‘WE EXPECTED MORE’: Stanford GSB Students Call For Higher Teaching Standards

Stanford Graduate School of Business is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the world. Its reputation, selectivity, and ties to Silicon Valley attract thousands of elite applicants every year. For one current MBA student, gaining admission was “the fulfillment of a dream.”

But that dream has been clouded by disillusionment — particularly with the academic experience. “There’s a real mismatch between what this place projects and what happens in the classroom,” the student says.

This student, like others in this series, was granted anonymity to speak freely without fear of professional or academic repercussions. As they and their peers explain, open criticism is rare at GSB — not because students are satisfied, but because few want to be seen undermining the value of a degree they’ve invested so heavily in. (See “We’re Not Learning Anything”: Stanford Students Sound The Alarm Over Academics and “AI Is Devaluing The MBA”: Stanford Students Speak Out On Curriculum Lag & Risk To The B-School’s Brand.)

While students don’t describe their decision to attend GSB as a mistake, many say the academic experience — particularly in the required Core and Distribution courses during the first year — has been underwhelming.

THE TEACHING DIVIDE BETWEEN CORE AND ELECTIVES

The student points to a persistent divide between courses taught by academics — who dominate the required first-year curriculum — and electives taught by practitioners, which tend to be far more popular and well-reviewed.

“There are electives that are genuinely excellent,” the student says. “Courses like Managing Growing Enterprises, Winning Writing, and Product Market Fit have an excellent reputation — these are taught by people who’ve actually built or led companies. You walk away with skills you can use.”

But required courses — for example those in accounting, economics, and organizational behavior — are more of a gamble. “In some sections, you might get a fantastic professor. In others, the teaching is uninspired, disconnected from real practice, or just flat,” the student explains. 

‘NO MINIMUM BAR FOR TEACHING QUALITY’

“While the school prides itself on that its faculty members ‘select the teaching method that’s best for each subject’, in practice this merely means that each professor can do whatever they want,” the student continues. “There’s no minimum bar for teaching quality, no quality control. That feels out of place at a school like this.”

“The fundamentals are important — no one’s saying we shouldn’t learn accounting or econ,” the student clarifies. Students complain about the delivery. “Why not make it more hands-on?” one asks. “Bring in professionals or use tools that companies actually rely on. It would help us connect the theory to the real world.”

The student emphasizes that they are speaking from their own lived academic experience — and they recognize that other classmates may have had a more positive one. 

“Some people got lucky with sections, and some courses were better than others. But that’s exactly the issue,” they say. “At a school like Stanford, the academic experience shouldn’t come down to luck. It should be consistently great.”

A CHICKEN-AND-EGG PROBLEM

While alumni often praise their MBA academic experience, the student suspects the school has changed — particularly in the wake of Covid-19: Faculty blame students for being disengaged; students blame faculty for uninspired and outdated teaching. It’s a classic chicken-and-egg problem, they say.

In many of the required courses, students say engagement is low — and often sustained only by mandatory attendance policies. “People are checked out,” they say. By contrast, highly rated electives are “completely full — even if those don’t even have strict attendance policies.” 

“When the teaching is strong, people show up,” the student notes. “When it’s not, we’re forced to show up anyway.”

‘MODEST OPTIMISM’

The imbalance reflects what students describe as a major misalignment of incentives: despite class evaluations, professors face little pressure to improve; and due to the lottery based system, students have limited say over who teaches the classes they’re required to take.

Tenured faculty are largely insulated from feedback, the student says, echoing the concerns of others, pointing out that end-of-quarter surveys are the only way the school measures teaching effectiveness. “And it seems that as long as things aren’t terrible, things don’t change,” they say. “Some students feel academic research is prioritized over the student experience — and wonder if donors are aware of these priorities.”

“There is modest optimism that the new dean can improve things,” the student says. “But there’s also a real concern that any serious effort will run into resistance.”

A SILENT CULTURE OF DISSATISFACTION

The student suggests that few people speak up — not because they don’t have concerns, but because it’s easier to stay quiet once you’re already in the program.

“It can be hard to be fully honest — even with ourselves,” the student says. “You work so hard to get here. Admitting that the academics aren’t what you expected — it’s uncomfortable. And because the Stanford name carries so much weight, people don’t want to say anything that might make it seem less valuable. It feels like you’re criticizing your own degree.”

The student and others say previous classes faced similar frustrations, but most stayed quiet. As one student puts it, “By the time you’ve settled in — and especially once things get better in the second year — speaking out just isn’t a priority anymore.”

‘WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE IT BETTER’

Students interviewed for this series say their goal is to make the GSB experience better for future students. There is hope among them that the new dean will drive meaningful improvements in the curriculum and teaching.

“We’re proud to be here,” one student says, “but we also see opportunities for GSB to better deliver on the ideals it stands for.”

This is the third in an ongoing Poets&Quants series examining student dissatisfaction at elite business schools. More student perspectives, and responses from B-schools, will follow. If you are a current or former MBA student and wish to share your experience, contact us confidentially at marc@poetsandquants.com.

DON’T MISS “WE’RE NOT LEARNING ANYTHING”: STANFORD STUDENTS SOUND THE ALARM OVER ACADEMICS and “AI IS DEVALUING THE MBA”: STANFORD STUDENTS SPEAK OUT ON CURRICULUM LAG AND RISK TO THE B-SCHOOL’S BRAND

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