which (top) management/ob departments best fit my profile?

[obmgt]

Hello all,

I'll appreciate your help/advice/comments/feedback. I'm now starting the application process for management/ob phd. I'm an international student. I have a double major psych/econ undergraduate from a top university in my country and a masters in industrial psychology from the same university. I completed both degrees being in the top 5% of my class. during my masters I was a research assistant to one of my professors, and our work (still in progress) is likely to be published with me as a coatuhor. This professor is well known internationally. my gmat is rather high at 740.

Given the above I'm aiming at top schools mainly, but look for a fit to my interests which is about teamwork, especially in strategic contexts.
I'm considering applying to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard & Stanford as the top schools, and also plan to apply to michigan state ( I heard they are great in ob) and berkley and carnegie mellon.

I'd be happy to get feedback and details about this list. what do you know about these schools, and whether I missed any good schools.

thanks.

[vega]

Not to burst your bubble, but a 740 GMAT isn't all that high for a business PhD program. It's in range, but by no means a standout. That said, you don't provide enough information for anyone to know if these schools are realistic. Michigan State is likely reasonable, but many of the schools you're targeting are stretchest even for the most amazing applicants. For example, the acceptance rate at Berkeley for OB is about 4%...expect it to be even lower at HBS and Stanford. There's nothing wrong with targeting the best, but you have to be realistic and pepper in a few more programs a bit further down the quality totem pole as opposed to having the lions share at the very, very top.

[obmgt]

Thanks for your response. I am aware that it is extremely difficult to get into those programs. I am kind of realistic about the chances in general, but look for some comments about the schools. As I understand it, it is not the gmat and or your previous credentials that gets you in (although, in most cases, they may keep you out), but rather the fit between your profile and some departmental "ideal candidate" image. So I'm looking more to the what is the "ideal candidate" image for certain schools. I will be very surprised if in this "ideal candidate" image a difference between 740 and 760 on the gmat will make any difference.

But to be even more productive here on the forum - can you suggest more schools to my list that are strong in management and or OB which I should be looking into?

[swint]

I was in your situation a few years back (and made it into a top school) - so your profile sounds fine, and as long as you keep a realistic expectation about the outcomes of your applications I don't foresee much problems for you.

However, I do think that you might rely on general school ranking and reputation too much. For example, while Wharton is one of the best strategy schools, their OB faculty is anything but impressive, and I've heard horror stories from students there (problems in the job market, students that are leaving mid way - contact me privately if you want details). Kellogg is a solid school, but has more of a sociological perspective than psychological perspective, and Tepper (CMU) is probably much better than its ranking suggests. Harvard is always a stretch, but note that one of their top "team" researcher is retiring. I'd add USC to the list, and even penn state as a safety (a very good safety. In the past few years they publish like hell with students - a very good sign).

More Generally, you want to look at a more granular departmental signals rather than school ranking. Do faculty that work in your area of interest publish enough? in top journals? do they publish with their students? if the answers tends to be negative it might be that professors will be too busy to work with you, or just not interested anymore with new research. Also, with a little help from google you can try research where did past students in your general area were ended up. This is probably the best signal for a good phd program.

Good luck.

[obmgt]

Thanks for the insightful comments. I'll certainly look at other departments in more depth.
b.t.w. what are considered top journals in management/ob?

[alexis]

Originally Posted by obmgt

Thanks for the insightful comments. I'll certainly look at other departments in more depth.
b.t.w. what are considered top journals in management/ob?

One that I use & see a lot is Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. You'll also see a lot of good stuff in Journal of Applied Psychology. I'm sure there are more, those are just a couple off the top of my head.

[swint]

for general management stuff:
Academy of Management journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science
All publish some OB stuff.
for more OB-ish top journals you should look at: Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and even Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (although this one is much more psychology than organizational behavior).
slightly behind these there are Journal of Management, Management Science, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Research in Organizational Behavior.

Originally Posted by obmgt

Thanks for the insightful comments. I'll certainly look at other departments in more depth.
b.t.w. what are considered top journals in management/ob?