<p>I will have the option to stay close to home and attend my local state college and earn my MBA or go to a top 20 MBA school. I would prefer to stay at home but the opportunity presents itself and my employer will pay for my tuition, I may consider my options.</p>
<p>Does it matter? Im pretty certain I can make it into most MBA programs</p>
<p>Top MBA programs have better recruiting and the college name does mean something. If your choice were among lower-ranked or unranked schools, then I’d say go with the cheapest/closest option. But most people in this field on this site agree that name does matter in the business world.</p>
<p>I agree that the brand matters and pays dividends for a lifetime. The ROI consideration is for your earning lifetime, not just the time it takes to repay loans. If your career goal is non-profit or international development, then the cost factor could make it a tougher decision, but if you are bound for typical post MBA private sector employment, then the brand school is worth seriously considering.</p>
<p>just compare the avg starting salary at Bentley to that at Stanford, yes it matters…</p>