Is applying to GSB worth the time/effort?

Question

Hi everyone,

For background - fortunately I’ve already been admitted to MIT Sloan MBA (with some scholarship), but was dinged by HBS post-interview. Now I’m thinking if it’s worthwhile to apply to Stanford GSB in round 2/3.

Some considerations: 
 1. I’m a re-applicant, so I’ve already spent lots of time/energy in MBA application over the last 2 years, so I'm not super keen to go through the entire application process again 
 2. Last year I did apply to GSB, but got dinged outright without an interview. I’m from an investment banking background so maybe my chances aren’t that high as I understand very few IB professionals got admitted to GSB. But I’m happy to be corrected. 
 3. Profile wise, I'm still in the same role vs. when I applied to GSB last year. The only major updates are that I've taken on more leadership initiatives at work (without formal title promotion), and outside of work I've done some pro bono consulting work (with some success stories) 
 4. In reality I don’t have a clear career goal (albeit what I say in applications), but one potential/more likely option is to pivot into Tech. Some might say that Stanford being in SF is hugely beneficial for pivoting to tech, but some also say if I’m recruiting to big tech firms, then it doesn’t really matter (i.e., MIT being at East coast would still be a target school) (note: I'm more interested in software/hardware tech, instead of Biotech which Boston is great for)

Basically, I’m wondering if the (slim) upside of getting admitted to Stanford (both career/life/brand wise) is significantly higher than going to MIT, and whether applying to GSB in round 2/3 is worth my time/energy/effort given the low ROI (lots of time needed for GSB’s application, but very low acceptance rate). Some might say it's better ROI to focus my energy/time towards preparing for Sloan’s immersive experience, clarifying my goals/do some soul-searching, and building networks in the tech ecosystem.

At the same time some would argue that the prospect of getting into Stanford is worth the trouble (note: I got admitted to Wharton and MIT this year, for HBS I was interviewed but dinged - so in some way perhaps I do have a shot at GSB if I were able to score interviews from HBS/MIT/Wharton. But again, I got dinged by HBS post-interview so who knows ... lol).

Bottom line: Does the incremental benefit of going to GSB vs going to MIT justify the effort, considering the low acceptance rate and time required to put together a GSB application? Or is the incremental benefit negligible? Keen to hear thoughts from both GSB and Sloan alumni, or from anyone who's been in similar situation!

p.s. I know some might say whether I'll regret not applying to GSB should be the key consideration - in that sense, HBS is my true dream school more so than GSB, so I guess I won't really regret if I did not apply to GSB this year (I did apply last year anyway).

Thanks everyone for your inputs in advance!

MrGoodGuy2017 · Answer

I would strongly recommend applying to GSB now to avoid any regrets later. The opportunities at GSB and Wharton are unmatched, especially given the current economic climate, and they far surpass what MIT offers. Even if GSB doesn’t work out, Wharton would still be an excellent choice. Sloan’s employment report this year was the weakest among the M7, while Wharton provides significantly stronger opportunities across both tech and business.

If you’re uncertain about your career goals, it’s better to choose a school with strengths across multiple areas rather than one focused primarily on tech, like MIT. I’d say go to Wharton and enjoy everything Philadelphia has to offer!

If you’re uncertain about your career goals, it’s better to choose a school with strengths across multiple areas rather than one focused primarily on tech, like MIT. I’d say go to Wharton and enjoy everything Philadelphia has to offer!

EA991 · Answer

Just do it

KCL5728 · Answer

Thanks for the comment! I agree that GSB probably does provide some unique opportunities that are not available to Wharton / MIT - but as mentioned, I'm a reapplicant (applied to GSB last year and got outright ding) without a significant profile/professional change, so I'm just trying to be a bit practical here to weigh my odds vs. the time/effort required to put together another application. Some also told me that my energy/time may be better spent at preparing for the MIT experience at Wharton / MIT, start networking etc.

In terms of Wharton vs. MIT - guess this is a separate topic, but I definitely see where you're coming from. Though I also think MIT has lots to offer + I'd be able to cross register at HBS which I think is pretty cool. Also, I'm already in the finance industry (BB investment banking) so I felt like Wharton, which traditionally is more known as a finance power-house, would not change my career trajectory too much. Whereas at MIT I may be exposed to different industries / opportunities / classmates + I do intend to pivot to tech post MBA, so I'm actually leaning towards MIT now. (Though I don't disagree that Wharton is also an excellent choice)

On a side note - have you decided which school to go to yet, potential future classmate?

MrGoodGuy2017

I would strongly recommend applying to GSB now to avoid any regrets later. The opportunities at GSB and Wharton are unmatched, especially given the current economic climate, and they far surpass what MIT offers. Even if GSB doesn’t work out, Wharton would still be an excellent choice. Sloan’s employment report this year was the weakest among the M7, while Wharton provides significantly stronger opportunities across both tech and business.

If you’re uncertain about your career goals, it’s better to choose a school with strengths across multiple areas rather than one focused primarily on tech, like MIT. I’d say go to Wharton and enjoy everything Philadelphia has to offer!

KCL5728 · Answer

Thanks for the comment!

As mentioned - I'm a reapplicant and I've already applied to GSB last year and got dinged straightaway.

Given this year I don't have any significant profile changes, so am just trying to be practical here to weigh my odds vs. the time/effort needed to put together another application ...

If last year GSB had given me a waitlist, I'd probably give it a shot again. But given I got nothing from GSB last year, I don't have my hopes up - this is a key factor of my consideration I guess

p.s. HBS gave me a further consideration last year, so this year I reapplied within a heartbeat (though still dinged post interview). And I felt like if I can't crack HBS, then GSB is probably out of my reach just given cold hard stats which shows the lowest acceptance rate among all schools

Is applying to GSB worth the time/effort?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards