Researching schools

Question

What is the best way to learn about a particular school? MBA Gameplan suggests websites, pamphlets and visiting the school. But the first two sources only offer so much information. 

Are there any other sources?

I'm trying to research CBS, and the only thing I know (besides the obvious) is that they want to manage their yield and only want students who will accept offers.

haddy74 · Answer

That is pretty much all you need to know about CBS anyways plus they have one of the worst B-school facilities among M7 schools. I have nothing against CBS as I have been WLed at CBS along with Chicago, Kellogg and Wharton but I must say that CBS really needs to get its act together. It is really Tuck that should be part of M7 instead of CBS.

kidderek · Answer

Tuck is a great program, but finance seems to drive bschool rankings, save for prestige/innovation.

For pure rankings, CBS is best outside of HSW in terms of its being ranked in the top 10 in every major rankings (for the most part, year in year out)

Also, for me, I want to study in NYC, and CBS is clearly the best of the best in NYC.

Anyway, is there anything I can emphasize on the essays re:CBS than just NYC, ivy league, finance, CBS is my top choice etc etc?

Thanks . . .

ap663 · Answer

Same as any school...talk to people who actually go there. CBS offers the opportunity to e-mail students who have volunteered to answer applicant questions. All you need to do is look it up on their admissions site. I'm going to be a first year there in the fall and there's a lot you more to CBS than yield/admissions rate. Yes, the facilities are not as nice as those of other schools in CBS' league but that should be the least of your worries - they're honestly not that bad. In any case, you should choose a school based on fit rather than the attractiveness of its buildings. I suggest looking through the pages for the concentrations that interest you and see what they have on offer and how that compares with other schools on your list. Look through the club pages too and see what kinds of events they've put on in the past. Also look at the careers page and check out the placement stats to see if the companies you'd want to work for recruit CBS students.

3underscore · Answer

From the impression I have got, Columbia likes to think of itself as more than a finance powerhouse, so I would probably try and widen it from focussing on that.

pelihu · Answer

I think that finance has driven rankings in recent years because of the record profits and record bonuses paid out by the banks, and of course the insane money doled out by PE/VC/HF firms. I think this type of thing can change with the economy.

In terms of rankings, CBS does really well in certain rankings, but not so well in others. In particular, CBS seems to suffer in the two most popular rankings (9th US News and 10th Businessweek). CBS also has a history of fluctuations in their ranking. If you search around the web, you might be able to find an interview with a CBS dean from about 12-15 years ago, when their ranking dropped to the low teens in one of the major rankings (I'm recalling off the top of my head). They made major changes and have obviously recovered nicely; but this past weaknesses affects their reputation to an extent.

CBS sounds like a perfect choice for you if you like NYC and you're interested in finance. The facilities do suck, but you have NYC at your fingertips. Also, the area around CBS has become much more gentrified in recent years, and it's actually pretty nice now. But the real advantage to CBS is that everything you could possible want is within 30-45 minutes by subway. I'll just say this, NY is great if you have some available spending cash. If you plan on living strictly on a student budget as laid out by the school, it would be very rough.

Hjort · Answer

This article talks about Columbia's low point in the late 1980s/early 1990s and subsequent turnaround under Dean Feldberg. https://www.businessweek.com/1998/28/b3586114.htm

Researching schools

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