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BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS 2010 Business School, Explained Is business school on your horizion? If so, get answers to all your questions on admissions, careers, and B-school life from the experts
B-SCHOOL FORUMS
Visit BW Online's interactive forums for wide-ranging discussions about management education. Search through over 1,359,000 posts for topics that interest you. Join in today! Here are a few samples of recent messages:
Business Schools — Bloomberg Businessweek Rankings — I am REALLY SURPRISED!!
From: K11 To: All
I am really surprised that you have not even acknowledged a school like Thunderbird in your International Business School Rankings?
Thunderbird School of Global Management is the oldest International Business School in the world and has been consistently (in some cases 15 years) ranked as #1 international business school in the world. I would suggest visiting this school and other outstanding schools that you have not covered in your research.
From: IUMBA To: K11
I whole heatedly agree! Thunderbird is often brushed aside but it is the epicenter of International Business studies and does not get a great deal of credit in a business environment which is global, inter-related and culturally diverse. If a manager of the future cannot navigate the global business landscape, their effectiveness would be blunt.
From: FrancescaBW To: K11
Hi,
Thanks for your interest and comments. What do you think keeps Thunderbird from entering the top tier of business schools in the rankings? I'm just curious to get your opinion.
Looking forward to it, Francesca
From: llavellebw To: All
Folks, we haven't overlooked Thunderbird. It was ranked last year--No. 45. You could argue that it's international focus means it deserves a higher rank, but when it comes right down to it, it's not BW that ranks these programs it's students and recruiters. Three months after graduation, less than half of Thunderbird grads had job offers, and the ones that did on average earned $20,000 to $30,000 less than top 10 schools. Thunderbird is a terrific school, and one that serves it's students well by giving them a real global focus, but the levels of student satisfaction we found and the extent to which its grads are sought after by employers doesn't warrant a rank higher than the one we gave it. Sorry.
Louis Lavelle Associate Editor Bloomberg Businessweek
Business Schools — Ask Bloomberg Businessweek — Business School Forum Suggestion Box
From: llavellebw To: All
Business School Forum Suggestion Box
First, please allow me to thank each and every one of you for contributing to the most vibrant online forum of its kind for business school applicants, students, and alumni. Without your probing questions and insightful comments the business school forum would be far less robust, and far less useful.
As we develop our plans for improving the forum over the next year, Bloomberg Businessweek would like to ask you, its loyal users, what we can do to make it a better, richer experience. Can it be made easier to find, and easier to use? Should we have more hosted discussion threads such as Ask Clear Admit, and if so who do you want to hear from: admissions consultants, GMAT experts, business schools, recruiters, Bloomberg Businessweek writers and editors? Would it be helpful to bring alumni into the forums? Faculty?
These are just some of the ideas we have been tossing around. Feel free to give us any suggestion that you have for making these forums more useful. We'll consider each one and make whatever improvements we can. In the meantime, happy posting...
Louis Lavelle Associate Editor Bloomberg Businessweek
From: MBAApply To: llavellebw
Louis,
Thanks for setting up this thread.
From a technical standpoint, consider using vBulletin or phpBB -- they seem to be the most commonly used discussion forum engines (or whatever it's called). Plus, you can still incorporate different ad formats as well (I know that may be a hard sell if you need to keep the forum consistent across Bloomberg/Businessweek).
Another technical thing that could really help is allowing people to tag posts into their Facebook or twitter feeds (and/or allowing people to log into the discussion forum using their Facebook account so that they're linked, could really help drive traffic and time spent on the forums). A lot of discussion forums allow for that capability. Also, most discussion forums allow for embedding Youtube or other media -- (they are direct embedded links, so it's not hosted by Bloomberg/Businessweek).
Also, since a good number of people spend a good chunk of their time on the web through cell phones (iphone or droid smartphones), it may help to create a "mobile version" of the site, which allows for larger font sizes.
In short, it's getting the technical capabilities of the discussion forum to be on par with other forums out there (whether MBA related or not). Remember that while a primarily text-only discussion forum that you guys have now may have been fine for folks pre-Facebook and pre-smartphone (i.e. 5-10 years ago), the people applying to b-school today and going forward use the Internet differently, and are much more accustomed to using Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, etc. as well as posting and sharing media links more than ever before -- to the point where they will get most of their primary news feeds (or any kind of info feed) directly from Facebook on their cell phones. Further, it allows applicants to friend one another through the site, which creates a stronger sense of community.
Also, it may help to revamp the categories, because it seems like every category except for "Getting Into Business Schools" is a graveyard, while "Getting Into Business Schools" has become a bit too disorganized, being a hodge podge for everything. As such, you might as well not group any discussions threads because only one of them gets the traffic anyhow.
To be honest, mixing in the admissions consultants threads with everyone else in the "Getting into Business Schools" is getting unwieldy. Giving the impression that the consultant threads dominate the site may be "resourceful" but also way too transactional. People come here, post something for a profile review, and that's it. There isn't a lot of banter. It gives the impression that the consultants dominate the forum, which can discourage applicants from doing anything but post a profile review.
What may help is to separate out the "Ask XYZ" into a separate category, so each admissions consultant has their own thread within that category, and can have moderator privileges for their own thread.
And then, have a separate category for threads that could be started by anyone (and where it can be more of a free-for-all discussion, dominated mostly by applicants and students). I don't think you need a separate category for part-time, exec, getting a job, etc. because for many applicants, discussions for these kinds of things are more fluid and not compartmentalized like you have it laid out right now.
All of what you mentioned about bringing on alums, faculty, etc. all could help. But just remember who your primary audience is: the MBA applicant. And how they communicate today vs. how they used to years ago, as it's a different generation of "kids".
Also, finally, all the helpful resources in the world can help, but what really drives traffic is DEBATE, especially when it gets heated. That's what made the BW forums so popular back in the day. A lot of folks didn't just log on for help, but to be entertained by the banter (no matter how constructive or silly). Community ultimately has to be driven by the applicants engaging in debate, banter, and so forth for the amusement and entertainment of others -- and hopefully "being helpful" as a byproduct.
Any questions let me know; it's just a personal opinion
Alex Chu
From: llavellebw To: MBAApply
Alex, can I hire you? I'm only half joking. Seriously, thanks for giving this so much thought, and for coming up with some really smart ideas. I'm passing these along to the powers that be right now. Thanks again Alex, and if you have any thoughts on how to encourage debate--to make the forums not just instructive but entertaining--I'm all ears.
Louis Lavelle Associate Editor Bloomberg Businessweek
Getting into B-School — How Important Is Age?
From: IgnatiusReilly To: All
Obviously age is taken in consideration, but would a candidate be dinged for being say 28-30 years old? Just trying to get a feel for timing (in terms of applying) and what schools (of the top-15) look more closely at the actual age of a candidate...
Thanks in advance.
From: eskimoroll To: IgnatiusReilly
Schools can't explicitly ding you for being too old as that would be age discrimination. Sure, most MBA programs skew a bit younger but being in the 28-30 age range won't hurt you as long as you can demonstrate why you need an MBA at this point in your life.
For my part, I'm 29 (gonna be 30 at matriculation) and I was accepted into 3 top 5 programs so it's definitely doable. Best of luck!
From: comebackkid To: eskimoroll
I am 41 and was accepted to a top 10 school. I am not an advanced degree holder. Demonstrate your need for the degree and your plan for levering it to advance your career.
From: alpinum To: comebackkid
Hello there,
I am 40 and I am looking to improve my career. Age is also my concern, since in life you can't do what you always want...
If you don't mind what school are you atending?
From: homer101 To: IgnatiusReilly
Age is just a factor in the entire application. It depends on what you have done and how you justify the reason for waiting so long. Most schools want candidates with 5 yrs of work exp, which automatically puts your age at 27-28.
Based on what I have read it seems as if you okay as long as you are within this 26-32 band, as there are many candidates with additional education or unique exp which pushes their age. Once you get over 32 I think its still doable to go to a top school but you have to explain why. I think if a candidate has top stats, great work exp, and interesting profile they will simply not reject based on age.
You also have to look at what you want to do after you graduate. Consulting for example does not rule people out just becasue of age, but that might be an issue for i-banking. So look at it from thet angle too.
Just my 2 cents. I wouldn't let your age determine what you can and cannot do.
From: JinShil2 To: IgnatiusReilly
28 to 30? Are you kidding me? Most B-School students are 25-32.
Even at HBS, being 28 should not matter but being 30 is slightly older, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker.
From: FrancescaBW To: IgnatiusReilly
Hi,
I have to agree with everyone here that demonstrating why you need the MBA and why now is far more important than your actual age. The admissions committees are looking to create a diverse class, and age differences are part of that diversity. But if you've already reached certain pinnacles of success at work, the MBA degree might not improve your title or salary much, so you'd have to make a strong case of why you need this degree and why now.
If you think you've aged out of American programs, you might consider international programs, which tend to have older students with more work experience. Would you consider international programs? Why or why not?
Good luck, Francesca
From: ceemego28 To: IgnatiusReilly
older candidates have to prove they have done something with their life so far but younger ones have challenges too - maturity etc...
It's also about finding the program and TYPE of progarm that is a good fit for you and your age (EMBA may be better)
It's silly to say it does not matter at all. while they may not blatantly discriminate - they are assessing at all angles and if they think you will be difficult to place in a job you may have a harder time.
From: comebackkid To: All
I believe the following top-ranked programs are age indifferent:
1. Kellogg 2. Wharton 3. Duke 4. Tuck
If your stats fit their medians then you should have a fair chance of admission to any of these programs assuming you can demonstrate "why mba" and "why now". Of course, your essays, recs, etc must be top bucket.
In my opinion, the following top-ranked schools do not give older applicants fair and just consideration irrespective of their claims otherwise (based on my experiences):
1. Stanford 2. Michigan
These were the only 6 schools that I have personal experience with concerning the applicaton process.
From: dszpiro To: comebackkid
Hi,
I agree with all of the observations that being able to discuss what you hope to gain from earning an MBA is a critical part of getting accepted into a great MBA program.
In general, more senior candidates for MBA programs are less interested in career switching and more interested in an evolutionary change (e.g., rising to more senior levels of management in their current industry) or launching on an entrepreneurial path. If that sounds like a good description of where you are in your career, then consider an Executive MBA program. The majority of the schools with top-ranked full-time MBA programs also offer Executive MBA programs that lead to the same MBA degree.
If you fit into this description of candidate and you want to draft a compelling case for why you want an MBA, then you should be prepared to discuss why a specific path (i.e., full-time or EMBA) is best suited for your goals. I know I ask that question in every interview and my counterparts in Cornell's full-time MBA admissions office also pose that question.
Regards, Danny
_____ Daniel A. Szpiro, PhD Assistant Dean for Executive Education The Johnson Graduate School of Management Cornell University
From: IgnatiusReilly To: eskimoroll
Thanks for all the responses. Definitely good info.
From: LaurenHBS To: IgnatiusReilly
I hate to say it, but I think HBS has definitely taken a pretty hard stance on age with their focus on getting students into leadership roles young. It definitely shows in the student body - there are very, very few of my fellow classmates in their 30's.
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When times get tough, the tough get going, right? Well, not really—sometimes they cut benefits. As Erin Zlomek reports, during the economic downturn many companies have trimmed a benefit near and dear to the hearts of part-time MBA students everywhere: graduate tuition assistance. Fewer employers are offering the benefit and fewer are paying the full cost of the degree. Between 2000 and 2006, the number requiring employees to repay the money if they leave within a year more than doubled. I can't imagine that number shrank during the downturn.
With one out of four business students counting on employer support to fund their educations, the trend (if it continues) could have a long-term impact on applications, enrollment, and program growth. Of course, the opposite could easily happen as well, especially if the economy makes a big comeback. Time will tell.
Louis Lavelle Business Schools Editor Bloomberg Businessweek
UCLA Anderson: Admissions Q&A MBA Admissions Director Mae Jennifer Shores explains what UCLA's Anderson school has to offer and what it takes to get in
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