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Aren't you facing the same dilemma if you go to Stanford?
Of course. I'll make the decision if I'm fortunate enough to have it presented to me.
So...were you fortunate enough to have to make a decision?
good luck getting into S from audit...
I started in audit, but I've been in the transactions group for a little over 2 years now. Still very much a tier 2 work experience, but better than audit at least.
TAS is definitely a step up so congrats on making the move but still real tough to get into H/S from Big 4 unless you're female and/or URM. Best of luck though.
You sound like that guy that gets rejected by a beautiful girl then tells them how you didn't really want them anyway
I think he was joking...
I had that feeling from HBS about 2.5 years ago. lol it's simply no reason not to reject
Don't lie.
Your self esteem has been chipped pretty good. Nothing wrong with that.
This guy
there's still hope! https://aringo.com/harvard-business-school-mba
(disclaimer: this is not a real business school, don't click the link)
I don't know if there's been a single white male from TAS accepted into either H or S anytime in the past 20 years :|
I know of at least one, but he went to Notre Dame for his undergrad. Not sure why he started in TAS. Maybe he flunked his banking interviews.
I know one who went to Stanford. State school undergrad too.
I really believe some of you guys pleasure yourselves to the thought of getting an acceptance letter from these places.
You don't?
I am currently an RC (the silly term that HBS 1st year students call themselves) at HBS and I actually regret taking the plunge into business school... May elaborate in a future post, but I just want to tell you that it could be a blessing in disguise (the fact that you were dinged)
definitely interested in your perspective if you get time to share.
Please elaborate !
I can see why someone might regret an MBA, but not a Harvard MBA
Back to my rusty Honda.
this could be a huge thread
well on the upside HBS is a valuable option for a short while. Hope it gets better
Very interested to hear that story, too
You're lying. Anyone who goes to Harvard MBA wouldn't say that. Shit, I wouldn't say that even if I attended Goizueta.
I know more than a small handful of people who regret pursuing their MBAs-including a couple from H/S/W (though they don't go around advertising it-no one would ever feel bad for them anyway).
What I find they mostly have in common is some combo of: didn't have clear career goals, took themselves off paths w/ great upside and pay to chase "prestige", strived for "unicorn" jobs that few people can access, or switched into industries for which they were ill-suited (more temperament than skill).
One just had to-gasp!- IBR his massive loans after getting laid off from a start-up a few months back and taking a freelance/ contract consulting gig. He's been interviewing for F500 Strategy jobs in the interim.
That's prob the most shocking thing I've seen that these schools never mention-just how many people get fired or laid off within a year of graduating, especially in some of the more high pressure/ high turnover fields. Your degree doesn't mean dick in those instances. We also never consider just how unappealing some of the "best" outcomes might be for some people-the e-mails/resumes I get from folks looking to escape particular "high prestige" fields or companies would make you chuckle.
That said I'd still take an M7 degree in a heartbeat, just for the optionality and credibility it affords. Even if I got a "bad" outcome (for me), it's tough to quantify the value of that network or attention from recruiters assuming you're not out there constantly chasing the next "unicorn" job. But that's just me.
I was just at a talk given by two startup founders, both Harvard Business School Grads, one of them even had his B-School paid for by his MBB consulting firm.
It was basically two hours of them saying why you should forget about going there and not drink the Kool Aid lol. Founder #1 said that if he had taken those two years of his life plus the other four which he was bound to his firm in exchange for the free MBA and started his company, he might be close to an exit now. Founder #2 said that if he had taken that money he used for HBS and not incurred the amount of student debt needed to go, he wouldn't have had to raise as much VC money. About networks, Founder #1 said his HBS MBA gave him like one relevant lead for his current startup. Founder #2 said he hasn't really been able to use his HBS network significantly.
Finished my RC year. Taking time off but agree with this sentiment. I don't want to go back for my EC year but I will just to finish. Place has a lot of negatives to it.
Can you give any more background on the negatives?
Do you mind elaborating ?
Pull out of Stanford before they reject you and really show them who's boss!
why invest the time in the GMAT
Why invest the time in the GMAT and applications if you're uncertain on going?
It's a bigger investment for some vs others. If you are going to take a prep class and devote a significant amount of time then it should only come after shoring up your interest. If you're able to score highly on practice tests and decide to take the test to see where you come out it's not a bad idea.
As someone who has counseled even Brady, and also as someone who has gone to grad school, I can assure you that getting into Stanford or Harvard is not as make or break for your career as getting into TAS was.
Your prestige-- your success-- is what you produce every day.
I think the forum is correct in pointing out a mild (perhaps only slightly above average) inferiority and/or rejection complex. Some of us probably share it. But I don't think it's unhealthy to say that you don't need a Stanford or Harvard MBA to succeed. I also don't think pointing out that what matters is what you produce each day risks making your ego too big. I think pointing those things out helps keep you more grounded.
Good luck to you. Back to my rusty Honda.
very much agree. I know people who are from "supposedly" inferior/superior programs who feel I shall be entitled or they could be entitled, but once the levers approximately match, it's really what your brand says about you. There's a lot of surprises once you see who you can win against
back to my rusty Toyota. offered to upgrade too but we'll see if that happens any soon
why not consider Columbia rather than Haas or MIT?
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