Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

Clear Admit
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Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

The Leading Independent Resource for Top-tier MBA Candidates

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    MBA Wire Taps 396—Reapplicant from India. Deferred candidate, 340 GRE. Auditor, 4.0 GPA

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity of MBA LiveWire; Duke / Fuqua released its Round 1 interview invites last week, along with other programs that continue to roll out these decisions. Upcoming this week, IESE, SMU / Cox, Georgia Tech / Scheller and Imperial College are scheduled to release their Round 1 decisions. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, and includes Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta and Notre Dame / Mendoza. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham also noted the Clear Admit survey that’s in the field, and focuses on issues related to building relationships with MBA program participants. The survey is here: https://bit.ly/casurveyfall24 Graham discussed a presentation he is helping to put together for an upcoming GMAC conference, which addresses how MBA admissions adcom are using Gen AI in their admissions process. There is no doubt that admissions workflows will be impacted with this exciting technology shift. We then discussed the introduction of Clear Admit’s incentive scheme to encourage more community activity on the Wires platforms. This season, we are seeing a higher level of engagement, which is very exciting. Graham then highlighted a recently published focus on two Stern MBAs who are veterans, in honor of veterans’ day. Finally, we discussed three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at UPenn / Wharton, Maryland / Smith and Cambridge / Judge. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is a reapplicant from last season. She has a strong focus on the education sector, which ties well with her long-term goal. She has a super GPA of 3.82, but her GRE score is a little less prominent at 323. This week’s second MBA candidate is a deferred-admissions candidate. They have a perfect GRE score of 340 and appear to have all the pre-conditions for a strong profile. They are targeting all the top 7 MBA programs; we think they can shorten that list. The final MBA candidate has a perfect GPA of 4.0. They work in audit in Florida, and are planning to apply next season, with three years of experience. They also have decent activities outside of work. We discussed their application strategy and things they can do now, to improve their overall profile. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    35 min

  2. 13 NOV

    Episode 395: Insights into the Georgetown McDonough Flex MBA Online

    We dig into the Georgetown McDonough Flex MBA Online, addressing its structure, student experience, and unique advantages. The McDonough Flex MBA Online is a part-time program, now offered in either an in-person or online format. It is designed to be flexible, as candidates can complete the program over the course of 24 to 60 months. Joining host Graham Richmond, two special guests from the McDonough community shed light on myriad facets of the online MBA. We welcome Anne Kilby, who serves as Associate Dean of MBA Admissions for the Full-Time MBA, Flex MBA, and Flex MBA Online programs. We also welcome current McDonough MBA candidate, Shriya Khonde, for an inside look at the Georgetown McDonough Flex MBA Online.

    36 min

  3. 11 NOV

    MBA Wire Taps 394—720 GMAT, low GPA. High GPA, low GRE. 3.98 GPA, 331 GRE.

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the U.S. election, and the potential impacts of a new Trump administration. Graham highlighted the webinar series for deferred admissions candidates, which continues on Wednesday, November 13 with Berkeley / Haas, CMU / Tepper, UVA / Darden and Stanford. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/cadefermba Graham also noted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham then shared a recently published report from Forte Foundation, which illustrates the continued efforts of the MBA industry to move to gender parity. Graham then noted three admissions tips, two focused on the MBA interview process (questions to ask your interviewer, and thank you notes), and the third focused on potential admissions mistakes to avoid. We then discussed four Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Yale SOM, IESE, Northwestern / Kellogg and NYU / Stern, and two MBA Class of 2026 profiles, from Columbia and Northwestern / Kellogg. We then discussed activity on MBA LiveWire; for this upcoming week, Michigan State / Broad, INSEAD, Minnesota / Carlson and Ohio State / Fisher are scheduled to release Round 1 decisions. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from South Asia and has a GMAT score of 720. We are worried about the impact of their low GPA. They do appear to have interesting work experience and additional activities, so we are hoping adcom can look past their GPA. This week’s second MBA candidate is a military candidate with a super GPA from a military academy. We are concerned that their lower GRE score is not truly reflective of their overall profile. The final MBA candidate has a 331 GRE score and a 3.98 GPA! They also appear to have interesting work experience and several significant activities outside of work. They are aiming high with their target programs, but this makes sense. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    39 min

  4. 4 NOV

    MBA Wire Taps 393—Wharton’s Team-based Discussion Interview

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; last week, MIT / Sloan and Duke / Fuqua released their Round 1 interview invites; other leading programs are still rolling out their interview invites, including Stanford and Berkeley / Haas. In the upcoming week, INSEAD has an application deadline, and Oxford / Said and Washington / Olin are scheduled to release final decisions from earlier rounds. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinars series scheduled for deferred admissions candidates, which begins on Wednesday with Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cadefermba We then dedicated the remainder of this podcast episode to Wharton’s team-based discussion interview. Wharton has recently released its interview invites for Round 1, so we thought it would be appropriate to share our deep understanding of this unique interview process. We discuss the history of the team-based discussion interview, as well as why Wharton has adopted this methodology; it is an attempt to mimic the learning-team experience at Wharton. We highlight some issues with that thinking. We discuss the specific topic of this season’s team-based discussion interview, and then detail approaches in order for candidates to be most effective in the interview. We also discuss the brief one-on-one interview that occurs after the team-based interview is complete. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    44 min

  5. 29 OCT

    Episode 392: On-Campus or Online? Kelley’s Plus-Flex Lets MBA Students Decide

    Flexibility is becoming a highly sought-after feature in today’s MBA landscape, and Indiana Kelley has just taken a big step forward by launching their new +Flex option. With this, full-time MBA students now have the choice to complete their second year either online or in person. This opens up endless possibilities, whether students want to travel, work remotely, or stay on campus in Bloomington for a more immersive experience. Learn more about this option with special guests, Emily Stern, Director of Student Services and Global Programs, and John Hill, Faculty Chair of the MBA Program.

    29 min

  6. 28 OCT

    MBA Wire Taps 391—Italian, test waiver. Solid profile, Tuck invite. Brazilian, EA test.

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; UPenn / Wharton released its interview invites for Round 1 last week, while Chicago / Booth released deny decisions for those who it did not invite for an interview. Several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. For this upcoming week, Cornell / Johnson is scheduled to release its interview invite decisions for Round 1, while Irvine / Merage, Oxford / Said, Maryland / Smith and Washington / Olin all have application deadlines. Georgetown / McDonough is scheduled to release its Early Action round decisions. Graham highlighted the upcoming webinars series scheduled for deferred admissions candidates, which begins on November 6 with Columbia, Harvard, Chicago / Booth and Yale SOM, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cadefermba Graham also noted the upcoming webinar series for Masters in Management programs, which begins on December 3, signups are here: https://bit.ly/camim24 Graham then highlighted a recently published story that covers the history of the “M7” group of MBA programs, as well as an admissions tip on some of the more unusual interview practices at top MBA programs. Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Emory / Goizueta, Vanderbilt / Owen and Boston College / Carroll. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries. This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from Italy, now living in Spain.  They appear to have a very solid career history and outside activities. They also have a master’s degree in economics. Unfortunately, they were not able to perform well on the GRE test, so have requested test waivers. We think this will harm their MBA options, overall. This week’s second MBA candidate applied to all their programs in Round 1 and appears to have a decent profile, overall. This includes a 3.64 GPA, 324 GRE and 5 years of work experience. They already have an interview invite at Dartmouth / Tuck. The final MBA candidate is from Brazil, and appears to have a very good profile overall, but has taken the Executive Assessment test, instead of the GMAT or GRE. Like our first candidate this week, we think this may negatively impact their overall options. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    37 min

  7. 21 OCT

    MBA Wire Taps 390—12 MBA Programs, Planning ahead, Aiming for Investment Banking

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; UVA / Darden released its Early Action round decisions, last week, Michigan / Ross also released its interview invites, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Johns Hopkins / Carey. They are also scheduled to release their Early Action round decisions. UPenn / Wharton is scheduled to release its Round 1 interview invites. Graham highlighted this week’s Real Humans webinar on Wednesday, which will include students from Dartmouth / Tuck, Columbia, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua, signups are here: https://bit.ly/rhlive1024 In November and December Clear Admit will be hosting webinars for deferred enrolment candidates, as well as events for candidates applying to Masters in Management programs. Graham then highlighted two recently published admissions tips focused on the seven hardest MBA interview questions, and group interviews. The latter tip focuses on Wharton’s team-based interview, which is an unusual format, relative to other top MBA programs.  Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at Georgetown / McDonough, Chicago / Booth and Florida / Warrington. We then discussed Texas / McComb’s recently published Class of 2026 profile. They managed to increase their class size from 241 students to 255. The actual profile of the class is quite similar to the prior year’s class profile, which included an average GMAT score of 704, and GRE score of 321. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate has applied to 12 MBA programs in Round 1, which is an extraordinary effort. They appear to have very decent work experience and outside of work activities. They also have a strong GPA. We do wonder if their GMAT score of 655 is their weak point. This week’s second MBA candidate has recently graduated from their undergraduate degree. They are now a software engineer. They are looking to apply for their MBA in several years’ time, so they are planning ahead. We offered general advice in terms of what to do over the next several years. The final MBA candidate is targeting Round 2 and has still to complete the GMAT or GRE. They appear to have good work experience, but we worry that their undergraduate record is going to be a real weakness. They want to transition into Investment Banking and are targeting the very top programs. They may need to adjust some of their target programs. This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    35 min

  8. 14 OCT

    MBA Wire Taps 389—African, 332 GRE. 715 GMAT, 2.9 GPA. Consultant, 294 GRE

    In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the activity on MBA LiveWire; Columbia released Round 1 interview invites last week, and several other top MBA programs continue to roll out interview invite decisions. Round 1 application deadlines for this upcoming week include Rice / Jones, The Consortium, Texas / McCombs, Arizona / Carey, Boston / Carroll, Indiana / Kelley and Notre Dame / Mendoza. NYU / Stern has its Round 2 deadline this week. Imperial College is scheduled to release interview invites for its Round 1 candidates and Duke / Fuqua is scheduled to release its final decisions for its Early Action candidates. Graham mentioned this week’s webinar focused on MBA programs on the West Coast, including Berkeley / Haas, Stanford, UCLA / Anderson, Washington / Foster and UC / Irvine. Signups are here: https://bit.ly/westcoastmba Clear Admit is also hosting a Real Humans webinar on October 24th, which will include students from Dartmouth / Tuck, Columbia, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua, signups are here: https://bit.ly/rhlive1024 In November and December Clear Admit will be hosting webinars for deferred enrolment candidates, as well as events for candidates applying to Masters in Management programs. Graham then highlighted a recently published admissions tip focused on the five MBA interview questions you need to ace. These are the most common MBA interview questions that most top MBA programs will be asking.  Graham then noted three Real Humans stories, focused on MBA students at UNC / Kenan Flagler, IMD and Indiana / Kelley. We then discussed three recently published class profiles, from Berkeley / Haas, Stanford and Washington / Olin. All these class profiles look very good. It is interesting to note that Stanford’s median GRE score is the same as the median GRE score at Washington / Olin. We discussed why this may be the case.  Haas’s stats appear to be impressive for a program that sits just outside the leading M7 MBA programs, much like NYU / Stern’s stats that we covered last week. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week’s first MBA admissions candidate is from Africa and has a GRE of 332. They also have a graduate degree. They appear to have very solid work experience and are active outside of work. They are targeting Sloan in Round 1, and then additional programs in Round 2. This week’s second MBA candidate is from the US military and has a very strong GMAT of 715. We do worry about their 2.9 GPA, for which they did provide some mitigating circumstances. They also have a high GPA in their graduate degree which may help. The final MBA candidate for this week has six years of consulting experience and is also active in their community. They have a GRE score of 294, which may really harm their options. They plan to retake the test and apply in Round 2. They might also consider undertaking some additional coursework. This episode was recorded in Los Angeles, California and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

    39 min
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