Hey everyone,

I recently received an admit for the ESADE Full-Time MBA (Class of 27–28).

I need candid, unvarnished advice from recent alumni, current students, or folks familiar with European MBA recruiting - especially non-EU/Indian students who have navigated the post-grad job market recently.

My Profile & Stats:

• Background: Senior Frontend / Full-Stack Software Engineer (8 years of experience).
• GMAT: 695 Focus

The Offer & Financials:

• Tuition: €82,500 (0% scholarship awarded so far).
• Total Cost of Attendance (Tuition + Living in Barcelona for 16–18 months): ~€115,000–€120,000 (~$130k / ₹1.15–1.2 Cr).
• Funding: Mostly financed through educational loans.
• Reservation Deposit: €8,000 non-refundable due next month.

My Post-MBA Goals:

1. Primary Goal: Settle outside India in a high-paying role.
   • Target Roles: Technical Product Management (TPM / Senior PM) or Tech Strategy / Corporate Strategy / Consulting.
   • Target Geographies: Western/Northern Europe (Amsterdam, Dublin, Berlin, etc. where English is the working language) OR the Middle East (Dubai / Riyadh).

Specific Questions for Recent ESADE Grads / Current Students:

1. How is tech recruiting holding up on campus right now?
   • Are major scale-ups/tech firms (Amazon, Delivery Hero, Booking, fintechs) actively sponsoring non-EU grads for PM/Tech Strategy roles, or has visa sponsorship dried up post-2024?
2. Middle East Pipeline:
   • How strong is ESADE’s actual alumni pull and career portal access for Dubai / Saudi Arabia compared to INSEAD/LBS/IESE? Do consulting or corporate firms interview ESADE grads directly for Gulf offices?
3. The Spanish Job Market Reality:
   • With zero Spanish, how viable is staying in Barcelona or Madrid for high-paying roles, or is the 1-year job search visa essentially useless unless you reach B2/C1 fluency?
4. The Zero Scholarship Risk:
   • Is taking on €120k of debt worth it for ESADE in the current macro climate, or is it too risky for an Indian engineer without an EU passport? Did many peers from similar backgrounds end up having to return to India servicing Euro debt?

Appreciate any brutally honest perspectives. Feel free to comment or DM.

Admissions Consultant here, been doing this for ~4 years. Managing 11 candidates this R1 across consulting, tech, govt and impact, 19 interview calls so far. I know how stressful it can be.

Happy to help by answering any questions I can!

Tried banking- struck out. Tried Consulting- struck out. Fortunate to get F200 FPA. Worst experience interviewing was when I was at the table with people from my own country. Entitled, arrogant, judgmental to the neck. Fish for a weakness and tear you apart either with expression or words.

Hi Folks,

I intend on applying to a few US/Canadian schools in R2. Looking at 2 year or even 1 year MBAs that'd help me pivot into Technology Consulting say with the Big 4s. I am currently working in the space of Intelligent automation and the nature of work is techno functional in nature.

Things that may work for me:

- 95 percentile on the GMAT

- 3 years of extensive leadership experience with a high impact NGO

- Starting pay to current pay trajectory is decent

Things that may work against me:

- Undergrad GPA (6.91/10) and Tier 3 engineering profile

- Still working with my first company although in an enhanced digital track now

- Old GMAT with a Q48

Things that would help build the story:

Was very close to getting into India's most prestigious LDP job profile

Schools I am looking at right now-

Vanderbilt

Scheller

Carlson

Rotman

WP Carey

What are my chances, and should I expand the list of schools. I would require a decent scholarship which has contributed to the choice of schools

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Hi r/MBA,

I am finalizing my applications for Round 2 and would love a brutal, objective reality check on my profile. I know "Indian Male" is the toughest demographic bucket, but my background is entirely non-traditional (zero engineering, zero IT, zero corporate finance). My career has been spent exclusively in political campaigns, national governance execution, parliamentary policy, and G7 diplomacy.

My primary concern is whether admissions committees will view my varied government/political roles as a cohesive upward trajectory or a disjointed series of job hops, and whether my post-MBA goal makes sense to commercial recruiters.

Here are the details:

Background: 27, Indian Male.

Undergrad: Bachelor of Journalism from DU

Post Graduation: MA in Human Resource Management from JMI

GRE: 334 Total (170 Quant - 89th percentile, 164 Verbal).

Work Experience (5+ Years Total)

My career has been a deliberate progression up the governance chain: from state election campaigns, to drafting laws in Parliament, to national execution, and now bilateral diplomacy.

Current Role (Diplomacy): Political & Economic Officer at a G7 Diplomatic Mission in India.

Previous Role (National Gov Execution): Analyst at a National Government Apex Body.

Previous Role (State Gov Execution): Associate Fellow at a State Legislature.

Previous Role (Legislative): Policy Assistant to a Federal Member of Parliament.

Early Career (Campaigns): Field Research Lead at top Political Consulting Firms.

Extracurriculars & Impact

* COVID-19 Oxygen Network (April 2021): Built and managed a two-stage verification and routing pipeline staffed by 50 volunteers during the healthcare collapse. Maintained strict operational discipline to prevent routing families to occupied beds, connecting over 1,200 families to verified medical care over two months.

* Migrant Worker Crisis (April 2020): Volunteered with a labor-rights collective during the sudden national lockdown. Spent three days coordinating directly between two state governments and railway officials to clear transit bottlenecks and secure a special relief train for 500 stranded migrant workers.

Post-MBA Goals

* Short-Term: Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager at a global tech multinational (Google, Meta, Apple) covering South Asia.

Target Schools

* Reach: Stanford GSB, Harvard Business School (HBS). Applying to Stanford MPP + HKS MPP ( If possible can be combined with GSB & HBS)

* Target/Reach: Columbia Business School (CBS), Yale SOM.

* Target (UK): Oxford Saïd (1-year MBA).

My Questions for the Sub:

* The "Job Hop" Perception: I have had 5-6 distinct roles across campaigns, state assembly, parliament, national execution, and the diplomatic mission. I frame this in my application as a deliberate progression, but will adcoms view this as instability?

* Tech Policy Feasibility: Is my goal of transitioning into Big Tech Government Affairs directly from an MBA realistic to adcoms?

* Quant Defense: With a purely qualitative undergrad, is my 170Q on the GRE combined with the MIT DEDP MicroMasters enough to silence any doubts about my ability to handle the MBA finance/accounting core?

* School Selection: Given the heavy public-sector/diplomatic background, are there any other programs I should be targeting for massive merit aid?

I contacted a consulting company that helps people apply to master’s programs in the US. They offered me a way to cheat on GRE at Home (at their office) for a 3000$ fee, with a guaranteed score of 325+. I was very surprised by how casually the consultant offered it, as if every applicant with 330+ score does it. Wanted to know is this real that common?
I am not planning to take the offer but curious how this even exists?

CBS and GSB are two of my R1 reach programs waiting for invites.
Is it correct to assume that a large majority of invites have been sent by now?

Hi everyone,

I'm an Indian male, 30 years old, planning to apply for the 2027 MBA intake. I'd appreciate feedback on my profile and realistic target schools.

Academic Background

- Undergraduate: Andhra University, India — 8.3/10 CGPA

- Postgraduate: BITS Pilani, India — Master's in Manufacturing Systems, 9.3/10 CGPA

- GMAT Focus Edition: 695 (Q90, V83, DI80)

Professional Experience

- Total experience: 6 years

- Current role: Supply Chain Manager at a US-headquartered multinational renewable-energy technology company

- Industry: Renewable energy / technology / manufacturing

- Career progression: Received 3 promotions in 6 years, progressing from Commodity Specialist → Senior Commodity Specialist → Manager-1 → Manager-2. Currently two employees are reporting to me.

- Managed global suppliers and work extensively with cross-functional teams across different geographies as a supply chain lead for new product launches.

- Regularly interact with and present cost and schedule updates to senior executives in the US.

- Experience in global sourcing, supplier management, supply-chain operations, and cross-functional project execution.

Recommendations

- One recommendation from my Director, who has managed me throughout my six-year career and consistently rated me among his top performers.

- Another recommendation from a VP of Engineering who has worked closely with me.

Post-MBA Goals

Short term: Transition into management consulting, focusing on supply-chain strategy, operations transformation, and broader business strategy across industries.

Long term: Move into senior executive leadership, ultimately leading global supply-chain operations or strategy at a multinational organization.

Geographic preference: Open to the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

Schools I'm Considering

US: Wharton, Kellogg, Booth, MIT Sloan, Columbia, Yale SOM, Tuck, Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden.

Europe: INSEAD, LBS, HEC Paris, IESE, Oxford Saïd, Cambridge Judge.

Canada: Rotman, Ivey.

Questions for the Community

1. How competitive is my overall profile for M7/T15 US MBAs and top European programs, particularly as an Indian applicant?

2. Which schools would you categorize as realistic targets versus reaches?

3. Is 695 GMAT Focus sufficiently competitive for these schools, or would improving to 715 make a meaningful difference?

4. Given my supply-chain and renewable-energy background, which MBA programs offer the strongest opportunities for MBB or strategy consulting?

5. Are there any schools I'm overlooking that offer strong consulting recruitment and good long-term ROI for international students?

I'd especially appreciate insights from Indian applicants, current MBA students and alumni.

Thanks in advance!

Background - 4 years of Management Consulting experience with Deloitte

Goals - GTFO from my current country and get into Strategy Consulting at MBB

Though I understand that I missed my chance for Booth orgies and CBS benders but this is the only offer I have.

How tf do I negotiate the scholarship? I got nothing new work-wise that I haven't written in the application

and what kind of jobs can I work on-campus to support myself as an international?

Is it hard to find a remote job as desired since I have no experience and living in a place with no opportunities and how to start applying

Have questions about Kellogg you've been dying to ask? Members of the Women's Business Association (WBA) are taking over Reddit to answer them over three days! We'll cover classes, recruiting, clubs, community and what it's like to be a Kellogg student.

Disclaimer: These are all our thoughts as students, not official statements from Kellogg. In addition, we can't comment on exact admissions statistics as we don't have access to that data.

I am currently recruiting for MBA summer associate programs. I have a good feeling I will interview with at least one MBB in January if I stay the course. However, I am in final round stages with a cool start up company for an Engagement manager role. Interestingly, they were hoping for a candidate with a background in consulting but are considering me despite my lack of that.

My question is if given an offer, would you accept the ai start up company role and forego a possible summer associate position with a MBB?

I’m in a part time mba program and work full time (yes they’re open to letting part time mbas into the summer program I’ve checked). I’m really ready for my next challenge and I wasn’t expecting to get to this stage so quickly in my program but here I am!

Would it be a mistake to take this role and miss out on consulting this season?

Since I’m part time for the next 2-3 years, another thought is that if I’m still interested next year I could recruit then or recruit for full time once I graduate….

The base salary is a little less than MBB but the work/life balance is probably a bit better.

Thoughts?

I have been a SWE for 5.5 years in FAANG and a frontier AI lab and no longer want to have a software career. I know I will take a pay cut with my career change.

I went to HYPSM for my undergrad and have a BS in CS. I have been thinking about moving to Europe and wondering if doing my MBA in Europe is a bad decision and screws over all my career prospects in the US? Realistically how difficult would it be to come back to the US after if I want to?

Profile:
* 29M, based in the US
* ~4 years as an AI Research Scientist at FAANG+
* Work on training frontier models/LLMs
* Strong publication record - 2500+ citations
* GRE: 330
* Quit PhD midway so have a masters degree in CS.

Target Schools: GSB, Sloan, HBS, Wharton SF

Questions:
1. How competitive is this profile for M7, particularly GSB/Sloan?
2. Does a strong AI research background provide meaningful differentiation?
3. Given my current career trajectory, is a full-time MBA worth the opportunity cost, or would a part-time MBA make more sense?

It's been a lifelong dream to attend an elite school - honestly that's my main motivation to go an MBA. Would love to join or pivot into VC using my MBA degree.

Would appreciate candid feedback!

I recently completed my MBA, but I have a significant gap between my bachelor’s degree and my MBA, and I’m struggling to find a job because I have no professional experience. I’m exhausted and frustrated because I know I’m capable of doing a lot, but I can’t seem to get an opportunity to prove myself.
Honestly, I’ve started thinking about exaggerating or even making up work experience on my CV because I feel like I’m being rejected before I even get a chance. I don’t know how to explain the gap, either. Whenever someone asks me what I did during that period, I genuinely don’t know what to say. The truth is that I was struggling with depression and anxiety, and every time I tried to start over or pursue something new, I faced rejection.
Now, I finally feel like I have the energy and motivation to work, and I desperately want to build a career, but I feel lost about where to begin. I don’t want my past to keep holding me back, and I need practical advice on how to overcome this situation, explain my employment gap, gain credible experience, and make myself employable. If I can’t get hired without experience, how can I build a CV that gives me a real chance of getting my first job?

Hi,. I am Male Indian candidate, chartered accountant work with big 4, 8 yrs work ex plus 3 years internship(which I understand does count as work ex). Working in tax consulting. Gmat 645 fe, gmat 665 superscore. I prepared application to meet the deadline as I had taken gmat thrice, last one being 25 days before R1, but did not get invite. I felt I had put a decent application. some research indicates that gmat may have been one of weakness. I have taken a 2 month break from gmat. How long will it take to get to 715+. I am a working professional. Also any advice on how to pick yourself up from this situation. Am keen to get into dream schools though I know I may have a better chance at some safe or more ideal schools.

After two GRE attempts scoring below 300. Nearly 3 years of work ex at EY Risk Advisory, I am an Electrical Engineer with 3.2 GPA (F)

I have a 4–5 month career gap, currently work in my family business.

I can't take the GRE again, and I'm honestly lost. Do I still have a shot at a T20/T25 MBA program, or should I wait another year?

I'd genuinely appreciate honest advice, experiences, and suggestions. 🙏

I've sat through a lot of mock interviews with candidates applying to top programs, and the same thing sinks strong people in the first five minutes.

Asked to walk through their resume, they start at their first job and narrate forward. Dates, titles, responsibilities. Four minutes later they are still on job two, the interviewer has stopped listening, and the one thing that makes this candidate different from the other forty strong files that week never gets said.

Your interviewer has read your resume. They know what you did. The question is really asking why. Why this path, why those turns, why an MBA, why now.

The answers that work land as a sound bite. One sentence an interviewer can repeat about you when your file comes up later. Something like "she's the engineer who kept getting pulled into the business side until she decided to make it official." That sentence is what they remember. Nobody remembers a chronology.

A few things that help get there.

Pick the through line first. Every career has two or three real turning points where a choice was made. Build the story around those choices and what drove them, and let the rest compress into a line each. A job you held for three years might deserve fifteen seconds if nothing changed there.

Show, don't claim. If you say you are a leader, I hear an adjective. If you tell me about the night your team was falling apart and what you actually did, I believe you. One short story with a real detail in it beats five claimed traits.

End facing forward. The walkthrough should land on the gap. What you have done so far, what you want to do next, and the specific thing this program gives you that you cannot get where you are. When the story ends there, the MBA sounds inevitable instead of convenient.

And keep it tight. Two to three minutes, spoken out loud, not read. If you cannot say it comfortably at kitchen-table speed, it is not ready.

Happy to answer questions in the comments, including on specific situations if you want a second pair of eyes on your through line.

Hi Everyone,

Thought I would hop on here to give me opinions on MBA programs. In August 2026 I started my MBA Program with high hopes of making great connections, learning a great deal of knowledge and working together with amazing people on projects. However only one of those three things came to reality. So far I haven’t made any meaningful connections with my classmates. All of them barely want to be there. Secondly everyone is lazy and unwilling to do any work. The project teams I’ve been placed in so far lack communication and everyone procrastinates. I had to be the one to step up and do all the work. As stated earlier only one thing came true. I have learned amazing things pertaining classes I am enrolled in. But I keep noticing my classmates lack dedication and just use AI to do assignments.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

NYU Stern MBA

Hi everyone,

I’ve been getting a few callbacks lately (thankfully), but I can’t seem to get past the hiring manager rounds.

I’ve had coffee chats with a few people who gave me good (but similar) advice, and the only way forward seems to be practicing with mock interviews as much as possible.

In my interviews I’ve been able to answer most of the questions, but I think I’m falling short on selling myself, or I’m just sounding like a robot trying to repeat the answers I learned. I think a genuine mock with someone who actually hires PMs will help diagnose the problem much better.

A bit about me: 4 years of experience, 3 of them in India working on a compliance platform, and now I’m an AI Product Manager at an ed tech startup. I also have a master’s from Duke.

If you hire for product management and can take my mock interview, I would love your help. I’m happy to keep it to 30 minutes and work around your schedule. Even if you can’t do a mock, any tips on what you look for in the hiring manager round would help a lot.

Feel free to comment or DM me. Thank you!

Hey guys, help me out, am in a bit of a fix here.

After repeated GRE and GMAT attempts, I scored a 322 today (Q164, V158). It's not that impressive, but I want to move ahead and apply anyway.

Some context: I have 3.5 years of work experience, and I work in the new initiatives team at a listed fintech.

I'm targeting INSEAD Round 2, plus LBS, Oxford and similar schools. MIT feels out of the picture for now, sadly.

I'll definitely retake the GRE, but the earliest I can sit it is after the Round 2 deadlines, and I don't want to miss them.

Honestly, I don't want to wait anymore. I started this journey in 2021, it's been on and off since, and it's dragged on far longer than it should have. It's been exhausting. People have been telling me 322 won’t cut it but I really don’t know

I have 2.5 years of Associate Product Manager experience outside the US, along with parallel experience founding a startup. I recently graduated from a T15 MBA program and am now job searching in the US.

Given the competitive PM job market, should I continue pursuing PM opportunities, or would it make more sense to pivot to a different function?

Would really appreciate advice from PMs, MBA grads, or anyone who has navigated a similar transition. Thanks!

Hi everyone! For an MBA student working on a group project on “Symbolic Consumption: How Products Express Personal Identity.”

Need to develop a creative product, service, or even a hypothetical futuristic business and explain how consumers would be persuaded to buy it...not just for its functional benefits, but for what it represents about their identity, status, aspirations, values, or personality.

For example, a fictional company offering trips to the Moon, genetic enhancement in the future, or a brand that sells identity rather than just a product.

I’m looking for unusual, thought-provoking ideas that could make an interesting presentation, preferably inspired by real consumer behaviour, emerging technologies, or interesting brand strategies.

I’m planning to apply R2 to Columbia and NYU, but I’m having trouble deciding between the GMAT and the GRE. I’ve always done well on standardized tests, and I’m confident I have enough time before the deadline to get a score I’m happy with.

Took each practice cold, got a 319 on the GRE with 168/151 V/Q, and a 545 GMAT with 66/87/78 Q/V/D splits. I’m super rusty on quant (obviously), but I haven’t had time to study yet.

I have 4 years WE at a boutique IB with promotion from assoc to VP, former D1 athletics captain ranked 6th in the country. My GPA is below average at both (3.3) in IT.

Given my verbal scores are 98-99th percentile, where is it better to focus my quant efforts?