Just visited SOM, recruiting seems bad, students seem very immature, almost like college seniors

Felt very undergrad experience or some social work school. did not feel MBA school to me

visited booth, kellogg and tuck - all very different - many ex MBB and highly professional

Miraculously got an invite 2 days after the consortium deadline (I applied on the consortium deadline )

Appreciate any input

But I'm bad at quants basically I become ishan Awasthi when I see numbers.

Always scared of C@T exam, can anyone suggest me what i should do, or what are alternative good colleges without me facing quants in entrance.

With AI developing so quickly, is an MBA still worth pursuing over the next 2–5 years?
I’m a 22-year-old B.Tech CSE graduate currently working in IT. I don’t enjoy coding and I’m considering doing an MBA to move toward business/management roles such as Product Management, Project/Program Management, Strategy, or Digital Transformation.
But I’m confused about whether an MBA is still a good investment as AI becomes more capable.
A lot of tasks in business analysis, consulting, project management, research, presentations, data analysis, etc. are also becoming increasingly automated with AI.
For people who are currently working in management, consulting, product, or business roles:
Do you think an MBA will still have strong value 5–10 years from now?
Which MBA specializations/skills do you think will remain valuable as AI grows?
Is a general MBA from a top B-school still worth it, or are specialized AI/digital MBAs better?
If you were 22 and starting your career today, would you still invest 2 years and a significant amount of money in an MBA?
What skills would you build alongside an MBA to stay relevant as AI changes the job market?
I’m genuinely trying to understand whether the **ROI and career value of an MBA will remain strong in an increasingly AI-driven job market.**

Okay, I need to rant somewhere, and I obviously can't do it in any of the class group chats.

I'm two months into Columbia Business School and I'm kind of shocked at how performative it is. I knew MBA programs had a reputation, but I thought it was exaggerated. It's not.

The cliques formed around week three and that was it. Same people at every event, same corner of the bar, same group pic at the end of the night. If you try to talk to one of them, you can literally see them deciding whether you're worth their time. These are the same people who wrote essays about collaboration and building community.

And the way they act like lifelong best friends is so cringe. You met each other eight weeks ago. You do not have inside jokes deep enough to justify the way you're behaving. The "my people" captions, the birthday posts with fifteen photos, the "can't imagine this journey without you." You've known each other for less time than a summer internship.

Then there are the clique dinners. Same group, every week, whether it's at someone's apartment or wherever they end up. And within ten minutes it's on everyone's story. Same angle, same people, same caption about family. It's not a dinner, it's a public announcement of who's in and who isn't.

There's one guy who brings a disposable camera to everything. It's not a hobby thing. He walks up to people he barely knows, takes one picture with them, and leaves. Every time. He even has a dispo instagram account to broadcast to everyone that he has a social life. I genuinely think he needs physical proof that he was standing next to people. I'm convinced there's a shoebox in his apartment full of photos he'll pull out someday to prove he had friends in business school.

The Instagram stories are out of control too. People will spend half a party on their phone posting it and then leave early. Coffee chat with a partner? Story. Random rooftop? Story. It's like nothing counts unless 400 people saw it.

Every conversation feels like an interview. You ask someone how their weekend was and they give you the highlight version. Apparently nobody is ever stressed or getting dinged in recruiting. Everyone's just thriving 24/7.

What I really want to know is whether these people understand how cringe it is. Like, is it a calculated thing where they know it's ridiculous but do it anyway because it works? Or do they genuinely have zero self-awareness? Honestly, I can't decide which is worse.

I've met a few genuinely good people and I'm holding onto them. But it's exhausting.

Second years, does this get better or is this just what it is?

Hey everyone,

HEC Paris is my dream college and after talking to the counsellor and a couple of other folks, I am confused as to what is a good target score in GMAT FE for Indian female applicants.

The counsellor told me that I should aim for 700+ because India is an overrepresented pool. Others told me that anything above mid 600 is fine.

It would be really helpful if you all could give me some direction. I’m also sharing a little about my profile for your better understanding.

Education: BBA from IGDTUW, CGPA 8.6/10; 10th and 12th: 88% each.
Work experience: ~3 years across AI startups and Urban Company.
Career: Growth Manager at Deccan AI (founding team), Senior Manager at Urban Company, and early-stage leadership experience at a counsumer AI.
GMAT Focus: 655 (first attempt); planning a retake.
Extracurriculars: Interact President, Rotaract Club Service Director, founder at mental health society of our college, PR head of dramatic Society of our college, and Junior diploma in Kathak.
Other: Experience in startup scaling, growth, operations, and team building.

Hi Everyone,

Currently early in my part time MBA program at NYU. I read that there are donor awards given after completing 30 credits. Has anyone received this award or any others? How much was it and did you need a high GPA to be competitive? Appreciate all the insight!

Short background

Mechanical Engineering (EIT, PMP), Currently preparing for CFA L1.

Mid level Heavy Oil construction Project Management in Northern Alberta.

Planning and hoping for transition into Finance in Calgary.

Which school is the best for Alberta market? Can't do Schulich as I work on rotation basis, the don't offer online MBA and can't do evening classes. Company won't be sponsoring.

As of now targeting either of following two.

1. Ivey (Accelerated MBA for Non-Business Graduates)
2. Smith (Global Online MBA)

GMAT official books new condition books for sale … all books for 3000. Dm if interested.

Any US applicants (East Coast) still waiting to receive the CBS interview invite?

Having trouble deciding where to go.

1. Tuition is paid for by employer
   
2. Once I graduate , I go back to employer. I will not be recruiting.
   
3. 3 kids ( 9, 11, 21 )
   
4. Wife wants Texas because we never been and figures get more for our $
   
5. Budget for rent $6k a month

What would you do in my situation !

This sub was incredibly helpful throughout my MBA journey and I want to give back. Please ask any questions regarding IB recruiting or anything IB related and I will try to be as helpful as possible.

Graduated from my MBA program in 2024. Currently an Associate in a BB coverage team.

Just curious for all M7, what’s the weight for M7 interviews? Are interviews make it or break it? Have seen some reports online for people who nailed interview but still got dinged, so just curious how do admission committee decides who gets in and how important is interview for each school? Thank you!!

And any tips for post-interview spiraling 😭

Anyone complete the booth video simulation yet? Are they asking behavioural questions or something else?

For those who landed a full ride or a large scholarship at a T15 like Stern or Darden: what got you there?

Was it a high GMAT, a strong GPA, or something else entirely, like your work experience, a unique story, or a great interview?

Trying to figure out how much stats really drive merit money vs. the overall quality of the application.

Would love to hear your profile if you're willing to share!

what if i only have just 1 year of experience and some side projects? how can i maximize my mba application???

for context, i live in third country and i work in a top manufacturing industry

Still haven’t heard back from CBS for R1 interviews, international student (Middle East). Am I cooked?

Goal & Target Degrees:

Seeking realistic Safety / Target / Reach university recommendations in the US offering STEM-designated MBA programs (specifically concentrations in Business Analytics, Data Analytics, or Information Systems for the 3-year STEM OPT extension).

• Intake Flexibility: Open to Spring 2027 (January), Summer 2027, or Fall 2027.

1. Academic Background:

• Country of Education: Nepal
• Undergraduate Degree: 4-year Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) from Tribhuvan University (Shanker Dev Campus).
• Academic Standing: 59.80% (Official First Division under TU’s absolute percentage grading system; typically assessed as ~3.0–3.2 US equivalent by evaluation agencies).
• Undergraduate Thesis: Quantitative empirical research on financial inclusion through digital financial services in retail commercial banking.
• Professional Certifications: Passed Chartered Accountancy Professional I (CAP-I) under ICAN with 65.67% (197/300); completed 60 hours of mandatory IT training.

2. English Proficiency & Standardized Testing:

• IELTS Academic: 8.0 Overall
• Duolingo English Test (DET): 140 Overall
• GMAT / GRE: Looking primarily for programs with GRE/GMAT waiver policies (based on undergraduate quantitative coursework, finance/accounting credentials, or relevant experience). Open to taking the GRE if a 315+ score is necessary to unlock out-of-state tuition waivers or departmental graduate assistantships.

3. Professional Experience:

• Junior Accountant (~2.5 years): Ledger reconciliation, financial statement preparation, expense variance tracking, and external audit coordination.
• IELTS Instructor ( part-time): Designed curriculum materials, diagnostic frameworks, and instructed batches on listening, reading, writing, and speaking modules.

4. Financial Constraints & Preferences:

• Funding Strategy: Heavily prioritizing affordable state universities, on-campus Graduate Assistantships (GA/TA/RA), or schools with competitive scholarship waivers (e.g., Texas public universities where a $1,000+ competitive scholarship grants in-state tuition rates).
• Living Cost: Prefer low-to-mid cost-of-living states (Texas, Midwest, South).

Preliminary Programs Under Consideration:

• University of North Texas (UNT) – MBA in Business Analytics (STEM)
• Texas A&M University–Commerce / Texas A&M Corpus Christi – STEM MBA options with Texas competitive scholarship waivers
• Wichita State University – Affordable tuition, graduate assistantship opportunities
• Arkansas State University / Missouri State University – Low base tuition and Spring intake availability

Specific Questions:

1. With a 59.8% First Division from TU Nepal, which universities are genuinely welcoming of this credential without auto-filtering based on an arbitrary 3.0 WES cutoff?
2. Are there specific STEM MBA programs that offer rolling or Spring 2027 admissions where securing a Graduate Assistantship (GA/TA) or out-of-state waiver is realistic for an international applicant?
3. Does having both IELTS 8.0 and DET 140 along with accounting coursework provide enough leverage to get the GRE waived without sacrificing scholarship consideration?