bb wrote:
My guess is that the top 20 program will attract more interesting folks who are higher grade if you know what I mean, fewer slackers (there are always those), and more people who can challenge you. Bschool is not about being comfy. You want to better yourself, that may entail being challenged and your perspective changed. Not very comfortable for most but that's part of the value.
I just want to echo bb's message, especially the bolded words, based on my experience in management consulting and having worked with various clients in different industries for 5+ years. Every time a colleague is asked about the one thing that makes it special working at our firm, 9 times out of 10, the answer is "the people."
I love having the opportunities to work with motivated individuals at my firm - I learn a lot by being exposed to their positive attitude and behaviours, how they think, how they frame and solve problems, their interpersonal skills, how they challenge my thinking, etc. Don't get me wrong - There are bad apples, but I think my firm does a good job weeding them out.
The point that I'm trying to make is that in my opinion, by being in an environment consisting of highly-motivated and accomplished individuals (and hopefully collaborative too) such as a higher-ranked B-school, you will have a better chance of stretching and improving yourself.