MBAStudent2015 wrote:
Business schools value diversity, so scores matter less if you have compensating factors. Note that the attributes of getting into Bschool might not be the same attributes as getting a job, depending on the firm.
Not all recruiters care about 700+ scores, obviously, but I was referring to top firms. The other 90% of recruiters just care you got an MBA from the school they're looking at. However, the difference between top 5-6 schools and the rest is that nearly everyone has over 700 GMAT scores, so obviously no matter what GMAT score you have it is not possible to stand out that way. In schools where the median is...lets say...650 or so...then a 700+ will stand out quite a bit more.
In my general opinion, the top tier of students at ANY business school secure jobs with the most prestigious firms. Strangely enough, this also makes the argument that for the average person, it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa unless you really have what it takes to be a star.
What I mean is that if I take strong applicants (700 GMAT, 3.5 GPA, 4 years decent Work Exp) and send them to Harvard, it'll be really tough for them to stand out because everyone is pretty spectacular and have high GMATs and GPAs. If I send them to a top 20 MBA instead, they will end up being in the top tier of the school and might have an easier time getting jobs from top firms that recruit there. Caveat being firms like McKinsey might take dozens of Harvard grads, but only a couple from another school...still I think my argument stands.
I think from the perspective of the student/firm hopeful, there are a few factors that they'll need to weigh when deciding on which school will give them the better opportunity to get an offer from a prestigious firm:
- Whether or not you have the base skillset that will include you in the consideration set for the firms. Many recruiters from the firms plainly state that if you don't have the raw intellectual and analytical horsepower they're looking for, you're out regardless of the school https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-score-use-in-employment-21669-20.html#p1249434. That being said, if you have a 700+, you likely already check the box for that attribute.
- Whether or not you think that you can actually stand out above the rest of the class at a "lower ranked" school. Do you actually have the skills and the work ethic to perform and stand out above the rest of your peers at a school that you deem "lesser". Some of these schools provide incentives in the form of scholarships to high potential candidates. Even if you are part of this group, do you really believe that you can be the 1-4 individuals that a particular top firm takes each year? Perhaps the greater number of interactions and opportunities to network at other schools will serve you better or you know that given a greater probability of getting a first round interview (due to larger number of interview slots and open list opportunities) you will have a better shot.
- Does one school "prepare" its students better for top tier recruitment and performance better than others? Perhaps one school offers more resources to help students more than the other
Regardless, the top firms won't hire someone that is not capable. It's been said many times that once a candidate gets the first round interview, he or she is on a "level" playing field with the rest of the potentials. However the probability and effort to get to that first round may differ depending on one's circumstances.
There are several posts around this forum that describe the mindset of some of the individuals involved in prestigious firm recruiting.
i.e.
https://gmatclub.com/forum/question-to-those-at-mbb-post-mba-126776.html#p1249411https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-beyondcaseprep-consulting-information-from-mbb-alumni-156850.html#p1250899 _________________