[#permalink]
29 Dec 2007, 23:11
I like UCLA a lot (did my undergrad there) and I'd love to see them get stronger. I think UCLA is known to be a little stingy with scholarships, probably because of the small endowment. If they raise tuition to par with private schools, they could take the additional cash from students paying full price to fund scholarships that could then be used to attract candidates headed to other schools. I can remember back when I was an undergrad, I believe Anderson was generally considered stronger than Haas. Maybe I was a little biased because of location, but I think that historical rankings bear this out.
Of course, things have changed a lot since then. All the internet companies around the Bay Area that are prime destinations for MBA students weren't even on the map 10 years ago (give or take). Haas has naturally benefited from these developments, and I think they have a chance to challenge for a spot among the ultra-elites. The first step would be to expand their class size, which would result in more cash for immediate needs, and should lead to even more cash down the road from a bigger pool of alumni; of course this takes time, but I think the school is popular enough in the Bay Area, California, and basically in general, to attract more students.
It takes a long time for rankings to change and you definitely don't want to get caught in downward momentum.