The benefits to a higher-ranked school are too numerous to name. Sure, you want to go to the best school you can. Brand matters, of course it does. We also believe that the hype can be a bit much. Starting salaries tend to be higher at higher-ranked bschools, and your lifetime earnings potentially is largely…
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DJOnion says
Well said – Tepper looks like an awesome school! I’m sure that FT/BW rankings are useful for the bankers and consultants amongst us, but the schools outside of the top 7 all seem to offer something unique for particular groups.
Unfortunately, these schools seem to get less attention so it’s harder to find out exactly what they offer (unless you make the effort).
Good luck to all those waiting for interviews and to those prepping for Rd2 apps!
essaysnark says
Yeah, Tepper is one of those sleepers – when people start to investigate them, they often come away very impressed, but it’s a school that is frequently overlooked by the masses, which is unfortunate (or not – it’s pretty easy to stand out at such schools too when you put in a good app).
We’ll echo the ‘good luck’ sentiment to all – it’s exciting that some are already getting in (Duke and Columbia( and there’s a lot of interview invites flying around too! Things are happening!
EssaySnark
MBAjunkie16 says
I feel the same about Kenan Flagler now. The more I “peel the onion” the better the program looks. The whole brouhaha about rankings et al alludes more to “relative deprivation” than to any real difference. Great post!
essaysnark says
UNC is another great school, and super strong for both real estate, and healthcare. They’re often overshadowed by that other program in town but they’re very well respected by recruiters. Great to see all the open-minded BSers who are doing all this on-the-ground research and finding the schools that are right for them! Thanks for the comment, MBAjunkie16!
Bschool2013 says
I’ve found that outside of the Top 5, besides cultural fit, it really starts to boil down to what companies recruit on campus. Yes you can do well off campus recruiting at any Top 20 school, but it’s a lot more time consuming than going to the on campus corporate events and dropping your resume through the schools career management center. As any first year student can attest, time is at a premium – the less time spent pounding the pavement in recruiting, the more time spent being happy 🙂
essaysnark says
This is a good point and the recruiting scene should always be taken into account with school selection – it’s why we hammer home the importance of figuring out your career goals as a first step in the whole application process. We’d say that it’s Top 10 where this matters most (not Top 5) though these cutoffs are of course arbitrary… Yet at the same time, as harsh as it is to say it, as a very general broad-strokes rule, those who aren’t going to get into a Top 10-ish school are also going to have a hard time attracting the attention of the marquee employers. As you mentioned in your previous comment elsewhere, lots of people think (hope) they’re M/B/B quality just as much as they (used to) think (hope) they’re H/S/W quality…
All that being said, the Top 20 schools still attract some top-notch companies on campus. It’s not like you’re going to end up working a crappy awful job at a crappy awful company. If your heart is set on Company X then definitely make sure that Company X recruits at your target school before applying! Or be prepared to pound some pavement.