artshep wrote:
It sounds like you've badly misjudged the relative strength of these programs.
You're way off the mark if you're putting Chicago (or even Kellogg) on a level with Haas or Duke because "Haas is better in terms of quite a few areas". Especially if you're using examples such as non-profit and tech. DePaul has an arguably better entrepreneurship program than many super-elites, does that mean it's a better school? Hardly.
I understand that folks fall in love with the HBS brand (sometimes for good reason), but let's not get ridiculous here and imply that it is leagues above and beyond any other B-school.
Artshep, I'm not sure what your point is, other than trying to slam other Elite MBA colleges. And BTW, MIT has always been a more respected school than BOTH Chicago schools, if you want to talk about general perceptions. I'm surprised your "top 5" does not include them.
Personally, I DON'T CARE what the brand reputation difference between the UE/Elite schools are, just the areas I'm interested in. Otherwise, I would not have chosen to NOT to apply to Chicago, MIT, and HBS. I'm currently debating Kellogg vs Haas only because from all my research with recruiters, alums (from both schools), students, sitting in on classes, etc..., I can NOT see a difference between the two schools in terms of what I want to do. Kellogg is better for Midwest and East Coast placements, and for traditional industries of finance and consulting, while Haas is much better at West Coast placements (what I care about) and tech/entrepreneurship industries. All the top recruiters recruit at both Kellogg and Haas in the traditional industries, so there is almost zero differences there. I don't know much about Chicago other than my initial research last year, but if you put Chicago in the same bin as Kellogg, then I will stand by my statement that Haas is a comparable school to any of the top 5 in terms of the work I want to do, and the quality of the faculty and students are pretty much on par (considering I met almost 10 students who are deciding between Haas and Kellogg this weekend, and many are leaning Haas but will decide after Kellogg's admit weekend next week).
I'm also actually quite disturbed that you're comparing Haas and Duke to schools like DePaul. Just based on your arguments alone I almost suspect that you may be "rankingsgod" in disguise, trying to cause some trouble here. Those types of "dramatics" are not welcomed here.
I also have no interest in arguing with someone regarding which is a "better school", because the fit and culture is more important than any discussions on rankings and strength. Chicago was ranked below Haas a few times on US News, generally a good indicator of "general reputatin" only 5-6 years ago. It may have bumped up because of its strong efforts to improve many programs and the great facility, but that does not mean it's solidly in this "Top 5" that you speak of. People obsessed with believing that the "Top 5" (which is subjective to begin with) is "leagues above and beyond" any other Elite school will only miss out on the complete picture when it comes to school selection.
I also honestly do not believe that Chicago and Kellogg are any more above the Haas/Tuck schools than HBS/Stanford is above the Chicago schools. Just like you, I've been talking to recruiters and alums at companies in the tech industry for general management, strategy, and product management type jobs, and they pretty much said that they don't really see any difference between Haas and any of the UE schools, especially the Chicago ones. The only time they mentioned a difference is with the top level strategy jobs in some bigger companies, they prefer Harvard and Stanford, over ANY other schools. That is why I have mentioned the comments I mentioned.
In the PE field, my MBA friends who are trying to get into those have definitely said the brand name of HBS/Stanford makes it easier to get into than any other school, UE or not. And after attending Haas' admit weekend this weekend, I honestly believe the quality of education and the level of professors at ANY of the top 10 schools, yes, ANY of the TOP 10, are pretty much the same. You won't get a "better" education at Stanford than at Haas, or at Wharton than at Chicago, etc... In the end it's all about the students and the field you want to get into.
Finally, I do not consider this a "healthy debate" when you claim that people who disagree with you are crazy or uninformed. Using phrases I've bolded above ("way off mark", "badly misjudged", and "let's not get ridiculous") do not lead to a friendly discussion, especially when the differences between the top schools are so razor thin. We've all done our homework here, and our views can be colored slightly by whom we talk to, but to imply that your research is definitive compared to others is simply arrogant and irresponsible.
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10 Jul 2007, 10:37
