Calling all NYU Stern Applicants (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!

What doesn't make sense to me is how exactly the missing data point impacts the rankings. Based on the chart referenced in Stern's response (USNWR 2017 Stern vs. UCLA), there are eight (weighted) criteria which determine a school's ranking... how can any data, such as the # or % of entering students who submitted the GMAT, have an impact on the ranking if it falls outside of the aforementioned chart?

Perhaps the missing data led USNWR to estimate Stern's FT Average GMAT Score (one of the eight criteria), and the accurate figure of 720 was only updated at a later date once the missing data was provided. Might make sense since USNWR weighs this variable at a hefty 16.25%.

In any case, I've accepted my offer of admission, and while the change in ranking may certainly impact application volume / yield in next year's class, I think Stern's NYC location will help mitigate these effects to some degree (its always going to be a highly desirable place to attend school).

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the number or percentage of entering students who submitted GMAT scores is used to create a standardized GMAT score for each program, which is the value then used in the rankings computation. The correct (read: real had someone not messed up at Stern) score, I believe, is on Stern's individual US News page. But US News used an "estimated" data point to compile the rankings that obviously was extremely low and will not provide information on how this data point was derived. What doesn't make sense to me is how an organization that claims to create data-based rankings is comfortable using a seemingly made up data point. At the very least, US News should be called on to release the details of what they used in place of the missing data. I hope that current Stern students (and ideally the administration) make a serious effort to find this out when school resumes after the break.

Are any other admitted students struggling with how to factor these recent events into their decision? While I know that this ranking changes nothing about Stern's actual resources and strengths (and that very well might be the answer to my question), I am mildly-moderately concerned by the fact that this was allowed to happen in the first place. On the flip side, Stern seems to have been a steady program for the past number of years with seemingly fewer advancements than its peer schools. Maybe this will be a wake up call that snaps Stern into action and significantly betters the program? If anyone is interested in discussing this further (here or PM), I would love to chat.

Hi mate, I am a fellow admitted applicant as well (Asia), congratulations for your admission offer!

For my part, I have to say that I am really facing a dilemma right now. My company, like other company in its business sector, only accepts to sponsor MBA studies if I am admitted in a “target school”. In my case, the MBA program must be ranked above the 15th place in the USNWR ranking to be considered eligible. Therefore, if I decide to go to NYU Stern right now, I will lose the company scholarship + living expenses allowance as NYU Stern is ranked below 15th place.

Some of you will point out that I already have a merit scholarship. However, Stern’s merit scholarship only covers 1st year tuition, and I was counting on my company to cover the 2nd year and the hefty living expenses in NYC. Therefore, Stern “little” omission will lead to a significant financial burden for me.

After I found out about the new rankings, I phoned current Sternies (1st year and 2nd year). They are ballistic and outraged about this man-made downgrade, and in their opinions heads will row after the spring break. A lot of them got phone calls and emails from the applicants they “coached”, especially from those whose employers would use the downgrade as an excuse to bail out on their sponsorship commitments. In addition, they are expecting a slight decrease in the A/M yield for R3 this year, but a true debacle for R1 and R2 in 2017 as new applicants will refer to the 2016 USNWR ranking, as the 2017 ranking will not available yet.

Furthermore, there are “rumors”, and please note the highly hypothetical tone, that this omitted # of GMAT transmissions is just one reason of the Stern downgrade this year. In fact, it seems highly unlikely USNWR inputted a GMAT estimate well below 700 to that would generate such a downgrade ceiteris paribus. In fact, even without this “omission”, there are “rumors” that Stern 2016 ranking would be lower than last year’s, and should be between the 12th and the 15th place. Therefore, the “omission” may be just a scapegoat, hiding Stern's leadership failures.

I'm R2 admit and was just about to submit deposit when I saw this. I was pissed to say the least. For me, like others, I'd love to be in nyc for both personal and professional reasons. But stern really doesn't seem to have moved forward much in rankings. i agree that it probably would have dropped 1 or 2 in rankings and this data point just made it worse.

I've always thought stern's fees were a bit high for its ranking (even before this debacle). Also, their low standards for part-time admits dilute the brand. Which to me just seems like another money grab that hurts them in the long run.

I have better scholarships from other schools, so I'm seriously considering dropping stern.




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Posted from my mobile device

FROM NYU Stern Admissions Blog: A Week In the Life Of…

The question that I get asked most often since I started my MBA at Stern was “So what’s a typical day like?” Sadly, (as cliché as it may sound) there Read More

Lol this is why I dropped Stern from my consideration. Future classes might not be the best and will only go downhill. I know next year Stern will improve next year, but I feel like it will only go up to 12-15 since other schools in the 10-20 range are really taking this opportunity to tout their higher ranking at Stern's expense.

Also while Stern is no different this week from last week, this does highlight the fact that there is some serious admin dysfunction and that if you peel the onion even further back you might be even more surprised. If there are no safeguards when submitting the data then I doubt there are safeguards that protect the integrity of the data.

Will Stern’s ranking be negatively affected by this blunder in future years? Probably. Are we overreacting and potentially reaching for facts that aren’t there? Likely.

As an admit, I fully understand the frustration this news is causing everyone, especially when the tuition and fees top $70k per year. That being said, if you can only see Stern for its #20 US News ranking, and not the incredible opportunities its location, alumni network, and faculty will provide, you’ve already missed the boat. Sadly, this uninformed line of thinking is probably what will cause future applicants to discount Stern for being ranked #20, and ultimately hurt future rankings. But who knows, maybe having less superficial classes in future years will be a good thing.

Earning an MBA is all about personal growth and furthering your career. Regardless of this years ranking, Stern is still positioned to significantly enhance its graduate’s career trajectories. If your goal is to become a better person and grow your career (if you’ve been accepted, it should be), I doubt your career prospects are ruined because of a #20 ranking. Stern is still undoubtedly a core school for tons of corporate recruiters, and companies aren’t going to risk their relationships with the school based on a single year of flawed rankings. Until we see evidence that post graduation employment rates/salaries and student satisfaction are down, lets pump the brakes.

Specifically, DoorDelano, I find it interesting that you’ve been able to draw the conclusion that there is a systemic issue within Sterns administration based on a single missed data point. Do you have inside insight on sterns administration? Are you familiar with their process for collecting and submitting data to US News? If you do, please enlighten us, because for all we know, this could have been a simple error committed by a single administrative assistant. Does the omission demonstrate lack of oversight and leadership? Possibly, but lets get all the facts straight before we start spewing rhetoric about dysfunction.

Bottom line, everyone has the right to be upset about this situation. We all applied expecting to go to a business school ranked 11 or better, and we got a school ranked 20. I know we’re all frustrated, but maybe this is the wake-up call Sterns leadership needed. Lets see how they react when the chips are down.

I was accepted to Stern but personally decided to attend Ross well before the rankings ever came out. I understand that rankings don't mean crap and what's important is how you make the best use of your MBA experience, but I have to say that had I paid my Stern deposit, I would be a mix of angry and bitter and disappointed right now, with a touch of annoyance thrown in as well when I imagine the stain of the number 20 lurking somewhere in the back of my mind during my first year at school. I also don't know how many others out there share my experience, but when I started my school research in early 2015, I solely relied on the previous year's USNAWR rankings to influence my initial impressions, for better or worse. I probably wouldn't have known about NYU's "real" rank until much later, and who knows what I would have done with that information.

By publishing a press release explaining Stern's drop due to a technicality instead of recalculating, isn't US News basically admitting their rankings may not be that reliable? A bit counter-intuitive, no?

Had they either not commented (i.e. not confirming existence of a technical error which would lead to the public having less reason to doubt the ranking, perhaps even casting doubt on Stern's explanation here), or recalculated (amending the error, as the now aware public knows it has been amended and should be reliable), the ranking's reputation would likely be stronger than it is now, but to admit a technical error and refuse to recalculate gives them the worst of both worlds (public knows there's an error and knows this year's ranking is less reliable because of it).

I’d like to make one additional point.

Everyone that applies to business school wants to be judged based on who they are as a person, and what they have accomplished. Nobody wants to be viewed as just a number or collection of GPA and GMAT stats. That being said, is it really fair for us to view Stern as a number (ie. US News Ranking) rather than a holistic experience? This is especially true for roughly half of the accepted students in each class who have GPA’s and GMAT scores below Stern’s average. Wouldn’t it be hypocritical to criticize Stern for being ranked #20 if your measurable statistics may in fact be bringing down the data that is used to calculate Sterns ranking?

Unfortunately it’s difficult for US News to measure the intangibles students bring to each business school, but in my opinion this is where Stern shines. From what I can tell, the emphasis placed on EQ by Sterns admissions staff creates a much more well rounded class, a generally friendlier, more collaborative, and overall more productive environment. The reality of the situation is that if you were accepted at Stern with lower than average statistics, they’ve taken a risk on you based on their evaluation of your total package. Let’s take a step back and evaluate Stern the way they evaluated each of us that applied. The ranking is frustrating, but Stern is much more than just a questionable US News ranking.

BearMBA2018 - Thank you for your intelligent and, more importantly, level-headed words on this situation. This is exactly what all of us needed to be reminded of and should focus on in our decision making process.

For those who interviewed during week of 3/1/16, has anyone heard back about final decision? I understand the school is probably trying to react to the whole ranking situation, therefore our process might be slowed down and we might not hear back until next week...

Accepted Today! What an incredibly long journey it has been. From Day 1 of deciding to try to apply for an MBA program to today where I'm finally in. Good luck to everyone still waiting!!

Congrats!! When did you interview?


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2/29....it was so difficult to be patient. I thought for sure I'd hear no later than 3/14 so the past week has been excruciating

No need to be frustrated by this #20 ranking at all – it is faulty as admitted and just one of several similar rankings available in this world.
The faculty quality, industry network, alumni, location and student body quality are the great great long-term assets, which can’t be deteriorated overnight regardless what ranking is.

What is bothering me is that apparently the current school leadership is not able to leverage (not even saying improve) these assets well. With the faculty, network and location, Stern should have obvious upper hand over some other schools like Tuck, Darden, Ross, even Hass.

This accident might turn to be a good thing I feel. End of the day, each graduate is the brand of the school which s/he comes from. People perceive the quality through dealing with each other – that is the true ranking if you like.