Author: darren

#48 Inside UCLA Anderson as a Non-Traditional Candidate with Mark Zee ’14

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…
#47 Great Applications for Business School with Paul Bodine

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…
#46 Steve Dalton’s The 2 Hour Job Search: The 80/20 Formula to Target Employers & Secure First Interviews

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…
#45 IE-SMU MBA Admissions Chat with Gregor Halff & Lieven Demeester

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 launched a 10-month blended MBA, which combines residential segments in Singapore and Madrid with weekly…
#44 MBA Jobs in Hong Kong & China with CUHK Career Services Director Marjorie Chang

This week I sat down with Marjorie Chan, Director of CUHK’s Career Management Centre, to separate fact from fiction. Do MBAs really have more opportunities in Asia? How can international students best prepare themselves for successful careers in Hong Kong and China (and Singapore)? And what are multinational and local employers looking for in candidates?…
#43 IMD MBA Admissions Talk with Lisa Piguet – “We have a strong focus on industry”

Looking for an industry-focused general management MBA from a school that is consistently top-ranked in Europe and worldwide for its ROI? 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.
#42 York Schulich MBA Admissions Q&A with Praveen Muruganandan

Did you know MBA candidates preferring to study in Canada have tripled in the past 4 years? With schools like Schulich and open immigration policies, it’s easy to see why. 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…
#41 Manchester Business School MBA Admissions Talk with Elaine Ferneley “Our program is practice-based”

Professor Elaine Ferneley, MBA Director at Manchester Business School, joined the show to share more about the Manchester MBA, located in Manchester, UK. They don’t call it “practice-based” for nothing. Manchester MBAs are required to do 3 live consultancy projects – requiring over 600 client facing hours – over the 18 month program. This way…
#40 MBA Application Tips for Younger Candidates

How can younger candidates compensate for their lack of experience? What are admissions committees looking for in younger candidates? Darren covers 5 tips to show you belong and will be a valued member of your MBA class.
#39 Waseda MBA Admissions Q&A with Professor Reiji Ohtaki

Professor Reiji Ohtaki, Program Director of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA, joined the show to talk about Waseda’s International MBA Program located in Tokyo, Japan. Professor Ohtaki runs the career management center and has held many senior leadership positions for Hay and Mercer Consulting in Asia Pacific, so he’s a great person to talk to about…
#38 Is an MBA Worth it? MBA Arbitrage & Negotiating Up

Is it worth it to get an MBA if it’s not Harvard, Stanford or Wharton? Many candidates don’t think so. In this episode Darren talks about 5 arbitrages that exist in the MBA world. If you know what’s important to you, you can still “negotiate up” and get a great educational and life experience at…
#37 IESE MBA Admissions Q&A with Anjaney Borwankar “We’re a mission driven organization”

Can an MBA really develop “global leaders you can trust?” This week I sat down with Anjaney Borwankar, Director of Corporate Develpment, SE Asia, to discuss how IESE MBA strives to fulfill this mission through its global makeup and case-study pedagogy. Anjan is an IESE MBA alumni, and plays an active role on the program’s…
#36 Cornell Tech Johnson MBA Admissions Q&A with Christine Sneva “We’re focused on the next leaders of the digital economy”

Christine and I talk about the exciting new MBA collaboration between Cornell Tech and the Johnson School in New York City that starts next year. What makes it different from Cornell’s traditional MBA? Who should apply? And what should candidates keep in mind when applying to this 1-year program?
#35 Cornell Johnson MBA Admissions Q&A with Christine Sneva “Join our club”

I started this podcast to have open conversations with Admissions Directors so you could get a good feel for not only the bschool, but also for the people evaluating your application. Many see admissions at top bschools as a black box, and I’m trying to tear those walls down. This week I had such a…
#34 Melbourne Business School MBA Admissions Q&A with Edward Cook

Mr. Edward Cook, Director, MBA Programs, Melbourne Business School joins the show this week to talk about one of Australia’s top ranked MBA programs and how to get in. We also discuss how employers view MBAs in Australia and the benefits of being part of a small (50-60 student) but very international cohort.

Author: darren

#48 Inside UCLA Anderson as a Non-Traditional Candidate with Mark Zee ’14

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…
#47 Great Applications for Business School with Paul Bodine

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…
#46 Steve Dalton’s The 2 Hour Job Search: The 80/20 Formula to Target Employers & Secure First Interviews

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…
#45 IE-SMU MBA Admissions Chat with Gregor Halff & Lieven Demeester

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 launched a 10-month blended MBA, which combines residential segments in Singapore and Madrid with weekly…
#44 MBA Jobs in Hong Kong & China with CUHK Career Services Director Marjorie Chang

This week I sat down with Marjorie Chan, Director of CUHK’s Career Management Centre, to separate fact from fiction. Do MBAs really have more opportunities in Asia? How can international students best prepare themselves for successful careers in Hong Kong and China (and Singapore)? And what are multinational and local employers looking for in candidates?…
#43 IMD MBA Admissions Talk with Lisa Piguet – “We have a strong focus on industry”

Looking for an industry-focused general management MBA from a school that is consistently top-ranked in Europe and worldwide for its ROI? 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.
#42 York Schulich MBA Admissions Q&A with Praveen Muruganandan

Did you know MBA candidates preferring to study in Canada have tripled in the past 4 years? With schools like Schulich and open immigration policies, it’s easy to see why. 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…
#41 Manchester Business School MBA Admissions Talk with Elaine Ferneley “Our program is practice-based”

Professor Elaine Ferneley, MBA Director at Manchester Business School, joined the show to share more about the Manchester MBA, located in Manchester, UK. They don’t call it “practice-based” for nothing. Manchester MBAs are required to do 3 live consultancy projects – requiring over 600 client facing hours – over the 18 month program. This way…
#40 MBA Application Tips for Younger Candidates

How can younger candidates compensate for their lack of experience? What are admissions committees looking for in younger candidates? Darren covers 5 tips to show you belong and will be a valued member of your MBA class.
#39 Waseda MBA Admissions Q&A with Professor Reiji Ohtaki

Professor Reiji Ohtaki, Program Director of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA, joined the show to talk about Waseda’s International MBA Program located in Tokyo, Japan. Professor Ohtaki runs the career management center and has held many senior leadership positions for Hay and Mercer Consulting in Asia Pacific, so he’s a great person to talk to about…
#38 Is an MBA Worth it? MBA Arbitrage & Negotiating Up

Is it worth it to get an MBA if it’s not Harvard, Stanford or Wharton? Many candidates don’t think so. In this episode Darren talks about 5 arbitrages that exist in the MBA world. If you know what’s important to you, you can still “negotiate up” and get a great educational and life experience at…
#37 IESE MBA Admissions Q&A with Anjaney Borwankar “We’re a mission driven organization”

Can an MBA really develop “global leaders you can trust?” This week I sat down with Anjaney Borwankar, Director of Corporate Develpment, SE Asia, to discuss how IESE MBA strives to fulfill this mission through its global makeup and case-study pedagogy. Anjan is an IESE MBA alumni, and plays an active role on the program’s…
#36 Cornell Tech Johnson MBA Admissions Q&A with Christine Sneva “We’re focused on the next leaders of the digital economy”

Christine and I talk about the exciting new MBA collaboration between Cornell Tech and the Johnson School in New York City that starts next year. What makes it different from Cornell’s traditional MBA? Who should apply? And what should candidates keep in mind when applying to this 1-year program?
#35 Cornell Johnson MBA Admissions Q&A with Christine Sneva “Join our club”

I started this podcast to have open conversations with Admissions Directors so you could get a good feel for not only the bschool, but also for the people evaluating your application. Many see admissions at top bschools as a black box, and I’m trying to tear those walls down. This week I had such a…
#34 Melbourne Business School MBA Admissions Q&A with Edward Cook

Mr. Edward Cook, Director, MBA Programs, Melbourne Business School joins the show this week to talk about one of Australia’s top ranked MBA programs and how to get in. We also discuss how employers view MBAs in Australia and the benefits of being part of a small (50-60 student) but very international cohort.