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#232 IESE MBA Admissions Insights with Patrik Wallen

Patrik Wallen, MBA Admissions Director at IESE Business School, discusses what makes the IESE MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

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#231 Crafting a Personal Narrative that Stands Out with Ellin Lolis

How can you stand out from thousands of MBA applicants with impressive CVs? Darren sits down with Ellin Lolis, Founder and President of Ellin Lolis Consulting and one of the top ranked MBA admissions consultants on Poets & Quants, to learn how she helps MBA applicants craft powerful personal narratives. With a near 99% success rate, Ellen shares the process she uses to transform an applicant’s collection of achievements into a cohesive and compelling personal narrative.

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#230 Five Keys to MBA Admissions Success with N’doli Jean-Hugues Cherif, Insead MBA ’26

Darren talks with N’doli Jean-Hugues “Cherif,” a French and Ivorian candidate who gained admission to both INSEAD and London Business School’s MBA programs. Cherif, an older full-time MBA candidate with diverse experience across five roles – including audit, management consulting, investment banking and infrastructure project finance in the public and private sector – shares his five key success factors for MBA admissions.

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How I Got Into Insead & London Business School: 5 Game-Changing Success Factors

N’doli Jean-Hugues Cherif, a French and Ivorian applicant with a background in financial advisory and project finance, shares five key success factors that helped him get into Insead and London Business School.

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#229 AI’s Impact on MBA Careers: An Insider’s Perspective

Darren confronts his own “AI anxiety” with Sabine King, Director of the Career Accelerator at the prestigious Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at University of New South Wales (UNSW). Together, they explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the demand for MBA graduates, the evolving strategies of career services, and how leading business schools are equipping their students to thrive in an AI-world.

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The Best MBA Programs in France (2025)

The Ultimate Guide to France's Top MBA Programs

The ultimate guide to France’s best full-time MBA programs. Compare the France’s top MBA programs head-to-head and get the inside scoop from Admissions Directors and students.

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#228 3 Exercises to Design Your Life & Find Best Fit MBA Programs

Darren shares 3 design thinking exercises from Bill Burnett and Dave Evan’s Designing Your Life that will help you build a joyful life – and find MBA programs you are excited about.

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#227 Inside the Frankfurt School Full-Time MBA: Admissions & Recruitment Insights with Ann-Marie Stephenson & Colleen McLister

Ann-Marie Stephenson and Colleen McLister, Senior Recruitment Manager and Admissions Manager of MBA Programmes at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, discuss the Frankfurt School MBA’s admissions criteria, admissions process, scholarships and more. After listening to this episode, you will have a thorough and nuanced understanding of how to submit your strongest application to the Frankfurt School.

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The Best MBA Programs in Hong Kong – Head to Head (2025)

Compare Hong Kong’s best MBA programs head-to-head and get the inside scoop from admissions teams & students.

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#226 HEC Paris MBA Program & Admissions Interview with Sara Vanos

Sara Vanos, Executive Director of Marketing & Admissions for HEC Paris MBA Programs, discusses what makes the HEC Paris MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

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#225 Is an MBA Worth It for Startup Founders? with Bridget Pujals, Berkeley Haas MBA ’24

Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? Bridget Pujals, Berkeley Haas MBA ’24 and Co-Founder of Saelo, shares her experience being an active founder during her Full-time MBA. What resources did she find most helpful? What should active and aspiring entrepreneurs consider before and during their MBA? Bridget shares specific steps she (and other entrepreneurs at Berkeley) took to de-risk their startups and increase their odds of success.

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#224 Important Things to Look for in MBA & EMBA Programs with Prof. Steven DeKrey, HKUST Business School

Professor Steven DeKrey, Founding Director of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program, discusses the value of top MBA programs in Asia, how applicants can stand out in the admissions process, who should apply to Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, and whether leadership can be taught. Listen carefully to materially improve your chances of finding a great business school and getting in!

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#223 How to 3x Your Chances to Top 10 MBA Programs with Melody Jones, Co-Founder of Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting

Melody Jones, Co-Founder of Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting, has been helping applicants get into top 10 MBA programs for over a decade. How does Vantage Point help applicants triple their chances compared to other applicants? Melody shares key learnings, examples and questions you can use right away to craft a compelling application.

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#222 Mid-Career MBA Alternatives with Richard Campbell (HBS Program for Leadership Development, LBS Sloan Masters in Leadership & Strategy, 500 Global Accelerator)

What should you do if you have 10+ years of working experience but are looking for an MBA-type experience to build your skills and network?

Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, joins the show to discuss his experience with three mid-career MBA alternatives: Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development (HBS PLD), London Business School’s Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (LBS Sloan Masters), and 500 Global’s Accelerator program.

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#221 Excellent Advice for Living (and MBA Applications!)

Inspired by Kevin Kelly’s Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I Knew Earlier, Darren shares 10 bits of life wisdom that could materially improve your chances of getting into business school and building a successful career.

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