The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Inspired by the Harvard Business Review article Experience Doesn’t Predict a New Hire’s Success, Darren shares how you can demonstrate you're a great fit for your target MBA programs - or your next employer - even if you're short on experience. If you feel like you lack relevant work experience for the MBA, this episode is for you. Show Notes Experience Doesn’t Predict a New Hire’s Success (Harvard Business Review) Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/experience-does-not-equal-performance/

Sachin Tipnis, Senior Executive Director of HKU's MBA, EMBA & 6 specialized Masters programs discusses the Hong Kong protests, curriculum changes, admissions, and picking the right Masters program for your career goals. The Hong Kong Protests - How Has this Affected Students? (2:45) Curriculum, Admissions and Career Services Updates with the HKU MBA (17:30) Full-time MBA vs. Specialized Masters vs. EMBA - Which Should You Choose (45:15) HKU MBA Highlights (last updated Jan 2020) 12-months, Fall intake, 55-60 students/year Typical Class: 5-6 years work exp / ~15 nationalities / 640 GMAT Has 3 tracks: the London track, the New York track, and the Hong Kong/China track. After finishing 9 months of core courses at HKU, students can study at Columbia University in New York, London Business School in London, or Fudan University in Shanghai for one semester HKU has 2 rounds of interviews. The first is similar to a job interview; those that pass the first round may be required to give a presentation in the second round Graduates get a 1-year visa to stay in Hong Kong and find a job post-graduation Placement, Class of 2018: 83% w/job offers w/in 3 months, $82,551 USD avg post MBA salary (Economist MBA Ranking 2019) Top Destinations, Class of 2017 & 2018: 47% Hong Kong / 21% Other Regions of Asia / 13% Mainland China / 9% Americas / 7% India / 3% Europe Top Industries, Class of 2018: 36% Financial Services, Insurance / 12% Consumer Goods, Retail / 6% IT, Telecommunications Top Functions, Class of 2017 & 2018: 29% Finance, Audit, Accounting / 27% Consulting, Strategy / 21% Marketing, Branding, Business Development / 10% General Management Ranked #1 Asian Business School by Economist for 9 straight years About Our Guest Sachin Tipnis is the Senior Executive Director of MBA, EMBA Global Asia (joint Executive MBA Degree with Columbia and London Business School), and six specialized Master Programmes at the University of Hong Kong. Sachin was part of HKU's first graduating MBA class and has worked for over a decade developing the HKU MBA. Sachin worked in branding and marketing communications for 7 years before working in higher education. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/hku-mba-whats-up-in-2020  

Gregory Wool, Cornell Johnson MBA '21, scored below average on the quantitative section of the GMAT. How did he overcome this score to not only get into Cornell Johnson, but win a prestigious tuition free scholarship? Gregory also shares his experience surviving a packed first semester, leading the student consulting club, and recruiting into strategy consulting. Questions Gregory's application and GMAT journey (4:40) What Gregory did to overcome his low quant score (8:50) Gregory's experience with Cornell's L.E.A.D. admissions event (12:45) Gregory's career goals and how they affected his MBA search (18:50) Winning a Roy H. Park Leadership Fellowship (22:40) The importance of speaking to current students (24:30) Surviving first semester FOMO and coursework (26:50) Becoming an officer at Johnson Consulting club (32:12) Recruiting into consulting: clubs, case competitions, career working groups, and live consulting projects (36:15) Social life at Cornell Johnson (48:00) Being an older MBA candidate (54:00) Cornell's Present Value Podcast (58:16) About Gregory Gregory Wool worked as a Director of Operations at two boutique resorts before attending the Cornell Johnson MBA, where he is a first year MBA candidate and Roy H. Park Leadership Fellow. Gregory is also President of the Johnson Consulting Club, and Producer of the Present Value Podcast. Gregory got a Bachelors in Fine Arts in Dramatic Performance from the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/quantless-in-cornell-gregory-wool

Around half of Insead MBA graduates end up working in consulting each year. Darren invites Massine Bouzerar, Insead MBA '19J, to share how he landed a job with Bain & Company AND made the most of his ten months at Insead's Fontainebleau campus. Questions Massine’s overview of management consulting recruiting at Insead (4:35) Differentiating yourself from thousands of other MBA students applying to consulting firms (7:55) How Massine's career plans evolved at Insead (10:30) Work visas in Europe for non-Europeans (12:35) How Massine explored consulting offices worldwide (14:46) What helped Massine prepare for recruiting in management consulting (18:00) The culture of recruiting at Insead (20:55) Student clubs and recruiting (24:10) Recruiting for non-consulting jobs (26:00) Dealing with FOMO in a 1-year program (29:20) Making connections at Insead (31:40) Academics at Insead (32:55) Massine's takeaways from his MBA experience (40:23) Outsead, Insead's LGBTQ+ student club (44:20) Dating at Insead (47:56) Massine's final thoughts (51:00) About Massine Massine Bouzerar worked as a product manager and e-commerce strategist in Canada before attending the Insead MBA. Massine served as President of Outsead, Insead's LGBT+ student club, and as the academic representative for his section. He currently is an Associate for Bain & Company in Brussels. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/management-consulting-student-life-insead-massine-bouzerar  

Gary Lo, Managing Director of Glo Consulting and former Head of Admissions for the HKUST MBA, shares three questions to ask before you make a career move - MBA included. Aside from working for 10 different companies in 7 industries, Gary has counseled hundreds of MBAs and professionals as a career coach, so don't miss this episode if you're thinking about making a career move. Questions Gary's three questions to ask before you make a career move (3:10) Is following your passion practical? (13:50) Why Gary believes 10-15 years a good long-term planning period (23:04) The power song exercise (26:55) Applying Gary's framework to the MBA: what should more MBA applicants consider before applying? (30:08) How MBA recruiting has changed (39:25) Gary's questions to help MBA students breakthrough career planning paralysis (42:20) Building your personal brand (46:20) About Gary Gary Lo is a seasoned trainer with extensive corporate experience. He spent most of his career working at Fortune 500 companies including LVMH, Apple, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Nestle, with a scope covering the Greater China & APAC region. He was the former Head of Marketing & Admissions for the HKUST MBA Programs, and now serves as a Guest Lecturer for the HKU SPACE Institute for China Business and Nielsen University. He is also an appointed career coach for top Universities in the region, where he has trained hundreds of MBA and Masters students, professionals and corporate executives from all around the world. Gary holds an MBA degree from the HKUST Business School. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/three-questions-to-ask-before-you-make-a-career-move-gary-lo  

Darren recently attended a panel "Preparing Your Application: Advice from MBA Admissions Directors” at the MBA Tour in Ho Chi Minh. In this episode, he unpacks the application advice given by five admissions directors. Why should you get an MBA? (3:16) What type of experience are top business schools looking for? (7:20) How can you assess school fit? (10:12) What are your top essay tips? (13:00) What are your top interview tips? (16:37) Admissions Directors on MBA Tour Panel (August 2019) John-Derek (J.D.) Clarke, Ivey Business School Kylie Stewart, Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business Gulnura Rakhyshova, Asia School of Business Jessica Morgan, Schulich School of Business John Lee, UCLA Anderson School of Management Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/five-takeaways-mba-tour-panel-ho-chi-minh-preparing-your-application-advice-from-admissions-directors

Cristian Molina Cornejo, Tuck MBA '21, shares how MBA applicants can take advantage of two programs that champion diversity and inclusion: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium. Cristian also gives his best application tips after getting into four out of five top 20 US MBA programs. Questions Cristian's background (3:20) What you need to know about MLT (14:25) What you need to know about Consortium (26:00) MLT's Professional Development program and its network (30:55) How to make the most out of MLT and Consortium (40:50) Cristian's best application tips after getting into four top schools (45:10) Cristian's thoughts on Tuck (52:50) About Cristian Cristian is a first year MBA at the Tuck School of Business. Prior to starting his MBA, Cristian graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Economics, and worked for Energeia, a research and advisory firm in energy technology and electronics. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/management-leadership-for-tomorrow-consortium-what-you-need-to-know

Hailing from Nigeria and having never visited the US, how did Ikechukwu Edeagu shortlist and apply to MBA programs? And what was his process for navigating internships and the job search as an international student? Listen to get a real-time, inside look into one international student's MBA experience at UNC Kenan Flagler. Questions Ike's background (3:53) How Ike shortlisted business schools  (8:02) Ike's application tips for international students (14:20) Ike's thoughts on financing your MBA (22:20) How Ike secured his internship and job with Microsoft (25:08) Ike's recommended resources and research process for your MBA job search (44:30) The importance of soft skills in building relationships and careers in the US (53:55) Ike thoughts on the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA experience and culture (1:00:00) Ike's final recommendations to applicants (1:11:30) About our Guest Ikechukwu Edeagu graduated from the UNC MBA with a double concentration in Capital Markets and Investments and Corporate Finance. Prior to starting his MBA, Ike worked in KPMG's Risk Consulting practice in Lagos, Nigeria. Ikechukwu is currently working as a Finance Manager, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence for Microsoft in Seattle.  Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/the-us-mba-experience-as-an-international-student-ikechukwu-edeagu-unc-mba

Do you feel like your MBA story is a bit bland? Or uninspiring compared to the applicant profiles you see online? What if you haven't overcome insurmountable odds or accomplished something amazing? Darren explores the possibilities of kishōtenketsu - a four act story structure used by Japanese and Chinese writers for centuries. What makes this story structure interesting is that it relies on contrast - not conflict - to generate interest. Kishōtenketsu in 4 acts: Ki (start) Shō (development) Ten (twist) Ketsu (conclusion) Listen on for ways you can use this Eastern story structure to keep admissions officers' attention AND demonstrate your self-awareness. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/kishotenketsu

Dr. Christoph Schneider, Associate Director of MBA Programme and Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems, City University Hong Kong, discusses what makes the City U Hong Kong MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (4:06) | Admissions (18:30) | Scholarships (33:58) | Careers (36:38) About Our Guest Christoph Schneider is the Associate Director of the MBA Programme at City University Hong Kong, where he has also been Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems for over a decade. Christoph has published in premier business journals as well as best-selling textbooks on management information systems and project management. Christoph got his PhD in Business Administration - Management Information Systems from Washington State University. What is unique about the City U Hong Kong MBA? What are its key advantages? 1-year program includes study trips to Silicon Valley (UC Berkeley), London (Imperial College) and an Asian country for a consulting project Offers (5 concentrations: Accounting, Finance, Information Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management The business mentoring programme matches students to 25+ MBA mentors according to their  backgrounds, experiences and interests; During a 6-month period, mentors and students meet through events, workshops, and 1-1s City U Hong Kong was ranked the #4 university for Economics and Business in Asia by US News and World Report (2019) and placed #55 worldwide by QS' World University Rankings (2019) Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/city-university-hong-kong-mba-program-admissions-interview-christoph-schneider

Darren invites Susan Bertulli, Director, MBA Career Management at Ivey Business School at Western University to discuss MBA employment reports. First, why and how are MBA employment reports produced? Then, what should you look for? Which employment figures and statistics matter? How can you use them to shortlist b-schools and plan your career? The Ivey MBA has been ranked #1 in Canada for five years running by Bloomberg Businessweek for both student and recruiter satisfaction, so don't miss this inside look into how a top MBA career services team produces their employment report. Questions Susan's background (5:00) The role of MBA career services (6:55) The challenges of MBA career management in a 1-year MBA program (9:12) What applicants should look for from MBA career management teams (12:16) The context surrounding MBA employment reports (14:30) The challenges of producing an annual employment report (18:00) Key figures for applicants to focus on (20:43) How applicants can approach career services with employment statistics questions (26:15) Does a business school's size affect diversity of industry recruiters? (30:17) Understanding a school's list of recruiting firms (34:00) How should applicants use employment reports to shortlist b-schools (39:40) How applicants can show employability in MBA interviews (42:30) MBA Career services: expectations vs reality (44:47) Actions of students & alumni that succeed in their career search (48:00) Have employers' criteria changed for MBAs? (50:20) Susan's recommended resources for career planning (53:05) About our Guest Susan Bertulli is Director, MBA Career Management at Ivey Business School at Western University, where she manages student engagement in career planning, from admissions through to job employment. Over her 10+ years with Ivey, MBAs have achieved 90% placement with over 90% of the students reporting on their success. Susan also serves on several boards including the Dorchester Minor Hockey Association and St. Peter’s Anglican Church. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/behind-the-scenes-mba-employment-report  

Betsy Kacizak, Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment, and Brad Chandler, Director, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business of University Wisconsin-Madison, discuss what makes the Wisconsin MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (10:45) | Admissions (29:56) | Scholarships (45:32) | Careers (49:08 About Our Guests Betsy Kacizakis the Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Betsy excels at walking you through the admissions process, including helping guide you toward the specialization that best fits your passions and career aspirations. She has expertise as a leader in the field of graduate admissions. She has worked for the Wisconsin School of Business for 11 years and worked for seven years at Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Brad Chandleris the Director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business. At the Nicholas Center, Brad is responsible for both administering the Center's specialized programming focused on MBA and undergraduate students and teaching a number of its core courses. Prior to joining the Nicholas Center in 2017, Brad was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley in New York City. While at Morgan Stanley, Brad advised corporate and private equity clients on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism and defense, leveraged buyouts, debt and equity financings, restructurings, and fund-level financings. Brad successfully executed over 55 transactions representing over $225 billion in transaction value. Representative transactions include advising Dow on its merger with DuPont, advising Axiall on its hostile defense against Westlake Corporation, advising Agrium on its proxy contest victory over JANA Partners, advising Dresser Rand on its sale to Siemens AG, the Trinseo and Sensata IPOs, and numerous financings for Bain Capital, Advent Capital Management, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, CF Industries, and Eastman Chemical. What is unique about the Wisconsin MBA? What are its key advantages? The Wisconsin MBA asks applicants to select from 10 career specializations at the time they apply: Brand and Product Management, Marketing Research, Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, Applied Security Analysis, Real Estate and Risk Management and Insurance, Operations and Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Arts Administration Wisconsin MBAs start taking courses and doing applied learning related to their specialization from very first semester Center Directors running Wisconsin's 10 specializations play a big role in admissions, curriculum design and career advising, as they connect students to alumni, recruiters and thought leaders in the space Wisconsin offers a tailored and customized approach to 80 students Wisconsin was one of 3 founding members of the Consortium in 1966 Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/wisconsin-mba-program-admissions-interview-betsy-kacizak-brad-chandler 

Guest Host Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross MBA '19, invites her section-mate Sheela Lal to share her experience applying for internships, founding DrunkShrub and securing a full-time job post-graduation. Listen to get a real-time, inside look into the MBA experience at a top b-school like Ross. Questions Sheela's background and reasons for getting an MBA (0:47) Sheela's approach to landing an internship (7:20) Sheela founds DrunkShrub (10:33) How Sheela took advantage of Ross' resources to further her business (14:43) How Sheela navigated running DrunkShrub and looking for full-time employment in consulting and government affairs (19:30) Sheela's advice to applicants about applying to business school and entrepreneurship (23:55) About our Guest Host Sabaina Kamara is currently an MBA student at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Prior to starting her MBA, Sabaina worked in as an HR Analyst at a management and employment law firm, focusing on HR compliance for diversity and inclusion. Sabaina will work in consulting for Deloitte Strategy & Operations in New York City after she graduates. About Our Guest Sheela comes across as someone who knows a lot, but really, she's just incredibly good at regurgitating things she's heard on any of the 30 podcasts she listens to. Her current favorites are Detroit Today, Splendid Kitchen, and The Foreign Desk, which reflect her long term interests - in-depth state government engagement, food science and chemistry, and lastly, very sassy international news analysis. Sheela has worked in Missouri politics on and off for 10 years, between congressional and local campaigns, the state house, and at Progress Missouri (a cousin to Progress Michigan). She founded Drunk Shrub, an alternative social beverage company, this summer, and worked in Sri Lanka and India for two years before returning to Missouri. She's found business school to be a surprisingly liberating experience - with very few expectations of appropriate post-graduation steps, she's free to explore her creative side. Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/starting-a-business-during-your-mba-sheela-lal-michigan-ross-mba

Sean Ferguson, Associate Dean and Director of MBA Program for the Asia School of Business (ASB), discusses what makes the ASB MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (2:28) | Admissions (24:47) | Scholarships (40:20) | Careers (47:15) About Our Guest Sean Ferguson is the Associate Dean and Director of MBA Program for the Asia School of Business. Prior to joining ASB, Sean was Associate Dean of Masters Programmes at HKUST Business School and Assistant Dean of Degree Programmes at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. He worked at PROS, Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young, and Procter & Gamble before entering business education. Sean got his MBA from Rice University. What is relatively unique about the ASB MBA? What are its key advantages? ASB was established in 2015, a collaboration between Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysia's central bank) and MIT Sloan School of Management Action Learning at ASB is a core (non-optional) course in each of the five different academic terms of the 20-month ASB MBA program. By the time students graduate, they will experience 5 different business challenges with possibly 5 different host companies, in potentially 5 different countries 1 week long industry treks to US and China 1 month immersion program at the MIT Sloan School of Management ASB MBA graduates receive a certificate of completion from MIT, and MIT affiliate status Students live on campus, currently the hotel for Malaysia's central bank Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/asb-mba-program-admissions-interview-sean-ferguson-action-learning-curriculum

Darren shares "three P’s" you can use to clarify the value of your accomplishments in your resume and MBA application. Doing so will paint a clear picture of your performance for MBA admissions officers and employers. How did your performance compare to the previous year’s performance? How did your performance compare to the plan? How did your performance compare to that of your peers? If you can match these to the "three P's" of leadership, you can can show even more impact: People responsibility Project responsibility Profit & Loss responsibility Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/3p-performance