Biggest Myths & Misconceptions About Your Favorite Business Schools

Too easy. Too hard.

A two-year vacation. 11 months of hell.

You hear both slants when it comes to business school. To some, MBAs take a page out of Animal House: a series of blowout bashes and hair-raising hijinks – interspersed with moments of lounging on the beach and galavanting across the globe. To others, business school resembles The Paper Chase: Three cases a day from ruthless professors who relish cold calling unsuspecting students before their Red Bulls kick in.

Which is it? Well, that depends where students went, what they prioritized, and who they spent time around. Take Ilana Habib, a 2025 graduate of the University of Chicago’s Booth School. Before starting her MBA at Booth, she’d heard the program was “hardcore quant-focused.” Turns out, the school’s quant credentials didn’t disappoint, Habib says. While she may have been attracted to finance, she eventually pursued a more entrepreneurial path.

MORE PLAY THAN WORK – THINK AGAIN!

“There is so much else to take advantage of here that I ended up making other plans,” Habib admits. “While I still have certainly taken my fair share of intensive modeling classes, Booth has an incredible way of blending topics together in a way that pushed me to explore beyond what I expected to find in business school. As an example, I’ve taken classes on both marketing and history taught by faculty with a background in microeconomics. The interdisciplinary approach has led to some of my biggest “aha!” moments in business school and allowed me to form connections across courses in a way that I wouldn’t have expected at such a “quant” heavy institution. Yes, Booth is big into quant, but it’s because it gives us a shared language to discuss even bigger and more interesting things in business. It’s been a delightful surprise.”

Large business schools are often tagged with a reputation: grades don’t matter and there’s always fun to be had. In the United States, there is no bigger urban school than Columbia Business School, home to over 2,000 full-time MBA students between its two classes. Coming into CBS, Gabrielle Darko had heard the whispers: MBAs just party and travel. In reality, the ‘work hard’ portion of the equation carried far greater weight than its ‘play hard’ expression. And Darko has a message for those who subscribe to the ‘all play’ myth.

“To anyone who believes that, I’d say they’ve clearly never had to take 11 quant finals in one semester! Yes, we make time for fun, but the curriculum is rigorous. I struggled when I first started because of how much there was to juggle. So, while we might be on a plane one day, you can bet we were on Excel the night before, modeling and valuing a company!”

PASTORAL…WITH PLENTY TO DO

That’s not to say business school is all work. In rural programs, you might expect MBAs to be hunkered down like hermits to master the minutiae and score the highest grades. Just picture Hanover, New Hampshire, home to Dartmouth College’s Tuck School. Two hours from Boston, Hanover is nestled in the wooded hills of the Upper Valley – population 8,520 with temperatures averaging 10 degrees on January nights. Not surprisingly, Jordan Swett heard prospective students ask if there was anything to do in Hanover and would they be “stuck in the middle of the nowhere.” For Swett, a ’25 graduate who now works at a San Francisco venture capital firm, the reality was that there may have been too much to do in Hanover.

“I’ve experienced an incredible opportunity to explore the natural beauty of New England. Whether it’s skiing at nearby Killington, visiting a local working farm, or taking a weekend trip to Burlington or Montreal, I’ve found myself constantly choosing between amazing options rather than feeling limited. I’ve actually struggled to see and do everything I wanted during my precious two years in one of the most beautiful, adventure-filled regions in the country.”

You’ll hear plenty of opinions about your favorite business schools that are half-truths, distortions, and simply out-of-date. That’s one reason why Poets&Quants surveyed its Best & Brightest MBAs and MBAs To Watch to learn the myths and misconceptions about their alma maters – and how their experiences differed from the so-called conventional wisdom. From Babson College to the Yale School of Management, here is what MBA graduates really saw during their time in business school.

Myth: Babson is that it’s only for founders – if you don’t want to start a business, it’s not the right place for you.

Reality: “Before coming here, I heard this many times, and I even questioned whether my corporate background in FP&A would fit in.

But once I arrived, I quickly realized that Babson is not just about starting businesses – it’s about thinking entrepreneurially in any career path – it’s about entrepreneurial mindset. Whether you want to be a founder, a corporate leader, a consultant, or an investor, Babson teaches you how to identify opportunities, solve problems, and take action in uncertainty – skills that are invaluable in any industry.

I have seen classmates go into finance, consulting, tech, social impact, and corporate leadership – all while applying the same entrepreneurial mindset. For me, Babson provided the perfect environment to blend my finance expertise with innovation, helping me build not only a startup but also a strategic approach to acquiring and scaling businesses.

So, while Babson is undoubtedly a top-tier school for entrepreneurship, the real truth is: it’s a school for action-driven leaders in any field.”
Ruso Samunashvili, Babson College (Olin)

Myth: A myth about New England universities, including Boston College, is that all students come from wealthy families and are imbued with entitlement.

Reality: “Within my MBA program, by and large, my classmates are working professionals who are years to decades removed from dependency on their families. They were humble professionals seeking to pivot career paths or boost current career trajectories prioritize relationship building over the self-aggrandizing that entitlement espouses.”
Carolyn Ballinger, Boston College (Carroll)

Myth: “BYU Marriott is a religious-based education that sometimes lacks diverse perspectives.

Reality: “My experience has been the opposite. BYU Marriott encourages open, thoughtful discussions that connect business with ethics, values, and real-world challenges. Instead of limiting perspectives, the faith-based environment adds depth to conversations about leadership, integrity, and purpose. The program also attracts students from different backgrounds and industries, creating a space where diverse ideas are respected and explored. Rather than holding me back, this environment has strengthened my understanding of business—reminding me that success is about people, values, and long-term impact.”
Camila Costa, Brigham Young University (Marriott)

Myth: Carnegie Mellon University and the Tepper School are ‘quant jocks’ and engineers.

Reality: “While the Tepper School does emphasize analytics and data-driven decision-making, I found that it’s just as much about the human side of business—fostering leadership, collaboration, and diversity. The environment provides a unique balance of rigorous quantitative coursework and classes that emphasize people, leadership, and communication—all of which are just as critical in shaping well-rounded business leaders. The Tepper School isn’t just about numbers; it’s about personal growth, community impact, and the ability to translate insights into action—using data not just to analyze, but to drive better decisions and lead effectively.”
Vinicius Santos Avelar, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)

Myth: I often hear Booth described as a “finance school” or a “quant school.”

Reality: “It’s not a myth that Booth’s finance curriculum is phenomenal, but I see the school as so much more than that. As someone who came from a finance background and was looking to branch out academically, I found lots of value in the soft skills classes here. Negotiations provided me with frameworks and approaches that I employ in my personal interactions as much as my professional ones. Interpersonal Dynamics provided me with brutally honest, high-quality feedback on my leadership style that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. As a LEAD facilitator, I became part of a community of engaged, inspiring leaders and received 1×1 coaching and support on my leadership journey. My point here is just that Booth can be an enriching home for anyone, whether quantitatively inclined or not.”
Yana Kaplun, University of Chicago (Booth)

Myth: The environment would be excessively competitive in a negative way, especially considering we are based in New York City, notorious for this type of environment.

Reality: “I was pleasantly surprised to find that my classmates were incredibly supportive and genuinely invested in each other’s success. Even during the highly competitive management consulting recruiting process, both my peers and I adopted the mentality that “a win for Columbia is a win for me.” This mindset, which I embraced throughout my time at CBS, is something I intend to carry forward in other aspects of my life. While healthy competition is certainly present at CBS, given the impressive accomplishments of my classmates, I never felt diminished or inadequate due to my background or knowledge gaps. One of the most valuable lessons consistently reinforced at CBS is the importance of leveraging individual strengths and recognizing the unique perspectives each person brings to a team. This emphasis on collaboration and mutual support has been a truly transformative experience.”
Natalie Friel, Columbia Business School

Myth: Cornell can be a very competitive environment.

Reality: “After being at Cornell, while recruiting is intense, Johnson’s culture is more collaborative than cutthroat. Peers go out of their way to share resources, conduct mock interviews, and celebrate each other’s successes.”
Iris Fernanda Arguedas, Cornell University (Johnson)

Myth: In Hanover, you’ll feel isolated in the middle of the woods.

Reality: “From first-hand experience, I can say that what makes Tuck so special is that this “remoteness” is never truly felt—because it’s filled with the warmth of the community.

The people are what make the Tuck experience. They create a sense of belonging that makes you feel truly seen and valued. Surrounded by nature, you’re also surrounded by opportunities—to discover new passions, build meaningful friendships, and create lasting memories. It’s this combination that makes Tuck’s setting not a limitation, but a gift.”
Magdala Díaz de Rávago Zevallos, Dartmouth College (Tuck)

Myth: More legendary than mythical, the “Team Fuqua” mentality is hyped up by everyone you talk to as a prospective student.

Reality: “Let me tell you, it is real. Everyone truly has each other’s backs and works towards the greater good of Fuqua. This manifests itself in people sacrificing their limited free time to help with exam prep, sharing interview questions, or signing up for volunteer activities. The quote “Decency is achieving greatness by doing right by others” hangs over the main student gathering space, and every student works to emulate that during their time at Fuqua and beyond.”
Colette Spriggs, Duke University (Fuqua)

Myth: Durham is dull and Fuqua doesn’t place graduates in big cities.

Reality: “Durham has transformed into a vibrant, rapidly growing hub with incredible restaurants, breweries, and a thriving startup scene. It has the perks of a big city without the congestion, plus easy access to the mountains, beaches, and endless outdoor activities. Fuqua graduates frequently land in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago — while many also choose to stay in Durham! Tanner L. Morgan, Duke University (Fuqua)

Next Page: Myths about INSEAD, London Business School, and Michigan Ross.

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