Which School Wednesdays » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

APPLICANT RESOURCES

Have an iPhone or iPod Touch? Research schools on the go and keep your applications organized with Clear Admit's new MBA Planner App!

Admissions Director Q&A
Below are links to Clear Admit's exclusive interviews with MBA admissions directors at leading programs.
Dawna Clarke (Tuck)
Rose Martinelli (Chicago)
Judith Hodara (Wharton)
Sara Neher (Darden)
Soojin Kwon Koh (Michigan)
Randall Sawyer (Cornell)
Beth Flye (Kellogg)
David Simpson (LBS)
Liz Riley Hargrove (Duke)
Linda Meehan (Columbia)
Bruce DelMonico (Yale)
Peter Johnson (Berkeley)
Isser Gallogly (NYU)
Mae Jennifer Shores (UCLA)
J.J. Cutler (Wharton)
Jake Cohen (INSEAD)
Rod Garcia (MIT Sloan)
Mary Miller (Columbia)

Clear Admit School Guides
Become an expert on your target schools overnight! Get the program-specific details you need to craft essays that stand out. See how schools compare head-to-head in key areas like recruiting, curricular structure, elective offerings and more. Available for immediate download. As featured in the Economist.

Clear Admit Career Guides
Understand career-specific offerings at leading MBA programs and identify the schools that will best support your career goals with the Clear Admit Career Guides! Available for Consulting, Investment Banking, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Healthcare.

Clear Admit Strategy Series
Craft a winning application with the Clear Admit Strategy Series! Step-by-Step guidance through the application process. Titles include a Resume Guide, Recommendations Guide, Waitlist Guide and more!

Clear Admit Interview Guides
Be as prepared as possible for your MBA interviews this season with the Clear Admit Interview Guides! School-specific sample questions and in-depth strategy, campus visit details and places to stay.

Application Deadlines
Below are the upcoming deadlines for admission to top-tier schools.
Feb 10: INSEAD R3
Mar 1: Michigan / Ross R3
Mar 3: CBS
Mar 3: LBS R3
Mar 4: Kellogg R3
Mar 8: Cambridge / Judge R4
Mar 8: CMU / Tepper R3
Mar 9: Duke / Fuqua R3
Mar 9: Penn / Wharton R3
Mar 10: Berkeley / Hass R4
Mar 10: Chicago Booth R3
Mar 10: Yale SOM R3
Mar 15: NYU / Stern R3
Mar 17: UCLA / Anderson R3
Mar 19: UNC / Kenan-Flagler R4
Mar 30: Cornell / Johnson R4
Mar 31: UVA / Darden R3
Mar 31: INSEAD R4
Apr 1: UT-Austin / McCombs
Apr 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R3
Apr 2: Oxford / Saїd R3
Apr 7: Stanford GSB R4
Apr 8: Harvard R3
Apr 14: CBS

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas*
Chicago Booth*
CMU / Tepper*
Columbia*
Cornell / Johnson*
Dartmouth / Tuck*
Duke / Fuqua*
Harvard*
Indian School of Business*
INSEAD*
London Business School*
MIT / Sloan*
Michigan / Ross*
Northwestern / Kellogg*
NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '09-'10 commentary

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.

Interview Reports
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews.
Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan / Ross
MIT / Sloan
Stanford
UNC / Chapel Hill
Virginia / Darden
Wharton
London Business School

GMAT Resources
MBA.com
Manhattan GMAT
GMAT Club
Princeton Review
Test Prep New York
Kaplan
Beat The GMAT
Knewton

Writing Resources
Guide to Grammar and Writing
The Internet Grammar of English
English Usage, Style and Composition
The Economist Style Guide
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

School Rankings
Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA.
Vault.com
Wetfeet

Business School Resources
The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.

MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Boston College / Carroll
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Concordia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Notre Dame / Mendoza
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Syracuse / Whitman
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
USC / Marshall
UCLA / Anderson
Vanderbilt / Owen
Virginia / Darden
Washington University in St. Louis / Olin
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

MBA Programs: Rest of the World
As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
AGSM (Australia) 2
Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1
CIEBS (China) 2
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1
Cranfield School of Mgmt (UK) 1
ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2
HEC (France) 2
Hult (UK) 1
IESE (Spain) 2
IMD (Switzerland) 1
INCAE (Costa Rica) 2
INSEAD (France) 1
IPADE (Mexico)
ISB (India) 1
London Business School (UK) 2
Manchester Bus. School (UK) 2
Melbourne (Australia) 2
Oxford / Said (UK) 1
Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1
Tsinghua IMBA (China) 2
University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1

Additional Resources
Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list.
AACSB International
Association of MBAs
Beyond Grey Pinstripes
EFMD
gradschools.com (worldwide)
Infozee
International Student Loans
mba.com (GMAT Scores)
MBAInfo
mbaleague.blogspot.com
MBAzone
MBA Jungle
TOEFL
Top MBA

MBA Tipline
We encourage admissions officers, students and applicants to alert us of interesting news and developments, please send an email to news@clearadmit.com so we can blog it.

Blog Archive

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CATEGORY - WHICH SCHOOL WEDNESDAYS

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Which School Wednesdays: YouTube Offers New Perspective on MBA Programs

Welcome to this season’s first edition of Which School Wednesdays, a column meant to highlight online content that may help candidates weigh their tough decisions in selecting MBA programs. With looming deposit deadlines, MBA candidates admitted to more than one school are running out of time to settle on their premier program. While most applicants have already considered qualities such as size, location, teaching methods, etc., the Clear Admit team has decided to take an unconventional look at potentially overlooked characteristics of the leading programs via a selection of student-produced videos. With the help of YouTube, applicants across the globe can peer into student life at any number of leading programs….

Our journey through “MBAs’ Funniest Home Videos” starts in Chicago. When choosing between offers, it may help to understand the admissions process from the other side of the acceptance letters, e.g. the admissions committee. For insight into admissions decisions and financial aid, ‘Sandy G’ (who bears a striking resemblance to Ali G) sat down with Chicago GSB’s Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions, Rose Martinelli, and Financial Aid Director, Priscilla Parker. Here is the resulting video.

Visiting a school may also help candidates to tip the scales. While admit weekends provide previews of business school life, however, many applicants may be left wondering about campus culture once the bridge from ‘prospect’ to ’student’ is finally crossed. For a better sense of campus life, be sure to check the following videos:

1. CBS 911! – From Uris Hall to Watson Library, this video offers a ’secure’ tour of Columbia Business School.
2. Vanday Partay – Covering fashion sense and family ties, Duke/Fuqua students sing their love of Tennessee rivals, Vanderbilt/Owen MBAs.
3. Wharton First Year / Second Year Learning Team – For those wondering what a team setting has in store, a few Wharton students share their firsthand experiences.

Though spring offers warm weather, there may still be some ice to break over one’s admit weekends. For pointers on approaching your fellow admits, check out a few Stanford students’ take on these events. Although interview season is winding down, some tips offered in this mock interview can still apply when sharing one’s background with future classmates. When all else fails, the common MBA topic of career goals may save a stale conversation and prospects can take a crooning cue from Columbia Business School’s Dean Hubbard.

That wraps up this week’s installment of Which School Wednesdays! As always, we encourage those who have made up their mind to contribute to the School Choices section of the Wiki – simply create an account or send your thoughts to wiki@clearadmit.com. Best of luck and happy deliberating!

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:45 am in Admissions Tips, School: Chicago, School: Columbia, School: Duke / Fuqua, School: Penn / Wharton, School: Stanford, Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: School Choices

Welcome to another edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight some particularly poignant posts from the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of MBA applicants’ experiences with the admissions process. While spring is in full swing, some candidates are still undergoing interviews (as can be seen in the recent UCLA / Anderson and INSEAD reports added to the Wiki) while prospective applicants are giving the GMAT a go.

During the fall and winter, however, many applicants dread answering the question “why this school instead of that one?” in their essays and interviews. Now that admissions notifications are out, the question is resurfacing once again. Some admitted applicants are choosing between multiple offers, while others are considering attending a school that they researched only briefly in the fall. And of course, many applicants are now debating the pros and cons of relocating with their significant others.

One applicant, as shared on the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki, approached this debate based on criteria such as geographic location, weather, class size and international opportunities, among several other points.

Another candidate broke down her choice among eight schools according to the individual programs, which can lead to a much more detailed and nuanced argument, not to mention a potentially dizzying list of preferences! This candidate, however, approached the debate head-on with a succinct list of perks and pitfalls. For example, when identifying the pros and cons of a few programs, she wrote:

“IESE: I was really excited about the possibility of studying in a dual language MBA program. The IESE program is a two year U.S. style MBA program top ranked globally but with a smaller class size compared with similar U.S. schools.
+ : international experience, foothold into European job market, Barcelona, case study method, very American friendly program.
- : name recognition in US not very strong though increasing, exchange rate makes it a “very expensive language class” to quote one of my bosses.

UCLA: I applied to UCLA to give myself a west coast option and to throw in a wild card to see how my profile would be accepted at a slightly larger program with a less specialized program. I was attracted to the international focus and exchange opportunities afforded to students.
+ : west coast school, international focus
- : state school, comparatively limited resources”

For this candidate’s observations on the six other programs, be sure to check out the School Choices page. No matter the approach to trimming one’s short or long list of choices, it can always help to organize one’s thoughts, priorities and data points in writing. The School Choices page can be a great forum for breaking down one’s decisions, so we encourage candidates to share their debates by creating an account or sending their thoughts to wiki@clearadmit.com.

As a final reminder for those still interviewing or interested in sharing interviews from this season, it’s the last day to win a $10 iTunes gift certificate for an interview report for the following schools: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Stanford GSB, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM, INSEAD and LBS (limit one gift card per applicant). To be eligible for the prize, simply e-mail your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com.

We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki this season! We look forward to awarding some last minute iTunes gift cards as well as reading some dynamic debates about programs. Happy deliberating!

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:52 am in School: Berkeley / Haas, School: Cornell / Johnson, School: Dartmouth / Tuck, School: IESE, School: INSEAD, School: London Business School, School: MIT / Sloan, School: Stanford, School: UCLA / Anderson, School: Yale, Which School Wednesdays, Wiki Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: School Choices

Welcome back to Wiki Wednesdays, our weekly look at informative entries in the Clear Admit Wiki! We’ve received a number of great interview reports for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB, UVA / Darden and MIT / Sloan, even though interview season is winding down. At this point, most applicants have received their long-awaited decision notifications, and those who have been accepted at more than one program will likely spend the next few weeks drafting (and redrafting) their lists of pros and cons before ultimately deciding on one school over another. In addition to individual blogs and the BusinessWeek discussion forums, the Clear Admit Wiki’s School Choices page provides a sound place to weigh one’s options.

As one candidate wrote in the Clear Admit Wiki about NYU / Stern vs. UCLA / Anderson,

“Both are reputable finance schools, but if you wanna work for IB/on wall street, go to NYU! NYU has the unshakable advantage regarding jobs on wall street, proved by [the fact] that 60% of the students go into financial services sector after graduation. On the other hand, [people] say UCLA has an advantage in PE/VC in Silicon Valley, but you need to compete with Stanford and Haas guys for this handful of job openings.”

It takes quite a bit of effort to make highly-nuanced distinctions like this applicant’s (for more points of her lengthy debate, check out the School Choices page). For this reason, it’s a great idea to take advantage of every resource available when making this difficult decision. Talking to alumni in your target industry and attending events for admitted students, whether a full weekend at the school itself or a dinner hosted in your own city, are great starting points for collecting valuable information.

In the meantime, we encourage our readers to share their thoughts – whether you’re looking for others’ opinions on individual schools or just searching for a good method of breaking down this complicated decision, the School Choices page can be a great help. Simply create an account or send your debates to wiki@clearadmit.com to contribute!

For those still interviewing or interested in sharing interviews from this season, we will be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to each applicant who submits an interview report for the following schools: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Stanford GSB, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM, INSEAD and LBS between now and April 30th (limit one gift card per applicant). To be eligible for the prize, simply e-mail your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com.

Thanks to all of those who have added their experiences to the Clear Admit Wiki and we look forward to reading more comparative cases on candidates’ school choices! In the meantime, here’s to due diligence and calm consideration!

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:37 am in School: Berkeley / Haas, School: Cornell / Johnson, School: Dartmouth / Tuck, School: INSEAD, School: London Business School, School: MIT / Sloan, School: Stanford, School: UCLA / Anderson, School: Yale, Which School Wednesdays, Wiki Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: Choosing Between Offers

Welcome back to Wiki Wednesdays, our weekly look at informative contributions to the Clear Admit Wiki. With interview season coming to an end and many applicants sifting through their admissions results, we’re shifting our focus towards the School Choices page in the Wiki. This is a great resource for applicants who are now facing the fortunate, but difficult, task of deciding between offers from multiple schools.

Before diving into some debates, however, let’s take a look at which schools are opening their doors to admitted students over the next few weeks. These ‘admit weekends’ or ‘welcome events’ are a great way to learn more about programs, meet future classmates and blow off a little steam to celebrate favorable results. [Note: For a humorous glimpse into what makes admitted students weekends so enjoyable, see this video]. Without further ado, here is a run-down of the upcoming events:

Columbia GSB: April 11th, 2008
CMU / Tepper: April 11th-12th, 2008
Northwestern / Kellogg: April 18th-20th, 2008
Wharton: April 19th-20th, 2008

HBS: April 24th- 26th, 2008
Chicago GSB: April 25th-26th, 2008
Stanford GSB: April 27th-28th, 2008
MIT / Sloan: May 2nd-3rd, 2008

With all of the festivities at admit weekends, it may be easy to forget that tough choices are on the horizon. This is why we’ve created the School Choices page in the Clear Admit Wiki – to allow candidates to explain their rationale for the choice they ultimately make.

Diving in to some decision making cases, this season, blogger Tinydancer pitted Wharton against Kellogg on the School Choices page. Breaking down her criteria into categories like location, curriculum, cultural fit and school brand, among others, Tinydancer offered the following observations on the schools’ marketing curricula:

“Wharton: Most people I’ve talked to…believe that its marketing program is probably under-rated…Many people also told me the marketing curriculum is probably more quantitative and data-driven than at other schools, but I have no way to really substantiate this. I did sit in on a couple marketing classes and I was impressed.

Kellogg: Kellogg is as well known for marketing as Wharton is for finance. In marketing circles, it is widely regarded as the best. I sat in on a class here too, which was great. “Brand” (as in brand management) is one of the top careers students choose, and many companies recruit there specifically for that reason. Also, while I was there, the marketing club was in the middle of the annual marketing competition…There were advertisements everywhere, and it seemed [to be a] cool environment.”

To find out where Tinydancer decided to attend, you’ll have to read her full report. As always, we encourage our readers to join in the conversation – whether you’re looking for others’ opinions on individual schools or just searching for a good method of breaking down this complicated decision, the School Choices page can be a great help. Further, the process of writing down pros and cons is often much more productive than spinning the wheels in one’s head, so we hope readers will take the time to share their own thoughts! Simply create an account or send your debates to wiki@clearadmit.com.

That wraps up this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays! As always, we wish the best of luck to those still interviewing and extend our thanks to those who have contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:49 am in Events, General, MBA News, Pre-Matriculation Tips, School: CMU / Tepper, School: Chicago, School: Columbia, School: Harvard, School: Northwestern / Kellogg, School: Penn / Wharton, Which School Wednesdays, Wiki Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Which School Wednesdays

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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# posted by Clear Admit @ 4:00 am in School: Stanford, School: Yale, Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Which School Wednesdays: One Blogger’s Process

Welcome to another installment of Which Schools Wednesday! This week we’d like to take a closer look at one applicant’s particularly astute approach to the decision making process. Recent BoB-ranked blogger HairTwirler has done a fantastic job of chronicling her thought process over the past few months. Let’s take a look at what she’s had to say:

By way of introduction, HairTwirler presents her career goals and the schools to which she’s applied in this post. With her sights set on a career in the nonprofit sector, and a list of schools that extends all the way from Southern California to Europe, she certainly went into this process with her hands full.

She first looks to Shakespeare (the great Bard of MBA Admissions) and resolves to follow the idiom “to thine own self be true”:

Knowing what you want, and being able to identify what resources and schools fit your strategy and your style of learning is critical to developing a successful application.

From there, HairTwirler goes on to collect as much information as possible about each of her options. She thoroughly familiarizes herself with each school’s curriculum and compares them against one another:

One of the reasons I became interested in Georgetown in the first place was reading about the Global Integrative. During your second year, when you are supposed to know a bit more, you take a course focused on a country. From what I’ve read… you work on a consulting project for a company doing business in the country you are studying. You then take a one week trip to the country and the visit culminates with a presentation to the local client representatives. [Side note: Yale does a very interesting and worthwhile but field trip/classroom variety international experience.]

In another blog post, she conducts an exhaustive comparison of recruiting trends:

My main focus throughout this process has been who recruits at my chosen schools. Yale and Georgetown are tops for non-profit/ NGO/microfinance “powerhouses.”

And in yet another, directs an inquisitive eye on a logistical quirk at one program, and considers how it might affect her education there.

After paying a deposit of 2800 GBP, the Judge School then undertakes the charge of finding a place at a college for you. Many MBA students are shuffled off into the lesser colleges. As most of the important MBA resources are focused within the Judge School itself this is not really a huge concern but merely an annoyance. Oxford and Cambridge need modern makeovers so badly.

Like a true MBA student, HairTwirler also walks her readers through the process of calculating the ROI of any given program:

Simple ROI calculations take into account forgone salary, tuition costs and prospective salary post-MBA given the income statistics published by business schools. Looking up post-MBA statistics is the easy part. It becomes a bit more like multivariable calculus… if you actually try to figure out what your personal ROI is for a given program.

Lastly, in this post HairTwirler addresses the psychological requirements of the decision making process:

If you’re a type A decision maker, at a certain point you have to tell your parents, significant other, friends, colleagues and everyone else to let well enough alone, cloister yourself for a few days, and make a decision. OR, if you’re the type that actively solicits advice from every one you meet, have a close friend lock you in a room for a few days and emerge with a decision.

Deciding which offer to accept is indeed a highly personalized process and it often requires some intense inward reflection. However, HairTwirler’s thorough, independent and critical analyses provide an excellent model for anyone who is currently grappling with these kinds of questions.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:56 am in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Which School Wednesdays: The Significant Other Issue

Welcome back to Which School Wednesdays, where we take a closer look at some of the issues facing admitted students at this point in the spring. This week, we’d like to focus on perhaps one of the most difficult but least talked about elements of the decision process: making a final decision that suits the needs of both the applicant and a spouse or partner.

While nobody except the two people in a relationship can really know how their priorities line up, it can be very helpful to pace through the debate with a neutral party. One recent discussion on the Business Week Forums highlights some helpful ways to consider the different options. One poster explains how a Harvard admit threw a wrench into his plans to attend Wharton, as his wife had been admitted into a PhD program at Penn:

“It looked like our decision was made after I received my Wharton acceptance… However, now that I have been accepted by Harvard, I am finding this decision frustratingly painful.… I know that I’m probably crazy for even entertaining the idea of living apart from my wife for two years to go to school…particularly when we have the chance to attend an Ivy League school together.”

Another poster responded with some great advice based on his own situation:

“I clearly communicated to my wife that only if she agreed would I go for my MBA elsewhere. She did agree after she realized how excited I am about Darden… From a practical perspective the difference may be small between W and HBS, however if it has always been your desire to be part of HBS then do not simply disregard it… If you go to W just because of your wife and not because you wanted it, whenever you encounter any difficulty or failure you will resent your decision, and this will put stress on your relationship.”

The applicant’s final decision was to accept Wharton’s offer, thereby doing his part to dispel the belief that MBA stands for “me before anyone (else)”!

Offering further reassurance that the idea of living apart isn’t crazy, a second year student at Chicago GSB declares that it is possible to maintain a positive long-term relationship while earning an MBA. Posting on the Student Admissions Committee blog, he writes about using Skype to touch base once or twice a day with his girlfriend living in Stockholm:

“In general, your schedule as an MBA student will offer sufficient flexibility and breaks so that you can adapt to his/her working schedule – but it does take a bit of planning and effort.”

He also emphasizes that the prospect of long distance extends beyond the duration of the MBA program. He urges students to brainstorm with their partners about jobs and internships in mutually agreeable locations, and then to pursue them early in the year:

“My girlfriend sent me a list of 60 companies based in Stockholm. Then I cross checked with the list in our career services office – we had data for ALL of them. I ended up at Bain Stockholm for the summer, and when I got an offer, both Anna and I were thrilled to accept!”

This sounds like an excellent approach, since the writer benefits from both his schools’ resources as well as his partner’s input. Prospective students still making their school selection decisions might want to follow this lead by, for instance researching the school’s network and placement record in the target post-MBA region.

For those admitted students with spouses or partners who will be joining them at business school, it’s a great idea to bring him or her along to welcome events for admitted students in the spring. Many weekend events feature special activities for partners, allowing them to get a sense of how they might participate in the community once the school year begins.

Best of luck to all the couples who are debating this issue at present; we’ll see you next week for another installment of Which Schools Wednesdays!

0 Comments »

# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:36 am in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome to this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays! At this point in the season, most applicants have received their long-awaited decision notifications, and those who have been accepted at more than one program will likely spend the next few weeks drafting (and redrafting) their lists of pros and cons before ultimately deciding on one school over another.

This week, the Clear Admit Wiki received a very insightful post from applicant blogger Katrina. Her decision-making process was impressive in several ways, and it may be of value to others who are currently deliberating over similar questions. Let’s take a look at how Katrina approached the debate between NYU (Stern) and UCLA (Anderson):

The first thing to note is that Katrina asked a wide range of questions and was thorough in her search for answers. On one hand, she asked questions about her potential school experience in the short-term; and on the other considered her career opportunities beyond the next two years. As one deliberates over programs, it’s important to make sure that the next two years don’t eclipse the long-term, and vice versa.

In regards to the long-term, Katrina considered the industries with which each schools’ alumni are predominantly associated. Looking at geography and recruiting patterns, she concluded that Stern was the place to go for Investment Banking, while Anderson would be better for Private Equity and Venture Capital. Of course, the differences extend beyond finance:

“I saw somebody asked about entertainment programs on another blog, and the answer was that NYU’s program focuses more on TV networks, while UCLA’s program focuses more on film companies.”

Katrina also considered quality of life issues that will influence her next two years, thinking about climate, housing prices, transportation options, and the differences between cultural ‘fit’ in New York and Los Angeles. She was also quite right to consider how the differing academic calendars would affect the already-stressful internship search:

“The problem with UCLA recruitment is school starts at Oct 1 here, which is one month after most other schools. But the companies don’t treat Anderson differently than other schools, so students at Anderson need to really work hard to catch up on the schedule, especially for those wanting a summer internship at financial service/consulting…”

Perhaps Katrina’s most influential short-term consideration of all was the substantial financial offer she received from Anderson. Sometimes these offers come as a surprise, as in this case, but financial aid and scholarship opportunities are also an important factor to consider at the beginning of the application process. Sometimes applicants don’t fully realize how significant an investment their MBA educations will be until the spring, at which point offers like this one can essentially flip their priorities! Applicants who thoroughly research this aspect of the MBA experience in the fall won’t find themselves in unfamiliar territory when financial issues become more urgent in the spring.

It takes quite a bit of effort to make highly-nuanced distinctions like Katrina’s. For this reason, it’s a great idea to take advantage of every resource available when making this difficult decision. Talking to alumni in your target industry and attending events for admitted students, whether a full weekend at the school itself or a dinner hosted in your own city, are great starting points for collecting valuable information.

We wish this BoB-nominated blogger the best of luck at Anderson, and invite other readers to post their own school choice debates on the School Choices section of the Clear Admit Wiki. In the meantime, here’s to due diligence and calm consideration!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:46 am in General, School: NYU Stern, School: UCLA / Anderson, Which School Wednesdays, Wiki Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Which School Wednesdays

During the fall and winter, many applicants dread answering the question “why this school instead of that one?” in their essays and interviews. Now that admissions notifications are out, the question is resurfacing once again. Some admitted applicants are choosing between multiple offers, while others are considering attending a school that they researched only briefly in the fall. And of course, many applicants are now debating the pros and cons of relocating with their significant others. Luckily, MBA programs are currently reaching out to individuals in all of these categories -not to mention that fact that, at this time of year, prospective students are in a better position to collect information without the stress of simultaneously filling out applications!

Debating between Harvard and Stanford, blogger MBA Babe said it best:

“So far, I have found the admit weekends to be the most telling, so I don’t think my decision will be made until the end of April. I want to meet the other admitted students…. Truthfully, although both schools are near either family or friends, it does sound like you spend most of your time with your fellow classmates so I’m really looking forward to meeting them and seeing where I fit best.”

Across the country (and the world), schools are hosting weekend events for admitted students. Each one provides myriad opportunities to meet prospective classmates, current students, faculty and members of the administration. Visitors are kept busy with a wide range of activities: conventional presentations, small group discussions, visits with current students, mock classes, and city tours. Some academic departments even hold job interviews for prospective students seeking employment during the upcoming school year.

Most schools also make a sincere effort to include partners (and even children) in the weekend’s activities. For example, at Ross’s Go Blue Rendezvous last weekend, there was both a wine hour and a coffee lounge for partners. Wharton does a great job of reaching out to family members as well. At the Wharton Welcome Weekend, which begins this Thursday, partners events feature free child care, as well as some activities specifically targeted to male partners. This is just another way in which MBA programs try to make themselves fully accessible to prospective students who remain undecided.

Many schools also coordinate more succinct events for prospective students who can’t make the trip to campus for a long weekend. Forrest Gump blogged about a fun meet-up for Chicago admits in his hometown, and HairTwirler also recently enjoyed a dinner and bonding experience for prospective Georgetown students. On the other hand, Ipoel came away from Anderson’s A-Days somewhat skeptical about her fit with the school. Their experiences show how valuable admitted student events can be for candidates still deciding between schools.

In the coming weeks, we encourage admitted students to take full advantage of these exciting events. Soak up the atmosphere on campus, meet your potential classmates, explore the surrounding neighborhoods, and enjoy those happy hours! As always, we would love to hear from admitted students as they weight their options, and we invite readers to post their thoughts on the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:01 am in Events, General, School: Chicago, School: Harvard, School: Michigan / Ross, School: Stanford, School: UCLA / Anderson, Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Wiki Wednesdays: Choosing Between Offers

Welcome back to Wiki Wednesdays, our weekly look at recent additions to the Clear Admit Wiki. With interview season coming to an end and many applicants deciding between two or more offers, we’re shifting our focus towards the School Choices page in the wiki. This is a great resource for the many applicants who are now facing the fortunate but difficult task of deciding between offers from multiple schools. This week we’ll take a closer look at two recent wiki posts that exemplify different approaches to this debate.

The first of these two posts was written by an applicant who is choosing between five schools. The approach here is a head-to-head look at each school against Ross (which is the early favorite and the ultimate winner). In addition to the differences that emerge when directly comparing two programs, one thing that becomes apparent in this post is just how important previous campus visits are to making this decision. Let’s take a look at the Michigan/Duke showdown:

One big difference here was Ann Arbor vs. Durham – AA great college town – while the Fuqua experience seemed much more suburban to me. Students getting in their cars and driving to class and such. Just a different experience… The people at Fuqua were incredible – the nicest students, many came up to me and introduced themselves and this has continued since I was admitted. Both are comparable in terms of reputation, but I think that I’d have a better overall experience at Michigan both in, and out of the classroom.

While rankings and recruiting statistics are useful in roughly comparing schools, there is no better way to make a fully informed decision about one’s fit with a school than visiting campus, attending classes and speaking with students.

Of course, more information makes for a more difficult decision. Having done a good deal of research before applying, our second School Choices contributor, applicant blogger Rungee, finds herself in the following situation:

I think one of the things that helped me gain admittance to these schools is now working against me – I found them all a very good fit for me for one reason or another. I was able to explain very clearly why I wanted to go there. None of the schools is truly a PERFECT fit, but most are pretty darn close except maybe one or two aspects.

In an organized and thorough approach, she evaluates offers from Wharton, LBS, Fuqua and Ross, breaking the debate into subsections like Location, School Culture, Short Term Goals, and Brand.

As always, we encourage our readers to join in the conversation – whether you’re looking for others’ opinions on individual schools or just searching for a good method of breaking down this complicated decision, the School Choices page can be a great help. Further, the process of writing down pros and cons is often much more productive than spinning the wheels in one’s head, so we hope readers will take the time to share their own thoughts! Happy deliberating!

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 3:33 am in Which School Wednesdays, Wiki Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome to this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays, a column meant to highlight content from blogs, our wiki and various discussion boards in which applicants, students and even alums are sharing their reasons for applying to or attending various MBA programs. As usual, our objective is to identify valuable sources of school-specific information and help prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

We’ll start this week’s column off with a look at some great new content in the Clear Admit wiki. A poster by the name of EU MBA has offered his thoughts on ESADE vs. IESE, arguably the two best known options for management study in Spain. In the end, EU MBA sides with ESADE due to the promising direction he sees the school taking as well as the reputation of their language school. Here’s a bit of the specific debate from his post:

Case Method contra Mixture of Everything
While I consider the case method of teaching to be valuable, I do not agree that relying as heavily on it as IESE does is the best way of actually conveying information to the students. As a graduate of Tulane University’s Business school, I can say that we worked with cases, as well as on projects, etc… the cases we did, proved very valuable, but at the same time, I feel that over reliance on them leaves a lot to be desired knowledgably. Additionally, there specializations that ESADE has, especially Policy are exactly what I am looking for in a program.

Beyond the poster’s specific consideration of teaching methods, he also does a great job of summarizing his overall decision:

Conclusion
All in all it all depends on personal decision, for me it was with was being in something motile, something moving forward, helping to make it better, and also had a lot to do with the language school. Regardless, each school is great, and in spite of rivalry between the two schools, I’ve already managed to make two friends from the “other” school whom I will have drinks with in BCN. In the end, it’s about what you get out of it, and the network you build, and trust me when I tell you that mine will incorporate both the ESADE class of ’07 & ’08, but also the IESE ones.

Looking outside of the Clear Admit wiki, blogger FooBarMe checks in with an informative post about his decision to attend Berkeley/Haas’ EWMBA over CMU/Tepper’s Flexmode offering. In this blog entry, the author clearly illustrates his concerns about the timing/schedule of Flexmode and the lack of face-to-face interaction that it might afford:

Class Schedule
My company officially supports my education endeavors _but_ when crunch time approaches, people quickly forget about others personal commitments. With Haas, I have the choice of attending the class over the weekend. At Tepper, the classes are from 3:00-7:00. Given that I have flex schedule, I am positive I could have managed to attend school in the afternoon, but given the reality of work (and the fact that I have travel from time to time), I felt the Haas’ choice of attending class over the weekend was better.

Classroom environment
When I attended a class at Haas, I found the people engaging in discussions and after the class, there was a general level of excitement and enthusiasm. I did not find the same to be true for Tepper. Since the classes are video-conferenced, the camera only points to a person when a student asks a question. I found a lot more of the “lecture” style of teaching and consequently I found the students surfing on the net. This difference could be a result of the fact that the class at Haas was in marketing, whereas the Tepper class was something related to statistics. The whole video-conferencing experience did not gel very well with me. So once again, Haas seemed better.

Beyond these two detailed posts, the discussion continues to percolate in the BusinessWeek Forums, where a number of debates are currently being shaped. Here’s a sampling of interesting posts to look at:

Chicago vs. Columbia
NYU vs. Duke vs. Darden
Wharton vs. Chicago vs. Kellogg

That concludes this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays. As always, 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. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 1:35 pm in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome back to Which School Wednesdays, a column meant to highlight content from blogs, our wiki and various discussion boards in which applicants, students and even alums are sharing their reasons for applying to or attending various MBA programs. Our objective is to identify valuable sources of school-specific information and help prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

For many admitted students choosing which offer to accept and even applicants deciding which programs to target, a school’s ability to provide preparation and the necessary networking for success in one’s future goals is the primary consideration. In a recent business week post about choosing between Duke and NYU, one banking-bound applicant lists this as the most important factor and possibly the most significant difference between the two programs:

“Stern has got a better reputation for Finance. Duke scores in the overall reputation and is excellent for marketing. Even from the recruiting stand point, you can see that the top 41 recruiters at Duke offered around 180 full-time offers last year out of which only around 40 were in Finance field and 40 in Technology/Consulting. Rest of the offers were mostly in Marketing.

One of the current Indian students at Stern has informed me that this year, all the Indian students were successfully placed including many engineers who have got into I-banking. Banks are on the campus during pre-term itself. So if you want to get into Finance, Stern is the school for you.

On the other hand, one negative aspect with Stern is that despite the school‘s best efforts, Stern is still known as a Finance school and this may be a problem if you plan to get into Consulting at a later point in time… Mckinsey gave out about 3 to 4 offers and other consulting firms such as Deloitte, Booz Allen gave out totally about 10 offers… Marketing, Technology and Media & Entertainment are the other strengths. Duke on the other hand is a well-rounded school and can open doors in any field you wish to get in.”

As this discussion shows, conducting some research on which firms hire at which schools – and to what extent – can be a very important consideration when thinking about the feasibility of securing a certain type of job out of a particular program. Meanwhile, applicants who are confident that they could achieve their career goals by attending any of their options are in a less black and white predicament. One business week poster, responding to a plea for input on a Michigan vs. Duke dilemma, poses some great questions that, given careful consideration, might point an admitted student toward an answer:

-Which school will YOU want to stand up and sell as a student and alum? What are your main selling points going to be (magazine rankings, # of McK hires, environment, alumni network, etc.)?

-Hopefully you’ve met students and alums from each program by now…which group would you rather have as team members, employers, or employees?

-Which program makes you more enthusiastic and will inspire you to perform?

-In which environment will you prefer spending the next two years?

-How important is a school’s ranking/prestige to you? Will it matter to you personally in 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 yrs if the school you declined is now 1, 3, or 5 spots higher than your alma matter in US News/BWeek/Forbes/etc?

That concludes this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays. As always, 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. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 8:54 am in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome to another installment of Which School Wednesdays, your weekly window into the facts and factors behind the deliberations and decisions of applicants and admits. Put more simply, our aim is to highlight insightful and relevant web content in which aspiring or existing members of the business school community share their considerations and thought process as they decide which schools to target or attend, thereby helping prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

We’ve had a great addition to the School Selection section of the Clear Admit wiki this week from an applicant deciding between Tuck and Chicago. Keeping in mind the important factor of the way a school’s setting can influence the strength of relationships with classmates and former students (one that we highlighted in a recent blog post about campus-specific considerations), this individual has decided that Tuck is tops in the close-knit community category:

Tuck alums seem to be unanimously positive about the alumni network. Finally, Tuck wins hands down for location and fit for me. This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in such a rural environment. The “fishbowl” environment ensures that I will have deeper relationships with my classmates compared to at a huge city like Chicago, and building lifelong friendships is something I really want to get out of bschool because 5-10 years down the road, that’s all that’s really left.

While it’s true that relationships with fellow graduates will be immensely important down the road, many applicants’ consider academic preparation for their short-term career goal to be of the utmost importance when initially determining which schools to target. Taking a look at a given program’s curricular offerings is often a great start, and we’d like to highlight one particularly insightful comment from a Chicago vs. Columbia thread on the business week forums. This poster does a nice job of articulating the depth of research that is necessary to really understand one’s options and make informed comparisons among programs:

First, when you are comparing the two schools’ classes, be aware that not all equivalent classes at the two schools will be categorized the same way. Some finance classes at one school may be categorized as economics classes or accounting classes at the other. Figure out what you want to learn and carefully read the course descriptions if you want to make a true comparison. Also, while some GSB classes are theoretical, others are entirely practical. A classic example is Financial Instruments vs. Futures, Forwards, Options, and Swaps. Both classes cover derivatives, but teach them in very different ways. My point is, looking at the names is a good starting point, but additional digging is required if you want to really understand what your choices are.

We hope that this great advice will help to jump start the school-specific research of early bird applicants. As always, 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. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:22 am in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome to this week’s installment of Which School Wednesdays, a column we recently introduced to highlight content from blogs, our wiki and various discussion boards in which applicants, students and even alums are sharing their reasons for applying to or attending various MBA programs. Our objective is to identify valuable sources of school-specific information and help prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

Following up on yesterday’s post about campus-specific considerations, a recent contribution to the School Choices section of the wiki by blogger MBA Spanky highlights the way that issues of location can help to break a tie between two great schools. In debating between UCLA over Duke, he considers his own preferences and past:

“I’ve been living in Durham for the past 6 years, so it kind of has a been-there-done-that feel. Even though I grew up 2 hours north of LA, I didn’t spend much time down there, nor have I really spent any significant amount of time back in California since I shipped off to Cambridge, MA, for college when I was 18. In addition to the newness factor, LA provides easy access to tons of companies that I think I want to work for. Even though it would be easier to stay in Durham and head to Duke, when have I ever done anything the easy way? Also, this change of scenery provides an even greater opportunity to have a truly “transformational” experience at business school.”

While narrowing the choice down to just one or two key factors undoubtedly makes for an easier decision, the truth is that school selection is a complex issue and that all things beside location are not so equal for most applicants. Meanwhile, one poster in a Business Week thread that was started by an applicant deciding between Stern and Chicago raises an interesting point about the decision process and the importance of keeping factors like brand and network in perspective when considering what really influences what a student will get out of the experience:

“The best advice I have heard about choosing schools is to choose whatever school you will be most involved in. Your level of involvement will determine how well you make use of the opportunities available to you, whether they be classes/trips/experiential learning/alum network/etc…

While one school might offer better opportunities than another in a particular area, if you don’t take advantage of them, its wasted. MBA brand name (I’ll be honest, I never heard of this idea before the BW boards, and I work in firm with MBAs from Harvard through U. of Phoenix), available classes, alum network, level of interaction w/peer group, should all be individual aspects of your decision (like GMAT score is one aspect of your application). Each will weigh more or less depending on your career goals and previous experience.”

It sounds as though blogger Where’s My Dessert has taken just this approach in making her decision between Stern and Sloan, carefully considering the factors that will have an impact on her experience (the people, the curriculum and the job prospects in her target field), eliminating those that would not (money and location, as both schools are urban) and ultimately selecting the one that makes the most sense for her (even if it means going against the grain):

“I know that Sloan is generally considered a “better” school (rankings, reputation, etc.). This factor is what kept me wavering for several days. Am I giving up the opportunity to attend a better school? Perhaps. Will I regret it later? I doubt it. Despite the intense focus by some people on rankings and the like, I realize that I ultimately should choose the business school that is best not for the general public, but the best for ME. And that school would be Stern.”

That content and confident note ends this week’s edition of Which School Wednesdays. As always, 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. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:14 am in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

Welcome back to Which School Wednesdays, a column we recently introduced to highlight content from blogs, our wiki and various discussion boards in which applicants, students and even alums are sharing their reasons for applying to or attending various MBA programs. Our objective is to identify valuable sources of school-specific information and help prospective students better understand the factors they should consider in making their decisions.

Particularly noteworthy is a new addition to the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki in which an applicant details the way Wharton won her over when the program was initially not even on her radar screen. Preparing to apply after taking an advisor’s advice to investigate the program, she learned that one can learn a good deal about the prevailing attitude and pressing issues at a school by sitting back and taking in the candid opinions of current students:

“While researching the school, I became engrossed in the student diaries on the site, and in particular, I was intrigued by the grade nondisclosure debate. The many arguments in favor of grade nondisclosure convinced me that Wharton students really do value a cooperative culture, and the school’s willingness to host public debate convinced me that Wharton has the confidence in itself and its students to let the world witness its family squabble. By the time I finished my application, I still wasn’t sure that Wharton was the school for me, but I’d developed a respect for the open and straightforward culture of the school.”

Another recent contributor to the wiki explains the many factors that led him to settle on Darden, and applicant blogger FM has written a post detailing the factors that led him to target LBS as his first choice. He makes one especially interesting comment on the benefit of attending a program with a highly diverse group of peers as opposed to counting on connections with far-flung alumni:

“Becoming friends with people from all over the world (70% non US/UK) will ensure a life long network of places to visit, jobs to access, and cultures to experience. This shouldn’t be mistaken for looking up alumni – these will be people you personally know and have shared amazing experiences with.”

The value of connections with peers and classmates aside, alumni ties are a very significant consideration for many applicants. Though many focus on the number of living alumni, one Stanford aspirant on the BW boards made a nice point about this topic a few weeks ago:

“Strength of alumni network does not correlate to size. University of Phoenix would otherwise win this one hands down. You sacrifice alumni network responsiveness as you increase the size of the network. (By the way, HBS class size is almost 900, not 800). My brother graduated from HBS in ‘03 and he can tell you that the responsiveness of the HBS alumni network — while not bad — is not as good as he expected. He also mentioned that the huge size of HBS made him feel a little lost in the crowd at times. Places like Tuck and Stanford have a much higher sense of community both on campus and among their alumni as a result of their much smaller sizes.”

While some have made up their minds, others are still deliberating based on their own instincts and others’ input. After attending admitted students functions at both Duke and Anderson and considering the pros and cons of each program, blogger MBA Spanky is still in a state of deliberation as to whether to prioritize academics or post-MBA opportunities. Similar quandaries abound on the Business Week message boards, as applicants consider their career goals in debating whether to reapply, or find themselves evaluating existing options anew in light of a change of future plans.

That concludes another edition of Which School Wednesdays. As always, 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. Meanwhile, those of you who have made up your mind are encouraged to contribute insights and thoughts to the School Choices section of the Wiki.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:18 pm in Which School Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Which School Wednesdays

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.

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# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:09 am in Which School Wednesdays

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