One of the biggest challenges a student faces while applying to a Business School is the very decision “where to go”. So many schools and the wealth of information available sometimes can leave one overwhelmed at the same time confused. In order to understand and strategically decide which school could be a good fit for you, below mentioned points can be used to get a direction and come up with a list of schools which best match you interests.
1. Peer group/Class profile/School fit
a) Looking at a B-school’s class profile/statistics, previous industries of placed students, the kind of class they attend, would give an applicant an idea of what the different communities and student bodies tend to be like, and of how comfortable the student might feel in studying in that B-school.
b) It will be great to interact with present students and alumni to get a feel about the school and ascertain whether one is compatible with the school’s ideology/environment.
2. Curriculum and study methodology
It is important to know about the kind of curriculum and study methodology at B-school since not all students can survive in a 100% case study environment. Hence it is very important to see how diverse and flexible the curriculum is and how much a particular school has to offer in terms of hands on experience and learning projects.
3. Faculty – ideal blend of academics and practitioners
MBA program faculty members are usually required to have a graduate-level education, professional work experience in an area relevant to business and a specialization or expertise in the course they are instructing. Faculty members also make a difference when it comes to choosing a school.
4. Location
The location of a b-school makes all the difference or comes into play if the school is not a very reputed one. Whether it is a bustling city campus or a more rural setting makes a lot of difference. A school’s area can heavily impact the industry orientation of the institution as well as the organizations that come to campus in order to recruit for either jobs or internships.
5. Rankings
Applicants shouldn’t choose a school on rankings alone, but it can be a useful tool when comparing MBA programs. A higher-ranked business school may be more likely to provide the student with a quality education than one that is not ranked at all since a lot of rankings like US news etc rank a business school in terms of faculty, instruction, reputation and student mix & placements.
6. Focus Area and Placements
How well the school is ranked/reputed for the focus area the student is interested in, e.g. Finance, Marketing etc is also important since the opportunities and the kind of placements a school has or the areas where the school places it students is also governed more or less by the focus areas.