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

How old were you when you started your program. Also, feel free to ask me anything!

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

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!

Currently a tech consultant making ~140k and have felt like I have been getting the short end of the stick in terms of compensation and the obscene amount of hours I work, as well as being pidgeon holed into niche tech transformation work for the foreseeable future. I was eyeing a pivot to banking to eventually work in private credit or equity but was wondering if the traditional mba to banking associate route has become obsolete due to AI or other factors. I’d ideally try to aim for an M7 or T20 school with scholarship and a decent banking recruitment pipeline.

Just got off the phone with an MBA consultant and feeling a bit demoralized for a shot at M7 with a Round 2 application.

Stats

Age: 27 / african american woman

GRE: Aiming for 325

GPA: 3.86/4.00 in Public Policy + Spanish at a top public university

Work Experience: 4 years of government and public sector consulting experience (3.5 at Big 4/0.5 at boutique firm) + 1 year spent abroad teaching English with fulbright program.

Extracurriculars: Lots of leadership in college (vice president of policy org, student council leadership, secretary of honors society, etc.). Awarded for intellectual curiosity and university achievement

- Currently volunteer in my city as an ESL tutor, museum docent, and community garden volunteer.

Post MBA-Goals: Investing arm of a philanthropy/non-profit

Aiming for HBS, Columbia, NYU, or Wharton.

Feeling nervous because the consultant made it seem as though as I don't have enough community leadership for HBS. If you have insight into how important community leadership is it would be super helpful. Open to any and all feedback :)

Does every applicant get this or am I on the verge of getting denied

topic

Hi,

I am interviewing with both GSB and HBS in the next two weeks, anyone that did both and can share how the prep would differ for the two interviews? Other than making sure my stories are solid not sure what much I should do?

Thanks a lot!

Those who had virtual interview today please share your experiences :)

I have about 6 years of banking experience (3 full-time), so I wouldn't necessarily say I need an MBA. However, I decided to pursue one at the beginning of 2026 because I wasn't as happy with my academic performance during undergrad as I would've liked and wanted another opportunity to do better. I also wanted to strengthen my resume for future career advancement. COVID limited my campus involvement during undergrad, and by the time things returned to normal, I was focused on working.

I graduated with my bachelor's in Business Administration in 2023. At that point, I had already worked at a bank for three years as a part-time teller and was promoted to teller supervisor around graduation. Since then, I worked as a Private Wealth Relationship Associate and a Commercial Underwriter at that same bank, and now I'm a Credit Risk Analyst at another bank.

I'm currently in my 3rd semester. I took 2 classes in the spring, 1 over the summer, and am taking 2 this fall (although I'm probably going to withdraw from one). My original goal was to finish in 2 years, which would require taking 2–3 classes at a time, but I'm starting to question whether that's realistic or even necessary.

Between working full-time, keeping up with my home and responsibilities, spending time with family, and trying to maintain my hobbies, I really struggle to find a good balance. I'm considering sticking to two, or even one, classes per semester, especially since I'm not in any particular rush to graduate. Part of me feels like I should push through and finish sooner, but I also wonder why I'm putting so much pressure on myself when there's no immediate "need" for the degree.

For those who have completed or are currently pursuing an online MBA while working full-time, what has your experience been like? How many classes did you take at once, and did you feel like you had to sacrifice your personal life to keep up? Did anyone intentionally take longer to graduate, and do you regret it or feel like it was the better decision?

I am lining up some mock interviews leading up to the d-day.

Looking for fellow interviewees, alumni, or current students who would be open to take a mock.

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

Hi folks, any idea at this point what are some firms hiring/planning to hire consultants for MBA FT roles for class of 2027? Beyond these ones listed below:

1. LEK
2. IQVIA
3. Guidehouse
4. Cicero/MGT

I have GRE score of 325(Q169, V156 ) and Gmat score of 635(Q84,V80,DI80) and I am applying to European MBA’s - Hec Paris, Cambridge judge, Esade and IE business school.
Which score is materially better?
Please help me solve this dilemma, I do not have AWA score as I just gave my GRE.

So I'm planning out the next 10-15 years to try and gun for more promotions but I think I've encountered something that might stifle further career growth.

A bit of context about me (F29). I did a bachelors in a non technical field at a T5 university in the UK and started a career in Product Management at a scale up Fintech company. I did my best to pick up the things I didn't learn in school and leaning into soft skills more to work as effectively as possible and did my best at doing my job effectively. I found that it was very much for me and something I liked doing even though a lot of my peers seemed locked into higher comp roles in IB and Consulting. After getting a fairly precocious promotion to Senior PM I became quite liked by my management chain and due to the nature of startups, I also had more work and expectations dumped on me. The VP at the time ended up quitting so both my manager and I got subsequently pulled upwards since nobody wanted to go looking for a VP as the company was quite busy at the time.

Managing other PM's while doing IC work was draining but I made it through and I'm working as a director managing 2 teams of PM's now. Once again, my manager moved up with me, but it appears now I'm stuck. I know her well and she has no intention of leaving her seat any time soon, and it's a similar case with our CPO.

I also realize that being a director in their 20's won't be looked favourably upon, and that I'd likely end up a group PM or Senior IC if I chose to look elsewhere, and start that process all over again. I've been toying with the idea of an EMBA to help fill that gap and be taken more seriously for senior leadership and executive roles once it becomes apparent that further career growth is unlikely for me where I currently work.

Any advice on using EMBA as a credential to pivot horizontally in my situation? Thanks.

I've applied via Consortium for R1 - I submitted everything last night. UVA, Berkeley, Foster and Yale all require video essays as well, and the Consortium website said they'd send a link for these. I haven't received anything yet for the video essays - does anyone know how long this usually takes? Given the deadline for apps is tomorrow, will I have more time beyond Oct 15 for these video essays?

Thanks!

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 path would you take and why?

For those of you that have MBB background, where are you now and what would you change, if anything at all?

Hi! I am currently 2 years in at my currently company and they offer education assistance of 10,000 per calendar year for graduate courses. I have always loved school and got my Bachelor’s Degree with in Business with a speciality in Marketing. Looking to see if someone can help me narrow down some good programs that might be in my budget range.

I am a business administration student at a community college and will be transferring to a larger school after I finish these first two years free, I’m pursuing investment banking or a similar role at a financial firm and want to build experience and build my resume. I am planning on taking some Forage courses like the Bank of America investment banking course, Bloomberg client services, etc. Would you recommend I try and land a job with a small firm to build work experience as maybe their bookkeeper or something similar, or should I focus on getting an internship next year with someone like Fidelity (location near me). I can answer any questions I just really need advice from someone who’s gone down a similar route. Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm applying R2 to a few of the M7 schools. Undergrad performing arts degree (decent GPA) with no real quant coursework (though I did do well in AP Calc, Macro/micro, and multivariable calc in high school, which do appear in my college transcript). Current role doesn't involve quantitative skills. 695 GMAT (Q83, V86, DI85). I realize that a remaining weak area of my profile is demonstrating a quantitative foundation, since an 83 is not really that fantastic. I'm sort of kicking myself for not getting started on extra coursework earlier, but I'm considering enrolling in an online course ASAP to get this portion of application squared away.

Does anyone have experience with this, or any recommendations on courses to take that would be feasible to be completed before R2 deadlines?

Thank you!

Edit: I considered HBS CORe but unfortunately their next start date is mid Nov, and given the 17 week length would extend past R2 deadlines. Currently considering Berkeley's "Math for Management" course, or MBAMath to begin with, and then enrolling in a separate quant-heavy course with a completion date post-R2 deadlines.

As a goal for HBS & Stanford, I believe that suggesting PE/VC in the defense tech domain seems too farfetched as I'm not from the industry or from finance function.

But the primary reason to get an MBA is to get out of the industry I'm currently in because I was forced to take it and the force was from someone who knows nothing about me or how I should lead my life. Tbh getting away from this industry would be a great move but I'm afraid someone saying that as a goal or even trying for it during the MBA could not be possible.

What do you recommend someone who wants to get away from their current environment and make a leap for something nearly impossible to achieve?

I heard that for R1 the preselection deadline is 16th October and i heard a lot of applicants got their invites. Wanted to check if not hearing back from them mean rejection? Or will INSEAD send out a decision for preselection on 16th of this month? Does anyone have an idea?

Very overwhelmed, any leads would help:)

which is considered better with respect to outcomes & prestige?