#194 Building a Professional MBA Network with Nicolle Lee, Wharton MBA ’22

Nicolle Lee, Wharton MBA ’22, shares how building relationships helped her reach her MBA goals – including breaking into the real estate industry.
Nicolle Lee, Wharton MBA ’22, shares how building relationships helped her reach her MBA goals – including breaking into the real estate industry.
What are corporate recruiters looking for from business graduate students? And how do median MBA salaries compare to those of specialized business masters programs? Darren shares 3 interesting findings from GMAC’s Corporate Recruiters Survey. This way, you can think more like an admissions officer, and put forward your strongest application.
How can you make the most of your MBA experience? Adam Putterman, co-author of MBA Coffee Chats, shares why coffee chats are essential and key lessons learned from hundreds of successful MBAs.
After 10 years advising over 3,500 MBA applicants, we recommend the following providers for GMAT prep, admissions consulting, student loans, and more.
A step-by-step guide to financing your MBA plus our recommendations for best MBA student loans
Darren shares three foundational application strategies from Avi Gordon’s MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing (2005) that have stood the test of time. It’s always advantageous to master the fundamentals of any art form – including constructing a winning MBA application. Listen on to review the basics!
Darren shares how you can use the five senses – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – to make your application more three dimensional.
Darren shares three strategies you can use to mitigate your track record of job hopping. How can you present this as an asset to your target MBA programs?
Here is my unsolicited advice to friends in their 20s searching for purpose, work, home and satisfaction. More than anything, this episode is a reminder to myself to love and live the questions – cause they never go away.
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky has dedicated his professional life to helping others overcome cognitive biases and make better decisions. In this episode, Darren and Dr. Gleb discuss ways MBA applicants can make better, unbiased decisions when it comes to business school and their careers.
How to demonstrate you’re a great fit for your target MBA programs – or your next employer – even if you’re short on experience.
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
Gary Lo, Managing Director of Glo Consulting and former Head of Marketing & 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.
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.
The lifelong benefits I’m getting from this MBA have nothing to do with rankings; they’re the conversations you have, the people you meet, and the perspectives that change. I’ve learned so much in the way of soft skills by learning from my classmates; so really, when you visit schools, pay attention to the school culture and read between the lines.
Is Touch MBA’s profile feedback accurate?
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.
Listen on for ways you can use this Eastern story structure to keep admissions officers’ attention AND demonstrate your self-awareness.
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.
In 2017, US applicants made up 4% of candidates to European MBA programs and 2% of candidates to Asian MBA programs (versus nearly 70% to US MBA programs). What do you need to know about getting a top-ranked MBA abroad? Eddy Zakes shares why he chose to uproot his young family to pursue his MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, as well as the pros and cons of his experience. Darren also asks Eddy – currently the Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at IESE – about how business schools can help aspiring entrepreneurs and how you can assess your target schools’ entrepreneurship offerings.
Your resume is often what MBA admissions officers first see, and frames how they view the rest of your profile. Follow this checklist of CV ‘do’s and don’ts’ to make make a strong first impression and set the stage for a successful application.