<p>How much of your undergrad. school's name affect your chances at Top Business school? I know that it is mainly your GPA and GMAT, but do they value prestigious name?
How is University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Econ major?
Do employers care about undergrad. if you have a MBA from a top biz school?</p>
<p>im curious about this as well</p>
<p>probably will not respond to a business school name nearly as much as US News will. oh and by the way,</p>
<p>UW has a decent econ program, though the only two courses that i took there (i have transferred to Minnesota for unrelated reasons) were intro to micro and macro, so i have very limited experience. and the courses that i took were not overwhelmingly difficult, to say the least.</p>
<p>its econ program is not in the UW school of business. i'd say that the business school's best major is Operations and Information management.</p>
<p>i suppose that you should pick your school based upon what you want to do. As for econ programs, I'd say that University of minnesota's BS in qualitative economics is going to be a better program than what you'll find at UW. What do you want to get your MBA in? make sure that there is a specific reason that you want to pursue it. I'm going to get one in supply chain management, but that is only because i really like minnesota's program in it, and because i work for a company at which such a degree will probably go far (UPS).</p>
<p>Your MBA adcom will probably look at the things that you are doing after college more than what pretty name you have plastered on your diploma. My mom went to Mankato State, and wound up with a JD from a very good law school. it's better to be a big fish in a small pond.</p>
<p>For an engineering student who wants to go into maybe consulting for a biotech company, in order to move up and really start making money, would an mba be required?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know that it is mainly your GPA and GMAT
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nah, these are actually somewhat minor considerations. Far and away the most important considerations are your work experience and/or your leadership experience. </p>
<p>
[quote]
but do they value prestigious name
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The impact is fairly indirect. A better undergrad school will tend to lead to better jobs which will give you better work experience that will really help you out in getting to a top MBA program. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Do employers care about undergrad. if you have a MBA from a top biz school?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unless it happens to be one of the very top undergrad programs such as HYPSM, very few employers will care about your undergrad once you have your MBA.</p>
<p>However, I will say that business has a lot to do with networking. Business is often times not really about what you know, but rather about WHO you know. So in that sense, going to a top undergrad program will always matter, if for no other reason, than just to be able to get access to the alumni network. For example, you may run into a hiring manager who came from Harvard, and if you can say that you also went to Harvard (even if it was only for undergrad), then can give you a certain 'in'.</p>
<p>if you want to get into consulting, you should probably work for a while first. i don't understand this idea that good names and advanced degrees automatically qualify someone as a consultant. a consultant is an expert in their field. An MBA is definitely not required for someone to move up and start making money. it can help, but in many areas it is overrated.</p>
<p>sakky is right about networking, kind of. Networking is the most important thing in business, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a "good name school" is the only way to get contacts. Large universities also have extensive alumni networks, but what's most important is the relationships that you cultivate once you are in the workplace by demonstrating yourself as competent employee with a good attitude.</p>
<p>The worst thing that you can do is march into a company with a nice academic pedigree and expect people to care, because odds are, if you went to Harvard, your hiring manager didn't. in the long run, except in certain fields, the name of your undergrad is not very highly correlated with the success you will find. and if you are getting an MBA, well then you should already have a job, shouldn't you?</p>
<p>
[quote]
if you want to get into consulting, you should probably work for a while first. i don't understand this idea that good names and advanced degrees automatically qualify someone as a consultant.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Hey, I don't understand it either, but the fact is, it can work. For example, McKinsey actively recruits people with advanced degrees from big-name schools instead of people who have lots of work experience (unless that work experience is highly prominent). For example, McKinsey is the biggest single recruiter at Harvard Law, bigger than any law firm. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, it is still true that getting into a top-flight MBA program almost always requires getting strong work experience. </p>
<p>
[quote]
sakky is right about networking, kind of. Networking is the most important thing in business, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a "good name school" is the only way to get contacts. Large universities also have extensive alumni networks, but what's most important is the relationships that you cultivate once you are in the workplace by demonstrating yourself as competent employee with a good attitude.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Let me point out that many of the top-flight universities are also large. For example, Harvard has about 20,000 total students (undergrad + grad). That is highly comparable to most state universities. For example UMass-Amherst has about 22k (undergrad +grad). </p>
<p>However, I agree with your general point that large universities also have extensive alumni networks. Obviously what matters is not the sheer size of the alumni network, but the quality of it. For example, are the alumni in prominent business positions, do the alumni feel strongly connected to the university, etc. It's not just enough to go to a school that has lots of alumni. You want to go to one that has lots of alumni who are in positions to make hiring decisions and who would be willing to speak with you solely based on your school connection. </p>
<p>I also agree with you that what is more important is cultivating workplace relationships because that is another way to improve your network. But to do that, you first have to get a job so you first have to get your foot in the door.</p>
<p>My point is simple. A lot of having a strong career is simply getting a good job offer in the first place. This is where self-marketing and self-promotion come into play, and going to a super-famous school is an aspect of self-marketing, as is accessing a strong alumni network. Lots of people out there could do very well on the job, but they don't even get an offer because they are unable to market themselves properly.</p>
<p>is opening up your own business after college considered work experience?</p>
<p>opening a successful business would be great work experience, provided it wasnt some small like website reseller..</p>
<p>i dont see why youd want an MBA if you had your own business and ran it successfully though</p>
<p>
[quote]
opening a successful business would be great work experience, provided it wasnt some small like website reseller..</p>
<p>i dont see why youd want an MBA if you had your own business and ran it successfully though
[/quote]
to learn more and for networking reasons</p>
<p>you'd learn more through your own work experience if you had your own business, and if you have your own business you could probably network through some medium besides a school</p>