It's All About The Fit

Question

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about business school selection? The rankings, of course. Every MBA aspirant wants to study at a top ranked school. And why not? After all, top ranked programs typically report great placement statistics including higher average salaries after graduation. But is that what the MBA is all about? What about the time that is actually spent studying for the MBA?

While rankings can be useful since they consider several parameters, MBA aspirants need to adopt a more nuanced approach when creating their final school list. Most applicants tend to focus on what happens beyond the MBA. While this is understandable given the substantial investment involved, they conveniently forget that they still have to complete the MBA program before they can realize their career dreams.

So what does that mean? It means that candidates should also consider the culture of the school as well as the academic aspects of the program during the selection process. Rankings usually rely on data that can be easily collected, analyzed, and reported. They can’t incorporate the kind of qualitative information that would truly aid you in deciding whether the program matches your personal and professional goals.

It’s important for you to determine whether the culture of the school suits your personality. Why? Because you don’t want to be miserable for the duration of your MBA. If you believe in collaboration, we wouldn’t recommend going to a school that is predominantly competitive. On the other hand, if you enjoy a competitive environment, you may feel out of place in a small, close-knit MBA program with a collaborative culture.

Furthermore, there isn’t any point in attending a top ranked school if it can’t help you fulfil your career objectives. Hence, it’s important to take a detailed look at the program curriculum to ensure that it matches your expectations. Moreover, schools are known for their strengths in specific areas. Pursuing your MBA in a school reputed for finance when you wish to build a career in marketing doesn’t make much sense, does it?

In summary, while rankings can be a great starting point, you need to determine whether the school is a good fit for you. How can this be done? A great way to decide if the culture and program meet your needs is to talk to current students, alumni, and admissions staff. This will help you create a school list that reflects your personal values and professional goals, bringing you that much closer to an option that’s right for you.

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bb · Answer

Thanks so much for putting this together. I think Fit is something many schools talked about before the pandemic so it is interesting to see this discussion come back…

I think most of the time I hear about this discussion is in retrospect when hindsight is 20/20.

There is also this diversity thing that often sort of goes against the fit comments. I am actually thinking we should ask some of these evil questions to the adcom 😂 how do you reconcile fit (eg quant folks at booth) vs diversity because either the school has a great fit or they suffer at diversity… and I know there are multiple facets to diversity but I wonder… 🤔

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joohwangie · Answer

balance between being fit and being diverse lol

LemonEd · Answer

Hello  bb

The tussle between fit and diversity is an interesting point. I believe that fit is something that MBA aspirants should work on while diversity is predominantly the domain of admissions committees. That's not to say that applicants should neglect it, but diversity, after all, is simply a more formalized expression of differentiation. While diversity is necessary, the majority of admissions at most b-schools still fall in the traditional category, don't they? So I suppose a Booth can have its quants and toot its diversity horn too.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

dee1pug1 · Answer

Cynical or skeptical as it may sound, I believe this concept of 'fit' is a farce. Name one school which official claims they seek competition and not collaboration. Across the length and breadth of schools universe, multiple synonyms are in use, each trying to create a differentiation in the definition of "fit".

Read the statement from Yale's Dean Bruce - https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/assista ... not-expect

All schools are running a business - period. They need to fill seats to generate revenues. It's a buyers market. I know of perfect-misfits who have secured admits in top ranked schools (and I would dread to be their classmate). I also know of perfect fits who got dinged. Of course, these are fits / mis-fits from my perspective only (but then, my perception is my reality).

In similar vein, culture is not created by walls of a school or office - it is a sum of the culture each student or employee brings. Culture doesn't eat strategy for breakfast, it eats other cultures. The predominant culture (of people) starts appearing as the culture of the place.

Just my humble, two-pence worth opinion, which ain't much post BREXIT.

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