School selection?

Question

Hi Hjort,

Appreciate the great effort that you have put in the forum! It's incredible.

I have couple of questions on school selection process

1) What parameters one should keep in mind while selecting a school?
2) What are the best sources to compare these parameters?
3) Somehow while selecting a particular school, I give its placement percentage   a very high consideration. Is this a right strategy?
4) Currently I would like to go to a school with a high Marketing, Entreprenuership, Consulting and General/Strategy management programs.   What all schools will you suggest?

Hjort · Answer

I think that it would be a good idea to assemble a good set of selection criteria . . . perhaps over the next few weeks.

I agree that placement statistics are a good place to start. However, it is important to consider the context of these statistics as well. It is always a good idea to be on guard against the possibility of schools inflating these numbers (or simply being optimistic in their recording of employment). 

If you have such diverse interests it is usually a good idea to look at the ultraelite and elite schools. Many of the smaller schools are strong in one or two of these domains but not in all of them.

kayser1soze · Answer

for marketing/enterprenuership - northwestern, stanford, gsb

Hjort · Answer

Some important considerations-

1) Placement: An MBA is a large investment of time and money. A school that cannot offer strong employment prospects should be cause for concern. 

2) Academic Offerings/Philosophy: Some schools have strong academic traditions and philosophies that might attract or repel you. If you are enthralled by the study of real esate, make certain that the school you are considering offers courses that would interest you. If you are seeking knowledge of a specialized field, the generalist MBA programs might not make a good match. If you view business as more of an "art" than a "science" Carnegie Mellon or Rochester might not be the strongest match.

3) Size of school The size of a school can be important in many ways. Small schools, even of high quality, might have a difficult time attracting recruiters who want to be able to see the most qualified people possible. This seems to be part of the rationale behind Dartmouth expanding its class size. On other hand, even relatively small schools can attract recruiters if there are other quality schools nearby. Further, small schools can offer a level of individual service and team spirit that larger schools would have difficulty matching.

4) Location: Where a school is located can have an impact on recruitment and your general quality of life. If you are firmly committed to working on the West Coast, a school in that region might make a better choice than a nominally better ranked school thousands of miles away. On the other hand, be careful about regions and schools that are notorious far having students who do not want to leave the region since recruiters might be leery of recruiting there. Being located near a major business center such as NYC can make interviews far less stressful. And of course, you want to make certain that you choose a school that is a place you can feel comfortable living for two or so years. If you like a place that enables quite reflection Cornell or Dartmouth would probably be better choices in this regard than NYU. 

***
There is no substitute for journeying to the school and seeing it in person. Nothing is better for getting the "feel" of a school than strolling around the campus and interacting with students and staff.

just4fun · Answer

Thanks Hjort for your valuable remarks! it does help as always.

Wolf · Answer

thanks for remarks!

School selection?

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