Welcome to another edition of Which School Wednesdays, where we take a look at some of the tough choices that admitted students are making about which MBA program to attend. This week, we found a couple of conversations around the web that consider the pros and cons of attending programs that have just been thoroughly revamped.
First, this question came up for blogger MBA Babe as she made the very tough choice to matriculate at Stanford instead of Harvard. She attended admitted students’ weekends at both schools and debated key points, including her first impressions of potential classmates, curriculum flexibility, the weather, the alumni network, and more. These are typically the important considerations, but MBA Babe’s thoughts on Stanford’s recent curriculum changes were particularly insightful: “I have read and heard bits and pieces about the new, more personalized Stanford curriculum, but [the idea of] feeling like a guinea pig makes me a wee bit nervous…. I like that you have a lot of flexibility in choosing your classes. While you have to take, let’s say, a finance class, you have a choice of 3 different finance classes to fulfill that requirement…. Also, they are trying to take all the competencies and bring them together in a couple leadership classes and seminars. Innovative? Yes. Reinventing the wheel/I won’t know anything when I graduate and hence no one will want to hire me? No.”
While MBA Babe considered how Stanford’s recent changes would affect her experience there, a similar question arose on the Business Week Forums. Deciding between Yale and Darden, ebuesing recently solicited opinions about the two schools. Second year Yale student daddylew offered the following thoughts about the program’s recent restructuring: “A number of sweeping changes have been made in the last eighteen months, so it will take time for them to really start having an impact on the school. We developed a brand new curriculum, which is the first of its kind at a major business school. We’ve ramped up faculty recruitment…. We’re launching new centers such as the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance…. We’ve significantly expanded the school’s infrastructure (career development, club support, technology, case-writing, etc.), and are in the process of raising money for a new campus. That said, I wouldn’t expect a massive transformation overnight — it will take a few years for the results to become tangible.”
Both Stanford GSB and Yale SOM are going through some exciting changes right now, and the next two class years will play a major role in shaping the long-term direction of the schools. This scenario is ideal for anyone who is eager to explore new ideas and help guide his or her program’s newest developments; meanwhile the element of the unknown may be less appealing to those who are more risk-averse. As with so many other aspects of the decision process, the key here is to know your own individual style and objectives! Good luck to everyone who is still debating, and we’ll see you next week for another edition of Which School Wednesdays!
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