[分享]How to choose your B-School

由 **twkevin** » 2005-04-21 13:23

Data: BusinessWeek Online

How to Choose a School for Finance
Many B-schools offer a solid grounding. Keep in mind the following factors when deciding which program is best for you:

1. How influential is the research faculty? While this information is most important for trying to size up a school's PhD program, professors often expose MBA students to their latest discoveries. Also take a look at course rosters: Some hot-shot researchers don't teach regularly.

2. How wide-ranging is the coursework? If you know precisely which field you want to work in, find the programs that are big enough to offer specialized classes in, for instance, private-equity investing, options trading, or entrepreneurial finance.

3. Who's hiring? Check the schools' Web sites and BusinessWeek Online's B-school profiles to see which recruiters regularly come to campus and how many graduates each company hires.

4. How will you be taught? If you prefer to learn mathematical or technical concepts in a lecture setting, you may not feel comfortable in a case-study environment. On the other hand, if you thrive on personal interaction and practical application, the case method may be right for you.

5. How wired is the B-school? Many of the top programs offer cutting-edge technology that supplements finance education in spectacular ways. Does the school have a simulated trading floor? Bloomberg terminals?

What to Look For in a Management Department

1. Check to see if it's particularly strong in one area over another. If so, ensure that the school's strengths match your career goals.

2. If you're unsure of your desired career path, you'll be better-served at a school that offers a wide range of electives in management.

3. In any case, review how often the best electives are offered. A great elective is helpful only if you can get a seat in the class.

4. Ensure that the star faculty members you see listed in brochures actually teach in the MBA program.

5. Be sure that the school offers opportunities to test your leadership and strategy skills, either via classes with role-playing components or by providing active management clubs for students.

How to Choose a Marketing School

1. If the school you're interested in has academic departments, then your first stop is the marketing group's Web site. A strong program will do a good job of communicating its philosophy

2. Pore over the electives offered in marketing. If you're unsure of your desired career path, you'll be better-served at a school that offers a wide range of electives

3. Review how often the best electives are offered. But remember: A great elective is only helpful if you can get a seat in the class

4. Ensure that the star faculty members you see listed in brochures actually teach in the MBA program

5. Be sure that the school offers opportunities to test your marketing skills, either in class or through field projects involving companies that are affiliated with the B-school.

How to Choose a School for Entrepreneurship
B-school offerings in entrepreneurship are proliferating. Keep in mind the following factors when deciding which program is best for you:

1. Does the program have institutional support? A great entrepreneurship program should have the backing of the university, from the president down. That ensures funding -- important for still-developing programs -- and facilitates interactions among the B-school and other parts of the university, such as the engineering school or the medical school.

2. Who teaches the classes? You'll want to be taught by faculty members who have experience both doing and teaching entrepreneurship. Academics with no street experience won't be able to impart important real-world lessons. Also, remember that grizzled business vets may tell great stories, but that anecdotal evidence only goes so far. You should also look for depth and breadth in coursework.

3. Does the school have a dedicated entrepreneurship center? If so, chances are you'll have more resources and staff members to assist you in both course selection and career development. These centers often fill the void left by traditional career-services offices, which may or may not be able to help place MBAs who want to be entrepreneurs.

4. Does the B-school have a business plan competition? Critics of such contests say the only thing they teach is how to win business plan competitions. That's probably too harsh. Writing a plans is a valuable exercise for budding entrepreneurs. Plus, partcipating in -- and especially winning -- a competition gets you exposure to VCs, who often serve as judges.

5. What hands-on experience will you get? The best B-schools offer some combination of the following: opportunities to intern at local startup companies, ways to connect students with entrepreneur mentors, have small business incubators, provide students with access to capital from alumni or from the venture-captial community.