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In a continuation of episode 158 on “candidacy question marks” – or red flags on an MBA candidate's record – this week's episode covers what to do if you: have employment gaps in your career, are unemployed when you apply,  get laid off or fired after you submit your materials, or have something like a DUI or honor code violation from college on your record. This is a replay of a past fan-favorite episode.

The things that scare us – especially in the context of MBA essays – are often the things that make us feel vulnerable, uncertain, or insecure. In short, things that force us to take our armor off and be vulnerable.  Vulnerability in MBA essays also offers you a powerful opportunity to connect with your reader, demonstrate self-awareness and/or EQ, and – most importantly – tell a really memorable and compelling story about yourself.   In this episode we talk about how to choose an essay topic offers these opportunities for candor and vulnerability, including sharing a range of examples and categories of essays that might be a good fit for you. This is a must for anyone interested in writing more boldly and more authentically.

In this episode, Erika talks with Joe Sweeney, the MBA Program Academic Director of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Joe's unique experience as an MBA student, professor and administrator at Mendoza leads to an in-depth discussion of what makes Mendoza stand out, and how the program integrates with its community in South Bend, Indiana, as well as with the wider University of Notre Dame.

In this episode, co-host Chandler Arnold sits down with Jamey Cummings to talk about leadership. Jamey graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. While in college, he was the captain of the wrestling team and a two-time qualifier for NCAA Division I Championships. Jamey started his career as an Officer in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, where he served for nine years before earning his MBA at Stanford. After graduation, Jamey worked as a consultant with BCG before moving to the field of executive search with firms including Korn Ferry and Heidrick & Struggles. Jamey is currently a Partner at JM Search where he co-leads the Firm's Security Practice and is a member of the IT Executives and Technology Practices. Join us of this wide ranging discussion on leadership, including such topics as: Advice for those from military backgrounds applying to business school Suggestions for describing non-corporate leadership experiences in your MBA application Guidance for those wanting to transition into—or out of—consulting An overview of the world of executive search as a possible post-MBA career choice Suggestions for those interested in entering the world of executive search Insights into what post-MBA leadership skills top firms are looking for today Listening to this podcast is a must for anyone applying to business school from the military or any non-corporate background, spending time with Jamey is a joy.

This episode—a replay of a listener favorite—covers what to do about “question marks,” or possible red flags, in an MBA applicant's candidacy, including: A low GPA A low test score A few low grades within an overall decent GPA A lack of extracurriculars A lack of work experience, and "Too much" work experience (or when an applicant is older than the rest of the candidate pool) Additional issues will be covered in Part 2 on May 17 (upcoming episode #162). Listen to B-Schooled episode #158 here, or on any of the podcast apps listed below.

First of all, we recognize that many applicants do consider MBA rankings as a key input into their school selection process. We consider MBA rankings too. But—and this is important—we belive these should be only one factor in your decision making process.  The first part of this conversation focuses on six questions everyone should ask themselves regarding school selection--including considering traditional full-time MBA programs vs online, part-time, and executive progams, targeting a mix of “stretch” schools and schools you are more confident about, the pros and cons of international and specialized MBA programs, school culture, and variety of other topics.   For the second part of this conversation, we encourage you to put down the rankings sheet (at least for the time being) as we consider 6 additional questions to help you identify schools that are the best fits for you.

Laura, a Michigan Ross MBA alum and former admissions committee member during her second year, joins Erika -- a Ross BBA graduate -- to share advice for and insight into the Ross application and interview process. And they might gush a little over how awesome Ann Arbor, Michigan, is as well.

First off, many applicants do consider MBA rankings as a key input into their school selection process. With good reason. We consider MBA rankings too. But—and this is important—we belive these should be ONE factor in your decision making process. Not the ONLY aspect of your decision making process.  Leading entities ranking MBA programs typically evaluate a range of factors relevant to the MBA experience: from quality of instruction, to student/teacher ratios, to alumni resources, to prestige, to post-graduation employment rates, to starting salaries, and a range of other inputs. But the truth is that some of these criteria are probably more important to YOU than others. For this podcast, we encourage you to put down the rankings sheet (at least for the time being) and consider 12 specific questions to help you identify schools that might be the best fits for YOU. This podcast is the first of a two-part segment.

After working so hard on your MBA materials for months on end, it can be shocking and devastating if you're not accepted anywhere. What should you do now? This episode discusses 5 paths forward for MBA hopefuls who were dinged.

This episode offers a deep dive into an aspect of the MBA application process many forget about: connecting with students, faculty and alums at your target schools. There are SO MANY REASONS this is an important thing to do. Not only does this help give you a direct way to understand which school might be the best fit for you, but there are also indirect benefits –- from behind-the-scenes connections to admissions committees, to professional contacts, to networking opportunities, to new friendships. The list goes on and on.   In this episode we discuss seven ways to connect with students, faculty and alumni. Importantly, this episode has been specially tailored to those of you who might come from a non-traditional background and/or don't think that you have any connections in this category.  Topics covered in this episode include:   Taking advantage of Zoom and other opportunities hosted by the admissions office. Reaching out to co-presidents of professional student clubs you might be interested in. Connecting with students from affinity groups you identify with.   Approaching alumni, especially those you have something in common with.   Considering approaching faculty and staff.  Taking advantage of your networks (even if you don't think you have a network). Exploring national MBA affinity groups.

Alex, a GSB alum who's now on the SBC admissions consulting team, shares advice for Stanford's extensive MBA application, as well as insight into the program's culture and surrounding area in Silicon Valley.

For this episode of B-Schooled we sit down the Recy Dunn. Recy currently serves as the CEO of Ascend Public Charter Schools and oversees a network of 16 schools serving 6,000 students in grades K-12 across Brooklyn, NY.  Prior to his role with Ascend, Recy served as the Chief Strategy Officer of the NYC Department of Education as well as a variety of other education leadership roles at both the local and national levels.   Recy earned his MBA and his MA in Education from Stanford. In this episode, Recy and host Chandler Arnold share:  Suggestions for MBA students interested in the field of education Thoughts focused on how education is a central civil rights issue of our time  The value of an MBA for those working within school districts, drawing from Recy's experiences in California, DC, and New York The value of an MBA for those running education-focused social enterprises, drawing from Recy's experiences leading Ascend Public Charter Schools The value of an MBA for those working with philanthropists, drawing from Recy's experiences with the Broad Foundation and receiving an $11M gift from MacKenzie Scott Thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of education Tips for current MBA students who are passionate about education We can’t thank Recy enough for joining us. Listening to this podcast is a must for anyone passionate about education, equity or leading social enterprises.

To celebrate our 150th episode, our founder Stacy Blackman joins us to talk about business school and the entrepreneurial journey. This episode is perfect for entrepreneurs, those who hope to work with entrepreneurs, or anyone interested in learning more about the entrepreneurial journey. For this episode, Stacy sits down with co-host Chandler Arnold to talk about their respective entrepreneurial experiences, in business school and beyond. For the first part of this conversation, Stacy and Chandler share a few SPECIFIC LESSONS THEY LEARNED IN BUSINESS SCHOOL. This conversation includes key takeaways including: The importance of testing and learning,  Identifying market gaps and unexploited domains,  The value of networking (even if you don't think you want to), and The power of trusting yourself, especially when others doubt you. For the second half of this conversation, Stacy and Chandler each share a few things THEY WISH THEY HAD DONE DIFFERENTLY in their entrepreneurial endeavors since graduation. This conversation includes such topics as: The value of connecting with people from different backgrounds and social/professional circles, Benefits of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, personally as well as professionally, The power of believing in yourself--and being comfortable with not having all the answers,  How to make peace with the fact that you can't do everything,  The benefits of taking little steps forward each day, ... and much more.  We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we enjoyed making it. Plus, be sure to listen to the very end of the episode where Stacy shares some top-secret entrepreneurial advice she learned... from Yoda.

Hannah, a former member of the Columbia Business School adcom -- who's now on the SBC admissions consulting team -- shares advice for the CBS application, as well as details about the program's amazing outside-of-class activities and its new location in Manahattan.

In this replay, Erika talks with Anthony Penna, a fellow SBC admissions consultant who spent 10 years with the Wharton School in Career Management and as Associate Director of Admissions for the full-time MBA program. As Anthony served on the implementation and design team for Wharton's Team Based Discussion (TBD) interview format, this episode focuses on his insight advice for MBA candidates who will be interviewing with Wharton.

Many interviewers report that they make up a big percentage of their mind about applicants during the first few minutes of an interview. This podcast shares a number of very specific suggestions and tips to make yourself stand out during these first interactions. Our host shares his suggestions for something he calls a “personal MBA soundbite” – including how you can create this soundbite, how you can incorporate it into the beginning of your first question, and how you can use this language to provide a framework for your entire interview.  While each is different, the main goals of an personal MBA soundbite are to: summarize who you are in an interesting/memorable/dynamic/compelling way at the start of your interview, create a framework for the first part of your conversation so that the interviewer understands your life and work experiences in the appropriate context given your future goals, and   develop a short *elevator pitch* that can not only be useful as you prep for your interviews… but also in terms of other elements of your admissions journey–from speaking to current students, to alums, to admissions officers, etc.  This podcast is perfect for anyone wanting to start of on the right foot for that all-important MBA admission interview.

How can you differentiate yourself from your MBA competition, particularly if you’re in one of the most competitive buckets when it comes to demographics or industry and function? That's the focus of this episode, which details specific ways to ensure you stand out from the most crowded applicant pools.

MBA candidates who've been waitlisted can feel like they're in some sort of admissions purgatory. In this episode, our host Erika and her colleague and former MBA admissions director Lisa discuss what options waitlisted candidates have to learn more about why they were waitlisted and what, if anything, they can do to increase their chances of admission.

If you have six months (or more) before your application deadline, this two-part podcast is for you. In Part 1 of this podcast, we shared five sets of suggestions helping you to: Think about your application as a journey of self-discovery that can teach you important lessons about yourself, Begin work on your short- and long-term goals now, Rework your resume with a focus on quantifying impact, Rework your resume with a focus on adding important context behind your numbers, and Set professional and extracurricular stretch goals to complete between now and the time you apply. In Part 2 of this podcast we continue the conversation with additional suggestions and tips focused on how to: Improve your GMAT/GRE score (or make the best of the score you already have). Work through a Storymapping Exercise for your MBA application Focus on—and improve—your MBA essays Consider being vulnerable in your application Set your recommenders up for success We’ve also included one bonus suggestion we think is really valuable… but you will need to listen to the episode for that!  : )

This podcasts is designed for applicants who have 6 months (or more) before their applications are due. In addition to offering suggestions about how to present your scores, essays, resume, and recommendations in the best possible light, this episode offers specific suggestions on how to use the months ahead to improve the SUBSTANCE of these elements before the application deadline.     Do you want to go for a promotion or a title change at work? Is now the time to take on new beefy professional/leadership challenge? Should you consider deepening your volunteer/extracurricular activities between now and when you apply? To set you up for success, we offer five sets of suggestions helping you to: Think about your application as a journey of self-discovery that can teach you important lessons about yourself, Begin work on your short- and long-term goals now, at the beginning of your application journey. Rework your resume with a focus on quantifying impact, Rework your resume with a focus on adding important context behind your numbers, and Set professional and extracurricular stretch goals to complete between now and the time you apply.