Would your decision change reading this survey?

Question

Would your decision change reading this survey?
The Best Business Schools as Scored by Students https://www.bloomberg.com/business-scho ... ts-scores/

Not sure if this is the right forum, but couldn’t find another forum for this

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Thanks for posting. This is not the first time Bloomberg published these results and it is not the first time some BYU and Olin have beat HBS. Perhaps it is the same one as it seems Bloomberg has taken the date out of the article, but the URL still has 2018 in it, so must be the same thing just being recycled.

My take is as follows:
1. Nobody calls their baby ugly, no matter how ugly he or she is
2. Students in lower-ranked schools (BYU) are motivated to give their school the highest rating possible that may be completely inaccurate in order to improve the standing of their program as they will materially benefit from it. Only students attending the highest rated programs that have nothing to gain would provide unbiased feedback. 
3. These programs are very different in size so getting 30% of HBS to comment and 30% of Olin will be a diff number of people with a different degree of variance
4. No student has attended both programs to really see a comparison, thus they are answering the questions in a bubble. You could ask an Icelander if they are cold and they would say "no" while it is 50 degrees outside while someone from Mumbai would say they are while it is 85 degrees. It is all relative and depends on what your expectations are.

I feel this was not a great use of Bloomberg's resources or students time. I prefer more unbiased and quantitative perspective...

teleste · Answer

Somewhat related to this subject of, "Would your decision change reading this survey?", I kind of wonder if all pre-MBAs have heard the following advice, and if it would perhaps give MBA applicants pause for thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70XkFKaq3W4

Of course the clip is a joke, but there is a serious point to be made.

Unlike a CPA, MD, or JD, all of which are essentially *required* to be an accountant, doctor, or lawyer respectively, an MBA degree on its own isn't really good for anything--whereas when you have a van, you've got a van! Sure, some firms choose to make it a "required" threshold for job candidates to meet (though there are fewer and fewer of those in the market), and it certainly can signal a person's intent and capabilities as far as business education and management training go, but the degree itself doesn't do anything. It is no wonder that more people appear to be choosing to forgo traditional MBA programs for quicker, cheaper, alternatives.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-unive ... 1559727000

Even as far as the content of an MBA education goes, one can find almost every single thing that is taught at HBS, Wharton, Booth, etc. online essentially FOR FREE--or at minimal tuition and case packet costs. So it isn't like a person needs to give up two years and several hundred-thousand dollars in tuition and opportunity cost to pursue the educational aspect.

Anyway, the point I am circling around to is that more and more the purpose full-time MBAs serve for MBA candidates are for building a network and job opportunities. No matter how much people at BYU, USC, and Olin feel like their degree propelled them forward, those programs just don't come close to M7 (for example) in terms of opportunities. For that reason, rankings like this Bloomberg one really don't offer a whole lot.*

*That said, given any one candidate's aspirations and financial situation, the BYU's, USC's, and Olin's of the world still may be the better option to pursue an MBA for some people, I am NOT saying "always go for the prestige no matter what" as some people do.

ket310 · Answer

Simple answer: No.

bb · Answer

Nice. I guess that works too!

shu2793 · Answer

Talking about Bloomberg (but apologies for a little deviation of the topic), I would like to ask comments for this link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/business-scho ... recruiter/
The ratings are given by recruiters in the above article and I am thinking that they would be in a position to rate grads from different bschools.
Do you think the recruiters' survey should carry some meaning for students to decide their colleges?

ket310 · Answer

Lol... I definitely agree with your long post, and you've been super helpful in making my own decisions in which schools to apply and all. I can't thank you enough. As I didn't use any consultants, GMAT club definitely has been the biggest impact in my application process.

Long/complicated answer: No, I would still go to Stern and apply to top 7~15 range schools as I don't see much value of going MBA below top 20 level, despite whatever other people say. I would've made about 100K by the time I would graduate (if I didn't go MBA) and if I"m not making north of 120K with much higher potential in the future, MBA just doesn't make financial sense. Some people argue that it's more than that. So far, as someone who immigrated to U.S and don't have much money to throw at higher education, I highly disagree and MBA is 90%+ about money and career progression (which is about half money as well).

bb · Answer

Thanks for chining in and congratulations on Stern amdit snd decision! Just saw you have joined back in 2011! Very cool - you are a GMAT Club pro with that experience

Thanks for your contributions and helping make GMAT Club what it is! Posted from my mobile device

ket310 · Answer

2011 is when I was a senior in college, and getting a top MBA has been lifelong dream ever since. After long roads, finally made it this year, thanks to all the guides here!!!

Would your decision change reading this survey?

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