The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Most applicants get an MBA to step out of their comfort zones. But, what about pursuing your MBA and subsequent five-year marketing career in Hong Kong as an American?

Tony DeGennaro, who majored in Political Science and Philosophy at Rutgers, shares his winding journey to the CUHK MBA, one of the top-ranked business schools in Asia, to running a boutique marketing agency targeting Chinese consumers, to now working as a Digital Strategist for First Page Digital, an online marketing agency with offices in 9 countries. What has Tony learned from studying and working in Hong Kong?

Questions

• Tony’s background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to CUHK (3:45)
• Tony’s biggest challenge during the MBA (13:40)
• The two things Tony took away from his MBA experience (17:10)
• Can entrepreneurship be taught? (21:20)
• How Tony ended up running his own boutique marketing agency (22:10)
• Tony’s current role at First Page Digital (27:50)
• Tony’s thoughts on the future of digital marketing and the marketing industry in Hong Kong (29:50)
• Tony’s tips for landing a post-MBA job in a foreign country (33:30)
• Leading the Marketing Club at CUHK (37:00)
• What Tony would have done differently (43:20)
• How Hong Kong has changed over the past 5 years (45:20)
• Tony’s last tips to applicants (50:00)

About Tony DeGennaro

Tony DeGennaro is an Enterprise Digital Strategist at First Page Digital. Previously, he was Director of Marketing and Business Development for Dragon Social, a boutique marketing agency in Hong Kong. Tony graduated from Rutgers with a Bachelors in Political Science and Philosophy, and worked in sales and as an English teacher before attending the CUHK MBA.

• Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
• Meet Tony at CUHK MBA’s Information Session & Alumni Sharing Webinar on August 25, 2021
• Get your profile assessed by CUHK MBA Admissions Team
• CUHK MBA

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/taking-the-road-less-traveled-tony-degennaro-cuhk-mba/

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Samuel Adeoye, UBC Sauder MBA '22, has an amazing story to tell about applying to 18 business schools over two years, and getting full-scholarship awards at 8 of them. How was he able to do this? And what has he learned from his application journey from Abuja, Nigeria to Vancouver, Canada?

Questions

• Samuel's background (4:18)
• Samuel's 2-year journey applying to over 15 business schools (8:00)
• Samuel's advice to low income applicants on applying to business schools and winning scholarships (20:52)
• Why Samuel started City of Lane and LanePod (30:40)
• Samuel's Sauder MBA experience so far and landing an internship at Microsoft (41:54)

About Samuel

After getting his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Samuel Adeoye interned as a Highway and Transportation Engineer while launching a podcast tech startup, and then worked as an Implementation & Design Engineer for Arup, a global architecture and civil engineering consulting firm. He then worked as a consultant for The Bluepen Company, a boutique consulting company serving small and medium sized enterprises in Nigeria.

In March 2020, Samuel founded City of Lane, a community of MBA Alumni, students and applicants looking to leverage their MBA experience for an economically and politically inclusive Africa.

Samuel is currently a Mastercard Scholar pursuing his MBA at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, in Vancouver, Canada.

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/fully-funded-mba-samuel-adeoye-ubc-sauder-mba

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Justin Taines, RSM MBA ’21, shares his journey from developing kids and family entertainment shows in Los Angeles to the RSM MBA, based in the Netherlands. Why did Justin pursue an MBA (instead of an EMBA) despite having over 10 years of work experience? What was his experience at the RSM MBA as an older student and during Covid?

Questions

• Justin's background (2:15)
• Justin's shortlist of schools (4:30)
• Why Justin took the GRE instead of the GMAT (12:36)
• Justin's positioning and application tips (16:40)
• Justin's RSM MBA experience (27:10)
• Justin's thoughts on his (forced) hybrid MBA experience (35:33)
• Justin's recruiting experience and lessons (45:45)
• What Justin wished he knew before starting his MBA; how to best prepare for your MBA (1:05:45)

About Justin

After getting his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of Arts, Justin Taines worked in creative development, developing kids and family entertainment shows. He then worked in business development, building animation studios and helping the city of Jerusalem build up its animation industry. He also started and sold a retail cannabis cultivation venture before heading to the Rotterdam School of Management for his MBA. Justin is currently freelance consulting while exploring new roles post-MBA.

Episode write-up: https://touchmba.com/rsm-mba-justin-taines

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Milan Mecklenberg, Insead MBA '18D, shares his journey from studying theoretical physics at Cambridge to McKinsey Berlin to Insead and then back to McKinsey, this time in Vietnam. What has he learned from the journey?

Questions

• Milan's background (2:20)
• Applying to Insead and getting sponsored by McKinsey (4:20)
• Preparing for the GMAT (8:55)
• Interviewing with McKinsey as an MBA student (11:20)
• Milan's McKinsey experience (18:28)
• Milan's Insead experience (22:42)
• Making the most of 1-year and building your network at Insead (33:40)
• Building self-awareness at Insead & McKinsey (39:45)
• Picking classes & professors at Insead (44:55)

About Milan

After getting his Masters and Bachelors in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics from Cambridge University, Milan Mecklenburg worked for McKinsey in Berlin, who then sponsored his Insead MBA in 2018. He then joined McKinsey Vietnam's office for two years. Milan is currently working as a freelance consultant and pursuing entrepreneurial projects

Episode write-up: https://touchmba.com/mckinsey-insead-experience-milan-mecklenburg/

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Hunter Dong shares his best application tips for getting into the Wharton MBA / MA Lauder Joint Degree in International Studies program. How did Hunter pull together his diverse work experience working for the Hinrich Foundation in the Philippines, his family business in pharmaceutical packaging and IBM as a Data Scientist to make an ultimately winning case to Wharton and Columbia? Hunter walks us through his entire preparation process, from initial school research to the final team-based discussion interview. Don't miss this episode packed with clear, practical advice from a just admitted applicant.

Questions

• Hunter's work experience and reasons for pursuing an MBA/MA in International Studies (2:25)
• Hunter's positioning strategy (9:10)
• How Hunter focused on students and professors as sources of information to craft his application (15:00)
• Hunter's advice for Wharton's team-based discussion (TBD) interview (19:25)
• Hunter's essay timeline and editing process (29:45)
• Lauder application tips (35:40)
• Preparing a "briefing guide" to recommenders (42:23)
• How Hunter demonstrated leadership qualities to adcoms (45:20)
• Why Hunter chose to attend the Wharton / Lauder program (47:30)

About Hunter

Hunter Dong will be starting his joint MBA/MA degree at Wharton and Lauder this Summer. He previously worked as a Senior Consultant and Data Scientist at IBM. Hunter got his B.S in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University.

Episode write-up: https://touchmba.com/how-i-got-into-the-wharton-mba-lauder-hunter-dong

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

After helping four MBA applicants with their resume and essays, Darren realized he was repeating similar advice. In this episode, Darren shares how you can use the five senses - sight, sound, smell, taste and touch - to make your application more three dimensional.

• Introduction (0:00)
• Sight - paint the scene (2:23)
• Touch - make the reader feel something (8:00)
• Sound - have a point of view (12:54)
• Taste - be focused and break stereotypes (18:10)
• Smell - make sure your entire application matches (23:54)

Episode write-up: https://touchmba.com/five-senses 

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Dr. Michele Roberts, MBA Academic Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at University of New South Wales (UNSW), discusses what makes the AGSM MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (3:20) | Admissions (31:00) | Careers (47:30)

Dr. Michele Roberts is the MBA Academic Director of AGSM at UNSW, looking after all its MBA Programs. Michele teaches MBA courses in Marketing Management and Foundations of Management. Prior to academic life, Michele worked as a Marketing Manager at a Fortune 500 company in London and Melbourne. She holds a Masters’ Degree in Marketing and a PhD in Marketing & Public Policy from the University of Western Australia.

Full write-up on what makes AGSM unique: https://touchmba.com/agsm-mba-program-admissions-interview-michele-roberts 

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Chief Market Officer Kai Stenzel and Admissions Manager Sofia Syed Nasir discuss what makes the Mannheim MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (3:50) | Admissions (25:15) | Financing & Working in Germany (35:40) | Careers (48:30)

Kai Stenzel is the Chief Market Officer for Mannheim Business School where he has worked for over 6 years. He is responsible for Marketing, Admissions, Career Development, and Alumni Relations. Kai got his MBA from Mannheim Business School and Essec Business School.

Sofia Syed Nasir is the Admissions Manager for Mannheim Full-time MBA, Mannheim Business School. She got her Masters in International Business from Grenoble Ecole de Management.

• Ranked #1 MBA in Germany by Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Economist
• Ranked #1 in Business Administration by German HR professionals 14 years in a row (Wirtschaftswoche University Ranking)
• Targets and consistently ranks top 10 worldwide for ROI
• 1 year MBA starts in September with ~60 students per intake
• Admissions looking for collaborative mindset, teamwork abilities, and unique point of view that could benefit other classmates 
• 10 core courses taught in terms 1-2; electives, social sustainability project and business master project offered in terms 2-4; students can extend with a term 5 to get a management analytics certificate, study abroad or pursue a business idea or internship
• 80% of graduates stay in Germany to work
• Graduates get a job seeker's visa that lasts 18-months 

Mannheim MBA fast facts, show notes and more at:

https://touchmba.com/mannheim-mba-program-admissions-interview-kai-stenzel-sofia-syed-nasir

MBA Recruitment Manager Alex Jones discusses what makes the Bayes Business School MBA (formerly Cass), City, University of London unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (4:10) | Admissions (19:30) | Financing & Scholarships (33:40) | Careers (37:30)

Alex Jones is the MBA Recruitment Manager for Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City, University of London, where he has worked for over 8 years. Alex got his Bachelors in Communication from the University of Leicester and his Masters in Media Production from Birmingham City University.

• 1 year MBA starts in September with ~90 students per intake
• City's campus is in the heart of London’s financial district, which helps with career-related events, meetings and recruiting
• Core curriculum is taught in 4 blocks through the first 6 months of program: 1) strategy & organization 2) the financial environment 3) creating management advantage and 4) knowledge and policy, followed by a week-long international consultancy, electives and business mastery project
• Looking for minimum of 3 years professional experience and experience working multicultural teams with international outlook
• Hosts week-long London Symposium elective that gives a behind-the-scenes look into the economic drivers of London
• Has an MBA Expeditionary Society, which includes MBA and EMBA students, and explores leadership through stretch experiences, delivered by renowned mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington
• MBA alumni can take one free elective each year
• Under revised UK visa system, international students can get 2-year post-study work visa to look for employment in UK
• Ranked #2 globally for corporate strategy by Financial Times (2020)
• Ranked #1 in the UK for Entrepreneurship by Poets & Quants and Inc Magazine's 2021 50 Best MBAs for Entrepreneurship

Episode summary, show notes and more at: https://touchmba.com/the-business-school-city-university-of-london-mba-program-admissions-interview-alex-jones

Anastasia Georgiou, Director of Admissions at Melbourne Business School, discusses what makes the Melbourne MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (4:38) | Admissions (19:00) | Scholarships (31:20) | Careers (34:00)

Anastasia Georgiou is Director of Admissions at Melbourne Business School. Anastasia has worked in higher education and admissions for over 20 years.

• Highest ranked Australian MBA by Financial Times, Economist and QS
• Offered Australia’s first MBA program starting in 1963. Melbourne Business School is 55% owned by Australia’s leading companies and 45% by the University of Melbourne
• Melbourne was ranked the world's most livable city for 18 years straight and is the multicultural capital of Australia
• MBA can be completed in 1 or 2 years
• Well-known for marketing and finance, and has recently set up Centres for Business Analytics and Sustainability & Business
• Prides itself in offering a high-touch MBA experience for 40 students/year

Episode summary, show notes and more at: https://touchmba.com/melbourne-mba-program-admissions-interview-anastasia-georgiou