MBA Insider

During his time at business school at UNC Kenan-Flagler, Ben Thayer made the most of his MBA experience. Whether it was learning entirely new topics and skillsets in the classroom, transitioning into a career in management consulting, or actively engaging in student activities and leadership positions, Thayer thoughtfully engaged and immersed himself in the MBA experience. In this wide ranging int...

In this episode, I’m joined by two of my fellow UNC Kenan-Flagler Class of 2015 classmates Blake Koch and Kerry Rigley to talk about life five years after graduating from Business School. This spring, Kerry, Blake and I and many of our classmates were slated to be celebrating our 5-year MBA reunion a few weeks ago in Chapel Hill, but like all in-person events that plan was put on hold. Instead, Bl...

As an HR Leader at a fast-growing tech company, and author of the career development book Not Your Parents Workplace, Nathan Tanner knows a thing or two about career development. After starting his career in 2008 and having three jobs in one year, Tanner learned the importance of being adaptable and flexible while also embracing each job by making the most of the experience, no matter how challeng...

MBA Internships are right around the corner, but they’ll certainly look and feel a little bit different this year. In this episode, Tony Morash (UNC Kenan-Flagler, ‘16) joins Al to talk about tips, best practices and general advice for MBA Internships. During the second part of this two part Podcast, Al and Tony talk about tips to be successful, how MBA students can prepare, and guidance around co...

MBA Internships are right around the corner, but they’ll certainly look and feel a little bit different this year. In this episode, Tony Morash (UNC Kenan-Flagler, ‘16) joins Al to talk about tips, best practices and general advice for MBA Internships. During the first part of this two pert Podcast, Al and Tony talk about tips to be successful, how MBA students can prepare, and guidance around com...

During his time at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Adam Miller has done his best to align his interests and goals to the activities and experiences he chose to participate in. In this interview, Miller speaks to why he chose to come to business school, some of his career and recruiting journey, and some of the highlights of his MBA experience, including launching his very own...

John Huang (Ross, ‘15) has been an MBA graduate for five years as of this May. In this time he’s worked for the largest company in the world, a 10 person startup, and 3 other companies in between. Regardless of his career steps, he’s always found ways to pursue roles that allowed him to use his skills and experiences, as well as to find and position himself for future opportunities for growth. In...

Product Marketing is becoming a popular career choice for many professionals including aspiring and current MBA students. In this episode, I'm joined by Shyna Zhang, a former Product Marketer at Microsoft and Marketo, and current Product Marketing Consultant and Advisor. During our conversation, Shyna breaks down what Product Marketing is, some of the important skills Product Marketers have, a...

While many MBA students were on spring break, most MBA programs across the world made a fast pivot to a virtual MBA environment as the world grappled with COVID-19.  Students were forced to think and work differently in this new environment, in order to achieve their goals and make the most of their MBA experience. In this episode, four current MBA students from NYU Stern, UC Berkeley, UNC Kenan-F...

After serving in the Merchant Marines and founding his own entrepreneurial venture, Ravi Maniar (UNC Kenan-Flagler, ‘16) moved from India to North Carolina to pursue his MBA. There were many adjustments Maniar had to make during the transition, and one of the biggest was around networking. In this podcast, Maniar shares how he flipped the switch on networking and how it helped him build relationsh...

Jeremy Schifeling is a former Kindergarten teacher, an MBA Alum of the University of Michigan (Ross) Product Marketer, and Founder of BreakInto Tech. Throughout his career, Schifeling went from not knowing much about networking to working at LinkedIn, and now runs an online course that teaches job seekers how to successfully navigate a career search using LinkedIn. He is an expert in career develo...

In this episode, I have Adam Miller, a 2nd-Year MBA Student at the University of Virginia (Darden). Initially I had set out to talk to Adam about some of the stories he shared in MBA Insider, but given the uncertainty that exists in the world I decided to chat with Adam about how he was doing, what he was experiencing, and his general outlook of navigating business school during these uncertain ti...

As the world economy moves towards a potential recession, there is a lot of uncertainty and concern in the job and labor market. In this episode I talk through some suggestions on how to manage the stress of a job search during tumultuous times. I share some research I did on how MBA students navigated the job market during previous recessions, and provide some thoughts and advice for how MBA stud...

It is MBA Admit Decision Season, and I’m profiling students and alum from different schools to give you the inside look on the MBA experience at that school. In this episode, I have Jackie Callahan,  a first-year MBA Student at Duke University (Fuqua). In this interview, Callahan shares her story from her journey from the U.S. Navy to Duke, why she chose Fuqua, and her advice for admitted students...

It is MBA Admit Decision Season, and I’m profiling students and alum from different schools to give you the inside look on the MBA experience at that school. In this episode, I have Jasmine Ako, a graduate from the Yale SOM class of 2019. Ako shares her journey to Yale SOM, why she chose it, and how Yale is helping her in her career.

COVID-19 has impacted everything including the MBA Admissions and Application process. Many MBA programs have responded by extending admissions deadlines or creating new opportunities for students to apply for this year and next year. To help make sense of all of this, Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted.com joins me to talk about the changes to MBA admissions, and how current and future MBA applicants...

COVID-19 is impacting every aspect of our lives and every industry across the world. In this podcast, I'll share some thoughts and tips for current MBA students who are wondering how to make the most of their MBA Experience given the new world they live in as a result of COVID-19.

Welcome to the MBA Insider Podcast! In this episode, I'll give an overview of the podcast, the history behind, and share what you can expect out of the MBA Insider Podcast.