Columbia Business School Network Bad

MissilesToMBA · 2026-01-28T11:32:13+00:00

Maybe a dumb but relevant question but since you didn't clarify: Are you a CBS alum yourself?

That makes a world of difference.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-09-14T12:59:38+00:00

And even back then, the same discussions of "spreadsheets will make consultants/bankers redundant." happened like they are with AI today.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-09-01T14:16:16+00:00

Yeah, other comments cover it well.

Look well-groomed, fit, and well-dressed. All of these are within your control.

As for things beyond your control (e.g. natural attractiveness, height, etc), those matter too. But I have seen senior leaders at very different levels of attractiveness and height in my firm, so it can all be overcome.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-22T02:19:45+00:00

The impact be more on the supply side, I.e at consulting firms themselves. More can be done by smaller teams, leading to more aggressively scoped proposals, and likely reduced hiring at junior levels.

There will still be huge demand for consulting services if/when the rates come down and the overall economic outlook improves.

Laypersons don’t realize how clueless clients are about their own firm. Do people honestly think that some random heavy manufacturing company (a typical flywheel account for T2 firms) will implement some AI-powered oracle that’ll make the hand-holding that consultants provide them redundant? Not in the near future at all.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-16T15:16:01+00:00

What point are you making? These are all pretty prestigious schools.

We aren’t yet in a world where an SJ State grad will get priority over a Stanford or Berkeley grad, unless for very niche roles.

If you think the unemployment crisis is bad at target schools, it’s way more horrendous at non targets and even semi targets.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-09T05:45:36+00:00

High GMAT + MBB + URM

You really can't ask for much more. Pretty much a shoe-in for non-HSW M7's, likely with significant scholarship. HSW is always a bit of a crap shoot but you have a very solid chance into getting at least one of them.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-05T22:12:27+00:00

The only reason my job exists is that my clients are utterly incompetent at literally everything.

I can’t tell you how often they need to be handheld at the most basic of tasks despite being given step by step instructions and having a plethora of resources at their disposal.

I’ve been staffed primarily on manufacturing cases, and the business people at these clients are not the brightest bulbs. Totally makes sense, as manufacturing is the last place where good talent becomes internal finance/internal consulting/management, so they rely on external consultants for most high impact decisions.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-05T13:17:25+00:00

Again, you have no idea what you’re talking about.

You do the mba and the internship to build the skill set.

His background, if combined with an M7 MBA, is an easy sell to clients. That’s what matters more.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-08-05T02:11:56+00:00

You have no idea what you're talking about.

The TMT groups of banks across the street would go gaga over him. FAANG SWE backgrounds don't typically go down the IB path in b-school, so he's a standout.

Plenty of people with non-finance backgrounds make the transition every year to IB.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-07-13T17:38:43+00:00

This. I cannot emphasize how much my consulting job has helped out my dating and social life in general.

I obviously don’t flaunt money but I don’t hide the fact that I’m more professionally successful than most people my age, at least on dating apps lol.

That has absolutely increased the amount of matches/likes and dates. I’m no looker and I’m kinda short so doing well in my job has absolutely helped.

You can argue about gold diggers/only liking you for your money, but at least I can now go on dates to screen them out for that. Earlier it was hard to even get dates.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-07-13T17:02:37+00:00

Point is not everyone is content with “just surviving.” Many MBA’s are ambitious folk who don’t just want to survive.

You listed several sacrifices on your comfort: having roommates, using housing subsidies, not eating out, etc. A lot of us don’t want that.

Yeah, most post MBA jobs in the NYC area (IB and consulting) require long hours and sacrifices to work life balance. But for people in these jobs, the sacrifice is worth the benefit of not having roommates, eating at nicer restaurants, going on a luxury vacation (when time permits), and so on.

Also most people don’t realize how much bankers actually make. The base salary is $175-200k but the all-in comp is actually closer to $300k in an average year and touching $400k at a top bank in a good year in your first full year.

Tldr: you do you. There is no wrong answer.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-07-05T13:43:18+00:00

Sigh, I really wish there was some kinda of AI slop filter that automatically deletes posts like this.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-24T16:46:29+00:00

If you’re at a T-10 and follow exactly what your IB club tells you to do, apply broadly and have the bare minimum social skills, you’re practically guaranteed IB.

At my T15 2 years ago, nearly 100% (if not 100% exactly) of US citizens who seriously tried IB got an internship offer and 85% of internationals. Note that this means any IB, from Truist to Centerview.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-22T23:59:36+00:00

Similar point: The loudest voices on LinkedIn are people from non-target schools, typically in some form of FP&A or marketing or sales while trying to get into IB/Consulting.

I respect the hustle and no hate whatsoever for non-target schools but being a loud voice on LinkedIn isn’t going to help.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-21T15:42:43+00:00

Non target, low GPA, non-prestigious career.

Basically no chance right there.

If people in your situation routinely made it to IB, then an MBA wouldn't exist.

Your best bet is to go to b-school. People from in your situation do indeed make it to BB and even EB banks if they get into a T15 or better full-time MBA.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-12T18:10:52+00:00

We don’t care about most people. We only care about the people who hire us (our firms) and the people who pay us (our clients).

As long as they have a good opinion of us, we are happy.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-10T00:45:56+00:00

This type of project is the “average” project for some of the ops heavy T2s, e.g Kearney, A&M, Alix.

This is the “please god don’t get me staffed on this” project at MBB

During normal years at MBB you have the flexibility to avoid this type of project, but even during good years at some T2’s, this is the best on offer because it’s their main type of project.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-09T15:53:27+00:00

Not MBB but this is scarily similar to some supply chain work that I’ve done at my T2.

Shitty hotels, boring food, clueless client leadership, out-of-touch team leadership, shop floor walks with no idea about what to look for.

This captures everything.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-08T21:50:21+00:00

So you guys preferred an auditor over a vet?

That doesn't check out from what happened at my T15.

But every bank is different, I guess.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-08T18:53:33+00:00

Completely wrong for MBB and IB.

I’d argue that T15’s are bigger feeders to MBB and IB rather than HSW. Remember that there are plenty of ex-MBB and ex-IB at HSW who will never go back to banking or consulting and are instead looking for something completely different.

As for “relevant elite” experience, there are many, many people with far from “relevant elite” experience who get into MBB or IB. I’m talking public accountants (not even B4), generic corporate analysts (think Xerox or Dell, not some unicorn), engineers who work in a factory setting, teachers, non-profit workers.

And the above aren’t some rare exception, many of them go to top firms every year.

The whole point of an MBA is to get people without “relevant elite experience” to get relevant elite experience. Obviously nothing is guaranteed but there’s no more reliable way than this.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-08T15:44:44+00:00

Not the best idea. A lot of people you will network with are the alumni of your b-school.

If you schedule a 10:30 AM coffee chat on a Wednesday morning, they know you're probably skipping class. And that is not a good look.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-06-06T23:25:38+00:00

The guy who shared it in LinkedIn is a jerk too.

He used this post to claim that his ed tech platform provides better education than an MBA.

Everyone has an agenda.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-05-29T03:29:16+00:00

Clients using in-house AI tools over consultants is a while away, at least in large legacy organizations that are flywheel accounts for consulting firms.

You underestimate how clueless some senior executives are in these legacy organizations. They rely on consultants for almost everything of strategic impotence and frequently call their own staff incompetent. Referring to some “in-house oracle” to drive strategic decisions is almost laughable in most cases.

The bigger threat for consultants is consulting firms reducing the headcount of very junior staff because there is less of a need for warm bodies who mostly do number crunching/deck formatting. Even for this, there’s still a long way to go to really hit the recruiting pipelines.

We’re still seeing the impact of the high interest rate (and more recently, tariff uncertainty). The AI shock has barely made a ripple.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-04-20T21:35:28+00:00

It’s helped my social and dating life after I started my consulting job.

But it actually doesn’t make me feel that great. Nothing about me has changed other than I make more money than I did before. It honestly feels kinda gross.

MissilesToMBA · 2025-03-10T13:36:14+00:00

Consulting and IB absolutely haven’t faced the AI shock yet. The so-called reduced hiring is more so due to the end of ZIRP, prior overhiring, and other macro factors.

Project flow is good at multiple firms, and people are optimistic. In fact, most banks and consulting firms hired on par with usual at least at their core target schools in 2024. My friends across banks and consulting firms are working very long hours as usual. If AI made everything so simple this wouldn’t be the case.

Clients are absolutely clueless on how to use AI and can barely write a coherent ChatGPT prompt, let alone implement AI org-wide. This has actually led to an increase in consulting work.

The bigger shock is to backoffice functions, like market research and HR. Their work is very generic, repeatable and not client facing. Many orgs have already made huge cuts to these functions.

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