The 20 Biggest Regrets Of MBA Graduates

10) Networked With Alumni Sooner: “I remember being nervous to reach out to professionals when I first started the MBA program. Like most people, I think I was concerned about taking people’s time or them not wanting to chat. In time, I found the opposite was true! The UF alumni community is incredibly supportive and I have loved getting to meet people through events and my career search. I am looking forward to being the person on the receiving end of those coffee chat requests after graduation!”
Emily Storrs, University of Florida (Warrington)

11) Spend More Time With Professors Outside of Class: “Looking back, the one thing I would do differently is spend more time getting to know my professors outside of the classroom. Georgetown has an incredible faculty whose depth of knowledge and professional experience extends far beyond what can be covered during class sessions. While I benefited tremendously from their teaching, I now realize there were opportunities to engage more deeply through office hours and informal conversations.

In the pace of an MBA program, it can be easy to treat class as the primary touchpoint with professors. In hindsight, I would have been more intentional about carving out time to ask broader questions about their research, career paths, and perspectives on leadership. Some of the most valuable learning opportunities in business school happen outside the formal curriculum, in conversations and mentorship that shape how we think long after graduation.”
Lara Kornblut, Georgetown University (McDonough)

12) Built Deeper Relationships With Different Classmates: “Looking back on my MBA experience, I would have been more intentional about slowing down and building deeper one-on-one relationships earlier in the program. The pace of business school moves quickly, and I was often focused on execution, competitions, and responsibilities.

Over time, I realized that some of the most meaningful growth came from conversations outside structured settings. If I could do it again, I would invest earlier in those smaller, more deliberate interactions. The experience taught me that leadership is not only about delivering outcomes, but also about creating space to listen and connect.”
Anuj Yadav, University of Maryland (Smith)

“I would find a way to have a one-on-one lunch or dinner with every single person in our cohort. We’re a small class of 65 students, so it was possible, and I only made it to about half. Everyone I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with has left a genuine mark on me. There is something about sharing a meal, away from classrooms and group projects, that opens people up in a different way. During these moments, my classmates talked about the paths they chose, the places they came from, and the things they are chasing, and I found these conversations incredibly enlightening and valuable.”
Jared Caine, EDHEC Business School

“I would have sought out second-year students much earlier. I initially waited until I had “clarity” to start career conversations, but I realized that those conversations are exactly what produce the clarity in the first place.”
Carlos Pardal, University of Virginia (Darden)

“If I could do one thing differently during my MBA experience, it would be to network more outside of finance, my primary area of focus. Many of my closest friends ended up being in finance, and I am incredibly grateful for the relationships I built in that community. However, looking back, I wish I had taken more time to get to know classmates who were pursuing different industries and interests.

As I head into a career in investment banking, I will be working with clients from a wide range of industry backgrounds. The more I understand about different sectors and perspectives, the easier it will be to connect with them and better understand their businesses. After my finance recruiting cycle was finished, I wish I had spent more time exploring other areas through events, informal networking, and classes outside of my concentration.”
Victoria Leigh Peace, University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)

“If I could do one thing differently, I would have invested in relationships earlier in the program. I started the MBA about a decade after finishing college, so when the program began, my instinct was to focus on assignments, keep up with the readings, and make sure my work was done well. The pace of the first year made that easy to justify. There was always another case, model, or presentation to prepare for.

Over time, I realized that the real value of the MBA was not just the coursework, it was the people in the program. The most useful lessons came from conversations after class, during group projects, or at events with executive mentors. A teacher who had worked in private equity would explain how they thought about a deal. Someone from consulting would break down how they approached a challenging business problem. Those conversations often changed how I thought about decisions more than the textbook examples did.

If I could go back, I would treat relationship-building the way I treated my coursework. That would mean more early coffee chats with classmates, more time talking with executive mentors after events, and more curiosity about the paths other people had taken. The assignments end when the quarter ends. The relationships are what will continue beyond the program.”
Jewell Wilson, Arizona State (W. P. Carey)

13) Taken More Risks: “I would take bigger, earlier bets on experimentation.

In the first phase of the MBA, I focused on performance and structure, while at the same time dedicating significant energy to building communities, leading clubs, and organizing initiatives that brought people together. Those experiences were extremely valuable, but over time I realized that the MBA also offers a unique space to test ideas more aggressively.

Some of the most impactful moments came from situations where the outcome was uncertain, whether in building ventures or stepping into unfamiliar environments. If I were to start again, I would lean into that mindset from day one, using the MBA even more as a platform to experiment, take calculated risks, and accelerate learning.”
Nicholas Dellai, SDA Bocconi

14) Participated In Competitions Sooner: “Looking back, one thing I would do differently is engage more in business pitch events earlier in the program. While I focused on academics and recruiting in my first year, I later discovered the value of participating in idea-pitching environments. In my second year, these experiences broadened my perspective and exposed me to diverse ways of thinking and problem-solving. If I were to do it again, I would integrate those experiences earlier, balancing structured learning with more opportunities to apply and test ideas.”
Bukunola Ogundele, Vanderbilt University (Owen)

15) Embraced Being A Learner: “Coming from a clinical background, I was trained to prioritize ‘perfect preparation’ and ‘definitive expertise.’ Early in my MBA, I struggled to shed this mindset, often over-analyzing data and hesitating to act when faced with ambiguity. If I could do it differently, I would embrace the ‘messy action’ much sooner. I would tell my younger self to trade the comfort of being a medical expert for the vulnerability of being a business novice. This journey taught me that impactful leadership isn’t about having all the answers from the start but about having the courage to navigate uncertainty and co-create solutions with a diverse team in real time.”
Erika Ito, Johns Hopkins (Carey)

“Looking back, I think I would try to be less intimidated. I came here to challenge myself and learn, but at times, the unfamiliar subjects and fast-paced environment felt overwhelming. I’ve realized that it’s okay not to know everything right away. What matters is staying curious and open to learning. If I could do it again, I’d embrace that mindset from the very start.”
Anish Ranjan Jal, ESSEC Business School

16) Reflected Every Day: “If I could redo one thing, I would build structured reflection into my schedule from day one. In the first term, I treated the MBA like a sprint—saying yes to club leadership, consulting projects, treks, and recruiting events because I didn’t want to miss out on anything.

While that mindset widened my exposure, it also meant I sometimes moved from experience-to-experience without fully processing what I’d learned or how it connected to my long-term goals around emerging technologies and sustainability. In the second term, I began blocking weekly “strategy time” for myself, and the quality of my choices improved dramatically. Had I started that earlier, I would have reached clarity on my post-MBA direction even sooner.”
Paramvir Singh, University of Hong Kong

17) Maintained A Journal Throughout The MBA: “The programme compresses an extraordinary amount of personal and professional development into a short period, and I didn’t fully appreciate how distinct those phases would be while I was living them.

In the early part of the MBA, I was actively unlearning assumptions I had held about my career path. The middle phase was about gaining clarity on my strengths and the kind of impact I want to have. The final stage has been focused on becoming the best version of this newly defined me.

That journey has been genuinely transformational, and journaling would have helped me capture the inflection points and breakthroughs along the way. Being able to revisit those moments would not only be personally meaningful, but a powerful reference point as I continue to grow beyond the MBA.”
Max Taylor, London Business School

18) Said Yes More Often: “Coming into my MBA, I had just moved halfway across the country from Chicago, where I’d left behind my husband and dearest friends, and I vividly remember being overwhelmed by the ample opportunities Foster offered in the fall quarter. Initially, I shied away from new experiences simply because I had no idea what to expect. Eventually, what I came to realize towards the end of my fall quarter is that the unknown, entering an unfamiliar environment, is the beauty of an MBA. Those quant-heavy classes that seemed completely out of my wheelhouse? Turns out, I could take them – and not only succeed, but have fun with them! The networking events with alumni that I worried I would have nothing to contribute to? I could go, meet incredible people, and find common ground with just about anyone I crossed paths with.”
A’Lexus A. Murphy, University of Washington (Foster)

19) Shared My Story Earlier: “When I first arrived, I was still measuring myself against a narrow idea of what an MBA background was supposed to look like. I came from medicine, not investment banking or consulting, and for a while I convinced myself that my experience was somehow less “business-like.”

Part of that came from being a non-traditional MBA. When you do not come from the most familiar pipelines, it is easy to assume your story needs translation before it has value. I think I spent too much of that first month underestimating the relevance of what I had already done. I did not fully appreciate that leading vaccination operations, delivering emergency care, building in resource-constrained environments and heading operations at a digital health start-up were all forms of business leadership.

I would also have allowed myself to be more comfortable with the fact that I am, in many ways, more of a poet than a quant. Business school can make it easy to admire some kinds of intelligence over others. But I have come to appreciate that I think through language and that this too is a form of influence. Stories shape institutions and words shape how people understand problems, possibilities and each other.

One of the things Saïd Business School taught me is that there is value in sharing non-traditional perspectives with your cohort!”
Daina Mandewo, University of Oxford (Saïd)

20) Enjoyed The Moment: “I got really involved in extracurriculars during my first term, which was very rewarding, but also meant I didn’t have much spare time for myself. The year flies by so quickly, so my advice to my earlier self would probably be to take out more time to “smell the roses”. This may include taking long walks, visiting museums, going to interesting talks on subjects like astronomy, and exploring more of what the wider University of Cambridge has to offer such as theatre shows, comedy, and more. However, I have one more term left on campus, so hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze all those things in!”
Steven Pillon, Cambridge Judge Business School

“In hindsight, I wish I had been more mindful and grateful throughout my MBA journey. The program is inherently future-focused, especially when aligning your career path, and it’s easy to lose sight of the present. Although it’s essential to think ahead during recruiting and planning, I wish I had made a conscious effort to slow down, reflect, and appreciate each day as it came because the entire experience flies by.”
Ty Millward, Cornell University (Johnson)

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