This episode of WireTaps begins with some discussion around the flurry of MBA LiveWire posts (Harvard and Stanford were among the top MBA programs releasing decisions last week). For those of you keeping score at home, MIT / Sloan and Cornell / Johnson are scheduled to release their admissions decisions this week, and, there are a number of Round 3 application deadlines in the coming days. Following all the chatter about deadlines, Graham highlighted two stories we published, one covering how to select your target MBA programs, and the other discussing the importance of scholarship when determining where to attend. Graham also highlighted two Real Human Alumni pieces, one from an INSEAD graduate working at Amazon, the other from a UPenn / Wharton alum working at Google.

This episode also features three candidate reviews, one taken from an ApplyWire entry and two taken from DecisionWire entries:

First up this week is a candidate in the Bay Area working in compliance. They want to move over into finance (specifically PE and VC) and are debating whether to apply to Berkeley / Haas for their full-time program or their part-time offering. Alex and Graham think that with their career pivot they might be better off looking at full-time options, and should perhaps look beyond only targeting Haas. They still need to take the GMAT as well. This week's second candidate has the good fortune of choosing between offers at Texas / McCombs, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM and NYU / Stern. They have scholarship money to factor in, too. But more interestingly, they are really debating whether they should attend a full-time MBA program given their current salary level (high) their age (older) and their desire to start a family. Alex and Graham discuss the importance of considering the long term implications of the choice. The third and final candidate this week is weighing offers between Michigan / Ross and UCLA / Anderson, with a desire to work for big tech post-MBA. Both appear to be very comparable in terms of what they can offer, so geography and fit should be key factors in their decision making.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who’ve been joining us. Please remember to rate and review the show, and to help spread the word to anyone you know who might be considering an MBA!