Category: Touch MBA Podcast

#108 How to Finance Your US MBA with Phil DeGisi, CommonBond

Most applicants are 100% focused on getting IN a top MBA. Then after the euphoria of getting in, the hard reality of financing the MBA hits them in the face. Darren talks to Phil DeGisi, Chief Marketing Officer of CommonBond, about what applicants can do to get the best MBA loans for US MBA programs.…
#107 Queen’s MBA Admissions Interview with Matt Reesor – “Team-based”

Matt Reesor from Queen’s University Smith School of Business joins the show to discuss what makes the Queen’s MBA unique, the school’s admissions process and career opportunities for Queen’s MBA students.
#106 The GMAT Episode

How do top business schools use the GMAT to evaluate you? What exactly are they looking for? What do you need to score and on which sections? When should you retake the GMAT? Do schools prefer the GMAT or GRE? Darren asks Admissions Directors from 3 top schools – HKUST (Hong Kong), IESE (Spain) and…
#105 Life as a Business School Professor with Gregor Halff

Amid all the attention paid to rankings, average salaries, and ROI, one crucial part of the MBA experience often gets overlooked – faculty. After all, you are spending more than 700 hours in class at most top MBA programs. In this episode, Darren invites Professor Gregor Halff to give you a behind the scenes look…
#104 CUHK MBA Admissions Interview with Lawrence Chan & David Ahlstrom

Lawrence Chan and Professor David Ahlstrom of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) MBA program join the show to discuss what makes the CUHK MBA unique, the school’s admissions process and the career opportunities in the region.
#103 Advice for MBA Reapplicants with Neethling McGrath, Columbia MBA ’19

Neethling McGrath, an Admissions Edge Member, shares the ups and downs of applying, reapplying and getting into his first choice: Columbia GSB. Neethling shares what he did differently the second time around and what he believes were the factors for his application success. To those of you who got dinged and are re-applying to top…
#102 Last Minute Application Tips with Clare Simonis, HBS MBA ’19

You decide you need an MBA. You check your schools’ application deadlines – only 1 month left before Round 1 apps are due! What to do? Clare Simonis found her herself in this situation last Fall. With deadlines 1 month away, she applied to HBS, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Berkeley Haas. She got into…
#101 Are Business School Students Career Ready? with Jeff Kavanaugh

With 200,000 MBAs graduating each year, are business schools preparing “career ready” employees? In a sweeping survey of 10,000 recruiters, 3,000 business students (both MBAs and undergraduates), and 500 B-school career center leaders, Jeff Kavanaugh found that all three constituencies had different perceptions of what’s important and where they stand. Darren and Jeff discuss the…
#100 Our Most Popular Guests Answer: “What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their MBA Application?”

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Touch MBA Podcast, we invited our 9 most popular guests to answer 1 question: “What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their Application?”
#99 Preparing for MBA Interviews with Vince Ricci

Vince Ricci from VincePrep shares his best MBA interview preparation tips, from mindset to strategy to tactics. Vince has some of the most downloaded Youtube videos on MBA interviews and has helped hundreds of applicants get past this final hurdle so don’t miss this one!
#98 Insead Insights Real Time: President of Private Equity & Venture Capital Club, Rahul Kewalramani

Rahul Kewalramani, Insead MBA 16D, shares his thoughts on leading the Insead Private Equity and Venture Capital club, finding jobs in Private Equity and Venture Capital, the January vs. September intake, differences between Singapore and Fountainebleu’s campus and cultures, exchanging at Wharton, bidding for exchanges/classes at Insead, entrepreneurship, hot industries at Insead and more.
#97 Michigan Ross MBA Program & Admissions Q&A with Son Nguyen

Son Nguyen, Associate Director of Admissions, discusses what makes the Michigan Ross MBA and culture unique and offers his best tips on how to stand out in your application.
#96 Career Tips for Spain MBAs with Amber Wigmore Alvarez

Amber Wigmore Alvarez, Executive Director of Career Services for IE, shares her best career tips for international MBA students considering top business schools in Spain. Amber and Darren discuss work conditions for non-EU nationals, Spain’s new visa policy, achieving career goals in a 1-year program, and trends in IE MBA student placement.
#95 MBA Careers in Social Impact

Pin Chin Kwok, UC Berkeley Haas MBA ’09, shares her journey pursuing a social impact career as an MBA applicant, student and alumni. Pin majored in Finance & Operations Research at NYU and worked 7 years at Citi in the finance industry before starting her MBA. Pin and Darren discuss what social impact applicants (broadly…
#94 US Visas: What International MBA Students Need to Know About Working and Staying in the US

Emma Fisher, NYU Stern MBA ’15, shares what international MBA students must know about working in the US during and after their US MBA. Emma and Darren walk through the common visa path for most international students – from F1 student visa to OPT/CPT to H1B. Emma also shares ways international students can maximize their…