You've heard it time and time again -- going to a top MBA program offers fundamentally
different opportunities than getting just any MBA degree. But applying to multiple
schools can be a daunting task, and everyone should have a backup plan in case
they don't get into their first choice. Here are some guidelines for analyzing
the differences between the top programs, based on interviews with graduates of nearly 20 top US business schools.
MBA Program |
Characteristics |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Backups |
Harvard Business School |
The top program for liberal arts and social science majors (with as
much as 50% of the class coming from those disciplines) HBS emphasizes
the art of leadership.
|
- Harvard brand name
- Depth of network
- Strong ties to finance, private equity and consulting
- Best for general management and communications
|
- Lack of academic rigor, overreliance on case method
- Stereotype that students have poor analytical and quantitative skills
|
|
MIT Sloan School of Management |
The top program for science and engineering majors (with as much as
40% of the class from those disciplines) Sloan emphasizes an
analytical, fact-based approach to management.
|
- MIT brand name
- Rigorous, flexible academics
- Strong ties to finance, high tech and consulting
- Best for entrepreneurship, high tech and finance
|
- Smaller alumni network
- Stereotype that students are too intellectual and not aggressive
|
- Chicago
- NYU
- Carnegie Mellon
|
Stanford Graduate School of Business |
Stanford takes a balanced approach to management education, with no
particular background emphasized over others, resulting in one of the
more diverse classes among top business programs.
|
- Stanford brand name
- Balance of qualitative and quantitive emphasis
- Strong ties to Silicon Valley, venture capital and consulting
- Best for entrepreneurship and general management
|
- Smaller alumni network, poor ties to east coast and international
recruiting - Stereotype that students are not team players
|
|
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania |
The top graduate business program for undergraduate business majors
(with as much as 45% of the class from those disciplines), Wharton
focuses on finance and investment education.
|
- Well-rounded academic program
- Strong ties to finance and consulting
- Best for finance and accounting
|
- Weaker ties to west coast recruiting
- Stereotype that students are overly aggressive and too finance focused
|
|
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University |
With a balanced student body similar to Stanford, Kellogg has
distinguished itself as the top MBA program for marketing and brand
management.
|
- Highly motivated, involved student body
- Strong ties to brand management and consulting
- Best for marketing
|
- Lack of analytical focus
- Stereotype that students are team players but not leaders, poor quantitative
skills
|
|
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发表于 2006-1-20 17:09:00
