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waldeck55
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competitive vs friendly students 22 Jul 2007, 03:57
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I'm trying to determine business school fit, and was wondering which business schools among the ultra-elite and elite are reputed to have a competitive/friendly student culture?
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CerealsMBA
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competitive vs friendly students 22 Jul 2007, 11:28
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waldeck55
I'm trying to determine business school fit, and was wondering which business schools among the ultra-elite and elite are reputed to have a competitive/friendly student culture?
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I just met a Kellogg alumn yesterday and my impression was confirmed that the school's focus on teamwork fostered collaborative competition...

Tuck seems to have a similar culture, but I may be wrong on that one.
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GMATcram
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competitive vs friendly students 22 Jul 2007, 18:43
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I have a feeling that you're ALWAYS under the Kellogg teamwork culture while you can be independent or in teamwork in Chicago GSB and there're ALWAYS a lot of students available or even Dean within your reach when you need help here.

My 2 cents:

Teamwork: Kellogg/Duke(Fuqua team)/Darden (small group)/Stanford/Notre Dame
Trans: HBS/ Chicago /Tuck
Competitive: Wharton /Columbia/NYU


CerealsMBA
waldeck55
I'm trying to determine business school fit, and was wondering which business schools among the ultra-elite and elite are reputed to have a competitive/friendly student culture?

I just met a Kellogg alumn yesterday and my impression was confirmed that the school's focus on teamwork fostered collaborative competition...

Tuck seems to have a similar culture, but I may be wrong on that one.
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competitive vs friendly students 22 Jul 2007, 19:55
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GMATcram
I have a feeling that you're ALWAYS under the Kellogg teamwork culture while you can be independent or in teamwork in Chicago GSB and there're ALWAYS a lot of students available or even Dean within your reach when you need help here.

My 2 cents:

Teamwork: Kellogg/Duke(Fuqua team)/Darden (small group)/Stanford/Notre Dame
Trans: HBS/ Chicago /Tuck
Competitive: Wharton /Columbia/NYU


CerealsMBA
waldeck55
I'm trying to determine business school fit, and was wondering which business schools among the ultra-elite and elite are reputed to have a competitive/friendly student culture?

I just met a Kellogg alumn yesterday and my impression was confirmed that the school's focus on teamwork fostered collaborative competition...

Tuck seems to have a similar culture, but I may be wrong on that one.
Show more


Kellogg's teamwork orientation can definetly be a positive towards building a cooperative environment. It can also be a real negative.
Ironically, most of my friends at Kellogg actually complain that its too teamwork oriented - it becomes irritating to have to do everything as a group - and inevitably, because its all group based, some people just don't pull their own weight (because, to a large extent, they dont really have to - though you do get graded by your teammembers). Thus, they complain, that while there isn't a lot of competition for grades (my friends joke that its "a gentleman's B for everyone") that actually causes problems of a different kind...

I find it particularly humorous that this seems to be their number one complaint, because this was the number one reason I wanted to go to Kellogg. Funny that its biggest "strength" would also be its biggest weakness.

The GSB, I agree, seems down the middle. There are definetly some hardcore people there, and the forced grading curve undoubtedly fosters some level of competition, but Grade Non Disclore policies keep that in check.

In general, I'd agree with 09apps views .... with maybe the exception of Darden... Although very team oriented, it has an insanely demanding curriculum - arguably the most structured challenging and academically demanding of ANY school -- I can't imagine that kind of environment doesnt also foster competition, but I admit thats primarily speculation.

Wharton, I've heard, though I dont have any real first hand information... is particularly competitive.
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competitive vs friendly students 22 Jul 2007, 23:04
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I want to echo Rhyme's points.

Last year, a Russian manager of a well-known institute, a PhD and then GSB 08', said that she had experience working with several Kellogg and Chicago alumni and had a rough comparision. Those from Kellogg usually sought advice from their peers before making their own decision while GSB grads could make it by themselves. Besides, leadership or making your own decision is definitely a fruit after a two year MBA. Certainly, no one can deny Kellogg is a fun place, a "party" school...,etc and make your two years there memorable. Surely, friendly community like Kellogg is as clear as crystal. However, another element is too team-orienting force sometimes makes international students hardly integrate into their community.

The workload and acceptance rate are a signal for those apply to top schools consider Darden a "back-up" choice. Admittedly, its program is academically strong, but it's not usually difficult to get a B. In fact, you'll own a long lasting friendship by working together in a small group for the first year, and then another group for the second year in a small community, which is carefully chosen regarding to demographic elements.

You need to work really hard to keep up with Wharton students' pace when they have 6-7 year solid experience, or you are isolated by old guys in a group disscussion, especially you're slightly young, or you are forced to study with undergrads as I've read some blogs and talked with Wharton alumni. It's defintely a competitive school.

rhyme
Kellogg's teamwork orientation can definetly be a positive towards building a cooperative environment. It can also be a real negative.
Ironically, most of my friends at Kellogg actually complain that its too teamwork oriented - it becomes irritating to have to do everything as a group - and inevitably, because its all group based, some people just don't pull their own weight (because, to a large extent, they dont really have to - though you do get graded by your teammembers). Thus, they complain, that while there isn't a lot of competition for grades (my friends joke that its "a gentleman's B for everyone") that actually causes problems of a different kind...

I find it particularly humorous that this seems to be their number one complaint, because this was the number one reason I wanted to go to Kellogg. Funny that its biggest "strength" would also be its biggest weakness.

The GSB, I agree, seems down the middle. There are definetly some hardcore people there, and the forced grading curve undoubtedly fosters some level of competition, but Grade Non Disclore policies keep that in check.

In general, I'd agree with 09apps views .... with maybe the exception of Darden... Although very team oriented, it has an insanely demanding curriculum - arguably the most structured challenging and academically demanding of ANY school -- I can't imagine that kind of environment doesnt also foster competition, but I admit thats primarily speculation.

Wharton, I've heard, though I dont have any real first hand information... is particularly competitive.
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competitive vs friendly students 23 Jul 2007, 04:09
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I am surprised you marked NYU as competitive. Not bothered at all, I would like it that way. Just from a lot of aspects I felt it wasn't all that competitive at all.

Maybe I was more focussed on the NYU recruitment approach, which is more NYU vs the world. Celebrate a classmate getting in wherever - a perception it is not at your expense, but at the expense of another school's applicant.

If it is competitive in class that is fine by me.
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competitive vs friendly students 25 Jul 2007, 13:01
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I think that the perception of cooperative/ friendly vs. competitive is mostly personal (to a certain extent) and should probably be considered together with other factors. All the experiences I had while interacting with the schools (alumni, students, adcoms, etc.) were different from the standard perception, or at least from what I expected before hand. Example: at one school the attitude was laid back and cooperative (and I like that about it), but while visiting I felt that if I attended that school I would slack to death. At another school, the competition was way below what I face at work everyday, so I would not call it competitive at all, while the common perception is that it's cut-throat.

To conclude: make your own impression if you can.

L.
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competitive vs friendly students 26 Jul 2007, 22:46
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R people from Columbia all snobbish? I have spoken to 4 Columbia Alums and I got the same kind of impression. They just don't seem to be very friendly and helpful as Alums from other school. Is it just me?