Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we think, work, and lead. If you're thinking about earning your MBA, AI is likely on your mind. In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simanksy is joined by mbaMission Managing Director Harshad Mali and Executive Director Katy Lewis. Harold, Harshad, and Katy discuss the impacts of AI on the economy and MBA careers, the ways in which business schools are adapting to the prevalence of artifical intelligence, and whether or not MBA applicants need to adjust their application strategies due to AI. If you're thinking about business school and wondering how AI will impact your business school education, and your post-MBA job opportunities, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast

00:51 Business education in the age of AI

05:21 AI's impact on the economy 

06:33 How is AI changing MBA career opportunities?

14:19 How are business schools adapting to the impacts of AI

17:52 Digital literacy: What do MBA programs need to teach?

22:23 What MBA applicants and students should focus on

28:21 Advice for MBA applicants

30:02 The ethics of AI

33:32 How should you use AI on your MBA applications?

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For many business school students, securing a summer internship between the first and second years of their MBA program is a top priority. These MBA internships are competitive, and the recruitment process starts earlier than you might think. In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jessica Shklar welcome back Aman Singh. Aman is a former mbaMission client, currently in his second year at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Aman had long dreamed of working at Google, and over the summer completed a coveted product management internship at Google. Today Aman shares his insights into the internship recruitment process, and his advice for future MBA students. If you plan to start business school next year, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
00:47 MBA internship recruitment
01:46 Aman's product management internship at Google
02:36 When does MBA internship recruiting begin?
03:23 Recruitment support at MIT Sloan
06:17 Google internship application process
08:21 MBA internship interviews
10:30 Getting the offer
11:59 Working with MBA students from HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, and Haas
12:51 Aman's Google internship experience
14:07 How competitive are product management internships?
14:59 What is "Googliness" 
17:05 Study Treks at MIT Sloan
17:38 Internship recruitment advice for MBA students 

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2025 has been a unique (and at times unpredictable) year when it comes to business school admissions. Questions around the economy, tariffs, AI, international student visas, and more have left many aspiring MBAs wondering: is this the right year to apply to business school? In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jeremy Shinewald are joined by mbaMission Executive Director Jessica Shklar. Harold, Jeremy, and Jessica break down what we've seen throughout the 2025-2026 application cycle, and discuss whether this is a good (or bad) time to apply to business school. If you are working towards Round 2 deadline, or considering applying in the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
00:56 The 2025-2026 MBA application season: What's happening?
05:57 Should MBA applicants change strategies this year?
09:47 How business schools are adapting
11:41 The Consortium, Forte Foundation, and DEI concerns
13:36 Using AI for MBA applications
20:40 Will deferred MBA programs become more competitive?
23:58 Is graduate school becoming more or less important?
25:02 How are MBA applications changing?
26:05 Is it a good time to apply to business school? 

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As MBA application deadlines approach, many applicants feel the pressure to make their application essays "perfect." But how should you actually go about revising and polishing your essays? How much rewriting is TOO much, and how does a final read-through differ from a standard round of revisions? In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky is joined by mbaMission Managing Director Rachel Beck and Executive Director Jessica Shklar. Harold, Rachel, and Jessica discuss the best strategies for fine-tuning your essays, common last-minute mistakes MBA applicants make as deadlines approach, and when it's time to stop tweaking and hit submit. If you are applying to business school and putting the final touches on your applications, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
01:47 When and how to fine-tune your essays
04:18 How to explain your work (without jargon)
06:36 Polishing versus a full teardown 
09:26 When to STOP revising 
10:01 Should you use ChatGPT to revise your essay?
14:00 Final read-throughs and checking for mistakes
19:48 Dealing with writer's block 
23:48 Communicating fit with examples
24:19 Make sure you answer (all of) the question!
26:11 Common mistakes in essay revisions 
29:42 Final thoughts on essay polishing and final reads

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In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, we welcome back Liz Ramos, former head of human capital at Bain & Company. Today Liz is sharing her professional journey from management consulting to the field of HR/human capital. She talks about career pivot points, the critical role of people management in successful firms, and universal leadership traits that are needed in every sector. If you are considering a career change post-MBA, or are interested in the field of workforce management, or simply want to know what makes a great leader -- you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
01:36 Welcoming our guest, Liz Ramos
06:34 Growth at Bain & Company 
08:29 Pivoting to people development 
10:49 Leadership styles
12:35 Considerations when making a career change 
15:07 Universal leadership traits 
16:16 What makes someone happy in their career?
18:21 Building a strong culture
21:21 Balancing career and family 
24:41 Transitioning from strategy to operations/HR
25:54 How business school can prepare you for a career in HR

Book your FREE 30-minute MBA admissions consultation with Harold, Susan, or another one of our experienced MBA admissions consultants by filling out this form.

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Letters of recommendation are a critical -- and often overlooked -- part of the MBA application process. In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky is joined by mbaMission Managing Director Rachel Beck and Executive Director Jessica Shklar. Harold, Rachel, and Jessica discuss the role recommendations play in business school admissions, how you should select your recommenders, and how to collaborate with your recommenders to ensure that their letters add real power to your applications. If you are applying to business school in the next 1-2 years, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
01:42 The importance of MBA letters of recommendation
03:02 How to choose your MBA recommenders
05:16 Does your recommender's title or alumni status matter?
07:12 MBA recommendation components 
08:48 What makes a successful recommendation?
10:41 Addressing constructive feedback and weaknesses 
12:47 How to collaborate with your MBA recommenders
16:42 How strict are recommendation word limits?
17:58 How much overlap is okay?
20:49 What if a supervisor can't write your recommendation?
25:51 What if your recommender writes a weak recommendation?
29:12 How MBA recommendation ranking grids work
34:15 Can your recommenders use AI?

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Getting into business school is challenging, but PAYING for business school can be just as stressful for many MBA hopefuls. In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jeremy Shinewald sit down with mbaMission Managing Director Rachel Beck to discuss all things related to financing your MBA. They talk about MBA merit scholarships, financial aid, employer support programs, and more. They also discuss some of the common questions we hear from applicants about negotiating scholarship offers and the long-term value of an MBA. If you are thinking about applying to business school -- or eagerly awaiting admissions decisions from your target schools -- and are wondering about how to pay for your MBA, don't miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
02:50 How to pay for business school 
05:58 How hard is it to get a merit scholarship?
08:08 Negotiating scholarship offers
12:11 Thinking outside the box  
13:19 Factors to consider: Location, cost of living
13:52 Employer support 
15:31 The cost vs. long-term value of an MBA
16:45 Second year scholarship options
22:50 Student loans 
25:12 Getting a scholarship off of the waitlist

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The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia is known for it's top-ranked faculty,dedication to the case method, and stunning facilities. In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jeremy Shinewald welcome back Dawna Clarke, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions at UVA Darden. Dawna shares the qualities and features that differentiate Darden among top MBA programs, from its transformational dean, to its entrepreneurship and AI institutes, to its scholarship opportunities. Whether you are planning to apply to Darden or just beginning your business school research, you won't want to miss this conversation!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
01:47 Welcome to our guest, Dawna Clarke
01:57 Momentum at UVA Darden
02:43 Dean Scott Beardsley 
05:39 Darden capital campaign
07:28 LaCross AI Institute 
09:39 Darden campus and facilities
17:06 Top-ranked faculty and instructional excellence
18:53 Skill development and the case method
24:43 Mandatory ethics class
26:36 The Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Innovation
30:24 Darden Worldwide Course
34:14 Darden Rosslyn campus (EMBA and Part-time programs)
35:25 Recruitment and job placement 
38:27 Who succeeds at Darden

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In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jessica Shklar welcome back Aman Singh, a former mbaMission client and current student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Today Aman is sharing his an experience as an international student attending business school in the United States. He discusses the ways in which he connected with other admits before arriving at school, the support he received from the International Students Office, and whether he feels -- now halfway through the program -- that coming to the U.S. to attend MIT Sloan was the right choice. If you are an international applicant considering MBA programs in the U.S., this episode is a must-watch!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
01:10 Welcome to our guest, Aman Singh
02:30 Arriving on campus 
05:45 Housing assistance 
06:07 Connecting with students before orientation
07:39 The impact of school size and structure
10:38 Academic intensity and time management
15:19 Planning for Year 2
16:46 Business clubs and certificate programs
19:39 Was it worth it?

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In this week's episode of the mbaMission podcast, Harold Simansky and Jeremy Shinewald welcome Liz Ramos. Liz has spent decades recruiting and hiring MBA students at firms such Bain & Company, Fidelity Private Equity, and Cambridge Associates. Today Liz shares her unique perspective on how top firms recruit and develop talent. She discusses how the MBA recruitment process has changed, what elite consulting and investment firms are looking for, and what MBA admits need to do BEFORE they arrive on campus. If you are aiming to begin business school in the next 1-2 years, this episode is a must-watch!

00:00 Welcome to the mbaMission podcast
00:50 Welcome to our guest Liz Ramos
01:37 How the MBA recruitment process has changed
04:04 Preparing for case interviews BEFORE arriving on campus
07:21 How much does "fit" matter to recruiters?
08:50 Evaluating soft skills
09:57 Who gets hired?
13:10 Recruitment coffee chats
14:58 How to network if recruiters don't come to your campus
17:07 Undergraduate recruiting vs. MBA recruiting 
18:33 Advice for those who struggle with recruitment
20:13 How many MBAs make it to partner?
21:53 The X factor for consulting recruits 
25:53 How focused do consulting applicants need to be?
28:06 Comparing the MBB firms

Book your FREE 30-minute MBA admissions consultation with Harold, Susan, or another one of our experienced MBA admissions consultants by filling out this form.

Learn more about onTrack by mbaMission, our innovative, on-demand MBA application platform, and take our two-minute questionnaire to receive your customized learning path.

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