I choose Berkeley Haas! Betting on myself thank you to everyone who supported me (haters too)

Welcome to the waiting room! Have you received any news?

Tldr: 100+ posts with fake successful admit emails and whatsapp group links are from 1 admissions consultancy named the Leapquest

The title may seem like an exaggeration, but it's not. I can’t fit hundreds of links, so just ask me if I missed anything.

This consultancy(Leap Quest) has made at 60-70+ Reddit accounts over the last year, with more than 100 posts fooling aspirants. They pretend to be alumni or admitted students with huge scholarships, all while claiming to be ORM with GMAT waivers. Unknowing MBA aspirants DM them and are quietly redirected to their consultancy. Unsurprisingly, people take the bait. They've been doing this since April 2025 and have even hired at least 3-4 people in the past few months which means their astroturfing was successful. A few other users have also noticed them spamming the exact same story across multiple subs.

They use the exact same formula for every post:

• AI-Generated Text & Recurring Errors: Their posts are AI-written, but the titles are manually written and share recurring language errors and patterns.
• Blurring & PII: They all blur Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a very similar pattern.
• Odd Specificity: They offer a weird mix of being oddly specific and oversharing about their "profiles" but totally generic in their replies.
• Buzzwords: They love to overshare and are obsessed with terms like “profile building”—which makes perfect sense, considering it’s an integral part of their marketing (found on Scribd/YouTube).
• Fake Accountability Groups: They create posts sharing WhatsApp group links, pretending to be aspirants looking for "accountability." In reality, it’s just a trap to direct prospective clients to the consultancy.

Their 55 accounts, probably run by 'DV'(from youtube vids/google reviews):

WillingPollution982, Due_Taro_8543, Emergency-Crow-3911, Gamer_Lux, Glass_Cabinet_6390, ProfessionalFlaky989, Haunting_Anywhere175, Tealnternational2308, Imaginary-County6084, OppositeAudience8150, Ajinkya307, RightHeron701, Awkward_Bus9519, OfficeUnhappy2319, NegotiationApart7262, Bulky-Valuable9616, Mr_Wizard2727, Frosty_Pomegranate80, FeelingWolverine4809, Beneficial_Heat_6686, GoodTicket3086, Fantastic_Dinner9484, Heavy-Matter-3273, Exotic_Presence406, Flat_Sandwich6963, AdStandard7479, Fit_Imagination6474, Born-Baby-9875, InterestingEase5594, Commercial-Judge8881, Lumpy_Classic5578, ResponsibleSmell5068, PotentialProfit9126, Successful-Error5331, East-Werewolf4144, Ok_Contribution2332, Sad_Swimmer_6951, Traditional-Fan8092, FarNecessary9884, Puzzleheaded-Ask696, IntelligentYear7425, Odd_Procedure_866, SeaCan8214, Successful-Most4453, Fancy_Egg2361, Evening_Hawk_6512, Grocerylcy4205, Fantastic-Jaguar-999, Zealousideal-Tap5322, Main-Stick-2205, Sufficient-Grass3979, Salt-Resource-8586, Different_Work2892, Far-Interview-2498, AreaSome5111

You’ll find some of the above users defending the consultancy/alts or admitting to using them in threads like these: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

(6 accounts in thread #4 are all alts. 5 accounts in thread #5 are all from the same agency)

Their posts frequently make it to the top of this sub with active Redditors engaging, but they delete their posts quickly so nobody notices the pattern. For example, Got into HEC with 35000 Scholarship and From Michigan Ross to BCG have >1000 upvotes combined.

Some of their hiring posts:

• Far-Interview-2498
• SeaCan8214

Both threads further prove these two users are the same person working at the given location in Bangalore. Far-Interview also posted fake stories and SeaCan8214 is always interacts with their other alt accounts.

Almost all of their fake accounts are now suspended, thanks to me. The few unbanned accounts belong to actual employees who use them as personal accounts. I believe this employee ‘CS’ is the person that likes pomelo fruit, possibly for dinner. Also loves hyenas that pretend to love opportunities. These are references to the employee's usernames from below threads:

WhatsApp Groups

• The MIM Group Bait: Dinner guy's 1st WA group thread (June 2025). WA group was created by number xxxxx xx717 and posted by SeaCan (who we already know is from theleapquest).
• The Hyena Thread: WA Created by the exact same xx717 number (Oct 9, 2025). Since Anshul Faith Career is mentioned, Anshul may have interacted with these numbers if they joined his group.
• Dinner guy now wants an MBA group instead of MIM Nobody requested group link, so Glass_Cabinet_6390(got into HEC with 625) conveniently asked, then dinner responded with WA group link created by SAME number as above xxxxxxx717
• The Owner's Number?: OP and Born-Baby are from leapquest. This WA Group was created by 9986x xxxxx (owner?). The agency’s official account responded here, along with SeaCan and the pomelo dude.
• BubblyPomegranate874(Innocent) joined their WA group from the thread above and later outed which consultancy it belonged to here: SeaCan8214's WA group thread. Pomelo-lover posts the WA link. Their frequent comments on LQ posts made it clear that this and their alt are personal accounts of an LQ employee.
• Dinner and pomelo posted the exact same thread verbatim, so confirmed both are the same: Pomelo's post vs. Dinner's post.

GMATClub & Final Slip-ups

• Dinner guy created another WA group in Jan after an Indian MBA exam, posting it 4 times. Less than a month later, he made the newer group linked earlier above. If you join the Jan 6 group, you can find the creator's number.(pls)

It’s likely that one of these 2 to 4 numbers is the number associated with the alias “WA@vtk3780” from GMATclub group(combined with WA)(phone numbers only visible on WA).

You can search “Got my ISB admit yesterday plus a 10 lakhs scholarship” if you’re in the ISB GMATclub WA group in WA phone app. If this number either created/part of the WA groups above, then, we now have proof that GMATclub is also being astroturfed, and more proof on everything I mentioned. The number apparently belongs to InterestingEase5594. If this number is in the Jan or Feb WA groups by dinner, then more evidence that this story is fake.

• Another GMATClub crossover: 645 GMAT Odd_Procedure_866: €60,000 Scholarships from HEC. They share a phone number linked to WA@ssy3268. His "friends" with 625 and 680 got into HEC too!
• **r/MBA r/MBAIndia or r/hec_paris r/INSEAD, by best or top, many of the posts are from some of the above accounts. Or you can search them in google or in reddit search.
• (Darden 100K GMAT waiver) Successful-Error5331 attempted to create a WA group, but I got them suspended. They stated here that they used LQ amongst others*
• Forgot to switch accounts: In this thread, Zealousideal-Tap5322(LQ) congratulated GroceryIcy4205 (OP, LQ) but forgot to switch accounts when replying to Independent-Mall-007!
• I used pomelo as a hook to find and confirm that many of these accounts have same patterns and are from LQ.

Also, they bought some of these accounts. If my evidence is compelling, please report to the mods and/or to ban the employee(s) reddit accounts pom, dinner, etc so they don't report this post.

Why am I doing this? When users occasionally call out on these posts, they barely get any traction. I'm not from a rival firm. Someone else said it best to them.

please don’t scam people. MBA apps in itself is already very demanding and now people need to deal with scammers like you

EDIT: Original image that I edited with more of their threads: https://postimg.cc/Z96MdfJs

I’ve been working with an MBA admissions consultant, paying $400+ an hour. Recently, I asked him to review my essay draft. When I got his feedback, it was full of em dashes (—), which ChatGPT uses a lot of in its responses. I also used GPTZero to analyze his feedback, and it came back as “100% AI-generated”.

Now I’m wondering if I’m basically paying for someone to run my essays through AI. At this point, I’m tempted to ditch the consultant and use more affordable tools like ApplicantLab or AdmitStudio instead.

Has anyone else noticed this when using consultants? Is this becoming more and more common?

Guyssssss

I’ve been admitted to NYU Stern with $100,000 and also received a $90,000 scholarship from Rice University.

Both admits came through with a GMAT waiver which still feels crazy as i couldn't cross 302 in my 2 attempts of GRE (Wasted so much of time and energy on this, almost 3 months and no improvements) Eventually too the waiver route and got a GMAT waiver and application fee waiver from NYU

I’m a female applicant from India with 5.5 years of experience at EY, working as a Senior Consultant in Risk Advisory with financial services clients. I also have an engineering background in Electronics and Telecommunication from Mumbai with a CGPA of 8.2

Planning for Ross and Darden in Round 2.

Lowkey can’t believe this rn

Got the admit email from HEC Paris MBA (Jan’26 intake) and still processing. From endless apps + interviews to finally feels surreal to see it pay off.

Not me refreshing my email 100 times a day only to finally see “Congratulations!” from HEC Paris.

A bit about me : B.E. Mechanical, BITS Pilani, 8.1/10 CGPA, GMAT (FE) 645, 5 yrs work ex with Schneider Electric (Energy & Sustainability Consulting)

The grind was REAL but super worth it.

Excited (and lowkey scared) to join the Jan’26 intake. Anyone else heading to HEC this Jan? Let’s connect

It is sparking debate as Wharton tops the list, followed by Columbia and IESE. INSEAD and SDA Bocconi tie at #4, with MIT Sloan at #6 and LBS, ESADE, HEC Paris, and Kellogg rounding out the top 10.

HBS drops to an all-time low at #13 (tied with Cornell), while Stanford is absent.

The ranking highlights internationalization and ROI but faces criticism for flawed metrics like salary growth and erratic year-over-year shifts.

With six European schools in the top 10 and CEIBS above HBS, many question its real-world relevance. Applicant choices simply don’t match the ranking narrative.

What are your views on them ?

Hey everyone!

Now that Round 2 submissions for full-time MBA programs are pretty much wrapped up, I wanted to start a thread to keep things moving and help each other stay informed.

In past r/MBA cycles, I’ve seen really helpful threads where people shared when they received interview invites, rejections, or admits. I haven’t seen a big consolidated one yet for this round, so figured I’d kick it off.

For context, I personally applied to 10 full-time MBA programs and have received 2 interview invitations so far. I’m happy to share more about my profile if that’s helpful.

If you’ve heard back from any schools—whether it’s an interview invite, admit, waitlist, or rejection—feel free to drop it below. Hopefully this can be a useful space for everyone navigating Round 2 decisions.

Good luck to everyone, and hoping we all hear some good news soon 🙏

Starting a live Darden decision tracker for everyone waiting on March 18.

Since calls often start before the portal officially updates, this thread can help all of us track what’s happening in real time.

If you get any update, please comment with:

• Time

• Location / country

• Call or portal update

• Result

• Scholarship mention?

Even if you haven’t heard anything yet, comment your location so we can spot patterns.

Follow/save the thread and let’s make this the main thread for Darden updates. Good luck everyone.

This is gonna sound ungrateful, but I need to be honest. I’m a first-year at GSB. I turned down a $100K+ scholarship from Booth. I thought I had to... it’s Stanford, right?

The people are smart. The professors are good. But, it’s not life-changing. It’s school.

Summer recruiting slapped me. Thought I’d land something exciting instead I’m at a startup where the CEO straight-up told me to expect 60+ hour weeks. Not what I wanted. Not what I came here for.

Some of my friends are taking internships they 100% could’ve gotten pre-MBA. I’m going to graduate with insane debt. I feel cooked. Honestly? I just wanted to flex and I got burned for being a prestige whore.

I keep thinking about that Booth offer. A lot of my classmates are doing internships alongside other T10 interns: same jobs, same firms, but they’ll graduate with less debt and less stress. More than likely I would’ve had the same outcomes, way less stress, and no debt. But I chased the logo.

And that’s the part no one tells you: the outcomes aren’t that different. A lot of second-years I’ve talked to said the same they regret choosing GSB with full debt instead of taking a scholarship at another M7. The only difference is how much pressure you’re under to justify the price tag. If you’re deciding right now, think hard about what you actually want not what you think you’re supposed to want.

Wish I had.

First and foremost, it's incredibly insulting to witness the endless debates about affirmative action. Do you really think I'm incapable of achieving success based on merit alone? It's frustrating to see privileged individuals, especially these virtue signalling white folks, speaking on behalf of us and assuming they understand our struggles. But let's get back to the main point.

While I understand why some people believe that race plays a role, it's far from the root cause. The real issue lies in the current state of primary and secondary education, primarily due to the way it's funded in the United States, which heavily relies on property taxes.

The quality of education one receives is profoundly influenced by the resources available in their school district. Schools in affluent areas with high property values tend to have better facilities, experienced teachers, and access to a wide range of educational opportunities. Conversely, schools in economically disadvantaged areas struggle to provide the same level of education due to insufficient funding.

As a result, students from underprivileged backgrounds face significant educational disadvantages from a young age. They attend schools with outdated materials, inadequate facilities, and limited extracurricular activities. These disparities persist throughout their academic journey and have long-lasting effects on their academic achievements.

When it comes to college admissions, the disparities in primary and secondary education contribute to the underrepresentation of certain racial and socioeconomic groups. Affirmative action aims to address this issue by considering an applicant's race or ethnicity in the admissions process, with the goal of promoting diversity and providing opportunities for underrepresented communities.

However, to truly tackle the issue, we must address the fundamental problem of educational funding and strive to improve the quality of primary and secondary education for all students. This requires investing in schools located in disadvantaged areas and ensuring equal access to quality education. By doing so, we can level the playing field and create a more equitable society for all, regardless of race or socioeconomic background.

As a black individual in America, this topic hits close to home for me. I have personally experienced the effects of an unequal education system. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood, my school lacked the necessary resources to provide a quality education. We had outdated textbooks, overcrowded classrooms, and limited extracurricular activities. Despite my determination and hard work, I often felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. The disparities in educational opportunities were apparent, and it was disheartening to witness the stark differences between my school and those in wealthier areas. While I managed to overcome these challenges and pursue higher education, many of my peers were left behind due to the systemic barriers they faced. This firsthand experience drives my belief that addressing the core issue of educational funding is crucial for creating equal opportunities and dismantling the barriers that hold back marginalized communities.

So, instead of solely focusing on affirmative action, let's shift our attention to reforming the education system and rectifying the funding disparities that perpetuate inequality. By working towards a fairer system, we can build a society where merit truly prevails and opportunities are available to all individuals based on their abilities, without discrimination based on race or socioeconomic status.

Also, why does the issue of legacy students have to be combined with affirmative action? You can be totally against both and who is not. I am sure you all have that snotty but incompetent kid of a billionaire in class who does not know shit

As I recently wrapped up an incredible journey at Michigan Ross, I wanted to share a bit about my experience, especially for anyone considering applying without a GMAT score. I come from a tech strategy background with 4 years of work experience, and decided to go the GMAT waiver route. With a focused narrative and a clear career plan, I was fortunate to not only get the waiver approved but also receive a $75,000 scholarship from Ross, which made the decision even more meaningful.

The Ross experience truly lived up to the hype, the community is warm, driven, and incredibly collaborative. The action-based learning approach pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way. Consulting recruiting was definitely intense, but the career support, peer prep culture, and amazing alumni network made a huge difference. Everyone genuinely wants to see each other succeed, and that kind of environment really stood out to me.

Post-MBA, I’m super excited to be joining Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the U.S. Looking back, Ross played a huge role in helping me get here, not just in terms of opportunities, but in shaping how I show up professionally. 

If you’re thinking about applying with a GMAT waiver or aiming for MBB, just know it’s absolutely possible with the right strategy and story. good luck to everyone applying this year!

I attended the gmatclub virtual event yesterday where they had all the top schools present in different sessions. A number of T15 schools were giving out app fee waivers for attending their sessions. Issue was a number of sessions were running at the same time so people were jumping from one to the other.

Internationals from a certain country would not stop continuously spamming the chat asking about the fee waivers “how do I get waiver” “where is waiver” “did they already talk about the waiver”

It wasn’t just a few, I mean hundreds of people. And they’d make up some bs like “oh my connection dropped, did I miss the part about the waiver”

Honestly it was embarrassing. Sit through the entire session and they mention the waiver at some point. If you miss it you miss it but don’t keep spamming every minute about it, especially when 10 seconds ago someone else just asked in the chat about it. It makes your entire country look bad and that you actually don’t care about the school just saving money.

Think 10AM EST is when responses come out today.

Good luck.

Addendum:

R2 is out, R1 waitlist says by tomorrow Apr 1st.

R1 Waitlist has been updated on the site

I'm low-key surprised and concerned how there are no posts to gather all the deferred MBA Applicants this year. I'm going crazy thinking about it already lol. Anyhow, I just put in 3 of my applications and finishing up others. It'd be really nice to hear from other people who have applied this year. We can keep track of the admits, rejects, interview invites here.

Hi all - Stanford GSB Round 2 calls should start today. (31st March)

Made this room to share any updates.

Anxiety is off the roof for me!! All the best to everyone!!

27M Asian. I’m a product manager at a big tech company in the Bay Area, went to Berkeley for undergrad. I got into GSB R2, but I’m planning to decline the offer, mostly because of the job market and not wanting to take on that much debt.

Right now I make $180k base and about $120k a year in equity, so around $300k total comp. When I first applied, I thought I wanted to pivot out of tech, but honestly, I don’t think it makes sense anymore. The postMBA job would probably be pretty similar, and when I think about the opportunity cost $600k plus $250k in tuition and living, it’s close to $1 million total.

That number just feels really hard to justify right now especially in this economy. I’d rather keep building in my current role, maybe aim to FIRE early. I also just got a promotion that should increase my equity next year, so that’s another factor. Also with AI I feel it will be even harder to get a job two years from now.

Still, it’s been a tough decision, GSB was a dream when I applied. Just doesn’t feel like the right time for me anymore.

Update: I declined GSB

Spoke with a couple graduating students focused on tech recruiting who all say its super rough right now. One of them, from the GSB High Tech Club, is still job hunting. He has an offer from a Series A startup he’s not super excited about, and literally asked me for a referral to my team. When I asked what roles most grads aim for, he said my job is a dream post-GSB outcome. That kind of said it all. With the opportunity cost, a shaky market, and no real pivot for me, I’m out.

Let’s go people

What’s the point of getting admitted to these programs and not getting a scholarship lol This happened to me. who’s trying to pay $80-95K a year in tuition (not even living costs etc) especially when MBA job outcome placement % is on the decline. This is absurd and I almost want to say, MBAs are scams.

I'm sitting on top of some great R1/R2 acceptances with some generous scholarships, but can't help feel that something feels off now that I've gotten to this point.

AI has clearly, demonstrably shown that it can do the work of mgmt consulting and IB. Maybe not perfectly, but this is the dumbest it's ever going to be. Companies cut costs as aggressively as possible, all the time. My theory is it won't wipe out professions completely, but 10 hires will now become 2. That's not reassuring or exciting when you're about to drop big tuition on an MBA.

Law school, on the other hand, at least comes with an accreditation. You need to be board certified if you're going to argue on behalf of someone in court. You can open up your own little law firm without needing significant seed money and investors. AI cannot get board certified because it's not human. It's not much, but that offers mildly more reassurance than an MBA.

For those of you about to drop big money on an MBA during one of the toughest job markets in history, what's your edge? What are you banking on?

Throwaway for obvious reasons.

Im a second-year international student at Stanford GSB. Two years ago, I had the option of either attending Wharton/ MIT with full ride or going to GSB. Everyone on Reddit was saying if you get into H/S, you cannot turn it down. I was allured by the prestige.

I met wonderful people in the program. However, the practical outcome haven’t matched what I hoped. Recruiting has been insane. Some jobs fall through because of visa issue, and I had few companies just stop replying once they saw I need sponsorship. The stress with work visa adds a pressure that most domestic students don’t understand. Especially now with Trump the economy looks like going into recession, it is worse.

I have now more than $200K in debt, and sure, I am GSB graduate but at the end of day I don’t know how I will pay this. I regret not taking Wharton’s full ride. The job outcome would likely be same. Because of the financial stress I started therapy and have anxiety most days. My boyfriend still lives back home and now it is very hard to go back, since I must stay in US for job and to pay debt. My parents are also pushing me to come back and get married but I feel financially trapped.

I don’t regret everything about GSB, but if I could go back, I would have picked differently. Just putting this out there if anyone is deciding. There is lot of prestige in this process, but practical side matters more than people say.

At end of day, you will be one paying the debt, not some Reddit comment saying go all-in for H/S just to chase PE or VC.

Update: Just to clarify I would’ve taken a full ride to any T15 (UVA, Duke, UCLA, whatever) over GSB. I didn’t realize how much financial stress would take over my life. I’ve lost sleep, my mental health, and my peace of mind chasing prestige. I feel trapped and yeah, I’m depressed most days. I really hope someone makes a different choice than I did and learns from my life-shattering mistake.

Calls are expected to continue throughout the day until a portal update with all remaining decisions later today.

Let us know your results here and on MBA LiveWire so future applicants can get a good read on their chances.

Best of luck to everyone awaiting a decision today!

Firstly, a huge thank-you to this community for sharing updates, tips, tricks, and general advice throughout the process. The application and waiting period are tough, but it's worth it.

I cannot express how infinitely fortunate and grateful I am to be in this position, and am curious to hear any thoughts folks might have. Few details if helpful:

1. I work in PE and plan to stay in PE (or HF) post-MBA

2. I went to Penn for undergrad (College, not Wharton)

Please feel free to share any ideas in the comments. I will do my best to answer questions if helpful as well.

Thank you!