MBA Wire Taps 282—Fighter pilot, low GPA. Carlson versus Bocconi. Tepper versus Ross, online MBA.

This week's episode tackles 'March Madness' - of the MBA admissions variety - as more and more top MBA programs are releasing their final decisions for Round 2. UPenn / Wharton is one of the many programs scheduled to release their decisions this upcoming week. Graham highlighted a recently published admissions tip that focuses on navigating the wait list. He then highlighted two alumni Real Humans pieces, for HBS and Deloitte, and NYU / Stern and Carlyle. The latter alumna discussed the importance of patience and persistence when recruiting outside of the traditional career paths of consulting and investment banking. Alex and Graham then discussed a recently published piece on Clear Admit that reviewed the demand for tech jobs at leading MBA programs; that discussion was tempered with the recent news of all the layoffs in the tech sector. As always, this episode features real candidate profiles, sourced from one ApplyWire entry and two DecisionWire entries: WireTaps candidate #1 is a fighter pilot who appears to have a very strong military career. The one area of their application that is concerning is a lower undergrad GPA (a 2.8 in aerospace engineering). Alex and Graham discuss options for mitigating this area of concern as well as the importance of a longer term post-MBA goal, especially for an older candidate. This week's second candidate is weighing two quite different options, a full-ride at Minnesota Carlson, versus a place at SDA Bocconi. They are looking at FMCG or Luxury retail for their post-MBA goals, hence the diverse considerations. Alex and Graham discuss some of the key factors that should help influence their decision. This week's final candidate is looking at options between two online MBA programs (CMU / Tepper and Michigan / Ross) and the full-time program at Vanderbilt / Owen. It looks like they prefer the online route, so they can remain at work. Alex and Graham provide some guidance in terms of how to choose between these two options. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us, and please remember to rate and review this podcast wherever you listen!