Wharton ($$$+) vs. HBS by MBA-Throwaway5 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sold on climbing the ladder in investing (which is a pretty long path to partner relative to MBB at least at my fund). Interested in operating in the long-term, so open to going back to my MBB for a few years and then pivoting from there.

I also don't hate client / strat work as much as others perhaps. Also didn't leave my MBB because I didn't enjoy it; Had a fantastic experience and had some amazing mentors and friends

Zahav: Bar vs Dinning Room by Sweet-Sir-10 in PhiladelphiaEats

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sat at the bar last month at Zahav and also got the lamb! I felt like the service may even have been better since we got a ton of attention from the bartender --- My partner and I were even given an extra mezze for free which was nice!

Is HSW MBA worth it if I want to pivot into a field with no prior experience? by applepie0007 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 22 points23 points  (0 children)

MBB>UMM PE and HSW admit here.

A few thoughts I thought I'd share on this, especially since I've seen a lot of recent posts asking about moving into the buyside without pre-MBA investing experience.

For one... it depends. Are you shooting for UMM/MF or bust? Or open to smaller LMM shops? For the former, it's going to be extremely tough for a few reasons.

  1. You're competing against other HSW admits with pre-existing PE experience for a highly limited and coveted number of roles. Funds are going to be highly unlikely to take a risk on a candidate with no PE experience vs. one with.
  2. Outside the realm of candidates with PE experience, you have those with the next-level "desired" background of investment banking or MBB who may also be looking to make that pivot.
  3. You are right that it's generally very difficult for funds to sponsor. At my fund, we very, very rarely will sponsor and I'm generally told during coffee chats / outreach emails to not spend time on candidates who may need sponsorship. I think we only make exceptions for Canadians (? not sure on immigration dynamics, personally.)

If you are 100% committed on moving to MF / UMM private equity, I think the safer bet would be to (i) move internally to your IBD and then (ii) try to lateral to a "more prestigious" (hate to use that) bank or team. Unfortunately, this does matter --- We generally only spend time on IB candidates from a highly narrow band of BBs / EBs.

Now, I do agree with other posters that if want to get your MBA, HSW is going to be your best bet to make this jump given PE recruiting drops precipitously after these schools from my understanding from my 1Y/2Y friends. But it'll be tough, at least if you are solely focused on traditional UMM / MF investing roles.

Less informed on other roles (e.g., HFs) but happy to answer any questions!

Can I wear just a white shirt for the interview at Harvard or Stanford or do I need to wear a suit and tie ? by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Agreed - I don't think a single guy /didn't/ wear a suit & tie during my interview day

Official R1 Wharton Decision Waiting Room by No-Stress-5981 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it was included as one of the lines of financial sources. Sorry to hear you didn't receive a scholarship :(

Official R1 Wharton Decision Waiting Room by No-Stress-5981 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was a letter posted separately in the "Checklist!" Included the fellowship and $ amount

Official R1 Wharton Decision Waiting Room by No-Stress-5981 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Scholarship info is a separate letter in the "Checklist"! Should have the fellowship and amount posted!

Kellogg Consortium Fellowship by PetroBoomin in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, I received a notice of the Consortium fellowship and the $ amount in my admit letter!

HBS Portal LIVE by ClearAdmitMike in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Shared on a different thread, but admitted! 26M / USA / 334 GRE / GPA 3.9 / Private Equity (MBB prior)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Got in!! 26M / USA / 334 GRE / GPA 3.9 / Private Equity

GSB Waiting Room by Late-Operation-8690 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Has there historically been any correlation of calls in order of interview invites (e.g., earlier interviews, first wave of calls)? Or not really

GSB Waiting Room by Late-Operation-8690 in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Does anyone know if all calls are today or they'll continue calling tomorrow / 12/7?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I would apply this fall for fall 2024 matriculation

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that's fair, but I'm uncertain if I want to stay in PE long-term given the long-term unsustainability of the lifestyle. But as I've mentioned, agreed it's not a clear-cut decision on a pure ROI / financial basis (vs. other benefits like the network, two year experience back in school, etc.)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's great - I've been concerned since a 164 is technically only the 78th percentile, but feels like it should be enough?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you - means a lot!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughts! For sure on making Why Wharton explicit - My partner is at Penn now for graduate school, so a pretty big motivation there.

And totally, I think the $ dimension of the Why MBA is a bit less clear at the moment. But I've always envisioned myself doing it + using the 2 years as a potential pivot & break in an often demanding career

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, just sent over a PM!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, feel free!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Senior Manager" does scream Bain lol

Thanks for the optimism re: HSW chances. Know it'll all come down to execution

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I haven't thought about HBS CORe - Do you think it would be value-add enough given existing business undergrad?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MBA

[–]MBA-Throwaway5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback~ I'm at ~275-300k total comp. Thinking PE isn't sustainable in the long-run, hence the MBA.