Jci813 wrote:
I hope this question gets some traction, because I think its a topic that does not get enough discussion. I know that MBA programs want to stay competitive, and we have to jump through some hoops. But when do we, as future business leaders, stop being applicants and start behaving like savvy consumers?
For example, every school says they have a welcoming, collaborative environment. In my application process, I saw that was indeed the case with some, but some don't event respond to an email. I am not complaining, but am asking how much do we take this into consideration? I want a school that will help me pivot and propel my career.. I edited down my list to schools I felt positiviely about (some more than others) and didn't focus as much on ranking as some other people.
I would love to get a thread going about where you chose to apply to and why and any personal experiences with the adcom that made you feel that way.
Great topic!! I will add my point of view.
So the way I choose my schools are on factors such as:-
1) Ranking
2) Location/Geography
3) Curriculum/Facilities/Infra
4) Diversity
5) Lecturers
6) AdCom's responses
Let me weigh-in the reasons as well for each of the factors.
Ranking - The ranking is based on various other factors as well such as the infra that the college provides, the investment it attracts, the alumni network, career services/companies it attracts, etc. Thus, ranking takes care of a majority of research that you might have to do to figure out the best school for you. Also when I look at say FT rankings and I see that LBS/Oxford is ranked higher than say Manchester - that tells me that LBS/Oxford has a better brand name and hence would be recognized even outside the UK which for me as a non-Eu citizen is very important as you can understand. For me, alumni networking post-MBA is far more important than the other 2 since I want to be an entrepreneur post-MBA and I want huge networking. Thus I go for colleges such as Oxford rather than a young college such as Warwick.
Location - The second most important factor is which region do you see yourself fit most. I am looking for the Eu region for eg. so for me, this factor weighs in even more. Places such as France, Spain, and Germany would require me to learn the local language and be fluent in it. Not just for me but for my family too so it's a bit inconvenient. The only other option that fits best for me is the UK. So I am looking primarily in the UK. And I can see myself working in the UK for a long time. At the same time, I can't see myself working in Italy, France, etc in the long run.
Curriculum/Facilities/Infra - The structure, length, flexibility, and subjects of the curriculum are yet other factors that will decide which college to go for. I am 31 so basically, I am looking for a year course, but since I am a non-Eu I would like to go for a course that provides flexibility at the same time to extend beyond the first 12 months just in case my plan A of Entrepreneurship doesn't work out or if I feel I have more to learn, etc. Additionally, since I am looking into Entrepreneurship, I am looking primarily at colleges that have a good Entrepreneurship focus, have their own Entrepreneurship centers, Incubators, Accelerators, etc.
Diversity - Again, as an entrepreneur who is looking to have a global reach I would like to have my network as diverse and as global as possible. It adds value to the discussions you have during the case studies, get to know different point of views and are exposed to various cultures, economies, etc. which will help you in setting up and running your business in the future. This factor helped me to cut out top Indian colleges such as ISB, IIMs which have rather negligible diversity in terms of international students.
Lecturers - This factor comes into the picture at a very later stage once you have the above points figured out. Guest lectures/speakers, core faculty/professors, and their name in the market would help you in your post MBA career goals. For eg. I attended one of the events that Cambridge conducted recently, and I was awed by Dr. Stella Pachidi who is a lecturer/professor for the Digital Transformation course. I could see myself connect with how she presented her case and the various issues with Digital transformation.
Adcoms responses - I feel AdComs get so many requests and have so much on their plates at this point in time that it would be unfair to select a college on this factor. Though I do feel that it does play a role a tiny bit. For eg. I attended one of the INSEAD webinars and during my discussion with AdCom, I could feel slight resistance in her responses. She was pushing me more for EMBA rather than answering the questions I was looking for FTMBA. Thus I cut off INSEAD from my list.
I hope my response was in the interest of the topic.
close
16 Oct 2020, 16:18
