THE GMAT Club Podcast

Recent Policy Changes to US Student (F1) Visa

New Mandatory Social Media Reivew Requirement

Contradictory Information on Visa Form vs on LinkedIn Profile

Reduction in the Validity Perriod of Student Visas

Changes to Visa Interview Locations

Should you remove controversial social media posts

Pre interview Documentation

Why Visa Officers Sometimes Do Not Look at your Documents

Proof of Funding

Does School’s Reputation Matter in Securing a Visa?

The Role of Career Plans & Ties to Home Country

Th...

Can GMAT Truly Make or Break Your Admission Chances?

What If Your GMAT Score Is Lower than School’s Average?

When It Makes Sense to Re-Take the GMAT and When It Doesn’t

When the GMAT Is a Strong Gift

GMAT vs GRE

Has GMAT Regained Dominance Post-Covid?

Are There Cut-Offs for GMAT Scores?

What’s a Good GMAT Score for Myself? (Precise Decision Framework)

Profile Roast Segment - #1 Canadian Banker Targeting M7 B-Schools

#2 Indian Finance Entrepreneur

The Impact of Big Companies on Resume

How AdComs Compare Candidates from Big vs. Small Companies

How BSchools Form Their MBA Class

What’s the First Thing AdComs Look in Your Application?

How Low GMAT / GRE Scores are Assessed?

What If You Haven’t brought a Big Impact in your Work?

When Applicants Don’t Recognize their Potential

When an Applicant Built a Hospital & didn’t Mention it in the Application

What AdComs Really Want to See in Essays

Intro

Why Essays When Schools Have My Resume?

How Schools See ChatGPT’s Use in Essays?

What AdComs Do Not Look For (in Essays)?

The REAL Job of Essays in MBA Application

Examples of Standout Essays from Top Applicants

Professional vs Personal Stories in Yale Essay

How to Emphasize that You are a Good Fit for the Program

How Many People Read your Essays?

Essay: The First Thing AdComs See?

Essay Roast Segment

Business Minded Essay (Harvard)

Why GMAT

Practice Techniques for Quant and Data Insights

Deciding to Retake for 695 in 1st Attempt

Taking 20 Mocks in 30 Days - How that Helped

Last days before exam & Test Day experience

My Daily Practice Routine

Tips to Improve Data Insights Score

Dealing with Long RC Passages  

Which Mock Tests Did I Attempt

Choosing the Army: First Career Step After College

Building Leadership Confidence in the Army

From Army to MBA

Why MBA

MBA Experience: Expectations vs. Reality

Overcoming Challenges in Business School

Landing My First Job After MBA

The Brand Manager Role at Johnson & Johnson

Was MBA worth it?

Otis to Zipcar - Brand Management to General Management

The power of your LinkedIn profile

Navigating Major Career Struggles

Main hurdle in transitioning from Manager to Leadership role<...

About your journey

Did you choose the detour yourself, or were you advised by mentors?

What made you stay longer than 2-3 years despite your non-profit aspirations?

Did you imagine you’d get an MBA?

Did b-school feel daunting with your non-quantitive background?

How did you feel starting b-school and any advice for women considering it?

How did you decide which b-school’s to consider?

What advice would you give someone considering this journey?

How did you feel about participating in the social impa...

Switching Careers

Why MBA?

Choosing the right MBA

MBA Experience

Challenges during an MBA

Impact of an MBA

Is an MBA worth it?

Moving from one organization to another

CPG to Product Management via MBA

What I Love about Product Management

Identifying Companies with Great People

The Role of Backdoor Networking

How MBA Helped in Transitioning into PM

Why MBA Realization

My Mentors & Support System

Work Life Balance in PM Career

Mistakes I Wish I Avoided

What I Loved Most about Business School

Importance of BSchool Networks

Reflecting on Biggest Decisions of my Life

What I Do in Free Time

Advice to...

01:27 GMAT Prep Timeline of Naman

02:25 Inconsistencies in Initial Prep phase

06:37 Creating a 4 Month Study Plan; New Study Routine

10:50 Preparing for Quant Section

12:33 Preparing for Verbal Section

15:05 Preparation for Data Insights

17:30 Handling Challenging Topics

20:35 Learning from Mistakes; Error Log Management

22:52 Practice Tests Strategy

28:06 How I Analysed my Mock Test Scores

31:03 Test Day Experience and Tips

35:31 Advice to GMAT Students

Meet Simon

Beginning the GMAT Prep

How Gruelling Study Schedules Impacted my Score

How I Reset Mindset a Day before the Exam

Importance of Good Sleep, Nutrition, and Mental Well-Being

Study Strategies for Quant Topics

Study Resources

Overcoming Data Insights Challenge

Advice to GMAT Students

Taking Notes during Study

Deferred MBA Plans

GMAT Classic in Oct 2023 with 710

Resuming GMAT Focus Prep in June 2024

Using GMAT Club Effectively for Prep

How to Ace Data Insights Section

Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning

Balancing Study and Work

Mock Test Strategy

Test Day Experience

Kseniia's Background; Undergrad; Full time work

Getting Masters at Bocconi University

Challenges of coming from non-traditional background

Tackling low GPA

5 GMAT attempts

Setting a compelling narrative in Essays

Handling rejections and reapplying

What Really Worked for Me

Role of International Experience

Interview Experience

Why MBA in US (over Europe)

My Advice for MBA Applicants

Things I would have done differently

Intro

How I began my GMAT Preparation

Why I enrolled in many GMAT courses

Resuming GMAT Prep after Rejection from ISB

Drastic Changes in GMAT Prep Strategy

Big Learnings from Mock Tests

Question Review - Is it Useful?

Tips for Exam Day

Did I follow a Set Study Routine

Offbeat way to look at Reading Comprehension

Lindsay, Hunter and Daisy intros

Hunter's talks about Stern's flagship experiential learning courses

Daisy talks about some real world experience gained through the Berkley Center

Lindsay adds context around experiential learning, how prospective students can explore opportunities

Hunter describes the project he worked on and the skills he was able to build as a result of the Stern Consulting Corps

Daisy talks about the Venture Associates startup

Lindsay talks about how experiential learning can  be applied in recruiting

Daisy talks about sustainability business pitch competition Duration: 00:40:16

Beginning the GMAT Prep

Dealing with Procrastination and Inconsistencies

Advice to new GMAT students

Magoosh Course & Study Routine

The Speed vs Accuracy Trap

Practice Test Strategy

GMAT Day Experience

The “Administrative Review” Nightmare

How Psychology Plays a Role in GMAT Success

Future MBA Goals

Audience Questions

* Which actions to prioritize with the time you have left

* Some pragmatic advice on selecting school(s) to apply to

* How to "speed run" your way through the application, including essays, recommendations, and the resume

* Should you address your last-minute application in the "Optional Essay"?

4 Ways to Finance Your Education Abroad

Benefits of Taking an Education Loan

Secured Education Loans

Unsecured Loans

Secured vs Unsecured Comparison

Lender Types

Non-Cosigner Loans

Loan in INR vs USD

Refinancing Loan for a lower rate

Indian Loans to NRIs

Multiple loans

Interest on sanctioned loan or used loan

Credit Score requirement

The F1 Application

SEVIS Registration, I20

Visa Application Form (DS-160)

F1 Visa Interview Overview

Carrying documents during travel

What to Expect in your Student Visa Interview

Applying to Visa from a different country

What’s next if my visa is rejected

Common reasons for visa rejection

Visa requirements for partners

Normal visa processing time

Allowed jobs for F1 visa holders

F1 Visa for another degree in the US

Visa Renewal

Errors in...

Intro

Walking the MBA application tightrope

3 Basic Rules to Remember for Repurposing Essays

There’s Nothing Wrong in Repurposing Text

Example of Repurposing Stanford and Fuqua Essays

Intro & Agenda

What Happens After You Submit MBA Application

Holistic Review - What We Really Look in the Application

Resume and Work Experience

Do Schools Create Applicant Pools by Geography

Does a gap year hurt admission chances

How GMAT / GRE Scores are Evaluated

Recommendation Letters

MBA Application Essays

Video Essays

MBA Interview Process

How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

Read Mukul’s detailed GMAT debrief on GMAT Club https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-fe-705-story-of-perseverence-and-persistence-426685.html
 

Studying Nuclear Engineering, Time in Army

Deciding to go for MBA

Beginning GMAT Preparation

Preparing GMAT Study Plan

Balancing Military Duty and GMAT Prep

Switching from GMAT to GRE

GRE Prep Strategy

Error Log, Prep Resources, GRE at Home

Meditation and Relaxing Techniques I Used

Brainstorming for Essays

Why Stanford?

Preparing for Stanford MBA Interview

Why MBA after 6 years in gaming industry

GMAT Focus vs GRE - How I Decided

Starting the GMAT Preparation

Course correction after first practice test

GMAT Study materials I used

My 6 week GMAT study plan

Study strategy for GMAT Quant

Study strategy for GMAT Verbal

Timing Strategy for Reading Comprehension

Deciding section order

Researching MBA programs for applying

How I approached application essays

Preparing for my MBA interviews

My tips to GMAT students<...

Lukas, a lawyer turned Management consultant, was always aspiring to get an MBA from top business schools in the world and work in Strategy Consulting. To achieve this dream, he began his GMAT preparation while working full time first as a Lawyer and then as a Management Consultant. After 5 years of rigorous preparation, he managed to score 760 in the 3rd GMAT attempt. After securing 99 Percentile on the GMAT, he approached MBA application process with the same passion and zeal. He applied to 6 best business schools in the world: HBS, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, and Kellogg. He...

Nimisha recently got into the prestigious Masters in Management of London Business School (LBS MiM) after scoring 730 (90% percentile) on the GMAT with 2 months of preparation. Nimisha has always been very passionate about the MicroFinance sector. To transition into her dream sector, within 1.5 years of completing her engineering in Electronics and Communications and working at KPMG, she decided to pursue a Masters in Management from Europe. She took the GMAT test and scored 730 in the first attempt within 2 months. She then applied to two top MiM programs in Europe: LBS and HEC Paris. She eventually got into the LBS MiM...

In this video, we interviewed Dauan, a French Korean GMAT student, who improved from 610 to 730 on the GMAT within 4 months. After getting 610 in this first diagnostic test, he knew that he had only around 4 months to prepare and that he had only one shot which if he mess up can't afford to wait for the following year. 

Intro

Pre-MBA jobs at Blockchain, Mastercard, & Rappi that inspired me for MBA

Founding a Startup 

Planning to do an MBA

How recommendation letters provided strength to my MBA application

What made my application successful

How do I Shortlist BSchools to Apply

Which BSchool am I Picking for my MBA?

Anurag, an Indian-origin Engineer based in New Zealand, scored 645 in his recent GMAT Focus edition exam. Anurag’s GMAT focus edition prep was a roller coaster ride. He had scored 650 in his first GMAT classic test attempt. He then decided to shift to the new gmat and eventually scored 645 (90th percentile) on GMAT Focus in the third attempt.

 In this interview, we explore her incredible GMAT prep journey, filled with determination, hard work, and strategic methods for GMAT preparation. How Keerthi planned her GMAT study around the tried and tested formula of Concept Mastery, Timed Practice, and Reviews. From understanding the GMAT exam structure and content to devising a personalized study plan, you will gain a comprehensive insight into Keerthi’s path to GMAT success. So, if you're aspiring to crack the GMAT, or if you're simply seeking inspiration and guidance on your own GMAT journey, this video is a must-watch! Join us as we unravel the sec...

In this interview, we uncover his whole journey of GMAT preparation as well as Masters in Management application for ESSEC, what prep resources he used, his preparation techniques for GMAT Quant and Verbal sections, GMAT study plan, GMAT test-taking experience, and timing strategies on the GMAT.

In this episode, we dive into the inspiring MBA journey of John, a PE/VC Associate and former management consultant. John was raised in a trailer in the backwoods of Alaska, and his family was consistently below the poverty line growing up. Being the first in his family to go to college, John ended up creating Bain & Company's (and MBB's) very first affinity group for FGLI individuals. He also came from a small and little-known growth equity fund so getting into both the Stanford GSB ad Wharton (when he knew that they typically have access to candidates with much...

In this episode, we interview Deepesh, an Indian student who had received conditional admission offer from IMD's MBA program and had a challenge to get a high test score within the designated timeframe. Deepesh had the choice of taking either GMAT or GRE. He decided to take the GMAT exam and scored 680 in his first attempt. Hoping to improve his GMAT score in next attempts, he continued his study for the GMAT only to find out in subsequent attempts that he was not making any significant progress on the GMAT. Soon he realized that GRE was a better option...

In this episode, we dive into Arya’s journey who got admitted to the MBA/MPP dual degree program at Duke Fuqua. We discuss Arya’s pre-MBA preparation story, her extensive social sector work, the highs and lows of business education, and her post-MBA goals. From networking events to work-life balance, Arya offers an authentic and inspiring glimpse into the transformative world of MBA life at Duke Fuqua.

Hear from Diana Economy who is a former Michigan Ross admissions director.

In this episode, Nate Le shares his approach towards applications essays and interviews which landed him into HBS, Kellogg, Haas, Fuqua and Ross.

In the consultant's corner, Sam and Nina discusses what it means to "Be yourself" in the personal statement.

How to pronounce Emory Goizueta?
Why MBA and Why now?
Non-quantitative background for taking the GMAT
Non-quantitative background for an MBA
Business school applications during the lockdown
How to write a compelling MBA essay?
How to address a few drawbacks in your MBA applications?
Why Emory Goizueta MBA?
Why it is important to choose the correct school for the MBA?
What are some surprising things about Emory's MBA?
Core MBA classes
About Emory MBA’s small class size and why it is helpful.
What advice do you ha...

How and why did you choose LBS?

What kind of students thrive at LBS?

About the Exchange program with NYU stern

Differences between European MBA and US MBA

How LBS has helped you in your career?

Advice for prospective LBS applicants

Consultant's Corner: Advice for constructing a powerful and effective personal statement

What type of students thrives at IESE?

What do admissions look for in an applicant?

How to address the lack of international experience?

Suggestions for prospective applicants

The case method and popular classes at IESE

International experience through Oversees module at IESE

Women and leadership programs at IESE

Career support and placements at IESE

How does IESE MBA transform a person and their career?

How to use ChatGPT in your MBA applications?

In this episode, we will uncover the MBA journey of Rashmi Singh rashmis2502 a first-generation college grad by discussing on the following.

Rashmi’s consulting background
Why MBA?
Thoughts on Impact Consulting
Why Oxford Said MBA?
Gender equity
Why now for the MBA?
European MBA vs US MBA vs Indian MBA
Oxford Said’s application process
Advice on Letters of Recommendation
Tips on how to prepare a comprehensive MBA application
How to write post-MBA goals?
Oxford Said admissions interview
How to use LinkedIn during your appl...

Sonali's background
Why MBA?
How did you choose your target business schools?
Why Fuqua?
Culture at Fuqua
About Fuqua's 20 random things about yourself essay
One surprising thing about the Fuqua MBA experience
About #TeamFuqua
Advise for Fuqua applicants
Career support at Fuqua

Guest Speaker: Andrea Flores from IE university

Andrea Flores is a professional in the higher education sector with over 10 years of experience, currently Head of Global Recruitment at IE University in Madrid, Spain. Her passion is to see education shape the future of society and how, through sharing IE University’s values of humanities, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, and innovation, she can have an impact on the leaders of tomorrow. She currently manages the Global Recruitment department for both graduate and undergraduate degrees at IE University across the five schools, including IE Business School and the MBA pr...

Episode Summary:

0:33 Intro to Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean for MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business

2:12 Intro to Devna Shukla

3:55 Intro to Drew Stern

7:17 How did you start exploring the MBA?

14:43 How did the Stern MBA help you in your career?

23:39 Can you tell us about a challenging time at Stern and how did you navigate it?

28:20 How did you build relationships at Stern MBA?

33:30 Student clubs at NYU Stern

36:54 How did the Stern MBA help your leadership style?

Join Senior Associate Dean, Russ Morgan, for insight into what is new at Duke's Fuqua School of Business. From a new Diversity, equity, and inclusion concentration to the entire MBA program becoming STEM-designated, Morgan will shed light on the new and exciting things happening in the MBA program.

From his experience of guiding several MBA applicants, Brian Fobi shares 5 key mistakes that every MBA applicant should avoid to get into their dream business school.

In this episode, Brian Fobi, CEO - Gurufi, tells us whom should you ask to write your recommendations and how you can ensure you get a strong recommendation letter.

Host: Selbi Allaberenova, Marketing Manager at GMAT Club

Guest: James Kent is the Marketing Manager for the full-time MBA programme at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. Before pivoting his career to b-school admissions, James ran the China desk for a London based recruitment firm providing pathways for China talents to work in Europe.

Stanford essay analysis

Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?

Essay B: Why Stanford?

Optional essays

Tips on how to start a career in Europe.

Starting a career in Europe as a non-European?

Programs at RSM that help International students?

Advise for students thinking about an MBA?

Can you learn to start a business through an MBA successfully?

How to apply for an MBA as an entrepreneur?

Erasmus centre for entrepreneurship.

How are the students different at the end of the RSM MBA?

Getting into Wharton as an international student with an over represented profile

Introduction

Study plan

The key to Q51

Study materials

If you want to understand Riddhi’s GMAT journey in detail, you can watch her GMAT debrief here https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-630-q44-v33-to-a-720-q49-v40-in-one-month-my-journey-400938.html

Riddhi's GMAT preparation journey

How Riddhi managed to improve her GMAT score

What practice resources RIddhi used for GMAT Verbal and Quant

How was Riddhi's experience during the GMAT

RIddhi's timing strategies

How Riddhi utilized official question banks and GMAT Club practice resources to attain rapid improvement in her Verbal as well as overall GMAT score.

How I started my GMAT prep

Role of GMATClub in my prep

GMAT Quant

Incremental improvement

Developing intuition

Get data on yourself

What is GMAT all about

Test day experience

In this session, we will interview David - a Member of GMAT Club Community - who recently scored 770 in his first attempt on the GMAT. We will try to find out how he prepared for the test, what materials he used, how was his test-day experience, and of course any advice for future GMAT students. You can connect with David on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Kharatishvilid

Anna Moylan dreamed of getting her MBA at Kellogg, but to get in she needed to increase her GMAT score substantially. In this video, we discuss how she used the Target Test Prep course to achieve a massive 300-point GMAT score increase and make her dream a reality.

Jay's journey to achieving an outstanding GMAT 790 (Q51/V49) score is an inspiration to anyone looking to take their career to the next level. In this live interview, Jay discusses his GMAT study plan and techniques.

Introduction

Why GMAT?

GMAT studies

Technical difficulties in the exam

How to use official mock tests

Role of GMAT Club and GMAT Ninja

Study habits

How to deal with the stress

Recently, GMAC has announced changes to the GMAT Exam and a new version of the exam called "GMAT Focus Edition”. Some of the key changes (as per the limited information GMAC has made public) include removal of AWA section, reducing exam time to 2 hours and 15 mins, an option to review and change answers of certain questions, etc. As there is a great deal on confusion about these changes, we decided to have a panel talk about these topics and get your queries addressed by experts.

In this podcast episode, we interviewed Handi, a GMAT student from China who had scored 670 in his latest mock test, scored 710 in the actual GMAT test by making subtle changes in his approach to Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning in GMAT Verbal questions. In this interview, we uncover his whole GMAT preparation journey, what prep resources he used, and how GMAT Ninja’s Verbal Videos on GMAT Club gave him motivation and confidence to tackle verbal questions. We will also talk about his performance in GMAT Quant questions, his GMAT test experience, timing strategies, etc. 

If you wan...

Along with a solid GMAT study plan, GMAT preparation strategies, and rigorous practice, adequate sleep and exercises also contributes greatly in enhancing your GMAT test performance by improving your cognitive abilities and memory function. On the other hand, sleep deprivation can have a negative effect on your test scores. In this video, GMATNinja talks with a Sleep expert and fitness coach to understand (1) what it takes to make your mind functioning better to maximise test performance, (2) what physical exercises help improve your memory function and alleviate stress, (3) what type of diets are good for better mental function, and (4) how...

Mohsen surpassed his wildest expectations on test day and landed a seat at the Kellogg School of Management. In this video, Mohsen discusses how he achieved a massive 160-point score increase that took his GMAT score from 580 to 740 - all while balancing a busy work schedule.

Hi Guys! Hope all of you are doing well! Today Selbi (Marketing Manager at GMAT Club) will read out an impressive debrief from a user called "sleepydoodles" She scored a ..... naaa we won't tell you guys, go listen to find out :P If you want to give her debrief a full read, do click the link here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-journey-of-a-19-week-pregnant-woman-from-590-to-364285.html

Toffel, a GMAT Club member improved his score from 610 to 760 on the GMAT in 3 months with self study. In this interview conducted by GMAT Ninja, we will uncover his GMAT prep journey, how he made smart use of GMAT Club forums, Manhattan Prep resources available on GMAT Club, and tips for getting a high GMAT score.

In this video, we uncover an inspiring GMAT preparation journey of Aditya from 700 to 740, a Corporate Lawyer, who hadn’t taken any competitive exam in the last 15 years and who had multiple misconceptions about the GMAT exam. We will understand Aditya’s GMAT preparation in detail, what resources he used, what were his preparation methods, and how he used Yoga and meditation techniques after the first GMAT attempt to gain control over thoughts, overthinking, & test anxiety in the second GMAT attempt.

Colton, a GMAT Club member scored 780 with a perfect verbal score on the GMAT in 2 months WITHOUT spending any money on GMAT prep courses. In this live interview conducted by GMAT Ninja, we will uncover his GMAT prep journey, how he made smart use of FREE GMAT Prep resources available on GMAT Club, how using a different practicing strategy helped him achieve a perfect score on GMAT verbal. Read more about Colton's GMAT journey https://gmatclub.com/forum/650-to-780-q49-v51-in-2-months-for-free-367197.html

Dalal achieved an incredible GMAT 780 score. In this video, we will analyse her GMAT study planning & techniques, how Target Test Prep's course helped her gain a massive 530 score improvement in her GMAT score. Read more about Dalal's GMAT journey https://gmatclub.com/forum/530-point-gmat-improvement-250-to-780-with-the-help-of-ttp-356872.html#p2779887