Category: MBA Student Interviews

#180 The Fully Funded MBA with Samuel Adeoye, UBC Sauder MBA ’22

Samuel Adeoye, UBC Sauder MBA ’22, has an amazing story to tell about applying to 18 business schools over 2 years, and getting full-scholarship awards at 8 of them. How was he able to do this? And what has he learned from his application journey from Abuja, Nigeria to Vancouver, Canada?
#179 From Artist to MBA with Justin Taines, RSM MBA ’21

Justin Taines, RSM MBA ’21, shares his journey from developing kids and family entertainment shows in Los Angeles to the RSM MBA, based in the Netherlands. Why did Justin pursue an MBA (instead of an EMBA) despite having over 10 years of work experience? What was his experience at the RSM MBA as an older…
#178 The McKinsey & Insead Experience with Milan Mecklenburg, Insead MBA ’18D

Milan Mecklenberg, Insead MBA ’18D, shares his journey from studying theoretical physics at Cambridge to McKinsey Berlin to Insead and then back to McKinsey, this time in Vietnam. What has he learned from the journey?
#177 How I Got into the Wharton MBA / MA Lauder Joint Degree Program with Hunter Dong

Hunter Dong shares his best application tips for getting into the Wharton MBA / MA Lauder Joint Degree in International Studies program. How did Hunter pull together his diverse work experience working for the Hinrich Foundation in the Philippines, his family business in pharmaceutical packaging and IBM as a Data Scientist to make an ultimately…
#166 Inside the Sofaer Global MBA with Manuel Fajardo ’20

Why did a Colombian civil engineer choose to do his MBA in Israel? Manuel Fajardo shares his journey to the Tel Aviv University’s Sofaer Global MBA, and how the program’s focus on new venture creation has helped him pursue his business idea.
#164 Inside the Virginia Darden MBA with Tawan (Tina) Suvapatrachai ’18

Tawan (Tina) Suvapatrachai shares her MBA journey from Bangkok to Virginia Darden and then back to Thailand to do strategy for Samsung. Like many international applicants, Tina didn’t have the chance to visit her four target US business schools. How did she research schools and find her best fit? Why did she choose Darden and…
#163 How I Got into Harvard Business School with Graciela Brewer

As a UX Designer and mother in Kansas City with no MBA network, Graciela Brewer wasn’t sure if she “had a sliver of a chance” at her targets: HBS, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern and Cornell Tech. Four months later, she got into all four programs. In this episode, Grace shares how she shortlisted schools, submitted…
#158 Quantless in Cornell with Gregory Wool, Cornell Johnson MBA ’21

Gregory Wool, Cornell Johnson MBA ’21, scored below average on the quantitative section of the GMAT. How did he overcome this score to not only get into Cornell Johnson, but win a prestigious tuition free scholarship? Gregory also shares his experience surviving a packed first semester, leading the student consulting club, and recruiting into strategy…
#157 Management Consulting & Student Life at Insead with Massine Bouzerar ’19J

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
#154 Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) & The Consortium: What You Need to Know with Cristian Molina Cornejo, Tuck MBA ’21

Cristian Molina Cornejo, Tuck MBA ’21, shares how MBA applicants can take advantage of two pre-MBA programs that champion diversity and inclusion: Management Leaders for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium. Cristian also gives his best application tips after getting into four out of five top 20 US MBA programs.
#153 The US MBA Experience as an International Student with Ikechukwu Edeagu, UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA ‘19

Hailing from Nigeria and having never visited the US, how did Ikechukwu Edeagu shortlist and apply to MBA programs? And what was his process for navigating internships and the job search as an international student? Listen to get a real-time, inside look into one international student’s MBA experience at UNC Kenan Flagler.
#148 Starting a Business during your MBA with Sheela Lal, Michigan Ross MBA ’19

Guest Host Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross MBA ’19, invites her section-mate Sheela Lal to share her experience applying for internships, founding Drunk Shrub and securing a full-time job post-graduation. Listen to get a real-time, inside look into the MBA experience at a top b-school like Ross.
#141 The Mindset to Make a “3D” Career Change – From Wastewater Engineer to Luxury Brand Manager with Laura Pan, SDA Bocconi MBA ’18

Are you pursuing an MBA to make a “3 dimensional” (3D) jump into a new geography, function and industry? Laura Pan, an Australian attending the full-time SDA Bocconi MBA in Milan, Italy, shares how she went from a wastewater treatment engineer to luxury brand manager, her dream job. Laura shares what it’s like to study in…
#139 Breaking into Energy & Sustainability (as an MBA)

How can you break into the energy industry as an MBA? Vince Faherty, London Business School MBA ’10, shares his experience working in the energy industry for over 10 years. Vince is currently working for Google as Head of Northeast & Midwest Energy Partnerships.
#137 From Stand Up Comic to MBA Student with Rob O’Reilly, USC Marshall MBA ’20

Rob O’Reilly performed stand up comedy for 16 years. Then he decided to get an MBA. We discuss his application journey to USC Marshall, where he’ll start this Fall.