Hello and welcome to the very first edition of “Which School Wednesdays,” a new weekly column in which we’ll be highlighting new and noteworthy web content relating to applicants’ thinking and decisions about which MBA programs they’ll apply to or attend. Closely related to the School Choices section of the Clear Admit Wiki, this new feature is being introduced with the hope that reading about others’ rationale will help applicants learn from the experiences of people who have been in their position, and perhaps lead them to consider elements they had not yet taken into account as they determine which schools to target and which admissions offer to accept.
A few weeks ago, blogger Nick Carraway posted an excellent entry about the factors that led him to choose to attend Fuqua over Sloan. While the allure of the MIT brand and network are undeniable, it’s also true that more immediate elements like geography and family ties are legitimate concerns as well. This post does an excellent job of explaining the way some “intangible” and relatively minor considerations that one might argue should not form the basis of such a major decision actually amount to a very significant advantage for Duke:
“Little factors, like North Carolina’s amazing weather, make a big difference on your overall quality of life. Also, my family is within driving distance of Durham, so my child might actually know her grandparents. Plus, Fuqua has amazing facilities and the most supportive partners program at any top B-school.
They say ‘Don’t make your decision based on the facilities… Or the weather… Or the housing… Or the location.’ Sage advice indeed, but at what point do all of those things add up to one very important factor? Duke just seems to have them all.”
Similarly, blogger AynRand2008 goes beyond the “normal” considerations to get to the heart of the quality of life question in choosing between Emory and Texas. Geography was less of an issue for MJ in making the call concerning Duke and Darden, as this blogger focused more closely on more basic issues of teaching method and preparedness for his goals. This excerpt is a great example of one person’s ability to assess his fit with a program based on self-knowledge and practical considerations:
“While I absolutely loved the case method class at Darden, I have to bear in mind that I was a silent participant which is very different from being in that class. Having never had any form of education based solely on the case method, I can’t be sure how I would react to it (Darden is 100% case based). Will I be able to put my inhibitions (such as thinking something is too silly to bring up or thinking something is too obvious or becoming self conscious) behind me and be able to be an active participant in class every single day? Class participation is a major part of the grades at Darden. One of the things I hope to gain from B school is to be able to go out of my comfort zone. To be able to challenge myself. I do not think questioning whether this teaching method is best from me, qualifies under shirking a challenge.”
Meanwhile, other applicants are still grappling with this decision, and turning to others for advice through the Business Week Forum and other channels, often creating a positive and productive discussion. In a thread started by an applicant deciding between Chicago and Columbia, the impressions of fellow applicants to and current students at the programs in question resulted in the original poster arriving at a much clearer articulation of the pros and cons of each school and the essence of the matter at hand:
“The most important criteria to me is how well the school will prepare me and position me to make a career transition to the buy side, and I know that there are several factors that drive this. I also know that I must be proactive, take initiative, and network in order to get that great IM/HF job I’m looking for, but certainly the school helps open the doors to those opportunities. The dilemma I face is that in the area of prestige/brand/reputation, particularly for finance and jobs on the buy side, Chicago appears to have a slight edge; however, Columbia wins for location, because the majority of HFs are in NY and CT, thus facilitating networking opportunities. I’ve also heard similar comments with regard to selecting Chicago if I am interested in quant asset mgmt.
So, the question becomes: do you choose the school with a slightly better brand (which, in turn, may open a few more doors for you) or the school where you can network with more firms more easily?”
That concludes this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays. Those applicants looking for personal advice on where to apply or enroll based on their priorities and goals are welcome to contact us directly or post an inquiry in our Business Week thread or the Studylink forum. If you have made your mind up about where you are going, it would be great if you could contribute your insights to School Choices section of the wiki.
