Thanx toga...that just helped corroborate what I gathered from my research about these schools over the last few days.
I've realized, that very few schools truly pull their weight outside of their home grounds; and those are the truly global brands.
I must admit even I hadn't heard of many of the top schools I ended up applying to until I started my research.
A few M7 schools I had heard of but not all.
togafoot
One thing about talking on this forum is that everyone here knows all about B-schools, their perceived status and advantages, so we are mostly discussing things from a common base knowledge. Once I go outside of this forum, most people i talk to don't care at all, have no interest, and a lot of these 'brand' name schools, have no brand outside of the post-MBA recruitment industries.
Also of mention is probably the fact that the university name might often times ring a bell but not the actual B-school name.
I am sure many people out there know UCLA but how many know Anderson is its MBA program? Same with Duke...how many actually know "Fuqua"? For these schools the University's brand is better known...
On similar lines..think about how people would remember..H/S/W/K
Wharton is a bigger name in the MBA world than...U Penn
Kellogg is a bigger name than is Northwestern
I think you'd see where I am going with this...
At the end of the day, I also think the brand-value for any school is relative to its location.
Where I grew up (India), IIM grads are considered to be best of the breed and draw probably the best salaries for that geography. The IIM brand can do wonders back there and may be parts of SEA. But here....?
The same would hold good for all geographies with local schools enjoying a distinct advantage over the others.
True global brands...i'd think, are just a handful.
All that said...each of the Elite schools is an excellent choice one cannot go wrong with. But it certainly will help to understand and accept that not many schools enjoy the global recognition that one would want them to...
My two cents...discussions are welcome...