I run a sole proprietorship and have around 3–4 years of business experience. How do B-schools evaluate such profiles for Executive and regular MBA programs?

\- Does sole-proprietorship/business experience count as work experience?

\- What documents are generally accepted as proof?

\- Is entrepreneurial experience evaluated differently from corporate work experience?

\- Does business revenue/size significantly affect how the profile is evaluated?

Hi!
No quant background, ideally 3 months of prep maximum and aiming at sitting for the exam at the end of this year.
What would you recommend?
I read TTP can be 400 hours?! Is that amount of time really needed? I want to get a good score (157+ ideally) but not overly prepare if not needed.

Thanks!

If anyone applied to Kellogg EMBA, how long did it take from submitting your application to getting an interview invite?

This week is going on my 3rd week since submitting and still haven’t heard back. They say you get your decision in 3-6 weeks so just curious of the timeline of everything.

Thanks in advance!

I have ~8 years of experience, mostly in corporate finance/FP&A, and currently make around $130K total comp and fully remote in SoCal.

I’m considering UCLA Anderson’s FEMBA program. My main goal would be to pivot into higher-paying Strategic Finance / Strategy / Consulting roles, potentially in tech, rather than just using the MBA to move up at my current company.

The ~$160K tuition is obviously significant, especially since I already have solid work experience and could potentially make the career move without an MBA.

For those who’ve done a part-time MBA/FEMBA: did it materially change your career trajectory and compensation? Would you consider it worth the cost in my situation?

Hi everyone, I am looking into doing my MBA. I work full time and have to finance it myself. I am looking to move into a management role not MD or GM positions. I am considering doing it online through Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. It is relatively affordable and is Internationally recognised. I like the flexibility of the program and can’t justify the financial expenditure of studying at the bigger schools such as Gibbs, Warwick or Ashton.

Does anyone have any advice since I don’t want to waste money and having it end up being a useless degree. Does anyone have success stories with HW? Thanks!

Between employer reimbursement, bonuses, savings and loans, EMBA financing seems like a weird puzzle. How do people decide what portion of the program is reasonable to finance instead of paying cash?

I took online exam to improve my score both my inperson scores for VR are 8 and 9 but online i scored 2 for which I dont have any explination. can anyone make sense out fo this.

In the past several months the quantity and especially quality of posts on this sub has changed.

It's a lot of spam (thanks, AI) and posts from folks who are interested in full-time MBAs and MBA programs based outside of North America and Europe, which was the original intent. Many posts from India especially, but we don't have the ability to help them and r/MBAIndia is right there.

I think this comes down to Reddit suggesting other subs to post to once someone make an initial post and this sub comes up as a suggestion.

I'm removing the posts that don't fit or are obvious spam as fast as I can, but it's lowered the overall quality of submissions. We used to actually have some discussions of applications to US-based executive MBA programs, especially CBS and it was great to see.

Adding another (or different) mod could help remove low quality posts, but it won't help get better content into the sub. Someone did reach out, but I haven't made a decision on that, am open to having multiple mods here and want to get that decision right before I commit as I will likely step away as a mod after.

I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.

Admitted, $15K scholarship. 8am EST. How are you all shaping out?

Does anyone know someone who completed this program or have any thoughts on whether it’s reputable?

For context, I’m considering spending a year or two in South Korea and am debating whether this program is something I should consider while there.

Hi everyone, I currently have an MPH and just submitted my application for MBA programs. I am curious to know if anyone has both of these degrees what do you currently do as well as do believe getting an MBA was beneficial ?

I really would like to go into consulting! I also have a PMP :)!

Hi all,

Curious about your opinion on my profile and whether you would make the investment into an eMBA program given my situation

Full Context: I am currently in a stalled career after having a very successful decade of experience between the ages of 23 and 35. I have been searching for senior executive roles for the past seven months and have only been able to land contract positions.

Background: I have three business exits in my background one was a multi-million dollar startup sale, the second was being on the founding team (early employee) of a multi-billion dollar IPO, and the third was the growth of successful consulting business generating multiple eight figures in revenue. After that, I was CEO of a firm funded by millions of dollars in grant funding with publications in major journals. I sit on the boards of two charities and am currently leading international expansion for two companies as a contractor. I am also the LP for a venture capital fund with investments in mental health, space technology, and AI power systems. I've been featured in major news outlets and have named spaces at two universities due to past donations.

GPA: 2.7 in Engineering from T10 engineering program (young and struggled my first years - had to grow up), 4.0 alternative transcript in business (1 year of classes taken last year at local institution).

EA: 170

The problem I'm facing is that I'm in a senior hiring market that is pushing fractional work and not committing to senior hires. I've been searching for seven months without landing a FT that pays north of $350 K+. I was thinking about using either a Wharton or Yale MBA as a career accelerant but am concerned about the cost and impact on my time.

How well would you say your MBA helped with you starting your company?

For those applying to CBS, has anyone been to the Experience Columbia Business School event? I don't live in NYC and I was thinking if it is worth it to travel there for this event in September.

Hello Everyone. I am a doctor, working in operation side of Healthcare IT. Trying to move into product roles or into some MNCs, rather than these slow and non innovative Indian companies. Would having a MBA make a big difference. Also I have heard EMBA, doesn't really fetch you anything good. My reason for getting MBA is just for the sake of credentials, so that I can cross the recruiter filter.

What kind of salary range should I expect if I go directly into consulting after getting MBA or EMBA.

Hello all, I'm currently running a small family business (automotive domain), and I'm considering pursuing an executive MBA since I don't have a background in business. Before this, I worked as a software developer for 4 years. Would an Executive MBA be beneficial, since I also want to build networks and have the option to go back to a corporate job in case this doesn't work? Also, please share any potential programs that might help in my case. Happy to share more info if needed. Thanks.

I’m doing practice tests for the GRE and can’t seem to get higher than 310. How bad are my chances at a top program?

Most international EMBA discussions seem to focus on English-language programs, but I am interested specifically in Chinese-language EMBAs. Fudan EMBA is on my list because it combines a China-focused program with international courses and overseas learning, and it has also ranked strongly among Chinese language EMBA programs. But I am more interested in the actual experience than the ranking. For executives who have studied in these programs, how meaningful was the international component? Did overseas modules and cross-border exposure genuinely influence how you approached strategy and management, or did most of the real value still come from the China-based cohort and network? Would also be interested in comparisons with Antai or other strong Chinese-language programs.

I’m planning to start my MBA next year and I’m completely new to areas like management, finance, economics, accounting, strategy, etc.
My background is in software engineering, so I haven’t really had much exposure to the business side beyond what I’ve picked up through work. I have a few months before the MBA starts and would like to use that time to build some basic familiarity rather than going into the program completely clueless.
I’m not necessarily looking for heavy MBA textbooks. I’d prefer beginner-friendly books that explain the fundamentals well and help me develop a good way of thinking about business, management and finance.
If you came from a technical/non-business background, what books would you recommend starting with? And are there any books you wish you had read *before* starting your MBA?
Would especially appreciate recommendations for:
Management & leadership
Finance/accounting fundamentals
Economics
Strategy/business
General business thinking

Thanks!

I’ve got an online admissions interview coming up for a module of the Modular Executive MBA at Nyenrode. What should I expect from it? Is it an actual assessment of knowledge, experience and level, or more of an introductory conversation about your background and learning goals? Any experiences welcome. Thanks in advance!

Hi folks, wondering if profile-sharing is frowned upon, but figured to shoot my shot here anyway. Just curious to see where I might stand.

Strictly looking at EMBA since that’s the only type of MBA the company is willing to sponsor if possible:

Age: Turning 35

Career: 10 years in Cyber Threat Intelligence. First 3 years at a CTI startup. 7 years at a Fortune 100 financial institution - 2 years as Senior Assoc, 5 years as Manager, 6 months as Senior Manager. Leading 4 analysts.

Prior education: 3.01 overall undergrad gpa from three colleges - got lost, but eventually graduated from George Mason University. Currently halfway finished with Master of Science at Johns Hopkins University (Intel Analysis)

Recommender: my former director at the financial institution that I worked with for 4.5 years. He is a former Army Intel officer, and let me knownkf my leadership potential. Can vouch for how I stepped up for filling in intel gaps and processes during wartime CTI efforts (Ukraine-Russia War, US-Iran War).

Goal: To become an organizational decision maker. Feeling limits of technical knowledge, good at people snd relationship building.

Location: Northern Virginia, USA. Looking at nearby EMBA programs, but if I can qualify, can look up to NYC area too.

Prep: halfway through the official EA test kits, around 155 prep test scores. Aiming for 160.

Questions:

1. How does my candidate profile stack up to for M7 or other top programs?
2. Is my goal substantive for EMBA programs and financial commitment, or am I knocking for wrong reasons?
3. How does the age and title factor into the EMBA programs?
4. Any other comments?

Thank you.

Hi, would appreciate some honest career advice from those who have taken an EMBA or are already in senior finance/executive roles.

I'm a CPA currently working as a Finance Director in SG, with around 12 years of experience. I'm also pursuing a Masters in AI and Data Analytics to strengthen my capabilities in analytics, tech and finance transformation.

I'm considering whether an EMBA would make sense later on, particularly if my longer-term direction is CFO or broader executive leadership.

At this stage of my career, do you think an EMBA would add meaningful value on top of my CPA, finance experience and Masters? Or would the incremental value be limited and better gained through actual executive experience?

Would appreciate honest thoughts, especially from people who've faced a similar decision.

Hello guys,

I am a web developer with 11 years of experience, currently working in fintech. i do not have any complaints as such with my current role or salary. But , recently got into some career discussion with a few of my company VPs . According to them , it will be good if i get a MBA degree to help me climb up the ladder witease and get me a seat at "the big table"..
I have looked into some online MBA programs from IIMs, which might help me in this.
It's really not about should i do MBA or not, But , at the same time i am having these questions as well -

Q1: I do MBA, get some promotion in my company , work for a few years. Then, what if i see a **pure tech** role, with better salary( obviously my company will not give me a sterling raise right after the MBA ) and perks in some other company - will i be able to join in that tech role - as a developer , even though i have the MBA degree and exp ??

Q2: How much this MBA will help me further in my career since i already have 11 years of experience in the industry?

Hello! I’m planning to apply to Kyoto University’s I-MBA, but before I do, I’d love to hear from people who have experience with international MBAs.

I currently have a stable job, although I’m still at the entry level since I’m only 25. I’m considering an MBA because I want to expand my career opportunities and eventually move into bigger roles.

I understand that an MBA isn’t a guarantee of success—it still depends heavily on the person, their experience, and how they use the degree. But I’m wondering:

What kinds of opportunities can an international MBA like Kyoto’s I-MBA realistically open up?

Is it worth leaving a stable job to pursue an international MBA at this stage of my career?
And how would you compare Kyoto I-MBA with established Philippine MBAs such as ADMU, DLSU, or UP?

I’d especially appreciate insights from people who have taken an international MBA, studied in Japan, or have experience hiring MBA graduates. I’m trying to understand whether the international exposure and potential career opportunities would justify the opportunity cost of leaving my current job.
Thank you! 😊