How important are rankings of grad schools?

[JanusthePhoenix]

Something I saw in another topic got me thinking about the ranking of the school I was planning on going to for my MBA.

Business School Rankings and Profiles: EMBA, Executive Education, MBA, Part-time MBA, Distance MBA

Boise State University isn't even ranked. BSU was my choice because my GI Bill will cover it and it is local; I've established residency by now and I wouldn't have to move yet again. What do you guys think about this? How important are rankings, really?

Here are the stats for BSU:
Boise State University: Part-Time MBA Profile – BusinessWeek

Edit: second link was wrong, I fixed it.

[HawkGuy]

Boise State University isn't even ranked.

Neither are Yale, UC-Berkeley, Arizona State, Auburn, or George Washington University. All of these are great schools who's EMBA programs aren't ranked by BusinessWeek.

My advice to anyone is to attend the best school that you can get into. This especially applies to grad school. You will forever be linked to your alma mater, and you want one with a good reputation, alumni network, etc...

If you are happy with and proud of your school, then rankings don't mean a thing.

[MISin08]

I agree that you should go to the best school you can. I started a longer post while HawkGuy was being succinct

There's your feelings about it, what you want from the program academically, plus prestige and stuff. Then there's the utility of the degree, what recruiters and hiring managers will think of the 'brand' you've aligned yourself with. If you are going into a specific industry or have hopes of entering a specific company it could matter (here in Oregon, there's a rivalry between the two major state schools -- neither of which are ranked btw -- and I could see some employers favoring one or the other based on where they went, it's irrational, what can you do). Our local urban U ranks high among sustainability-focused MBA programs, which sets it apart, even though they were 'not considered for ranking' by BW. Jacksonville State in Alabama has a fine and very affordable AACSB distance MBA, and they aren't even listed on the 'distance' tab of the BW article at the link.

When it comes to name recognition in the US, I have read that for the most part there's the top tier -- 10, maybe 20 schools that are always ranked highly and will get people's attention. These schools are expensive, usually hard to get into, and none are distance programs. Then there's un-accredited and possibly nationally accredited (depends on who you ask, and I am not looking for flames here ) that may send up a red flag when HR checks you out. In the middle is most of the schools offering a MBA, where the choice of school is probably less about its ranking/image than about other factors -- location, internship opportunities, alumni network, how much face-to-face you want, specific electives, etc. A state university accredited by AACSB (as BSU is) is nothing to sneeze at, it just wont get the kind of attention or starting salary the big name schools do.

Phillip

[annegirl]

Well, they have an awesome football team....doesn't that count for something?

I would say go for it, but I'm sorta biased. My dad would have gotten his Master's at BSU but the program he wanted wasn't ready at the time.

[JanusthePhoenix]

The things I have noticed about BSU is the AACSB cred, which apparently is a big deal, and I have heard that the business school culture is a very serious thing on campus. I haven't seen that for myself. Lastly, the average GMAT score for admitted applicants is 631. For comparison, Harvard's is 711 and the maximum score is 800. If my work experience (4 years Navy...) is not sufficient, I need to score 700 just to get in. :eek: So yeah, I figure they must be pretty good if the bar is set that high.

Edit: Also, BSU's name looks nice when subjected to Lawrie Miller's "name game" test, so I guess that is good too. Better than something like "Southwestern Treasure Valley Institute".

[MISin08]

Well, if sports is important to you, then you have to go to a hockey school, or you just wont be taken seriously in the interview.

Phillip

[cookderosa]

Something I saw in another topic got me thinking about the ranking of the school I was planning on going to for my MBA.

Business School Rankings and Profiles: EMBA, Executive Education, MBA, Part-time MBA, Distance MBA

Boise State University isn't even ranked. BSU was my choice because my GI Bill will cover it and it is local; I've established residency by now and I wouldn't have to move yet again. What do you guys think about this? How important are rankings, really?

Here are the stats for BSU:
Boise State University: Part-Time MBA Profile – BusinessWeek

Edit: second link was wrong, I fixed it.

My opinion is to get into the best school for your last degree. If you think about it, your highest degree is what people look at, so if you are going to need a phd, I wouldn't focus much on the undergrad. If your MBA is your end game, then shoot for the stars. If you can get into somewhere like Wharton School of Business, then you are buying a golden diploma...on the other hand, if you are not in a top ivy school- then I'd go local. Local is recognized locally- which can be very comfortable for HR people. Have any of you heard of Augustana College? Of course not. It's a local school in my community- and it'll set you back about $70K if you get your liberal arts bachelor's. Step outside my community and you could have gone to TESC, no one knows the difference.

[notaseal]

To me this has never made sense.. Their all credited universitys. So why does one hold more weight then the other? Because their pockets are deeper?

A masters is a masters IMO.

But then again I am just a peon of the military

[94steve]

I've read a variety of different opinions regarding the prestige factor and it seems to matter the most if you're looking to go into consulting or investment banking. They like their name brand MBAs and that's that. At the complete oppisite end of the spectrum, the MBA is a ticket one must get punched at many monolithic ginormous heirarchal organizations if one wishes to advance up the ladder. Where it comes from is irrelevant.

My take on it is this; if I really put my nose to the grindstone, write a good GMAT score, get some killer letters of recomendation, etc. I have the opportunity to attend some very prestigious schools such as NYU, Columbia, and Fordham. I live a stones throw from NYC in lovely northern NJ so I wouldn't even have to move. Unfortunately, my GI bill would barely put a dent into NYU's tuition and I'd have to quit my 80k+/yr job if I wanted to attend Columbia. After graduation, I'm not sure where I'd end up working, but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wouldn't be in consulting or in the IB field. Slave labor hours are the pits. Outside of those two fields, do I really need a high prestige degree???

My answer is a resounding no. I want to go for my MBA in order to add one more bullet to my resume, learn a thing or two about business, and make a killing on the post 9/11 GI bill housing alllowance. I want to do this all while working my good paying midnight to 8am job. This is why I'm looking at Stevens Tech in NJ, Baruch, Fordham's part time program, NJIT, Rutgers-Newark, and Montclair State. That is what works for ME.

The bottom line is to look deep and figure out why you're really doing this. What are you looking for after you walk accross the stage and listen to some bloated windbag make a nauseatingly boring speech about some cliche'd grad. speech topic? I.E what is in the pot at then end of your MBA rainbow? Also, what can your family, your wallet, and your psyche endure? Moving to Boston to attend HBS for the spring semester will be traumatic for a student from St. Thomas (brrrrr, snow!!!) Anyway, I hope I helped.

P.S. all spelling mistakes are mine as I've yet to figure out how to get firefox to check spelling on my new ubuntu powered netbook. Oh, and enjoy the cynical article below about the "worth" of b-school.

AMLE - The End of Business Schools? Less Success Than Meets the Eye - Vol. 1, No. 1, Sept. 2002

[MISin08]

Following on from Steve94's comments, it might a shame to go for the big-bucks degree and not take advantage of the doors it opens for you -- important to connect the schooling to your goals, perhaps more so than with an undergrad degree.

Of course, for someone already making $80K+, the MBA could be more about mobility, satisfaction, or getting off the night shift, unless you have pretty big goals, and then the top-tier might make sense. My boss is in that situation and based on years to retirement, elected not to go for a masters at all.

Phillip