EssaySnark

Why we think rankings are stupid.

by EssaySnark - Discusses 6 Comments

It’s because Harvard is stupid.

There is no way that your Harvard education is that much better than what you will get at Tuck or at Duke or, heck, at Cornell.

Rankings mess with your head.

From the description of a book, aptly named Engines of Anxiety , that studied the effect of US News rankings on the law school market:

The authors find that prospective law students not only rely heavily on such rankings to evaluate school quality, but also internalize rankings as expressions of their own abilities and flaws. For example, they often view rejections from “first-tier” schools as a sign of personal failure.

Sound familiar?

What you get with Harvard (bschool, law school, any school) is ACCESS.

You get to go play with the rich boys and girls for a few years. You get “the network” so that when you try that little startup idea you have (before it crashes and burns) you can hit up these alumni with money to see if they’ll fund your starry-eyed dreams.

Is that worth it?

Hell yeah, if you’re going to use it.

But please do not fool yourself.

Harvard is not ‘better.’ It’s just what this system of class and money has designed to fool you, to continue with the illusion that class and money matter.

Exhibit A: Harvard Fellowships Have Always Been A Joke

Mostly what you get with Harvard is the smug satisfaction of the rubber stamp of Society Approval.

Sure, you have to be smart to get in.

Sure, you have to work hard.

But the Harvard kids are not smartER. They did not work hardER. They are just like everybody else — or, frequently, they’re members of the Lucky Sperm Club where they landed in a family of Harvard grads, so they’re what’s called a ‘legacy applicant’ and definitely in undergrad admissions, Harvard College loves those kids. For the class of incoming freshman that just got on campus this summer, one-third are legacy .

It’s like buying a Rolex or a Gucci handbag or a Ferrari.

A brand like that will deliver some attention to detail and refinement in the product. It’s going to be made with better materials and care of construction than what you find at your local Macy’s or the Kia dealership.

But a Rolex is just a watch.

Wearing a Rolex is a symbol to the world that you can spend that much money on a bauble on your wrist that tells you the time.

Everyone else is just looking at their phone. You get to shoot your cuff and show off this glint of luxury.

That’s all that Harvard is going to do for you.

(And the value only goes so far. If Harvard Business School were so great, why are its tweets so lame? We are convinced that they’ve got an undergrad student writing them — no offense to Harvard undergrads. But c’mon people.)

Please don’t be confused by what you are going to get.

Is there value to that prestige?

Sure. But the EDUCATION is what will change your life.

Not the association with wealthy elite.

So many people think getting in to Harvard will finally be validation. No, maybe they don’t CONSCIOUSLY think it, like, “If I go to Harvard then I’ll finally be worth something!” But it’s what’s driving the engine, under the hood.

But guess what? If you’re actually so insecure that you’re constantly seeking out external validation from The World, and you think going to Harvard will finally put all those internal voices of doubt and self-criticism to rest, no, that’s not what will happen. Instead, when you get on the campus at Harvard, you will be surrounded by a more extreme concentration of People Who You Think Are Better Than You than you’ve ever experienced in your life. You will see all these other AMAZING students who have done more impressive things (who have way more money than you) who have traveled the world, who already have a Rolex and not a Gucci bag but a Birkin. You think that’ll make you feel better?

We’re not saying not to apply to Harvard. That would be silly. We’re saying that you may want to look at your reasons for why you’re so enamored of the BRAND.

Because that’s all it is.

It is a BRAND.

A school is different than a consumer product, because a school is an experience and a community and oh yeah, an education. But very few people are focusing on applying to Harvard because of any of that. They may not be consciously thinking, “I want to go to Harvard for the prestige” but really, that’s what’s driving our social-construct personalities so much of the time.

Unless what’s really fueling your interest in Harvard is so that your unborn children will get to go to Harvard. Then by all means. Apply to Harvard.

We hope you get in!

You may also be interested in:

 

Here's what others have said about this:

  1. What should be the primary driver for those of us determining school fit? It seems that if our goal is to shell out $200k for 2 years, shouldn’t it be for the school that best positions us in the labor market for what we want to do? While the rankings aren’t perfect and are CERTAINLY made to sell magazines, I would argue that they are a good guide to understanding which schools “generally” provide the best positioning, which the candidate can then use to guide further research via employment reports, etc.

    Of course if you live and die by saying you went to school in Cambridge, then you’re probably a schmuck.

    Reply

    • Well, let’s start with your opening ideas:

      Are you saying that “school fit” is determined by your post-MBA starting salary?

      ‘Cuz that seems like an odd way to define it!!

      There’s also a fairly recent history where newly-minted MBAs were actively scorned and even shunned at many Silicon Valley startups. Someone coming out of HBS ten years ago may not have wanted to advertise their HBS pedigree too loudly out in the Valley. Things are changing, but that’s because the Valley has changed, not that Harvard has. So it really depends on what “labor market” you’re talking about, doesn’t it?

      And it all comes down to the exact point we’re making here. Is the HBS education really that superior?

      By “positioning” it sounds like you’re just reiterating our same point: Having this pedigree, or the rubber stamp of Very Big Important Brand-Name School (arentchyaimpressed) on my LinkedIn, means that I’m more attractive to the employer or worth more money?

      To answer the question: The primary driver of determining school fit is to explore the school, understand its culture, talk to current students, sit in on a class, talk to people in your current network, have informational interviews with those in positions you aspire to take on, and do massive amounts of self-reflection on your values and personal priorities.

      Or, for most people, apparently: Try for HBS, and if you get in, go there.

      Reply

      • I think we may just disagree on the point of business school. I see it only as pedigree – a means to achieve the job you want. HBS and similar schools provide this access better than anyone else and are thus more desirable.

        To me, educational experience is secondary – most of the course material can be taken for much cheaper online. Let’s look at Darden, why isn’t it blowing Harvard out of the water? Same teaching style, and UVA gets “best experience” year after year, so why does HBS send more students to the most coveted companies? It’s the brand. Those companies use the school as a filter, so it makes sense why students would choose HBS to be a target for their most desired companies.

        Reply

        • To build on your point, people will have different purposes business school, or just different priorities. (And those for whom b-school is transformative might leave with different ideas than they started with).

          For example, pedigree was secondary to me, and I didn’t care much about recruiting, or the course material, which anyone can teach themselves. The purpose of my MBA was to fill a specific gap that led me to prioritize educational experience, which is driven by the classroom environment and program structure.

          Reply

  2. Rankings are useful as a starting point. For instance, Johns Hopkins has a business school. Johns Hopkins as an institution is world class, but Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is not. Without rankings, it would take much more time to determine this.

    I agree with the overall premise of this post though, that rankings should not be the deciding factor. There are many other important aspects to consider.

    On an unrelated note, I learned what a Birkin bag is from this post.

    Reply

    • The starting-point piece may be true for some people, but we’re skeptical that the majority of those who get latched onto the idea of an MBA are all that confused about relative values that you’re pointing out — and certainly our audience here on the blahg is never going to apply to Carey (many BSes have never even heard of Carey). This post is about the fixation on HBS (or Wharton, or Stanford) over other very strong programs.

      In this day and age, while we can understand someone not having ever heard of a Birkin bag, it’s highly unlikely that most people have never heard of how “great” (quotes intentional) HBS is.

      Reply

Tell us what you think.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *