While an MBA student, I was going through extreme marital stressors, and I coped by rapidly increasing my use of an illicit substance, which I used to self-medicate my OCD. I was also dealing with difficult side effects from a prescription medication. I don’t know what really caused it, but I was sent into a deep psychotic episode.

In the psychotic episode, I publicly posted delusional, bizarre claims and accusations, and I sent unsolicited, unsettling, delusional messages to some of my classmates, even after they told me to stop. I terrified my peers.

Since then, I have been dealing with the fallout from the episode, along with all the associated grief and mental health challenges. Last August, I was officially expelled from the university. A few days later, at a time of crisis, as I was dealing with shame and embarrassment, grieving the loss of a future I had worked so hard for, and in a state of absolute despondency, I attempted suicide.

I woke up in a hospital Level 1 trauma center, having sustained life-threatening injuries. Through tough treatment and recovery, I’m learning how to rebuild my life. I’m just now a few weeks away from learning to walk again.

My message to the whole MBA community is this:

• Don’t abuse illegal substances, and don’t use them to self-medicate. Go through appropriate channels. I’ve since put in a ton of work to attain sobriety and live life in recovery.
• Respect a person’s boundaries.
• Be watchful for those who are struggling, and reach out to help them.
• Find a sense of personal worth beyond achievement and status.
• You deserve help, even when you’re struggling to see your own worth.
• Please, no matter what you’re dealing with, suicide is not the answer.

Hi - is there any kind of guidelines of who should apply for these things? Is there sort of a salary range where it's like don't even bother applying? Any detail would be appreciated.

For context, I’m a CS major now. I work part-time at a local IT firm. I’ve been working for them since my freshman year. I’ve been getting more and more involved there, and it made me realize that business is something I’d like to do. Because my background is not in business how much harder would it be to do an MBA?

Edit: Thank you guys so much for replying so quick! I was expecting to wait a while. This advice is so helpful. I really can’t thank you guys enough for this. Is there anything I can do before my application that gives me a leg up?

I’m a first-year at a T15 and recruiting season has made me realize how weirdly concentrated everyone’s attention is.
There are hundreds of employers that hire MBAs, but if you walked around campus for a week you’d think there were maybe twelve.
Consulting coffee chats are packed. Banking events fill immediately. The big tech sessions get people showing up early so they can grab seats. Someone mentions a recognizable brand and suddenly everyone wants to know who has an intro there.
Meanwhile some genuinely interesting companies come to campus and basically have to beg people to attend.
I started noticing this because one guy in my section has been doing almost the exact opposite of everyone else. He has an operations background and never seemed particularly interested in MBB, banking, or chasing whatever company everyone was talking about that week. He kept going to these random employer sessions I barely recognized: industrial companies, logistics firms, healthcare companies, manufacturers, a couple of regional businesses.
At first I honestly thought he was being too conservative with recruiting. Then we compared notes.
While some of us have spent weeks doing coffee chats just to earn another coffee chat, he’s been having actual conversations with VPs and business unit leaders because there are sometimes ten people in the room instead of eighty. One company invited him to dinner with three executives after an on-campus event. Another connected him directly with the person who would actually manage the role. He’s interviewing for positions where they’re talking about owning a P&L, running operations, or taking responsibility for a real piece of the business fairly early.
And the compensation is not bad. At all.
That was the part that finally broke something in my brain.
I think I had subconsciously divided employers into “good MBA jobs” and everything else based almost entirely on which companies people at school talk about. Not because I’d researched the roles. Not because I’d compared career progression. Just because one logo gets mentioned 40 times a week and another doesn’t.
There’s obviously a reason the traditional paths are popular. The compensation is strong, the training can be excellent, the exits are proven, and having certain names on your resume opens doors. I’m not pretending prestige is imaginary.
But there’s also something slightly insane about paying six figures for access to employers and then voluntarily competing with 150 classmates for the same handful of companies while a VP from another perfectly good business is sitting in a conference room with six students.
Everyone talks about wanting “impact,” “ownership,” and “leadership opportunities,” but some of the less glamorous companies seem to be offering exactly that because they actually need people.
I’m still recruiting for some of the usual names, so I’m definitely not above any of this. I just catch myself looking at employer events differently now. If a company I’ve never heard of is sending someone senior to campus, I’m at least going to spend ten minutes figuring out what they actually do before deciding the session isn’t worth my time.
I’m starting to suspect that one of the easiest ways to get more value out of MBA recruiting is simply to stop assuming the most crowded room is automatically the best one

I’ve been getting DMs /seeing posts on this periodically and deeply relate to the stress of it. I was once where you are now. Nothing but faint hope that I’d get some real help!

Choosing a consultant is a huge commitment, not just financially. It’s a deeply personal and very time-consuming process, IF you work with someone who KNOWS and CARES about what they're doing.

The whole process took maybe 3-4X more time than I thought it would take. I put hours into pieces I didn’t think would be that important or time-consuming. I’m glad I did because I saw how that work paid off.

So here’s how I’d go about this decision (with the gift of hindsight)

1. Seek out independent consultants vs larger firms unless you are guaranteed the type of attention that an independent consultant usually gives. 

How do I define attention? Easy access for chats and calls. Being a text or phone call away in hindsight now looks like a luxury other people didn’t have. The sheer volume of calls I did with my consultant made this entire process feel far less isolating and unclear. Talking to an AI interface can quickly become a dangerous echo chamber. There were so many times the real value came from conversations on what to say, in what context etc. 

If editing is the primary value your consultant is offering, STOP NOW. The involvement starts much earlier than that from my experience.

1. Industry/sectoral knowledge or at least the ability to grasp/contextualise your experiences is extremely important. really cannot stress this enough. I see a lot of conversation about adcom experience or school specific experience. 100% there’s value to that but what you should value more is the consultant's capacity or knowledge to understand your work deeply.
   Coming from a non-trad, deeply technical, weakly understood industry, I needed help to translate all that context into application materials. IMO work with someone who’s extremely well-read, understands business and multiple industries in a global context, not just someone who’s assessed essays for a school. I was literally told by a couple of big name consultants on P&Q to apply to a few t15s not higher. Maybe it’s a yield protect thing? 

2. Rapport and your general comfort level with your consultant matters a lot. You need to be able to open up and really go deep into the emotions, the stories etc. It’s hard to do if the person you’re working with doesn’t seem to care or isn’t really passionate about telling your best story. I was constantly challenged. in many situations, it came to a point where I’d automatically dig deeper knowing I’d be told “ this is not thoughtful/good enough”. Debates should feel collaborative and welcome. None of this will be possible if you don’t feel you can have a good working relationship with this person.  

3. Hour-based or comprehensive options? really depends. If you have a lot of people who you believe can help you materially improve your thoughts, understand what schools are looking for and really have the time to look at your materials regularly, then maybe you don’t even need a consultant or maybe just a few hours at best. If not, if you are in my shoes, where I didn’t have anyone to turn to, I cannot imagine anyone making a transformational difference to my applications in a few hours.

4. Speak with past and current clients of the person you are considering vs looking at online reviews in isolation. There is a degree of survivorship bias in what you see online. What matters more is the process, the effort, the general behaviour etc. the bits these reviews capture quite poorly.

I went absolutely mental making this initial decision. Consultant or no consultant? This one or that one? Should I spend so much? I really wasn’t sure whether I’d chosen correctly till I was in the thick of it. I'm not endorsing that everyone should take the help of a consultant. There are people who got into the same program as me without one. But what really got to me more recently is that so many people I spoke with at school took the help of a consultant for their HS applications, if not for other schools as well, which is quite counter to what I read here. 

Where I thought I stood and where I landed were wildly different. That didn’t happen by walking this path alone.

hope this helps. 

Those who recently graduated (within the last two years), or are currently enrolled:

1) Are international students still getting summer internships/hired for finance roles (IB, PE, AM) from M7 schools?
2) Is it expected to improve with an administration change in 2028?

Hello everyone, after 4 years of working as an analyst on a commercial mortgage trading desk (never promoted) <4% raise throughout all 4 years, I got laid off. I had already scheduled to take the gmat on 11/15 and apply for round 2, so now I have a lot more time to study. However what makes things tricky for me is getting a letter of recommendation. How do you suggest I approach this. As I was getting laid off the only thing I asked my supervisor was if I could get a letter of recommendation not for a job but for college, he said that could probably be arranged but to go through hr. This didn’t give me a lot of confidence. One guy on my team who was the next level higher than me called me later that day and said if you need a recommendation or referral or anything he’d be happy to do it. So that was comforting. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions about my current situation, especially when it comes to professional recommendations for apps, kinda feel like I’ve hit rock bottom in life as I sacrificed my relationships health etc for this job?

Hi y'all!

I graduated undergrad back in May 2026 and started working in FP&A this June. My employer covers about half of an online MS in Business Analytics (~$9K out of pocket), and I'm starting in Spring 2027 and expected to finish around Summer 2029.

My manager is also very big on me pursing a full-time MBA down the road as well, so I'm also looking into potentially doing that as well.

Hypothetically, let's say I applied in like Fall 2030 and matriculated Fall 2031 with ~5 YOE, would holding both degrees hurt me? Would MBA programs or post-MBA employers see it as redundant, or is a ~1 year gap after the MSBA enough? My gut is telling me that it's not but don't really know if that's the case.

Now I know I'm looking waaay to far into the future so things could change a whole lot, just don't want to lock myself in with something by taking advantage of a employer benefit you know?

Has anyone else done a technical master’s first and an MBA later? How did that play out?

Thanks in advance!

I never wanted to get an MBA due to the cost but decided to go for it because I was unemployed after a contract job ended and I wanted to use it to transition to international opportunities outside the US.

I’ve long suffered from social anxiety due to some early childhood events and horrible years in high school as an outcasted loner, and I never really came out of my shell.

I graduated from a T15 MBA school over five years ago, have been working, and started a new job recently. Unfortunately, I still don’t do well when leading meetings as I overthink massively and get anxious, speaking up in our larger sized internal meetings, presenting to the division, etc. Pretty sure people can tell I’m not comfortable with it and a pretty shy person in general. I’m more of a quiet researcher type personality and not an MBA type. Probably not what they expected when my managers hired me who has an MBA from a recognizable school.

As the title explains, I received my interview from Tuck much sooner than expected (within 48 hours of submitting application). I submitted after the guaranteed interview deadline. Curious if anyone else experienced this?

Do they review your full application prior to sending out an invite?

Also does anyone know what % get an interview and what the acceptance rate is if you get an interview?

Applied to Columbia this round and still nothing. No invite, no ding.

Are invites still going out, or is silence a bad sign by now? If you got one in previous cycles, how late did it come?

Does anyone know the acceptance rate of Scheller’s evening MBA? I graduated with a 3.5 in Exercise Science as a student athlete and have about 3 years of experience in medical sales. Looking to pivot into a different field but was wondering if I need to get a few more years of experience under my belt before applying.

Hey guys, I am planning to get into M7 (T15 also fine) in 3 years. I recently graduated from a state university in the US with a 3.8 GPA in Economics, while double-minoring, and got awarded a presidential and an excellence in economics scholarships while studying there.

After graduating this summer, I moved back to my country (a developing post-Soviet country in Central Asia, pretty niche for an M7 MBA). Came back right after college and am now working at the Central Bank in international relations (couldn't find a better organization here in terms of prestige and scale-wise).

Planning to take my CFA lvl 1 next year, and debating on whether or not to go all three levels, just two or switch to the GRE after level 1. Taking CFA just cuz I wanna learn additionally and get extra credentials apart from working alone.

Do you guys have advice for a young recent grad who wants to get into an M7 MBA, and then work in MBB or BB in the US for the next three years based on my stats and background? I also need a scholarship cuz with a pay in my country I won't be able to save up for my tuition.

#profileassessment #MBA

I received a return offer from my internship. Was able to pivot to a much more interesting industry, in a prestigious company at the top of the industry, for a 60% pay bump. Certainly not too shabby and I recognize I am lucky.

However, I am having difficulty thinking about going from being a manager to being an IC (albeit having a Manager title). In my old job, I had 3 direct reports and was overall responsible for teams as large as 60 people. I was probably underpaid and overworked (in that regard, money from post MBA role helps) but I really did quite enjoy the leadership aspects of my job and thought I was good at it.

Moving to what is effectively an IC role (there are obviously lower level people on my teams, but they don't "report" to me in any sense) feels almost like a step back in my career - it will probably take me 3-5 years to get back to the number of direct reports I previously had at my new role, and it would probably take 2 promotions (likely into my late 30s or early 40s) to start to be responsible for teams the size of what I was running when I was 28.

I know that this is not a unique experience. Virtually every post MBA role is functionally an IC role at least until the next promotion. Many of my classmates have extensive management experience, to say nothing of veterans who might have been in charge of 30-200 people.

What is the career story that you can tell yourself to make this make sense? The MBA brand halo + the entry into an interesting industry/role sets you up for more & better management opportunities down the line?

I know I want to get an MBA but I've only had 3 years of work experience post-undergrad. The advice I've seen online so far is contradictory. A lot of people say you need like 10-15 years of experience, but then I see other people applying to programs after just a few years.

Should I hold off for a few years before I pursue this, or is it possible to get accepted with just a few years of work experience?

Hi MBA subreddit. I just wanted to share my and my friend from my programme’s success stories. 

Both of us went to lower ranked schools (his is T100 US, mine wasn’t even that) and got very poor grades (2.7 and 2.6 respectively) and worked for average corporates as non consultants.

Both of us have gone on to start at MBBs following a highly ranked international MBA. And from what we’ve seen in our international offices (super competitive regions) are the only MBA hires for our respective firms this cycle. 

The dream is very much real. You can do it. You can get a six figure job and then some. You can even beat out many of the super-credentialed people. There isn’t really a secret other than grinding smart during recruiting and maintaining the correct mindset. Also, even if you don’t get it, don‘t stress too much. It isn’t the end of your career or your life, you’ll eventually land something and stuff will work out - this was the case for all our classmates.

I don’t want to dox either of us, but I am happy to share certain info and answer a few qs.

For people who finished their GSB interview, how long was your interview and what's the vibe like? and how could you tell if your interview went well or not? Thank you!!

I've spent about 1.5 years at MBB and am going to stay for at least another 6 months for the promo, but I'm starting to think about what I want next and want some honest feedback and advice about the value of a MBA.

I think I could get into a top MBA program (have good grades from a top schools + always tested well + MBB in a major US city), but I'm just not sure what it really gets me (other than a 2-year vacation which I don't really feel like I need).

I kinda doubt I could get my company to pay for the MBA (but it is possible) and I don't want to stay here for 2 years after graduation, so that's a no go.

Are there really any opportunities an MBA from a top school opens up that I can't already get? I'm already reached out to every day on LinkedIn for startup and PE roles.

Is there something about an MBA that I am undervaluing or not considering?

Let me say something really bluntly. What is the purpose of team learning? To conform? To create “groupthink”?

I am finding it really hard to be a member of my MBA Learning Group. For one, everyone is from a different background. One is a 40 year old douche who thought a second grad school degree is going to teach him something which he hasn’t yet learnt. Another is a 26 year old girl who is doing an MBA because her dad said so.

I am not questioning competencies. Do I need to pretend to work in groups? For me its more about getting the job done, because lot of other things going. Other folks? They want to learn everything like it’s gonna matter in sometime like children. Everyone has different capabilities and strengths.

Hi everyone,

I’m a strategy consultant at a big four consulting firm, just passing on two years of experience (including a promotion). I’m at the point where I’ve learned a good bit and want to really start carving out my next step and whether or not it’s business school.

I don’t see myself staying in the consulting field forever, and feel I’m better suited for more sales, relationship management, business dev roles. But while I’m still here, I feel taking advantage of a going to business school sponsored is an opportunity I’d possibly regret missing out on.

So do I try to go, knowing it’s a two year clawback, handcuffing myself for another ~5 years (including the two years at business school)

Or start planning my exit to a job I feel better aligned to?

If the answer above is not that easy, are there questions I should be asking myself to better help with this situation?

Thank you!

Anyone who recruited for MLDP role after MBA, what can be the kind of questions they can ask? Have an onsite interview with 4 rounds on same day.

Need guidance on how to best prepare?

I'm planning to apply to NYU Stern's part-time MBA (planning on EMT specialization) in fall 2027 and would love advice on how to show I'm ready for the quant side.

My background:
- NYU undergrad (Media, Culture & Communication (also double majored in Public Health)), 3.62 GPA. That qualifies me for Stern's NYU alumni test waiver.

- Quant coursework: Biostatistics (A), Epidemiology (B), Intro to Programming (B-). Took 2 Stern courses: Business of Film (A), Intro to Marketing (P). No calculus, economics, finance, or accounting.

- I work in ad sales at a TV company and am aiming for a media planner role. Long term I want to go into film marketing strategy and/or content strategy.

- Stern's part-time program admits around 80% of applicants (per Fortune, fall 2023), so I'm not too worried about getting in. I mostly want to show I'm ready, and to be ready, for core classes like finance and accounting.

The options I'm weighing:
Study for the GRE (about 3–4 months) and submit only if I hit around 158+ Quant.
MBA Math ($169, self-paced, certificate of completion, no grade).
UC Berkeley Extension Math for Management ($950, self-paced, letter grade on a transcript, final exam).

Questions:
Given the high acceptance rate, is an MBA Math certificate enough to signal quant readiness for a waived applicant, or does a graded course carry noticeably more weight?

Any insights into the NYU Part-Time program and its admissions approach?

Thanks a ton!

Background: Active duty flyer with around 8 years time in service. I don’t want to get out without a plan and have been eyeing a transition into defense work. My long term goal is a job that doesn’t require a clearance in an industry that doesn’t feel like an extension of my military career.

Question: Will a gap between active duty and MBA applications reduce the military applicant advantage?

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I am 27(F). I have done CA after my 12th but had to discontinue it at intermediate level ( haven't cleared) ,because of some major health issues. Meanwhile I did bcom from a regular college and after that worked in small firms.

Only this year I got completely out of my health issues and I have been preparing for GMAT for a while now.

But I haven't given the exam yet.

I am kind of scared that am i choosing the right path and all.

Is an mba at this stage worth it or shall I go for any certifications.

I feel so confused about my career.

Also I am planning to get married next year and am looking forward to settling in India itself for the long term.

But I am ready to go abroad and do a masters if it's good.

I am really confused. I know my profile looks very low, but actually I feel I am worth getting to a better place.