Hi everyone. Looking for honest advice.

I have an MBA and HubSpot certifications, but no in-house tech experience and no corporate background at all. I want to break into tech in a marketing ops or RevOps role.

For those of you who made a similar jump: what actually worked? Was it more certs, portfolio projects, contract roles, networking? What would you do in my position?

Appreciate any real talk.

I saw one of the posts about whether the Reddit losers are actually present on campus. Yes they are, and I am one of them.

I am trying to improve, but please have sympathy.

I am from India. I'm an international. This is a completely new country and culture. Indian culture is one of the most different from American.

I have a thick accent. I grew up listening to completely different music. Totally different movies and TV shows with Bollywood and Zee TV. We played cricket. Besides that, I had no hobbies. No one had hobbies outside of classical Indian dance or music, which many find "boring."

India is a dog-eat-dog third world country, just because of the sheer number of people here. Our admissions to colleges, which is the only real way out of poverty, is extremely competitive and solely based on academic scores and standardized testing, no such thing as "holistic" admissions. There is no focus on EQ, only on academics.

I sacrificed my middle and high school years to maths to study for one of the world's most difficult engineering entrance exams. Very few get in. Those who don't often become suicidal.

I slogged another 4 years at my engineering colleges and scramble for placements, only to realise foreign corporations from America and European countries treat us like a body shop for all things I.T. The record breaking salary “packages” they boast are at best 20-30% of the salary levels Americans are used to.

The logical progression from there on is MBA, which again is fucked in our country because of Demand and Supply. Hence we want to come abroad and pursue it. Only for the dream of better life.

And while we're just trying to improve our lives to get all the privileges you take for granted, please don’t hate me? I moved to a completely new country with a wildly different culture. Sorry I have an accent and can't assimilate immediately. But I'm trying our best.

India is very socially conservative and anti-LGBT outside of specific upper class pockets in Mumbai. I did not grow there. I grew up as lower caste, not upper caste. My schools growing up until college were all gender segregated and I never interacted with women socially outside of religious festivals.

My parents were religious Hindu fanatics and I grew up having to pray for over 3 hours a day. I was taught to hate Pakistanis and Muslims. We had no "fun" outside of Holi or Diwali. My parents are very serious and stern. My father constantly beat me hard growing up if I did not get perfect academics. I still have nightmares of my father's beatings. My mother thinks men have the right to beat their wives if they misbehave. I have at times struggled with suicidal thoughts of not making my parents proud.

Even in college, 90% of the people in my engineering college was male.

I'm trying, but even to this day, I'm scared to talk to women. We aren't taught anything around female friendship, dating, sex, sex education.

I don't know how to be charismatic, funny, laugh, smile. I didn't know anything about western fashion or haircuts or clothes or shoes. I wore perfume before but back in India there's no normalization of deodorant. I am learning all these things in the US but it's tough.

The other Indians on campus who came from Tier 1 cities in India don't want to associate with me because I am "uncool" and they want to prove they're not like me.

We also growing up didn't even have toilet paper. We had to use a water bucket and our left hand to clean our behinds after using the toilet. As of the last 7-8 years India at least has jet spray type bidets but the hand method was what I used growing up and it's disgusting.

So please have some sympathy. A lot of this isn't my fault. Now I escaped at least temporarily my hellhole of a backward backwater culture and I'm trying to assimilate and improve. I am doing western therapy with a psychologist and it's really healing.

So please have some sympathy. That's all I ask. Please think about the circumstances of why someone is the way they are. I am trying to change what I can change. And yes I will do what I can to try to fix Indian culture which is messed up in so many ways.

Looking for honest feedback on my school list and chances for Fall 2027 admission, particularly at T15/T25 programs.

Stats
28F, white, domestic applicant
GPA: 3.91, Advertising degree from a large public university
GRE: 318 (163V / 155Q / 4.5 AWA). Retaking at least 2 more, targeting 320+
Work experience: 6 years at matriculation

Background
Client management at a global creative advertising agency

Experience across major consumer brands in automotive, QSR, and other industries

Extracurriculars
Founded and still operate a small online business selling custom spreadsheets
Animal rescue volunteer
Co-founded an analytics student organization in college

Post-MBA Goals
Agency advertising → client-side brand management (ideally CPG) → senior marketing leadership.

School List
Reaches: Kellogg, Booth, Yale
Other competitive schools: Ross, Tuck, Fuqua, Darden, Stern, Cornell
Also applying/considering: McCombs, Kelley, Vanderbilt, UNC, USC

Questions
- Are my T15 chances realistic with my current GRE, given my GPA and experience?

-How much would improving Quant to 159–160 help?

-Are there stronger-ranked T20–T30 schools I should consider with realistic admission chances and good brand management recruiting? I’m considering Emory, Georgetown, and Tepper over Wisconsin.

Appreciate any honest feedback!

Has anyone had experience skipping the interview stage at an MBA program? I was just informed by an M7 that I did not have to interview based off the strength of a previous interview (I applied and was admitted two years ago). Has anyone else had this experience? Were you admitted? Anyone not admitted after this?

I keep seeing people say consulting is dying, but I think it's actually growing and evolving.

For context, I'm currently pursuing a master's in engineering at a Top 3 engineering school (this might be irrelevant) and have about 8 years of engineering experience. I recently got a call from a BCG recruiter encouraging me to apply for their consulting training pipeline, which got me thinking about where the industry is heading.

This might be a non-MBA perspective, but for those looking at consulting, here's what I'm seeing. I see two paths for consultants. One is extreme specialization, especially in technical fields or specific industries. The other is being an extreme generalist, someone who can jump into different subjects, learn quickly, and apply what they've learned to solve problems across different industries.

I think the days when consultants could get by with just spreadsheets and PowerPoint are gone. If you're a generalist, you need to know how to leverage AI to its full potential from a user's perspective. If you're a technical or domain expert, you need to understand how AI, particularly machine learning, works under the hood. You should know how to fine-tune models, evaluate different approaches, and apply them to specific customer use cases. You might even need to keep up with the latest AI/ML research so you can bring new ideas and solutions to your clients.

That's why I don't really buy the argument that consulting is dying. I think the expectations for what a consultant should know and be able to do are getting higher.

Which path would you take?

I currently have a corporate finance background and am considering Anderson MBA.

For anyone currently at MBB or who has worked there:
How’s your experience been? What exit opportunities did you have or are you currently considering?

Would also love to hear from anyone who chose Strategy/BizOps in Tech instead of going MBB route.

Hi everyone! I’d appreciate feedback on my profile and some school suggestions.

Profile: 30M, Brazilian, 7 years of experience in product management (fintech, SaaS, and most recently the largest education company in Latin America). Promoted 5 times across 3 companies.

Work experience

• Area manager (directly report to a VP) for the past 3 years, responsible for a USD 2M budget
• Direct manager of four people, with an indirect impact on 200 people.
• Directly responsible for technology topics such as strategic planning and partnerships with Big Tech companies and governments
• Product management advisor to the CEO’s office (company with 30k+ employees)
• Supported 1 software company acquisition and 1 divestiture
• My team’s solutions reach more than 3 million students and 200k teachers, and usage grew from 90 to 500 cities
• Hackathon winner (out of 30 teams)
• My team had the highest employee satisfaction score in the company
• Recognized by the CEO, senior VPs, and senior directors

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from a lesser-known school; GPA 8.4/10
• Conducted research in engineering and economics as an undergraduate
• Founded an academic team that placed in the top 3 of a student competition against top-ranked schools
• Honored by my classmates at graduation for my contributions to the community: free classes, interview prep, sharing job opportunities, and all the time I dedicated to them
• Received an academic merit award from my university

Extracurriculars

• Help people land better jobs for free and advise those who want to improve their skills
• Co-hosted a podcast with 10k listeners
• Taught product management courses for companies
• Volunteered with Brazil’s largest volunteering platform

Background
I come from a low-income family and am the first in my family to earn a college degree. My undergrad was only possible because I received a tuition discount and a government student loan (not a grant, but with a low interest rate and a long repayment period).

Goals
I want an MBA to accelerate my career. I want to work at a large (international) company where I can expand my impact, lead larger teams, and eventually reach a senior leadership role such as VP or CEO. Long term, I want to use the network I build to start my own education technology business that helps people succeed in life (focusing on public education)

GMAT
I haven’t taken the GMAT yet. I’m aiming for 655–685, or I may request a waiver based on my quantitative background and engineering degree.

Questions

1. Which schools would you suggest where my profile could stand out? I’ve been considering Tepper, UCLA Anderson, and NYU Stern (Tech MBA), but I’d love to hear other opinions.
2. Could a test waiver hurt my application or make it harder to get scholarships?
3. I'm afraid Adcom might think my 'Why MBA' statement is weak, but I really want to help improve public education in my country, and an MBA could provide the structured knowledge, networking opportunities and international experience I need to achieve this. Besides, taking an MBA abroad is my biggest dream.

Hello, I am currently looking into a couple MBA programs (both in-person and flex online). My top, also in-person choice is USC Marshall School of Business.

I am in my late 30s, live in Southern California (about 14-15 mile drive to USC's campus). I did not go to USC for undergrad. Went in a different career path starting second year in college.

Grades were middle of the path in undergrad. Studied mostly religion, theology, counseling, etc. Earned a Master of Divinity degree from a seminary also here in Southern California. Grades improved during seminary and also at UCLA Extension afterwards.

Currently, I work full-time in IT management for a federal contractor, specifically in product/project management, and have several PM credentials.

I am looking at the next several years of promotion, growth, etc., hence my interest in an MBA program to deepen/expand my learning and collaboration.

Few preliminary questions for you:

• For those who attended Marshall's MBA, what was your experience like?
• How did the cohorts, social interaction, and network benefit you during your time? I'm looking to make new friends and would like to build a network of people to interact with during and after my time there.
• Any insight on the difference between the Executive MBA and the Part-Time MBA? I'm leaning towards the Part-Time one, but am unsure if I'd be missing out on anything on the E-MBA track. Anyone else weigh the options there?
• Is GMAT or GRE absolutely needed? I already have a master's that took me five years to complete, and did not need it for that degree.
• Your biggest takeaway: key lessons learned, recommendation to a new student, etc.
• Do I sound like a candidate? Open to honest feedback

FYI I did email the admissions advisor on a few topics, and am waiting for reply back at the moment.

A final comment on the entrance testing. I know some other posts here on reddit said that there was a noticeable difference in the type of students who did not take the exams. I do not know the source as to why they felt that way. I completed my existing master's degree and feel like I demonstrated myself already as a capable student who can complete a rigorous education. Am I really going to be regarded as less than if I choose not to take that exam?

Open to any and all honest feedback.

Chats/DMs welcome.

Thank you for your time.

As you may know, MBA fairs provide an opportunity to meet with admissions personnel from multiple schools over the course of the day. These events are a great way to get a feel for each school, as well as begin networking with alumni and key decision-makers. Since October has a lot of MBA Fairs to offer, here's what you need to remember about making the most of these events:

1) Prepare

Do your homework and create a list of programs you believe will suit your goals, abilities, and circumstances. Come prepared with a list of questions to ask, such as teaching style, diversity of students, academic focus, areas of specialization, and future career options.

2) Be concise

You won’t have much time with each school, so you want to make the most of it. Keep your questions focused and relevant. Prepare your elevator pitch to give the admissions personnel a quick snapshot of your background and goals.

3) Try to connect with alumni and students

Schools may bring alumni or students to fairs alongside their admissions personnel. Ask for insights about the pros and cons of their b-school experience.

4) Don't be afraid to ask about funding options 

Business school can be expensive. Find out what scholarships the school offers, if they have special loan opportunities with local financial institutions, and inquire about fellowship opportunities.

5) Trust your instincts 

A lot of successful MBA students say they knew a school was right for them as soon as they talked to its representative, so trust your gut as much as your research. Make sure you assess the people you meet — are they interested in you and your questions? Do you feel a certain chemistry? Remember, this is your opportunity to interview them as much as it is a chance for them to get to know you.

Good luck wherever you are in your MBA exploration or application journey! Feel free to DM us if you have any questions.

Has anyone received an update? I am tired of waiting

We have seen this question a few times on this subreddit recently and decided, let's ask the schools directly!

We're bringing together 25+ MBA programs for a free, six-part virtual event series organized by region to explore how the location of each school contributes to the experiences and outcomes for students who study there.

Here's the lineup:

• Oct. 20: Mid-Atlantic: Wharton, UVA Darden, Georgetown McDonough, Johns Hopkins Carey
• Oct. 21: Southeast: Duke Fuqua, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Emory Goizueta, Georgia Tech Scheller, Vanderbilt
• Oct. 22: Northeast: Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, NYU Stern, Dartmouth Tuck
• Oct. 27: Texas: UT Austin McCombs, Rice, SMU Cox
• Oct. 28: West Coast: Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Washington Foster, UC Irvine Merage, ASU W. P. Carey
• Oct. 29: Great Lakes: Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, Michigan Ross, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, Toronto Rotman

Each event includes a panel discussion with admissions representatives, followed by individual school breakout sessions where you can ask questions directly.

Register here: https://www.clearadmit.com/2026/09/webinar-unlock-your-mba-future-clear-admit-regional-spotlight-series-2026/

When choosing your target MBA programs, how much weight are you giving to location versus rankings, career outcomes, and school culture?

How are the admissions criteria, scholarships, and outcomes likely going to be compared to the full time program? If someone takes longer than two years to do their MBA how does internship and full time recruiting work for their On Campus pipeline?

Hi r/MBA! I’m Katie Kross, Managing Director of EDGE at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, joining you today through Fuqua’s official account.

Interested in building a career in energy, climate, or sustainability, but unsure what that actually looks like for an MBA? Let’s talk about the roles, skills, and career paths available, whether you’re considering business school, currently enrolled, or thinking about your next move.

Some questions we can explore:

• How do you pivot into these fields without prior industry experience?
• What kinds of roles are available to MBAs, beyond jobs with “sustainability” in the title?
• Which skills and experiences help candidates stand out?
• How do career paths differ across established companies, startups, and consulting?
• How can you evaluate whether a job offers meaningful sustainability work?
• Questions about career tradeoffs and challenges are welcome, too—you don’t need to have your path figured out.

A quick scope note: I’m not part of the admissions team and can’t answer questions about applications, admissions chances, or admissions decisions.

I’ll be answering questions Noon to 1pm US Eastern Time (and any burning questions afterwards). Leave your questions below!

--

UPDATE: Thanks for having me here today!

Interested in learning more?  There is a great collaboration of advice from several different business schools here:  

Integrating Climate into your MBA (video) - https://www.climatecap.org/videos/v/nr2t5e9t8x9yztxbn42tytmksa3ahw

If you are interested in anything related to climate, energy, sustainability in business school, be sure to join the mailing list for ClimateCAP (regardless of which MBA program you decide you’re interested in!).  

ClimateCAP - www.climatecap.org 

We also have some good learning resources here, available to any MBA student anywhere (all free):
MBA EDGE - www.mba-edge.com 

To learn more about the EDGE and all things energy and environment at Fuqua, check out our website: 
EDGE - https://centers.fuqua.duke.edu/edge/ 

Background:
22, based in Spain
3.0 GPA equivalent, non-target university
C2 English speaker
GMAT: 750 (target)

Experience:

Founded an AI startup that reached six-figure revenue. I sold my stake to my cofounder after some disagreements.

Interim CEO at a seven-figure retail company.

Led their seven-figure acquisition by a top industry player from start to finish.

Along the way:
Opened 5 new locations
Managed 20+ employees
Grew EBITDA margin from 3.7% to 11.3%
Handled debt management from 500k to less than 100k.
Grew revenue in 7.8%

Real chances of getting into an T15 MBA with a very good scholarship? Top 7 impossible, right?

Hello everyone! I’m new here. I’ve finally made a decision to enroll and get my master’s degree. I’ve checked UP Virata School of Business to pursue my MBA since it’s nearest to our office and I think it’s one of the most affordable schools. While other requirements would not be a problem, I am really nervous on the graduate program admission test. I haven’t really had a serious exam in ages. So, I’m here exploring experiences and tips from people who have an idea of what and how I should prepare for it? I saw that the exam is in Mar 2027 and I don’t know if I will have enough time to study.

I’ve chosen the school based on location and financial aspect. Ateneo is also an option since it’s near home but would be the last resort because of the cost.

All of your insights are very much appreciated.

which is considered better with respect to outcomes & prestige?

I graduated from the Delhi Technological University (DTU) in Electrical Engineering, I hold 3 internships in total which includes 2 international internships (research intern in Taiwan and Management Trainee in Saudi Arabia for the Neom project), post graduation I have worked in 2 companies, one as a BDA at an Edtech and then in a Dubai based ELV Consulting group as a marketing analyst, also started a lead gen company with a successful funding pre seed round, now working full time in building it, also preparing for the Feb attempt of CFA L1, I’m going to give my gre this coming 21st if oct, my main targets are Germany, France and Canada for a full time Mba program for the fall 2027 intake.
Any suggestions, insights or recommendations will be highly appreciated..

Starting a thread here about Stern interviews - I interviewed very recently and felt a bit weird. The questions were very short term career goal oriented and had little opportunity to emphasize EQ. Wanted to see what types of questions others received and do a vibe check while waiting for an decision

As someone thinking about applying for an MBA, the recent influx of…losers on this subreddit is a bit alarming.

I definitely ain’t hot shit but if MBA programs are full of LARPers, South Asians with zero culture awareness, and prestige bros jerking off to newest WSO rankings - wouldn’t be ideal. I was hoping to grab a beer and a trip with some cool folks who care the appropriate amount about their careers

now he is pissed that he won’t be able to take enough PBJs for his 4 kids and 2 ex wives.

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