MBA Academic Experience and why MBB love MBAs ?

Anonymous,

Your perception of MBAs is biased. Your focus on academics is narrow-minded and not strategic. Think about where the future is headed. We will have robots doing most of the technical/objective skills within the next few decades. Unless you plan on doing a PhD in a highly specialized STEM subject that very few others have mastered (Statistics/ML/AI), soft skills and problem-solving in ambiguous environments are the way of the future. This skillset (leadership, creativity, critical thinking, sound judgement) is what is taught at top MBA programs. This is the glue that holds together MBBs and will provide value for future businesses.

The MBA goes well beyond academics and into more important contexts, such as leading teams, building relationship currency, and driving impact. The importance of these soft skills is substantially greater than an individual course selections and how smart you can be. When you graduate with an MBA, it opens doors to not just MBB, but product management at top tech companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, facebook), investment banking, and management roles at startups. Your impact is exponentially multipled. You will have learned how to communicate with diverse people. You will stop discriminating against liberal arts majors and learn from them. You will value different perspectives. You will build a network of the next generation of future leaders. These will be your closest friends and peers, and people you can trust to support in your career you well beyond the 1-2 year MBA program.

Side Note: MBB actually pays very little compared to post-MBA roles in investment banking and the tech industry.

Final Note: I disagree with the notion that you need to go to a Top 3 business school. You need to go to a decent business school (measured by the corporate partnerships at the firms/companies you want to work).

Meaning, unless you're on scholarship, don't go to Harvard for $150K in tuition and 800+ class size when you can go to University of Michigan for $50K and get the exact same interviews at McKinsey.

Think critically about what you want, and then decide on an action plan to get there. If it's the textbook knowledge you're looking for, you're better served by coursera.

Anonymous B