P&Q’s Must Reads: Exit Interview: John Byrne On Building Poets&Quants, Breaking Big Stories & What Business Education Really Needs 

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: Exit Interview: John Byrne On Building Poets&Quants, Breaking Big Stories & What Business Education Really Needs

After 16 years building one of the most influential media platforms in graduate management education, John Byrne is stepping away from Poets&Quants. He founded the site in 2010 after serving as executive editor of Bloomberg Businessweek – where he wrote a record 58 cover stories – and editor-in-chief of Fast Company.  

In this interview, he reflects on his time and Poets&Quants, the future of business education, and what comes next. Find it on our homepage.  

No. 2: After 10 Years, NYU Stern’s Sustainability Push Moves From Proof To Practice 

Ten years after its founding, NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business is entering a new phase that reflects a broader shift in how companies approach sustainability. Now, under new leadership, the center’s focus is shifting from proof to practice. As supply chains strain and markets grow more volatile, the question is no longer whether sustainability creates value, but how to put it to work at scale. 

We look at the center’s pioneering first decade, and what the next 10 years will bring in this article, now up in our news tab.

No. 3: Poll: MBA Rankings Losing Credibility, But Schools Still Won’t Walk Away 

A new Manhattan Prep/Kaplan survey finds that 51% of admissions officers say rankings have lost prestige, but only 5% are considering opting out. 

Find out why in this article, up now on our homepage. 

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

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

First up: How To Improve Your MBA Odds If You’re 30+. This article, which you can find on our homepage, offers tips for overcoming the B-school bias for 20-somethings. 

Next: A New Playbook For MBA Admissions: Build Something First, Then Apply. This story on Stacy Blackman Consulting’s new SBC Lab shows why creating tangible, real-world projects can help on your MBA applications. Find it on our homepage.

Finally: 10 Tough MBA Interview Questions & How To Handle Them. Find it in our admissions hub.  

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. 

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