Worried or not ? Sound off

200k+ post MBA base.
Thoughts ?

I'm 31 with a toddler, recruiting for IB associate roles, and I think my cohort quietly thinks I'm an idiot.

During a coffee chat yesterday, a 29 year old VP kept saying "at your stage" like I was his dad's age. Most of the alumni associates I'm sourcing off our school’s recruiterbase portal graduated college after I had my first real job. My wife is supportive, but her face when I explain IB hours says otherwise.

Anyone here go into banking post-MBA with a young kid and not regret it? Or is this something people politely avoid telling you is dumb?

I’m an international applicant applying to US Full-Time MBA programs for Fall 2027 (Round 1).
Here’s my current status:

Interview invites received:
● UCLA Anderson
● Emory Goizueta
● Georgetown McDonough
● Boston University Questrom
● University of Florida Warrington

Optional interview:
● UT Austin McCombs

Still waiting:
● Duke Fuqua
● USC Marshall

I’m happy to have received several interview invitations, but I’m not sure how much weight I should put on them.
Do these results suggest that my application is competitive, or do most of these schools invite a large percentage of applicants to interview?
I’d really appreciate any insights, especially from people who have gone through the MBA admissions process. Thanks!

Applied on the last day of Round1 deadline for UCLA, and still got nothing. I've heard some people applied on the last day already got interview invites. Am I cooked?

Someone in our section suggested a "chill Saturday thing, nothing fancy" in the group chat yesterday.

It was a winery trip. $165 per person for the shuttle and tasting, not including food.

One of the responses was "that's actually pretty cheap."

I'm a first-year at a US full-time program, living mostly on savings and loans. I knew the social side would be expensive. I budgeted for dinners, drinks, club events, some travel. What I didn't anticipate was how quickly a random weekend plan could turn into a $200 decision.

Last month I skipped two group outings because I couldn't justify the cost. Nobody was mean about it, but the invitations have already started slowing down. I get it. People naturally keep inviting the ones who usually say yes.

The awkward part is explaining why. "Can't make it" sounds like I'm uninterested. "Can't afford it" feels like sharing my bank balance with people I've known for six weeks.

And I'm not judging anyone who wants to spend their money on trips. Some classmates worked in IB or consulting before school and have the savings to enjoy two years off. Good for them.

I just find it funny that we're surrounded by people who can build a three-statement model but somehow can't organize a Saturday afternoon that costs less than a utility bill.

I'd happily get tacos, play cards, watch a game, whatever. I actually like these people. I just can't spend $150 every time I want to see them outside class.

Anyone else dealing with this, or is my section particularly committed to expensive relaxation?

Do we know it comes at 5pm ET or trickles out throughout the day

Hi folks,

I've been debating whether pursuing an MBA is the right decision for me, and I'm hoping to get some perspectives from people who have been through this process.

I'm a 29-year-old Indian currently living in Bangalore. I had the misfortune of being trained for competitive exams from the age of 13, so I ended up doing reasonably well in national examinations, olympiads, college, etc. and graduated with an 8.9/10 from an old IIT with a degree in Mathematics and Computing. I've been coasting along in a relatively cushy big-tech-ish job for the last 6 years. I have got 2 promotions so far and due for the third in July 2027, of course if I don't get laid off before that.

I haven't been particularly interested in an MBA so far, largely because I've been quite clear about what I don't want to do. During my pre-final year, I interned with the quant team at a large American investment bank (GS/JPMC). This was pre-COVID, and a few months there were enough to make me realise that I didn't want to work in finance pulling in 70-hour weeks while becoming a bowl of diabetes. I've also seen the career trajectories of my brothers, who followed a fairly similar path (IIT engineering, MBA at LBS/INSEAD, MBB Partner), and realised that I don't want consulting life either.

When I look at the most common post-MBA employment tracks for international students at M7/T15 schools and LBS, they seem to revolve around three options: consulting, finance and technology product management. I'm not particularly interested in tech PM either.

So I'm trying to understand what are the options for international students at these schools beyond these three traditional tracks, which have reasonable level of success rate and not like super rare? I know I can come back to India and stay in tech while moving into tech management, but I can't come back to India. The larger reason behind this move is my realisation that I need to move to a country where I can start a family which is not possible in India in the absence of same-sex marriage and family laws. So returning back is not an option. My other option is standard MS + Job/MS + PhD + Academia route in Europe. I have figured that out and have several options to make it work in Europe, but before committing to it completely, I want to properly explore if MBA really is not the practical thing for me.

Also a practical question about admission process - I've recently taken the IELTS and GRE, scoring 8.5/9 in IELTS and 161V/170Q in the GRE. AWA results are not out yet, but I think I should get at least a 4.0 (I wrote 600+ words). If I do eventually decide to pursue an MBA in next round, now is the time I can do the tests. I know GMAT/GRE is just one part of the application but even in that context would my GRE score be sufficient across these schools, or would taking the GMAT be worthwhile?

I expected recruiting to be hard. What I did not expect was how early it starts and how much it eats into the actual learning. By the time I settled into classes, the whole cohort was already deep into coffee chats and prep for one specific path, and it felt like choosing a lane before I understood the options. Sharing in case it helps incoming students plan. For those further along, did you wish you had locked your target earlier, or did keeping options open longer work out better for you?

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Post my Kellogg MBA interview, the interviewer shared her email address. I sent her a thank you note, but have not received any response. Does that mean anything?🫠

Overthinking a bit- I know that a reply does not indicate anything positive in particular but is a no-response a red flag?

Hypothetically, putting aside the fact that the kind of person who gets an 805 probably has high aptitude to excel in other aspects, how much more would a perfect GMAT score matter Compared to say, a already high score in the low 700s?

Planning to apply to m7 in r2. Should I retake the gre again?

Pros
- Can aim to get 160 in verbal
Cons
- Risk of dropping 1-2 points in quant

My background is engineering and I work as software developer, Indian working overseas

I said a few months ago that I'd write up my MBA journey, so here it is.

I was born without ears and ear canals, and had a hole in my palate. I had multiple surgeries, but it didn't fix the issue completely. Because hearing was difficult I grew up relying on self-learning.

Until 12th grade, I studied in my mothertongue. When I started engineering the teaching was in English and classes were much larger. I couldn't hear properly even with hearing aids. My grades dropped and I wasn't eligible for core engineering roles during campus recruitment.

After graduation I did an MBA with zero experience. mainly because I needed a job where hearing won't be a complete dealbreaker. I spent 8 years at JP Morgan in proj management. But I always wanted to do a global MBA.

My first MBA application year went badly. I applied to 8–9 schools and was rejected everywhere. I had worked with a consultant that year. Looking back I was overconfident in my unique background and application. I thought my background + experience would speak for itself. It didn't lol.

My goals were generic. Each essay looked polished on its own. But I hadn't connected my personal experiences, professional journey and long term goals into a convincing story across the essays.

GMAT was another problem area. I wasted 5 attempts before realizing I was making the same mistake every time i.e. ignoring the structured prep and preparing haphazardly. In my 6th attempt, I finally followed the study plan properly and scored 695.

For the next application cycle, I worked with a different consultant and my approach to applications this time was very different. I spent a lot more time understanding what I actually wanted to do and why. The focus was on connecting my personal experiences, JPMorgan career, extracurriculars and future goals rather than treating them as separate parts of an application.

It was slow and repetitive. I would come home from work and spend 2–3 hours working on applications. I rewrote it until the story actually made sense.

As reapplicant I applied to 6 schools. Interviewed at Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, Tepper. Waitlisted at NYU. Got admits from Yale, Oxford and Cambridge.

I chose Yale because I wanted the 2-year format and the opportunity to explore what I want to do next, particularly around consulting and my longer-term interest in making hearing solutions more accessible.

I don't want to turn this into a Linkedin post with 10 lessons I picked up. But I'll share just a couple.

Having an unusual background doesn't automatically convert into a strong application. You still have to figure out what the different parts of your journey mean and communicate that clearly. I learnt this the hard way and lost a year.

For anyone going through a reapplicant cycle, don't assume that a rejection means your profile isn't good enough. Maybe the bigger issue is how you're putting the profile together.

By the way, I love SOMies. People are extremely kind and welcoming.

Just got my invite!! Good luck everyone!

Has anyone received the result for r1? 4 weeks already for those done the interview at the earliest time.

Hi everyone! I'm currently preparing my MBA applications and have around 4 years of experience at Accenture in a technical role.
I'm struggling to translate my technical accomplishments into business-oriented resume bullets that highlight impact, leadership, and problem-solving rather than just technical responsibilities.
Has anyone from a similar background faced this challenge? Would you recommend hiring an MBA admissions consultant for resume development, or are there better alternatives?
Also, if anyone is comfortable sharing an anonymised MBA resume for reference, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

I’m an entry/mid level R&D scientist in one of big pharma companies. I want to do strategy/consultant job in the future. I am thinking about doing a part time MBA will be the answer combining my science background with industry experience. I don’t have any real life examples I can follow and prove the idea is right. Is there anyone transitioning from similar background can give my some advices? Appreciate any thoughts!

Basically the title.

I have the opportunity to get a Canadian passport in 2 yrs but in that 2 yrs I would like to apply for MBA as well. But I do not plan to live in Canada long term. Is a Canadian MBA worth it just for the passport?

Hi all,

Hope you’re all well! I’m concerned about my downward GPA trend finishing with a 3.72 overall. Do I need to explain this? Most of my B’s are in my major classes (economics GPA: 3.34) at my 2nd school. I also blew off (3.24 gpa) my semester abroad senior year but the classes don’t count towards gpa. However, the grades are on my transcript.

For context, I transferred halfway thru undergrad and am applying for m7/T10 schools.

School 1 (top 50 school)
Overall gpa at school 1: 3.84
Year 1: 3.96
Year 2: 3.7

School 2 (top 15 school)
Overall gpa at school 2: 3.72
Year 3: 3.77
Year 4: 3.6

Hi everyone,
I'm applying to US MBA programs for Fall 2027 and I'm struggling with how to frame my short-term goals given the current environment.

Background: I'm not a US citizen. My understanding is that a STEM-designated MBA would let me work for up to 3 years on OPT + STEM OPT, but I'd still need H-1B sponsorship to stay longer term. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

programs: CMU Tepper, Texas McCombs, Berkeley Haas, W Foster, UCLA, Ross and Cornell Johnson.

Short-term goal:

Plan A: Product management at an AI company like Anthropic, NVIDIA, or OpenAI, ideally on consumer-facing products with high-growth challenges.

Plan B: Join MBB and advise companies on consumer products and product strategy.

Long-term goal: Use the experience and network I build in big tech or consulting to start my own K-12 education business in Brazil.

My concern: With the recently proposed OPT fees and tighter visa rules, I'm worried these plans could fall apart, or that adcoms might see my short-term goal as unrealistic. And I am not sure about how to frame the short term goals correctly. I am aware this is a very common mistake.

A few questions:
Are adcoms penalizing international applicants whose goals depend on US work authorization?

Should I frame my goal more broadly (e.g., "PM in consumer tech") instead of naming specific companies?

Is it smart to mention a non-US path (like MBB in Brazil ) as a backup?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am seeing some details on a portal for Darden as an EA applicant and want to see if it is specific to my account. If someone who also applied EA can DM me to confirm I can share the link. Omg this sounds like phishing this is NOT phishing trust

If you (or someone you know) were admitted in the last few years to any of these full-time MBA programs with a test waiver, did you get merit money?

Emory Goizueta
Vanderbilt Owen
Cornell Johnson
UNC Kenan-Flagler
UCLA Anderson
USC Marshall
UVA Darden
NYU Stern

If you're willing to share scholarship amount (total or per year) and/or rough % of tuition covered, that would be super helpful.

Also curious whether anyone negotiated an increase without a score, or got a bigger offer after submitting one later.

If you attended/got accepted a different university than listed above, can you also share? Thanks!

Do we think they'll all be dropped at once or throughout the day? Good luck everyone!