School Selection Quandary

Question

Alright folks so even though I got on to this great place many months ago I still haven’t come up with an exhaustive short list.

So I reckoned that I would put my thoughts out there for others to comment on. I really welcome all thoughts (good/bad/ugly – it all goes).

Hail Mary 
Wharton - I have wanted to go here since I first learnt about BSchools way back when. I cant say whether I will be competitive here at all given the lack of a ‘wow’ factor in my profile. My  profile  reads solid (higher than average grades albeit from a no-name school, decent GMAT, above average EC’s in college, great international experience) but nothing exceptional in that sense. Hence, I reckon I will apply but cant say with any level of confidence that I have a shot at getting in.

Reaches 
Columbia – My wife wants to live in NYC and even though I did the whole NYC thing before and don’t care for it as much I cant help but be allured to the possibilities the city offers. The School meets most of my criteria and I reckon that I have a better shot at it than Wharton.

Kellogg – Highly respected school in India (which is my desired location to work in down the line – roughly 5-6 yrs from graduation). Meets most of my criteria in a desired school and would open my eyes to other possibilities post MBA as well. Again – I reckon I at least have a shot here.

LBS – I am intrigued by the prospects of living in London and getting the chance to live in Europe as an adult. The school although not as well known as the others on this list (it invariably gets confused for LSE!) offers me all the exit options I am seeking. The big challenge with London is the sheer cost of living which seems very onerous at this stage. I fully expect to be 100-125K in debt – but I would prefer that it not become 200K : (

Sweet Spot 
This is where I have a huge challenge in terms of identifying schools which meet my needs in terms of geographical preferences – there are several great schools in the Top15-30 range but they just don’t seem to have the level of brand carry that I would like. I am willing to be convinced otherwise and would love to hear from others on this.

Safety 
Ivey – very impressed with the school – meets most of my needs with the exception of the chance to intern somewhere for the summer.

Rotman – impressed with the Dean’s vision for the school and how well he has executed thus far.

So now comments welcome – let them come thick and fast.

fooFighter · Answer

To give any relevant suggestions you need to post your profile and what you want to do post graduation.

sm332 · Answer

I had linked my profile but I guess some folks dont have the ability to see that section.

kidderek · Answer

Just a note: CBS, outside of ED, might be just as tough as Wharton.

sm332 · Answer

thanks ... any specific reason why you feel that way?

kidderek · Answer

CBS takes a great number of their students at the ED phase, and there are fewer spots available during the regular phase. I don't have the hard numbers, it's just common knowledge. During ED, CBS's acceptance rate is close to elite school level and during regular decision, it's one of the most difficult to get into.

sm332 · Answer

hmm ... understood ... i see that the ED dates are coming up. I imagine that ED is open to internationals as well?

maverick2011 · Answer

I was looking on the BW forum topic that the Columbia adcom started. She said the acceptance rates are about the same between ED and RD. Of course that is a typical adcom answer; however, I imagine that the rates are about the same, but the caliber of applicants may be different...just speculation of course.

maverick2011 · Answer

Also, it seems like more people are posting pseudo profile evaluation requests lately. I think the "Peer Review" sub-forum would be a better place for these. Thoughts?

agold · Answer

According to admissions411, the caliber of applicants is indeed very very different. Unless you're certain you have a decent shot at Wharton, it may be a smart idea to go Columbia ED.

sm332 · Answer

mate my profile is already there ... I have been here long enough to know the rules of forum. this thread was opened for a specific purpose .. so kindly desist from needless banter.

maverick2011 · Answer

Sorry if I offended you (which I obviously did). That wasn't a jab at you. I guess that is the drawback to e-conversations.

Anyway, the only reason I mentioned it is because the sub-forum was created recently and I thought that was the intent of creating it. I don't really care though...just trying to ask a question.

sm332 · Answer

sorry if i came across harshly ... wasnt my intent ... but back to the main pt ... the profile review spot is available only to those with 100+ posts and hence you get more pertinent feedback but from a much smaller audience.

in my case, i was hoping to get some thoughts on sweet spot schools ... but going by the lack of responses to this thread it is obvious that it hasnt happened.

dosa_don · Answer

Just my 2c on the ED vs RD issue. Last year according to some sources on b-week, 75% of the class was filled by the ED applicants. CBS is an interesting school- the % acceptance that they publish includes ED, RD AND J-Term. Alex on b-week has said that in the past, the acceptance % used to be ~30% for ED.

The class size is ~750 and ~240 are J-Terms. So you are looking at ~500 in the regular MBA program. Assuming 70% of them are accepted in ED, or even 50% for that matter, then you have only about 200-250 seats open in RD.

The overall % is ~15%. My guess is ED % is about 25%, J-Term ~30% and the RD % is single digits.

So- if you are really interested in CBS, apply ED. I believe businessdocn08 got into CBS RD but he had a pretty unique profile.

fatb · Answer

Um.. what are the essays for Columbia?
They are not published yet, am I correct?

riverripper · Answer

Agreed this place is starting to look like BW with tons of individuals asking for school selection advice. The peer review area would be much better or even a generic thread for discussion about selecting schools.

sm332 · Answer

fair enough ... can the mods please move this to whatever is the appropriate location.

School Selection Quandary

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards