Help me choose: Anderson or Ross

Question

I'm planning to focus my study on Enterpreneurship and general management for my MBA. So far I have been admit to two schools, and it is very tough to make a call. Please help me decide. I appreciate all the vote and comments.

Thanks,

ghibi!!!

kidderek · Answer

Enterpreneurship --> Anderson

MoonShine · Answer

The weather is nicer in Cali, go to Anderson.

lepium · Answer

Weather --> definitely Anderson.
Cost of living --> Ross
Entrepreneurship --> tie? check the ZLI at Ross before cutting corners and concluding that Anderson's best coz it's West Coast or sth.
General Management --> definitely Ross.

Disclaimer: I've been admitted to Ross and have not applied to Anderson.

lhotseface · Answer

E-ship -> Anderson. It is at the core of their program.

amorica · Answer

Ok..maybe a stupid question...but..

How does a school have a particular strenght in "Entrepreneurship"...wouldn't this be entirely up to the individual? How does one program do better than another program in this regard?

rhyme · Answer

Ive heard hte Ross entrepreneurship area is one of the best in the world... so i voted ross.

lhotseface · Answer

For e-ship Anderson wins hands down. For management, Ross wins comfortably.

Anderson was the first school to establish an e-ship centre (Price Centre) which served as a model of other schools. The Entrepreneurship Association on campus is the largest club at Anderson with more than 50% of the class actively involved. Lot of the students end up working in startups in favour of traditional employers. 

If you want to do general management /consulting in the long run, pick Ross.

lhotseface · Answer

Access to capital, university's research for business ideas, other like-minded students intersted in becoming business partners, business plan contest, faculty who are themselves successful entrepreneurs, alumni who are entrepreneurs and who help evaluate business pitches to venture capitalists.....

I can go on..but you get the idea.

GHIBI · Answer

Thank you all for participating.

It will take a few week for me to decide. Many people here say that Anderson's E-ship (AMR) is the best, but Ross seems to have excellent program (MAP) also. From reading on the school websites, both AMR and MAP seems very similar...

I got another question? What about E-Ship Program at Babson and MIT? Why are they highly rate by US News?

ghibi!!!

xixtrays · Answer

Southern California >>>>>>>>>> the Midwest.

I can say that 'cause I've lived both places. Think about where you want to be employed afterwards, remembering that both schools have Wall Street I-Banks recruiting.

kidderek · Answer

I really want to live in Cali, but UCLA does not have much representation on Wall St. It's a great school, but a regional school.

xixtrays · Answer

I really want to live in Cali, but UCLA does not have much representation on Wall St. It's a great school, but a regional school. 

The NYC banks come and recruit from ALL of the best business schools. Obviously you are better positioned if you are at Columbia or Wharton. UCLA is regional in all other businesses - pretty much.

GMATT73 · Answer

It may be regional to a certain extent, but you mention UCLA to any of my Japanese clients and their complexion changes. The (B)school sure does seem to have clout throughout the PacRim.

pelihu · Answer

I would say that UCLA  seems  more regional, but it might be more a result of students getting accustomed to the LA weather and lifestyle and deciding to stay. In other words, I think that opportunities are pretty similar, but the people at UCLA go there because they want to be in LA, and stay there because they like it there. On the other hand, Ross is obviously a great school, but I think that few people actually  choose  to stay for work in Detroit, so their students are more widely distributed.

I will say from personal experience that Ann Arbor and Westwood are both great places to go to school, but they offer totally different experiences.

kidderek · Answer

That's an interesting take on the reasoning (probably true esp w/the Ross comparison), but it supports the statement that UCLA is a regional school. 

Am I incorrect in thinking that the determining factor whether a school is regional or national is the alumni network? So the reason why grads stay in a region is inconsequential compared with whether they actually do or spread out nationally. Of course, I'm assuming work production being comparable.

pelihu · Answer

The terms national or regional are not absolute. To me, the key difference is not where alumni are located, but rather the access that a school provides. For example, Stanford is known to send a lot of its grads right down the street to jobs in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Jose, etc.; however Stanford grads could get jobs in any market that they want.

That's the point I was trying to make with UCLA and Michigan. I believe the grads from each school have relatively equal access to jobs. Certainly UCLA has the advantage out West, while Michigan is better connected in the Midwest and East, but I don't think the fact that many UCLA grads remain in California means that their students are limited to jobs in the region. To me, UCLA and Michigan are equally national for most concerns.

GHIBI · Answer

Thank you all for participating. Right now I'm leaning toward Ross myself. It seems to be a better school for general management and equally good in Entrepreneurship with Anderson. Location wise, I'm indifferent because I equally enjoy the snow and the sun. And Anderson's drop in lastest US News ranking seems to make my decision easier...

ghibi!

xixtrays · Answer

Your decision is your own, but I would not base it on one publication's rankings. Did you visit both schools?

GHIBI · Answer

xix,

I haven't visited any school I applied because I'm in Asia Pacific. Nevertheless, I have studied at UCLA summer school before I go to college, so I get the feel of the campus. It's surely a great place, but I also like the Northeast small town feel of Ann Arbor, which should be pretty similar to where I went for undergrad. 

So far I have talked to 2 UCLA alum (one was the interviewer), and 4 current student at Ross (one was also the interviewer), and they all love their schools. It's a tough decision choosing between the two, and even GMAT Clubber are split 60/40 in this poll!

ghibi!

Help me choose: Anderson or Ross

Anderson or Ross

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