What does IESE look for in MBA applicants? How do they evaluate your academic aptitude, post-MBA career goals, leadership potential and fit? In this episode, IESE MBA Admissions Director Patrik Wallen shares candid insights into what makes candidates stand out — and what makes IESE’s two-year MBA unique.

Program Highlights - What Makes the IESE MBA Unique?

• Introduction (0:00)
• What Makes the IESE MBA Unique? (3:30)
• IESE's Reputation with Employers (11:30)
• IESE MBA's Two-Year Course Structure (14:27)
• Living, Studying & Working in Barcelona, Spain (18:37)
• The Importance of Speaking the Local Language: Spanish (25:10)

IESE MBA Admissions & Scholarships - How to Improve Your Chances?

• What IESE MBA Looks for When Building a Class (28:00)
• Patrik's Thoughts on Post-MBA Goals (37:00)
• GMAT/GRE Scores & GPA (41:45)
• Resumes (48:00)
• Written Essays & Video Essays (52:45)
• Letters of Recommendation (55:35)
• Interviews & IESE MBA's Assessment Day (57:45)
• How IESE MBA Admissions Views Scholarships & How Applicants Can Win Funding (1:03:35)

Career Opportunities at IESE - What to Know & How to Prepare

• Has AI Affected Recruiting for Consulting? (1:10:55)
• IESE MBA's Grading System (1:17:30)
• What Applicants Need to Know about Landing Jobs in Spain & Europe (1:20:05)
• Structured Recruiting & Unstructured Recruiting: What Applicants Can Expect from IESE's Career Services (1:27:45)

About Our Guest

Patrik Wallen is the MBA Admissions Director at IESE Business School. Previously, he was Director of IESE's Career Development Center. Before joining IESE, Patrik worked as a general manager in hospitality, founded a fish importing business and worked as a software consultant. Patrik got his Masters in Science in Computer Science from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and his MBA from IESE in 2007.

Show Notes

• IESE MBA
• Get feedback on your profile from IESE MBA's Admissions Team before you apply
• IESE MBA Scholarships and Post-Graduation Payment Aid (PPA) for MBAs

MBA Application Resources

• ⁠⁠Get free school selection help at Touch MBA⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

How can you stand out from thousands of MBA applicants with impressive CVs?

Darren sits down with Ellin Lolis, Founder and President of Ellin Lolis Consulting and one of the top ranked MBA admissions consultants on Poets & Quants, to learn how she helps MBA applicants craft powerful personal narratives. With a near 99% success rate, Ellen shares the process she uses to transform an applicant's collection of achievements into a cohesive and compelling personal narrative.

Topics

• Introduction (0:00)
• How Ellin Fell into Admissions Consulting (2:37)
• The Importance of Narrative: Why Data and CVs Aren't Memorable (3:37)
• What's Your Career Goal & Career Purpose? (10:20)
• Finding the Golden Thread of Your Personal Narrative (22:20)
• Dealing with "My Story Isn't that Interesting" (40:12)
• How to Differentiate Yourself when You Have a Common Career Goal (39:55)
• The Power of Vulnerability (45:23)
• Darren's Hot Dog Story - How Mundane Moments Can Make for a Memorable Story (47:19)
• How MBA programs are Evolving with AI (50:07)
• Using AI in Your MBA Applications (52:54)
• Video Essay Tips (59:28)

About Our Guest

Ellin Lolis is founder and president of Ellin Lolis Consulting, which has helped 98.9% of their clients get accepted to at least one program of their choice. Ellin and her team have spent over a decade helping MBA applicants craft their story and build their careers. Prior to starting her admissions consulting firm, Ellin worked in marketing and communications.

Ellin graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelors in International Cultural Studies, and is a member of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC).

Show Notes

• Ellin Lolis Consulting
• My Admit Coach
• Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin

More Resources

• ⁠Get free school selection help at Touch MBA⁠
• ⁠Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs⁠
• ⁠Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools⁠
• ⁠Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)

Darren talks with N'doli Jean-Hugues "Cherif," a French and Ivorian candidate who gained admission to both INSEAD and London Business School's MBA programs. Cherif, an older full-time MBA candidate with diverse experience across five roles - including audit, management consulting, investment banking and infrastructure project finance in the public and private sector - shares his five key success factors for MBA admissions.

Topics

• Introduction (0:00)
• Cherif's Background & Pre-MBA Plan & Goals (3:10)
• How Cherif Found Career Mentors & Built Future Opportunities (10:40)
• Cherif's 5 Key Success Factors
• • Unwavering Focus (17:20)
  • Strategic Peer Review (27:15)
  • Work with a Consultant (34:30)
  • Self-awareness (43:15)
  • Narrative Coherence (52:30)
• How Cherif Assessed his Competitiveness (1:00:00)
• Cherif's Interview Tips for Insead & London Business School (1:07:10)

• Cherif's Final Tips (1:24:00)

About Our Guest

N'doli Jean-Hugues Cherif graduated from Cranfield University with a Masters in Management and Concordia University with a Bachelors in Political Science. He will be attending the Insead MBA program in Fontainebleau, France, focused on a post-MBA career in infrastructure-focused private equity.

After getting his Masters, Cherif worked as an auditor for PwC, management consultant for Square Management, and then in Financial Advisory and Project Finance for the government of Côte d'Ivoire and then as an investment banker for Obara Capital. He then returned to Paris with his family to do Financial Advisory and Project Finance for Egis.

Show Notes

• Follow N'doli Jean-Hugues Cherif on LinkedIn
• How I Got Into Insead & London Business School: 5 Game-Changing Success Factors by N'doli Jean-Hugues Cherif (My Admissions Journey Series)
• Insead MBA
• Infravenir: Young Infrastructure Professionals in France
• The Glocap Guide To Getting A Job In Private Equity: Behind the Scenes Insight Into How PE Funds Hire by Brian Korb
• London L. - MBA Admissions Consultant

More Resources

• Get free school selection help at Touch MBA
• Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs
• Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools
• Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)