A question about fit

Question

This is question #2 tonight about school visits.

Anyone out there think a school looked perfect on paper for them, but was negatively influenced by the visit to the school?

On the other side, was anyone blown away by a visit to a school they were not particularly interested in?

sonibubu · Answer

As an engineer, I thought MIT Sloan was a good choice because of the quant rigor and techie minds in the student body. However, after an info session I just thought the students/alumni were a bit too robotic/nerdy for my taste. I will go there for a visit in the Fall just to see if I like it before spending the time and money to apply.
I'm not sure how many people will actually visit a school they're not too interested in, unless maybe it's in the same city and convenient to stop by there.

PaulK · Answer

I never thought I'd go to a small town like Ithaca over a big city school. But, after a visit, everything changed. And I finally understood what everyone had been saying all this time about fit!

riverripper · Answer

I think you can get a good sense of fit in a day but still not the overall true feel of the school. I loved a lot about tuck but after a visit realized it wasnt where I would want to be for two years for a variety of reasons. I was starting to question it after talks with some folks and lack of people in my desired industry but the trip sealed the decision for me not to apply.

Adding to what sonibubu said, sometimes I think the things that initially attract us to schools also end up being things you shouldnt really go for. I know as an engineer I loved MIT, its such a great school in the minds of engineers that I was probably really swayed on that. I ended up applying and in many ways am glad I didnt get in. My wife really wanted to stay in Boston and chances are that would have been a big factor in our decision. I am sure I would have been very happy there but in the end I think kellogg and some other schools would round out my background far more and probably be a bigger benefit. Sloan is an amazing school but in the end my resume wouldnt have been as balanced. As an engineer I dont think many employers will question my quant abilities but they may wonder if I am just a dorky guy due to previous job titles and stuff like that. I did enjoy my visits and interactions with Sloan students but I will say definitively that the "dorkiest" students I met were at MIT. Yes the VAST majority are normal folks and those folks exist at all schools but there were far more "nerds" than at other programs. My tour guy even joked that he was a bad representation for the students there since he pretty much flat out stated he was a dork and thats what people stereotype them all as being.

kryzak · Answer

LOL! <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" />

filmcity · Answer

I was vey much under a spell due to the non profit focus of yale. I also loved whatever information I coould glean from my online research.

But a visit to the school totally changed my mind ( I know, in few hours you can not really get the true feel, but even the apparent feel on the school changed). I was sure, my wife and kid would not love to spend almost the whole part of their days alone in an apartment in that town ( since I would be away in work and my wife, I being an international, can not work)! Even I did not so much like the school/ student guides who led the toures during the visit ( personal opinion). So, I ended up not applying to a school which was almost my top choice.

VictoryMBA · Answer

filmcity, what didn't you like about the school itself (I realize you don't like new haven)? And what didn't you like about the guides?

Yale is my #1 choice, so I am always eager for other people perspectives on the school. Thanks.

aceman626 · Answer

Hi Paul, are you going to Cornell? I would love your hear your experiences with the visit.

filmcity · Answer

Hi VictoryMBA, I am afraid that my reasons for not liking the school may come out to be too frivolous and personal. So, please take them with dollops of salt.

I had this notion that Yale deliberately avoids the rat race for conventional banking and consulting jobs. I read some inyterview with the Dean and the other representatives of the school where they mentioned those things.

But the students I had conversation with, although were as smart as you would expect in any top B-school but did not give any indication that they are pursuing a different career. I am sure there are some who will pick themselves out of the conventional rat race, but all the students I talked to were gunning for traditional jobs. I met a ex- non profit guy who is eyeing banking job and learnt that there are quite a few ex non profits , who are switching careers to corporate. The whole intercation gave a notion that students were trying  hard  to just get a street job. Nothing unusual, but nothing different either.

The class I attended, though top notch but there was almost no class participation. But to give due credit, the professor encouraged participation but simply none was prepared.

Everyone of my co-visitors were very interested to attend the finance class and apart from one enterprising lady ( who were more interested to visit the Law school) everyone I talked were planning a corporate career. But that is a really small sample.

My interaction with the assistant admission officer ( or someone with such designation) did not really help either. I asked whether Yale offers any kind of free class audits or such for students's spouse and whether they hold any activity for partners. This is a crucial info for me and from their website it seemed Yale is a partner friendly school. But the adcom officer just smirked and commented that your partner will be too busy with the kid to take any class or get involved in any other thing. May be true, but the way she said it did not really impress me.

Next comes the New Haven campus. Everywhere they are building something and the noise really killed me. Buildings are nice looking, but at the daytime crowded, roads are full of noise, not an ideal setting for academics.

While coming back, I asked the admission office where I can get a bus to the railway station and they informed me of a nearby busstop. But after waiting for eons I did not get a bus to station. Even no cab either. I learnt that one must call and book a cab through telephone. My international roaqming was not working neither the pedestrians I asked could provide me with any cab rental agency number. Had to walk all through New Haven (with a luggage) to reach the station.

So, all in all, not a great experience. May be the travails from the travel biased my judgement. But who knows?

VictoryMBA · Answer

Very informative post, thank you for your help filmcity!

A question about fit

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