Choosing a school

[gruegoo]

Hi,

I hope this is the right place to post this. I have 2 quick questions:

1. Is it better to graduate at the top of your class in a top 50-100 school, or with a mediocre grade at a top 15 school? (I'm making the assumption that the workload and difficulty at a top 15 school is harder)

2. Is it better to graduate from a top 100 school with a specialization in the field you want (they're considered #3 in the world for that specialization), or with a general MBA in a top 15 school with zero specialization (only get the high prestige and networking opportunities)? I'm getting the MBA in order to change careers to that specialized field.

Any replies are greatly appreciated, thanks!

[GMATbong]

duplicate post

[GMATbong]

1. Get the lowest 10% of your class at top 5 is better than mediocre at top 15. workload and difficulty are pretty much similar for all top 50 schools.

2. zero specialization. You can be marketing at HBS and ended up in finance if you can talk your way out of your interview. Or vice versa.

outside of Bschool. NO ONE CARES of what area you grad. from and NO ONE cares your grade either.

[gruegoo]

Originally Posted by GMATbong

1. Get the lowest 10% of your class at top 5 is better than mediocre at top 15. workload and difficulty are pretty much similar for all top 50 schools.

2. zero specialization. You can be marketing at HBS and ended up in finance if you can talk your way out of your interview. Or vice versa.

outside of Bschool. NO ONE CARES of what area you grad. from and NO ONE cares your grade either.

Thanks for your reply! Regarding specialization, I was thinking more in terms of preparation for work in the field. In general, will a non-specialized MBA still adequately prepare me for a job in a highly specialized field?

I'm less worried about getting into the job and more worried about having the skillset and knowledge required to excel. These days every school seems to be talking about specialization and I can't tell if its just a marketing strategy to get students or if you actually learn things from it. The schools that specialize always tend to be lower ranked schools.