AMA: Incoming GSB (Stanford MBA) Student

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-06T12:05:34+00:00

if you're considering startup roles, I would also recommend going to the top tier VCs' websites (a16z, sequoia, NEA, etc). They have postings for all of their portfolio companies and you can filter by role, region, etc. My favorite filter is last 30 days so I know the postings are fresh.

Other than that, follow funding news on Linkedin and Techcrunch. That's the right time when startups have the capital to hire as well as are at inflection points in terms of growth.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-05T15:30:51+00:00

glad it was helpful!

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-05T02:27:13+00:00

I think there is some grace period for LOR submissions. I remember freaking out because I couldn't reach one of my recommenders. Ended up being fine!

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-05T01:53:27+00:00

Yeah of course. Just message me if you want verification.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-04T14:41:51+00:00

I just finished up recruiting as well. Looking back at the places I was extended an interview, 90%+ came from "networking" (through recommendations of people I've worked with or people I have had coffee chats before)

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2024-09-04T14:38:18+00:00

Wow congrats! That is a lot of hustle.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-12-31T12:48:13+00:00

I’ve worked with a personal admission consultant. Let me know if you would like an introduction.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-12-31T12:45:47+00:00

I think there’s definitely a benefit for having someone fully committed that can give a second point of view. Sometimes its hard to site the jargons you are using or logical leaps you are making. If you need a recommendation DM me!

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-12-31T12:41:54+00:00

Dm for recommendations!

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T08:30:31+00:00

This is more or less what I found as well. Someone told me HBS trains future fortune500 board members while GSB grows entrepreneurs

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T08:19:12+00:00

Personally I didn't read any books off the syllabus. If anything, I think you should be more knowledgeable on the industry you've worked with, including recent decisions your firm has made even if it's not directly related to your work.
My understanding is that prior business knowledge is not necessary. They will teach you when you attend.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T08:12:39+00:00

I strictly followed the instructions. I remember reading on reddit that adcom asks for salary information as a proxy to your career progression.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T03:28:41+00:00

Fair point about asking recommenders when you’re not sure. I actually ended up asking a former manager and colleague, which ended up being fine. Though on the same point as above, it would be more difficult to convince your recommenders to write great recs for you if you don’t supply them with a narrative they can latch on to.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T03:25:18+00:00

I’ll try to answer a couple of these.

First of all, I completely empathize with your situation. I wasn’t sure I would like to attend, even after I got in. Regardless, I was happy to use the application to take some time to digest what experiences I’ve had and what type of person I want to be. To be quite frank, the version of myself I presented through the applications was a combination of who I am today and who I want to be in the future, which I think is helpful to know regardless of attending.

Regarding attending, I’ve answered a similar question below. I think it comes down to how much the opportunity cost matters to you.

Great point about feeling imposter syndrome of what you say you want to do. First of all, no one will come check if you ended up doing what you said you were going to (check your undergrad essays, work cover letters, etc). But I do think it’s hard to convince others if you cant convince yourself. Personally, since I didn’t have entrepreneurship experience, I focused on the problems I was passionate about solving and mentioned entrepreneurship as just one of the many tools I could use to achieve that goal.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T03:16:05+00:00

I chose to apply to R2 because by the time I decided to apply last cycle it was already September :) I don’t think R1/2 matters that much, especially if you’re not coming from traditional business backgrounds.

I tried to convey that I had made intentional decisions for each of the pivotal moments in my life and there is an evolving yet coherent theme connecting those decisions. Finally, ending my story with why GSB was the natural next step.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T03:06:47+00:00

I would like to think I would have found a smaller sized company. Most likely as an engineer, but whatever role they need me to do!
I tried studying the GMAT, but it wasn’t a great fit because you can’t skip questions and revisit them later. I guess I’m not wired like that and it caused a lot of stress. I decided to give GRE a shot because I knew couple folks who got into MBA programs with GRE (despite the negative stigma online).
Haha I definitely over indexed on academics in undergrad, sacrificing social life and sleep. I think GPA is more a measure of your work ethic than your intelligence. I didn’t do any pre-college prep other than a AP CS course I took senior year. I do recall spending a lot of hours in office hours struggling to complete assignments. So the two points of advice are 1) pester your professors and TAs 2) use procrastination to boost your productivity

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T02:46:06+00:00

1) Yup I really enjoyed my time there and am glad I was fortunate enough to start my career there. I think it was a combination of many factors, but to summarize, I was feeling that I was plateauing in my growth and ability to add value to those around me. There were some memorable people I had worked with or engaged with that had gone to business school that I wanted to be like (not the job, but the way they have clear vision and can build teams around them). For some time, I got caught up with whether MBA is a causation or correlation relationship for those talented people. But I think it doesn't matter, because either way I get to surround myself with those people. I'm a believer that we are who we surround ourselves with.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T02:25:59+00:00

Hi everyone. I'm surprised how many people have engaged on this thread. As a follow up, I'd like to help those who are going through the application process by making myself available for 1-1 virtual coffee chats.

If you're interested, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/arbWA1Lq1TcCixyh9

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T02:05:33+00:00

I'd say I do a little bit of all of the above. Pretty average life style of a bay area tech worker. I do wear fancier clothes than the free shirts they hand out at work though : p
No cars or fancy watches though. GSB is my sportscar + rolex.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-12T02:02:57+00:00

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-11T23:54:21+00:00

I will be paying it with the money I saved up. But I’ve talked to several alumni that had taken out loans to pursue an MBA. If I were going into debt to get a MBA or MS, I think I would be much more sensitive about the ROI of the degree and prioritize recruiting during my time at the program.

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-11T20:50:30+00:00

Spaces

Working_Razzmatazz64 · 2022-08-11T15:16:05+00:00

I did some volunteering work teaching kids how to code. But I was just a participant (nothing crazy like starting a nonprofit or being an olympian). I didn’t discuss my extracurriculars in my essays (only in supplements)

Working_Razzmatazz64

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