eh, Im going to have to disagree with ke18sb actually but i appreciate your advice becuase you make valid points, all of which certainly matter to some extent. mattNY thanks buddy! i have found this whole mba process to be so gruelig and monotonous.. and overall just drainng. Maybe i havea few schools im into but honestly i went through so many rough patches where I almost just walked away and decided to keep working. I have friends who went to awsome schools, awesome jobs and literally are getting rejected from EVERY MBA program they apply to. Its crazy. The selection process these days is not what it used to be thats for sure.
redjam you are pretty much spot on, all of your points certainly hold true, except maybe the relying on the recruiting bit. I wont get into my thoughts on that now cause i will bore you... but on the oher hand I think a lot of that stuff is bs. Yes I am from the states.. been in new england all my life went to what most people believe to be the #1 ivy in the country for undergrad, economics, bulge bracket i bank right after school etc etc. went through all those motions. Frankly I do tend to gravitate towards situations people and places that make me feel excited, intellectually stimulated, and just happy to be there. I chose my undergrad the same way- i felt awsome just being there i cant explain it but its a premonition or a connection, whatever you want to call it. a vibe. I really think looking at the "career stats " of each school and comparing rankings etc etc is totally dumb and a waste of time because 1) it bears NO guaranteee that you will follow whatever patterns you extract from your intense analysis of these (self reported) statistics, and b) sure, those guidlines might work for some poeple... in my opinion they work for the run of the mill, average b schooler who needs a job delivered to him on a platter even though it may not be his true calling, but hey, its easy and less work than going after something on your own. anyone who is a serious contender for a top firm, job, career, what have you will end up getting that because he went after it, and because his stats and history speak for themselves. so to be honest... visiting yale som's one decrepid building that sadly represents the entire business school and is at the center of arguably the most dangerous, depressing town the on the east coast, vs strolling the 800 year old cobblestone streets of oxford where everyone from royalty to radiohead is passing by.... those intangibles are HUGE in my opinion. You are going to work the hardest when you are inspired and happy. YOu go for it. I find it hard to believe that many kids feel the urge to really "go for it" in the same way after a couple years in new haven ct. "going for it" for them probably looks more like a swan dive off the tallest building in som... oh right, theres only one building. ha. what a nightmare. obvsiously im halfway joking about all this so dont get mad. Mostly jokiing, but kinda serious. anyway, good points for sure. yeah i initialy wanted to come back to new york but im open minded. i may want to stay in london for afew years.
one point that I have to say I totally disagree with ... and Im assuming you are american? If you go to europe you cant escape the fact that there exists a certain perception of americans as being somewhat arrogant, especially in terms of the way we view ourselves compared to the rest of the world. I;m totally american but I can see how this is kind've obnoxious. if you already lived and worked and schooled in the us (probably on the same coast to boot) why on earth would going to DUKE with all the seme types of people give you a better network? totally disagree. This is becoming a global world and one of the reasons i think im going to go to oxford is becasuse i dont want to be one of those close minded americans who went to school here all my life while the rest of the world is broadening their horizons. I think if theres any shot that you ever want to work in london or elswhere out side of new york, it looks good to have that global education. oxford is no community college - its some of the smartest people in the world. I hate to say this on the duke forum, but the kids at duke aren't exactly einstein's on the whole.. they are cool and down to earth and really well rounded normal smart kids dont get me wrong... but in terms of intellectual ability I don't think you get much better than a place like oxford or obviously harvard yale etc.
just a few thoughts. basically thinking out loud but again anyone can yell at me anytime.
an yes, i do indeed realize there are some very smart people at duke. If i choose to attend for example, that would be one right there. so yeah, I definitely don't like to generalize or stereotype. AS YOU CAN SEE hahah
Nov 20
27 May 2011, 14:00
