Category: US Business Schools

#119 Breaking into Investment Banking (as an MBA)

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in investment banking? Darren invites his friend Scott to share his experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into investment banking and as an MBA recruiter for Wells Fargo Securities. Scott has worked in investment banking for 7 years after his MBA –…
#117 Breaking into Management Consulting (as an MBA)

What do MBA applicants need to know about MBA careers in management consulting? Darren invites his friend Sandra to share her experience, both as an MBA student looking to break into consulting and as an MBA recruiter for McKinsey & Company. Sandra worked in management consulting for 5 years after her MBA – don’t miss…
#114 Stephen Huber, USC Marshall MBA ’18 on Getting Off the Waitlist, Preparing Significant Others, and Breaking Into a New Industry

Stephen Huber discusses his MBA experience at USC Marshall, from what he did to get off the waitlist, to preparing his wife for an intense first year, to leading the High Tech and Interactive Gaming Associations, to landing internships and jobs in tech and the hard-to-break into entertainment industry. After listening to this talk, you’ll…
#111 MBA for Entrepreneurs – Worth It?

Many MBA applicants are interested in entrepreneurship, but have trouble reconciling the cost of an MBA with their goal of starting a business. Darren invites 2 recent Wharton MBA graduates, Alex Kubo and Renata Arauz De Stefano, to discuss if an MBA helps you become a better entrepreneur. Alex currently works at Burrow.com, a Y…
#109 Crafting Your Best Story & Applying Through the Consortium with Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross ’19

Sabaina Kamara, a Touch MBA listener and Admissions Edge Member, details what she did each step of the way to craft her best story – one that got her admitted to 4 top 20 US b-schools, including Michigan Ross, where she will head to this Fall. Sabaina also shares the benefits of applying through the…
#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.…
#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…
#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…
#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?”
#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.
#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…
I Got Into 8 Top MBA Programs; These Are My Top 3 Tips

Will Morgan, an oil & gas engineer looking to transition to management consulting, got into ALL 8 programs he applied to – here are his top 3 tips for getting admitted. Will heads to UT Austin McCombs MBA on scholarship this Fall.
#90 Boston University Questrom MBA Admissions Interview with Dana Dubovik

Boston University’s Questrom MBA wants to equip its graduates for jobs 10-20 years down the road. One way they’ve done this is by offering industry concentrations in health sector management, public & non-profit management and digital innovation, which are strengths of both the university and the city of Boston. The program also allows students to…