MBA

Now that a lot of offers are being extended (Jan 10 @ 5pm) - how did recruiting go for you? Happy with the results? Edit: Per LakerBanker's suggestion - it would be helpful to list your tier of school (M7, T15, etc.).

10 Jan 2020

There has been a lot of recent discussion on these forums as well as in the media regarding the value of an MBA. As a longtime member of the community and someone who recently made the decision to pursue an MBA, I thought I'd share some thoughts. You can see my full background story here: "How I Got into Banking" My Background In summary, I went to a relatively unknown undergrad in New England where I received a degree in MIS. I went on to do two years of investment banking at an MM doing sell-side M&A. I then did two years of MM leveraged buyouts in a pre-MBA role before switching to a

17 May 2018

Mod Note: Each day we'll be posting the top WSO forum posts of 2014. This one was originally posted on 6/19/14 and ranks #6 for the year by total silver banana count. You can see all our top ranked content here. The takeaways are in bold If you get accepted to multiple top 10-15 schools, take "prestige" out of the equation.

27 Dec 2014

Mod Note: Each day we'll be posting the top WSO forum posts of 2014. This one was originally posted on 7/5/14 and ranks #15 for the year by total silver banana count. You can see all our top ranked content here. I recently completed my first year at Booth and felt compelled to share my experiences and advice through a follow-up post to: To Anyone Considering an MBA

23 Dec 2014

Most of recruiting discussion here are for SA/ANL, and I realized MBA level recruiting is very different after went through the entire process. So I want to give back to the community and write a short guide about it. Since all these are pretty transparent and will be provided to you in your first month of MBA life, it is just for those who haven't enrolled/admitted and want to get some ideas beforehand. Please keep in mind that every school is different. This guide only applies to CBS (probably also Stern/Wharton and other east coast schools) but I would imagine all top schools have the

31 Jan 2016

If so, what skills does it provide that help you become better in entrepreneurship, that IB for example doesnt?

16 Jul 2020

Starting a Q&A thread for any Big4 Auditors or Advisory folks looking to transition to a top MBA. I leaned heavily on WSO to complete the journey up to this point, and want to give back to those currently mired in the Big 4 grind. I cannot thank WSO enough for giving me the knowledge and confidence to achieve what I once thought impossible. Quick Background - Big 4 FS audit for 3 years --> Advisory for 2 years --> Attending a Top 15 MBA next fall. Very hard to take this path but it's doable. Goal is to enter investment banking after my MBA. Feel free to ask anything - Big 4 culture/stereotypes

01 Nov 2018

Hey All, Peers and friends from college have been talking about studying for GMAT / applying to B-School. Currently a 2nd year IB analyst in M&A and thinking about future. As someone who will have paid off close to 100k in undergrad loans (on track to pay off in another ~2 years), I cannot seem to wrap my head around the idea of taking out another massive loan. While I'm thinking about PE, i don't think that would be my career. Could see myself going into VC, Corporate Strategy or even venturing out and starting my own business. I guess the short-version of this is, if I have no plans to make

08 Oct 2019

I know the MSRE vs. MBA topic has been discussed here multiple times, and I have read through the old posts. I wanted to share my situation/goals and see if anyone here could shed some light on some of my thoughts. Me: - Analyst in acquisitions for a large owner/operator (mid/lower tier PERE 50 firm) - End goal is NYC development (Macklowe, Silverstein, JDS, Naftali, Extell, RFR, TF Cornerstone, Time Equities, L&L, etc). - Complete non target school on the east coast and ended up in acquisitions in LA/SF area. - My thoughts are to work here for a few years, get a masters, then pivot to

04 Aug 2018

Hey guys, An undergraduate I am mentoring sent me a link to a Q&A from this site from someone in business school. I was reminded that I was using this site 9 years ago in 2006. Back then I still hadn't accomplished much. Through focus. belief in myself and failing MANY times, I've built the career of my dreams. I am now at the point where I have amazing options and the hardest part is determining where and how to spend my time to stay focused on my life goals in the future. Back as a senior in college, I applied to over 100 consulting firms and ultimately got rejected from every single one. I

12 Apr 2016

I'm Betsy Massar, founder of Master Admissions. I'm glad to be here on Wall Street Oasis back with kindred spirits. Right out of Harvard Business School I worked for Goldman Sachs and have spent most of my professional career in and around the financial industry. I worked on both the sell and buy sides (Barclays Global Investors, now BlackRock), and have worked on Wall Street, Asia, and San Francisco.

15 May 2012

I was recently offered a position to join the valuations desk of a MF PE Shop. I am from a nontarget and my ultimate goal is to eventually go to a M7 program for my MBA. Would taking this BO job hinder my ability to make that transition? Also, does anyone have any numbers into how compensation is paid out in non-junior level roles? (How much associates, and Directors make). Debating if I should take this role for the prestige or go work in a CF role for a Fortune 10 Company. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

12 Feb 2019

What the title says. I've been on this website for quite a while now and having just finished business school, decided to actively post again. I don't know if this topic would be of help to anyone, but I know I would've found it useful so putting this out there for anyone else who may find value in it. Feel free to ask me anything you're curious about and I'll try my best to answer candidly. It could be about recruiting, life on the job, MBA life, disclosing a disability, asking for accommodations, handling people's perceptions... whatever you're curious about. ####My background: I am a

05 Aug 2018

Hi guys, I did my undergrad at a top Indian college (think #1) and then straightaway enrolled at an MBA program in India (Indian Top 5). I had interned at a top consult (think McK, BCG) and subsequently joined Goldman in their Asset Management division as a multi asset macro trader. After a couple of years, I moved into a multi asset manager selection role in the alternatives space at one of the largest family offices in Middle East. I am pretty happy with the work here, but over long term I think moving to US has better career prospects for me. I want to work for the best fund of funds in the

28 Feb 2017

Before I got dinged for starting a new thread on MBA vs CFA® , I'd like to hear your opinion on my personalized situation. I'm currently 35 years old and working as a CFO for an energy company in the US, making around $200K/year. Prior to becoming a CFO, I mostly spent my time in financial services at big 4 (yes, I'm a CPA). I do have a side hustle whereby I founded a construction company with a friend (an engineer) a couple years ago (I manage the finances). It hasn't made much money yet, but it does have potential. And I dont spend much time on it too (maybe 2-3 hours/week). I come from an

13 Mar 2020

Hey all, Just finished reading the WSO B-school bible, which was extremely helpful. I'm 25 and wasn't able to land in IB out of school or lateral in. I've been considering applying to MBAs to matriculate in Fall 2019. My combine numbers: -3.0 GPA out of big state school; took 5 years and transferred (family issues; I'll explain presumably in some optional essay, but still no excuse). Was actively involved in a number of organizations -Multi-racial (White + african-american) -About 2.5 years of W/E at a primary research expert network and a big asset management company. Got promoted and done

24 Apr 2018

Hey, guys, I need some advice from anyone with experience in the industry. Any would be appreciated. I recently graduated with a finance degree at the same time got sentenced to probation for my stupid actions during freshman year of college. Long story short it will be expunged in two years. What are my options right now or what would you do in my situation if you can't find full-time employment due to background checks and having to show up to court for probation every Monday. Is there anything useful to do to gain experience? Should I go for an MBA at a Columbia or NYU? or should I just

14 May 2019

Senior Associate working at $5B+ fund. I was not accepted to H/S/W - but did get into some other M7 schools. Looking to eventually secure a VP role at a MM PE shop. Would appreciate people's thoughts on whether its worth pursuing an MBA outside of H/S/W vs. looking for other opportunities (i.e. lateraling, looking for "career track" roles that will promote without MBA). To me, both routes present challenges: i) In talking with recruiters and other post-MBA VPs, there does seem to be a drop-off in terms of recruiting opportunities for VP roles at MBA programs outside of H/S/W (and if you look

09 Jan 2020

I'm lucky enough to have Full-Time Analyst offers for Investment Banking from both Evercore NYC M&A and PJT NYC M&A. I know I'm splitting hairs here but I'm just wondering if any of you have thoughts if one firm is slightly better positioned in terms of exit opportunities into PE mega-funds (Apollo, Blackstone, Warburg, KKR, TPG, Bain, Carlyle) as well as top MBA programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton)? Appreciate any insight!

23 Aug 2019

I studied finance at a non target and had my first internship working on middle-market IB deals. I was unable to land an offer in banking and I hated the thought of working a mundane, back office job so I decided to start my own company. I currently make 200k a year running my own Amazon business but I'm in my late 20's now and I still want to pursue a career in banking/PE. I'm thinking about getting my MBA to get recruited as an associate at a BB but idk if its worth the tradeoff. I would have to take a step back from managing/growing my business to start focusing on MBA prep and may have to

17 Oct 2016

Q&A Given round 2 results are just out (congrats AdMITS!) and inspired by a few of the other people (@Masterz57", @OpsDude", @TheGrind", etc) who have posted Q&Ason their b-school experience, I'm going to write about my experience at MIT's Sloan School. Background I went to an ivy undergrad, and did the usual finance IBD route. Wanted an early out of finance, so decided to apply to bschool, namely HSW and Sloan. Got into Sloan and one of the three, but eventually opted for Sloan due to the strong startup culture here that was not present in the competing offer (am aiming to start a company

09 Apr 2017

I'm not sure if it will be harder or easier because a lot of moving parts (fewer jobs available, economy recovers, etc.)

28 Mar 2020

Hi WSO, I wanted to give back to the community now that my MBA admissions journey is over. I've left some facts and thoughts below, would by more than happy to provide additional insights if it would be helpful. Undergrad: Non-Target GMAT: 720+ Work experience: Several years at a Big 4 firm Admitted to: Columbia, Kellogg, Yale, NYU, Darden, and Duke I'd start with saying, never sell yourself short. I'm happy with my results but I can't tell you how many times people thought the two M7s and Yale on the above list just weren't going to happen (and anything beyond that was near impossible). Be

02 Apr 2018

Here are the rankings 1. Stanford 2. Wharton 3. Harvard 4. Sloan 5. Booth 6. Haas 7. Columbia 8. Kellogg 9. Darden 10. Johnson Link to full article: https://www.bloomberg.com/business-schools/2018/ What do you think? For me, no major surprises. Johnson got a nice bump, but that's probably due to their super impressive IB program. Booth feels like it could be higher, but you could swap out anything in the top 5 for #1 and people would be shocked the other 4 didn't get first place.

13 Nov 2018

This is a repost from another thread. I felt it appropriate to break it out into a category of its own because I see a lot of people struggling to find jobs, in and out of finance, without considering all options on the table including Military. If you are a certified die-hard American and a true Patriot then you should have no problems with the Idea of serving your country. Enjoy fellow Americans! The Military (FREE and Serve Your Country) Option: !Uncle Sam(https://upload.wikimedia.org

06 Jan 2017

An interesting article on the Financial Times talks about a new trend of MBA's going into banking in order to work with the tech industry: [quote] The banking sector is holding its own as an MBA employer. But it is doing so in part by offering new kinds of jobs, either as part of in-house teams developing new digital strategies or for those who want to work for fintech companies. In the US, some of the biggest opportunities for those hoping to work in banking are close to the tech sector in California. It means even MBA

31 May 2018

Curious about any thoughts on MBB placement and investment management in either of the schools. Thanks!

17 Aug 2020

I am currently 23, a year out of school and considering enrolling in a full time MBA program at 25. Is this too young of an age to be pursuing a MBA full time? I am currently in a Finance & Accounting development program in the banking industry and would like to make a switch to consulting/ibanking. Thoughts?

17 Aug 2018

Hi all, I am a student at Kelley business school at Indiana University. I am looking to pursue a career in investment banking and I know that Kelley is not a target school for most banks. However, I heard that a lot of Kelley grads get recruited by William and Blair which is in Chicago. How realistic would working for William and Blair for a couple years and then going to get my MBA at a bigger school such as Stanford, Harvard, or Columbia be? Assuming that I do well at Kelley right now.

07 Feb 2018

In case you haven't seen this yet, read below.... Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 7:15:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: Brand Strategy Feedback Prof. Galloway, I would like to discuss a matter with you that bothered me. Yesterday evening I entered your 6pm Brand Strategy class approximately 1 hour late. As I entered the room, you quickly dismissed me, saying that I would need to leave and come back to the next class. After speaking with several students who are taking your class, they explained that you have a policy stating that students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted to class. As of yesterday evening, I was interested in three different Monday night classes that all occurred simultaneously. In order to decide which class to select, my plan for the evening was to sample all three

22 Feb 2010

Apparently, there is a 19 old attending at Arizona State University's W.P. Carey school of business. According to this article he is quite the prodigy. [quote] The Los Angeles native began attending community college at 8 years old. He transferred to UCLA at 12, graduated with a degree in math, and at 16 enrolled in an online master's program in cybersecurity at Brandeis University. n fact, Cavalin is the youngest MBA candidate ever accepted to the Carey School, and likely among the youngest in the U.S. at any school. MBA candidates of his age are extremely rare at B-schools, even more so at

14 Mar 2017

After seeing an HBS and CBS thread on their reflections on the first term of their MBA programs, I thought I'd do the same. Thank you to @dabears92 for the format that I'm using below. 1.) Recruiting a. MBB – As someone recruiting for consulting, this was my first concern and Tuck did not disappoint. McKinsey is interviewing 80, BCG is interviewing 80, and Bain is interviewing nearly 70. Given our class size of 280, this is pretty impressive. LEK and Parthenon are also taking huge numbers of Tuckies. In short, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another program equaling Tuck in terms of

07 Jan 2015

Hi All, I'm new to this site, but wanted to get commentary from likeminded people about whether or not to pursue an MBA. My rule of thumb is that it's only worth consideration from a T-20 program, especially if an employer or grants aren't paying for it. Yet, with a six-figure price tag will it really make or break your career? I'm of the opinion that there's a surplus of MBAs out there. The cost will go up since foreign students paying international tuition rates are becoming less intrigued by the prospects of studying/living/working in the U.S. Given recent wage inflation, I wouldn't be

23 Mar 2018

I just received a FT offer to work for a MM firm, and suddenly doing an MBA becomes real to me. However, I had an academic misconduct record and was told that when applying for graduate programs this info 99% is going to be shared with any institutions I plan to apply. Not to minimize how much of an idiot I was at the time, the misconduct was a first time thing (no probation no suspension, but grade for that class was penalized) and I performed well academically since that. Anyone knows how bad this looks if my goal is to get into Sloan/Booth/Kellogg etc?

12 Nov 2019

Does anyone have any thoughts on the exit opportunities from highly sourcing based roles that are common in growth equity and VC (e.g. Spectrum, Summit, TA, Battery)? Specifically as it relates to: - MBA opportunities (are you still competitive for top 7 MBAs, or is McKinsey/Bain/BCG a better platform?) - Promotion opportunities (can you still make partner after an MBA?) - Does it set you up well for leadership in other companies? Basically, the daily-life of sourcing-heavy roles actually appeals to me, but I want to be sure to not shoot myself in the foot in early career.

13 Jan 2020

Hey guys, so I'm thinking about applying for 3rd/4th round applications for MBA programs soon and taking the GMAT sooner (obv). I graduated in spring and I had a two month long internship doing coding stuff. I majored in Economics and Finance. Some people told me go to grad school so I want to gauge you guys' opinion about my situation and if I will even get into a decent program.

20 Feb 2020

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19 Apr 2015

So, the age old question...what is more useful for a long term career in finance, the CFA, the MBA, or the CAIA? Wait, a minute, what even is the CAIA? This article will go through the pros and cons of pursuing each of these three certifications. The upfront economic costs and opportunity costs of the MBA may be significantly higher than CFA requirements, but an MBA does certainly have many intangible benefits such as networking and develops a broader base of professional problem solving and professional skills. The CFA is very targeted towards finance and investment management careers, and is now being sought out more and more by professional firms for the recruitment process.

31 Oct 2010

I am currently and experimental nanotechnology scientist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. My educational background includes a PhD in Materials Science from Imperial College London. I am looking at doing an MBA with the aim of transitioning into investment banking in London, and maybe later moving to Continental Europe. I would like to ask the following: i. Which business schools should I aim for ? ii. Would my PhD hinter my chances of getting accepted into IB ? Or would I be able to leverage my knowledge to be considered for a semiconductor industry

22 Apr 2020

I hope everyone is staying safe during this pandemic. I have been using this time to think about pursuing an MBA, but I am not sure if it is a great fit for me. To provide some background on myself, I have an undergrad business degree (supply chain management) from a "Public Ivy" university. I work in the oil & gas industry for a supermajor in supply chain/operations. I've been here for four years, but I am looking to try something new. Many energy companies are bureaucratic and the culture is dry – and my growth is starting to slow down. I'd like to leave the industry to pursue banking or

30 Mar 2020

Let's say you're attending an elite MBA program, with around $150k of tuition costs sponsored by a tier 2 consulting firm (think Deloitte, OY, S&, ATK). Would MBB consider offering a loaded sign-on bonus (covering 50%+ of tuition) to entice such a candidate? Curious to hear if this is a regular occurrence.

06 Jun 2019

Hip hop artist Clyde Kelly Atkins (stage name is Clyde Kelly) quit his job at McKinsey so he would have more free time to pursue his music career and obtain a Wharton MBA at the same time. [quote] "You don't have anyone in your life that you sort of see on a daily basis. It's very transient," Atkins says of the young consulting lifestyle. "It's fun. I was excited to be doing that at that point in my life. But I also missed that I used to freestyle everyday. I had friends I would come home to and we'd kick raps at the end of the day. It was way different coming back to a hotel at the end of the

25 May 2017

Hey Monkeys - I'm a former consultant/current chef in NYC looking for advice regarding MBAs. I went to NYU for undergrad, majored in Econ with a minor in math (CAS not Stern), and worked 2 yrs at a executive compensation firm. Then I worked at Momofuku MIlk Bar for about 1 year as a bookkeeper. Since I have spent the last couple years cooking in restaurants and used my savings from my consulting job to open my own restaurant in Brooklyn. We are still in our first year and have been cash flow positive since the 2mo which is rare in this industry. My background in economics has helped a lot in

13 Jul 2018

How would you rank these for someone looking to go into IB? Would like to live either northeast or out west upon graduation. Also open to other schools in the top 20-30 range if you have recommendations. I have a 3.45ish from a state school and 680 gmat. Currently working in finance.

15 Aug 2018

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25 May 2017

Hey guys, I have been doing research on MBA programs but I've never come across a global tiered system for MBAs based on prestige/placement/quality, etc. By a tiered system I mean that you group the schools into tiers, and if you get into a school in a higher tier you would almost automatically choose that over a school in a lower tier, while two schools in the same tier would be debatable. I have put this together and want community input (if I've messed anything up please let me know), as I prepare to look into MBA applications and choose where I'm going to apply. It is not in an order

04 Aug 2016

Hi community, I don't want to spark another general „MBA worth it or not" discussion, instead I'm interested in your opinions based on my specific situation. Some background info: - European citizen - 31 years of age (yes, old but quite normal where I'm from) - Master's degree in Economics at a Tier 2 uni - 2 years DCM at a Tier 2/3 bank in Frankfurt (think HSBC, BNP, RBC) - 2.5 years Private Debt Fund at Tier 1 AM in London (think Pimco, BlackRock, MetLife) Last week, I have been accepted at INSEAD for the full-time 1-year MBA program starting in summer 2018. When the program starts I would

19 Dec 2017

Hi guys, Do I have a chance at getting into GSB? Please see my background below: Undergrad - Top 50 but less popular majored in Finance GPA 3.3 Current role - LP (analyst) covering all aspects of private capital fund investments at a sub-$10B institutional endowment,

31 Oct 2018

I am currently a senior student at a univeristy (not famous) outside US and Europe majoring in Economics and minoring in Math. I am considering applying to Master of Finance programs in the U.S. and Europe and upon completion trying getting a job at an investment bank or trading ( at least an internship with a possibility to secure job placement in future). I have no prior work or internship experience at all which is a disadvantage, but I took some math as an undergrad and did pretty well (got an A in Real Analysis course). Could you please give me some advice on solid MSF programs (with

09 Sep 2016

Hi, I wanted to hear some opinions on these three schools for banking recruitment. I'm probably looking to do 2 years in Investment Banking in NY in a BB and then come back to Brazil to work in PE Megafund. Current BG is 2 years in ER at a local bank and 2 years in PE/ Impact Investing The way I see it Wharton: Pros - More elite for PE job medium term, Stronger network in the region and stronger academics - Cons Living in Philly for two yeras Columbia: Pros- Being in NYC for networking with bankers 24/7, Strong recruitment in BB IBD (Goldman, Citi) Cons: Living in NYC is really expensive

30 Nov 2014