Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast
Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast
Clear Admit
The Leading Independent Resource for Top-tier MBA Candidates
MBA Wire Taps 499: Chemical engineer to Consulting. Founder, low numbers. 322 GRE, Software engineer
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. While activity for this season is winding down, we do still anticipate a little more waitlist movement in the weeks ahead. For upcoming events, Clear Admit is also hosting a special webinar event for international students, scheduled for July 16, at 10AM Central European time. This webinar will explore the value of a U.S.-based MBA for international students, as well as the logistics of moving to the United States, getting a student visa, and staying for post-MBA employment. Clear Admit’s MBA Essay Workshop series, which has now expanded to five events, is scheduled for July 21, 22 and 23, and July 28 and 29. These events will bring together an increasing number of the top MBA programs to discuss both their written essay prompts as well as their video essays. Signups for all events are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted Clear Admit’s weekly refresh series, which tracks the top MBA programs’ announcements related to the upcoming admissions season. We then discussed an admissions tip that focuses on the impact of volunteer experience on the MBA admissions process. Clear Admit continues its Adcom Q&A series. This week Graham noted Q&As from Harvard Business School, Georgetown / McDonough and UNC / Kenan Flagler. Finally, Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on an alumnus from Yale, working at Pepsi Co. 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 chemical engineer by training, and wants to use the MBA to pivot to consulting. This week’s second MBA applicant appears to have strong founder experience. We worry about the combination of their undergraduate record and their lower test score. This week’s final MBA candidate is a software engineer from India. They have a 322 GRE. We think it makes sense to try to improve that score. 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!
Jul 6
39 min
MBA Wire Taps 498: 330 GRE, from South Asia. No test score, should they waive? Sloan vs Columbia and Booth
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. While activity for this season is winding down, UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release their deferred admissions decisions this upcoming week. We do still anticipate a little more waitlist movement in the weeks ahead. Graham noted that the MBA Essay Workshop series has expanded to five events, scheduled for July 21, 22 and 23, and July 28 and 29. These events will bring together an increasing number of the top MBA programs to discuss both their written essay prompts as well as their video essays. Clear Admit is also hosting a special webinar event for international students, scheduled for July 16, at 10AM Central European time. This webinar will explore the value of a U.S.-based MBA for international students, as well as the logistics of moving to the United States. Signups for all events are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted two MBA news stories from this past week. Geoffrey Garrett at USC / Marshall is stepping down from his role as Dean, with Andrew Call taking the helm as interim.  In a similar vein, UVA / Darden announced the appointment of Yael Grushka-Cockayne as the next dean. Graham also shared an admissions tip that Clear Admit recently published focused on the importance of a candidate’s career goals, and a recently published review of MBA Alumni in Consulting and how they value the MBA. Clear Admit continues its Adcom Q&A series. This week Graham noted Q&As from Northwestern / Kellogg, CMU / Tepper and Cambridge / Judge. Finally, Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on two alumni: Owen / LEK Consulting and Tuck / BCG. 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 founder experience and is also a director of operations. They have a GRE score of 330. This week’s second MBA applicant has a strong academic record and a very decent looking professional pathway. We discuss whether they should waive the test. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between Sloan, Columbia and Booth. They are a deferred admissions candidate. 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!
Jun 29
37 min
MBA Wire Taps 497: Brazilian at Big 4. Indian Army Officer. Darden vs Yale and Tuck.
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. While activity for this season is winding down, HBS and Chicago / Booth are scheduled to release their deferred admissions decisions, this upcoming week. We do still anticipate a little more waitlist movement in the weeks ahead. Graham noted that Clear Admit is planning its MBA Essay Workshop events series that is scheduled for July 21 and 22, and July 28 and 29. These events will bring together the majority of the top MBA programs to discuss both their written essay prompts as well as their video essays. Clear Admit is also hosting a special webinar event for international students, scheduled for July 16. This webinar will explore the value of a U.S. based MBA for international students, as well as the logistics of moving to the United States. Signups for all events are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted three MBA news stories from this past week. UNC / Kenan Flagler opened a new building for its business school. Emory / Goizueta has installed a new dean. GMAC is rolling out a mechanism which allows applicants to share a test score that combines their best efforts on the different sections of the test, from multiple tests. Graham also shared two admissions tips that Clear Admit recently published. The first focuses on the importance of the b-school campus environment, when considering target programs. The second details how to address employment gaps. Clear Admit has begun its Adcom Q&A series for this upcoming season. This week Graham noted Q&As from Emory / Goizueta, ASU / Carey and CIEBS. Finally, Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on three alumni: Tuck / Goldman Sachs, Yale / Bain and IMD / Amazon. 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 Brazil and wants to pivot from Big 4 to MBB consulting. They still need to take the GMAT. This week’s second MBA applicant is from India and has a 334 GRE score. They have military experience. They need to further develop their post MBA goals. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between Darden, Tuck and Yale. They are targeting MBB 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!
Jun 22
40 min
MBA Wire Taps 496: Second MBA, from India. Bangladeshi banker. Booth and Fuqua.
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see a few MBA programs release their final decisions, and candidates reporting their admissions from waitlists. We do still anticipate some more waitlist movement in the weeks ahead. Graham noted that Clear Admit is planning its MBA Essay Workshop events series that is scheduled for July 21 and 22, and July 28 and 29. These events will bring together the majority of the top MBA programs to discuss both their written essay prompts as well as their video essays. Early signups are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham noted his presence in Philadelphia this week (the week prior to the airing of the show) as he prepares to present a workshop at the annual GMAC conference. Graham also highlighted a Fridays from the Frontline featuring a student from LBS who spent a week in Austin Texas, as part of LBS’s global experience program. Clear Admit also featured a story of two students at Johns Hopkins / Carey, who created a startup at the intersection of health care and AI. Finally, Graham highlighted the return of the Weekly Refresh series which updates admissions candidates on the latest admissions deadlines and essay topics from all the top MBA programs. 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 already has an MBA from India. They are an engineering undergraduate who has worked in the insurance industry. This week’s second MBA applicant is from Bangladesh and works in corporate banking. They have a 655 GMAT score. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between Booth and Fuqua. They want to transition into consulting. 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!
Jun 15
29 min
MBA Wire Taps 495: 335 GRE, Real Estate. 8.65 GPA, from India. Stern vs Johnson
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see a few MBA programs release their final decisions, and candidates reporting their admissions from waitlists. We anticipate more waitlist movement in the weeks ahead. Graham noted that Clear Admit is planning its MBA Essay Workshop events series that is scheduled for July. These events will bring together the majority of the top MBA programs to discuss both their written essay prompts as well as their video essays. Early signups are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted a Fridays from the Frontline feature from a Haas student who discusses their recently launched AI Activation Playbook concept. Graham also noted a new admissions tip which focuses on identifying the right MBA programs to target. This led to a discussion on the Admissions Academy series, as well as the usefulness of the Clear Admit admissions bot, for helping identify MBA programs based on a candidate's resume. Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on three alumni: from Johnson / BCG, Fuqua / JP Morgan and Kellogg / Bain. 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 GRE of 335, and a strong career record in real estate. We think they should aim high. This week’s second MBA applicant has a strong GPA of 8.65, from India. They work in consulting. We would like them to develop a more robust long-term goal. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between Johnson and Stern. They want investment banking in New York City. 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!
Jun 8
38 min
MBA Wire Taps 494: Indian applicant, 337 GRE. Veteran, 715 GMAT. McDonough vs Anderson.
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see MBA programs release their final decisions. This upcoming week, USC / Marshall, CMU / Tepper, London Business School, Arizona / Carey, Georgia / Terry and Georgia Tech / Scheller are releasing final decisions. Graham highlighted a Fridays from the Frontline feature from a Stern student discussing their super experience with Stern’s Endless Frontier Labs program. This was then followed by a deep-dive career reports piece focused on the consulting industry for MBA graduates. Graham also noted a new admissions tip which focuses on classes that might be worth considering before starting an MBA. Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on three alumni: McCombs / Pepsi, IESE / Accenture and Owen / Bain. 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 India, and works at Bain.  They also have links to family firm focused on pharmaceuticals. They have a 337 GRE score. This week’s second MBA applicant is a veteran who has a 715 GMAT score and a 3.76 GPA from an Ivy League university. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between McDonough and 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!
Jun 1
36 min
MBA Wire Taps 493: Indian engineer, 725 GMAT. Full-time vs Part-time. Stern vs Sloan
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see MBA programs release their final decisions. This upcoming week, Stanford, Ohio State / Fisher and SMU / Cox are releasing final decisions. A few MBA programs are also continuing to their next admissions rounds, including Rice / Jones. Graham noted that Clear Admit is continuing its MBA application overview events this week with the final two events, on May 26 and 27. Again, the majority of the leading MBA programs participate in these valuable events, including UPenn / Wharton, Columbia, Virginia / Darden, LBS, INSEAD, and Michigan / Ross this week. Signups are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted a Fridays from the Frontline feature from a student at Duke / Fuqua, and a recently published article on a $50 million gift to John’s Hopkins / Carey Business School.  He also commented on some changes to the curriculum at IESE, where AI has been embedded across all disciplines. Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on three alumni: HBS / Microsoft, Wharton / OpenAI and Yale / Twitch. 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 India, is an engineer with a 725 GMAT score. This week’s second MBA applicant is deciding between applying for a full-time MBA program, part-time program, or staying at work. This week’s final MBA candidate is deciding between offers from NYU Stern and MIT Sloan. 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!
May 25
38 min
MBA Wire Taps 492: Vietnam to Europe. Darden vs Johnson. Stern vs Ross
In this week’s episode we began by discussing Clear Admit’s events hosted in Atlanta. The annual MBA admissions fair, which included the majority of the top US-based MBA programs, also included several panel discussions. A great way to kick off the new admissions season. Graham then noted that Clear Admit is hosting several MBA application overview events in May, on May 19 and 20, this upcoming week, followed by events on May 26 and 27. Again, the majority of the leading MBA programs participate in these valuable events. Signups are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham highlighted a new Clear Admit careers deep-dive piece that explores the reasons why the top MBA programs on the West Coast have been graduating more candidates into the tech sector. Graham also highlighted a new Dean at McCombs, who appears to have a very impressive resume. Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on three alumni IMD / BCG, Judge / Bain and Tuck / Amazon. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from Vietnam and seeking an MBA in Europe, focused on finance. This week’s second MBA applicant is deciding between Johnson, Darden and Ross, among other options. This week’s final MBA candidate is seeking a career in New York City in investment banking. They have offers from Ross, Johnson and Stern. 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!
May 18
35 min
MBA Wire Taps 491: Airlines to consulting. Startup experience, 685 GMAT. Engineer to banking
In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the current state of the MBA admissions season. We are continuing to see MBA programs release their final decisions. This upcoming week, UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, Georgetown / McDonough, Boston College / Caroll, Yale SOM, MIT / Sloan, UCLA / Anderson, Washington / Foster and Washington / Olin are releasing final decisions. A few MBA programs are also continuing to their next admissions rounds, including Toronto / Rotman, Boston College / Carroll and Vanderbilt / Owen. Graham noted that Clear Admit is hosting several Application overview events in May, on May 19 and 20, and May 26 and 27. Signups for these events are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/events Graham continued with the Real Humans Alumni series. This week focuses on four alumni from Mendoza / JP Morgan, LBS / Decisional AI, HEC / CarbonFarm and Kellogg / Amazon. Graham also highlighted new hires in leadership roles at Haas and Tepper. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected one LiveWire entry and two ApplyWire entries. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate works in the airline industry and is seeking an MBA to transition into consulting, in the south. This week’s second MBA applicant has startup experience in the fintech space and has a 685 GMAT score. This week’s final MBA candidate is a machine learning engineer for a bulge bracket bank. They want to use the MBA to transition to investment banking. 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!
May 11
34 min
Episode 490: From Classroom to Career–Experiential Learning at SMU Cox
Take a deeper dive into the student experience at the SMU Cox School of Business in this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. Joseph Cahoon, Director, Folsom Institute for Real Estate at SMU Cox, joins host Graham Richmond to delve into the student experience with a focus on experiential learning, leadership development, and career readiness across SMU Cox graduate programs.
May 6
30 min
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