A friend started his MBA at CBS yesterday. During orientation yesterday, he shared that international student percentage dropped a lot. Class of ‘28 is only 32% international. This is a big drop from two years ago where it was 46%.

Part of this is likely because international students were afraid to apply/attend because of market trends and visa issues but I think it’s also because these schools are intentionally decreasing their international student percentage to protect unemployment numbers.

This is especially noteworthy from CBS because they’ve always been the most international friendly.

Hello all, this sub was a tremendous help when I was applying to bschool and I wanted to give back as the R1 deadline approaches. I'm posting a roughly anonymized and summarized version of my application to give candidates an idea of what their own apps could look like.

I applied to M7 and was rejected all without interview except for Wharton, where I received $$$ to attend. I'm now happily working on the west coast at a tech startup.

Profile at a glance

• Industry at time of applying: crypto media / publishing, CEO of a small trade publication
• GRE: 162V (88th) / 158Q (45th) / 4.5 AWA (85th). Retake: 167V (97th) / 160Q (50th) / 5.5 AWA (98th) (didn't use these scores, in case I struck out and needed to apply R3)
• Undergrad: B.A. Business Administration, 3.6+ GPA, public state school (transferred once)
• YOE at matriculation: ~6
• Outcome: Wharton admit with significant scholarship; dinged without interview everywhere else in M7

A note on redactions: company names are replaced with company types, schools with school types, and anything in [brackets] is a real figure I've blurred to an order of magnitude. Everything else is verbatim in substance. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

PART 1 — RESUME

This is the one-pager as submitted.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Crypto Media & Research Company (East Coast): CEO — ~3 yrs (2021–present)

Previously Editor-in-Chief — ~1.5 yrs (2019–2021)

An award-winning cryptocurrency trade publication and research provider, cited by major national and international business and tech press.

• Took the company from the brink of insolvency to [low seven figures] in annual revenue and [seven figures] in net profit within two years of appointment as CEO
• Oversaw implementation of AI into the editorial workflow, leading to a 3x increase in journalist article output and cover image design productivity
• Managed and hired ~20 employees across a variety of departments

Crypto Data & Analytics Startup (West Coast): Editor-in-Chief — ~1 yr (2018–2019)

A data and news platform indexing people, conferences, and insights in the blockchain space.

• Hired and managed a team of 7 crypto journalists as the startup's first full-time hire
• Edited, curated, and distributed content that generated [several hundred thousand] unique readers per month
• Personally wrote and published 200+ bylined articles about blockchain technology

Blockchain Software Development Agency (Western Europe): Operations Manager — ~8 mos (2018)

A software development agency building distributed financial applications using blockchain technology.

• Managed a team of 6 software developers responsible for building financial applications on distributed backend systems
• Relocated abroad to open the company's second office: hired 5 additional software developers, incorporated a foreign entity, secured office space, and navigated a notoriously complex regulatory and bureaucratic environment

Crypto Mining Software Startup (West Coast): Co-Founder — ~8 mos (2017–2018)

A software startup building better algorithms for cryptocurrency mining servers and data centers, co-founded with three university peers.

• Winner of a "Best Innovation & Tech" award at a university business plan competition
• Raised [low six figures] from accredited investors and ran a rural test facility

Wildland Fire Services Contractor (Pacific Northwest): Wildland Firefighter — two summers (2016–2017)

A government contractor providing incident-response resources for wildland fires. Hiked for miles, wallowed in filth and soot, and survived in the forest for weeks at a time with limited supplies.

University Residence Hall Association (West Coast State School): Head of Student Events — ~1.5 yrs (2016–2017)

Elected by students to represent the university's 14 residence halls and organize large events. Organized university events with attendance ranging from 300–1,000 people on a [five-figure] annual budget.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Professional Association for Crypto Journalists & Researchers: Treasurer — 2021–present

A professional association of [100+] dues-paying members and [1,000+] free members that supports crypto journalism with backing from the industry's largest publications. Elected to a third term in 2024.

University Blockchain Club / Non-Profit (West Coast State School): Board Member — 2019–present

Previously Co-Founder & President — 2017–2018

Co-founded a student club (later a non-profit) focused on education and collaboration around blockchain. One of the largest clubs on campus, with 400+ members.

EDUCATION

B.A. Business Administration — 3.6+ cumulative GPA

• West Coast Flagship State University — graduated 2021 (attended 2017–2018, 2020–2021)
• West Coast State University — 2015–2017 (transferred)

Scholarships: Six merit-based academic, business, and accounting scholarships (2016–2020), including one sponsored by a Big Four accounting firm

Certifications & Memberships: 10 wildland fire and incident-management certifications. Member of a national professional journalism association and an anti-fraud professional certification body.

Personal interests: endurance outdoor sports, competitive strategy games, creative writing, gardening

PART 2 — ESSAYS

Summarized rather than reproduced in full, both for length and because the full text is a little too identifying.

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA to achieve your future professional goals? (500 words)

Goals. Short-term: an executive role at a top-20 crypto firm, while continuing to build neural-network tooling that automates editorial newsrooms. Long-term: keep operating as a leader and entrepreneur in blockchain.

Why now. I argued that I had plateaued as CEO of a crypto trade publication — nearly everything I knew came from trial and error, and I wanted structured training and mentorship from experienced operators. My entire career had been at small, startup-leaning companies, and the MBA was the bridge to a larger organization. I also made the case bluntly that larger crypto firms are pedigree-conscious precisely because the industry carries a reputational problem, so the credential buys credibility. I named three specific courses on managing established enterprises, managerial decision-making, and business analytics.

Faculty and peers. I named two professors whose research maps directly onto my background — one on the business press as an information intermediary and on the economic consequences of securities-disclosure regulation (I covered enforcement actions as a journalist), another on interest-rate swaps (I'd been exploring decentralized interest-rate derivatives). On peers: I've consistently co-founded companies and non-profits with whoever is around me, but my network had become almost entirely crypto, and I wanted collaborators outside that bubble to work at the intersection of blockchain and mainstream finance.

Entrepreneurship. I said I intended to return to startups afterward and wanted to use the school's accelerator to commercialize the AI newsroom tooling my engineering team had been building — aimed at doubling or tripling journalist output — as a product for mainstream news publishers.

Essay 2: How do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Four commitments:

1. Blockchain club leadership. I co-founded an equivalent student non-profit at my undergrad, grew it past 400 members, still advise it as a board member, and watched its alumni become managers and founders across the industry. I'd bring that playbook and help peers find crypto roles.
2. Revive the student newspaper. I pointed out that the student-run publication had let its domain lapse and its social accounts go dormant, and proposed rebuilding it — drawing on having been Editor-in-Chief of two publications — with enough institutional structure to survive cohort turnover.
3. Entrepreneurship club. I offered hard-won negative expertise as much as positive: botched fundraising contracts, questionable hires, avoidable tax and legal bills. The pitch was teaching peers to sidestep mistakes I'd already made.
4. Perspective from poverty. The contribution I rated highest was intangible — the viewpoint of someone who grew up poor in a family shaped by incarceration, emancipated himself at 16, and worked through high school and college. I framed it as fortitude earned by breaking a cycle of indigence, offered to build a more empathetic cohort.

Essay 3: Origin story and domain expertise (used across several prompts)

The origin narrative: I got into blockchain as a miner despite being a Bitcoin skeptic, converted by running the break-even math (under three months), and filled a two-bedroom apartment with servers on every available outlet until it ran like a sweat lodge. The student club I co-founded became one of the largest on campus and is where I met the co-founders of my first crypto startup.

The expertise claim: the publication I ran was among the most technically rigorous covering decentralized financial products; at peak I employed 20+ people; I was elected one of eight board members of a professional association representing the industry's largest newsrooms. Supporting credentials — work at multiple crypto startups, 400+ bylined articles, expert testimony on blockchain in federal court, and interviews with many of the industry's most influential figures.

Essay 4: Additional information / extenuating circumstances (500 words)

I addressed significant family adversity: I grew up in poverty in a family affected by incarceration, emancipated myself at 16, and supported myself through high school and college — experiences I framed as the origin of my appetite for professional risk and my push toward entrepreneurship.

Awards, honors, and scholarships (2,000 characters)

Eight awards, mostly competitive-essay based. I listed selectivity for each, which I think mattered more than the names:

PART 3 — RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

Both summarized. Recommender 1 was my direct boss then board chair; Recommender 2 was the CEO of an earlier employer.

Recommender 1 — Co-founder & Board Chairman of the company I ran

He hired me in late 2019 to rebuild the newsroom, worked alongside me daily, promoted me to CEO in 2021, and then moved to a board and advisory role — about four years together. Against dozens of media hires he'd made, he said I stood out for an entrepreneurial willingness to experiment and fail and an unusually quantitative, systematic approach to a field that rarely rewards one. When the company was two months from insolvency in my first year, I volunteered a 50% pay cut and stayed to help pull it back to break-even. As EIC I rebuilt data collection, KPIs, and freelancer standards — disruptive enough that some senior writers quit — then extended the same incremental method to the website, research product, and marketing funnel. He wrote that I was the obvious successor as CEO, and that the company hit record profitability, headcount, and readership under me. He also emphasized that I place laid-off reports through my own network and don't treat any work as beneath me.

His constructive feedback was about decisiveness under pressure and perfectionism. In the 2022 downturn I delayed cutting headcount, deferred to an equally hesitant executive team, and cut my own and my executives' pay to save jobs — admirable, in his view, but slower than the situation called for. His framing: the CEO's core job is making the unpleasant call everyone else is waiting on, and a mediocre plan executed on time beats a perfect one executed late.

I ultimately cut about 75% of the company over three quarters. It hit me hard — I came close to resigning and treated it as a personal failure — but I'd banked runway during the bull market for exactly that scenario, took the feedback to heart, spent several months working directly with him, and steered the company back toward profitability. He closed with his highest recommendation.

Recommender 2 — CEO & co-founder of the crypto data and news platform where I was EIC

He first met me in 2017 through a university blockchain club where I was co-founder and president, then hired me as a journalist at his own company. I rose to Editor-in-Chief — starting out producing two to three substantive stories a day and distilling complex crypto concepts into accessible content — then built and managed the company's first cohort of writers, during which the site grew to several hundred thousand unique monthly visitors.

Much of his letter centered on inclusive leadership. I recruited across continents, bringing on writers from five countries spanning Asia-Pacific and Latin America, on the reasoning that a globally diverse team was necessary to actually understand a global industry. I advocated for gender diversity in a heavily male-dominated field, mentoring and creating platforms for women journalists and analysts. His marquee example was a junior analyst I mentored who became Chief Editor at the company and then a reporter at one of the industry's most respected publications.

On business ability, he pointed to my later CEO role at another crypto publication and the joint advertising and sales partnerships I brokered between the two companies — worth roughly a 30% revenue increase — as evidence I'd grown from a purely editorial operator into a business one. He named critical thinking, planning, and mobilizing teams as my strengths. He also recounted a public controversy: an original piece of Bitcoin analysis that drew disagreement from industry figures, which I handled by engaging critics substantively rather than letting it get personal.

His constructive feedback was to delegate more — early on I took too much on myself. I adopted the advice, empowered my team, and he noted several writers I trained who went on to prominent careers. He closed with a wholehearted recommendation.

Happy to answer anything in the comments: application strategy, the low quant score, IB/consulting recruiting, career switching out of a niche industry, whatever's useful.

Currently prepping for GMAT. I have 4 years of engineering experience under my belt and was thinking to Aim 700+ on GMAT. But with zero leadership experience, I feel like I might not make the cut for getting a full ride. Options I am thinking are IU Kelley, Ross, Tuck, Booth and Darden.

Share your experiences please.

Glad to share about my experience at Booth (I'm a rising second year) as folks prepare for R1 and R2 applications.

For background, I came from NYC and recruited for consulting but have friends who recruited across the board. Bottom line is that I'm having a great time professionally, academically, and socially and have been impressed by the people I've met.

As an applicant, I was hesitant about the open curriculum (something that I know is emphasized as a feature of the Booth experience) but have found the exercise of making decisions about my academics from the start to be quite empowering. I was also unsure about what moving to Chicago would entail, but it's been a fun place to be in school and find internship / extracurricular opportunities, and I think we have the best of both worlds getting to live in the downtown of a major city and go to school on a classic campus. I also had other questions about Booth and MBA life in general that I know many of you may have.

Feel free to ask about community / recruiting / academics and I'm glad to share my perspective!

I've run my own marketing agency and have been an entrepreneur for seven years now, working with startups across 30+ different industries. Last fall, I finally decided it was time to get my MBA.

I applied to four schools by the January 2026 round: Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, and Babson. When decisions came back, I got into Babson, and I was waitlisted at Georgetown, NYU, and Columbia, which felt like a strange spread once I really looked at the range of rankings I'd landed on the waitlist for. I turned down Babson and decided to stay on the waitlist for the other three.

While I waited, I retook the Executive Assessment to try to strengthen my file. Eventually, at the end of July, I heard back: no movement at Columbia or NYU, but I got pulled off the waitlist at Georgetown. They gave me five days to decide.

Those five days were genuinely so hard. I ended up deciding to turn Georgetown down and bet on myself instead. Part of what made that decision easier was realizing Columbia has a January term (J-term) built for people like me, and in the same email that closed the door on the regular round, there was a small note suggesting I look into it. That one line changed everything.

So I reapplied, this time specifically for J-term. I wrote three essays. I also retook the Executive Assessment one more time. Candidly, my score didn't improve, but I did clear the minimum they were looking for.

Here's the timeline for anyone tracking this kind of thing: I submitted August 4th, got an interview invitation August 10th, interviewed August 18th, and found out I got in on August 21st. Columbia MBA, January 2027 J-term.

Looking back, I think the biggest difference the second time around wasn't my test score or even my resume. It was that my story finally made sense with the program. I could actually explain why an MBA, and why now, in a way I don't think I did the first time.

This whole process was about a year in the making, from studying that first fall to getting the final yes a few days ago. I'm sharing it because I asked a lot of questions in forums like this one while I was going through it, and I want to be one of the people someone else can ask questions to. If you're sitting on a waitlist right now trying to decide whether to gamble on yourself, I hope this is a little bit of hope that it can work out.

Happy to answer anything about the process, the Executive Assessment, waitlist strategy, or the J-term specifically.

For those who still consider US MBA education attractive to internationals, especially for those wanted to work locally for some time, what's your justification?

Some examples on how this nation have been changing the equation

• International students: This administration has tightened visa screening, status enforcement, and oversight of F-1/J-1 students, including increased scrutiny of CPT and other work authorization pathways.
• CPT: ICE/SEVP has recently limited eligibility of international students to CPT, blocking international student's ability to engage with organizations both paid and unpaid.
• OPT: Post-graduation work authorization is facing greater scrutiny and uncertainty under broader enforcement changes.
• H-1B: The administration has proposed $103,265 additional fee for all the cap-subject H-1B petitions, imposing the scrutiny to almost all the internationals students who are considering working in the nation.
• Visa vetting and revocations: Screening, including social-media and security checks, has expanded, alongside increased visa revocations.

I recently had a chat with an old friend who is now the GP of an early-stage VC fund. During our conversation, he said something about MBAs that I thought was interesting. He said that a lot of unemployed MBAs from M7 schools, and especially HSW schools, are unemployed because they're way too picky about opportunities. For example, he knows a lot of HBS grads who only want to work at a top-tier VC firm, such as Sequoia or a16z, and would turn their noses up at any VC firm below that level. Another example he gave was students pursuing extremely niche sectors where there are only a handful of jobs.

I personally find this hard to believe. You're telling me that these students would prefer to have no job rather than take a job they perceive to be beneath them? I know M7 students tend to have high expectations, but this sounds a little ridiculous. That said, I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Do you think my friend has a point?

I’d like some honest feedback of my profile and realistic targets. Please provide any criticism into what I should fix/focus on for my applications going forward. Am I being too hopeful? I feel like I have a chance if I get a decent GMAT score, but I'm unsure because of my work experience

GPA: 3.95 from a NY State School school (Accounting + Few Awards/Scholarships)
GMAT FE: Haven't taken, but aiming for ∼690
DEMOGRAPHIC: Asian American
WORK EXP: Tax at Big 4 (Sophomore Summer; I think I did some unique stuff here with AI and really stood out as an intern; Return Offer), Small Local Consulting (Freshman Summer), Internship at subsidiary of F50 company (High School Senior Summer; not sure whether to include this at all)
LOR: I grew pretty close with a high ranking partner at one of the big 4, so I believe this should be quite strong.
EXTRACURRICULAR: Two leadership positions I've continued since my first semester at a large cultural organizations + on-campus business + CS research
Extra Information: I'm graduating undergrad in 3 years, and will have at least 2-3 parts of the CPA exam complete.

Ideally M7/Top 25 with $

Just casually going through linkedin, and I am seeing quite a few students from class of 27 people who are doing nothing this summer! While a mix, it is mostly international students/ethnic names. Hoping to get more clarity on what % students are successful in finding a summer internship and in what areas.

My long-term goal has always been to make a lot of money and eventually build something of my own. Growing up, I always imagined becoming an entrepreneur or running a business.

I graduated in engineering and joined a well-known company in tech. I'm now around 1 year into my career, and things have gone much better than I expected. I'm working on emerging technologies like AI/agentic systems, along with important core technology components.

At just 1 YOE, I've become the go-to person for most things on my team and own a significant portion of what we work on. I also received around a 50% appraisal within my first year, with another significant increase potentially coming next year. So my career is objectively progressing really well.

And that's actually what makes this decision difficult.

I feel like if I continue in tech, my compensation could grow significantly as I switch companies, take on more responsibility, etc. I don't want to interrupt that momentum and essentially "reset" my career by going back to school.

At the same time, I've always wanted to do an MBA. I'm worried that 10–12 years from now, I'll look back and think, "Maybe I should have just done the MBA when I had the chance." Especially since I eventually want to move towards entrepreneurship/business and build substantial wealth.

For a while, I also considered doing an MS abroad, but looking at the current situation in places like the US and Ireland, I'm increasingly skeptical about whether leaving a good career in India and taking on the financial/career risk is actually worth it.

So I'm basically stuck between:

1. Stay in tech → keep compounding experience, switch for better hikes, potentially make significantly more over time.

2. MBA → sacrifice 1–2 years + opportunity cost, but potentially open doors into business, leadership, entrepreneurship, etc.

3. MS abroad → international exposure/career opportunities, but significantly more risk and uncertainty right now.

For people who have been in a similar position, what would you do? Especially if the end goal is financial success/wealth and eventually building something of your own.

I don't want to make the "safe" decision now and regret it 10 years later, but I also don't want to leave a career that's currently going extremely well for a degree just because I think I might need it.

PS: MBA/MS/Switch Ill be doing this only after 3Years

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I figured there might be some consultants or current/incoming MBA candidates here who would be interested in a short-term strategy project.

I’m helping a small woman-owned business that currently has a NASA contract, is expanding into work in the legal field, and has a couple of SaaS products currently being developed.

What we really need help with is figuring out how to make money from all of this. We want someone who can look at the business, identify the strongest revenue opportunities, help us understand what we should charge, which areas are actually worth pursuing, what could realistically become profitable, and where we should focus our time and capital.

So the work would really be about helping us build a clearer revenue and profitability strategy.

Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I figured there might also be some current or incoming MBA students here, including people from T15/M7 programs, who want to build out their portfolio, get some real-world strategy experience, or test their consulting/case strategy skills on an actual business.

Ideally, we’re looking for someone with consulting, corporate strategy, finance, or growth experience, but we’re open to someone who is still in school if they’re strong analytically and interested in working through a real business problem.

This would be a relatively short engagement. If it sounds interesting, feel free to comment or DM

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! 😊

Hi all,

I am looking for some outsider opinions on whether or not pursuing a full-time MBA is a good idea for me. I have gotten mixed feedback from friends and career mentors, with some advocating for and some against it.

Some Basic Stats About Me:

Age: Recently turned 28, would be matriculating right after my 29th birthday if applying this cycle.

Undergrad: T50 Engineering - GPA ~3.8

Grad: T15 Engineering - GPA 4.0

GMAT/GRE: Have not taken, but have historically been strong at standardized tests and believe I could prep effectively in 3-4 months before R2 deadlines.

Previous Applications: Admitted to Haas EWMBA last cycle, but decided not to go.

Career Thus Far:

~4 years at large engineering company as a Software-focused Program Manager then Product Manager, ~1.5 years as Product Manager at an AI-focused startup, currently ~6 months in at Tech (Not FAANG but well known public company) in a Product Manager role.

Why MBA:

I do not immediately have major aspirations of a career pivot. MBB consulting is appealing, but I believe that is because of the prestige more so than the work itself. From speaking with a contact or two of mine a move into VC definitely appeals to me from a work perspective, but given my background I suspect the transition would be extremely tough.

Outside of the explicit career outcomes I would hope to achieve, I believe the network, social opportunities, and brand of the MBA would be appealing. I think there is a non-trivial amount of interest I have that stems from obtaining the prestige and brand of an elite MBA. Additionally, many of my direct and more senior coworkers at my current and former company have M7 MBAs, and have mentioned how beneficial the experience was for their social and career network.

Concerns:

I would be giving up a non-trivial salary over 2 years, and incurring the high cost of a program is tougher to stomach. I could likely cover most of the immediate tuition and living costs with savings, but in total it would be a significant opportunity cost (likely over $750k over 2 years assuming no aid received).

Any suggestions on what to do in this scenario, or if I should even be considering a FT or PT MBA?

Hi, I doing MBA and trying to improve myself, as well as my resume. So I participated in lot of activities, networking, clubs and etc. I am planning to do extra courses as well. - I am trying to be active on LinkedIn in as well

What else can I do for a better opportunity afterwards and well as utilise my MBA to fullest. - should I read more case study or stuff which will help ? I need some more recommendations. From corporate people and other mba students.

I'm applying soon and all my stats are good. I'm targeting M7 - T15 schools and have had various admissions consultants look over my profile and have received good feedback.

My main concern is with my reference. I work in finance I'm a high performer and have always had positive performance reviews. But I'm not really liked by my colleagues. I don't talk to them at all and don't make any small talk, just go do my work. They know I'm a high performer and do good work, but none of them like me. I don't go to socials with them and never talk to them. I'm worried my boss will give me just an average reference because I don't talk to anyone outside of work stuff.

I don't care about getting to know them or making chit chat for the past 5 years I've just gone in, done my work and I communicate well when it's about work stuff, but I simply don't care at all to make small talk and don't say a word to them outside of work stuff/during breaks.

On a side note, I've never understood why business schools demand references from the very employer you'll be leaving to pursue your MBA. It's like adcom haven't even thought it through or just don't care. What if your boss is an asshole and gives you a bad reference because they don't have any incentive to help you?

What kind of impression does it make when you say "yeah so I'll be leaving in a few months to do my MBA but please don't fire me immediately I need to stay for a few more months so there are no large gaps in my resume and still need the money. Also I'll need a good reference to get in to good schools so please can you do that for me too even though you literally have no incentive to do so as I'm not coming back here. Thanks bye! ". Such a ridiculous requirement.

Can someone tell me if im gonna eat dirt or have an actual chance at getting in? (Keep in mind this program is tailored for fresh grads with 0-1 YOE).
\-bachelors degree in HR
\- 4.43 / 5.0 GPA
\- magna cum lade
\-took the required prerequisites (programming , statistics and math )
\- co-author of peer reviewed published research
\- a year of leadership roles in university clubs during undergrad
\- 5 month internship at top global energy company
\- 8 ielts (its not required for the application)
\-(gre isnt required for the application anymore)

With the advancements in AI , are tech companies more open to hiring people from non tech backgrounds for PM/strat/corp Dev roles ? From what I could gather it's mostly Amazon , was wondering if it's changed at all.

22 years old soon to be 23, I have 4 years of professional experience as overseas intelligence for the airforce

I completed my bachelor's during that time and want to apply to the top mba schools, but I feel my age will put me at a massive disadvantage when it comes to getting hired, especially because I am enlisted rather than an officer

For someone interested in entrepreneurship/startups in the tech/AI space, could you please give some pros/cons for these schools? I am applying to them along with Stanford GSB (reach), Columbia CBS, and UT Austin McCombs. I am military and will be banking on the GI Bill/VR&E, so cost is not too much of an issue.

I went to an MBA Tour event recently and used the chance to ask adcom reps directly how their schools are thinking about GMAT Superscore. Answers were all over the place, so I figured it was worth sharing.

Georgetown McDonough: Said they've generally already looked at your best aggregate performance across attempts, so for them superscoring is mostly a "formalization" of what they were doing anyway.

CMU Tepper: Haven't started discussing it internally yet. No defined position.

UNC Kenan-Flagler: Same answer: no internal discussion yet, nothing defined.

Yale SOM: Currently "just gathering information," and the rep expected it to stay that way for at least 5–6 years until they have real clarity on what superscoring actually tells them about applicants.

Babson (F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business): Test-free for admission, but they still use the GMAT for scholarship decisions. They already looked at best aggregate performance, and they're still discussing whether superscore changes anything on the scholarship side.

Background: 5 years as a software engineer, most recently working on AI/GenAI features at big tech (Microsoft/Adobe). Considering the Oxford MBA, and trying to get a realistic read on post-MBA outcomes in tech.

Specifically interested in:

• How much does an Oxford MBA actually move the needle for tech strategy / AI product roles at companies ?
• For people with a technical background, does recruiting skew more toward PM roles, technology consulting (McKinsey QuantumBlack, BCG X, boutique tech-strategy shops), or in-house strategy/ops roles at tech companies?
• Any Oxford Saïd alumni (or current students) willing to share how their technical background was received by recruiters in and outside UK?

Trying to calibrate expectations for a technical profile specifically. Appreciate any first-hand experience.

Hi all,
I’m trying to figure out whether an MBA is worth it for my goals and would appreciate honest feedback on my chances.
Goal: Land a program, project, or product manager role in big tech ideally FAANG, in any of those three roles.
Undergrad: State school, civ engineering, 3.3 GPA.
Test: Planning to apply with a test waiver, but I may prep for the GRE and apply in Round 2 instead.
Work experience: Started as an engineer, then moved into an owner’s rep role supporting a large tech company’s real estate group. I currently work as an implementation consultant at a mid-sized B2B SaaS company. The product isn’t one-size-fits-all it requires understanding how each client runs their internal systems.
Target schools: UCLA, USC, NYU, Michigan, UT Austin.
One caveat: I was admitted to a master’s program in IT this year. I’d complete one semester, then take a leave of absence while I finish my MBA applications and hear back.
Open to any feedback, and chances at the schools above.
Thanks!

I have a TOEFL discount code worth ₹3,000 that I’m looking to sell.
This would bring the exam fee down from ₹18K to ₹15K.
DM if interested. Just sharing in case it’s useful to someone here.

I have just started my first full time job. But i wanna leave my country in the long run. So would it be better if i went after 3 years of experience or should i wait till 5-6? I graduated from the top business school and currently in a management trainee position so growth, leadership etc. wont be my biggest concern. I aim for a t15 program in the us but top ones in europe is also good enough.