“Three groups curate nearly everything you’ll find on the MBA experience: schools, admissions consultants, and blogs. None of them focus on the Admit… In the face of so much misinformation, the greatest tool you can wield is the coffee chat.”

How can you make the most of your MBA experience?

After reflecting on their own MBA experiences and those of hundreds of successful grads, Adam Putterman, Northwestern MMM ’19, and Bob Manfreda, Stanford GSB ’19, wrote MBA Coffee Chats: Thoughtful Advice on How to Get the Most Out of Your MBA.

The book answers frequently asked questions from recent MBA admits, and aims to help this group have more productive coffee chats with MBAs before starting business school.

Darren invites Adam, who graduated from Northwestern’s Dual Degree MBA & M.S. in Design Innovation program, to discuss how to find people to have coffee chats and what to ask. The two also discuss prioritizing time and personal growth at business school.

At Touch MBA, we’re all about helping you make the best MBA investment. Although MBA Coffee Chats is intended for MBA admits, why not get a sneak preview of the best practices and big questions you’ll need to answer before starting your MBA?

Questions

• Introducing Adam (0:00)
• Why MBA coffee chats? (4:30)
• How to find people and what to ask (8:20)
• Writing an MBA “to don’t list” (25:45)
• Getting peer feedback (32:15)
• Adam asks Darren questions about podcasting (35:30)

About Adam

Adam Putterman is Co-Founder of Ours, a relationship wellness company. He got a dual MBA and MS in Design Innovation Degree (MMM) from Northwestern University. Before attending Kellogg, Adam got his B.S in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and worked for Deloitte as a consultant.

Episode Sponsor: Queen’s University’s Full-time MBA

The path to your next big career move goes through Canada. The 12-month Full-time MBA program at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business features a proven team-based, experiential curriculum — built around the exact set of skills that top employers seek. The results speak for themselves. 98% of the Class of 2021 accepted an offer for their dream role within 3 months of graduation. Listeners of the Touch MBA Podcast can receive a complimentary virtual consultation by visiting
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Show Notes

• MBA Coffee Chats by Bob Manfreda and Adam Putterman
• mbacoffeechats.com
• Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA
• Northwestern Kellogg MBA
• Northwestern Kellogg MMM program (MBA + M.S. in Design Innovation Dual Degree)

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