<p>"The top 4 are pretty much agreed upon by this board. What, in your opinion, is the 5th best ALL-AROUND (i.e. no posts saying it depends on this or that) business school in the US? Give a reason why if you want, particularly what sets it apart from other contenders for the spot."</p>
<p>If Columbia is the consensus 4th then MIT should be 5th (or vice versa).</p>
<p>We all agreed that Kellogg is 4th. That makes Stanford #5.</p>
<p>So does that mean that Tony the Tiger is no. 1?</p>
<p>I had Tony at #2.</p>
<p>When I was going for an MBA earlier this decade, I thought the top 5 were Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, Tuck. That was generally based on where people at my and friends’ firms wanted to go or had already gone to and not examing the percentage going to PE, HF and all the other comparisons people on this forum have made. However, as possibly validated by the amount of debate on here, I thought there was little difference between #4-8 and just came down to personal preference.</p>
<p>I don’t know many people who would turn MIT / Columbia down for Tuck.</p>
<p>The Top 4 are: Harvard, Stanford, UPenn-Wharton and Northwestern-Kellogg.</p>
<p>The 5th place is a toss amongst Chicago-Booth, MIT-Sloan and Columbia.</p>
<p>Next after those 3 is a toss between Berkeley-Haas and Dartmouth-Tuck.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I certainly know some, although I find they don’t share that many common applicants. To a large extent what I’ve seen is people apply to a combo of Stanford, Harvard, Kellogg, Tuck or a combo of the more quant set of Wharton, Columbia, MIT, UChicago.</p>
<p>gelllino,</p>
<p>i agree to a certain extent, though there is a high number of cross applications from the very top candidates to the big 3 (H/W/S). </p>
<p>so its really [H/W/S] + Kellogg / Tuck / Yale vs. [H/W/S] + MIT / Columbia / Chicago</p>
<p>I said it before and I will say it again, the best way to judge MBA programs is to take the average ranking of the USNWR and BW. </p>
<h1>1 Harvard Business School</h1>
<h1>2 Booth</h1>
<h1>2 Kellogg</h1>
<h1>2 Wharton</h1>
<h1>5 Stanford</h1>
<h1>6 Sloan</h1>
<h1>7 Columbia</h1>
<h1>8 Haas</h1>
<h1>9 Ross</h1>
<h1>10 Tuck</h1>
<p>Please, no applicants think UChicago and Kellogg are better than Stanford. UChicago is the place where Wharton rejects go. Generally, I find BW and USNWR to be off in comparison to where people in my analyst class chose to apply and enroll. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Having chosen ‘a lesser ranked’ school over Wharton, I’ve never had the same regard for Wharton that some seem to and, in general, have never felt compelled to attend the #3 school over the #6 school, just because it’s considered “better” if I feel I’m going to like the #6 school more. I’ve seen too many rejected at 4-8 schools and accepted at Wharton to put it at the same level as Harvard and Stanford, where I’ve almost never seen that happen, especially with Stanford. Maybe, just the ones I know from Wharton were all at the bottom of the class. However, if I had gotten into Stanford I would have chosen it over the #6 school (even if Alexandre is telling me Stanford is worse). I can’t really assess Yale as its rapid improvement was after I graduated. At the time, I don’t feel that it was on any of my peers’ radar screens and was known more as a secondary feeder into IBs, although not necessarily corporate finance, and for those wanting to get into non-profit work.</p>
<p>Top 1
**Harvard Business School **
Full-time MBA: 1801</p>
<p>Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 8661
Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 12 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 91 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 680 770 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 2,821,000,000</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 124,378
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 120,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 27,027
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 62,106
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 35,000</p>
<p>Top 2
University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School
Full-time MBA: 1651</p>
<p>Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 7328
Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 16 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 69 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 660 760 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 747,000,000
Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 112,186
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 110,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 28,659
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 25,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 44,787
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 30,000</p>
<p>**Stanford University - Graduate School of Business **
Full-time MBA: 739</p>
<p>Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 6575
Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 8 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 77 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 670 770 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 1,007.5M</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 123,171
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 120,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 27,069
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 73,324
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 40,000</p>
<p>Top 4
Northwestern University - Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Full-time MBA: 1200</p>
<p>Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 5051
Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 19 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 58 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 650 760 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 756,000,000</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 108,064
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 105,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 26,956
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 43,415
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 23,625</p>
<p>Top 5
University of Chicago - Booth School of Business
Full-time MBA: 1144</p>
<p>Applications: 4144
Applicants who were accepted: 22 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 660 - 760 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 503,843,252</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 107,091
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 100,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 29,321
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 25,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 35,284
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 28,750</p>
<p>Columbia University - Columbia Business School
Full-time MBA: 1234</p>
<p>Applications: 5999
Applicants who were accepted: 15 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 79 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 660 - 760</p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 434,348,564</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 107,450
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 100,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 30,582
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 30,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 49,804
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 30,000</p>
<p>Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management
Full-time MBA: 780</p>
<p>Applications: 3896
Applicants who were accepted: 15 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 67 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 650 760 </p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 668,000,000</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 111,184
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 113,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 24,828
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 24,981
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 24,500</p>
<p>Top 8
University of California-Berkeley - Haas School of Business
Full-time MBA: 500</p>
<p>Applications: 3779
Applicants who were accepted: 12 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 54 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 670 - 760</p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 215,000,000</p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 108,967
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 110,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 22,737
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 29,662
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 18,000</p>
<p>Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business
Full Time MBA: 506</p>
<p>Applications: 2898
Applicants who were accepted: 16 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 54 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 650 - 760</p>
<p>Business School Endowment: $ 256,400,000</p>
<p>Top 10
University of Michigan - Ross School of Business
Full-time MBA: 898</p>
<p>Applications: 3026
Applicants who were accepted: 20 %
Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 71 %
Middle 80% range GMAT scores: 650 760 </p>
<p>Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 103,608
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 100,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 24,764
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 22,858
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 15,000</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Tuck at number 5??? That’s highly unlikely. </p>
<p>Fewer MBA aspirants apply to Tuck, so that explains its lack of prestige in the MBA world. It’s a top 10 business school, but top 5 for Tuck is just a stretch. It’s just as excellent as Berkeley-Haas at best (with Tuck having an edge in the finance sectors and Berkeley in the entre/start ups/tech industries), that’s why I ranked them together. </p>
<p>Yale is definitely outside of the top 10. Maybe it will break into the top 10 in the future, but at the moment, it isn’t a top 10 MBA yet. The 10th spot belongs to Michigan-Ross. The stats would tell that Michigan-Ross is superior to Yale, albeit not marginally. But still, it’s Ross that rounded out the top 10, not Yale.</p>
<p>Ross’s endowment stood at $420 million last year, which is comparable to Cal (Haas), Chicago (Booth), Dartmouth (Tuck), Northwestern (Kellogg) and Penn (Wharton) on a per capita basis. However, given the market crash, all those endowments should be revised 20%-30%.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>But Berkeley has prestige in the MBA world? I had never heard the name, “Haas” until viewing this forum after graduating from B-school. Look at the salary studies that have been posted on here, where depending on the time period out of school, Tuck is between #2-5, while Berkeley is not in the ballpark. I don’t see how you posting snapshots on the schools proves anything; other than many of the schools are very similar. </p>
<p>Just because you keep saying it, doesn’t make it so. You don’t sound like you even have an MBA or have gone through the process to have any context to know (or have ever even worked in this country). Pasting basically identical GMAT ranges and acceptance rates (for one specific year no less) for a bunch of schools is hardly a convincing or accurate way to determine which school is #5 and which school is #6. I have seen where hundreds of applicants have applied, enrolled and what they have gone on to do.</p>
<p>
</h1>
<p>The list above proves that your methodology fails.</p>
<p>where’s Tony?</p>
<p>Care to explain your statement Wega?</p>
<p>gellino,</p>
<p>
I would say, yes, but not in the level of H,S,W. </p>
<p>
What??? That’s very surprising! If that’s really true, that’s not Haas’ fault if you’ve not heard of it before. As a matter of fact, there were way more Berkeley-Haas applicants than there were Tuck’s. Not only that, if you’ve gone through the normal application process to b-school, you will encounter Berkeley-Haas’ name one way or the other. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Berkeley-Haas
Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 108,967
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 110,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 22,737
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 29,662
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 18,000</p>
<p>Dartmouth-Tuck
Mean base salary for most recent graduates: $ 110,305
Median base salary for most recent graduates: $ 110,000
Mean signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 26,220
Median signing bonus for most recent graduates: $ 20,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 31,308
Median other guaranteed compensation for most recent graduates: $ 20,000 </p>
<p>Now you tell me if there’s any substantial difference between the two data. And, considering that most of Tuck’s grads head to WS where the pay is expected to be higher than anywhere in the whole US, it did not register a substantial difference in salary just like HWS have compared to their competitiors. </p>
<p>
Likewise, it’s how I personally view you. But let’s not talk about ourselves on here. If you want to talk about that, do it through pm. Let’s just talk about b-schools on this thread. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re correct. I only posted those to say to the OP that the list is my top 10 b-schools in the US, and it was listed in order of academic prestige and academic superiority.</p>