MIT Sloan and Stanford GSB are two of the top B-schools in the world. Both are next door to exceptional undergraduate programs that regularly usher in radical new technologies. Students with a tech background and an entrepreneurial attitude are naturally drawn to the schools.
We have picked five factors for your consideration before picking one over the other
Diversity is not a differentiating factor anymore. It is the norm with schools setting targets on bridging the gender gap every year. Getting the right mix is not restricted to nationality, gender, or minority groups in each host country, but also includes candidates with different undergraduate degrees, pre-MBA experience, and post-MBA goals.
Why Diversity? Here is why..
Unless you are working in Oil & Gas or Mining where human, political, environment and market dynamics along with innovation in technology determine the future of the industry, don’t take an MBA based on the ‘carrot’ that with an MBA, you can climb the middle manager ladder.
Last year alone, the worldwide luxury market is estimated to have grown at 10%, with revenues reaching $275 billion. It is the third consecutive year that the Luxury sector saw a double-digit growth.
Find out the top MBA in Luxury Management!
Pioneered by Harvard Law School in 1870, and taken up by Harvard Business School in 1920, Case Study Method is the most popular means of teaching at Business Schools across the world. In experiential learning, students handle real-life business decisions. It could be a ‘live’ project, being on the board of a company or even a business simulation. Find out more about Case Study vs Experiential learning.
Harvard Business School is one of the most sought after B-schools in the world. It is also one of the schools with the lowest acceptance rate. While IIMA in India boasts of an acceptance rate of just 0.1%, among US B-schools, HBS has the lowest acceptance rate after Stanford. The rate has historically hovered around the 10-12% mark.
Find out how to get into Harvard MBA
There is a myth on how we make decisions and the information we collect to reach a conclusion. Analysis paralysis is often associated with the vast amount of information that is under our disposal. The truth is different. We are not paralyzed by the additional information but by the narrower choices that we have reached after eliminating several other equally viable options.
We can use Moral Algebra Method to shortlist the best MBA programs. The process is simple and effective.
Find out how!
Devaluation of Euro will make top European MBA program affordable for International students, but the latest GMAC report shows the growing disparity between job offers received by domestic and international students. Unfortunately, the disparity in percentage job offers during the course is common across MBA programs in Europe.
Find out why European MBA is not good for Career Switchers
Zappos move to “Holacracy” – a self-governing, flat organization structure where there are no Managers has been reported with suspicion, for one the motivation to climb the ladder is removed from the career path. When productivity becomes the only metric to measure performance, the workforce might feel disoriented. Over 200+ Employees resigned from Zappos. They didn’t find any motivation to work in an organization where there was no transition in Job Titles.
Read: Don’t pick Tier-2 General Management Programs
Business Schools are not going to back down from their search for diversity in nationality, gender, and profile. Whether your profile captures experience diversity depends on how you spin your story and position your personal brand, but regions and nationalities are reserved by the school based on a hidden quota system for each application cycle. The report is your first data point.
F1GMAT has summarized the Post-MBA Goals Trend
It is interesting to see how with each career level, the alumni starts appreciating the value of the program over other career success factors: Hard work, Networking, Attitude towards life, Innate Ability, Other Education and Good Luck.
Read: Management Program & Influence on Career Levels
The rivalry between UNC and Duke is not limited to College basketball; the competition as a favorite MBA destination is much fiercer. While the casual researcher favors UNC for the good-looking crowd, serious applicants should consider five factors: ranking, curriculum, location, class profile, and post-MBA jobs.
Find out who wins
Most applicants have completed their GMAT preparation. They are ready to send their GMAT test scores to five Business Schools. One common mistake that we have seen applicants committing while selecting their top five schools is that they don’t put too much thought into selecting the last Business School in the list.
Here are 4 Reasons why picking a Backup program might be counterproductive
Most MBA students use their degree for career advancement, but nearly 1/4th of the participants chose an MBA program to change their career path. Unlike entrepreneurship where the need for an MBA program is often debated, in other career tracks like consulting, marketing, finance and HR, an MBA program is invaluable. Alumni have vouched that more than anything else, an MBA gave them the confidence during their post-MBA journey
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In 1968, Zajonc showed how even the repeated exposure of words without any meaning, random photographs, and incomprehensible Chinese calligraphy were enough to form a positive association with the object. We are terrible at distinguishing between quality as an idea and real quality. Advertisers have minted millions of dollars with our shortcoming, and schools have cleverly adapted the idea in a more subtle way.
Find out how to avoid the Mere Exposure Effect
We are not designed to notice gradual changes. Each of us has an attention threshold, and small changes go unnoticed. Only when a change is considerable does our brain signals that the stimulus is worth noticing. When Business Schools makes small changes in the number of scholarships or report changes in the percentage placement within 3-months of graduation, the change is negligible.
MBA Research: It's about Salary & Job
Joining an MBA program when the job market is going through depression is a strategy that has been adopted by professionals over the past 10 years. But looking for an additional MBA, an MBA from an International school to compensate for a low branded MBA is a strategy that can backfire, even if the school accepts your candidacy.
We are witnessing a super specialization within MBA programs. It is no longer sufficient to say that you would like to switch careers into consulting, finance, or Luxury.
Learn about the latest trend
In 2011, the estimates were that the industry would grow at 30% per annum. In reality, the growth fell to 7% in 2012 and 2% in 2013. Although Chinese Govt’s anti-corruption drive were held responsible, Chinese economy was showing signs of fatigue. Schools that are focusing back on Europe are also at greater risk.
We have shortlisted key points that you should consider before selecting an MBA program offering specialization in Luxury Management.
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Why do career experts keep repeating the mantra “Follow your heart”?
What they really mean is “Follow your heart but figure out your real strengths”.
Our heart’s desires are many and the career paths after an MBA diverse. If you follow ‘Expert’ advice, you will be miserable after 2-3 years. Resentment of investing $1,75,000 and 1-2 years on an MBA won’t die down even if you get a high-paying job.
If you define your MBA career paths by Employment report then you are limited by the job functions and industries.
Follow your heart but read this first
In this first part of the Bocconi vs MIP MBA series; we will look at three key comparative factors: course structure, exchange programs, & ranking. In the second part, we will look at post-MBA statistics and class profile.
Compare Bocconi with MIP MBA
Tuck MBA students have retained the median salary at $115,000 with the lowest salary dropping further by $9,000 at $56,000 compared to last year’s trend and highest salary reaching $175,000 a jump of $6,000. What most MBA applicants have asked us about the trends in Tuck MBA Employment report is the demand for Finance and Consulting jobs.
Read the Complete Summary
Most of us are optimists or ‘dutiful’ pessimists when it comes to decision making. It is no different when we are selecting MBA programs. We don’t have to deal in the extremes but take a middle of the path thinking when it comes to decision making. Chip and Dan Heath in their extremely popular book – Decisive: How to make better choices in life & work, have shared how Byron Penstock, an investment analyst, uses bookending to make optimum investment decisions.
Let us calculate your chances to get into a top MBA program based on bookending
There are plenty of reliable sources covering Business School comparison, Interview with Admission Officers, Interview with Alumni & Current Students, and Business School ranking.
What MBA aspirants must develop is a process of questioning that would help them with decision making. The process that we recommend is useful after you have collected all relevant information about Business Schools, and MBA programs. It follows 3 steps.
With a 24x7 connected world, the constant communication and pressure of work creates a situation where an average sleep is limited to 6 hours, 2 hours short of an ideal sleep cycle. Short-term sleep deprivation will impair your decision-making, especially selecting top MBA programs that require shortlisting a large list of schools, revising the list, and finally picking the top five. Sleep on it before picking the MBA Program
When Business School & MBA research start, aspirants will analyze the curriculum, and evaluate the effectiveness of the program to fulfill their post-MBA goals. Customizing the learning experience through electives, and experiential learning often happens during the second half of the program. With $80,000 to $120,000 investment in an MBA every year, it is important to understand how much control the student has in customizing the curriculum.
Learn how to Apply this 3-Step Process for MBA Career Planning