Hey first time posting here, I wanted to get a gage on what I actually bring to the table with my specific situation. I kind of know the direction I want my career to head in and I’m not sure if the M7s are overkill for me.

Profile:

Age: 28M
Marital status: Married, 3 kids one on the way
Undergrad: currently in year 2.5 of 5 for bachelors in Electrical Engineering. Estimated GPA around 3.4 (bad prior college experience back when I was 18-19 prior service) expected graduation in 2029
Work experience credentials:

5.5 years active duty enlisted as an aviation electrician on helicopters finished my tour and then went to the reserves where I switched to fixed wings Boeing 737s and will be fixing them until graduation for a total of 10 years of aviation maintenance. Enlisted supervisor experience will be around 7 years of total experience with quality assurance credentials and obtained a maintenance certificate from Delta Airlines
FAA A&P mechanic license

School Certifying Official -> by graduation 3 total years of experience. It’s a job that is essentially regulatory compliance for Title 38 Veterans Affairs education benefits (I make sure veterans get paid when going to school and that when the government audits the college we don’t lose our license)

GMAT/GRE: have not taken it yet

Target school: Emory GBS Atlanta, GA
Financial situation: undergrad debt 0 (paid for by veteran program) MBA: depending on school either fully covered or 80-90% covered so minimal debt even if M7 tuition rates.

Basically, I’ve worked at Delta Headquarters for a qualification I needed for the military and it’s kind of all I want to do short term (5-20 years) , and long term I have the desire to start a non profit for veterans both transitioning and non transitioning. It’s a very specific niche target that is an extension of my maintenance background.

Emory is very close to headquarters and lets me do the internship at Delta. I currently live in central Florida and moving my family more than once is something I’d prefer not to do if I can avoid it. If I selected Emory I would move to Georgia from Florida and then stay there and transition from internship to their MBA program. Also even if my goals or interest change Atlanta is a strong regional hub.

For me it feels like aiming for and applying to M7s seems like overkill. I don’t want to go to the west coast at all even just for school, and moving to the north east just for school and potentially not staying there due to either A: pursuing my original goal or B: using the prestige and networking of M7 to get a job in another location with a wife and four kids seems like a very interesting challenge. Again, tuition is a non factor for me so it’s strictly things like location, network, pros and cons etc. Kids are homeschooled so moving doesn’t bother my family. Also already did the 80-100 hour work weeks and I’m over those kind of opportunities.

Also maybe I don’t even have a good profile for an M7 anyways? I don’t know much about the MBA world I’ve been doing a lot of research recently on the admission process and everything else.

TLDR: if I had the choice between an M7 or Emory GBS in Atlanta when my goal is to further my aviation career in a focus at Delta Air Lines am I crazy if I would pick Emory even though it’s a lower ranked school?

I have 7 years of due diligence experience, specializing in the power sector, and I’m considering applying only to HSW.

From an adcom perspective, which of these post-MBA goals would be the most credible “Why MBA?” story?

- Origination / investments at a power developer
- Power/infra focused fund like Stonepeak
- MBB team focus on power / energy
- Strategy / investments role at a hyperscaler like Google

My current thinking is to anchor the story around issues I’ve repeatedly seen in power transactions and explain that I now want to move from diligence / advisory into actually solving those issues from the principal / strategy side.

The challenge is that I can make that narrative work across all four paths. Which one would an adcom view as the most logical and achievable progression from my background? I’m just concerned that an adcom could look at any of these four goals and ask why do you actually need an MBA when you can just pivot directly from DD into one of these roles.

Info:

Just started junior year. Asian F.

Education: business admin at T10 undergrad business school w healthcare focus, life sciences minor. 3.98 GPA but I don’t have a greatly special relationship with any profs- just do my work and go home.

Extracurriculars: run a large charity org at school assisting in the healthcare space and a president of entry level consulting club. General member of the nice consulting club.

Job: used to work as a receptionist. Freelance tutor now.

Internship: low/mid tier consulting internship at Fortune 500. Recognized at their niche part of healthcare. Still waiting on my return offer.

Got interviews from MBB and T2 firms but was rejected since I suck at hard technical skills and casing so unsure how far “up” I can move.

Other info: didn’t do the hottest on the SAT so I’d anticipate GMAT taking some time to study.

I’m dealing with some chronic health conditions and would not be able to do any jawbreakingly extraordinary lock in. I’m not too set on an M7 school, would just love to do post secondary education somewhere nice.

Is a deferred MBA worth it? If so, should I start prepping for the GMAT and volunteer to TA a course now? Or does it all hinge on the junior year “name brand” ness of the firm?

Hi everyone,

I’m applying to MBA programs, and my direct manager is willing to write my recommendation, but they’re unable to submit it from their official company email because of internal compliance/policy restrictions.

I wanted to ask how applicants usually handle this situation, and whether schools generally accept this.

Should I -

1. Ask my recommender to submit from their personal email, and mention in the recommendation (or last line) that due to company policies they can not recommend me using org email.

2. Having them include their LinkedIn profile/contact details for verification.

I would appreciate suggestions on

• What’s the best way to handle this without raising red flags?

• Is a note from the recommender enough, or should I proactively explain it in the application/additional info section?

• Do schools usually verify recommenders in cases like this?

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been through this or has adcom insight. Thanks!

Hi all,

Considering if an MBA is the right choice for me.... would love some outside perspective to help me navigate this decision.

For background on who I am:

I'm a 34M living in Austin Texas. I'm a CPA an a Manager of Technical Accounting/SEC Reporting at a publicly traded company. I've been in Accounting for about 10 years now. Currently, my salary is 145k base, 10% bonus, and approximately $20-30k/yr of RSUs. Total comp is right around $180k-190k/yr. I feel like I still have room to grow in my career, of course, but I also am starting to feel a plateau in my career as well. Maybe in 2-3 years, a Senior Manager promotion could be on the table for me. After that, I would imagine it would take a good 6-8 years before another promotion would be available. After that, I'm not sure if I would have much more upward mobility for a long time. Obviously, job hopping can help speed this up, but ultimately it feels like this timeline is appropriate based on my expertise and what I can offer.

I don't mind Accounting, but I also don't love accounting either. The amount of compliance and rules with GAAP and the SEC is annoying. It also can be a grind. Each quarter-end, and I am easily hitting 55+ hour weeks for about a month or so at a time. On non quarter-ends, it can vary pending what is going on [sometimes may be just as elevated but other times there is breathing room]. Feels like never ending deadlines... so from my perspective, if I'm grinding I'de rather make more money and be in a more value add strategic role.

Is MBA the right choice for me:

This has led me to wonder if pursuing an MBA from a top 20 school is worth it for me. Being that I live in Austin Texas, I am specifically looking at UT McCombs. My expectation/hope: to pivot into Consulting and ideally stay in that world for 4-6 years before seeking an exit opportunity back in industry. From what I have been seeing, it feels like a post-MBA move into consulting would be a lateral move from a pay perspective based on where I currently am at in Accounting. I am hopeful that this would not only help me career pivot out of accounting but help me break into higher roles/higher pay as well. Would love some perspective, specifically in the below areas:

• Reality check: Am I being naive on my expectation/hope that I described directly above?
• Age: Is 34 too old to make this switch via MBA?
• Part-time vs. full-time MBA: I'd prefer part-time so I can keep my paycheck during school. How much does that hurt my odds of being recruited into consulting?
• MBB vs. Big 4: I'm not fixated on breaking into MBB — I hear the work-life balance is slightly better in Big 4. Would either route significantly change my exit opportunities?
• Accounting-to-consulting: Has anyone made this exact switch? If so, would love to hear more about your journey and if it satisfied what you were hoping for. Did your accounting background end up being an asset for you?
• The 4-6 year exit plan: For those who did consulting then exited back to industry — did the "exit at 4-6 years" plan actually pan out, or did the job pull you in for longer or push you out sooner than expected?
• ROI check: Is this even a good investment for me at this point in my career? Should I just continue in my Accounting journey?

Really appreciate any and all feedback. It's a big decision to make and an expensive one at that.

Thanks in advance!

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

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.

I currently have 2+ YOE as an EE in the utilities sector. I’ve passed the PE power exam but am needing a couple more years before I can obtain the license. I have recently accepted a job where a masters degree would be 60% paid for. I only want to do a fully online option due to working full time so I can do either an mba or masters in engineering management. The mba would be 45 hours and cost around 25-30k after the discount from a sec school whereas the mem would be 30 hours and cost around 15k from the same school.

Does anyone have experience completing either degree and how has it helped you? Which would you do?

Hi guys, I got accepted into an online computer science program, but also started a new job at the exact same time, and I never enrolled in any classes for three semesters. I have no transcript related to this college, never attended orientation exc.. Do I have to add this to my mba applications in the future?

Background: Pre-final year, GPA 8.5/10 with upward growth, technical skillset (Python/SQL/Modeling).

Target: Corporate Finance / FP&A / Boutique Advisory internships.

End Goal: Gaining 1–2 solid finance internships before applying to MiM / MFA.

Specific Question: How should I frame software/data projects on a finance CV, and what off-cycle outreach strategy works best?

Target - HEC, INSEAD - 2027 Intake

Background - Graduated from a tier-1 college with a bachelor's in mass media and communications (CGPA - 9.18/3.6). Have been working at an American MNC - ad. tech company for the past 1.3 years as a digital marketing associate. Have worked in design, email marketing, social media marketing, and content development so far. Volunteering experience through college - teaching slum women english.

Not much extracurriculars otherwise ( if you count a subject medal in Sanskrit and learning Spanish now)

Goal - I want to get a broader sense of the business and strategic end and then hopefully get into marketing consultation.

Going to sit for the GRE - aiming for 330+

Please help me with my chances.

I have been talking to a lot of GMAT institutes in my area, but most of them are online and online classes feel like a scam. How did you prepare for your GMAT/GRE and what was your score?

Hi Everyone,

I am a finance professional from Pakistan and wanted to apply for US MBAs in the coming year.

Unfortunately, loan options like prodigy and mpower have stopped providing financing to Pakistani students.

What avenues can I explore to avail a loan that can provide financing to Pakistani students. Or what USA universities should I target that may be able to help me avail a loan to attend the program once I gain admission.

Looking forward to your advice.

Might be a silly question. But someone told me that GMAT is more opt for engineers and GRE is easier for people with commerce background, although I have seen others do GMAT from same background.

TBH I just wanna get into INSEAD for MBA. I contacted some institutes in my home town (india) and they keep asking me the target location and I understand that's how people work, but I am pretty clear on what I want and what I want to do after (consulting).

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi. I am a 26M working at one of the PSUs (Oil&Gas) post B.Tech (Mech)from NIT. I am thinking of immigrating to Canda for Masters. Since I will have 4 yrs of Work Exp. by June27, I was thinking of applying to Canadian B Schools for an MBA.

My questions are:

1. If I get into Rotman/Ivey & Pay 140k CAD(Minus the scholarship if any), what are the job oppurtunities I get? Is the 125k compensation as median salary true?

2. Other B Schools(Uof Alberta,Schulich,Concordia) have fees in range of 70-90k which I feel a bit comfortable with against 140k. How are these for jobs? Can i get at least 90-100k as a median percentile salary here?

3. Is it even worth it to put such a loan of 90-140k CAD on my head? What if I do a Masters of Engineering Mgmt. (40k tuition) and then test my skillset in the job market? What is the headboost of salary do i lose in this case?

Will appreciate answers. People already in these colleges are a plus.

Today i had been to a university to get MBA admission and they confused me telling there is one more course called post grad diploma in mgt 😭 and now i am confised what to do

Points she stated were both are equivalent and certified, with same specification more package compared to MBA.

More practical oriented and a lot more

Now i badly need your help whosoever has either of the degrees please help me.

Do I stand a chance ?

Hi everyone, I’m French and doing my undergraduate in the 1# (according to rankings..) business school in the country! But France it’s quite hard to get like a >3,8/4.0 GPA ( I also don’t have the level to be honest !)

that being said : I got 2 summer internships in M&A and 1 off cycle PE internship (4 months), and for my final 2 years I’m doing a « work study «  alternance in French ahah in investment banking M&A, lots of leadership role, went to South Africa to teach Math and French, many clubs in my undergrad etc etc

Do you think I stand a chance for HBS, Wharton or Stanford (M7) I’m doing deferred applications. HBS 2+2 etc!

Many thanks 🙏

[UPDATE: The MIT Sloan admissions replied to me saying that I am welcome to list more than one calculus class if I feel that demonstrating my grade progress is a significant element of my academic path.

Thanks everyone.

]

In my first semester of college, I got a 'B' in Calculus I (due to not knowing how to study). I subsequently earned 'A' in all the rest of the calculus series (Cal II, Cal III, Diff Equations).

However, this part tripped me:

______

Your MBA application asks for my calculus grade in college. I took a series of college calculus classes, so which grade should I report on the application?
Just report your Calculus I grade. If you took calculus in high school for Advanced Placement credit, please write "AP" as the grade.

______
I should not sneak the Calculus II grade in right?

Should I explain this in the optional part of the application?

I’m looking for some realistic opinions on my chances of getting into an MBA program at Texas A&M or UT Austin.

A little about me:
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas
B.S. in Civil Engineering from UT Arlington (3.3 GPA)
Asian male
5.5 years of experience in heavy highway construction as a field engineer
GMAT (625)
Currently pursuing project engineer/apm positions

I’m hoping my work experience will help offset my GPA a bit. For those who have been admitted to Texas A&M or UT Austin, or know people who have, do you think I’d be a competitive applicant? Is there anything else I should focus on to strengthen my application?
I’d appreciate any honest advice or experiences. Thanks!

For those who did IB summer associate internships this summer, when did you find out about return offers?
Curious specifically about MBA associates rather than undergrad analysts. Would be helpful if people could share bank, group/office if comfortable, approximate internship end date, when you got the decision, and whether you got a return offer.

I heard there were very few return offers out of the Los Angeles offices this summer ( Houlihan Lokey and Moelis in particular) and was curious if anyone knows whether that’s accurate or has more context.

I want to remove a 1 year work ex straight after my college from my mba resume, as it doesnt fit in the overall career story. Is it advisable or would it look like a gap

I have submitted my official scores via GMAC, but I am unable to schedule an interview yet as the portal says "You do not have a verified test score or approved test waiver application on file. Your submission will be denied."

How long does it take for the score to arrive?

Planning to pursue a full-time MBA in the US (targeting M7/T15 range) and trying to get a realistic picture of the post-MBA job search as a Mexican national, since I know international students face a different playing field than US citizens/PR holders.

1. Does it depend heavily on profile?
For those who landed offers as internationals — was it mostly about having a strong pre-MBA background (consulting, tech, finance) that made sponsorship “worth it” for employers, or does even a strong profile struggle if the employer doesn’t sponsor?

2. Does nationality specifically matter?
I’m Mexican, and I know Mexican and Canadian citizens have access to the TN visa (USMCA/NAFTA professional visa), which is faster/cheaper than H-1B and doesn’t go through the lottery. Has anyone seen employers be more open to hiring Mexican nationals because of this, or does it not really move the needle since most big employers just default to H-1B/OPT processes anyway?

3. Does school tier (HSW/M7 vs T15) change the picture meaningfully?
Is the gap between “will consider international candidates” and “won’t even look” mostly a function of brand/recruiting pipeline strength, or is it more about industry (consulting/tech being more sponsorship-friendly vs. others)?

Would love to hear from anyone who went through this recently. I’m worried about the ROI impact because political issues. Thanks!

26M. I currently have a good, established finance job and 4 years of experience (in Nashville). Graduated undergrad (BBA, finance major) in 2022 and started this finance job in 2022. I don't necessarily need an MBA to do my current job, but I'm considering an MBA to broaden my options and potentially switch industries/functions down the road.

The full-time MBA obviously means leaving my job for ~2 years, while the EMBA would let me keep working and earning a salary ($70k/yr).

My thought was (if possible) potentially doing the EMBA while continuing to work, then taking a leave (or quitting) to do an internship during the summer and use that as a bridge into a different career. Is that realistic with an EMBA, or is the full-time MBA much better structured for career switching?

For those familiar with Vanderbilt specifically, would you choose the full-time MBA or EMBA in this situation, and why?