Admissions Straight Talk Linda Abraham

In this episode, the Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern explains Stern’s Change Studio and Frontier Labs, explores what it means to be a Sternie, and gives advice to reapplicants. [SHOW SUMMARY]







Are you interested in an MBA that has the goal of preparing you to lead in an ever-changing world? Are you considering one- or two-year options? Does being in New York City with all that it offers, appeal to you? Then today's episode is for you, the new Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern is our guest.







An interview with Lindsay Loyd, the new Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern. [Show Notes]







Welcome to the 525th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to actually improve your profile and qualifications and it's all free.







It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Lindsey Lloyd, Executive Director for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern. Lindsey leads the recruiting and admissions efforts for Stern's full-time MBA programs, including the two-year, full-time MBA, the focused one-year MBAs, which are the Andre KooTechnology and Entrepreneurship MBA and the Fashion and Luxury MBA. Lindsay has a BA in economics from Washington State University and an MBA from Chicago Booth. Before joining NYU Stern, she had a 13-year career at American Express, where she ultimately became the Vice President of Strategic Engagement Global Commercial Services. She joined NYU Stern in January, 2023. 















Lindsey, congratulations on your new role and welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:05]







Thanks, Linda. Great to be here.







Can you provide an overview of NYU Stern's full-time, two-year MBA program? [2:17]







So NYU's two year program, full-time, it's the classic program that you think of when you hear “MBA.” It is a graduate management education that delivers on both breadth and depth. Year one, you're going to jump in with launch orientation and then focus on the core requirements, both the required and some picks from our menu. Then have a summer internship, followed by your second year, when you really jump into electives and your specializations. 







There are three things that I'd highlight that make Stern special. Firstly being access, and really this is, we are located in the heart of New York City and we fully take advantage of that. We are so connected across businesses and industries, from FinTech to fashion, from media to marketing, you name it, we've got Stern alumni there and the beauty is, they're just a subway right away. So we really are in the heart of the city and take advantage of it.







The next thing that I'd highlight is Stern's Solutions. So this is our experiential learning opportunities for students, where they're really jumping in and participating in live business challenges in the moment. This is something that Stern launched in the early two thousands, so this is two decades worth of experience and expansion and development. And lastly,

In this episode, the CEO of Service to School and the Chief Programs Officer at Service to School explore the resources available to active duty service members and veterans through the nonprofit and give practical examples of translating military experience into public sector terms. [SHOW SUMMARY]







Are you a veteran considering grad school? Are you thinking about entering the military and wondering what you should do after it? Would you just like to hear some great advice about applying to grad school, even if you're not in the military? Please join me for this informative interview with the CEO and the Chief Programs Officer of Service to School, a nonprofit that provides free college and grad school application counseling to military veterans and service members.















An interview with Alec Emmert, CEO of Service to School and Sydney Matthes, Chief Programs Officer. [Show Notes]







Welcome to the 524th episode of Admission Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA Admissions Quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/mba-quiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications, plus it's all free. 







In honor of Memorial Day, which the United States will observe this Monday, May 29th, I decided to invite two guests from Service to School, an organization that helps US military veterans gain acceptance to college and graduate programs. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Alec Emmert, CEO of Service to School, and Sydney Matthes, Chief Program Officer at, again, Service to School.







A little background about our guests. You could say that Alec really likes school. He holds a BS from the US Naval Academy, an MA in International Relations and Middle Eastern studies from the American Military University, an MS in finance from Georgetown University, and an MBA from Wharton. After serving in the military for almost eight years, Alec joined Booz Allen Hamilton, earned his MBA at Wharton, and then joined McKinsey as a consultant. He became the full-time CEO of Service to School in March of this year. Congratulations on your new position.







Sydney also likes education. She has worked in higher ed since 2011 on different college campuses, and is an independent admissions consultant. She earned her bachelor's at West Virginia University and her master's in Higher Education and in Education Administration from George Washington University. Her master's focused on veteran support programs and campus resources. 







Alec and Sydney, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:40]







Sydney Matthes:







Thanks. Excited to be here.







Glad to have you both. Okay, the first question is a basic one, and let's start with Alec for this one. What is Service to School? [2:45]







Alec Emmert:







In a nutshell, Service to School is an organization that provides free college application and admissions support to any veteran who wants it. We're talking about everything from community college to PhD programs. So if you are a veteran and you want any form of higher education, you can reach out to Service to School, and we've got a group of about 500 plus volunteer ambassad...

Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond [Show summary]







Admissions guru Linda Abraham highlights four reasons that could cause a rejection and offers concrete, practical suggestions for moving forward. 







Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond [Show notes]







Some of you unfortunately are facing a fistful of dings. Some of you haven't heard definitively. You are either in waitlist limbo or haven't heard anything, but you know that rejection at this point in time for the previous application cycle is a distinct and increasingly likely possibility. How can you respond to rejection? How should you respond to rejection? How can you reapply successfully if that's what you choose to do?







One of the challenges of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and are a standout in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In and Standing Out, The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, will show you how to do exactly that, and both of them. Master this paradox and you will be well on your way to acceptance. 







I'm going to do a solo show today as I addressed the questions I raised a minute ago. It's going to be one where I both give a little high-level encouragement and then get down to brass tacks advice on what you should do if you decide to reapply.







Rejection reality [1:42]







First of all, let's face it, rejection is disappointing. It's frustrating. It's painful. It's maybe even a little embarrassing. Acknowledge your negative feelings. It's okay. You put a lot of effort into this year's applications. You spent money and time on them. You invested emotionally in this whole project, and some of you may feel that this is the end of the road for your particular career dream. Maybe you've applied before. Maybe you find rejection to be a terrible blow. 







Realize that rejection is disappointing. It is a setback. It is not a tragedy. No one has died, no blood has been spilled. You haven't lost your livelihood.







What about my dreams and goals [2:23]







You may say, "But what about my dreams, my goals?" Well, I have two thoughts for you. 









* You may not need to give up your dreams and goals. You may decide to reapply and we'll get to how you should do that more effectively in a few minutes. You may apply to different schools that are easier to get into and that still support your goals. You may decide to achieve your goals in another way that doesn't require a graduate degree or perhaps would benefit from a different graduate degree. 







* You may need to modify your dreams and goals and replace them with new dreams. In other words, to re-dream instead of reapply. 









I can tell you that there have been many times when my husband and I seemingly hit a dead end on a dream and had to re-dream, and things frankly worked out better than we had ever hoped. 







For an example of someone who had to dream differently, please check out episode 234 for the story of Andrea Benedict, who had to abandon her dream of becoming a physician, became a PA instead, and absolutely loves her work and her career.

In this episode, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Admissions at Michigan State’s College of Human Medicine discusses ChatGPT in the admissions process, gives advice for reapplicants, and explains how med school applicants should choose where to apply. [SHOW SUMMARY]







Michigan State’s College of Human Medicine provides an innovative, patient-centered curriculum with multiple specialties and multiple opportunities for clinical exposure. Sound appealing? Read on because today I am speaking with the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine.







An interview with Dr. Joel Maurer, the Assistant Dean for Admissions at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology. [Show Notes]







Welcome to the 522nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you ready to apply to your dream Medical Schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted’s Med School Admissions Quiz can give you a quick reality check. You'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. 







Our guest today is Dr. Joel Maurer, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, and an associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at MSUCHM, or College of Human Medicine. 







Dr. Maurer, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:34]







Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.























I'm delighted to speak with you today. Can you give an overview of MSU's MD program focusing on its more distinctive elements and specifically the shared discovery curriculum? [1:38]







There's a lot going on there and I'll do my best to sort of give you a quick overview. College of Human Medicine is an allopathic medical school, so it grants the MD degree. It was founded in the mid '60s as a response from the people of the state of Michigan to create a brand new medical school that would initially have its primary focus on primary care physician development. The needs of the state at that time were very much in the line of primary care, frontline care. As the college grew and matured, the needs of the state became more encompassing. And so it is a medical school, that although primary care remains a critical component of what they hope to make contributions to, it's a school that appreciates the need of physicians across the wide spectrum of healthcare. The other thing of note, historically: it was the very first four-year MD granting medical school that used the community-based model as its foundation.







And so Michigan State has always had a long history of looking at pedagogical approaches and teaching, and how to teach people to teach others. And at that time, they had an opportunity to create a medical school that looked at how everyone else was doing it and trying to figure out, "Is there a way that we can do it differently and maybe better?" One of the key tenets is that it always wanted its students to learn medicine out on the front line where it was happening. And so in order to do that, they decided that maybe it was best in those formative clinical years, years three and four, to put its students more out on the frontline all across the state of Michigan in order to see medicine happening as symptoms were co...

In this episode Dr. Ben Bernstein, author of Crush Your Test Anxiety, explains the role of mind, body, and spirit in performance enhancement. [SHOW SUMMARY]







While aptitude tests are increasingly optional in graduate admissions, tests are a constant in graduate school and frequently in one’s career. How can you manage your stress and anxiety when facing a test, be it the MCAT, LSAT, MCAT, GRE, licensing exams, continuing education exams, or subject exams while in school? How can you perform at your best during a test? Dr. Bernstein will tell you how.







An interview with author, coach, psychologist, and educator, Dr. Ben Bernstein, on how to crush text anxiety to raise test scores. [SHOW NOTES]







Welcome to the 521st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we meet our guest, I'd like to highlight the featured resource for today's episode, Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions. Realize that the challenge at the heart of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and are a standout in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance.







Our guest today is Dr. Ben Bernstein, author of Crush Your Test Anxiety, and presenter of the masterclass by the same name, Dr. Bernstein or Dr. B as he prefers to be known, has been a performance coach for a wide variety of top performers, including Academy Award, Tony Award, and Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as CEOs, athletes, physicians, opera singers, and actors. Dr. Bernstein is the author of Crush Your Test Anxiety and three other books. He also posts regularly on Psychology Today. Dr. Bernstein graduated from Bowdoin College and earned his doctorate in applied psychology from the University of Toronto. In addition, he holds a master's degree in music composition from Mills College. Parallel to his career in psychology and education, Dr. Bernstein has extensive involvement in the performing arts. 























Dr. Bernstein, thanks for being a guest on Admissions Straight Talk. [2:21]







It is totally my pleasure, Linda. Thank you for inviting me.







My pleasure. Let's start with something really basic. What is a performance psychologist? [2:29]







Well, a performance psychologist is a term that I gave myself because I didn't know that one existed and the reason I gave it to myself was I was trained as a therapist, but when I started in private practice, I found that I didn't really take to that form of work, meaning that I'm a very active guy and I was really wanting to coach people more than do therapy with them, and so that meant I just started looking at where people wanted to perform better in their lives. Early on, it was parents or teachers, but then it became athletes and actors and dentists and doctors, and so that's what I do is that I'm really looking for what a person's potential is and what may be getting in the way of that. So we're looking at their performance, and hence, I'm a performance psychologist.







How did you get into it? Was it just a matter of the fact that you didn't care for more traditional forms of therapy or- [3:36]

In this episode the Associate Global Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at INSEAD discusses the school’s unique language requirement, the role of the GRE/GMAT in admissions, and what to include in the optional essay. [SHOW SUMMARY]







Are you a citizen of the world? Is it your goal to be a leader in international business? Then you should consider the Business School for the World: INSEAD. 







An interview with INSEAD’s Teresa Peiro, Associate Director of Global Admissions, Degree Programmes. [SHOW NOTES]







Welcome to the 520th episode of Admission Straight Talk, Accepted podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Sometimes I am asked, "Is the MBA worth it?" And my answer is, "It depends on your individual circumstances." But I've got good news. We've developed a tool that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances and by how much. Check how much you're likely to benefit - or not - from the MBA. And using it won't set you back even one cent. It's free.







It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk. Teresa Piero, Associate Director of Global Admissions and Financial Aid at INSEAD, the Business School for the World. Teresa worked in marketing for several years before joining INSEAD in 2011. She focused more on MBA programs initially, but in 2021 became the Associate Director of Global Admissions and oversees the entire admissions process for all INSEAD degree programs on all campuses including the EMBA, which is going to be our focus today. 























Teresa, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:52]







Thank you very much, Linda, for having me here today.







My pleasure. Now can you give us just a start, an overview of INSEAD's MBA program for those listeners who aren't that familiar with it? [1:57]







Yes, of course. Linda, our MBA program is a 10-month program that brings together around 100 nationalities per cohort. You can either start in January or in the August intake. It's a very intense program. It's shorter, but our participants make the most out of it and we commonly hear all of our alumni saying that it was the best year of their lives.







How do most students take advantage of that geographic diversity? If it was 10 months in Fontainebleau the whole time, that would already be intense. But if you have all these other options, how do they do it? [2:40]







Indeed. So, our applicants have to make a decision of which will be their home campus. So what are the core courses? They will have to stay in their home campus. After that when the electives start, they can either change campuses, so if someone starts in Singapore, they can go to Fontainebleau and vice versa. And then we offer different partnerships, as you mentioned, with different schools in the US and China. So what happens is that they can go to that school while they're, say, in that school, they are full students from the welcoming school and they spend their period there and then they come back to INSEAD-







So, where are the three campuses again? I know it's Fontainebleau, Singapore, and the third one- [3:31] 







There are three campuses. Fontainebleau, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. And we opened pre COVID San Francisco hub.







So it's not considered a full campus yet, is it? [3:43]







No,