P&Q’s Must Reads: One Of Wharton’s Most Successful MBA Alums Says His Degree Was ‘A Waste Of Time’ 

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: One Of Wharton’s Most Successful MBA Alums Says His Degree Was ‘A Waste Of Time’ 

By almost any account, Bill Winters has had a very successful career. After earning his MBA from Wharton in 1988, Winters returned to JPMorgan and climbed the ranks over the next 26 years. He ultimately became co-CEO of JP Morgan’s investment bank.

For the past decade, Winters has been CEO of Standard Chartered Bank in the United Kingdom, receiving a total compensation package of $14.7 million last year. His net worth has been estimated as high as $336 million.

Did his MBA training at Wharton help to put him on this high-flying trajectory? Not according to Winters.

You can read why in this story, which you’ll find in our trending tab.

No. 2: Chicago Booth Launches New MBA Concentration In Applied AI

As artificial intelligence continues to upend industries and redefine business strategy, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has become the latest top business school to launch an MBA concentration in Applied Artificial Intelligence — a move it says will equip students with the skills to lead in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

The concentration brings Booth’s total MBA focus areas to 16.

Learn more about Booth’s concentration, as well as the AI moves other b-schools are making, now from our homepage.

No. 3: At The Indian School Of Business, One Prof Is Using AI & VR To Build Smarter, More Strategic MBAs 

Anand Nandkumar is rethinking how MBA students learn — by combining AI chatbots and virtual reality with traditional coursework. The Indian School of Business professor’s goal: help students ask better questions, think more critically, and apply strategy in real-world contexts.

Nandkumar’s approach, now gaining traction across ISB and beyond, could offer other business schools a practical model for using emerging tech to build sharper, more adaptable leaders.

Learn more about his approach from this story, which you’ll also find our trending tab.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: Can You Change A “Ding” Into An “Accept”? In this article, a former HBS AdComm director’s outlines the 4 pillars that matter. You can find it our admissions hub.

Next: How To Stand Out In The Application Pile. This article, also in the admissions hub, teaches you how to sidestep the overflowing buckets of banker, consultant, and tech profiles – and craft an application that truly shines. 

Finally: 6 MBA Specializations To Supercharge Your Career. Here, Fortuna Admissions lists the AI and tech specializations that are shaping the future of business leadership. You can find it from our homepage. 

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.