How To Find A Good MBA Program

As important as it is to establish proper fit in your applications, you must first select the schools to which you will apply. The game is reversed, as you must decide which schools fit you rather than having the schools decide that you fit them.

Selecting schools should be an introspective process. You should be warned, however that people who don't even know your name will have an opinion on where you should apply.

Also remember that school rankings are just one piece of information to consider. Certainly rankings can be helpful tools in getting familiar with the schools' perceived strengths and weaknesses. Still, it's important that you do your own research.

After all, no magazine or newspaper knows what really matters most to you. Do not be enticed by prestige alone. While it certainly may be a factor in making your selections, there are plenty of other criteria that should be considered.

Some of the selection criteria that you may want to use in evaluating schools include:

• Curriculum emphases
• Typical career paths of graduates
• Teaching style
• Student culture
• Compensation upon graduation
• Financial aid opportunities
• International perspective and access
• Geographical location
• Facilities
• Diversity
• Cost of tuition and living
• Class size
• Use of technology

So how exactly do you determine what a school wants in its applicants? Fortunately, there is an abundance of resources available to help you evaluate these criteria. Some of the steps you should undertake are:
 

The school's Website
 

This is a no-brainer these days. Here you can get high-level information on the school, learn about its curriculum and faculty, and start to get a sense for what it's known for (or what it wants to be known for, which is sometimes more important).

Third-party Websites
 

For different perspectives on business schools and the application process, check out Websites that dedicate content to the b-school applicant audience.

Brochure and application
 

These are readily accessible on any school's Website. It can be painful to look at brochure after brochure of what seems to be the same material, but you should really spend some time with these. More than many applicants realize, schools are fairly explicit about what they are looking for, and these materials are a natural starting point for finding this information.

Rankings
 

Rankings are notoriously overused, but they can give you a good high-level flavor for each school. While the brochures may tell you what the schools want to be known for, the rankings issued by periodicals are sometimes a good reality check that let you know what a school is actually good at.

Campus visit
 

You should plan on visiting each school in which you're truly interested, unless geography makes it impossible. Walk around, meet some current students, sit in on a class, and at least visit the admissions office to let the school know you came. Whether or not you get any good face time with an admission officer, make sure to mention your visit somewhere in your application to show your sincere interest in the school.

Current students
 

Students are probably the most underutilized resource. Find one with whom you have something in common and send her an e-mail. Some students are just too busy to have a real heart-to-heart with you, but odds are that you'll easily find someone who's willing to give you the skinny on the school. Think of a few things you want to know about life at the school and fire away. This is a safe way to ask candid questions about the school.

Alumni
 

Alumni are especially helpful in answering questions about what life will be like after business school. Ask them about their experiences in school, but realize that schools evolve over time. Someone who graduated 15 years ago probably had a pretty different experience than what you would face.

MBA Forums

Martin Chandra www.mbalive.net runs an informational website that provides guides to business school and business education. To take advantage in preparing your MBA admission, make sure you visit www.mbalive.net/admission

MBA Forums, hosted by the GMAC, provide applicants with an informal environment in which they can learn more about business schools and the admissions process. Over 200 b-schools typically attend these forums, which take place in cities around the world. MBA Forums also host workshops that assist applicants in selecting their target schools and in exploring their career options.