Desautels (McGill U) 2013 - Calling All MBA Applicants

The size of the network is highly overrated IMO. The quality of it is what really matters. For instance, it happens frequently that smaller programs have graduates who feel very passionate about their school and are always open to help younger people. You ideally want people like this, and even better if they are in the location and industry where you want to work. The advantage of having a very large network however is that by sheer probabilities you are likely to find a graduate that can guide you wherever and whatever you want to do. In sum, I think you need to figure out what you want to do and see if the network offered by Desautels can help you achieve that: as small as Desautels's network might be, it is the best you can find for a career in Montreal, for instance. On the opposite, say HBS or Wharton, have thousands of graduates but I wonder how many would be in Montreal.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the network can be very important to land your first job, but very soon after that it will become less relevant.

EDIT: A very easy way to find out the kind of network you will get is to directly email a few people. For instance, looking on LinkedIn for a few graduates, and sending an email where you politely introduce yourself, explain to the point what you want to do after an MBA, explain why you think Desautels can help you achieve that, and then kindly ask them if they share your view and would encourage you to apply or enroll. When I did this, I found in general that people from smaller programs were a lot better at writing back with feedback than those from larger ones.