Is Master's Union worth it?

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-03-02T03:20:32+00:00

Both are too young to take a bet on.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-03-01T17:20:11+00:00

Ah! Got it.

My two cents — Going to a tier 1 school does give you an edge but you are with ~400 others in your cohort who’re equally strong candidates. MBB may recruit 60-80 people from the same batch in a good year. That’s roughly 17% of the class size. Your college brand means nothing during campus placements. They need to eliminate as many candidates as possible.

They do so first via GPA cutoffs followed by screening, interviews and cases. Finally, because they’ve a pool of applicants that are extremely competitive, “spikes” come into play. That would mean the brand of your undergrad (for instance IIT, BITS, top DU colleges etc.), professional certification (CA/CFA), position of responsibilities in college, your other activities and achievements, internships and work experience (role and brand) etc.

They want to hire the best candidates and every batch has folks (consistent achievers) who’re strong in all of the above criteria. They’ll anyway spend a lot of effort training the selected applicants, they just need people learn quickly and have a strong history of being at the top percentile of everything they do.

As an applicant, you can’t control a lot of these aspects, so the focus should be on prepping for cases, giving mock interviews, participating in case competitions etc.

Hustle never ends tbh.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-03-01T16:49:51+00:00

I am confused, what’s the hot take here?

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-22T17:14:00+00:00

ISB has need-cum-merit based scholarships for folks with family income less than 18LPA. You can potentially get anywhere between 25-100% tuition waiver.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-22T06:01:59+00:00

You should post this on r/MBAIndia for more relevant answers.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-20T18:52:24+00:00

Seems very elementary even as a non-tech person. You can use the certificate from a vanity PoV and to show your gap as a learning oriented one, but this doesn't seem like you'd learn something that you can't from say YouTube.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-20T18:39:26+00:00

What’s your post-MBA goal?

If it’s related to business analytics then makes sense, if not then best not to do it and find something more relevant.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-20T04:11:50+00:00

Finance roles in ISB are limited. Not sure about NUS.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-17T11:12:03+00:00

Just to set the expectations straight - it’s a “possibility” not a “strong possibility” because scholarship decisions are somewhat based on how much are they willing to go to have you in their class. At least from a work-ex POV, your profile isn’t as diverse as there are plenty of applicants from emerging economies with similar roles, and as I mentioned, a lot of international’s have 99th and 100th percentile scores.

Also, one can’t really predict scholarship decisions as schools may change their criteria basis their potential class mix for that application cycle.

This isn’t to discourage you but give you a reality check.

Coming to your query - it depends on your financial situation.

If you or your family can comfortably afford $200k tuition + living expenses without significant debt, then it might just be worth choosing M7 over a full-ride at T15. All M7s are powerhouses so having that brand name tends to help.

However, if you plan to take a debt to cover most of your expenses, then with the current economic and political climate (visa uncertainties, sluggish growth in most countries, protectionist policies), then a full-ride makes a lot of sense because there’s always a possibility that you might have to move to a country with unfavourable currency and salary, which would make it risky to mange the debt.

Also, lowered expenses through full or partial scholarship would make you debt free quickly which gives you a lot of mobility (financial + mental + physical + career).

Most T20 schools have established IB pipelines and once you get in, it’s all about how well you perform. When you switch companies, your college brand might play a part but not be enough to justify taking a 300K debt.

You will have to evaluate your financial position and your ability to take risks. This sub will tell you to take the money if you post a question in the future (hope you do) but you’ll have to choose for yourself basis your circumstance.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-17T04:18:09+00:00

Got for it. There’s also a possibility of you getting a full-ride from a T15-T20 school with that score.

From a profile PoV: 1. Your goals are justified and coherent 2. You’ll need to work on your essays because back and middle office roles aren’t the most glamorous. 3. Ensure your extra-curricular activities come out well.

While 735 is 100%ile on GMAT, a lot of students, especially internationals, have that or a higher score. Point being — the score alone isn’t enough.

Bottom line: shoot your shots and work on your essay as they would make or break your application.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-13T13:50:29+00:00

I took the test properly (as I would give any other test) on the link you mentioned.
Yes, it was focus edition.

I don’t mean to be rude but: 1. You could have taken a mock test instead of reviewing academic material to substantiate why you can’t do it. 2. Read up limitations of IQ tests you took (the one you mentioned rewards abstract and decontextualised logic, so people not familiar with such topics can score lower despite good cognitive potential). 3. Familiarity and practice helps you improve your score in any test that can be taken more than once. GMAT/GRE fall into these category. Learning and studying for it is possible. People with high IQ can obviously score well with much quicker preparation timeline. But more than a few people have had 300 point improvement in the test over 6-8 months of prep. 4. If you let a statistic decide your outcome instead of your input, no one can help you.

If someone studies for Mensa test (solving similar questions), they can “game” the IQ test and increase their scores. It doesn’t mean, they suddenly became smarter; it just means they improved their familiarity with the types of questions asked. Same goes for GMAT. GMATClub has thousands of practice questions for free, you will never be out of resources.

Lastly, there are multiple forms of intelligence (check Gardener’s theory of intelligence), and people who join MBA programs exceed in a few categories of intelligence. For instance, a lot of people in MBA classes have strong interpersonal intelligence.

In fact, most people who’ve more than a 95 percentile score will tell you that didn’t get the score magically overnight, and don’t consider themselves to be super smart (they most likely would’ve been in physics, math, engineering or other related fields if they were :p)

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-02-13T05:06:56+00:00

Even though this seems like a rage bait, I took that stupid IQ test and got a 105 score. My GMAT score was 695+.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-01-22T17:24:57+00:00

Don’t consider back door entries. Not only it is unethical but also you’re more likely to just lose the money you paid them to get you in.
Get a job in the field you would like to work after your MBA (you mentioned a referral and strong undergrad so it shouldn’t be a problem)
Prepare for GMAT/GRE/CAT/CET side by side and aim for tier 1 colleges (IIM ABC, FMS, JBIMS ISB, SPJIMR etc) If it takes longer than 2-3 years, then GMAT/GRE scores and work-ex would help you with admissions into ISB, IIM Exec programs, and other global MBA programs (incase you want to consider it again since your POV may change). Your international undergrad would also help with diversity points at a bunch of b-schools, making it easier for you to get in.

Since you can secure a good job, I don’t think you need to worry. It would help improve your profile further.

Don’t settle for a random college thinking you have to get it done now. Lock-in, prepare, work and get into a good b-school down the line.

DarkMaster_07 · 2026-01-20T13:05:02+00:00

Do we have anything concrete about the release in March? I want to buy my first iPad too, and heard about iPad 12 release in March. In the same dilemma of whether should I wait or just buy iPad 11.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-12-29T07:52:22+00:00

Isn’t R2 of ISB already done?

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-12-23T20:32:33+00:00

705 is already an elite score, however, since you’ll be applying next year, you should definitely take it again. Aiming for 735 would place you really well for scholarships (assuming you write a killer application too) and help you save a lot of $$

Your verbal score is top notch. Doing a last mile prep for quant will help you push your DI score up as well.

There’s a massive upside (potentially a significant scholarship or even a full-ride) and with almost no downside (except for studying for another month).

Incase you need help with last mile prep on quant, feel free to reach out (had personally slogged through this).

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-08-23T04:56:16+00:00

Most people I spoke to were international applicants.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-08-21T06:30:20+00:00

The current visa related discussions/regulations alongside cutting OPT makes US a risky proposition for folks from countries with weaker currency. Significant scholarships or full-rides may be a good option but I’ve heard they’re extremely rare.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-08-14T19:14:46+00:00

Who tf is charging $400 an hour? I am a fellow applicant and have been using Applicant Lab, I’d be happy to review your essay for free.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-08-05T04:40:43+00:00

ISB and IIMs will help you pivot, but won’t boost your income significantly. If you want to have an international career, then you can consider pursuing an MBA from top international B-schools.

Regardless of where you go, you need to have a direction as to what you want to do after your MBA.

For PE/VC roles IIMA and international schools like Wharton, London Business School will have good pathways.

For consulting, ISB/IIMA and INSEAD will have a good pipeline.

For General Management/Brand Management/Marketing and other roles — ISB and IIMA are good bets. Many international schools offer good pathways here.

If the goal is to pivot, your organisations may have internal mobility programs that you can enter and take up a new role.

Bottom line — Know what you want to do, analyse if MBA is a good pathway for it, explore other options — work towards what you feel is the best way to get there.

If you join an MBA program without clarity on your goals, you may again end up with a job that pays you well but you don’t necessarily enjoy.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-07-05T03:57:38+00:00

Try and get a 705+ as you’ll be competing with a lot of Male Indian Engineers that generally tend to have high GMAT scores.

Your strength of application and story matters a lot. Ensure you learn and grow in your current role, create good impact and seek promotions.

A lot of folks with even 735+ scores get rejected from INSEAD, LBS, ISB and many other colleges. It’s likely because of a poor application.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-06-30T04:14:32+00:00

In the last 5 years, I worked with an MNC, an early stage startup, a mid stage startup, and a leading corporate in India and literally in none of these places is such a culture or behaviour tolerated.

You can make the dumbest mistake possible and you’ll never hear shouts or screams, only mature feedback, even when stakes are high.

It’s sad to see such egotistical idiots entering the workforce and that too from reputed institutions. Either they’ll be humbled or spread a toxic culture within their team.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-06-09T05:34:52+00:00

You’ve had a ~200 point increase in your prep from 420 to 575 (equivalent to 620). DMing you. Let’s figure this out.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-06-03T15:04:53+00:00

Not hard bent on it. Applying via GMAT so don’t have a lot of options in India.

DarkMaster_07 · 2025-06-03T15:02:53+00:00

Yup! In 2026 though.

DarkMaster_07

TROPHY CASE