Most students choose their schools based on these rankings, but just as with the top tier of universities for undergraduate programs, once a student reaches the top tier fit becomes more important than ranking. All of these degrees look excellent to recruiting firms, and all of them place significant numbers of their graduates into major consulting firms and other large corporate entities.
"When choosing schools, I was focused on the reasonably well established hierarchy of the top schools in the country. I learned these schools through the US News & World Report college rankings. This ranking system is the only major ranking system, whereas lots of alternatives are for business schools themselves. There has been, more or less, consistency in the top 14 colleges. Essentially, if one does well in these schools, one has national recruiting opportunities to go anywhere one wants. On the other hand, one can do well in less prestigious schools, but they might be resigned to work in specific regions. Given the fact that I knew my grades, I was only looking at a few schools that had GEMBA programs; this was the starting point for my graduate career." --Frank ToblerFor students considering employment or business opportunities across the country, high marks at these top tier schools can be a key to entry into large corporations. Students should consider, however, the industry that they aim to pursue once they complete their degree. Stanford Graduate School of Business is the top one of these schools on the west coast, and is situated in the center of Silicon Valley, so students looking to get into venture capital in the tech industry might consider the benefits of Stanford over a school like Harvard, which sends more students into Boston or New York based businesses.
"I decided I really wanted to pursue a Top Ten MBA because I wanted my own start-up company. I didn’t know a lot of people who were in the business area, especially for the industry I’m interested in. I decided to go to business school to meet people who share my interest. There are many pluses for attending a top business school. It’s also important to me that I’ll be able to use the resources of the school to help me launch my own company. " --David Santos
"The reason for Harvard Business School was that Harvard is a well known brand everywhere. I had grown up on the west coast, I went to school on the west coast, so I wanted to try my hand at the east coast. That's what made Wharton and Harvard Business School appealing. Stanford I actually didn't get into. The thinking behind applying to Stanford was that I eventually wanted to work at a start-up or venture capital space, and Stanford's head and shoulders above in that area." --James HuBusiness schools are also an excellent opportunity to build your network of contacts in the industry you want to join. Large firms are constantly recruiting new interns and analysts from these top MBA programs, so the recruiting and networking events on campus can help you find the positions you are looking for.
"As I have mentioned in other articles, it's really important to apply early if you are intent on getting into Columbia School of Business. The reason for this is that they really want student who want to be there. They have early decision, which is binding, to be sure they will have a high yield rate. They are very insecure about their yield rate." --Jessica WangSome of the schools in the back half of the top tier try very hard to avoid a perception of them as "safety schools," especially considering that they are very selective. It is true, though, that students applying to the top five schools do tend to apply to a few of these other schools as a backup plan if they are not admitted to Kellogg or Harvard. Some schools, like Columbia, have instituted questions on their application and in their interview that are meant to promote students who are truly interested in Columbia and get them to commit to the university. Some schools have binding early decision applications, which, just like for undergraduate programs, are an excellent way to prove that you are committed to your school of choice and give yourself an advantage.
"I had a master’s degree in management, but I didn’t have the business foundation. I didn’t understand the non-tech parts of the program. I didn’t have the foundation to make that transition. I thought I would get pure academics in the GSB program. By the time I graduated, I realized that what I had gotten was much more than pure academics. I had learned a lifestyle from being around a lot of really smart people and learning that they were just normal folks. Stanford GSB has a very open, diverse environment. It includes people who grew up rich and people who grew up poor, people from third world countries and people who are royalty." --Marquis Parker
"They said that Wharton offered opportunities that a lot of the other Top Ten MBA programs did not. For example, one of my managers had taken a trip to Antarctica with Wharton. While I am not doing that, I have had the opportunity to go to Patagonia during Spring Break! Also, the culture at Wharton is really great. It may seem strange, but I actually like the fact that Wharton is in Philadelphia as opposed to Columbia in New York City." --Jessica Wang
In this section, School Specifics, students from these top programs will tell you the strengths and weaknesses of their various MBA institutes. You'll learn why these students choose their particular programs, and the resources and opportunities that were offered. Students will also explain what the weaknesses of their respective schools are.
