Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 161: Wire Taps—GMAT / GRE Recency, ‘Back Office’ Blues, and a Texas vs. California Clash! May 10, 2021

Show notes

This week, Alex and Graham tackle a number of key admissions questions, ranging from the importance of GMAT/GRE 'recency' to potential hurdles candidates may face when coming from 'back office' roles. Along the way, our hosts also counsel an early bird applicant thinking of applying in 2024 and a recently admitted applicant weighing offers from UCLA Anderson (with $100K) vs. UT Austin McCombs (with $30K). Other topics in this jam-packed episode include R3 applications and the state of the waitlist at top schools this season. Two final items of note this week: 1. Take our MBA admit survey here: http://bit.ly/MBAadmitsurvey, and 2. Join us for a conversation with admissions directors from Yale SOM, UNC Kenan Flagler, Duke Fuqua, Cornell Johnson, and Dartmouth Tuck this Wednesday, May 12th. You can sign up here: http://bit.ly/MBAappoverview. Please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen! This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, UK. It was mixed and produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, USA.

Episode 160: Wire Taps—ED or Not ED, That Is the Question May 03, 2021

Show notes

In this week's episode, Graham and Alex ask the eternal MBA admissions question "ED or Not ED?" while offering up advice to a candidate thinking about applying to Columbia and wondering about the timing of his application. Our hosts also offer some advice to a distinguished military candidate with a red flag in the academics domain. Finally, Alex and Graham highlight a debate that took place on the site where a candidate was weighing Berkeley vs. Columbia for Technology or FinTech/Investment Management. In other news, we urge listeners to take our 'MBA admits' survey here: http://bit.ly/MBAadmitsurvey, and for everyone to sign up for our upcoming Application Overview Workshops with admissions directors from 10 leading MBA programs - http://bit.ly/MBAappoverview. Finally, it's no secret that India desperately needs everyone's support right now in the wake of the horrible wave of COVID19 sweeping the country. To help fight COVID-19 and support India, a group of 250+ business school admits and alumni from almost all top business schools have come together to launch a fundraising initiative called “pay-it-forward”. They are urging everyone to donate to any COVID Relief Fund, and in return, they will help the donors with anything related from career planning to MBA applications. Learn more here: https://studentsfightcovid.in/ Thanks for listening, and please remember to tell one person about the Clear Admit podcast! This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced by Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia.

Episode 159: Wire Taps—The “That Was Then, This Is Now” Strategy Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Graham and Alex offer admissions advice to a U.S. Army officer with a sub-3.0 GPA academic background (presenting an opportunity for Graham to explain the 'That Was Then, This Is Now' admissions strategy). Then, a candidate from Africa working in biz dev for a commercial bank needs guidance on school selection for their goals in investment banking. Finally, as the 2020-21 admissions season winds down, one candidate is on the fence about a Park Fellowship, full-tuition scholarship at Cornell Johnson vs. a small scholarship ($20K) at Dartmouth Tuck. Also featured in this episode are details about Clear Admit's upcoming event with Bain & Co. and JP Morgan (bit.ly/CArecruiterpanel), and some forthcoming application overview workshops with admissions directors from Wharton, Columbia, Berkeley, Duke, Yale, UNC, Michigan, Texas, Tuck, and Cornell (bit.ly/MBAappoverview). Sign up now! This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced in West Philadelphia by Dennis Crowley. Please remember to rate and review!

Episode 158: Wire Taps— The Final Decision Is Making Me Crazy! Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

Since Round 2 decisions have been delivered, many lucky accepted candidates are facing some tough decisions. On this week's WireTaps podcast, Graham and Alex weigh in on a couple of particularly tough dilemmas, as the candidates wonder: Cornell Johnson or Michigan Ross? Emory Goizueta or UNC Kenan-Flagler? Of course, there are many factors that go into these decisions (including scholarship dollars and industry specializations), so be sure to tune in below for some expert admissions advice. Also this week, Graham and Alex advise an applicant with a background in cyber-defense for the Australian Navy and use the candidate's profile to point out some important strategic advice on the role of outside activities in one's profile. And of course, tune in for some great listener emails and word of an upcoming event featuring Bain & Co and JP Morgan! This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England, and Paris, France. It was produced by the Dennis Crowley in West Philadelphia, USA. Thanks for listening!

Episode 157: Wire Taps— Am I Crazy to Turn Down HBS for Love? Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

What would you do if you and your partner weren't both accepted to all of the same MBA programs? And what if one of those non-overlap programs was Harvard Business School? Fasten your seat belts, as Alex and Graham put on their 'relationship counselor' hats this week...with potentially disastrous consequences. And that's just one of the conundrums covered in this episode of Wire Taps. Beyond love and b-school, this week's episode assesses the plans that one applicant has laid out for deferred enrollment, while also looking at the results of an accepted candidate who returns from a previous podcast feature to check on school choice between Northwestern Kellogg, NYU Stern or Yale SOM. As always, Graham and Alex weigh in on the latest happenings in the MBA admissions universe, including the outcome of the March Madness MBA employer competition, where Google was crowned champion. Please remember to tell a friend about this podcast, and to rate and review it wherever you listen. This episode was recording in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced in West Philadelphia, USA by Dennis Crowley.

Episode 156: Meet Podcaster Cassandra Pittman, CBS MBA & Former INSEAD/LBS Adcom Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Graham catches up with Cassandra Pittman, a Columbia MBA graduate and former admissions officer at INSEAD and London Business School. Cassandra is also the host and executive producer of the Power Done Differently podcast, which features conversations with powerful, passionate women from around the world. Over the course of the interview, Cassandra shares her incredibly rich perspectives on MBA admissions, empowering women in business, entrepreneurial grit, and more.

Episode 155: Wire Taps—Berkeley Haas or UCLA Anderson for Tech? Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

As the dust settles on R2 decisions, Graham and Alex report in from the frontlines, sharing a couple of really challenging dilemmas faced by accepted students. The first dilemma involves a candidate with offers from Wharton (w/$50K) and Haas (w/$160K) and goals in PE/real estate. The second features an applicant with offers at Haas (w/$50K) and UCLA (w/$160K) and goals in tech. Beyond these tough decisions, Alex and Graham explore the profiles of two early bird applicants coming from non-traditional backgrounds (homebuilding, and fashion/acting) and outline the challenges typically faced by less traditional candidates. Our hosts also break down the recently published US News & World Report MBA ranking and speculate on the Clear Admit March Madness Final Four matchups (McKinsey vs. Google, Bain vs BCG). This episode was recorded in Cornwall, England and Paris, France and produced in West Philadelphia. Please remember to tell a friend to tune in, and to rate and review the show.

Episode 154: Wire Taps—Can I Negotiate a Scholarship? Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Drained from a crazy week of R2 admissions decisions at Wharton, Kellogg, UCLA, Berkeley, Yale, UT Austin, and more - not to mention a first appearance on the Clubhouse app - Graham nearly forgets to show up to record WireTaps! The resulting episode is a bit like the podcast equivalent of an HBS 'cold call'. Thankfully, our hosts still manage to tackle some big issues including the influence of geography on GMAT/GRE testing, the curious case of an American solely targeting European b-schools, and the dilemma one candidate has of choosing between offers from USC or NYU for post-MBA goals in the music industry. Alex and Graham also weigh in on the Elite Eight from Clear Admit's post-MBA employer bracket challenge - wondering who will emerge as Google takes on Amazon, McKinsey take on Facebook, and more! This episode was recorded in Paris, France & Cornwall, England, and produced in West Philadelphia.

Episode 153: Wire Taps—March Madness, Clubhouse, & Tepper or UNC for Tech Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Reporting from the eye of the R2 results storm, Alex and Graham share exciting news of Clear Admit's presence on Clubhouse, unveil a March Madness bracket challenge (that pits post-MBA employers against each other), and carefully dissect a set of candidate profiles. Admissions tips abound, as always, including how to approach late round apps with low numbers, whether or not an Austrian in the automotive sector is aiming high enough, and where an admitted student to Carnegie Mellon and UNC should go given a goal of working in tech post-MBA. To join Clear Admit on Clubhouse, visit bit.ly/mbaclubhouse To play the March Madness bracket challenge, head to bit.ly/mba-employers

Episode 152: Wire Taps—UNC Kenan-Flagler or Indiana Kelley with Scholarship? Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

As the floodgates begin to open on R2 admissions decisions, Graham and Alex touch on some key admissions tips around navigating the waitlist (should a CBS waitlist-er retake the GRE?), the importance of logical, feasible career plans (does a Canadian applicant need to focus her goals to be more consistent with her experience to date?), and the inherent challenges in choosing a program when juggling geographic and career preferences (should an admitted student pick UNC or Kelley for strategy consulting in Chicago?). Our hosts also unveil an upcoming Clubhouse event, news of a live chat with Tuck, and, in honor of St. Patrick's day, look at some incredibly lucky R1 applicants with acceptances to 'the MBA trilogy'. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, United Kingdom, and produced in West Philadelphia, PA by Dennis Crowley.

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