Rankings

Yes, I agree that "top 10 or bust" is a silly strategy. Each person has a different situation. Some people need to go part-time and stay in a particular area because they have families. Others might have a job or career already in place where they need an MBA, but are not changing careers so school reputation means less to them. Personally, I'm leaning towards staying on the west coast, so I would consider a lower ranked school (say elite instead of ultra-elite) if given the choice provided I'm convinced that the lower ranked school could facilitate adequate access to jobs that I'm interested in.

But I think by and large, most people would be best served by attending the best (most highly ranked) school they can get into. Selecting among schools within the same cluster for preferable traits makes sense. Selecting a lower ranked school because of "fit" generally does not make sense.

Pelihu
I was wondering whether you are considering Berkeley part-time. Haas and Stanford GSB are the only good schools in the West Coast, if you don't want to apply to UCLA, right? I am in the Bay area, so am applying to these two schools, but Stanford is a long-shot for me given my age.
Venky

U2 Lover, IMHO if you have post MBA entrepreneurial aspiratations, then rankings aren't really a huge issue. The good thing about gaining admissions to a "top ten" is that the level of discussion will be substantially higher, which in turn will force your mind to open up new dendrital pathways. If you are young and looking to jump start a solid career right out of school, then rankings are indeed imperative.

Some "old folks" like myself are actually going back to school with the primary intention of starting a business. I'm 33, and have enough background experience in the field that I continue to practice in, albeit at a much higher level, so rankings aren't such a major concern. Even so, I do want to challenge myself and get into the best possible program with the best possible fit.

School selection is indeed a tough choice, but don't overfixate on the rankings. There are several great programs in the top 20-30 as well.

Matt, did you look at Babson College? It specializes in entrepreneurship and the GMAT isn't quite that high...

As far as rankings issue... I think I was misunderstood... All I was saying is that people get obsessed with rankings and overlook the "best fit" even though 2 schools are close in the rankings... that's all... I didn't say they aren't important... I look at them too, but some people's reasoning for going to top 10 school isn't quite convincing... and besides, I think it's important to know the politics behind the rankings... just came across that article and finally decided to post my opinion after a long observation!!! Hope I didn't create any enemies here

Hi Venky,

I'm applying to Haas full-time and as far as I know, you can only apply to one program per year. I will be applying to UCLA, I did my undergrad there and I have a lot of friends in the area. However, I do believe that Berkeley's reputation is trending upwards (their admit rates are getting tougher, their rankings have been moving up, their test scores have been climbing quicker, etc.) while UCLA will probably continue to maintain its current position. Also, I currently live in the Bay Area so Berkeley would be somewhat more convenient for me.

I'm older as well so I definitely consider myself a long-shot at Stanford; as of right now I'm still planning to apply but I'm pessimistic about my chances. I wouldn't say that Berkeley, Stanford and UCLA are the only good schools on the west coast, but I would agree that there is a drop-off in terms of name recognition and top-level job access after these three. Obviously Stanford will provide the best access, but UCLA and Berkeley will both allow for noticeably better access than anything from a lower cluster.

I agree about the job opportunities, and that if you invest 2 years of not being paid / not progressing at your current employer or elsewhere you may expect to get the best out of it. To add an International perspective to the issue, several people's take on the issue is the following (at least in Argentina, probably Brazil and Chile are similar):

Ultra Elite / Elite: Admission to one of these will make me willing to rellocate for 2 or more years almost regarless of any situation (family, friends, job, etc.)

Trans Elite / Near Elite: If I'm hesitant about relocating then I'll probably stay home and go to top local (IAE, San Andrés). If I want to have the international experience and do not have much family or other concerns, I'll go anyway.

Top European (IMD/LBS/INSEAD/BOCCONI/IESE, etc.): makes much more sense for people with dual citizenship who are willing to rellocate to anywhere in the European Union.

Anything else: it's a hell of a lot of money to spend on something that's not as valuable. I'll better stay home and attend top local. Top local usually costs about 20 Thou U$ vs. you know for US schools. It's also much easier to get sponsorship from employers. And your living expenses are much lower. Most people go part - time. Actually part time programs are much more prestigious than the few full time programs (full time students are usually disgruntled former employees with not so much experience who are trying to switch careers, while full time are middle management trying to keep progress steady). All programs are 1 year.

This take does not mean that top local schools are comparable to Trans Elite programs, it just means that the much higher costs of going abroad do not outweight the perceived benefits of the program. Additionally, for individuals planning careers in Argentina, any program outside UE / E would not be easily assessed by local recruiters. So the "perceived" quality / usefulness of local programs kinda of matches the TE / NE programs. And going TE/NE means recruiters are much less likely to "go the extra mile" to sponsor work permits. So your international experience is usually limited to studying abroad, but not working abroad.

The "objective" comparison, judging by one of the rankings in which IAE was assessed, is that top local is about equivalent to US top 50+ or so.

Hope it helps. L.