[#permalink]
07 Jul 2007, 16:25
Since this thread is about rankings, I guess I'll put in my vote.
Others have pointed out that the US News rankings generally reflect what applicants would actually do if given the choice between schools. H/S/W at the top, with Tuck and Haas giving the ultra-elites a run for their money; and the rest of the elites falling into place ahead of any lower clusters. I don't, however, believe that the specific rankings are very significant.
So, when choosing between schools, I'll put in a vote for Hjort's cluster system. Generally speaking, I'd suggest attending a school in the highest cluster possible. Many admissions consultants recommend the same thing, saying the only thing that actually matters when choosing a school is reputation. So, if you get into several elite schools, you should choose among them based on personal preference, location, specialty, etc. - whatever is important to you. If you also get into an ultra-elite though, no matter which one it happens to be, you should go to the school in the higher cluster.
When talking about the top 3 clusters (ultra-elite, elite, trans-elite), I would jump clusters based on specialty or intended profession or anything like that. The worst school from a higher cluster (relatively speaking) beats the best school from the lower cluster, no matter the specialty. Again, this applies to the top 3 clusters; schools in the lower clusters raise different concerns.
I think the valid reasons for choosing a school in a lower cluster would be personal or family concerns, location (but not location as related to professional concerns) or money. People with family and children might find it extremely difficult to move to certain locations because it's difficult to raise kids, or perhaps hard for their spouse to find a job. Generally, I'd say go with the higher cluster regardless of location, but some people are really against cold weather, big city, small town, isolation or whatever. Again, this is a personal concern and each person will have to weigh it separately. Money is a tricky issue. Generally, I'd say don't worry about money, but if you're confident you can land the type of job you want, it might make sense to consider a large chunk of money. For example, if you pay $100k more to attend a certain school, it might take a very long time to make back that additional cost.
So everyone has their own personal concerns and will have to weigh them individually. From a professional standpoint, go to the school in a higher cluster and use other factors to decide between schools within the same cluster.