How to Decide if a US Masters Is Worth It in 2026 (Purdue MBA Director POV) - w/ Prof Dunford

Should an international student still move to the US for a master's right now?

That's the question sitting in thousands of inboxes and WhatsApp groups this admissions cycle. Not "which school," not "what score." Just: should I go at all?

Naman put it to someone who has watched this play out for over two decades — and who has no reason to sell you the dream.

Professor Benjamin Dunford taught leadership and management at Purdue's Mitch Daniels School of Business, where he was academic director over the full suite of Purdue MBA programs. He also taught in Kellogg's family business executive program, and most recently at the Indian School of Business in Mohali.

His answer on the headwinds international students face in 2026 is more direct than you'd expect from someone inside the system. He names what's real. Then he tells you what actually still holds up.

A big piece of it: work experience. Ben is blunt that it's the biggest differentiator in MBA admissions, and the thing most applicants under-invest in while they optimize everything else.

Which brings us to the 4.0. If you're chasing a perfect GPA, he'd argue you might be playing it safe — picking the courses you'll win instead of the ones that will stretch you. (Yes, this is going to sting a little. Sit with it.)

We also get into why so much leadership advice falls flat. The gap between the real and the ideal. Why change is a choice, not a command. "Compliance theater" — that thing where everyone nods in the meeting and disagrees in the hallway after. And how to influence people when you have zero authority over them.

Ben's research on pairing accountability with forgiveness comes up too, including why CEOs get visibly uncomfortable the moment you say the word forgiveness in a boardroom.

Then there's his work at ISB Mohali, teaching 20-something CEOs who inherited Indian family businesses. How do you honor your parents and still change the thing they built? He's watched a lot of people try. 🇮🇳

We close on where business education is headed as certificates and badges start pressuring traditional degrees, what AI is doing to how leadership gets taught, and the difference between advising and consulting.

If you're a student, a recent grad, or early in your career and weighing a move abroad, this one is required listening.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Professor Dunford on Purdue MBA Programs and Executive Leadership Education

00:03:59 - What Separates Elite MBA Students From Average Applicants?

00:06:12 - Perfectionism vs Excellence in Business School

00:07:45 - Should International Students Still Pursue a US Master's Degree?

00:11:59 - Why Students Should Stop Chasing a 4.0 GPA

00:17:09 - How AI Is Changing Leadership Education and Business Schools

00:20:02 - Will Certificates and Badges Replace Traditional Degrees?

00:23:42 - Best Advice for Early Career Leaders: Keep Going and Iterate

00:25:44 - Why Leadership Advice Feels Too Theoretical

00:28:40 - Change Is a Choice, Not a Command

00:29:38 - How to Influence Without Authority at Work

00:30:20 - Why Accountability Needs Forgiveness

00:34:26 - Teaching at ISB and Working With Young Family Business Leaders in India

00:38:53 - How Family Businesses Can Honor Tradition Through Innovation

00:43:32 - Consulting, Advising, and Why Human Problems Still Need Human Solutions

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