Private equity in Q2 is contending with a mix of macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tension, and sector-specific disruptions, yet it’s also uncovering new opportunities in unexpected places.
In this in-depth Private Equity Q2 2025 trend analysis, we cover:
Stanford’s “Why Stanford?” essay is one of the most consequential, and the most misunderstood essay questions.
On the surface, the prompt is straightforward:
“Why Stanford?”
Yet the admissions team has been explicit about what they look for in an applicant.
In the words of Stanford’s own former admissions director, Kirsten Moss (GSB blog, 2022):
“We want to know why our community, our courses, and our faculty are the right fit for you, and how you will make the most of the two years here.”
We have collected the Essays of the Top 50 MBA programs for the 2026 Entering class. In this in-depth essay analysis of the top 50 MBA applications, we cover:
MBA applicants should calculate the return on investment before choosing one program over the other. We advise against shortlisting schools purely based on ROI, but when it comes to choosing your dream school, and say if you are stuck with two equally good ones – Harvard and Stanford, a term commonly used by Finance professionals comes into consideration – Net Present Value.
In this illustration on calculating ROI for an MBA program, we cover:
The total cost of attending Wharton grew from $118,568 in 2022–23 to $132,224 in 2025–26, representing an overall increase of $13,656 or 11.52%.
The most notable cost jumps came from university fees and room and board, with tuition and health insurance also contributing to the overall rise.
Before we dive into the inflation trends at Wharton, let us look at the general inflation trends in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area.
Between the academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26, the total cost of attending the Berkeley Haas MBA program has consistently increased, with each major expense category showing upward movement.
Before we dive into the inflation trends at Berkeley Haas, let us look at the general inflation trends in California.
Between the academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26, the cost of attending Columbia Business School's MBA program has steadily increased, though the rate and nature of changes vary across categories.
Between the academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26, the total cost of attending the Chicago Booth MBA program for a single student has increased steadily, primarily driven by tuition hikes and rising expenses for administrative, housing, and personal costs.
Tuition rose from $77,841 in 2022–23 to $80,961 in 2023–24, a 4.0% increase. It continued to climb to $84,198 in 2024–25 (4.0%) and reached $87,354 in 2025–26 (3.75%). Over the four years, the tuition rose by $9,513, reflecting a total increase of approximately 12.22%.
Between 2022–23 and 2025–26, the total annual cost of attending the Duke Fuqua MBA program has increased consistently, influenced by rising tuition and supplies cost.
Duke Fuqua MBA Program’s tuition costs have risen from $71,750 in 2022-23 to $75,000 in 2023-24, marking a 4.53% increase, and further to $77,925 in 2024-25, representing a 3.90% rise from the previous year, followed by an identical increase in tuition fee of 3.94% in 2025-26.
This is the #1 mistake I see while editing resumes of high-performing applicants. These are your typical Type A candidates who truly have achievements in the top 1 or top 5%, but they also have experiences as individual contributors that are not as significant. But it had a huge impact on the learning curve and their growth as a specialist.
I see 3 insecurities that are driving the exaggeration.
F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.
+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)
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