Insights on MBA Program Selection

if you're thinking about getting an MBA, here's an insight I almost never hear: most bschool recruiting is regionally focused, meaning you need to care about WHERE your school is every business school will tell you about their graduates going on and taking jobs in 20 states and 15 countries or whatever, but what none will tell you is most of the employers who come to campus are regionally local employers (and this MATTERS, because by volume most MBA students get internships / FT jobs through on-campus interviews) in my experience, the ONLY exception to this is the absolute top mba programs (harvard, stanford, maybe a few others) let's take Northwestern (Kellogg) - #3 business school according to US News. for the 2024 graduating class, 52% got "school-facilitated internships" while only 12% were "student-facilitated internships" which pretty clearly reinforces my point above. on geography: 36% of Kellogg graduates took jobs in the midwest (32% in chicago alone). only 26% took jobs on the west coast, for comparison (10% SF, 9% SEA) compare that to the mba class at #44 UC Irvine - a full 86% took full time jobs on the west coast. the point: it's easy to assume going to a top 20 MBA program will open up doors for you equally across geographies, but it's simply not true. if you REALLY want to land in NYC, SF, or LA, for example, you should heavily weight programs in those regions. don't go to NYU trying to get a job at Apple.

In retrospect, all my decisions could've been better with more time and perspective. But then again, no decision is ever truly absolute. And honestly, that’s true for most of us—there’s always a lingering thought that things could have been done better. Four months into my MBA journey at The Wharton School, while I’m grateful to be here, I’ve realized a few things I wish I’d known before taking the plunge: • 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥’𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭: It’s tempting to focus only on top-ranked schools, but what really matters is how well a school aligns with your aspirations. If finance is your goal, Wharton is fantastic. If you’re passionate about the social sector, find the schools with the best resources and networks for that. It’s not just about prestige; it’s about fit. That might seem a far-fetched thought when you're amidst the application fiasco, but give it more thought than what people tell you to. How? Talk to people who are at these schools currently. • 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬: You don’t need a perfectly laid-out plan, but I believe having strong inclinations toward one or two sectors can make all the difference. It helps you focus, tune out the peer pressure, and dive into opportunities that excite you. • 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲: By selection bias, everyone at a top B-school has been a high achiever, and if you keep that momentum, you’ll likely land in a great place. Business school might be your last structured academic experience—use it to explore your passions, build skills, and grow your network in the areas that matter most to you. • 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: This ties into the other points—some schools’ locations naturally lend themselves to certain industries. For example, Stanford offers incredible access to the startup ecosystem in Silicon Valley. It could also be about where you see yourself living post-MBA, but more often, it’s about where the school’s location gives you the best chance to thrive in your chosen path. The most important thing to focus on is to figure out what you genuinely enjoy—once you do, B-school might not even be necessary.