Ep 113 - Candace Gonzales Tumey, Senior Coach at MLT -- The Extra Edge: 3 Secrets to Getting into Top MBA Programs

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

It would be great if our strong grades and work history spoke for itself and got us in to highly selective organizations. Unfortunately, admission is 25% subjective and not a reward for past achievement, says Candace Gonzales Tumey, Senior MBA Admission Prep Coach and Team Lead at MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow). In this episode of 97% Effective, Coach Candace shares 3 secrets to getting into elite business schools, drawing from her work with top talent at MLT and more than a decade in admissions at the University of California at Berkeley. Candace and host Michael Wenderoth discuss how to talk about your accomplishments without bragging, where most people fail in their networking, and overcoming the #1 challenge for candidates from underrepresented groups. You’ll leave this episode with practical, underappreciated strategies to navigate any highly competitive selection process.

SHOW NOTES:

• Rural Virginia, her grandmother and Maria: Why Candace does what she does
• Candace’s Hard Truth #1: Admissions is 25% Subjective
• “Luck favors the prepared”
• Candace’s Hard Truth #2: Admission is not a reward for what you’ve done
• What does success look like for you?
• MLT’s mission – and why highly qualified talent from underrepresented groups benefit from their support
• Underappreciated Secret #1 to getting in: Your application is a conversation
• How to understand what a school seeks
• You’re still the same person, but shine a spotlight on the aspect that best fits the school
• Talking about yourself without feeling icky: Speak to inform but not to impress
• Underappreciated Secret #2 to getting in: Network with the Institution to better understand
• “Apply with the door open, not with the door closed”
• Underappreciated Secret #3 to getting in: Consistency over Intensity
• “You can’t be what you can’t see”: Talk to people who have been through the process!
• Are the 3 secrets universally applicable to anyone, not just underrepresented groups?
• The two sides of imposter syndrome
• The #1 thing you can do if you feel imposter syndrome
• Candace shares the limits of her own knowledge
• Breaking rules and your appetite for risk
• How AI can help us get in to highly competitive environments – and where to be careful with it

BIO AND LINKS:

Candace Gonzales Tumey is Senior Coach and Team Lead at Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). Prior to MLT, she served 14 years in undergraduate and graduate admissions, including at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley as an Associate Director of Admissions. At MLT, she has coached over 200 applicants, 40% of whom are currently at or graduated from the top 3 business schools in the USA. Candace holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Southen California (USC).

 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-gonzales-tumey-7b9624120/
• MLT: https://mlt.org
• Sasha Kelemen, University of Virgina Darden & MLT alum: https://tinyurl.com/y9r97xuw
• David Harris, Stanford Business School & MLT alum: https://tinyurl.com/5de67m32
• Start with Why (Sinek): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
• Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast on Communication (Matt Abrahams): https://www.fastersmarter.io
• Zoom Like a Voice Actor, with Claire Fry: https://www.vocalconfidencetraining.com
• John Rice (MLT Founder) speaks to trends in top business schools admissions (Bloomberg): https://tinyurl.com/7asx9p58
• HBR Article “Stop Tellling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome”: https://tinyurl.com/ykzt838m
• Michael’s book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

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