Stanford GSB

There's really not that much variation in tuition/fee costs for a top 5 vs. a top 30 school, or even a public vs. private school, although a lower-tier school is more likely to throw scholarship money at you. The long-term payoff of an MBA from a school like Stanford makes any student debt you accumulate a lot easier to handle.

But yeah, worry about this after you get in and see what kind of financial aid you might be eligible for.

thanks guys for the advice!! i have a question.can u tell me what else stanford is looking for?? i mean, i am ok academically, will get excellent recos. at wrk., what do i need on the extra curricular side?? i mean wat should be highlighted here?? i get from their website they need leadership skills. but could u guys tell me in your own words??

It's hard to say--by virtue of the number of applications it gets and its small class size, GSB can be extremely selective and only take very exceptional people. Obviously good grades and GMAT and recommendations will help, but there's a lot more to it as is the case with any top school really.

Stanford seems to want people who have bold post-MBA plans as opposed to people who give the standard consulting/IB/PE answer to their career goals. I submitted essentially the same application/same positioning for both GSB and Haas and got dinged by GSB without an interview, yet accepted by Haas with a scholarship offer--I think my biggest downside on my GSB essays was not making a compelling case for why I needed a Stanford MBA and what kind of spectacular things I would do with it. Haas must have been impressed by what I had done, but Stanford must have been looking for more in terms of what I would do...that's my take on it anyways.

A few GSB students recommended that I check out this guy's story during my application process as a good example of what GSB wants: https://www.nuruinternational.org/videos/theendjakesstory.html

Apparently his career goals essay was basically a written version of that video. Pretty powerful stuff.

If you've got a background like his, and a bold, creative plan to beat terrorism by ending world poverty, Stanford is more likely to give you a serious look than if you come in with a vanilla life story and career dreams.

awesome!! this guy is simply great.
thank a lot!! this pretty much sums it up.

ppl i have another question regarding stanford. i am interested in a career in the entertainment industry post mba. from wat i heard stanford's is the best program if you want to work in the tech sector.my question is, how good is it if i want to get into the entertainment industry/brand management/advertaising? also how good is NYU stern compared to stanford?(hrd NYU is good if u are considering entertainment...if there is a better program pls let me know abt that)

Don't underestimate the power of the Stanford GSB / Harvard B-school brand. These schools hold a lot more weight than an NYU mba because of the extreme selectivity. If you were comparing NYU to a different, but comparable school, I would say go to NYU for its connections with entertainment. GSB is more powerful in any industry.


Also, GSB has plenty of people interested in entertainment, and opens doors in all fields. Certainly a smaller percentage of the class at GSB would be interested in entertainment than at NYU. Think about the question this way ... would you prefer to have 5% of your class calling the same alumni/recruiters (GSB), or 30% of your class calling the same alumni/recruiters(NYU)?