough and Yale SOM, for personal reasons. Their GRE score is 319, after 5 days of prep, and having taken the test several years ago. Alex and Graham really hope they retake this test after more thorough preparation. This should open more opportunities (including scholarships) for an otherwise 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!

MBA Wire Taps 301—Ex architect, now FAANG recruiting. 335 GRE, Nigerian in London. Super undergrad, one year of work. Jul 24, 2023

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast Alex and Graham begin by discussing some recent waitlist admissions posts on MBA LiveWire; for those still on waitlists, there is still some hope! Your hosts then discussed the recent updates to the Clear Admit website, which should make the user experience better. The new website also means that all the features that were previously only accessible to Clear Admit+ subscribers are now available to all registered users, for free! This includes the Admissions Academy video series, Clear Admit’s LiveWire Data Dashboard (which allows users to parse the data from MBA LiveWire), and several other key features. Alex and Graham really hope this makes for a great MBA admissions resource for all MBA candidates that participate in the Clear Admit community. Getting down to business, Graham highlighted two Admissions Directors Q and As, featuring Duke / Fuqua and Rochester / Simon. Graham also mentioned two admissions tips: one focusing on MBA admissions resumes, and the second targeting younger applicants. Graham then highlighted the July event series, Essay Insights, which continues this Wednesday with Columbia, CMU / Tepper, Michigan / Ross, UNC / Kenan / Flagler and Yale SOM. This is a very popular series with last week’s event bringing more than 700 candidates; signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay As usual, this episode features profile reviews taken from three recent ApplyWire entries: This week's first candidate is an architect by training, but pivoted early in their career, via Teach for America to work in FAANG recruiting. They have a 3.3 GPA, and are targeting a GMAT score above 700. They also have a masters in education with a specialization around mathematics instruction. Alex and Graham really like this profile overall, and think that with a good GMAT score they should have some solid options. Candidate #2 is a Nigerian who has now transitioned to living in London, working in finance in a consulting capacity. Their GPA is a little lower than average, but they have a super GRE score of 335. Alex and Graham encourage them to apply in the first rounds, to their target programs, and then develop a second round strategy, if necessary. Your hosts also think Cornell / Johnson and NYU / Stern are programs they might want to consider. This week's final candidate is very early in their career, after completing a very strong undergraduate experience. Alex and Graham encourage them to seek out more work before applying in about two years’ time. While they might gain access to a decent MBA program now, they will likely gain access to better-tiered programs if they wait, and their MBA experience will also be more meaningful. 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!

MBA Wire Taps 300—300 Episodes! Military candidate, low GRE. Looking ahead, career switch. Chemical engineer, clean tech Jul 17, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 299—770 GMAT and 2.9, does that work? Targeting 680 – 700, is that enough? History major, strong work experience. Jul 10, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 298—LIVE from the GMAC Conference with Yale, Berkeley, Georgetown, and CMU! Jul 03, 2023

Welcome back to another edition of Clear Admit's weekly MBA admissions podcast. This week's episode can hardly be described as just 'another edition' of the show; that's because it was recorded live in San Diego, California at the annual GMAC conference and includes special guest appearances from admissions directors at CMU Tepper, Georgetown McDonough, Berkeley Haas, and Yale SOM! Before bringing on the string of special guests, host Graham Richmond (who did his best without co-host Alex Brown this week) ran down the latest news and notes. This began with some discussion of continued waitlist movement visible on LiveWire, and also included a short plug for the Clear Admit virtual webinar series - which starts July 12th! and can be signed up for here: bit.ly/cambaessay [Don't miss the chance to hear from a host of amazing schools as their admissions directors share insights into drafting essays!] Graham also mentioned an admissions tip about volunteer experience and community service that should be useful for those embarking on their applications. He then highlighted two recent admissions director Q&As with Imran Kanga from Toronto / Rotman and Hollie Hinton from OSU / Fisher and two Real Humans: Alumni featuring an Emory / Goizueta graduate working at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker and a Michigan / Ross graduate working at McKinsey as an engagement manager. The main segment of this week's show featured detailed interviews with J.R. McGrath from CMU Tepper, Shelly Heinrich from Georgetown McDonough, Eric Askins from Berkeley Haas, and Bruce Delmonico from Yale SOM. Graham asked each guest the following two questions: QUESTION 1 GMAC has introduced a new version of the GMAT exam (the GMAT Focus Edition) and ETS and has introduced a new version the GRE exam. Both tests are shorter and should make it a bit easier for applicants to tackle this aspect of the application process. Both tests are being introduced mid-season, in a sense, which means your admissions team may see a mix of new and old tests. -What's your take on the changes to these tests, and how will your team handle the mix of two different versions of each exam? QUESTION 2 It feels like generative AI is a very hot topic of late. How does your admissions team feel about the use of tools like ChatGPT in the application process? Tune in to hear what these special guests had to say on these topics... This episode was recorded in San Diego, California, USA. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Special thanks to Shelly, Bruce, Eric and JR for taking time out of their busy schedules to join the show! Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

MBA Wire Taps 297—Test Scores. 2.3 GPA, any chance? 2 years of work experience, is it enough? Jun 26, 2023

As summer heats up, Graham and Alex are back with another episode of WireTaps, and a slightly new format! After some quick discussion about lingering activity on LiveWire (which is now slowing down as the season gets closer to its end), Graham highlighted our July 'Essay Insight' virtual event series. This series, which begins on July 12th, brings MBA admissions officers from top programs to discuss their essays for the upcoming application cycle. This is a very popular series - signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay Graham then mentioned an Adcom Q&A from Michigan Ross; these new Q&As for the 2023-24 admissions cycle include questions about virtually every key area of the application process and are must-reads! Graham then discussed a new Real Humans Alumni piece, with an alum from Toronto / Rotman at Johnson & Johnson. The news portion of the show wrapped up with some discussion around a new admissions tip which focuses on the importance of defining post MBA goals, and a new 'Weekly Refresh' series where Clear Admit publishes the latest deadlines and essays for top programs. As a departure from the traditional format for MBA WireTaps, Alex and Graham introduced a new “key topic focus” segment for the summer. Each week, your hosts will discuss an important admissions-related topic. For this week’s show, the discussion centered on standardized tests and why they are important, as well as which tests should be considered (GMAT, GRE, EA, etc.). This episode also features two candidate profiles, taken from recent ApplyWire entries: First up is a candidate that has one glaring weakness: a very low GPA (2.3). Alex and Graham discussed what options they might have to help mitigate that GPA, which includes earning a very high test score, and taking additional coursework to show commitment to academics. That said, overcoming this GPA will be very challenging, even with strong professional experience and additional outside-of-work activities. This week's second candidate does have great numbers (331 / 3.63) and appears to have solid work experience, but only graduated two years ago. Alex and Graham's discussion focused on when is the best time for this candidate to apply, and the importance of tackling the “why now” aspect of their plan. 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!

MBA Wire Taps 296—Environmental candidate, retaking the GMAT. MBB back office, wanting front office. Nigerian in London, at 32 Jun 19, 2023

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!

MBA Wire Taps 295—Asset manager, 760 GMAT. Data scientist, poor GPA. Marketer, Europe vs US Jun 12, 2023

Another week, another Wiretaps! As usual, this episode begins with Alex and Graham discussing activity on LiveWire (which is now slowing down as the 2022-23 admissions season gets closer to its end). Next week, Chicago / Booth will be releasing its decisions for its Booth Scholars program. Graham highlighted 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. It will be held on June 20 at 12 pm ET, and you can signup here: https://bit.ly/realhumansmba The second is a set of events focused on MBA admissions essay insights, where leading MBA programs will discuss each of their admissions essays. This is a very popular series, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessay In broader industry news, Graham highlighted a piece that looks at Forte Foundation's recently published research into gender pay gaps for MBA students. It appears that the boost someone gets from the MBA is not dependent on their gender, but women still start from a lower base. Graham then noted two Real Humans Alumni Stories: a Georgetown / McDonough grad at McKinsey, and an INSEAD grad at Amazon. Graham and Alex then had two pretty interesting discussions: one on the recent announcement of the shorter form GRE, and the other on the announcement from Columbia about eliminating their Early Decision round, and moving to a more-standard three rounds of admissions. As always, this episode of WireTaps includes three reviews of candidates. This week's applicants are drawn from three different ApplyWire entries: This week's first candidate works in asset management and has a strong GMAT (760), but will only have three years of experience upon matriculation, if they apply this upcoming season. This led to a discussion regarding whether this season makes sense, or should they wait for another year. The second candidate featured in this episode is a data scientist from India, with a very poor undergraduate record (due to ill health). Their GMAT is decent (710, 51 quant), but Alex and Graham think it might make sense to try to boost the score further. And even with a higher score, it could still be prudent to undertake some more remedial work (Business Fundamentals, MBA Math, or equivalent). Of course, Alex and Graham are assuming this candidate's work experience is strong. They also have some additional non-profit experience to share. Candidate #3 is also from India, and appears to have a strong marketing background, which includes several awards for campaigns they have developed. Their numbers are decent, but not outstanding. Their goals are in the streaming space, whether in the U.S. or in Europe. They also have two years of volunteer experience. Like the second candidate, they should target the first rounds, where they can. 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'!

MBA Wire Taps 294—Two-time Olympian, part-time vs full-time. Pilot with a 690 GMAT. Marketing career, 321 GRE Jun 05, 2023

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'!

MBA Wire Taps 293—Female lawyer, from Nigeria. Blackhawk pilot, 720 GMAT. International student, lower GRE May 29, 2023

Happy Memorial Day! On this episode of WireTaps, Alex and Graham officially open BBQ season with a look at what's been cooking on LiveWire, including waitlist decisions and final decisions from Rounds 3 and 4. Alex reminds listeners that we also should see final decisions coming out for Georgetown / McDonough, Cornell / Johnson and CMU / Tepper (for its Future Leaders program) in the coming week. Alex also pointed out that new deadlines and essay topics are starting to be unveiled by the top MBA programs for next season; this led to a discussion regarding Clear Admit’s Essay Topic Analysis series. Graham highlighted two recently published stories from Clear Admit; the first is about Northwestern / Kellogg’s new healthcare course that focuses on biomedical marketing, and the second story looks at Chicago / Booth’s initiatives targeting disadvantaged youth. Graham then discussed four Real Humans Alumni stories: a Stern/Tech MBA grad at Google, a Booth grad at Accenture, a London Business School grad at BCG and a Duke / Fuqua grad at Google. Graham then highlighted 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 usual, WireTaps features three candidate profile reviews - this week they were selected from three recent ApplyWire entries: First up is candidate is from Nigeria, working in the UK. She is a lawyer who is also active outside of work, building an online community for African females. She is targeting 330 on the GRE, and with a score like that, and a strong academic record from a Russel Group university, Alex and Graham think there’s a lot to like. Graham did question some of the school selection, given her goals of returning to the UK, or Nigeria. This week's second candidate appears to have an outstanding military career, and decent numbers. In short, he would appear to be a typical high-profile candidate from the military, with lots of options. Alex and Graham did question some of the school selection for the first round, but it's clear that a solid plan is taking shape. This week's final candidate is applying to Booth and Kellogg, because her partner has started a Ph.D. at U. Chicago. She has some decent work experience, but already has two degrees, which means there will be an increased focus on having a strong post-MBA goal. She also has some concerns over her verbal score on the GRE, which Alex and Graham discussed. 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'!

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