Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 170: Wire Taps—Pivoting Industries with the Help of an MBA Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

In this week's WireTaps, Alex makes a rather bold prediction about England's chances in the EuroCup soccer tournament before Graham steers the conversation back to MBA admissions, including Clear Admit's free upcoming essay insights events (sign up here: https://bit.ly/clearadmitessayinsight). The theme for this week's profile reviews is career pivoting - from corporate strategy in tech/CPG to PE in the restaurant/hospitality domain, from oil & gas to CPG, and finally from MBB consulting & military (reserves) to tech. Beyond several important lessons about how applicants can make a compelling case for a career switch, this episode also touches on what sort of 'back up plans' are acceptable in the context of what happens if you don't get into b-school (hint: going to law school isn't a good answer). As usual, WireTaps is recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. The show is produced by the incredible Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, PA. Please remember to rate and review our podcast and to tell your friends to tune in as well!

Episode 169: Wire Taps—Help! I’m Off the Waitlist after Making Deposits at Another School Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

It's a dramatic week on Wire Taps as Alex and Graham discuss audience members listening to the show while out at sea, tip their hats to supportive significant others who tune into the show with their partners, and try to figure out if they can honor a request for the full WireTaps intro theme music! For this week's profiles, one MBA candidate has already financially committed to one program—only to be taken off the waitlist at another, higher ranked program! Should they turn their summer plans upside down? Another MBA hopeful has been struggling with the GMAT despite an otherwise impressive profile and is wondering where to put his efforts going forward. Finally, an immigrant with finance experience opted to join the U.S. Marine Corps after naturalizing and is hoping the MBA will help them transition back to civilian life. This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced by Dennis Crowley in glorious West Philadelphia. Theme music by PANAMA. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen. Thanks for reading these descriptions; we always wonder if anyone actually makes it this far.....

Episode 168: Wire Taps—Big Dreams, Re-applying & Changing Industries Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

This week's edition of WireTaps delves into a number of key questions: Did Alex run into the prime minister of Australia at a local pub while G7 leaders were in Cornwall? Can an MBA applicant listen to WireTaps while stringing a tennis racket or navigating the hills of San Francisco on a bicycle? What should applicants with somewhat informal outside activities do to best position those activities in their applications? How can reapplicants be sure to put their best foot forward - even if their recommenders aren't 'all-in' for another go round? Alex and Graham try to provide answers to all of these questions and more, while analyzing candidates from California, Indonesia, Singapore and beyond. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen, and to tell anyone who will listen about the show! This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France. It was produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, USA. Thanks for listening!

Episode 167: Wire Taps—Older Re-Applicant, Lawyer to MBA, and Investment Banking Goals Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

As the G7 summit invades Alex's backyard in Cornwall, England, he and Graham still manage to dig into another great episode of admissions lessons. This week's show deals with three applicants, all aiming to start school in the fall 2022 - and each with their own set of challenges. One candidate applied very late this past season (R3) and will be reapplying in R1 this fall, but is slightly concerned about their age and honing in on the right reapplicant strategy. The second WireTaps candidate comes from the field of law and needs to demonstrate readiness for the quantitative rigors of b-school while also explaining a bit of a COVID-induced bump in the road on the career side. The final candidate reviewed this week wants to jump from the world of hedge funds over to investment banking, while simultaneously finding a way to stand out from the crowd. As always, the Clear Admit podcast is recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It is produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia. Please remember to tell someone you know about the podcast, and to rate and review wherever you listen!

Episode 166: Wire Taps Turns 100! Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Alex and Graham are in a celebratory mood as this episode marks the 100th time our hosts have recorded an edition of Wire Taps! To mark the occasion, this show includes audio clips from some of the Wire Taps faithful, facts and figures about the Wire Taps journey to date, and a medley of classic Alex/Graham banter (tucked into the end of the episode). Of course, our hosts still make time to review a great group of candidates, including a woman in NYC with healthcare experience looking to boost her GMAT, an EdTech professional wondering about the impact of applying with one's partner/spouse, and an Indian male IT engineer hoping to hone in on the right set of target programs. A HUGE thanks to all of our listeners who have been joining us week in and week out for Wire Taps, to everyone who sent along audio clips for inclusion in this week's episode, and to the incredible Dennis Crowley who worked tirelessly to produce this episode! As usual, Wire Taps is recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England and produced in Philadelphia, PA. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen!

Episode 165: Meet Ryan Price, Keeper of MBA Secrets Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

What is MBA student life like—really? Our special guest, Ryan Price (BYU Marriott MBA candidate), joins Graham Richmond to explore the ins and outs of the b-school experience, from admissions to career support and more. Ryan is the host and founder of the podcast, MBA Secrets, a show that features interviews with current MBA students at schools across the globe. His mission is to provide current and aspiring MBA candidates with the perspectives of the students who are actually DOING business school every day. This episode was recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah and Paris, France. It was produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen!

Episode 164: Wire Taps—Aim Higher for Your Target Schools! May 31, 2021

Show notes

Happy Memorial Day! Alex and Graham celebrate the 99th episode of WireTaps and ask for listeners urgent help in co-crafting episode #100. Our hosts also dig into some really interesting candidacies including a German candidate with 10+ years of experience and two kids who is wondering if she's too old for top schools and if European MBAs will carry the same weight as those in the USA. Alex and Graham also explore a stellar candidate from the PR/communications domain with a possible quantitative weakness. The third featured candidate of this episode presents a bit of a quandary about low GPAs, high GREs, and optional essays that explain such things. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced by the always incredible Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia. Please remember to rate and review the show, and to send audio clips to celebrate the 100th episode of WireTaps to info@clearadmit.com.

Bonus Episode: Help Alex and Graham Celebrate 100 Episodes of WireTaps! May 26, 2021

Show notes

Help us celebrate the forthcoming 100th podcast episode of Wire Taps! Alex & Graham want to hear from listeners & featured applicants about how Wire Taps has helped you during the admissions process. So get out your phone, open up the voice memos or voice recorder app, and record a clip of no more than 30 seconds. Then email your clip to info@clearadmit.com using the subject line 'WireTaps100'. Tune in for all the details on how you could add to our milestone episode!

Episode 163: Wire Taps—Government & Goals, Being All You Can Be, ‘Fostering’ the Right Environment May 24, 2021

Show notes

Alex and Graham reflect on the news of Rod Garcia's retirement from the MIT Sloan admissions office after 33 years, suggesting his role in the industry merits the 'Mount Rushmore treatment'; you will be missed Rod! Our hosts also review the profiles of an Indian candidate with an unusual background in government and a US Army infantry officer who worked his way into Army Finance. Finally, Alex and Graham debate a tough choice an admitted student is facing between Indiana Kelley and University of Washington Foster with scholarship dollars and geography very much in play. This episode also unveils news of a series of exclusive Essay Workshops that Clear Admit will be hosting in July with the likes of Wharton, Berkeley, MIT, Yale, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Michigan, UCLA, Tepper, UNC, UT Austin and more. Sign up is now open at clearadmit.com! Our show is recorded each and every week in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It is produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, USA, and our generous sponsor is the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University: www.cmu.edu/tepper. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen.

Episode 162: Wire Taps—Reapplication Strategy, Casting too Wide a Net, and Decision Dilemmas May 17, 2021

Show notes

This week, Alex and Graham travel to Southeast Asia while touting a review from a listener in Thailand and evaluating a Malaysian applicant who needs a reapplication strategy (and who apparently likes cooking while tuning into WireTaps). They then turn their attention to a consultant in NYC who needs a bit of a confidence boost due to a below-average GPA (and who apparently listens to WireTaps in the shower). Shifting gears, our hosts dig into a dilemma from a candidate with admissions offers from Vanderbilt ($92K), Georgetown ($20K), and Georgia Tech (~$20K). The dilemma? This candidate has an aversion to landing in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, is drawn to the big-city advantages of Atlanta, has a partner in Nashville, and some warm & fuzzies for the Owen folks they have met. This episode also marks the official kick-off for the 2021-22 application cycle, as HBS announces deadlines and an essay prompt. Finally, if you have an offer to attend business school this fall, please take a moment to complete our admitted students survey: http://bit.ly/MBAadmitsurvey. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia. Our sponsor is Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen, or to at least tell a friend to tune in!

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