r/MBA

Went to SOM. Was very active on this sub beforehand. Was feeling very eh about the decision to attend given the talk about this sub being HSW/M7/etc.

SOM is not an M7, let alone HSW. In consulting, IB, PE, those probably matter. How much? I don’t know. 

But in the rest of the world outside those industries (which, don’t get me wrong, tons of people recruit for, so I’m not downplaying them at all), no one fucking knows the difference, and you guys have no idea how much hearing “Yale” has helped me (whether or not I would have these opportunities without it is unfalsifiable, though). 

I’ve been connected to rich businessmen in Dubai, UAE, China, Europe who make $$$$ and companies that make $$$$, because (not fully, but a large help) of “He went to Yale” in a convo. I was wearing my Yale hoodie at an airport once and struck up a convo with a guy who dropped out of high school and now makes more $$$$ than 99% of grads I know, and he was very impressed by the school and we built something together that turned out to be lucrative. One of my friends told his neighbor who works in high-end real estate (ultra-rich clients only) that “my friend would love to chat with you to work together, he went to Yale” and the first thing he mentioned when I met him was “Dude, how did you get in? Can you help tutor my kids?”, and we ended up building something together too. Just a few examples.

It’s not everything, but my point is there are SO many industries that make $$$$$$$, way more than you’d make in MBB etc (though a much lower EV since they're much riskier, so I’m not downplaying any of those tracks) where people have NO idea what M7 is, what SOM is vs Yale undergrad. There are also the social/dating benefits if you care for them, I don't, but enjoy that if you want I guess, like that one other lay prestige post where the guy wanted to impress people at a barbecue... 

I'm not making any ontological claims for what you ought or ought not do, but this has been my experience.

One month away from a Stern MBA. Got laid off from public accounting in November of 2025 2/3 of the way through the Langone MBA program at NYU. Worked a tax preparation job to keep the lights on until April 2026.

May 2026 - now: working at a grocery store making $16.50 an hour while paying ~$2838 a credit for MBA classes at NYU through a mixture of draining my bank account and taking on federal unsubsidized loans. Moved out of NYC and back to my parent's house in the midwest to avoid becoming homeless.

For context - I have a bachelor's degree in Accounting. Graduated in May 2022 and worked at three different places since then - a huge bank in an audit role, a tax role in public accounting, and a temporary tax prep role after the layoff.

Now, being literally 1.5 months away from finally being done, I have no job lined up. I have over $80,000 in debt from this stupid fucking program. The outcome was extremely different from what I expected when I first began it.

I'm seriously leaning on joining the military or going back to do an accelerated bachelors after this is over. It's become extremely obvious that accounting (in any role or function whatsoever) is not for me. I wasn't able to even keep a job in it for more than 20 months at most. The public accounting role could have worked out, but the NYU classes during it made it extremely hard, especially in NYC with it being a client-facing role (evenings and weekends).

This MBA was a huge mistake. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I'm stuck with all of this debt and I've been making $16.50 an hour at a grocery store (and waking up at 4 in the fucking morning 5 days a week) because of this decision and everything it did to scar my path so far. I wish I were joking but I'm not.

I've already pre-enrolled in courses at a local community college to begin the pivot out of business altogether. I'm 26 so it's either that I change my pre-MBA background, continue to struggle and watch the interest get higher on my federal loans, or join the military. Literally.

I regret going to NYU. I gave so much to this fucking program: I sold my car, I haven't taken a vacation since June 2022, I've never been in a relationship, I lived in a shitty part of Manhattan for 1.5 years, the list goes on and on. This part-time MBA was a horrible mistake.

I know M7 carries a lot of weight in MBA circles, but there’s something about the Yale name that’s genuinely hard to let go of.

Yale has one of the strongest university brands in the world, even though Yale isn’t traditionally considered M7.
It makes me wonder: if someone isn’t targeting consulting or investment banking, how much does the M7 distinction really matter?

I’m curious about how people perceive the Yale name outside the MBA bubble. Does the distinction between Yale and M7 matter as much to employers, investors, and professional networks as it does on this subreddit?

Not trying to argue that Yale SOM is better/worse than M7 schools. Would love to hear different perspectives, especially from people a few years out of business school.

Any samples I can refer to? I’m very confused as to what the pdf to look and feel like?

I have already gone through the available tips and tricks published by poets and quants/ mbamission etc but I wanted to see a sample essay a student has written that helped them get in.

If anyone knows where I can find a sample or two, pls let me know!

Thanks in advance!

Hi r/MBA - like the title says, last year I graduated from Kellogg (MMM program specifically). I had trouble finding what felt like authentic content on social media about the MBA experience as a whole, so while I was a student I made a lot of short videos on Instagram & TikTok about what life was like for a "normal" person in a full time MBA. Prospective students found me from those videos (and from the MMM Program AMAs here on reddit!) and I got to talk to a lot of people and hear their questions about MBA life.

After I graduated, I wanted to make one more video reflecting on my entire MBA experience, to put my thoughts into one place that I could share with anyone curious about bschool, especially those that come from untraditional backgrounds. That project turned into a 50+ page outline and 4 hour video (turns out I had a lot to say). So 10 months later, here's the finished product - all of my many thoughts about the MBA one year out. It's split into chapters so you can skip parts that aren't relevant to you, if you want. Or you can listen to me yap for 4 hours like we're on a Facetime call!

I hope this ends up being a helpful resource to demystify the MBA!

(Made a throwaway account for this post since it's extremely not anonymous)

- Lily

Hey everyone! I've been doing my MBA for around two months, and I'm still confused about which specialization to choose.

I don't want to pick one just because it pays well or is popular. I want to understand what the actual work life, salary growth, stress levels, and career opportunities look like in different fields.

I'd love to hear from people who've already been through this!

• How did you choose your specialization? Interest, salary, placements, or something else?
• Are you happy with your choice, or do you regret it? Why?
• What does your day-to-day work actually look like, and how has your career grown?
• If you could go back and choose again, would you pick the same specialization?
• Any websites, tests, or practical ways to figure out which specialization suits me?

I'm looking for honest experiences, not just advice on which field pays the most. If you could share one thing you wish you'd known before choosing your specialization, what would it be?

Thanks! Your experiences could genuinely help me and other MBA students facing the same confusion.

I'm planning to start my MBA and want to make the most of the experience beyond just academics, grades, and placements.

For those who are currently pursuing an MBA or have already graduated, what soft skills would you recommend developing during business school?

I'm particularly interested in skills that actually make a difference in the workplace and help with long-term career growth, such as communication, networking, leadership, negotiation, public speaking, or decision-making.

Hello! I am realizing I wish I had majored in business in college and am thinking about applying for MBA programs. My one condition is that the program must be free or severely discounted. I am most interested in government/non-profit work & consulting. I'm also contemplating law school, (part-time).

I have a bachelors in CJ & Political Science, a Masters in Criminal Justice, Public Administration & Counseling (this is for fun, I focus on marriage/couples/families). I know I have a lot of degrees & yes, I'm a Black woman.

HBS admit from last year here. Posting because when I was applying, I looked for honest reviews of Sandy and mostly found his own Poets&Quants columns. So here's one data point for those of you interviewing for HBS.

I paid $1,000 for a one-hour session. Within the first few minutes it was clear he hadn't read the background I'd sent.

He asked how I'd introduce myself to my section. I gave a lighthearted, humorous answer I'd tested with friends and mentors. His immediate response: "What the F### was that." No explanation of what didn't work or what to do instead. Just that, and we moved on.

I'm fine with blunt feedback. I came from consulting and have had my work torn apart plenty. But tough and rude are different things, and at $1,000 an hour I expected tough plus substance.

Epilogue: I got in. On day one at HBS we did section intros, and I used essentially the same intro he dismissed. People laughed, and several classmates reached out afterward to say it was one of the most memorable.

His brand is brutal honesty, but it didn't help when it was not paired with actual preparation. If you're spending this kind of money, make sure whoever you hire actually reads your file first.

One more note: as far as I know he's never worked in HBS admissions.

Later,I worked with another consultant and I disregarded EVERYTHING that Sandy told me for my actual interview last October. Now I'm happily at HBS.

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Trying to decided if an MBA is worth it for me. It would be a part-time, online MBA that would be about 70-90% covered by my employer depending on the program. It’s a mid-tier university not a big brand name, but a solid university.

My background is in clinical operations management and healthcare technology startups. I have about 7 YOE. I am a Senior Director at a very large health system. My role and my career are strategy, finance, and operations focused within healthcare/digital health. I have an MHA and a public health undergrad both from no name schools.

Would an MBA as I’ve described be beneficial in my progress towards VP/C-suite at health systems/digital health companies? Or should I be considering different degree options? I wouldn’t be using it as a career pivot, but it would be to sharpen my knowledge in finance, strategy, and innovation, while also adding a more well known university to my resume.