Near Elite Cluster List

Question

In no particular order within the cluster . . . 

Washington University (Olin) 
Purdue 
Rochester 
Vanderbilt 
Georgetown 
Notre Dame 
Maryland (Smith) 
Indiana (Kelley)

just4fun · Answer

Hjort, Just wondering how difficult is it for Carlson to make it to the list?

Hjort · Answer

Minnesota (Carlson) has a very good program- strong IT, good endowment, good access to Midwest to firms etc. Minnesota was in the Near Elite Frontier cluster. As always, these clusters are just a "mindmap" of the general reputation of MBA programs- they should not be taken as sacred texts.

Xeo78 · Answer

Where would you place Wake Forest (Babcock)?

Thanks.

Hjort · Answer

I would place Wake Forest in in the Near Elite Frontier cluster.

divinegod123 · Answer

UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of business can easily be a part of this list. It has a great curicullum, great professors and is located in a great city. The UC system ...

There are quite a few students who have preferred it over Maryland Smith, Georgetown, Minnesota, Rochester Simon, UIUC, Vanderbilt, ASU's Carey etc etc...

The average GMAt and Avg work ex is right up there( 670+ consistently and 4.5)
More than 450 companies posted jobs at Paul Merage in 2007.

MourinhoisGod · Answer

Where is USC Marshall?

analyst218 · Answer

I think UCI merage should be definitely NE, if not TE
Theres still few months left till US NEWS releases its 2012 ranking, but FT placed UCI MBA at 27th nationally, above USC @ 31st or something.
agree?

hwc2005 · Answer

I think that Rice should be added to the Near Elite cluster. Here are the school's individual rankings.

FT (U.S. Programs) -- 21
Economist (U.S. Programs) -- 25
Business Week -- 29
U.S. News -- 34
GMATClub Aggregate Ranking -- 23 (Higher than the other Near Elite Schools with the exception of Georgetown)

Compensation Ranking (from 2012 U.S. News Rankings) -- 21 (Higher than the other Near Elite schools with the exception of Georgetown and higher than 2 of the 5 Trans Elite programs)

When this list was created the Near Elite Frontier classification was absolutely correct. However, after the economic turmoil of 2008-2009 the Rice program has showed resiliency and continued to create strong career opportunities for students. The school also had a 32% increase in applications for the class of 2013 after the first two admissions rounds (which ended in January 2011). As many programs in this space have been desperate for applications for the class of 2013 Rice has actually managed to grow its applicant pool which should increase selectivity numbers and further enhance future rankings. As the Energy sector continues to become a more integral component of the global economy, expect the Jones School to continue its ascendancy.

I would put the Jones School up against the other schools on my profile from the quality of students, to the facilities, and to the availability of career opportunities. I was impressed with all of the programs and think that Rice needs to be in a similar cluster.

There's my case.

avenkatesh007 · Answer

Which one is better among Georgetown and Notre Dame ?

asimov · Answer

At the near elite level, the schools are very regional. The jobs and opportunities available are local to the areas in the close proximity of the school. It is unlikely a Georgetown and Notre Dame candidates will be going against each other in recruiting. If you are looking at those two options, you should consider the types of employers/positions that are available from the school, and if the school location is appealing to you.

Kellogg · Answer

Which one is better? between Boston University and Notre Dame? I guess Boston wins by its superb location and Notre Dame is a bit more famous for its undergrad?

Anyone knows some insider info?

mgg234 · Answer

Shouldn't indiana/Kelley be moved up to the trans elite? It's ranked in the mid teens lately.

Johnwells · Answer

Could one the experts/senior moderator validate this list? Considering the title of the thread. Shouldn't a new post or revised list should be posted here every 6-8months?

pharmaguy · Answer

Is it possible to break into Investment Banking / Investment Management from either Emory or Notre Dame?

mgg234 · Answer

Emory would be easier than ND. It's difficult but possible.

rubelahamed · Answer

hi

Where is USC Marshall?

Near Elite Cluster List

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