Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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 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.

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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