Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

Latest Episodes:

MBA Wire Taps 270—Unorthodox pathway. GRE of 318. Ross beats other options. Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

This week's show kicks off with a quick run-down of the remaining Round 2 application deadlines; on Monday and Tuesday there are a handful of schools with apps due. Graham then highlighted an important admissions tip that Clear Admit recently published, regarding whether the optional essay should be used. He then presented the Columbia Business School 2022 employment report, which led with financial services, followed by consulting; the graduating class have a huge average starting salary of $175,000. Graham then highlighted the two deferred enrolment events that Clear Admit is hosting on February 1 and February 8 with ten leading business schools. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/defer23 For candidate reviews, Graham and Alex tackle two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry: First up, Alex choses a candidate who dropped out of high school, but 13 years later is completing their undergraduate after stints in the private sector and in the army. They still need to complete the GRE or GMAT exam, but we think there is a lot to like, in terms of how they’ve appeared to successfully manage their unorthodox career to date. This week's second candidate also looks very promising, with one weak spot; a GRE of 318. Alex and Graham think that with the programs they are targeting, they should hear some positive news (assuming well-executed applications). Finally Alex and Graham discuss a candidate who ran the table with their R1 applications and has selected Michigan / Ross, despite having several other MBA options to consider. Some of those other options might appear to be more promising, but the nuances regarding each individual’s decision making can lead to a variety of outcomes. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia. Thanks for listening, and for telling any fellow-MBA applicants about the show. Stay safe everybody!

Episode 267: What’s the Secret Behind Record-Breaking Career Placements at SMU COX? Jan 06, 2023

Show notes

The SMU Cox School of Business MBA Class of 2022 found record-breaking success this year, thanks to an innovative approach to post-MBA employment at the business school. With special guests, Judi Umali-Rajkumar and Jason Rife, this podcast episode explores the symbiotic relationship that propels MBA graduates’ success.

MBA Wire Taps 269—640 GMAT, is it too low? Very low GPA. Kellogg PT versus top 16 FT Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Happy New Year to all of our podcast listeners! Alex, Graham, and the entire Clear Admit team wish you all the best for 2023! This episode begins with some discussion of this week’s blitz of Round 2 application deadlines; on Wednesday and Thursday there are at least 15 deadlines for the programs Clear Admit covers! Graham then highlighted the recently published Real Humans from Northwestern / Kellogg. Your hosts then moved into a discussion of the employment reports from CMU / Tepper and USC / Marshall. Being in the same tier, their average starting salaries are very similar. What is interesting is how the two programs differ from a geographic placements perspective; Tepper sends students to all areas of the United States, whereas Marshall has a very high concentration of graduates staying on the West Coast. In terms of upcoming events, Graham highlighted the two deferred enrollment webinars that Clear Admit is hosting for current college students on February 1 and February 8. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/defer23 As always, this episode features reviews of three current MBA candidates - in this case, two ApplyWire entries and one DecisionWire entry. First up, Alex picks a candidate who has completed an electrical engineering degree in Canada, and has worked for four years, two in consulting, and two as a product manager in tech. They are of Indian heritage (despite having never lived in India) and the one real weakness is their lower GMAT of 640. Unfortunately, as things stand, Alex and Graham think this will be a problem for their target programs, despite the fact that they have taken the test four times. This week's second candidate is from India, and has a very low GPA due to health issues at the time of their education. Applying in Round 2 makes things more challenging, and while their GMAT is decent (710), it's not outstanding in terms of overcoming the lower GPA. They are being more realistic about their target programs, but the GPA may still be a significant challenge. The final candidate for this episode, taken from DecisionWire, is debating between attending Kellogg as a part-time student, or NYU / Stern, UVA / Darden, Cornell / Johnson or Michigan / Ross as a full-time student with significant scholarships. Alex and Graham discussed the merits of going full-time versus part-time as well as which of the full-time offers may make more sense. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in West Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'! Here's to a happy and healthy 2023 for all!

MBA Wire Taps 268—Sloan vs Haas. Haas vs Columbia and Fuqua. Stockholm tech, low GPA. Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

Happy belated Christmas to those who celebrate! This week's episode kicks off with a discussion about the flood of upcoming Round 2 application deadlines, which start right after the New Year. Graham then highlighted the Real Humans stories from Manchester / Alliance and Johns Hopkins / Carey. Graham also noted a new holiday series that Clear Admit is publishing where we follow up on prior “Real Humans” with a series of holiday-related questions - a little fun, which led to Graham quizzing Alex on his Christmas traditions. We then discussed the Class of 2022 employment report from Wharton, which was in line with other leading MBA programs in terms of an outstanding median salary of $175,000 and a slight dip in terms of the numbers going into the tech sector. Graham then highlighted the deferred enrolment events that Clear Admit is hosting in February, which include the likes of Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, MIT, Columbia and more. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/defer23 Given the plethora of R1 decisions received, this week's candidate profiles include two DecisionWire entries for the first time this admissions season. The episode also features an ApplyWire entry. First up, Alex selects a DecisionWire entry from a candidate who is deciding between Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, MIT / Sloan, and Yale SOM. They have some scholarship money from Haas, Sloan and Yale, and they want to work in tech on the west coast post-MBA. One interesting element to add to the decision is that they were an undergraduate from Haas, and wonder if that should play into their decision at all. This week's second DecisionWire candidate is debating between Haas, Columbia (with a joint degree), and Duke /Fuqua (with scholarship). A key element influencing their decision is additional concerns related to cost of living, lifestyle, and their partner and two year old daughter. There’s a case to be made for all three options... This week's final candidate is applying from Stockholm, Sweden, so we think they are in the online gaming or media industries. Alex and Graham do think there is a potential that their background profile and experience will help them standout, but your hosts worry about the combination of a lower GPA and more pedestrian(for top programs) GRE of 320. Perhaps MBA Math is worth exploring. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the always merry Dennis Crowley in frigid West Philadelphia. Please remember to spread the word about this show by rating, reviewing, and really telling anyone who will listen to tune in! Happy holidays to all and to all a good night...(or day).....

MBA Wire Taps 266—Improved GMAT, Round 2 strategy? Interesting profile, aim high. Turnaround story, tough circumstances. Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

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

MBA Wire Taps 265—Army officer for 10 years. Super profile, aim higher. Communications, retaking GRE Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

As is customary for this time of year, this week's podcast kicks off with a rundown of the recent and forthcoming activity on MBA LiveWire; we are in the middle of decision weeks for Round 1, so lots of Round 1 decisions are being released and reported! Graham highlighted the Real Humans pieces from Washington / Foster and Texas / McCombs; this led to a discussion on the impact of the downturn in the tech sector. Graham also highlighted the employment report for Yale SOM. Yale appears to be following a trend we are exploring, higher portions of their class going into consulting, as the tech sector drops a little. As usual, this episode features in depth candidate profile reviews, taken from three recent ApplyWire entries: First up, Alex and Graham look at an army officer who is applying for next season, with 10 years of service experience. He still needs to complete the GRE, and is considering doing an internship to enable the transition to the MBA. While there is generally a lot to like with this profile, your hosts did discuss the impact of the longer-than-average experience. Our second candidate this week appears to have an outstanding profile in terms of work experience, additional activities, the GMAT, and more. In light of this, Alex and Graham are encouraging them to target the very best programs, some of which are missing from their target list. This week's final candidate has 10 years of experience in the area of communications and is seeking a transition into media and entertainment. While the nature of their work experience is really interesting, the one aspect Alex and Graham are concerned with is the quantitative score on their GRE, and the potential absence of quantitative skills more broadly. This candidate plans to retake the GRE in the coming days, ahead of the Round 2 deadlines... This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in West Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

MBA Wire Taps 264—Booth said no, now what? South African for next season. 720 GMAT, increased to 760 Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

This week's show kicks off with a discussion of the fact that 12 leading MBA programs are releasing their Round 1 decisions in the coming days, including Harvard and Stanford on Thursday. Graham then highlighted the Real Humans piece for MIT / Sloan, and shared numbers from the recently published employment report for Dartmouth / Tuck. Alex underlined the huge median starting salary of $175k, which was likely nudged upwards by a disproportionate number of students going into consulting (47%). Graham was recording this episode from sunny Barcelona, while attending the European GMAC conference on the campus of IESE. As usual, our show features three candidate profile reviews, selected from ApplyWire: The first candidate comes from India and has outstanding numbers, as well as what appears to be very strong work experience. They applied in Round 1 to Chicago / Booth, and were not invited to interview. This appears to be a puzzling decision, and it makes it difficult to develop an appropriate Round 2 strategy. Alex and Graham speculated on some of the reasons why Booth may not have invited them for the interview and offered suggestions for a path forward. This week's second candidate is from South Africa and is targeting next season. They also have good numbers, and what looks like decent work experience and outside activities. Alex and Graham like that they are planning ahead, and think they should be targeting M7 in Round 1 next season. This week's final profile review is for a Latin American real estate developer and architect that had a 720 GMAT and retook it and earned a 760. Alex and Graham thought the 720 would have been good enough, based on the rest of the file, so this new development means the candidate will land with very good options. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Barcelona, Spain. It was produced and engineered in West Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

MBA Wire Taps 263—Accounting entrepreneur. Online degree, enlisted candidate. MBB-sponsored, is GMAT good enough? Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

This week's episode kicks off with an update on admissions decisions and all the latest MBA LiveWire activity. This includes Round 1 admits being released early for London Business School. Alex and Graham then moved into a quick conversation about top law schools leaving the U.S. News rankings, and whether that will happen with the MBA rankings; your hosts are not convinced. Graham highlighted the Real Humans pieces recently published for IESE and for Georgetown McDonough, and then ran down the latest employment reports for MIT / Sloan and McDonough. Alex points out that there were no real surprises in the numbers, with both schools reporting strong average salaries. As usual, Alex chose three candidates for profile reviews, taken from recent ApplyWire entries: First up, Alex selected an entrepreneur who set up and is running an online accounting business, which looks to be doing very well. Their numbers are solid, and they have a masters degree, but Alex and Graham are a little concerned as to whether or not their 10 years of experience raises fit issues with the programs they are targeting. With that said, your hosts move into a discussion as to how this candidate might mitigate some of those concerns. This week's second candidate is enlisted in the navy, and has completed an online undergraduate degree. Alex discussed the implications of that; their GPA is at 3.9, and it's been an interesting, less traditional pathway to the MBA for sure. The GRE of 324 is decent, and they are targeting next season - which is a good thing, since your hosts would like to hear more about this candidate's post MBA goals, specifically in the longer term. This week's final candidate works at an MBB consulting firm and is being sponsored for their MBA. They are from Canada, and it looks like the only real concern is the slightly lower GMAT of 690. They have taken the test three times, should they try for a fourth, or should they widen their target school list? This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in always sunny Philadelphia by the amazing Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

Wire Taps 262—Female Asian attorney. Hispanic in Private Equity. Phoenix-bound Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

This week's episode of the podcast kicks off with Graham and Alex discussing the latest activity on MBA LiveWire which included interview invites from Berkeley / Haas and Stanford. Graham then highlighted his recent tour of leading MBA programs on the east coast, including Harvard, Dartmouth / Tuck, MIT / Sloan, Yale SOM, NYU / Stern, and Wharton; he noted the energy and diversity of the student bodies he observed on the campuses. Graham and Alex also reviewed the employment reports for Harvard and Duke / Fuqua. Both programs released strong numbers, including increases in average starting salaries. Your hosts then discussed the potential impact from employment contraction in the tech sector. Graham also mentioned the Real Humans pieces recently published, for HEC / Paris and Washington / Olin. As usual, this episode features three profile reviews, taken from ApplyWire entries: First up, Alex selects a female attorney from Asia, who relocated to the United States for her undergraduate degree. She’s just received a 720 on the GMAT and is exploring her options for Round 2. Likely she will be a decent candidate for top programs, Alex and Graham just worry a little about the late start in the application process. There might be an argument to target few top programs this season, for a second opportunity next season. This week's second candidate appears to have really strong work experience, having moved from investment banking into private equity. They are Hispanic, and also have a good GPA from an engineering discipline. They will need to ace the GMAT, but given that they are targeting next year, there’s a lot of time and potential. The final candidate for this week has a focus on living in Phoenix post-MBA. This led to a conversation about whether that makes Arizona State / Carey a better option than programs that are ranked higher, especially if this would mean greater access to scholarship. 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'!

Wire Taps 261—Nigerian M.D., next season. Indian, family business. Central Asian, in the U.S. Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

This week's episode kicks off with the usual rundown of recent activity on MBA LiveWire, which included admits for Cornell / Johnson’s Round 1 and interview invites for Berkeley / Haas. In terms of upcoming dates of note, this week INSEAD has its Round 2 deadline. Graham highlighted the Real Humans pieces for INSEAD, Haas, and Boston College / Carroll as well as a recently published focus on two veterans at NYU / Stern and an interview with Georgetown / McDonough’s Career Services Director. Alex and Graham then discussed the recently published employment report for Northwestern / Kellogg (impressive, including 40% heading to consulting and an average starting salary of $165,000); this led to a discussion on whether we are heading into a recession, and its implications for prospective MBA students. Graham also reminded listeners about Clear Admit’s upcoming Deferred Enrolment event for this Wednesday; signups are here: https://bit.ly/defermba As usual, this episode of WireTaps features three candidate profile reviews, taken from ApplyWire entries on the site. First up, Alex selected a female candidate from Nigeria who is targeting Round 1 next season. She’s an M.D., and has a strong focus on the business-side of healthcare. She hasn’t taken the GMAT yet, but Alex and Graham are hoping for a high score so she can target the very best U.S.-based healthcare MBA programs. This week's second candidate works in a family business in India. She’s targeting Round 2 this season, and Alex and Graham had a conversation about her overall strategy, and whether it’s worth keeping in mind that she might be a stronger candidate in Round 1 for next season. The final candidate for this episode has some somewhat pedestrian numbers, but Alex and Graham really like what's under the surface. This applicant is originally from Central Asia, and plan to return there in the long run, to focus on the sustainable energy industry. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced and engineered in Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen and to 'stay safe everybody'!

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