The mbaMission Podcast

Send us your admissions questions! After navigating the rigorous MBA application process, receiving an acceptance from one of your target business school can be a huge relief. But what if you find yourself with offers from more than one of your target schools? Today we welcome back Austin Sandoval to the mbaMission podcast. Austin was accepted to multiple top-15 business schools and offered genero...

Send us your admissions questions! Most MBA applicants are familiar with the M7 -- or "Magnificent Seven" -- a group of seven highly selective business schools that are consistently ranked among the best in the United States. In today's episode of the mbaMission podcast, we're posing the question: If the M7 became the M8, which MBA program would be added to this prestigious lis...

Send us your admissions questions! What does it take to gain admission to your target MBA program? What if you have a below-average GMAT or GRE score... can you still earn a spot at a top business school? MBA applicant Austin Sandoval did just that. In the latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, Austin talks with Harold Simanksy and Jeremy Shinewald about his MBA application journey, and how he...

Send us your admissions questions! With the constantly evolving sociopolitical news about immigration, Visa policies, and international enrollment restrictions at top American universities, international MBA applicants understandably have a lot of questions about applying to U.S. business schools in 2025.  In the latest episode of the mbaMission podcast we invited John Byrne, founder and editor-in...

Send us your admissions questions! The Yale School of Management prepares MBA graduates for a broad range of careers. In our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast we welcome back Laurel Grodman and Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Deans of Admissions at the Yale SOM. Laurel and Bruce discuss the ways in which the SOM prepares students for diverse post-MBA careers, and why firms value having SOM gradu...

Send us your admissions questions! Last year Harvard Business School changed it's MBA application essays for the first time in nearly a decade. The changes were significant, and caused anxiety for many business school hopefuls. After working with applicants on the new HBS essays for the last year, we're sharing what we've learned. In our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, Har...

Send us your admissions questions! Most business schools will ask you to discuss your career goals in your MBA application. Why do MBA programs ask about your goals when they know that your plans may change while you're in business school? And how do they evaluate your goals? In our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky, Susan McInerny, and Jeremy Shinewald discuss what ma...

Send us your admissions questions! The MBA admissions process is, in many ways, subjective. Broadly speaking the top MBA programs want to see a high GMAT or GRE score, a strong undergraduate GPA, and solid work experience. But, there is no magic formula for getting admitted. In our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jeremy Shinewald discuss the clients who have surprised...

Send us your admissions questions! If you look at the class profiles of the top business schools, you will find that more admits come from consulting than from any other field. MBA programs love management consultants, but coming from an overrepresented field means that the competition is fierce. How can consulting applicants stand out in a crowded applicant pool? In our latest episode of the mbaM...

Send us your admissions questions! The Yale School of Management's mission is to educate leaders for business and society. How does this mission inform the program's approach to academics and community, and how else does the SOM differentiate itself from other top MBA programs? In the latest episode of the mbaMission podcast we welcome back Bruce DelMonico and Laurel Grodman, Assistant D...

Send us your admissions questions! Harvard Business School is known for its top tier faculty and its pioneering use of the case method. But what about outside of the classroom? What are the clubs, events, and section experiences that make HBS special? Today we welcome HBS Student Association President, Hayden Tanabe, back to the mbaMission podcast to talk about the the HBS community and culture, f...

Send us your admissions questions! The team at mbaMission has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the business schools of their dreams over the last twenty years. In today's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky, Jeremy Shinewald, and Susan McInerny discuss the most important things applicants need to know as they begin -- or plan ahead for -- the MBA application...

Send us your admissions questions! If you are applying to business school -- and especially if you are applying to the most competitive MBA programs -- having an admissions expert in your corner can significantly improve your chances of admission success. At mbaMission, we help our clients unlock their most powerful stories and present their strongest possible profiles to the admissions committees...

Send us your admissions questions! Many individuals working in private equity have their sights set on Harvard Business School, the Stanford GSB, and Wharton for their MBA education. Business schools love PE applicants -- but does that mean you are guaranteed a spot in one of these elite MBA programs if you work in PE? Does coming from private equity give you an advantage in the application proces...

Send us your admissions questions! Former mbaMission client Hayden Tanabe was admitted to a whopping eleven MBA programs, including Harvard Business School, the Stanford GSB, Dartmouth Tuck, Northwestern Kellogg, and more. He ultimately chose to attend Harvard Business School and is currently serving as the HBS student body president. In our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, Hayden talks w...

Send us your admissions questions! The Yale School of Management has a distinct mission: to educate leaders for both business and society. While the school has a strong social orientation, it is also a strong general management program, consistently ranked as one of the top 15 U.S. business schools. In this episode of the mbaMission podcast, Jeremy Shinewald is joined by Bruce DelMonico and Laurel...

Send us your admissions questions! In this episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Gavriella Semaya discuss their pet peeves when it comes to crafting MBA applications. They shares common mistakes that business school applicants make and why it's important to avoid these pitfalls. Book your FREE 30-minute MBA admissions consultation with Harold or another one of our experienced...

Send us your admissions questions! For many business school applicants, writing application essays is the most daunting piece of the admissions process. What are MBA admissions committees looking for in your essays? What are the key components of personal statements? What mistakes do applicants commonly make when discussing their post-MBA goals? Harold Simansky, Jeremy Shinewald, and Gavriella Sem...

Send us your admissions questions! Do you need a track record of community service in your MBA applications? If so, how much community engagement do you need, and what kinds of community involvement are business schools looking for? In this episode of the mbaMission podcast,  Harold Simansky, Jessica Shklar, and Gavriella Semaya discuss why MBA admissions committees care about your community and p...

Send us your admissions questions! How can ChatGPT and other AI programs make the MBA application easier? Can you use ChatGPT for your business school research? Can you use it for your essay brainstorming? How about for the actual writing of application essays? And SHOULD you use AI for these and other stages of the application process? In this episode of the mbaMission podcast,  Harold Simansky,...

Send us your admissions questions! MIT Sloan is consistently ranked one of the top business schools in the country, and is one of the elite M7 programs known for their excellence and competitiveness. It also has one of the most unique business school applications, including a cover letter, an org chart, and -- for those invited to interview -- a data visualization component. Dawna Levenson, Assist...

Send us your admissions questions! If you have been invited to interview by one or more of your target MBA programs, you are likely feeling both excited and a bit nervous. Being invited to the interview stage means that a school considers you to be a strong candidate -- but, the interview process can be intimidating. How should you prepare for your interviews? What questions will you be asked? How...

Send us your admissions questions! If you have been invited to interview at Wharton, you probably know that the Wharton Team-Based Discussion is unlike any other business school interview. How should you prepare for this unique group interview, and what strategies should you employ during the interview itself? We discuss all of this and more in our latest episode of the mbaMission podcast, featuri...

Send us your admissions questions! In this episode of the mbaMission podcast, Stacey Koprince of Manhattan Prep is back to talk about her biggest pet peeves when it comes to the GMAT and the GRE. She discusses tricky quant problems, her favorite (and least favorite) vocab words, and when it's appropriate to make a guess and move on when taking the GMAT or GRE. Book your FREE 30-minute MBA adm...

Send us your admissions questions! Harvard Business School and the Stanford GSB are two of the most prestigious business schools in the world, and -- not surprisingly -- have some of the lowest acceptance rates among the top MBA programs. The Stanford GSB admitted a mere 6% of applicants for the class of 2026. Who are these admitted students, and what sets them apart from the broader applicant poo...