The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Want to study business in idyllic St. Gallen, Switzerland, with an experienced cohort of 40-50 classmates from around 30 countries? The school prides itself in its individual support and strong relationships with corporates in finance, pharmaceuticals, FMCG and luxury good industries. Nearly 50% of graduates made a "triple transformation" and switched geography, industry and function. Listen on for the inside scoop as Darren interviews Zwanet Van Lubek, Head of Marketing and Recruiting, Careers and Corporates, about the St Gallen MBA. Go to http://www.touchmba.com/st-gallen-mba-admissions-interview for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the St. Gallen MBA program.

Are you looking for a hands-on, customizable and intimate MBA in the heart of one of the world's great research universities? Darren sits down with Mark Lockwood, MBA Director of Recruiting, Admissions, and Alumni Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to discuss the program's key advantages and admissions process. At only $66,000 USD for a 2-year program, the Illinois MBA offers sneaky good value for a top-ranked MBA. Go to http://www.touchmba.com/illinois-mba-admissions-tips for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Illinois MBA program.

What is relatively unique about the HKUST MBA? #1 ranked Asian MBA program in the world by Financial Times past 5 years Finish the program in 12 or 16 months Most international MBA program in Hong Kong, usually 25-30 nationalities represented in 120 person class; 95% of class is from outside Hong Kong HKUST has great exchange relationships - participants are guaranteed exchange spots with nearly 60 MBA programs around the world Financial Times rated HKUST's faculty #1 for research in Asia Strong reputation for Finance - 40-50% of graduates work in Finance A Good Fit for You if: You are interested in careers in Hong Kong and China - even though 80% of the class is non-Chinese, 50% of graduates stay in Hong Kong to work and 23% work in China You want to live, study and work in one of Asia's financial capitals; Hong Kong hosts over 6,000 MNCs and 70 of the top 100 banks You're looking to build a career and network in a fast growing region with a lot of potential upside, and get the prestige of a top-ranked program About Our Guest  Sean Ferguson is Associate Dean of Masters Programmes at HKUST Business School. Prior to joining HKUST in 2013, Sean was Assistant Dean of Degree Programmes at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business. Before to moving to the higher education industry, Mr Ferguson had a distinguished in corporate career working at PROS, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGE&Y), and Procter & Gamble (P&G). He currently serves on the board of GMAC and got his MBA from Rice University.

Here at Touch MBA we help you find your best-fit business schools. But what about getting an MBA in the first place? How can it help you? Do you need an MBA to become an entrepreneur? What should you consider when choosing between 1 and 2 year programs? And will the MBA be as valuable in the future? I sat down with Prof. Franz Heukamp, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at IESE, to get his thoughts on these very important questions. Getting an MBA is a massive investment. As Prof. Franz points out, applicants should think about the long-term ROI – and not just financial ROI – of the degree. I enjoyed his direct answers, and think you will too. Enjoy the show and we'll see you next Friday! About Our Guest Franz Heukamp is Professor of Managerial Decision Sciences and Associate Dean of MBA Programs at IESE Business School, where he teaches in the MBA, Executive MBA, and executive education programs. He got his PhD from MIT and his main area of research is behavioral decision-making with a special interest in the area of Neuroeconomics.

Few business schools can match the size and scale of Columbia Business School. The school has two intakes in August and January with 750 students graduating each year. Over 450 business leaders speak on the campus annually and Columbia has 40,000 alumni around the world. Students can choose from over 17 concentrations, 100 student clubs and 200 electives. And all of this takes place in New York City, a global business hub with over 3,000 MNCs. This week I had an in-depth chat about the Columbia MBA with 5 members of the Admissions Team. We discussed what makes Columbia different from other top-ranked schools, admissions tips, living in New York, and the extensive career support available at the school. One thing is for sure: Columbia has a wealth of resources to deliver a first-class business education. Enjoy! About Our Guests (5 senior members of Columbia Business School's Admissions Team) Amanda Carlson, Assistant Dean, Admissions - Amanda got her EMBA from Columbia in 2013 and worked in campus recruitment for McKinsey before coming to Columbia. Christina Shelby, Director, Admissions - Christina has been doing Admissions for Columbia for over 7 years and got her Masters in Education from Columbia. Michael Robinson, Senior Associate Director Admissions - Michael got his MBA from Columbia in 2001 and has been with the admissions team for 12 years. Matthew Moll, Associate Director, Admissions - Matthew got his Masters in Journalism from Columbia and has been working in Columbia admissions for 7 years. He is currently pursuing his EMBA at Columbia. Anne Carnahan, Associate Director, Admissions

Dr. Dana Brown, MBA Programme Director at Said Business School, joined the show this week to discuss what makes the Oxford MBA unique and its admissions process. Being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Said is looking for students with strong academic abilities. Although they evaluate applicants holistically, Said recommends having a minimum 3.5 GPA and Dana made it very clear that the school thinks the GMAT is important. They are also looking for critical thinkers with open minds who show ambition and purpose.  Over 95% of the class international coming from over 40 countries. Said recently revamped their curriculum to focus on global threats and opportunities, entrepreneurship and more interdisciplinary studies within the wider Oxford community. They also have one-on-one executive coaching throughout the 12-month program. Said plans to grow the class from 240 to 320 by next year. Listen on for the insider's scoop as I talk to Dana about Said's culture, admissions, scholarships, careers and more! About our Guest Dr. Dana Brown is the MBA Programme Director of the MBA Programme at Said Business School, Oxford University. She got her Masters in Philosophy from Oxford and PhD at MIT before returning to Oxford to teach international business and corporate social responsibility. She also spent 3 years at Emlyon before returning to Oxford.

What's the best MBA program for supply chain management? Or entrepreneurship? Or marketing? Many applicants who come to Touch MBA for help picking schools have this exact question. One of the biggest frustrations candidates have is figuring out the key advantages of schools. As one listener wrote, "It's difficult to know which one is the best in a certain area." In this episode, Darren gives a 3-step framework for quickly and effectively researching a school's academic strengths - "The MBA Physical." Heart - the people Skeleton - the course structure Muscle - the jobs  Listen on for what key things to look for in each of these areas. You can also download the template to carry out your school research! See you next week!

Over the past year hundreds of applicants have come to Touch MBA to get profile assessments and find their best fit schools. One of the most common problems I see is weak career goals. Career goals are important – and necessary – for you to figure out your best fit schools AND to improve your chances of acceptance. In this episode, I cover 5 ways adcoms evaluate your career goals so you can make yours bulletproof. Are your career goals defined? Do your career goals reflect a sense of purpose, passion, meaning, and significance? Can adcoms connect the dots between your prior skills/experiences and post-MBA goals? Do you have convincing motivations for pursuing an MBA? Can you make a rock solid case for pursuing an MBA from the school(s) you are applying to?

Who better to learn storytelling from than a two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner for dramatic nonfiction? This week Darren uses Jon Franklin’s Writing for Story as guidance for “stalking the story” and writing MBA essays that grip and reveal. Franklin pioneered the narrative nonfiction genre, and his book is full of gems for applicants struggling with their essays. After listening to this episode, you’ll know whether you are a) telling your best stories and b) writing your essays in the most compelling way possible. According to Franklin, great stories share 4 core elements: Complication: any problem or event that complicates our lives and creates tension Development: the actions the character takes to resolve the complication Resolution: a change in the character or situation that resolves tension Character: a character who cares deeply about and puts significant effort towards resolving the complication The result? In Franklin’s words: “In the best stories, the odyssey from complication to resolution changes the character profoundly.” That’s what adcoms are after: getting to know what’s important to you and what has changed you. They are begging to hear your best stories. And that’s why their essays prompt you for complication, resolution, and action that demonstrate your character. For example, two of Insead's “motivation” essays this year are: Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.) Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.) Insead is prompting the elements of a great story: complication (i.e. describe a situation where you failed…) and resolution (i.e. tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted…). So give it to them! For “personal” or “motivation” type essays, be sure your story has a complication and a matching resolution. The action you take in between these elements shows your character and how much solving the problem means to you. So here's a checklist for finding your best stories: What are the biggest problems / obstacles you’ve faced? (complication) What you have wanted more than anything? (complication) When have you taken massive action to accomplish something? (action) When did your actions make an impact? (action) What are your proudest accomplishments? (resolution) What did you have to overcome to get there? (complication, action) What are the most important lessons you’ve learned? When have you changed the most? (resolution) And here's a checklist for evaluating your essay: Do you involve the reader in your story with a complication and create tension? Does this complication mean a lot to you? Do you take action to solve the problem? Do you resolve the complication you bring up? Did you change or grow from the experience? Knowing the core elements of great stories will help you find your best material and write stories adcoms will enjoy reading.

Ms. Christie St-John, Director of Admissions, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, joined the show to discuss the Vanderbilt MBA. The program is focused on giving students a high-touch and flexible education that will prepare them well for internships and job placement success Vanderbilt's medical, law and education programs are also highly ranked and Owen encourages its MBA students to study across disciplines. Nashville is the epicenter of the US healthcare industry, and Vanderbilt is one of the few business schools in the country to offer a Healthcare MBA. Owen is focused on attracting the best students and award 70% of their students with scholarship funding based on merit. Christie makes it very clear that school takes a counseling approach in order to admit students who will succeed - and the school's rising rankings and excellent job placement stats attest that her team has done so. Christie also expands on Owen's focus on leadership development, human organizational performance, its student culture, and of course, admissions. She has held leadership positions in admissions for Vanderbilt and Tuck for nearly 2 decades and gives great tips on how to present yourself in your essays and interviews - and on how to increase your scholarship chances. Listen on for the insider's scoop...