B School Application Getting Tougher?

I'm in PE and gearing up to apply round 2 to business schools. From what I've heard the last b school application cycle was particularly brutal for finance/PE applicants, with folks across the board getting dinged from HSW (and also K/B) despite being near-locks on paper. This seems to have been at all levels from LMM to MF. I get that there are going to be a few people every year who underperform but it seems like it has become a broader pattern recently. Anyone notice the same thing?

506 WSO Academy Private Equity Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '23 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Short Resume Review / Recap

“Very good planning prior to the meeting and effective notes that allowed the session to go quickly and effectively. We covered a lot of topics on the resume and I recieved a good amount of notes that I can correct my resume in order to make it more specific for the PE companies I will work with. Was very helpful in the way of bringing out niche skills I have in order to maximise my chances at differentiating myself from more typical IB candidates. Also provided good insights on the MBA process, what is valuable and the WHY side of P.E. which I will go into depth with in my WHY statements that I am going to do. ”

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Class of '18 Nov 2026 Cohort

4.56/5

Private Equity Mock Coffee Chat

“Very useful session. Jorge went straight to the point and gave me a concrete action plan for breaking into infra funds in London. Key takeaways: tighten my elevator pitch (past-present-future, under 2 min), do one case study per week (model + presentation + recommendation) and send it to him for feedback, and prepare technical, market and behavioral questions separately. His networking advice was the most valuable part: always end each conversation by asking for 1–2 more contacts, map and message headhunters directly, and follow fund news (closings, launches) to time my outreach. He also offered to refer me to open roles at his fund. Highly recommended.”

See All 11,206 WSO Academy Reviews

1 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

O

7y

Et nihil et aut qui quia rerum. Sit odio et quod et. Voluptatem quia inventore et. Officiis laboriosam sit deserunt molestiae id non est.

Iste vero fugiat ad. Eum magni reprehenderit quo aut. Quas aut non molestias et sit. Enim ut doloremque dolores quia quia facilis. Qui enim quibusdam corporis ut.

Commodi veritatis excepturi accusamus itaque necessitatibus. Esse repudiandae aperiam sit quia est ut. Aut ea id ut natus nulla ratione maiores quas. Et neque architecto rerum molestias. Debitis nostrum sint qui voluptatum facilis.

+68	Is Joining PE still worth it?	39	7h
+62	My girlfriend won’t let us rent out our home for my career	16	1h
+17	What’s one number you wish sellers disclosed before you spent time on a deal?	3	5d
+16	On-Cycle Getting Pushed?	5	1d
+15	Practical uses of of AI in PE	1	6h
+14	Being on really good MM deals. Question	9	2d
+12	PE PortCo Work	5	30m
+11	Paper LBO	2	13h
+11	Do sponsors prefer bullet financing or amortizing debt structures in LBOs?	9	6d
+10	Vector Capital 2026 Updated Views	2	6d

1	redever	99.2
2	BankonBanking	99.0
3	kanon	99.0
4	Secyh62	99.0
5	DrApeman	98.9
6	GameTheory	98.9
7	dosk17	98.9
8	CompBanker	98.9
9	Betsy Massar	98.9
10	Mimbs	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

B School Application Getting Tougher?

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

B School Application Getting Tougher?

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Private Equity Forum