Help choosing the right program

Question

Dear Hjort,

I wanted some advice on choosing the MBA program.

Here is my profile.
GMAT Score: First Attempt - 560, Second Attempt - 640
Work Experience: 2 years
Undergrad GPA: 3.56

I had applied to the following schools.
Boston University - Ding
University of Indiana (Kelley) - Ding
Bentley College - Accepted with almost full assistantship
University of Rochester (Simon) - Accepted to start in Jan 2007 for 18 month MBA program with some assistantship
Babson College - Accepted
Vanderbilt - Accepted
Yale University - Still waiting for an answer
University of Southern California (Marshall) - Still waiting for an answer

I plan to concentrate in Entrepreneurship or General Management. I do not have any location preference.

Can you please help me choose between Bentley, Babson, and Simon? I have to answer in the next 7 days.

Thanks,
Bhavin

Hjort · Answer

What are your long term and short term goals? If you choose Simon does this mean that you would finish soonest relative to your other options?

Hjort · Answer

Rochester is easily the strongest school in terms of overall prestige and academic reputation among the three you mention. However, relatively few Rochester graduates enter General Management. Babson is very well known as a school for e-ship but has somewhat weaker employment stat.s than Simon and is in a lower cluster. Bentley is simply outclassed in this comparison. Further, it has very high competition in the region- HBS, MIT, BC, BU, and Babson not to mention Yale SOM and Tuck.

blshah · Answer

Dear Hjort,

Thank you for the prompt reply.

In the short term, I would like to get acquainted with the basic fundamentals, infrastructure and dynamics of the company (preferably a MNC) and develop a thorough understanding of all the functional areas. I would want to work to the best of my ability learning as much as I can in the functional area as well as build my interpersonal relationships through networking. My long term goal is to go back to India and set up a business in the services or consumer goods industry. Since my father has a business, I also have to option of expanding the family business. 

My undergraduate degree is Bachelors in Computer Science. My work experience is to work for a software company that is in the healthcare industry. I worked as a Technical Trainer and now in Product Development and Technical Account Manager.

The program at Rochester would start in Jan 2007 and finish in May 2008. This would be same time I would finish in other schools. I would have to continue to study through summer and would not have an option for internship whereas in other 2 year schools, I could get an internship opportunity during the summer of 2007.

I am striking Bentley out of my choices. Please help between Babson and Univ of Rochester. If I get an answer from Yale, that would be my top priority. Where does Marshall stand in this comparison?

Many Thanks.

Bhavin

Hjort · Answer

Some thoughts-

Rochester:
Positives: Strong academic reputation, generally better employment statistics

Negatives: No internship, school is located in smaller metropolitan economic area (but it has the strongest academic reputation in that area)

Babson: 

Positives: strong reputation in eship, located in one of the 10 largest economic areas of the US

Negatives: Highly oversubscribed economic area, weaker overall reputation 

USC/Marshall has the advantage of being in the second largest economic area in the country and it sits very near the top within that area. It also has a very loyal alumni group.

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