Top 25 school vs. Top 10 school

Question

Hello,

I am set on working in the Southeast US after b-school. Attending a school where I am confident I can find lots of career options in the Southeast is very important to me.

So my question-- Is there ever good reason to go to a Top 25 school with a strong regional pull and regional employer ties over a Top 10 internationally known b-school that only places <3% of students in jobs in the Southeast? Which would give me more options in the Southeast after graduation?

For example going to Kenan-Flagler, Owen, Scheller vs. Booth, Kellogg, Stanford

I am looking to go into Marketing after graduation.

Thanks, 8-)

mgg234 · Answer

No, there is never a good reason, unless there's scholarship/personal reasons. The reason only ~3% are in that area is that most people from top schools want to work in NY/Chicago/SF. If you want to work in miami, you certainly can from any top 10. Although, I will say, you may need to refine your goals a bit, very few marketing firms that pay good salaries are going to be in the region you want to work.

jumsumtak · Answer

Agree. Just go to whatever highest ranked school you can get into, where you will be comfortable (assuming your target firms hire there).

TheFloridian · Answer

Thanks for the feedback. I am currently trying to hash out my list of target firms in the Southeast and the process has been more difficult than I expected. It seems I will need to broaden my geographic scope, accept a lower salary/less prestigious company, or get really lucky.

I do work in the Southeast currently, and several of the people in my department are Top 10 program alums. However, the company is definitely not known as a marketing powerhouse (it's more sales-focused).

I think I need to figure out the location vs. company prestige/salary question before I move any further in the process..

bb · Answer

I could see a full scholarship being a big draw for example (sometimes that's the only way you can attend). In that case a Top 100 school is better than nothing.

The ranking and school impact many things (teachers, classes, classmates, etc). However, the biggest impact is the first job out of the business school. For most of us, that's the most important one - that's where we start and trade up. However, once you have been back in the work force for 5 years, it is all about your guts and what you can do. Let me illustrate:

Scenario 1: Stereotype
Top 10 graduate gets a 120K job; in 5 years he/she is at 145K level
Top 25 graduate gets a 100K job; in 5 years he/she is at 120K level
Technically the cost of tuition is recouped in these 5 years (let's ignore time value and taxes please)

Scenario 2: Luck/Hard work that lead to Career growth
Top 10 graduate gets a 120K job; in 5 years he/she is at 145K level
Top 25 graduate gets a 100K job; in 5 years he/she is at 160K level (a few company changes and/or promotions)
In this case, 5 years out, the employer of the Top 25 grad does not care what school he/she went to but rather what he/she has done and what results the resume shows. There are many factors that contribute to this second scenario - I would say most likely this is a well-connected individual or someone who got lucky, like this guy: 590-to-680-to-not-going-180814.html

It is no secret that the better ranked schools present better opportunities for graduates, esp some of the juicy ones in the McKinsey, Bain, and Boston (MBB). However, a better start, is not always the winner. There are many paths to a successful career.... and a top 10 school is not always the only way.

TheFloridian · Answer

Thanks bb. I think that is the main issue I am struggling with. I don't know that a "juicy" opportunity is as important to me as a great location. I think I would rather make $100k at a great company and be a day's drive from family than make $120k at a highly prestigious company and be across the country from family. And maybe I can work my way up into leadership at the great company a little bit easier than I would have been able to at the highly prestigious company.

It's difficult to play it out in my head. I really need to decide whether location or salary/prestige is more important. If it's salary/prestige, then Top 10 is obviously the answer. If it's location, then the picture becomes less clear, especially if scholarship money is in play. The companies that are strong in Marketing in the Southeast typically recruit Duke, UNC, and Vanderbilt pretty well. That's not to say that I couldn't get in the door with those companies if I went to GSB or Kellogg, but part of me feels like it might actually be more difficult coming from GSB or Kellogg than it would be if I went to a Regional school, since the recruiting ties/events/relationships are not as established between Southeastern companies and schools like GSB and Kellogg as they might be with the Regional schools.

Some examples of Companies: Coca Cola, Bank of America, Delta, UPS

bb · Answer

If you have company names then it is easy. Go to the top 10 websites and then top 20/top 50 and see what companies/employers have hired a good number of grads. For example, here is Duke: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/documents/pro ... eb_out.pdf

TheFloridian · Answer

So, in your opinion, you would say go to the school where your target firms hire, regardless of ranking? e.g. If I want to work at X, Y, or Z Company, and all three X, Y, and Z Companies recruit heavily at the 20th ranked school, and neither X, Y, nor Z recruit at the 5th ranked school, then it would be better to go to the 20th ranked school? Is that correct?

In the end, my question is: Does job placement usually depend on which Companies recruit the school? Or do the Top 10 b-schools have the power/prestige to place their students virtually anywhere (regardless or location/company/whether the Company recruits there) and possibly at a higher salary too?

Thank you for all of your help! This discussion is very helpful.

bb · Answer

Well... what is your final goal? Get a job in a certain company?
In very simplistic terms, If that company hires a bunch of folks from a top 25 school and only a handful or the same number from a Top 10 school, then you are perfectly fine with going to a top 25. In reality, there are a few things that come into play why this scenario may happen but still not be optimal (remember those CR flaws?)
1. Top 25 school may have sent their best students to BoA for example and a Top 10 had only the mid/lower group apply
2. The jobs may not have been as good as the other options top 10 students had
3. I am sure there are others.

However my argument is that the above is actually not so important. Here is my experience. A school name never results into an automatic job. Not in the US at least. You still have to apply and prove that you are better than others. A lot of times what a school gets you is a contact/job fair/interview with a company and then it is up to you to prove with your resume that you deserve the job. That often means competing with your classmates at either Top 10 or Top 25 school for the best spots. You may have a much better chance actually landing a sweet job in a top 25 school because you will have a more impressive resume, interview skills, etc (don't think GPA matters actually for a job... just make sure you don't get kicked out). But at the end of the day - check the hiring companies. Check the starting salary for each industry (not overall). Check the % employed at graduation or 3 months out and you should have a pretty good picture about the career opportunities upon graduation at each of the schools.

P.S. This is again my simplistic perspective and a simplistic take. Most people try to get into the best school they can get into based on rankings. It does not mean that the school is best for them based on their career goals, family situation, or other factors. Employability is the same way. Things work out at the end and I would not feel that I am taking a demotion by taking a full scholarship in a top 25 school vs a top 10 but many feel they want and need to be a part of the top 10 elite and that's not something they are willing to trade off. I completely understand both sides of it and it is often very hard to convince folks to switch from one to the other - it is all about you, your mentality, and your situation.

Good Luck!

Top 25 school vs. Top 10 school

Is there ever good reason to go to a Top 25 school over a Top 10 school?

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