Which business school is the best fit for me?

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>Hello all,
After 5 years of work as an actuary at a large insurance company in Minnesota, I have decided that I would like to get an MBA and move into risk management consulting, possibly for a big 4 audit firm (Deloitte, Ernst and Young, etc...). I recently attained my FSA designation (for those familiar with the actuarial field) and I feel that I would like a new challenge/opportunity. I want to apply for the 2011-2012 school year, and I would appreciate any advice/predictions about which MBA program would fit me best. </p>

<p>My Stats:
BS-University of St. Thomas
Major:Actuarial Science
Minors:Business/Mathematics
GPA:3.84
GMAT:690 (can retake if suggested)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
5 years at a large insurance company in Minnesota
Fellow of the Society of Actuaries</p>

<p>Schools I'm Interested In:</p>

<p>Tier 1
Northwestern University
University of Chicago
Dartmouth College
University of Michigan</p>

<p>Tier 2
Duke University
Georgetown University</p>

<p>Tier 3
University of Minnesota
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Brigham Young University</p>

<p>Tier 4
Georgia State University</p>

2

<p>Duke should be in tier 1. Anyway, generally speaking,</p>

<p>you should aim for those schools with the best rep in your list, and that would be Kellogg and Chicago.</p>

3

<p>Funny rankings. For risk management I thought it was more like:</p>

<p>Penn</p>

<p>Illinois</p>

<p>Wisconsin Madison</p>

<p>Texas</p>

4

<p>You are correct about the risk management rankings but I am looking more for an overall MBA experience. I have spent years learning material on exams pertaining to risk management, and I don’t believe I need to get a specialized MBA with the same material. I want a more general MBA if that makes sense.</p>

5

<p>assuming you can interview and write an application, you should be able to get into one of the tier one schools</p>

6

<p>Fit is a hugely subjective thing. It relates to the size of the school, class format, education requirements, students you’ll spend two years with, etc.</p>

<p>For example, when considering Tuck and Booth, do you care where you live? Hanover, NH and Chicago are totally different environments - visit them and you’ll see! Similarly, the program sizes and structures are totally different. If you want a more structured first year, then Tuck makes sense. With Booth’s flexible curriculum, that may allow you to take more finance and accounting courses sooner.</p>

<p>While you can be successful for your chosen career at any of the top tier schools you mentioned, I’d recommend that you visit these schools (if possible) or talk to alums and get a better sense of how they work for you.</p>