Questions about Harvard/Stanford/Wharton

What's up,

I'm interesting in applying to these b-schools. Does anyone here have a good resource for information on the application process and strategies for getting accepted?

Also, from a personal experience, can anyone here comment on the workload / lifestyle and time commitment of these top MBA programs? I'm an investment banking analyst so I'm not afraid of a little hard work, but I've heard some consider it a vacation compared to what we do.

Thanks in advance.

3 Comments
 

Workload? Business school is a joke. If you're really an investment banking analyst, you should know that by now.

_______________________________________ http://www.drmarkklein.blogspot.com/
 
Best Response

Clear Admit, an admissions consulting company, has a great blog with general strategies and school-specific info for all of the top programs: blog.clearadmit.com

MBA Podcaster has some decent content, if you'd rather listen than read.

Then of course there are things like the vault and businessweek forums, but, like any message board they can be unreliable (uh, present company excluded...)

To give you the short version of how to get in, do this: work really hard, get promoted/raises/top bonuses, and make strong connections with your superiors so you can get outstanding recommendations; in the process demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and strong ethics so you can write outstanding essays (you will also need clearly defined short- and long-term career goals, plus school-specific reasons for wanting an MBA), blow out the GMAT, have a strong GPA from a target school, have interesting hobbies, ECs, etc. including things like community service. In short, be a superstar in every way, and then do a proper job of conveying your superstardom to the adcom, while remaining humble. And then do well in the interview, too.

For what it's worth, from what I've heard, business school is more work than a normal job, less work than an IB job.

 

Sunt repudiandae excepturi aliquam doloribus et excepturi aliquam. Ratione alias nostrum nihil necessitatibus molestias autem assumenda. Sed occaecati at id nobis nam rerum. Unde rerum exercitationem eum eum aut suscipit magni.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”