“My mentoring session with Andre was extremely valuable and gave me the clarity and direction I needed at an important stage of my application journey. He was kind, approachable, and generous with his time, creating an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable sharing my experiences, asking questions, and discussing my doubts openly.
One of the most helpful aspects of our conversation was his guidance on how to organize and communicate my personal story. Andre helped me understand how to connect different experiences into a coherent narrative, identify the elements that matter most, and explain their significance more clearly. His perspective was fundamental in helping me see how to present my background with greater confidence, purpose, and authenticity.
I particularly appreciated his advice on what to avoid. He helped me recognize that including every detail does not necessarily make a story stronger, and that being selective can make a message much more effective. Our discussion gave me a clearer understanding of how to avoid unnecessary repetition, keep my narrative focused, and ensure that each part contributes something meaningful to the overall application.
Andre also provided valuable guidance on how to organize the application process itself. He helped me think more clearly about priorities, how to approach the different components, and how to make the work feel more manageable. Having a clearer structure has made a difference to my mindset: instead of seeing the applications as one overwhelming task, I now feel better equipped to approach them through specific, achievable steps.
Another important takeaway was his advice on how to use the coming days effectively. Our conversation helped me understand where to focus my energy, which tasks deserve immediate attention, and how to establish a realistic plan. I left the session with a stronger sense of direction and a better understanding of how to balance thoughtful preparation with consistent progress.
What made the experience positive was the combination of practical guidance and encouragement. Andre offered suggestions in a considerate and constructive way, helping me reflect on my choices while also making me feel supported. His kindness made it easier to engage honestly with the process and to see areas for improvement as opportunities to strengthen my applications.
Overall, this session was fundamental in helping me understand both what I want to communicate and how to move forward. I now have a clearer approach to telling my story, organizing my applications, avoiding common mistakes, and planning the next few days with intention.
I am very grateful for Andre’s support and for the care he brought to our conversation. His advice gave me useful tools, renewed confidence, and a more focused approach to the work ahead. I would highly recommend a session with him to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance, practical direction, and a supportive space to develop their application narrative. The session helped me turn uncertainty into a clearer plan, and I feel much more prepared to make the most of the time ahead and present my experiences in a meaningful and convincing way.”
Investment Banks only recruit full time two year MBAs. No online, part time, or executive MBAs.
Why is that? How are they going to know if I choose to get an online degree from a brick and mortar school?
I don't know if this applies to other areas, but in Toronto it is because Banks recruit MBA students through Co-ops organized with their school or they are current employees whose education is bankrolled by the bank. So in either case you either work for a bank already or study at an institution with opportunities for students.
In the former case, I have been advised that an MBA is only a fast track to IB if you get an internship during your studies. On top of that, you need to get stellar marks in your first semester to be considered for these internships/co-ops otherwise its a wash.
Not true. I am interning for a BB from a Top 15 (FTMBA ranking) part time MBA - there were 5 total my year and 8 last year from the part time class. I personally know 2 EMBAs from the same university that have successfully recruited - one EB and one BB.
Which school?
This isn't technically true, but you are certainly better off doing a full time MBA. I recruited out of a part time MBA and placed, as did maybe 13 or 14 others my year who placed at respectable shops ranging from Moelis to Lincoln (a wide variance, but all legitimate banks in their segments).
Recruiting out of part time is difficult, and banks won't cut you the slack they sometimes will to full time MBAs during the recruiting process, but it is feasible. Having said that, most of the people who do recruit have a strong reason about why they did their degree while working. For most, it's because they started with sponsorship and then something materially changed in their current situation that made it no longer make sense to stay with their current firm.
With that said, going to a highly ranked full time program is by and away the best path into IB, and the only one where your success won't make you an outlier.
M.S graduate from non target University. Currently 3 years work experience in public accounting at big 4.Considering part time MBA at Baruch. I know the disadvantages of part time, but unfortunately I know I wont get a high enough GMAT score to be considered for a top MBA program. I would not waste money on full time non target school. My goals would be to earn a front office banking/financial institution role. Not shooting for any BB IB, PE or anything of that sort. Would be looking at corporate banking, real estate finance roles, valuation, advisory etc... Best case would be IB at MM. Would even be willing to start as an analyst despite having an MBA. Desperately want to get out of public accounting. Does a part time MBA at Baruch seem reasonable for my goals?
Don't that and just keep studying the GMAT until you get a high enough score.
is it at a for-profit university? it should be at a for-profit university. commonly understood to offer the higher pedigree of online education.
The two I was looking at are Southern New Hampshire University and Western Governor's University. They are both not for profit schools.
https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/masters/mba-online
https://www.wgu.edu/online-business-degrees/mba-masters-business-admini…
at SNHU, Christina Morrison MBA says that "[she has] never stopped attending classes, and [she doesn't] plan on it anytime soon. SNHU student for life!"
does this mean that her education has not helped her find employment?
i would absolutely NOT goto these schools if you want to get into finance. If doing an online or part time MBA, you need brand name recognition. That means
Yale Harvard MIT Stanford
No, this will not help you get into IB. Go full-time.
Why will it not help me?
The fact you are asking the question shows you are not ready for IB. I am not saying an online MBA is useless, but in a competitive industry like IB you need to network with alumni that are in IB. There are likely no bankers with online MBAs on their resume.
M.S graduate from non target University. Currently 3 years work experience in public accounting at big 4.Considering part time MBA at Baruch. I know the disadvantages of part time, but unfortunately I know I wont get a high enough GMAT score to be considered for a top MBA program. I would not waste money on full time non target school. My goals would be to earn a front office banking/financial institution role. Not shooting for any BB IB, PE or anything of that sort. Would be looking at corporate banking, real estate finance roles, valuation, advisory etc... Best case would be IB at MM. Would even be willing to start as an analyst despite having an MBA. Desperately want to get out of public accounting. Does a part time MBA at Baruch seem reasonable for my goals?
I was at a top-15-ish MBA and had plenty of veteran classmates. Have also directly hired veterans from MBA.
I would not only not recommend an online MBA, I would generally not recommend MBAs outside of the top 20, maybe top 30 (e.g. Emory, GT, Rice, etc.) if you are open to regional corporate jobs or regional boutique banking/consulting.
What constitutes "mid life"? Did you use your tuition assistance already?
Also, have you taken the GMAT yet? If you're trying to avoid it, I would recommend just biting the bullet, studying and taking the GMAT to potentially unlock another class of business schools, particularly if you are doing something part time (also known as "fully employed" MBAs).
Finally, I would not be dead-set on IB if you do attend an MBA. There are plenty of other options at Fortune 500 companies and other roles that I would stay open-minded to, that are very solid exits for anyone, including Veterans who typically get a shot at their own recruiting pipeline.
Best of luck to you!
I actually managed to get an admissions interview for UNC Chapel Hill for their online MBA about two years ago. However, life got in the way. I'm considering reapplying.
I have, very anectodally on sites like Poets and Quants, read decent things about UNC Chapel Hill and they probably have among the better online programs, if you must do an online program. Just be aware of the general pitfalls of doing a degree online (no on campus recruiting, no in person networking with peers, having to take classes online; aka a large part of the MBA value). Also a lot of students there will be employed in a job already and trying to "check the box" to go up the ranks in their current company and learn some skills. There will be fewer career changers; probably 90%+ of a full-time MBA class plans to change functions and/or industries.
Also, if you're not doing this already, do reach out to as many alumni you can of whatever school you're looking at. You can filter LinkedIn pretty handily to find veteran graduates in different industries or positions. Then make sure to reach out and ask for 10-15 minutes of their time.
@PteroGonzalez" was right. All these other types of MBA's are diluting the FT MBA value. Not that I don't see the value in them (and I can't remember where he posted it) but he was right. Now all kinds of people want to know if "Prestigious school online degree" = MBB/BB/FAANG. The schools use the money from online programs/part time, to pay for the FT programs that place graduates at these companies and in turn drive the "prestige" of the school.
FT MBAs are for career switchers. If someone is getting IB internships through a part time MBA program, they probably aren't switching careers and if they are, they are the outlier. There is a ton of data on this stuff. I was just trying to be helpful but if this guy wants to pay 100k for a part time / online MBA with the hope of IB go for it.
Select T15 PT programs will get a person to IB, but I agree it’s an outlier case. I know because I’ve done it along with 10+ of my peers over the last two years.
Just make sure you can access OCR and network well, which means a pure online program is a no-go. Plenty of PTers are placing into BB and some EB.
WGU can help you get a job.....a back office job. Trust me I know from experience.
Want to go FO, gotta put in the in person effort - or try to get lucky and get an internship or something to get experience
You can disregard a lot of what's been discussed above about full-time vs part-time vs online... all of those comments were assuming a top 15 or top 20 MBA program. These two programs are not even in the discussion. They are not at all selective. A quick google search and SNHU's acceptance was over 90%, GWU's reportedly 100%. Perhaps these degrees have some value to some people, but neither will offer even the slightest chance of improving your odds of getting into a competitive banking role. You cannot attend a program with no selection criteria and expect that to propel you into one of the most selective industries in the world. No MBA at all would likely be better than proving you could not gain admission to an even moderately selective program.
What are some of the careers that online mba students can think of switching into? I k pursuing an online mba(fin)/ms in information tech. from Indians university. Will the dual degree prove to be useful to make a switch into tech./consulting? Are they welcoming?
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