u/Winter_Ask6475

If you look at Business School rankings over the past 30 years, there’s almost zero movement at the top.
• The same schools have dominated the M7 for decades.
• Very little change in the T15.
• Same story in T20 and even T25.

This level of rigidity is quite unusual compared to other industries or global rankings.

Questions for the community:

1. Is the ranking system so competitive that it’s nearly impossible for schools to break into the top tiers?
2. Are there simply no “vacancies” in the T15/T20 — meaning the top schools are too entrenched?
3. Have the top schools reached some kind of equilibrium where they’re all performing at a similar high level?
4. What would it actually take for a T25 school (e.g., Olin, USC Marshal, Indiana Kelley, etc.) to break into the T15 or even T10?

Would love to hear thoughts from current students, alumni, and admissions consultants. What “extras” do lower-ranked schools need to focus on — research output, employment outcomes, brand building, alumni network strength, or something else?

Below is the excerpt of an interview I gave to a leading newspaper regarding my F1 visa approval at Hyderabad on 21 April. It didn't get published, so I'm sharing the full Q&A here.

1. What is your message to people who are preparing for F-1 visa?
“Don’t over-prepare on documents, prepare on your story. The officer doesn’t have time for 500 pages. They want to know who you are, why you’re going, and why you’ll come back. If those three answers are clear in your head, the interview takes care of itself. I stammered, spoke less than two minutes, and still walked out approved.”

2. Did people around you also get their visa approved?
“Mixed bag honestly. In my slot I was tracking closely. One girl going for an undergraduate degree got rejected first. Then two girls got approved. A PhD candidate got approved. Then the guy going to New York for a tech MBA got approved. Then me. Then the guy right after me, who I had spent almost two hours with across all the queues, going to University of Houston for MS in Material Science, got rejected. That hit differently because you build a real camaraderie waiting together that long. In the other lines, roughly one in three were getting rejected. Even a lady in a burqa with two young sons got approved for a dependent visa, while another mother standing nearby with her little daughter got rejected. Same consulate, same morning, completely different outcomes. There is no pattern you can predict.”

3. How would you describe your visa officer?
“Professional and efficient. No warmth, no hostility, purely transactional. He asked exactly what he needed to, made his decision fast, and moved on. Honestly that is how it should work. You don’t want a long conversation with a visa officer.”

4. Any observation that could help future applicants?
“One guy stood out for the wrong reasons. He gave long monologue answers, very detailed, very mechanical, like he had memorised a script. Got rejected. The takeaway is simple. Be yourself. The officer is trained to spot rehearsed answers. Nervousness is fine, stammering is fine, I did both. What matters is that your answers feel real and your story is genuinely yours.”

Which one is better overall for a full-time MBA?

Just got waitlisted in R3 without an interview!
I applied with a test waiver in R2. They asked me to submit a test score after my test waiver was denied. I took the EA within two weeks and submitted it before the R2 decision date. However, I didn’t hear anything until the R3 decision date. I emailed them a week after the R3 decisions were released, and within 24 hours I received a response putting me on the waitlist.

Who else is on the R3 waitlist?

I have admits from BU Questrom($30k), WashU Olin($70k), and UTD Jindal. I’ve accepted Olin and already got my F1 visa issued.

Dear WashU Bears,

I’m looking for feedback from those who are staying (or have stayed) at 6188 McPherson. I just booked a single-bed studio starting August 1st.

Based on the pictures Quadrangle shared, the furniture, especially the bed, chairs, and sofa looks quite basic. When I asked about upgrading, they said this is what they can offer. I’m considering bringing my own supplies if needed.

Has anyone lived there? What’s your honest take on the space?