The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Lawrence Chan and Professor David Ahlstrom of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) MBA program join the show to discuss what makes the CUHK MBA unique, the school's admissions process and the career opportunities in the region. Program Highlights (2:48) Admissions (19:30) Careers (32:40) CUHK MBA Highlights  A pioneer in business education, CUHK offered Asia's first MBA in 1966 Students can complete the course in 12 or 16 months CUHK offers 4 specializations in Finance, Marketing, China Business, and Entrepreneurship Financial Times ranked CUHK MBA 36th worldwide in 2017 70-80 students/year Top Industries for Class of 2016: 22% Banking & Finance / 22% Investment and Asset Management / 15% Business and Management Consulting / 9% Private Equity & Venture Capital About Our Guests Lawrence Chan is Administrative Director (Marketing and Student Recruiting), MBA Programs at CUHK. Lawrence went to CUHK for his bachelor and MBA degrees and has over 2 decades of experience in sales, promotion and recruiting in Hong Kong and China David Ahlstrom is a Professor in the Department of Management at CUHK, where he has taught for over 20 years. He obtained his PhD in Management and International Business from New York University after working several years in government and industry. His research interests include managing in Asia, innovation and entrepreneurship, decision-making, and management and organizational history. Go to http://www.touchmba.com/cuhk-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions and careers at the CUHK MBA program.

Neethling McGrath, an Admissions Edge Member, shares the ups and downs of applying, reapplying and getting into his first choice: Columbia GSB. Neethling shares what he did differently the second time around and what he believes were the factors for his application success To those of you who got dinged and are re-applying to top programs, this episode is for you. Neethling applies the first time (5:15) Gets dinged form his 2 schools, now what? (9:50) How Neethling focused his career goals and improved resume (14:20) How to reach out to current students, faculty and admissions (19:11) Dealing with space constraints in reapplicant essay (25:40) Neethling's reflections and lessons learned (29:34) About Our Guest Neethling McGrath got his Bachelors in Electronic Engineering and Masters Degree in Music Technology from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Before pursuing his MBA, he worked as a consultant for KPMG Management Consulting focusing on telecommunications, technology and media. A recording engineer, Neethling has also recorded live concerts, bands and solo performers. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/advice-for-mba-reapplicants-neethling-mcgrath-columbia

  You decide you need an MBA. You check your schools' application deadlines - only 1 month left before Round 1 apps are due!  What to do? Clare Simonis found her herself in this situation last Fall. With deadlines 1 month away, she applied to HBS, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Berkeley Haas. She got into HBS and Haas and will be starting at HBS this Fall. In this episode, Clare shares her journey and tips for those of you scrambling to apply last minute. Not the ideal situation - but certainly a common one. Enjoy the episode! Clare's application strategy with only 1 month left before the deadline (6:25) Prepping for interviews at HBS, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Berkeley Haas and deciding on HBS (22:02) Miscellaneous application tips and thoughts on MBAs vs. starting a business (28:30) About Our Guest Clare Simonis graduated from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, majoring in Supply Chain and Operations Management and minoring in Asian Languages and Literature. She worked for Deloitte Consulting as a Management and Strategy Consultant for 3 years and current serves as Chief of Staff to the Integrated Care Group President at Fresenius Medical Care North America. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/last-minute-application-tips-clare-simonis-hbs

With 200,000 MBAs graduating each year, are business schools preparing "career ready" employees? In a sweeping survey of 10,000 recruiters, 3,000 business school students (both MBAs and undergraduates), and 500 business school career center leaders, Jeff Kavanaugh found that all three constituencies had different perceptions of what’s important and where they stand. Darren and Jeff discuss the 4 main skills recruiters are looking for, where business school graduates are perceived as falling short, and what you can do to boost your employability. Jeff also shares what competencies consulting firms are looking for from MBAs, and what non-consultants can do to break into the industry. About Our Guest Jeff Kavanaugh is a Senior Partner at Infosys Consulting, where he heads North American recruiting at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Dallas, where he teaches Developing Customer Insights, a course focused on critical and creative thinking. Jeff got his Bachelors from from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and MBA from the University of North Texas. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/business-school-students-career-ready-jeff-kavanaugh/

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Touch MBA Podcast, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of hearing from just 1 guest today, you’ll hear from 9. I asked guests from our most downloaded episodes: “What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their Application?” Today, you’ll hear answers from some incredibly knowledgeable folks, a group with over 75 years of MBA admissions experience. You'll get 9 powerful, bite-sized tips (each less than 5 minutes) on mindset, positioning, school selection, resumes, essays and interviews. I encourage you to listen EVERY minute so you can absorb ALL the advice each guest has to offer. Applying to top MBA programs is never easy. I hope these words of wisdom inspire you prepare your best application and stay true to who you are and what you value. Tune in and enjoy! Nick Barniville, Associate Dean for Degree Programs, ESMT Berlin (6:20) Caroline Diarte Edwards, Former Admissions Director of Insead and Director of Fortuna Admissions (7:54) Lawrence Li, Northwestern Kellogg Full-time MBA (13:03) Leigh Gauthier, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (15:26) Tyler Cormney, CEO & CoFounder, MBA Prep School (19:07) Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University (23:56) Ashley Lautzenheiser, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at Olin Business School, Washington University of St. Louis (26:20) Chua Nan Sze, Director of Graduate Studies, NUS Business School, National University of Business School (29:30) Ivan Kerbel, Former Director Career Development Office of Yale School of Management and Founder, Practice MBA (32:58) Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/100

Vince Ricci, admissions consultant, shares top MBA interview prep tips including mindset, strategy, and tactics. He emphasizes self-reflection, avoiding scripted answers, and using the mirror method. Vince discusses handling behavioral questions and articulating career aspirations, showcasing ROI, and building rapport. He also explores status dynamics in interactions and offers tips on improving interview skills and enjoying the process.

Rahul Kewalramani, Insead MBA 16D, shares his thoughts on leading the Insead Private Equity & Venture Capital club, finding jobs in Private Equity and Venture Capital, the January vs. September intake, differences between Singapore and Fountainebleu's campus and cultures, exchanging at Wharton, bidding for exchanges/classes at Insead, entrepreneurship, hot industries at Insead and more. About Our Guest Rahul Kewalramani is getting his MBA at Insead, where he is President of the Insead Private Equity & Venture Capital Club. Rahul graduated from McGill University where he studied Economics and Finance. Prior to Insead, he worked for JP Morgan in Mergers & Acquisitions, Macquarie Group covering Telecoms, Media, Entertainment and Technology, and Redmart, an online grocery startup in Singapore, doing corporate development. He will graduate from Insead in December 2016. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/insead-insights-real-time-president-private-equity-venture-capital-club

Son Nguyen is Associate Director of Admissions at Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where he has been since 2014. Previously he was a Corporate Recruiter for Target and Assistant Director of Admissions for the University of Notre Dame. Son got his Bachelors from Notre Dame and his Masters of Science in Strategic Communications from Columbia. University of Michigan Ross MBA Program Highlights 4:18 Admissions 21:56 Financing 38:58 Careers 42:11 Go to http://www.touchmba.com/michigan-ross-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Michigan Ross MBA program.

Amber Wigmore Alvarez, Executive Director of Career Services for IE, shares her best career tips for international MBA students considering top business schools in Spain. Amber and Darren discuss work conditions for non-EU nationals, Spain's new visa policy, achieving career goals in a 1-year program, and placement trends for IE MBA graduates. About Our Guest Amber Wigmore Alvarez is Executive Director of Career Services at IE Business School, Law School and University, where she manages a team of 30 people in the areas of Career Advising, Career Education and Recruiter Relations. She oversees career services for 5,000 current students, 50,000 global alumni and over 4,000 recruiting partners. Amber got her International MBA from IE in 2000 and hosts a monthly podcast focused on career journeys. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/spain-mba-careers

Pin Chin Kwok, UC Berkeley Haas MBA '09, shares her journey pursuing a social impact career as an MBA applicant, student and alumni. Pin majored in Finance & Operations Research at NYU and worked 7 years at Citi in the finance industry before starting her MBA. Pin and Darren discuss what social impact applicants (broadly defined as those who want to work in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, non-profit, government/public policy, and corporate social responsibility) should look for when shortlisting MBA programs, securing internships/jobs in the sector, and planning their careers. About Our Guest Pin Chin Kwok is a Singaporean who graduated from UC Berkeley Haas in 2009, where she was co-chair of the Global Social Venture Competition and a Haas Merit Scholar. She pursued an MBA to move from finance to the social impact space. She is currently Innovation Director for LumenLab, a MetLife Innovation Centre, focused on health care innovations. She lives in Singapore with her husband Stefan (also a Haas grad!) and daughter Jodi. Episode summary, links and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-social-impact