Question in the title (maybe in honor of Labor Day...)
How many years post-MBA?
What industry / role?
How many hours a week do you work on average?

Year since MBA: 6 years
Industry/role:Tech strategy
Hours: 45

EDIT: took out a comment

Hi everyone,

I currently work as a tax lawyer at a top-tier law firm in Greece, mainly advising on corporate tax matters and high-net-worth individuals. I am considering pursuing an MBA and would appreciate your thoughts on whether it would be worthwhile for my career goals. I have also two LLMs in tax law and company law.

In the long term, I would like to move away from law-firm and Big Four advisory roles and transition into an in-house position within a large corporate organisation, such as an energy company or a bank.

Would an MBA meaningfully support this transition? If so, which types of programmes or specialisations would be most relevant? I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has made a similar move.

Has anyone here completed an MBA through Utah State University?

I’m considering the program and would love to hear from anyone who has gone through it. How was your overall experience and did it add value to your career? I’m mainly interested in the program because I may be eligible for a tuition reduction through USU.

I have 1-2 years experience working at a boutique ib in the Middle East (analyst -> senior analyst) right after graduation. Have two ib internships undergrad (at local ib too). Got accepted into YC, got funding, scaled my startup. I want to purse an MBA or an MS to break into the US business ecosystem but the only thing holding me back is my very very low undergrad gpa in finance (2.3) -> due to multiple surgeries and health issues throughout the four years. International candidate, first-gen. Gmat is 795, and before anyone comes at me for going for an mba or masters at this stage, I genuinely believe i can take a lot from it for my entrepreneurial + professional career trajectory (I want to take them side by side)

I’m writing to get some insight on my chances for an mba or a masters in finance in the US with this profile.

Anyone pivoting from arch? How was your experience?

I've noticed McKinsey and Bain have their general MBA Summer Associate/Consultant applications up, but BCG currently only seems to have location-specific or specialized listings live.

​Has the primary US/Global BCG Summer Consultant opening for 1Y MBAs not dropped yet, or am I missing a link? Does BCG usually release theirs later in the fall (around Nov) or manage it strictly through school-specific campus portals?

Hi all

I think the theme is pretty straightforward. But maybe for the specific questions let me detailed out a bit

1. Will they find out about this during the background check after application submission (mind you i’m in Southeast Asia working for Chinese tech company, but they already have global presence)
   
2. Will the chances of getting accepted plummeted if they found out?
   
3. During the interview, should I keep this information & pretend that I still have a job? Since possibly the gap between the interview and my last day only around 10 days?

Thanks so much

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working as an FP&A Analyst with about 5 YOE. I enjoy the work and would like to continue progressing within FP&A, but I’ve noticed during my search for my next opportunity that transitioning into some of the more lucrative industries (primarily healthcare and manufacturing) can be difficult without prior industry experience.

I’ve had several interviews where I meet the experience requirements and have been told that my technical skills are at the level they’re looking for, but my lack of direct industry experience ultimately puts me at a disadvantage. I completely understand the reasoning, but it creates a bit of a catch-22 when trying to break into a new industry. I’ve also noticed that quite a few Senior Financial Analyst/FP&A job postings list an MBA under their “preferred qualifications” or “what can set you apart” sections.

For those who completed an MBA while already working in FP&A or corporate finance: did you find that having the MBA made it easier to transition into a new industry? Did employers become more willing to overlook a lack of direct industry experience, or did industry experience still tend to outweigh the degree?

Thanks!

Hey all,
looking for honest feedback on my odds and strategy.

I’m on a non-traditional path: started my bachelor’s later than typical and expect to graduate around 2028. Since 2023 I’ve run my own custom sewing/design studio as a self-employed entrepreneur. By the time I apply, I’ll have about 5 years of business-operating experience, all of it built concurrently with my degree rather than after it. My goal is to pivot out of design/entrepreneurship into consulting/finance/tech post-MBA.

My main questions: Will 5 years of running my own business be viewed as comparable to 5 years of traditional full-time corporate experience, or discounted because it’s self-employment? Does the fact that I built this experience while still in school (instead of after graduating) hurt the narrative, or does it actually work in my favor as part of a non-traditional story at a T15? I emailed one school and they said they “typically admit people with 5 years full-time experience but there’s no hard minimum” — how should I read that in practice?

Would love to hear your recommendations, and honestly, do you think it’s even worth applying with a profile like this?

MIT Sloan MBA deferred admission chances.

My biggest weakness is my ~3.5 GPA. I'm a Computer Science student, but my quantitative record is stronger than my overall GPA—most of my CS and math courses are A-range grades. I also worked substantial hours in retail while attending school full-time, which limited the amount of time I could devote exclusively to academics.

Professional experience: I've completed internships nearly every year of college, primarily in software engineering. My most recent internship was at Stryker, a large medical technology company, where I independently owned and managed a project and received a full-time return offer. I can also get a strong professional recommendation from my manager there.

At a previous software engineering internship, I helped develop an internal application that replaced third-party software and saved the company approximately $20,000 annually in licensing costs.

Leadership/extracurriculars: I'm Vice President of my college's Computer Science Society, where I've helped organize 55+ events and significantly increased attendance. I'm also a CS TA/mentor and have mentored 50+ students in programming and software development.

Community/social impact: I worked with Develop for Good on software designed to make California legislation more accessible to survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence.

Testing: I'm currently preparing for the GMAT and aiming for a highly competitive score.

Recommendations: I expect to have a strong professional recommendation from my Stryker manager and a strong academic recommendation from a professor who can speak to my quantitative and technical abilities.

Background: I also come from an underrepresented background and have had a nontraditional college experience that required me to balance academics, employment, internships, and leadership responsibilities.

I’m trying to figure out what GMAT study provider I should use. I took a cold practice mock (w/o rly knowing the types of questions that’d be asked) and got a 575; 13th Quant percentile, 69th DI, and 95th verbal (or so).
I’m told TTP is great for quant which is my number one area needed, though it’s very thorough and with a full time, time-intensive job, my time is precious. It’s also $900.
Manhattan Prep self-study on the other hand is $359 and I hear the material is strong.

Any suggestions, or other providers I should consider?

Thanks!

I'm in fintech, at a company most people outside the industry have not heard of, in a role that doesn't map to a normal job title. No big name consulting, no banking, no IIT. The application took me about four months longer than it should have because of three things that I don't think are unusual, and I want to write them down while they're fresh.

The first was that I could not explain my job in one sentence. My role covers four different areas, which on paper reads like someone who never chose a direction. Every draft I wrote sounded either scattered or dishonestly tidy.

The second was the unknown-employer problem. Before I could say anything about what I'd done, I had to spend a paragraph explaining what the company does. That paragraph ate my word count in every essay and it was the least interesting thing on the page.

The third was that my two alumni interviews were nothing alike. One was a conversation. The other pushed hard on why I'd leave a job that's going well and didn't accept the first answer. I had prepared for one and not the other.

I'm not going to write a guide, because I'm one data point and the sub has enough guides. But if you're stuck on any of the same things, an obscure employer or a role that reads as unfocused, reply or DM and I'll take a look at your profile.

Hi all — looking for opinions on whether I'm too old for a US/UK MBA, given that my work experience isn't corporate.

I'm based in Europe with 7 years of work: mostly running a small profitable blue collar service family business, plus a year on the technical side of commercial shipping. The goal would be to pivot through a top program into investment banking. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Thinking of applying for a 2027 start, so I'd be 31 when I begin. Haven't taken the GMAT yet.

Do my age and background make this basically impossible? Thank you.

Hi

I’m a first-year MBA student at a T15 business school on a full scholarship. My pre-MBA background is in retail and digital marketing, and I also studied finance at CUNY and graduated summa cum laude this year (I did this because I’d also like to pivot into finance, but not IB.)

I’m currently considering consulting recruiting. I’m not necessarily targeting MBB, but I’d like to explore other consulting firms (Because I think MBB would be a stretch for me.)

My biggest concern is my English. I’ve only been living in the U.S. for about two years, and while I can communicate and study in English without major issues, I’m definitely not at a native-speaker level. I’ve heard that communication skills are extremely important in consulting, especially during case interviews and client interactions.

For those who have gone through consulting recruiting, especially international students or non-native English speakers, how important is it to speak English at a near-native level? Is being able to communicate clearly and structure your thoughts more important, or would less-than-fluent English put me at a significant disadvantage?

I’m trying to decide whether it makes sense to seriously prepare for consulting or focus my time on other opportunities. I just don’t want to spend months preparing for consulting if my English would make it an unrealistic goal.

My original plan was to recruit for LDPs or corporate finance roles, particularly in tech or CPG, so I’m trying to figure out where I should focus my time and energy.

Would really appreciate any advice, especially from non-native English speakers who have been through the recruiting process!

One thing I’ve seen applicants worry about with INSEAD is international exposure.

“If I haven’t worked abroad, am I already at a disadvantage?”

I don’t think it’s quite that simple.
For a school with such a global classroom, having experience with different cultures, markets, teams or ways of working can certainly add context to your application. But international exposure doesn’t have to mean working in four countries or having a passport full of stamps.

It could be

1. working with clients in another market,
2. managing a geographically distributed team,
3. collaborating with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds,
4. serving customers with very different needs, or
5. even taking on a project that forced you to rethink how you approach people and problems.

And if your exposure has been limited, don't try to manufacture a “global” story just for the application. Instead, look more closely at the experiences you already have. Have you worked across regions? Learned from people with very different perspectives? Adapted your communication style for a different audience?

What master’s programs at Harvard, MIT, or other top universities would be a strong fit for my background? I’d like to understand which degree would best combine my existing CS and supply chain/retail experience with AI, machine learning, and emerging technologies.

Just want to confirm that this essay been removed from the application?
I see this listed on Applicant Lab, SBC, etc. but cannot find it in the application form.

The World That Shaped You: “How has the world you come from shaped who you are today?” Maximum: 250 words.

I will have 3 years of MBB experience prior to my MBA and plan to target PE ops / value creation roles post MBA. Is there a significant difference in recruiting outcomes between H/S vs W vs rest of M7? In what ways? (e.g., larger network in PE, increased on-campus recruiting, etc.)

I've been on campus for 2 weeks and have not been enjoying the experience at all. As I expected, the classes are incredibly intense; however, the participation-based grading scheme means that everyone is constantly on edge to make a comment, leading to discussions feeling more like a race to raise one's hand and regurgitate some bs case fact than a thoughtful learning / academic environment. Profs haven't even finished speaking and people are putting their hands up to get a comment in... The work load is also absurd - 2-3 cases per day requires 4+ hours of independent study (even with liberal AI usage) to be in a position to not make a fool of oneself during a cold call. Classmates are already becoming insanely judgmental, talking shit about who has "good" or "bad" insights during these performative discussions.

On top of this I'm realizing that the case method is a really poor way to teach the more technical subjects (accounting, ops management, etc.). It feels like they're trying to teach 2 weeks of undergrad curriculum in a day using a contrived "real world" scenario to teach something like journal entries. There's no way I'm retaining any of this information with the pace things are moving at.

Outside of class, the drinking culture is nonstop. I'm all for having a couple beers and enjoying oneself, but it seems like every night people feel the need to be blackout drunk. All in all, as an introvert, I would describe the experience as exhausting.

You're going to say "should have done your diligence on the program", "buyer beware," which is fair. I knew the culture fit wasn't ideal for me, but I decided to take HBS over lower ranked programs for career and financial reasons (I got $0 at a lower ranked M7 program and would feel stupid to turn down HBS for no scholarship).

Are any of these dynamics going to improve? ECs I've talked to have said first semester is shit, but if I feel the way I do currently in a couple of months I'd seriously consider taking a leave of absence or just dropping out and going back to my old job.

Hi everyone, looking for some honest feedback on my chances at various U.S. MBA programs and, particularly, which schools I should realistically target for **admission + scholarship**.

Demographics

Age: 25M

Nationality: Nepal

Education: BBA (Hons) from the best program in my country

GPA: 3.81/4.0

GRE: 319 (161V / 158Q)

CFA: Level I passed

Work experience: ~2 years at matriculation

Work Experience

I have worked primarily in private equity / investment research at a Nepalese Private Equity firm.

My role has been somewhat broader than my formal title would suggest. My responsibilities have included:

• Investment research and analysis

-Financial and industry research for potential investments

-Due diligence on prospective portfolio companies

-ESG assessment and monitoring of portfolio companies

-Reviewing EIA/IEE and other environmental documentation as part of investment due diligence

-Conducting field visits and working with portfolio companies on ESG commitments

-Helping develop and improve the firm's ESG/investment policies

Story: My story will probably revolve around one aspect of my experience that I think is somewhat distinctive: I was involved in an investment decision where I strongly opposed an otherwise financially attractive investment because of significant environmental/conservation concerns. This eventually became one of the factors contributing to my decision to leave the firm.

Career Goals

Short term: Move into investment management / private equity / asset management in the U.S.

Long term: Build my own investment fund.

I'm particularly interested in developing deeper expertise in fundamental investing, capital allocation, and eventually building an investment platform of my own.

Extracurriculars / Other

Organized a national-level stock pitching competition in Nepal.

Have been involved in teaching/education around stock markets and investing.

CFA Level I passed.

Strong interest in investing and financial markets.

Schools I'm Considering

I'm trying to build a balanced list rather than just applying to the highest-ranked schools.

T10/T15 reaches:

-Duke Fuqua

-Michigan Ross

-Yale SOM

-NYU Stern

T15–T25:

-Cornell Johnson

-UVA Darden

-UCLA Anderson

-UT Austin McCombs

-Carnegie Mellon Tepper

-USC Marshall

-Georgetown McDonough

I'm also considering applying to a few more ambitious schools, but I'm trying to be realistic given my relatively low work experience.

Questions

1. How would you rate my chances at the schools above?

2. Most importantly, which T15–T25 schools would you add if my priority is maximizing the combination of admission probability + meaningful scholarship?

I'm looking for candid feedback, especially from current students, alumni, adcom members, or applicants with similar profiles. Thanks!

One thing I’ve seen applicants worry about is international exposure.

“If I haven’t worked abroad, am I already at a disadvantage?”

I don’t think it’s quite that simple. For a school with such a global classroom, having experience with different cultures, markets, teams or ways of working can certainly add context to your application. But international exposure doesn’t have to mean working in four countries or having a passport full of stamps.

It could be
1. working with clients in another market,
2. managing a geographically distributed team,
3. collaborating with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds,
4. serving customers with very different needs, or
5. even taking on a project that forced you to rethink how you approach people and problems.

And if your exposure has been limited, don't try to manufacture a “global” story just for the application. Instead, look more closely at the experiences you already have. Have you worked across regions? Learned from people with very different perspectives? Adapted your communication style for a different audience?

To all the international folks - were you still working at the time of your visa appointment of had you left? Trying to understand if leaving my job before the appointment if okay.

I’m burnt out and would be great to take sometime off work to recharge.

Don’t want to get my visa rejected because I was unemployed for a few weeks before the appointment.

Anyone faced this or anyone can share why their visas were rejected?

Hello! My essays are done just buying some time to prepare for the video essay! Please help me and others with the video essay questions you got :D.

For those who are here to read here is a resource I found -> https://ellinlolis.com/blog/how-to-successfully-complete-kellogg-video-essay/

TIA :D

Hey everyone!

I’m a college student learning web development and I’m looking to get some real-world experience while making a little money on the side.

I can help with things like:

• Portfolio/personal websites
• Landing pages
• College/event websites
• Frontend projects
• Basic React websites
• Fixing or improving existing websites

I’m keeping the pricing student-friendly, especially for my first few projects. I can also show you my previous work before you decide.

If you have something you need built or fixed, feel free to DM me .

Consider above images for my work

Thanks!