Congrats on completing your interview. For those of you that get admitted, you will probably receive a call from the admissions team one day before the official decision is posted on the portal. Good luck!
Regarding the brand of MSx, everyone who enters this program should know very well that this isn’t an MBA program and you will not get an MBA. After having worked for 10 to 15 years, many people don’t need an MBA. In fact, I hire MBA graduates for my department. Around 40% of Sloan Fellows have already got an advanced degree (or two) before joining Stanford GSB. You can take a look at the profiles of Sloan Fellows ’19 to get a good sense of why an MBA wouldn’t make much sense to them.
I find
this article explain adequately why MSx is a breed apart. Think about it this way, for example: if you are currently one level below the C-suite level and are earning around, let’s say $250,000 a year, would you spend $190,000 (if you go to MSx as a single) plus your opportunity cost ($250,000) to earn an MBA whose average starting salary is around $150,000? More importantly, would that MBA help you position yourself for the C-suite level in a big corporate in a couple of years upon graduation? This is why the MSx program distinguishes itself from the MBA program. I agree, though, that the MSx program isn’t as widely known as the MBA program, but that’s a separate issue and that doesn’t mean people entering the MSx program want/need to be associated with the MBA program.
For those of you who are applying to the MSx program, my advice is that you should do your research and know exactly why you apply to the MSx program and how it will help your career. This is, I believe, key to your success.