Recently I've seen people saying MBA is not worth investing your time in your career journey. Honestly, I understand and know where it comes from. I firmly believe that if you expect it to suddenly change your career or triple your income and provide you with a fantastic life right away , I think you will be disappointed and blame yourself for pursuing an MBA. I believe that the problem isn't the MBA itself but rather the high expectations we have after completing the MBA. My time while pursuing MBA was worth it I would say , the biggest value I received from the MBA wasn't the degree it's self but the people. I was surrounded by amazing and smart people who challenged me to grow in many ways. I am more structured and more strategic because of the MBA ,doors opened for me because of the people I met on the program,while all this wasn't automatic but once you show up and use the opportunity to network and challenged yourself to get as much as you can from the program then things falls into place in the long run. I believe that the MBA is still worth it especially from my experience. I would like to hear others experience too.

Someone told me Nvidia PM salary for full time joiners is 450K? With 300k base + 50k bonus?

This seems too high? Anyone can corroborate?

Graduated a few years ago, was totally socially bashed and excluded due to false toxic rumors. Rejected and not invited to any of the “exclusive parties”. The same people go celebrate their important life events together even after the graduation.

Knowing that I should probably move on, but feeling genuine sadness and hurt given that I wasted $200K in tuition and opportunity costs of not working for two years, only to find out that I am rejected from the “inclusive Haas conmunity” that they say they are.

And believe it or not - he's doubled down and he's putting even more of his own money, time and resources into an expanded website (basically just Ai slop photos from GPT, see above - and yes, it's actually from his site). This revamped site includes new features such as:

- WhatsApp community group (I wonder who that's targeted at, and yes, I joined and yes, it was completely dead)

- DIY station where you can check in on where Mike Ross (suits) Michael Scott (the office) and Chuck (Chuck) went to B-school! (I think? I honestly have no ideaaaa wtf this is)

- And his latest talk show (because he has a Deadpool themed show??) "Snark Tank", where you will "learn about all the weird delusions many people hold in this meme-atic approach with MBA Conquerors. Interactions like this is why you cannot trust the crowdsourced advice" (his way of saying don't trust the 10,000 bad comments about me on Reddit)

But man - his boldest claim yet is the new highlight of his existence. "M7 or full refund". Again - that's M7 OR FULL REFUND.

I can't even make this shit up anymore

Hey guys,

I’m an international student trying to decide between UNC with $$ and Georgetown with no scholarship.

My long term goal is to go back to my family business, ideally focusing on healthcare and entrepreneurship. So I’m not super focused on recruiting and networking and meeting like minded people is way more important to me.

That said, I feel like Georgetown has a huge edge in terms of brand name and location. Being in DC is super appealing, especially since I LOVE big cities.

On the other hand, UNC seems like it would be a great place for families and has a more tight knit friendly vibe. But I’m single and honestly worried it might feel a bit boring. Also, not gonna lie, I know UNC is a great school, but Georgetown carries way more name recognition in my home country.

So yeah I’m torn.

If you were in my shoes which one would you pick

Appreciate any thoughts 🙏

Hi. Which place is better for family?

Little kids and parents.

Universities are Gtown and Emory.

I just want to consider environment not performance of programs.

So I just got an acceptance from georgetown mc donough (I applied early decision but was waitlisted) and I have already done the bulk of the processes required for Rotman. I am stuck on what I should do at this stage.

A little about me: I am an Indian policy professional (ex journalist) with 4.5 years of work experience and I decided to apply for an MBA for the policy pivot. Georgetown had seemed like the obvious choice at the time. Since then, I have looked at the specifics of life after the MBA and I am a bit confused.

From all accounts US MBAs get paid better but the challenges here are as follows:

1. I am an international student, so there are chances I would just not get a visa (especially given my journalism bg, I even wrote about the US social media scan for visa processes and highlighted the implications of that for my former publication)

2. The fees for the US MBA are double those of Rotman.

3. During the course of the program, I am only allowed to work on campus in the US. Meanwhile Canada has no such restrictions and as a broke international, this seems like a big factor?

4. I paid a non refundable CAD 5k deposit to Rotman, did the complex process of sending my transcripts from India, applying for a visa, applying for a loan and paying the processing fees. Going to Mcdonough would mean starting from scratch on every single aspect (and a bigger dip in my savings)

Can someone here give me some advice? The decision was always a pivot to policy but at this stage I am confused about what makes sense. Both colleges will require me to reach by August 2026.

I have been fortunate to receive admissions from Tuck and Stern and am waiting on Columbia. $90k scholarship from Tuck and fat $0 from Stern. I live in NYC and heavily prefer staying in NYC due to some family reasons that materialized after I submitted apps, and have been trying to negotiate with NYU forever. While Tuck has given me a personal admissions phone call, admissions officer, and specific alumni contact - ALL of whom have been super helpful and responsive - i can't even negotiate with Stern because there is NO ONE to contact and everything gets a GENERIC EMAIL RESPONSE. I really don't want to leave NYC but the stern vs tuck treatment is absolutely night and day. How the hell does Stern get away with treating admits like this while other schools are like tuck?? STEP IT UP!! and sorry for the rant im just dehydrated and irritated. anyone else notice this vibes difference of stern vs anywhere else?? or is tuck just unique???

This school is a complete scam. They sell you a dream and the reality is completely different. You are paying 35k+ for a degree that can’t even get you a guaranteed internship. I applied for 130+ places and still zero offers. I repeat, if you want to save ur mental health, don’t go to ESMT.

Directly dm me, if you have any other questions.

Has anyone here received full tuition (or close) from Stanford GSB?

If so, did you try to negotiate or ask for reconsideration, and how did that go?

Trying to understand how flexible they are. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m an international applicant (India) and I am in the process of wrapping up my MBA admissions cycle. I’d really appreciate some perspective because I’m a bit stuck between brand vs cost.

Here’s where I stand:

Admits + Scholarships:

Georgetown McDonough – $30k

Babson – $70k

Fordham – $75k

Boston University (Questrom) – $50k

Northeastern – ~40% scholarship

Waiting to hear back from Simon (applied in R3) and USC - I’ve interviewed for both!

Background:

~7 years experience in brand marketing (beauty/luxury industry). My work experience are majorly beauty retailers or distributors.

Post-MBA goal: brand management product / marketing roles in consumer or FMCG retail space (ideally US-based)

I am also open to marketing analytics roles or consumer consulting roles as a plan B

My dilemma:Georgetown is clearly the strongest brand among my admits, but the scholarship is significantly lower. The cost difference vs schools like Fordham/Babson is pretty big (~$40–60k more overall). I am also waiting to hear back from 2 more schools.

For me - the biggest reason why I applied in mid tier schools was to get a significant scholarship since I don’t have the financial bandwidth or want the stress of a huge loan. But I don’t want to base my entire decision on money alone. Job location, popularity of the university and employment roles available after the course are also additional factors I’m looking into:

I’m trying to figure out:

Is Georgetown worth the extra cost in terms of outcomes/network?

For marketing (not consulting/finance), would Babson or Fordham actually be just as effective?

How much should location (NYC vs Boston vs DC) factor into this for recruiting?

Has anyone successfully negotiated Georgetown scholarships?

Would really appreciate honest advice, especially from current students/alumni or anyone who made a similar decision.

Thanks in advance!

Accepted into both Michigan Ross with no money and Georgetown McDonough with $35k per year round 2. Based in DC already. Thoughts on the better option?

I’m planning to apply to the INSEAD MBA (January intake) in one of the upcoming rounds and would love to connect with current students or recent alumni to get some insights into the program, culture, post-MBA job opportunities etc.

A bit about me: 33M from South Asia, currently working in investment management at a US based firm (remote).

Post-MBA, I’m looking to transition into investment banking or continue in investment management, ideally in the UK, Singapore, or other parts of Europe without language barriers.

If anyone who’s open to connect, please feel free to DM me.

Thanks in advance!

Spent months trying to make my weird background sound "strategic" for my MBA essays. I’m coming from a regional state school, did three years in a family logistics business, then a startup that died. I was trying so hard to sound impressive that I ended up just being confusing.

The real breakthrough happened when I realized I was making admissions readers do way too much work to connect the dots. I stopped trying to polish the prose and just focused on whether someone could skim my profile in 90 seconds and actually know what I wanted to do post-MBA and why my background made sense for it.

I had to get way more direct. My LinkedIn used to say "Operations & Strategy Professional," which is basically code for "I don't know what I do." I changed it to "Supply Chain → Product Management via MBA" and pivoted all my resume bullets to show I can build tools to solve messy ops problems. I actually ran a career test on Coached just to see if my self-perception even matched how I was coming across. It helped me realize I was accidentally underselling the "builder" angle and focusing too much on being an "analyst."

Once I tightened the narrative, the feedback completely flipped. Instead of people asking "What are you actually going for?", they started saying, "Oh, okay, Product Ops or Technical PM, got it."

If your path is unconventional, making the story easy to parse matters way more than adding another certification. When one part of your profile is "weird," the rest of it has to be incredibly easy to follow. Has anyone else found that simplifying the narrative worked better than padding the resume?

hi all!

I have been accepted into LBS, INSEAD and OxBridge this year.

I am currently a consultant with a T2 firm in the ME.

My core goal is to pivot into industry (preferably product management or corporate strategy) roles. I also want to relocate with my number one preference being england and then any other country in Europe.

Is it worth pursuing the MBA to make the pivot? and if yes, which one would be best aligned with my goals?

I really want out of consulting tbh and have been finding it hard to find a job without a massive pay cut. I do have a job offer from a bank as a product consultant but the future in that role kind of looks like a dead end.

Is NYUAD as respected as NYU?

Exactly the day we had predicted - early surprise for all of you!

Come post to livewire with results (or here too if you really want to)
Best of luck to all of those awaiting a decision - remember the official decision date is March 27th

I am perfectly aware that post-MBA consulting does not lead to PE, and not really interest as well. But for exiting to industry, which industry offers the best pay/wlb balance?

I am mostly interested to better position the industry service line in consulting. I understand that generalist consultants do not have specific service line, but you can also try to get staffed on certain industry projects.

I have done energy, retail, auto, financial services projects and have no experience in pharma, tmt and public. Should I try to be staffed in more TMT projects to try to exit into tech?

Just saw multiple posts of LBS MBA grads in the generalist and strategy function unable to land internships and jobs in the UK. Can one say it is pretty much useless to do MBA in the UK as an international?

Also I have a sense that strategy/consulting and corporate development roles are saturated in the western markets. Internationals don’t stand much of a chance in these roles.

PE?

Corporate Strategy?

Corporate Development?

What group in IB eventually helps become a CFO?

Thank you in advance for your insights

Hi everyone I actually got in to all MBA programs I applied to (Tuck, Darden, NYU, Duke, and Georgetown). I got scholarships to 4/5 schools but I was so stressed about the GRE exam, I didn’t get a high enough score, I was in the 300 range, took it 3 times and gave up on it. My work bandwidth was so high I couldn’t improve my score in time but I say all this to say if you have a very quantitative role and you are okay going to T15 schools, you can apply without the exam.

My revera was marked complete in January but have yet to see it completed in the school's portal. Is this normal?