This week's podcast kicks off with a look at the latest activity on MBA LiveWire, which led to a disussion about the anxiety the interview invite process creates for candidates. Graham highlighted the recently published Real Humans pieces for Toronto / Rotman and SMU / Cox before calling listeners attention to  the congested application deadlines for Round 2; on January 4 and 5, there are 16 top MBA programs with Round 2 deadlines! Graham also highlighted this Tuesday’s webinar with Georgia / Terry, focused on Experiential Learning, signups are here: https://bit.ly/experientialmba Graham also reminded listeners of Clear Admit’s upcoming Deferred Enrolment event featuring Wharton, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth and many other leading programs; signups are here: https://bit.ly/defermba

As usual, this episode features candidate profile reviews for three real applicants, each selected from ApplyWire.  First up, Alex selects a data scientist in the healthcare domain, who has a 720 GMAT (decent) and a 3.3 engineering undergraduate degree. They have also completed a masters degree, with a 3.8. They are an over-represented minority (likely Asian American), and Alex and Graham discussed the programs they are targeting, and whether Wharton should be included, because of its strength in the healthcare domain. This week's second candidate has 15 years of experience, and unfortunately has a low undergraduate GPA, due to some mental health issues. They have subsequently completed a masters degree with a stronger result (but did not share the exact GPA). Beyond the potential academics problem, they will need to address issues related to fit because of their additional length of work experience. The final candidate this week is targeting next season, and is a first generation candidate who’s pivoted from engineering into finance. Alex and Graham like that pivot, and had a long conversation about their goals, post MBA, and whether they should stick to an energy theme, which has formed the basis of their prior experiences.

This episode was recorded in Paris, France and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the immensely talented Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the National League Champion Phillies. Thanks for joining us and for reading these descriptions! Please remember to share the Clear Admit podcast with friends, colleagues, and anyone who might benefit from tuning in. Stay safe everybody.