Correct me if I am wrong, a good program is one where professors mentor students, school provide good research support, guide has great reputation and make calls during your academic placements. Placement is a proxy for the quality of the program, however, it is a noisy proxy. Rochester has JAE and hence you become the part of the club. I have heard that Rochester placements are average, while Yale placements are great. The three schools Haas, Duke, and NYU have above average placement record. However, not joining Rochester means you are not part of the club. May be this thread can be used to provide accounting PhD applicants an overview of different accounting PhD programs. Thanks in advance for your response.