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MBA Podcast

Published: August 1, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Laurel Grodman of Yale SoM
Laurel Grodman, Assistant Dean for Admissions, Yale SoM If you’re planning to apply to the Yale School of Management for your MBA, tune into this special edition of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast for what to expect from the application process and more. Wire Taps host Graham Richmond sat down with Laurel Grodman, Assistant Dean for Admissions, to dig into some key topics, including: the guidance and support regarding using AI in the application process what to expect from the video component of the Yale MBA application, which is the next step once Read more
Published: July 30, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Eddie Asbie of Cornell Johnson
Executive Director of Admissions and Scholarship at the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Eddie Asbie, sat down with Clear Admit Co-Founder Graham Richmond at the GMAC Conference this summer for a chat about MBA admissions. Eddie Asbie, Executive Director of Admissions & Scholarship Eddie covers a lot of ground in the special Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast episode below. To start, he digs into the Cornell Johnson MBA application “fill in the blank” career goals prompt. Eddie also talks about trends in the applicant pool, particularly regarding careers, as well as how Read more
Published: July 28, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 370—655 GMAT, completed PhD. 675 GMAT, do they explain? 4 years of experience, still an undergraduate.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, which soon turned into a short quiz with Alex testing Graham on key admissions dates for next season; Cambridge / Judge leads the way with a Round 1 application deadline of August 27. Graham highlighted the summer application series that Clear Admit is hosting, which concludes this Wednesday, July 31, with Yale SOM, Columbia, Michigan / Ross, and IESE. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays We then discussed a recently published article on Clear Admit which clusters together the Read more
Published: July 25, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Shari Hubert of Duke Fuqua
If you’re applying to Duke Fuqua for your MBA, this is a must-listen special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. Shari Hubert, the Associate Dean of Admissions, reviews the history of their “25 Random Things” essay and offers insider advice on what the admissions team is looking for in response to the creative prompt. Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions, Duke Fuqua Hubert oversees recruitment and admissions for Duke University’s portfolio of ten business degree programs. Prior to Fuqua, she was in charge of admissions for the Full-time and Read more
Published: July 23, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Emily Brierley of Cambridge Judge
Tune into another special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the 2024 GMAC conference, to learn more about Cambridge University’s Judge Business School. Emily Brierley, Head of Cambridge MBA Recruitment and Admissions Emily Brierley, a Head of Cambridge MBA Recruitment and Admissions, joins us to talk about different aspects of admissions. Emily first worked at Cambridge Judge in 2016 in library support and then international student recruitment. In 2018, she joined the MBA Recruitment & Admissions team. Starting as a coordinator in operations and then candidate management, Emily moved Read more
Published: July 21, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 367—M7 realistic? 760 GMAT, from India MiM before MBA?
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, where last season is essentially closing out, with MBA programs reducing their wait lists as the beginning of orientation approaches. Graham highlighted the summer essay insights series that Clear Admit is hosting, which continues this Wednesday, July 24, with CMU / Tepper, Chicago / Booth, Georgetown / McDonough, Cornell / Johnson and Vanderbilt / Owen. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted a recently published article on MBA programs and their use of AI, clearly a fast Read more
Published: July 16, 2024
Live Admissions Q&A: Amy Mitson of Dartmouth Tuck
Tune into this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the 2024 GMAC conference, to learn more about the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Amy Mitson, Director of Admissions, Recruitment and Marketing, Dartmouth Tuck Our guest, Amy Mitson, has been at Tuck since 2000 and currently serves as Director of Admissions, Recruitment and Marketing. She also previously held the role of Sr. Associate Director of the MBA Program Office. Her combined student services and admissions experiences have helped her get acquainted with operations at Tuck, its history, Read more
Published: July 14, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 365—Cyber warfare to Finance. Special Operations, 333 GRE. Tajikistan, to Moscow and Berlin.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire.  With most top MBA programs finalizing their incoming classes, we are seeing more MBA programs reducing the size of their wait lists ahead of the beginning of their programs. We then discussed Clear Admit’s MBA admissions book, authored by Alex, which is freely available on the Clear Admit site: https://www.clearadmit.com/products/admissions-books/ This book will provide MBA candidates a comprehensive understanding of the MBA admissions process, and enable candidates to really determine the best way to present their candidacy. Read more
Published: July 7, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 364—Life sciences to MBA. Unicorn Tech to MBA. Big Ten Football to MBA
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire, with most top MBA programs finalizing their incoming classes; there is still some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins this Wednesday, July 10, with Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Columbia, UPenn / Wharton and UVA / Darden. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted a recently published admissions tip focused on selecting recommenders. Graham then highlighted three recently published Adcom Q&As, from Read more
Published: June 30, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 362—Manufacturing to MBB. Handling employment gaps. Liberal arts to product management.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with a rundown of all the latest MBA application news – ranging from admissions deadlines and essay topic releases to forthcoming decisions and waitlist updates. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham noted two recently published admissions tips; the first is about the importance of post-MBA goals, the second focuses on how to handle gaps in employment. Read more
Published: June 25, 2024
Episode 361: Roundtable Insights from CMU Tepper, Northwestern Kellogg, LBS & Texas McCombs
We continue to share panel discussions from the Clear Admit MBA Fair with this podcast episode, which focuses on articulating career goals, brainstorming for essays, choosing recommenders, and preparing for interviews. The panel includes J.R. McGrath from Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business, Alessandra Gazzola from London Business School, Jerry Langfelt from Northwestern Kellogg, and Rodrigo Malta from Texas McCombs, with each sharing their expertise on specific topics. The admissions representatives answer questions such as: When a business school asks an applicant Read more
Published: June 23, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 360—735 GMAT, from Brazil. Australian MBB. Weatherhead vs Marshall wait list
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and decision releases for this season. For this upcoming week, we will see decision releases from Harvard and UPenn / Wharton for their deferred admissions programs; we are also still seeing some activity around wait lists at a few MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham then highlighted two recently published Read more
Published: June 18, 2024
Episode 359: Your Post-MBA Consulting Career – Expert Advice from Bain & Co.’s Recruiting VP
Noble StaffordBain & Co. Vice President, RecruitingChicago In this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast, recorded live at the Clear Admit MBA Fair, we dive deep into the world of strategy consulting with Noble Stafford, Vice President of Recruiting for Bain & Company’s Chicago office. Stafford first joined Bain in 2013 as a consultant and returned in 2022 to spearhead Chicago’s recruiting initiatives. Between his tenures at Bain, Noble honed his expertise at Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm, where he excelled in both client-facing and internal team management roles. Read more
Published: June 16, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 358—Reapplicant, entrepreneur. Military, retaking GMAT. Navy to Renewable Energy
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we kicked things off with our usual rundown of the latest admissions news.  We are still seeing some activity around wait lists at few MBA programs. We then discussed the delayed roll-out of the Harvard MBA admissions essay for this upcoming season. It looks like HBS is planning to change their more traditional essay prompt, and there appears to be much anticipation about this change.  All will be unveiled later this month… Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application essay series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, Read more
Published: June 11, 2024
Episode 357: Insights from Top MBA Admissions Directors
Recorded live at the Clear Admit MBA Fair, admissions directors from top business schools share their insights on key questions prospective MBA students often need answering in this special episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. The episode features Eddie Asbie from Cornell Johnson, Dana Fernandez from Harvard Business School, Matthew Ganderson from Michigan Ross, and Lindsay Lloyd from NYU Stern. Together, they answer questions such as: What are the different teaching methods employed in MBA programs, and can you describe experiential learning? Do you have any Read more
Published: June 9, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 356—INSEAD or bust. Liberal Arts to Product Management. Doctor to Solar Energy
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by running down all of the latest b-school admissions news. We are still seeing quite a lot of activity around waitlists at a number of MBA programs. Graham highlighted the upcoming summer application series that Clear Admit hosts, which begins on Wednesday, July 10, and will include the majority of the top MBA programs. Signups have recently opened and are here: https://www.bit.ly/summeressays Graham then highlighted a recently published Clear Admit admissions tip, which focuses on how to build your ideal list of target Read more
Published: June 2, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 355—10 years of experience. Online or Executive MBA. Back to India.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast This week’s MBA Admissions podcast began with our usual rundown of the latest MBA application news for this season. This week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Rounds 3 and 4, including London Business School, CMU / Tepper and Texas / McCombs; there is also still some waitlist activity being reported on LiveWire. Graham highlighted two recently published Clear Admit admissions tips; the first looked at the impact of volunteer activities in an MBA application, the second focused on choosing between MBA programs. Graham then noted two Read more
Published: May 26, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 354—Low GPA, LATAM. Low GPA, strong GMAT. London Business School vs Fuqua.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with a quick report from Graham on how Clear Admit’s first ever in-person event for applicants went in Chicago; spoiler alert: it was a great success!  Alex then followed with an update on the latest MBA application decision releases for this season: this week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Rounds 3 and 4, including Cornell / Johnson and Georgetown / McDonough; Harvard and UPenn / Wharton are releasing interview invites for their deferred admissions rounds. Graham highlighted the final spring Read more
Published: May 19, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 353—Income equality issues. Big tech or consulting. Columbia vs Stern.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases as the 2023-24 admissions season draws to a close. This week, a few top MBA programs are releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Stanford and Chicago / Booth. Graham highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The second event in the series is on Wednesday, and includes Dartmouth / Tuck, Yale SOM, UVA / Darden, and UNC / Kenan / Flagler. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/caspringwebinars Graham then highlighted a Read more
Published: May 12, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 352—Stanford or bust? First round targets. Anderson vs Marshall.
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with a discussion of our BIG event in Chicago on Wednesday May 15th; please join us if you can, by signing up here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair  We then turned to a discussion of the week ahead; several programs are releasing final decisions for Round 3, including UPenn / Wharton, USC / Marshall, MIT / Sloan, Yale SOM, Oxford / Said, UCLA / Anderson and Washington / Foster. Graham then highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The second event in the series is Read more
Published: May 5, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 351—720 GMAT, Executive MBA. 326 GRE, is it enough? Marshall vs Tepper
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began with our usual discussion around application deadlines, interview releases, and decisions for this season. This week, Round 3 and 4 continue with several application notifications; several programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including Northwestern / Kellogg, Emory / Goizueta, CMU / Tepper, Duke / Fuqua and INSEAD. Graham highlighted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting. The first event is on Wednesday, May 8th, and includes Berkeley / Haas, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough and Read more
Published: April 28, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 350—332 GRE, India Engineer. Overcoming 2.4 GPA. Johnson vs Darden
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the latest application deadlines and decision releases for this season. This week Round 3 and 4 continue with several application deadlines; some programs are also releasing final decisions for Round 3, including UVA / Darden, Georgetown / McDonough, Dartmouth / Tuck, Berkeley / Haas, Texas / McCombs and Michigan / Ross. Graham highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Application Overview Read more
Published: April 21, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 349—330 GRE, Paralegal. 319 GRE, Venture Capital. Tuck vs Duke vs Ross
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we kick things off with our usual discussion of the latest MBA application deadlines and interview releases. This week, Round 3 continues with several application deadlines, including deferred admissions deadlines for Harvard (2+2) and UPenn / Wharton. Graham then highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event (with 20 leading business schools!); signups are here: https://www.bit.ly/cachicagofair Graham also noted the Spring Online Webinar series that Clear Admit is hosting over the course of May, Read more
Published: April 14, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 348—326 GRE, is that enough? Taking a break, before MBA. Kellogg, Fuqua or IESE?
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the MBA application deadlines and interview releases for this season. This week Round 3 continues with several application deadlines, and UPenn / Wharton and Duke / Fuqua are scheduled to release interview invite decisions. Graham started with a story of his random meeting with a podcast listener (and current Wharton student), who he met at a car rental agency. Graham then highlighted the May 15th event we are hosting in Chicago, which will be Clear Admit’s first in-person MBA candidate event. Signups are Read more
Published: April 7, 2024
MBA Wire Taps 347—319 GRE, reapplying. Targeting Duke / Fuqua. Anderson vs Kenan Flagler
Weekly Roundup for Clear Admit’s MBA Podcast In this week’s MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing all the latest MBA application deadline and decision release news for this season. Last week, MIT / Sloan released its Round 2 final decisions. Cornell / Johnson also released some of their final decisions. This week Round 3 continues with several application deadlines. Graham promoted the MBA applicant survey we now have in the field. We are trying to encourage as high a response rate as we can get. The survey is at https://www.bit.ly/caspringsurvey Graham also noted the May 15th event we Read more

MBA Applywire

7
November 26, 2024 6:16am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Dartmouth / Tuck, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, UCLA Anderson
Pre-MBA Career: Software Engineer
Post-MBA Target Industry: Other
GRE: 331
GPA: 3.2
Years of Work Experience: 4.5
Location: United States
Notes:

I am aiming to pivot from Software Engineering to Product Management. My undergrad degree was in Computer Science from an Ivy League school where I was a D1 varsity athlete. EC's outside of that are pretty slim, although I am involved with charities and volunteer organizations sporadically. Have organized and led a small handful of hobby groups among friends and colleagues as well. Work experience includes solid brand recognition, and my previous 2.5 YoE are in the music/entertainment industry.
2
November 26, 2024 5:48am ET
Applying: Columbia, NYU Stern
Pre-MBA Career: product Manager in Entertainment
Post-MBA Target Industry: Undecided
GPA: 3.57
Years of Work Experience: 3
Location: New York
Notes:

I am a woman of color and a Product Manager at a major streaming service with three years of experience thus far. I hold a degree in Cinematography from a CUNY school and began my career as an NBCUniversal Page. Since then, I’ve worked for prominent media companies like NBCU, Peacock, A+E Networks, and Paramount+. While I didn’t initially plan on pursuing an MBA, my career trajectory has naturally led me in that direction due to my rapid career growth. I’m preparing for the GMAT (focus edition) with a target score of 655 or higher.

As a non-traditional candidate, are there any potential red flags in my profile? Additionally, are there other MBA programs I should consider? Thank you!
9
November 26, 2024 12:03am ET
Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM
Pre-MBA Career: Government Affairs at technology startup
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Google , LinkedIn , Microsoft , Tesla , Uber
GMAT: 770
GPA: 3.4
Years of Work Experience: 3
6
November 25, 2024 11:01am ET
Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Georgetown / McDonough, Indiana / Kelley, U. Washington / Foster, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall
Intake Year: 2025
Pre-MBA Career: Military: Acquisition Program Manager
Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology Companies: Accenture , Bain , Deloitte , McKinsey , Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Google , IBM , Lenova , LinkedIn , Microsoft , Oracle
GRE: 317
GPA: 2.43
Years of Work Experience: 9
Location: Los Angeles
Post MBA Location: West Coast
Notes:

Undergrad was at a Service Academy. Also earned a Masters of Science with a GPA of 4.0, Project Management Professional certification holder, and volunteered for two years at service to schools helping veterans get into an undergraduate program.
2
November 25, 2024 7:58am ET
Applying: Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB
Pre-MBA Career: Equity Research at Goldman Sachs, and long only Asset Management (healthcare sector)
Post-MBA Target Industry: Asset Management, inc. HF Companies: Fidelity
GMAT: 735
GPA: 3.6
Years of Work Experience: 5
Location: San Francisco CA
Post MBA Location: San Francisco CA
Notes:

I took a gap year in college and switched majors taking longer to graduate so I’m 30, would matriculate at 32 and graduate at 34. Seems like I’m an outlier and worried I’m too old.
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MBA LiveWire

November 26, 2024 11:19am ET
Interview Invite to Rochester / Simon
Round: Round 2
Received via email November 26, 2024
GPA: 7.01
EA: 161
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Technology
Application Location: India
November 26, 2024 10:53am ET
Accepted to London Business School
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 26, 2024
GPA: 3.7
GMAT: 655
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
November 26, 2024 10:32am ET
Accepted to Rochester / Simon
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 26, 2024
GPA: 3.76
GRE: 328
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Technology
Application Location: Pakistan
Note:

Admitted with 60% Scholarship
November 26, 2024 10:00am ET
Accepted to London Business School
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 26, 2024
GRE: 328
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Application Location: Based in UK but Caribbean
November 26, 2024 8:27am ET
Accepted to London Business School
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 26, 2024
GPA: 3.84
GRE: 327
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Consulting
Application Location: United States
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