special in your background (such as the Nobel Prize in Economics),
because in some years, Wharton has more than a hundred applicants with
such numbers and accepts none.
Which is the best?
A question related to the "Where should I apply?" question is "What are
the top business schools in the country?" Since there is no single criterion
for best school that would be accepted by everyone, it is arguable that this
question simply cannot be given a meaningful answer. But even though no
unequivocal answer can be given, it is possible to get an approximate
answer.
Certainly, any listing of top business schools would have to include the
following:
Old B-School Saying:
"There are 20 Schools
in the Top Ten."
Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Chicago, Columbia,
Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Hastings,
Kellogg, Michigan, NYU, Sloan, Stanford, Tuck,
Wharton, Texas, UCLA, Virginia, Yale
Another way of evaluating business schools is to think of them as falling
into one of three groups: national schools, regional schools, and local
schools. National schools are those with substantial academic reputations,
such as those listed above. Regional schools have a substantial regional
reputation but are not known nationally as top schools. Local schools are
those whose educational mission is often the MBA for a particular
purpose, such as a career move, and may offer part-time and evening
programs. If your goal is a fast-track position with a big company, then you
should aim for a national school. On the other hand, if have a start-up plan
in mind, then (aside from the educational challenge) it may not matter as
much where you go to school.
Crafting Your Application
