How much does Company recruiting count in school decision?

Question

I notice some schools dont have company xyz while others (some higher ranked) do. How much weight should one put into that?

3underscore · Answer

Obviously it makes sense to apply to schools that provide you the best opportunity of a career you are seeking after graduating.

Firms is one component, which gives an idea as to how much presence in a field the school has. Second, you ought to heavily consider location. Nearly all schools have a stronger ability to place within their local proximity, with a reduced ability to place outside of that. So applying to a school in the wrong area with the right firms may result in you having to shift again to get what you want, or involve playing with reduced options.

There is a component that is along the lines of the best laid plans of mice and men. In this way, you should look for a depth of firms across other fields in which you have some interest and perceive you might be drawn to. That way you have a back up line when you realize you were completely wrong on the ideas you had about going into job X.

nink · Answer

Absolutely right on the money with the advice.

A lot of bschools simply throw out the names of certain “desirable” employers (sort of like how some people attend admitted students events hosted by various bschools and throw out the names of schools that they’ve been admitted to, even when no one asked). This happens a lot, especially with lower ranked schools to attract more qualified applicants.

Rather than looking for the names of certain employers, look at the number of employers in a given industry (that you are interested in; and not just one industry, various industries) if you are going to factor in “employers recruiting” factor in your decision.

In some years (especially when job market is thriving), one or two students from school X can find an opportunity with company Y via off campus recruiting and etc. A school might put down that employer on its marketing materials. However, that would be misleading a lot of potential applicants…..

Also, just because employer X recruits at school Y every year, it does not guarantee that the employer would at least hire one student from that school. Let me give you an example.

A classmate of mine interned at a top CPG over the summer. He noticed that a lot of senior directors and VPs in marketing management were “R” alums. This CPG recruits at “R” every year. However, this past summer, zero student from “R” was in the summer internship program for marketing/brand management at this CPG.

A school can get you an interview. But it’s up to the student to seal the “deal”. That’s why many Career Services at bschools hate the word “placement”. “Placement” would mean that they are responsible for placing students with jobs and internships. But nothing is guaranteed.

shaselai · Answer

very nice! the classmate example sounded like a CR question in the making lol. I will definitely check the depth of the industry instead of "oh company XYZ is hiring".

jsmith54 · Answer

I would also like to chime in with a strategy I've used. Some schools lists can be skewed by dual degree graduates. For example, some healthcare-focused MBA programs are attached to universities with medical schools, so some MDs graduate with MBAs accomplished concurrently. If you look at where they go and what their job titles are (especially a few years out), this can make the school look incredible. If you are not going to graduate with an MD and an MBA though, then this is really misleading to think that you can get to into those organizations at that level without the MD.

How much does Company recruiting count in school decision?

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