Stanford GSB is known for its bold leadership training, entrepreneurial energy, and the infamous “touchy-feely” reputation. But what is it actually like to be there?
In this episode of The MBA Golden Buzzer, Renata de Marsillac, a former Bain consultant and current Stanford GSB student, shares the honest, unfiltered version of her experience.
From emotionally raw dinner parties to overwhelming info sessions, Renata opens up about how GSB challenged and changed her.
The Vulnerability Is Real. And Powerful
Renata didn’t expect to get personal so fast. But within days of arriving, her new classmates were talking about their fears, goals, and lives with disarming honesty.
“People here are curious. They want to know you,” she said. “We have deep conversations all the time. It creates a culture of sharing that’s really special.”
That culture plays out in both structured spaces, like the weekly “Talk” tradition where classmates share raw life stories, and spontaneous ones, like a dinner party that turned into a roundtable of reflection.
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The Workload Is No Joke
While GSB has a reputation for its soft-skills focus, Renata was surprised by how rigorous the academics are.
“It’s demanding. Especially as an international student, speaking up in class and finding my voice in another language was hard,” she said. She also admitted that learning to set boundaries between social life, academics, and her startup was one of the hardest lessons of the first quarter.
Entrepreneurship Isn’t Just a Buzzword
Yes, Stanford is full of founders. But Renata says the support for entrepreneurship goes much deeper than hype.
From startup-focused courses like Launchpad and Startup Garage to weekly visits from VCs and hands-on office space access, she describes the ecosystem as not just robust, but also empowering.
“You start to believe you can do anything,” she said. “That you can change the world.”
Your Classmates Will Redefine What You Thought Was Possible
Renata expected smart people. She didn’t expect the humility, support, and constant flow of opportunity her classmates would bring.
“People really invest in your success. They send you links, opportunities, and introductions. And when they say they’re good at something, they really are,” she said. That includes classmates who are Olympic athletes and professional musicians—one of her most memorable moments came at a class concert night.
Not Everyone at Stanford Is an Entrepreneur
A major misconception Renata wants to clear up?
“You don’t have to come to GSB with a business idea. And you don’t have to want to be a founder.” Most of her classmates are heading into consulting, tech, or finance. And many use GSB to explore whether entrepreneurship is even right for them.
“The essays are all different. The stories are all different. Just show who you are.”
Don’t Underestimate the Faculty
Renata calls Stanford’s professors one of the school’s most underused resources. She highlights a favorite class, Impact Business Models in Emerging Markets, where the professor’s personal stories and post-class bar sessions became a weekly highlight.
“The faculty really care. They want to connect with you,” she said. And sometimes, all it takes is sending an email or saying yes to a lunch invitation.
GOLDEN BUZZER TIP: Everything’s Possible
Renata sums up GSB’s impact with a line from one of her classmates: “If I had gone to HBS, I would have known exactly what I was going to do. But here, everything feels possible.”
It’s not that Stanford tells you what to do. It’s that it opens your mind to everything you could do and then surrounds you with the people and tools to figure it out.
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