The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Few business schools can match the size and scale of Columbia Business School. The school has two intakes in August and January with 750 students graduating each year. Over 450 business leaders speak on the campus annually and Columbia has 40,000 alumni around the world. Students can choose from over 17 concentrations, 100 student clubs and 200 electives. And all of this takes place in New York City, a global business hub with over 3,000 MNCs. This week I had an in-depth chat about the Columbia MBA with 5 members of the Admissions Team. We discussed what makes Columbia different from other top-ranked schools, admissions tips, living in New York, and the extensive career support available at the school. One thing is for sure: Columbia has a wealth of resources to deliver a first-class business education. Enjoy! About Our Guests (5 senior members of Columbia Business School's Admissions Team) Amanda Carlson, Assistant Dean, Admissions - Amanda got her EMBA from Columbia in 2013 and worked in campus recruitment for McKinsey before coming to Columbia. Christina Shelby, Director, Admissions - Christina has been doing Admissions for Columbia for over 7 years and got her Masters in Education from Columbia. Michael Robinson, Senior Associate Director Admissions - Michael got his MBA from Columbia in 2001 and has been with the admissions team for 12 years. Matthew Moll, Associate Director, Admissions - Matthew got his Masters in Journalism from Columbia and has been working in Columbia admissions for 7 years. He is currently pursuing his EMBA at Columbia. Anne Carnahan, Associate Director, Admissions

Dr. Dana Brown, MBA Programme Director at Said Business School, joined the show this week to discuss what makes the Oxford MBA unique and its admissions process. Being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Said is looking for students with strong academic abilities. Although they evaluate applicants holistically, Said recommends having a minimum 3.5 GPA and Dana made it very clear that the school thinks the GMAT is important. They are also looking for critical thinkers with open minds who show ambition and purpose.  Over 95% of the class international coming from over 40 countries. Said recently revamped their curriculum to focus on global threats and opportunities, entrepreneurship and more interdisciplinary studies within the wider Oxford community. They also have one-on-one executive coaching throughout the 12-month program. Said plans to grow the class from 240 to 320 by next year. Listen on for the insider's scoop as I talk to Dana about Said's culture, admissions, scholarships, careers and more! About our Guest Dr. Dana Brown is the MBA Programme Director of the MBA Programme at Said Business School, Oxford University. She got her Masters in Philosophy from Oxford and PhD at MIT before returning to Oxford to teach international business and corporate social responsibility. She also spent 3 years at Emlyon before returning to Oxford.

What's the best MBA program for supply chain management? Or entrepreneurship? Or marketing? Many applicants who come to Touch MBA for help picking schools have this exact question. One of the biggest frustrations candidates have is figuring out the key advantages of schools. As one listener wrote, "It's difficult to know which one is the best in a certain area." In this episode, Darren gives a 3-step framework for quickly and effectively researching a school's academic strengths - "The MBA Physical." Heart - the people Skeleton - the course structure Muscle - the jobs  Listen on for what key things to look for in each of these areas. You can also download the template to carry out your school research! See you next week!

Over the past year hundreds of applicants have come to Touch MBA to get profile assessments and find their best fit schools. One of the most common problems I see is weak career goals. Career goals are important – and necessary – for you to figure out your best fit schools AND to improve your chances of acceptance. In this episode, I cover 5 ways adcoms evaluate your career goals so you can make yours bulletproof. Are your career goals defined? Do your career goals reflect a sense of purpose, passion, meaning, and significance? Can adcoms connect the dots between your prior skills/experiences and post-MBA goals? Do you have convincing motivations for pursuing an MBA? Can you make a rock solid case for pursuing an MBA from the school(s) you are applying to?

Who better to learn storytelling from than a two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner for dramatic nonfiction? This week Darren uses Jon Franklin’s Writing for Story as guidance for “stalking the story” and writing MBA essays that grip and reveal. Franklin pioneered the narrative nonfiction genre, and his book is full of gems for applicants struggling with their essays. After listening to this episode, you’ll know whether you are a) telling your best stories and b) writing your essays in the most compelling way possible. According to Franklin, great stories share 4 core elements: Complication: any problem or event that complicates our lives and creates tension Development: the actions the character takes to resolve the complication Resolution: a change in the character or situation that resolves tension Character: a character who cares deeply about and puts significant effort towards resolving the complication The result? In Franklin’s words: “In the best stories, the odyssey from complication to resolution changes the character profoundly.” That’s what adcoms are after: getting to know what’s important to you and what has changed you. They are begging to hear your best stories. And that’s why their essays prompt you for complication, resolution, and action that demonstrate your character. For example, two of Insead's “motivation” essays this year are: Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.) Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.) Insead is prompting the elements of a great story: complication (i.e. describe a situation where you failed…) and resolution (i.e. tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted…). So give it to them! For “personal” or “motivation” type essays, be sure your story has a complication and a matching resolution. The action you take in between these elements shows your character and how much solving the problem means to you. So here's a checklist for finding your best stories: What are the biggest problems / obstacles you’ve faced? (complication) What you have wanted more than anything? (complication) When have you taken massive action to accomplish something? (action) When did your actions make an impact? (action) What are your proudest accomplishments? (resolution) What did you have to overcome to get there? (complication, action) What are the most important lessons you’ve learned? When have you changed the most? (resolution) And here's a checklist for evaluating your essay: Do you involve the reader in your story with a complication and create tension? Does this complication mean a lot to you? Do you take action to solve the problem? Do you resolve the complication you bring up? Did you change or grow from the experience? Knowing the core elements of great stories will help you find your best material and write stories adcoms will enjoy reading.

Ms. Christie St-John, Director of Admissions, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, joined the show to discuss the Vanderbilt MBA. The program is focused on giving students a high-touch and flexible education that will prepare them well for internships and job placement success Vanderbilt's medical, law and education programs are also highly ranked and Owen encourages its MBA students to study across disciplines. Nashville is the epicenter of the US healthcare industry, and Vanderbilt is one of the few business schools in the country to offer a Healthcare MBA. Owen is focused on attracting the best students and award 70% of their students with scholarship funding based on merit. Christie makes it very clear that school takes a counseling approach in order to admit students who will succeed - and the school's rising rankings and excellent job placement stats attest that her team has done so. Christie also expands on Owen's focus on leadership development, human organizational performance, its student culture, and of course, admissions. She has held leadership positions in admissions for Vanderbilt and Tuck for nearly 2 decades and gives great tips on how to present yourself in your essays and interviews - and on how to increase your scholarship chances. Listen on for the insider's scoop...

Carlson MBA Director of Admissions Linh Gilles joined the show this week and we had a great chat about Carlson's focus on experiential learning, the benefits of attending a smaller MBA program in Minneapolis, and how to give yourself the best chance for admissions. We discuss Carlson's Enterprise program, where students work directly with corporate clients (many of them Fortune 500s) in a consulting capacity over 15-months in 4 areas: branding and marketing, management consulting, new business ventures, and funds investments. By the time students graduate, they'll have a lot more work experience to showcase to employers. Carlson has a strong reputation in information systems, health care & the medical industry, and entrepreneurship, along with the core business functions. The school benefits from its proximity to Minneapolis' thriving business community, which is home to 19 of the Fortune 500 companies. Definitely pay special attention to the admissions section of our talk. Linh's shares a wealth of admissions tips that could help you get in to not just Carlson, but other smaller, hi touch programs that emphasize fit. Enjoy!

What is it like to be an MBA student at UCLA Anderson School of Management? My good friend Mark Zee, a second year student at Anderson, joined the show to discuss his experience at UCLA. Mark is truly a non-traditional candidate, graduating from Princeton University in 2003, acting in Asia for 6 years, starting an import/export business in Singapore, and then working in educational consulting and finance in Houston, Texas before applying to business school in 2012. Mark shares how he tied all this experience together - and linked them to congruent career goals - in only a few essays. In this episode, Mark and I discuss: Why Mark chose UCLA Anderson Application advice to non-traditional & older candidates The importance of professional clubs at Anderson & how Mark found his entertainment internship Mark's take on Anderson's culture - "a school is only as good as its students" Hot industries and career opportunities for Anderson students

How would you like to grab coffee with one of the world's most experienced MBA admissions consultants and pick his brain on what makes a successful application? This week I asked Paul Bodine, author of Great Applications for Business School, and owner of Paul Bodine Admissions Consulting, about his best advice to clients and admissions trends. Paul has helped hundreds of candidates since 1997 get into the likes of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. This is a conversation you don't want to miss! In this episode you'll learn: The 3 pillars of a successful application (which stand the test of time) Why you must make sure your goals are organic to what you've done The importance of authenticity in your application - and how to achieve this Recent application and admissions trends Paul's strategic and tactical advice to clients on what to do with less essays Tips to ace group interviews and multimedia essays

Are you struggling with post-MBA career goals in your application? Top business schools are looking for well-researched and realistic career goals. But exactly how can you do this? Especially when you're strapped for time? Steve Dalton, Senior Associate Director of the Career Management Center at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and author of the 2 Hour Job Search, joined the show this week to share his systematic formula to efficiently and effectively target potential employers and secure the first interview. Steve has delivered 2 Hour Job Search workshops to over 20 business schools, and his process is now part of the Fuqua MBA curriculum. I am a huge fan of the book and think it's a must read for not only MBAs, but MBA applicants as well. You'll also get a sneak peek of the strategic and tactical career guidance you'll get at a bschool like Fuqua. In this episode you'll learn: How to rig the job search in your favor and avoid artificial desperationHow to generate a list of 40 target employers in 40 minutesThe 3 pieces of data that are both easy to find and predictive of job search successSteve's LAMP method for prioritizing which employers to targetWhy systematically building internal referrals at your target employers is the key to securing interviews in the online eraHow to focus on "boosters" (people willing to help) vs. "obligates" or "curmudgeons"How to prepare for informational interviews - whether for job searches or MBA programsHow to answer common interview questions like "Tell me about yourself" and "Why this MBA program?"The TIARA framework to systematically build likeability with strangersWhat Steve advises Fuqua MBAs to succeed in their job searchesAnd much, much more... Don't miss this episode if you're planning your post-MBA career goals or looking to change jobs.

Most of the top-ranked business schools in Asia are in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. But what if you can't afford to leave your job or city to pursue your MBA? IE Business School and Singapore Management University (SMU) have teamed up to help such professionals in South East Asia and launched a 10-month blended MBA, which combines residential segments in Singapore and Madrid with weekly online classes and forum discussions. Most people (including myself) consider "online MBAs" a way for business schools to scale and make more money. But after speaking to Dr. Gregor Halff, Associate Dean of General Management Programs at SMU, and Dr. Lieven Demeester, IE-SMU MBA Academic Director, I learned that students can expect as much - if not more - time spent with professors than in a traditional face-to-face MBA format. Gregor calls this small-group learning supported by technology; the expected class size is 30 students. Graduates are awarded a joint-degree from IE and SMU and get access to both schools' alumni networks and career services. At 74,900 SGD, the tuition is 20% more than SMU's MBA program, but also 30% less than IE's MBA program. Students take 18 core courses, 3 courses focused on management in Asia, and must complete a real-world 10-month consulting project with teammates. Listen on for the insider's scoop on this new program... Darren's take: this blended program is ideal for professionals in SE Asia who a) don't want to leave their job and b) want get a high-touch, top-tier joint MBA degree in just 10 months.

Are there really more MBA job opportunities in Hong Kong and China? How has the market changed and what are employers looking for? This week I sat down with Marjorie Chang, Director of CUHK's Career Management Centre, to separate fact from fiction. Listen on to get an "on the ground" picture of the job market in Hong Kong and China. You'll also get insight into how MBA admissions evaluates your post-MBA career goals

Ms. Lisa Piguet, Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at IMD, joins the show this week and generously shares her advice on IMD's accelerated 11-month program, the admissions process and more... Interesting things I learned about IMD: IMD is focused on leadership and general management; over 80% of graduates go into industry Only 90 students are admitted each year from ~40 countries, and the average work experience is 7 years There's a 2:1 student to faculty ratio To help develop self-awareness, each student gets 20 sessions with a licensed psychologist New MBA program director Ralph Boscheck is pushing to get MBAs more exposure to IMD's 9,000 Executive Education participants Instead of an interview, IMD applicants participate in an assessment day which includes a 1-1 interview with admissions, 5-minute impromptu presentation on a mini-case, lunch with IMD student, and case study class with Professor IMD is based in Lausanne, which is centrally located in Europe, and has over 350 MNCs (!) The IMD MBA in a Tweet: "The skills to know, the confidence to act, the humility to lead." Darren's take: If you're looking for more experienced and international classmates, to transition to a general management role in industry, and to maximize your ROI, consider IMD.

Mr. Praveen Muruganandan, Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Schulich School of Business, joined the show to share more about the Schulich MBA, located in Toronto, Canada. We had a revealing chat about Schulich's unique points and what the school is looking for during the admissions process. Interesting things I learned about the Schulich MBA: The Schulich MBA is flexible and customizable. Students can start in January or September, and finish in 16 or 20 months. Students can choose from over 150 electives and 19 specializations. Most grads end up working in Finance, Marketing and Strategy. The Strategy Field Study is the capstone of Schulich MBA experience; groups of 7-8 students help an organization with its strategy over 6-7 months. Schulich also has an International MBA (IMBA) program, which requires students to work abroad and to speak 2 languages. There are 30-40 students per cohort. Toronto is the 4th biggest city in North America and 45% of its residents are international. Graduates from Schulich get a 3-year postgraduate work permit. It typically takes around 2 years to get permanent residence in Canada. Attending a top Canadian b-school would be a great transition to working and living in North America.[/ulist] The Schulich MBA in 3 words: global, innovative, diverse.  Darren's take: if you're looking for a comprehensive and top-tier global program in Toronto, the financial center of Canada, you should consider the Schulich MBA.

Professor Elaine Ferneley, MBA Director at Manchester Business School, joined the show to share more about the Manchester MBA, located in Manchester, UK, and give us an inside look into the admissions process. Interesting things I learned about the Manchester MBA: - They don't call it "practice based" learning for nothing. Manchester MBAs are required to do 3 live consultancy projects -  requiring over 600 client facing hours - over the 18 month program. The first consulting project starts on Day 2!  Students are often working for companies 3.5 days during the week. This way all students get substantial experience working for big name companies before they graduate - and many end up with jobs at these organizations. - Manchester also has its own admissions test, which includes a psychometric evaluation of applicant's personality. Could this be a future trend in MBA admissions? - Elaine made it very clear that the adcom places a strong focus on interpersonal skills in the application - so be sure to prepare for the interview.  Manchester puts its students in front of companies on Day 2, so your soft skills have to be strong from the start. - The school has the top ranked accounting/finance group in the UK. - Manchester is the largest provider of transnational MBA education in the world, delivering its MBA program in the UK, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Miami and Sao Paolo. - The Manchester MBA in a Tweet: practice-based learning, a good life and good fun! Darren's take: if you want to get multiple and intensive real-world consulting experience during your Full-time MBA, you should consider the Manchester MBA. Listen on for the insider's scoop...