Interview with Jennifer Welch, Associate Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at SUNY Upstate Medical University [Show Summary]

In today’s episode we talk with Jennifer Welch, Associate Dean of Admissions and Chief Enrollment Officer at SUNY Upstate Medical. Jennifer shares information on the new curriculum, as well as what students can expect in the application process and who SUNY Upstate wants in their program.

Find out what's new at SUNY Upstate Medical University [Show Notes]

Our guest today is Jennifer Welch, Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid and Chief Enrollment Officer. Jennifer arrived at SUNY as Director of Admissions at SUNY Upstate Medical in 1994 and became Associate Dean of Admissions in 2013. She is also no stranger to Admissions Straight Talk or Accepted. She participated in Accepted’s old chats and was a guest on AST’s episodes 87 and 168. However, that was a while ago, and it’s time to catch up with Jennifer and what’s happening at SUNY Upstate.

SUNY Upstate has spent much time and energy over the last five years in a curriculum overhaul, with the basic goal of better integrating clinical and basic science instruction. How is that going? [2:28]

Students don’t learn anymore in a large lecture hall. The new curriculum is called the Up Curriculum and has done a wonderful job of integrating a more small group dynamic. All coursework is also taped so students can learn on their own. The basic idea is they get the chance to collaborate with one another to learn concepts. We are also offering flipped classrooms with problem-based learning. These changes were slow in coming but the committee did a fabulous job in terms of figuring out what students needed. Students served on the committee also which was really helpful. At this point we are fully integrated in the first and second year. Students are in class most mornings and then in small group discussions on cases relevant to what they are learning in the classroom. We are also going to be live with simulations this fall. For now the third year is still very much the rotations, the fourth year AIs and electives. There is discussion about doing a three year curriculum – 18 months of basic sciences and then going right into clinical years.

I noticed that SUNY Upstate is requiring the CASPer. When do you recommend that applicants take it and what are you learning from it? [7:29]

Last year was the first year we required it, but did not use it in the admissions process. We looked at how students performed in CASPer and how they performed in the interviews, and there was a very strong correlation. We had a retreat a few weeks ago to show the correlation, and we’ll be using it a little more in the screening process. It will be part of the evaluation when students are starting to look a lot alike – when we have few interview slots left, applicants have similar schools/grades/MCAT scores. Students need it for their application to be complete, so I am encouraging people to take it in June/July/August. We will not consider an application until we have the CASPer score.

Interview with Dr. Kenny Lin, family practitioner, medical school faculty-member and blogger [Show Summary]

Dr. Kenny Lin is a graduate of Harvard, NYU Medical, and Johns Hopkins, and today is on faculty at Georgetown Medical, Johns Hopkins, and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In today’s episode Dr. Lin shares his thoughts on medical school, public health, a critique of medical school rankings, and more!

Dr. Kenny Lin shares his thoughts on primary care, academic medicine and medical school rankings [Show Notes]

Now I’m thrilled to introduce our guest, Dr Kenny Lin. Dr. Lin earned his bachelors in history and science from Harvard and then went on to NYU to earn his MD and to Johns Hopkins a little later for an MPH. Today he is a family practitioner, professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and Johns Hopkins. He also has a blog where he writes about health and medicine and in one post med school rankings. We’ll be talking about that a little later.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your background and where you grew up. [1:55]

I grew up in suburban Maryland and both my parents are immigrants from Taiwan. I don’t actually live far from where I grew up now. I come from a family where there were already a few doctors on my mom’s side. My mom is a pharmacist, but two of her siblings are doctors and my grandfather was a fairly prestigious neurologist in Taiwan, and consulted for Chiang Kai Shek before the revolution in China.

How did you get interested in medicine? [3:33]

When I was in high school I did some volunteering at the local hospital where my mom worked. I worked in the post-op recovery room, bringing patients drinks and stuff like that. The other volunteering job I had there probably foreshadowed my dual career, which was working in the PR department, designing ads, promoting the hospital, writing news blurbs and so forth, which I found really enjoyable.

I was a history major at Harvard and wanted to stay away from the traditional premed path like biology, as I wanted to get a more varied experience. In the short term doing that made me feel a bit out of my league starting first year med school, but long term I feel like it really helped, as I can relate to my patients better, feeling comfortable talking with them about politics, history, and other things that are not science-based.

Why did you pursue an MPH in addition to the MD? [6:29]

Part of it was I had a period where I worked for the federal government with people interested in public health, but also in my practice I realized that it is less efficient to change things one-on-one than it is to change things overall. For example, you can council an individual to lose weight, but if the environment they are living in has less nutritious foods available, and no place to exercise safely that is not practical. What I was hoping to do was promote health via policy. At the time I was doing this it was when the ACA was being debated and there was a lot of excitement about that, with calorie labeling and things like that. So it was about public health and benefitting patients in total.

Can you tell us about your blog and why you decided to write it? [9:06]

I started it because I took a science writing class and people asked why I took it. I had a mentor who had a medical advice column many years prior,

Interview with Matt Clemons, Director of Admissions for the Harvard Kennedy School of Government [Show Summary]

Matt Clemons is the Director of Admissions for the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and he shares what the school is looking for in its applicants, what to expect while in the program, and some of the exciting things current students and alumni are doing to make an impact on society. If you are driven to solve the problems of public policy and society, take a closer look at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

The Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Everything You Need to Know [Show Notes]

It’s been almost three years since we last had on Admissions Straight Talk, Matt Clemons, Director of Admission, Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Matt entered the admissions field at Manhattan School of Music and subsequently served for five years as Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He joined HKS in 2011 as Director of Admissions and has been there for the last roughly eight years.

Can you please give an overview of the HKS MPP program for those listeners who may not be so familiar with it? [2:10]

The MPP can be framed against MBA and JD programs, in that they all are teaching you to engage in professional issues. The MPP is teaching a skillset to help people solve problems, and is not traditionally academic (being concerned with theory and research), rather learning those skills to solve problems. In many ways the program is similar to business school – you learn negotiations, management, quant analysis, leadership, persuasion, communications, etc. – but the case studies, internships, and work people engage in will focus on how public policy impacts peoples’ lives, in the private, non for profit or government sectors.

How do the MPP, the Master's of Public Administration, and the MPAID (MPA Int’l Dev) differ? [3:31]

One of the things policy schools didn’t do is come up with one acronym used across the industry like business schools did with the MBA. I don’t want people to get confused across acronyms, but the MPAID program takes quant analysis to a deeper level, specifically to help figure out how developing economies can be managed in a way to integrate them into the global economy. Graduates tend to work for multilateral organizations like the IFC, World Bank, or IMF. 75% of the students are outside of the US, and the program is constructed with that in mind. It has uniquely rigorous quant – the first year is similar to what a first year PhD in economics would be studying.

The MPA is typically for people who have either already been to graduate school or been admitted to a partner school. Since students are pursuing a concurrent or dual business degree, many go on to careers in the private sector to figure out how businesses can have a positive influence on society.

What is the Mason Program or cohort in the Mid-Career MPA? [6:30]

The Mid-Career MPA is a one-year program for individuals in developed economies. The Mason Program has essentially the same curriculum, but is for people from developing economies. The Mason Program students spend an extra two weeks on campus at the beginning in sort of a boot camp, as many may not have studied in an environment like HKS before, but the only real difference in programs is citizenship.

What is the difference between joint, concurrent, and dual degree options? HKS offers all 3. [7:30]

The joint degree programs are only within Harvard (with the

Interview with Ben Worthington, Creator of IELTSPodcast [Show Summary]

Ben Worthington is an IELTS master, and he talks in great detail about the various sections of the test and how to prepare for them, as well as what to do if you can’t seem to break out of the score slump you are in. He also shares some details about his IELTS Podcast.

All About the IELTS [Show Notes]

Our guest today is Ben Worthington. Ben hails from northern England, but has lived in different parts of the globe. In 2006, he started teaching English as a second language. In 2012 he launched the IELTS Podcast to help students ace that exam. Today the IELTS Podcast provides free resources and three different levels of paid courses. Let’s learn more about the IELTS Podcast and get some expert tips on how to succeed with the IELTS exam. That score is critical if you are applying to English language universities and graduate programs, and you’re worried that English fluency, or the lack of it, could prevent your acceptance.

How did you get into IELTS prep? [2:00]

I used to be an English tutor in Spain, and then drifted into teaching English there. I started off doing classes with teenagers and then did business students, but eventually I found my niche with IELTS. I enjoy preparing students for that – it’s more of a challenge and there are more motivated students.

Can you give us an overview of the IELTS exam? [3:16]

It stands for the International English Language Testing System and was developed in Australia in the 1970s to test students’ English abilities. The British Council got involved and it became the IELTS test and now is used not only for getting into university in Australia, the UK, and Canada (also being more accepted in the US), but can also be used on visa applications as well.

There are four parts to the IELTS - speaking, listening, reading, and writing. On the listening and reading sections you can get between 0-40 points. There are 40 questions there, and you are either ticking the boxes, completing the sentence, or answering a multiple choice question. The speaking and writing sections are marked by an examiner – the speaking portion is in front of another person in three parts – part 1 is softer questions to get the student relaxed to give the best illustration of their ability. In part 2 you get a cue card with a prompt like, “Describe a childhood friend” - how you met them, what you liked to do with them, etc. You have two minutes to prepare your talk and then you talk about the points on the cue cards. Part 3 is follow up questions from the examiner to that, like, “Why do you think friendship is important?” - more abstract. For writing there is a general test and academic test. For the general portion in task 1 you have to write a letter – maybe a cover letter, letter to a friend, etc. For task 1 in the academic piece you have to describe something like a flow chart. Part 2 for both tests is taking a side or arguing both sides of an issue like democracy or climate change, which can be a real challenge. The test looks at skills beyond just the language.

Who should take the IELTS, the TOEFL or the PTE? [10:41]

Do some practice tests on each one and go for the one that resonates with you the most.

Can you tell us about the scoring? What is a good band? [11:54]

Generally speaking most places are looking for a 7, however if Canada needs a lot of computer engineers they might ...

Advice for the MCAT from an MCAT expert [Show Summary]

The MCAT is one really tough exam, and must be approached with careful and deliberate preparation. In this episode, Megan Galvin, National Director of the MCAT for Examkrackers for the last 12 years, takes you through everything from how much time you need to prep, to the way you should prep, and how you know when you are ready to take the MCAT.

Megan Galvin of Examkrackers lays out her tips for crushing the MCAT [Show Notes]

Our guest today is Megan Galvin, who since 2007 has served as the National Director of the MCAT for Examkrackers, one of the most respected MCAT prep companies around. There are few people who know more about the MCAT and prepping for it than Megan. I’m rather embarrassed to admit that it’s been around 5 years since Megan was last on Admissions Straight Talk, but I’m very happy she can join us today.

Megan, we last spoke a little over 5 years ago way back at episode 47, which aired on March 27, 2014. How has MCAT prep evolved since the introduction of what was then something very new and scary: MCAT 15, which is now old hat. [2:29]

Overall it is a much better test and students are earning much higher scores. I absolutely feel it is hitting a lot of areas students will do well in, so I am very excited about it. Students are scoring 35-45% higher than prior to 15, which allows me to work with them with much more ease. A range of 508-512 is what I am seeing now.

Let’s turn to the MCAT itself and how Examkrackers recommends that students prepare for it. When should pre-meds plan to take the MCAT? [4:20]

I like to talk to students around sophomore year so they can anticipate what is on the horizon. When all pre-reqs are completed that is an indicator they are ready and should start preparing. If there are students who don’t want to take a gap year then definitely they should take the test in their junior year. Every student is different, but what I do is offer an assessment of each person coming in, which gives me an opportunity to talk about their individual circumstances. I see students who are freshmen at conferences all the time, which is great, but earlier on with freshmen/sophomores, I advise them to do really well in their classes, get a strong GPA, take on leadership roles, in the summer do shadowing/scribe work and build their resume. After pre-reqs are complete, then focus on the MCAT.

How much time should students allow for MCAT prep? [9:01]

A normal student needs between 10-14 weeks that is exclusively for test prep, so 5-6 days a week and 3-4 hours a day. I don’t believe it should be all content for several weeks and then start doing practice exams – you should be doing the practice exams throughout. We do a diagnostic with students when they start because they need to know how the language of the test feels, and when they have a meltdown or a brain freeze. I have people do 2-4 chapters of reading a week in order to retain content. I also have them do 30 minute mini practice exams and then review to understand what they get wrong, and then do full length practice exams every other weekend. I also want students to do several different chapters each day – don’t focus on just one topic.

OK. Let’s say I’ve taken a course and studied or prepared on my own. How do I know I’m ready?

Interview with Marco De Novellis, editor at BusinessBecause [Show Summary]

In today’s podcast, we hear from Marco De Novellis, the editor of BusinessBecause, a company that takes seriously the approaching of being a “champion of applicants,” educating them about everything they need to know about the MBA application process and how to approach it. Marco shares his unique insights into the state of MBA education outside the U.S., as well as his feelings about rankings. Along the way he shares tips on how to present yourself as an applicant and the trends happening in business education.

BusinessBecause: Free information and advice for b-school applicants [Show Notes]

We have today a keen observer of the bschool scene since our guest, Marco De Novellis, is the editor of BusinessBecause. After graduating from the University of Leeds, Marco joined BusinessBecause as a Journalist and Community Manager in 2015, where he has worked ever since. Since 2017 he has been the Editor at BusinessBecause and more recently the host of The Business School Question podcast. Along the way he also wrote a book about alumni of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing and wrote for QS, TopMBA.com and AACSB.

Marco, how did you get your start on the bschool beat? [1:57]

I sort of fell into it. I studied history so writing has always been a passion of mine. In university I wrote for the school paper and then did freelance. When I graduated I interviewed with a small startup in Central London and I was lucky enough to get the job. It was quite a small business when I started, having begun in 2009. There were 4-5 people when I joined and now it is 15 of us. It has been great to be on this journey which has developed my career, as I am now the editor. I grew into the role and got to know the business school industry from there. We are dedicated to graduate management education, so writing content for anybody looking at business school. There are loads of options for stories to cover, since practically everything links back to business education.

You have also written extensively about China, specifically a book about alumni at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) in Beijing. How did that book come about? [5:03]

CKGSB is China’s leading business school (the founder of Alibaba is an alum), but not many people know about it outside of China. I saw a statistic that graduates collectively lead 1/5 of China’s biggest brands. They really wanted to do more than the standard brochure to show the benefits of studying in China for international students. They approached me and asked me to write it which was an honor but also a big task. I interviewed about 25 alums from the school and some I met in person, delving into their personal stories, why they decided to go to China, and what they learned from it.

What are some of the challenges that Chinese business schools face that European or U.S. business schools don’t face? [8:12]

The biggest one is the struggle to attract internationals. The U.S. is experiencing that now to a certain extent with the current political climate, but this is a constant issue for Chinese schools. In some cases it is as simple as a communications issue,

Interview with Trisha Mathelier, MD/MBA student at UCLA [Show Summary]

In today’s episode Trisha Mathelier, an MD/MBA student with the Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program, shares her medical school journey as well as what led her to decide on getting an MBA in addition to her medical degree. She fills us in on the uniqueness of the Drew/UCLA program, as it provides her with the opportunity to be part of a small and close knit community at Drew (just 24 students per class), but also with the wealth of resources at the large world-class research program at UCLA. Trisha then lets us know what she has planned for the immediate term and the future as an MD/MBA – she plans to be a clinician and also a serial entrepreneur.

An MD/MBA candidate speaks about her passions for both the clinical and business sides of healthcare [Show Notes]

Our guest today is Trisha Mathelier, MD/MBA student participating in the Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. Tricia grew up just outside New York City and graduated from Harvard College in 2013. At Harvard she majored in Psychology, Social and Cognitive Neurosciences, and Global Health and Health Policy. She took a gap year between graduation and started at UCLA in 2014. She intends to earn her MBA in 2020 and her MD in 2021.

Can you tell us about your background outside of medicine? Where you grew up? What do you like to do for fun? [2:41]

I grew up in a suburb outside of Manhattan. I am an only child, and was very active in my church and youth group. I volunteered a lot through my church, but most of my time was spent cheerleading – I was on a competitive all-star team. Before that I did competitive gymnastics and dance. Every weekend practically throughout high school I traveled all over the east coast for cheerleading competitions on a nationally ranked team – from Maine to Florida. When I wasn’t in the gym I just enjoyed being a kid. I would go to the beach, go to the lake, essentially a typical suburban New York life. One piece of advice that I really took to heart around that time that I would pass along to your listeners is to do things that you are generally passionate about, because people will see the passion and know you are genuine and not just doing something to impress an interviewer.

How did you know you wanted to be a doctor? [5:31]

I had a really close relationship with my pediatrician - he was a close family friend. After every appointment he would take me into his office to get a sticker. Looking at all the degrees and awards I was so impressed and told him so, and he said I was smart and I could be a doctor, too. I decided I was going to be a pediatrician just like him.

My mom was studying then to be a nurse and as a single mom of an only child she didn’t always have a babysitter so I would sometimes go with her to classes or the lab or listen along to her audio lectures. She would play them nonstop like music, and there were times in the tape where the lecturers would stop and ask questions to keep the listener engaged. There was a failure to thrive question in newborns around jaundice. It was an open ended question, and I answered it and was right. My mom was amazed and asked how I got it right. I said, “I’ve been listening to your nursing stuff and think I kind of get it.”

You took a gap year between undergrad and med school. What did you do and are you happy you did it? [9:55]

I started working for an NGO my senior year in college c...

Exploring the DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) program at Grenoble Ecole de Management [Show Summary]

Would you like to be the kind of business leader who wants to define problems and design solution based on rigorous research? Are you seeking a global, part-time program that goes beyond the masters? Do you like the idea of being a chef as opposed to a cook?

Dr. Michelle Mielly, Academic Director of the DBA U.S. for GEM, gives us the scoop on Grenoble Ecole de Management DBA, a program that helps it students define problems and design solutions based on rigorous research.

Interview with Dr. Michelle Mielly, Academic Director of DBA U.S. at GEM [Show Notes]

Our guest today, Dr. Michelle Mielly, does a lot of different things as Associate Professor at the Grenoble Ecole de Management, AKA GEM, where she’s been since 2010. I’m not going to list them all, but the most relevant role for us today is as Academic Director of the DBA U.S. for GEM. Originally from the U.S., Dr. Mielly earned her bachelors at Southwestern University in Texas, a masters from Penn State and Harvard, and her PhD, in Anthropology and Francophone Civilization, is also from Harvard. She has worked in France, the U.S., the Ivory Coast, and Central America.

Dr. Mielly, I want to start with two really basic questions, but I think they are ones that a segment of listeners may have:

a. What’s the difference between a PhD and a DBA, or are they synonymous? [2:31]

They are very similar, and are both doctoral qualifications as well as terminal degrees. The DBA designates a traditionally part-time program that is in business administration as opposed to an academic qualification. DBA students are practitioners of management or do applied management, and are often linked to part-time and professional status. The DBA is a little less academic than a PhD. There are still a lot of PhD ingredients, but the level of contribution in terms of a thesis will be more practitioner-based than theoretical.

b. What can someone with a DBA do professionally outside of academia that someone with an MBA can’t do? [4:51]

When you get an MBA it’s very rigorous but you are often working on the case method learning how to establish and replicate good recipes. You have the ingredients and the recipes and you are cooking up great solutions. When you go for a doctorate you are writing the recipes. The MBA helps you become solutions-oriented. In the DBA you become the chef, creating recipes, testing them, and looking for different outcomes. There is a lot less certitude, and much of it is a period where you are exploring and changing your mindset.

In terms of careers, we have a lot of different outcomes. We have one graduate who worked to develop his own algorithm for a hedge fund for socially responsible investing, honing in on very specific skills. He is now applying that in New York. Often we have folks who were CMOs or CFOs and become attracted to consulting firms. They become managerial thought leaders because they can translate research to people who don’t do research, but also are the people in the room who know more about a particular subject.

What’s distinctive about the GEM DBA program? [10:16]

We have been around since 1993 and have learned how to work well with students who are part time and remotely located.

Accepted admissions consultant Cydney Foote sheds light on the medical school application process [Show Summary]

Are you not quite ready to submit your AMCAS application? Don’t panic. We’ve got the advice you need to polish off your personal statement, MMEs, and activity descriptions. Listen to the podcast for answers to “How many schools should you apply to?” “How should you choose where to apply?” “What’s the difference between the personal statement, the most meaningful experiences, and the activity descriptions.” Plus we’ll give you some tips on how to manage a deluge of secondaries and even your residency personal statement.

Cydney Foote shares her tips for applying successfully to medical school [Show Notes]

Our guest today, Cydney Foote, has been a medical school admissions consultant since she started at Accepted in 2001. Needless to say, she’s helped hundreds of happy clients get accepted to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools as well as residency programs. During this podcast she’ll address some of the most common questions we get and also some of the most common myths out there about med school admissions.

When this show airs it will be June 4. The first day to submit the AMCAS this year was May 31. If applicants haven’t submitted already, are they “late?” Have they missed the boat and is their application already doomed to the reject pile? [2:30]

That is a really good question, and people panic about this every year. To be honest it is one of the biggest myths out there that you need to get your application in on the first day. From recent years I know that even those who submitted on June 7th had their information sent the same time as those who submitted the first day. A week or two later than the first submission date is not late, but if you are getting into July and August that is not the ideal time to apply. I’ll also say, though, that it is really important for you to apply when you are ready. If you are a week away from getting what you need, it is far better to submit a week or two into June than start rushing.

How do you advise applicants to select the schools they are applying to? [3:55]

I look at the stats first – what’s the lowest accepted value of MCAT and cumulative GPA. If it is in the range, then I look at acceptance rates. Are they looking to apply someplace that only accepts a very small percentage of out-of-state applicants, or do they have an overall low acceptance rate? If so, those may not be the top picks. You want to choose a mix of schools where you are competitive, but also a few reach schools. I think a lot of people overweight their reach schools – while they might reach the lowest accepted value, they are not near the mean. Once the quant factors are set, then it is digging into the schools themselves – looking at position statements, or specialties you are interested in. You have to make the connection with what the applicant wants. In-state vs. out-of-state matters, too.

Linda: Accepted has the Med School Selectivity Index of almost all allopathic and osteopathic schools, and also tools that show acceptance r...

How to leverage an HBS education: The story of LeverEdge [Show Summary]

Do you want to save money on your student loans? Interested in earning an MBA with entrepreneurship as your goal? Considering Harvard Business School as the place to earn that degree? Pull up a chair, or at least plug in your ear buds. Learn how two current Harvard Business School MBA students got into HBS and founded a company that can save you money on your student loans.

HBS students talk about business school and their exciting new company, LeverEdge [Show Notes]

We have two guests today and a lot of ground to cover. So I’m going to give them very brief intros and leave more time for the interview. My guests today are Chris Abkarians and Nikhil Agarwal, both members of the Harvard Business School Class of 2020 and co-founders of LeverEdge, which can help you reduce your student borrowing costs. And that’s true whether you are applying to law, medical, or business schools.

Nikhil earned his Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012 and worked for Boeing for six years before making the move to Boston in 2018. Chris earned his BA in Political Science and Public Policy from Duke in 2012 and then started his career at L.E.K. Consulting, where he worked for approximately three years before joining Netflix. He then worked for Netflix in Content Strategy & Analysis for another three years. Then he too made the move to Boston to begin his studies at HBS.

With that as background, let’s hear about their MBA experience at Harvard, the founding of LeverEdge, and the savings it can provide you.

Can you tell us a little about your background? Where you grew up? [2:55]

Chris: I was born and raised in Los Angeles in a large family. I am the biggest Lakers fan you could meet. I followed my love of basketball to Duke where there was no chance I could ever play for the team, but whenever I am not working I am always trying to catch a game or play if I have the chance.

Nikhil: I grew up and lived in India for my first 18 years. Then I moved to Urbana-Champaign where I was expecting skyscrapers but instead found cornfields. After graduation I went to work at Boeing in product development (and am particularly excited about the 777X coming out next year that I worked on), and then made my way to HBS.

What was hardest part for you in the MBA application process? How did you handle that element? [4:43]

Nikhil: For me it was wondering if I was even good enough to apply to HBS or the kind of person that could get in. It took a number of discussions with friends telling me that I was living in this bubble where I was surrounded by people like me doing cool things. The reality is there are very few people in the world who get to make airplanes, which gave me some confidence to get the ball rolling.

Chris: Figuring out how to weave a narrative that made sense, through all sections of the application. I went to Duke, I worked on political campaigns, then did consulting, then had a media career at Netflix. Sometimes you sit back and realize how difficult it can be to explain why you did what you did, and