<p>In general, how much of an advantage does a Wharton/Stanford MBA have over a USC/UCLA MBA?</p>
<p>I don't want to work at a huge investment firm. I just want a solid credential behind me and access to the alumni network. I also want the presitge of a solid school like USC on my resume as opposed to the small 3rd tier school I went to for undergrad (full scholarship though). </p>
<p>In other words, if I am applying for VP at XYZ Real Estate firm you have never heard of, how much difference does a Stanford/Berkley MBA make over my USC MBA?</p>
<p>This isn't an exact opinion poll based on the rankings. Most people aren't studying the rankings, just what are people's perceptions?</p>
<p>Also, same question for the Pepperdine MBA.</p>
<p>I would say that the less prestigious the company, the less it matters. Both are good enough, but of course, it doesn't hurt to have the Stanford MBA.</p>
<p>The Wharton and Stanford MBA, and to some degree the UCLA Anderson MBA will carry weight wherever it is you want to work, whether it's the West Coast or Asia or Timbuktu. But if you have an MBA from Marshall, the strength of the alumni network and the recognizability of the degree severely drops once you're outside of California.</p>
<p>My brother goes to USC under the MBT (Taxation) program. I believe that one thing that you have to consider when choosing a school to attend graduate studies would be the yield of employment after graduation. When I say getting employed, I'm talking about getting hired by big/prestigious companies with a huge starting salary. Being a graduate of USC is a "class" in itself. My brother, for one, was invited by 5 companies to join their firm upon graduation. Four of which belongs to the "Big 4" (a term used by guru/professionals/professors in the field of Taxation and Accounting. He recently signed with Deloitte and Touche. Another thing, all of the students under the MBT program got more than one invitation for employment. </p>
<p>Lastly, how can you resist such inviting ambiance of Southern California?</p>
<p>USC is where I want to be. Only Yale, Harvard, and Stanford could pull me away, but I would have to study for several months on my quant scores AND move. Something I don't want to do.</p>
<p>if you're planning to work in southern california, then USC and pepperdine will serve you well. seriously, companies love them around here. i highly suspect that their respect and value is more enhanced in southern california compared to elsewhere.</p>
<p>
[quote]
USC is where I want to be. Only Yale, Harvard, and Stanford could pull me away
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I can understand Harvard and Stanford, but why Yale? Yale's B-school is good, but it isn't elite (at least, not yet). Most people would be far more inclined to go to MITSloan, Kellogg, or Wharton. If I was a Californian, I'd also probably be more inclined to go to UCLA or Berkeley Haas, and take advantage of state tuition.</p>
<p>Now if it's because you just want to say that you graduated from Yale and hence exploit the general Yale prestige, then that's fine, just say so. However, if that's the case, then I don't see why you won't consider MITSloan to take advantage of the general prestige of MIT. Or, heck, maybe even better, why not go to England and get a 1-year MBA from Oxford or Cambridge?</p>
<p>
[quote]
just want a solid credential behind me and access to the alumni network. I also want the presitge of a solid school like USC on my resume as opposed to the small 3rd tier school I went to for undergrad (full scholarship though).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Like somebody said, if you just plan to stay in SoCal, then USC or Pepperdine will be more than fine. </p>
<p>However if you plan to leave SoCal, then the value of one of the 'national' MBA programs increases dramatically. Basically, the so-called "M7 schools" (HBS, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton, MITSloan, Columbia, and Chicago) are recognized nationwide.</p>
<p>Yes and while my Verbal, AWA, and Work Experience has me at those schools</p>
<p>(42, 6, and National Director at age 24 with 7 years in management, all through school) </p>
<p>My 3.2 Double Major GPA and my quant score of 33 says I have the math skills of a 3rd grader. </p>
<p>I would have to retake the whole thing and wait until next year. If I don't get in to USC, then I will study for the GMAT this time, and then I figure I can pull a 680 or so, and look at Yale, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia.</p>
<p>However, I would warn you that admissions at the top B-schools can be very fickle. People are often times rejected or admitted for no discernable reason.</p>
<p>The fact that you mentioned Yale in there leads me to believe that you really haven't done your homework on b-schools and are only dropping names of schools that have good reps but not necessarily good b-schools. Yale's program is very new and like sakky said, not elite like the others you mentioned. Unless you want to go into non-profit.</p>
<p>If you're staying in SoCal (or even NorCal), Marshall will be more than good enough.
Note of caution about stats though -- the business school admissions process is a crapshoot. You may think you have solid profile/background but you'd be amazed at what others have done. Besides, being a superstar is useless if you cannot clearly convey your need for an MBA and your fit into whichever specific program. When I was applying to b-schools, Yale SOM was my safety. However, at the end of the application process, I was only waitlisted there, despite being accepted to Kellogg, Chicago GSB, Michigan, and Cornell. There's no correlation between school admissions.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The fact that you mentioned Yale in there leads me to believe that you really haven't done your homework on b-schools and are only dropping names of schools that have good reps but not necessarily good b-schools. Yale's program is very new and like sakky said, not elite like the others you mentioned. Unless you want to go into non-profit.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In Phear_me's defense, I should say that I talked to him some more privately and I actually think he has some pretty good reasons for looking at the Yale SoM.</p>
<p>As sakky said, I do have good reasons. I do not want to work for a huge fortune 500 company, and I will have more benefit from the general wow factor than the US News rankings. </p>