Large Universities: The Way it was and Now:
Harvard launched the world’s first M.B.A. program in 1908 with 80 students and 15 faculty.
104 years later: The class that graduated in 2012 had 903 students in it.
Competition to attend HBS is fierce: 9,524 people applied for a spot in the ’12 Class, 11% were accepted.
When considering the size of college classes as you apply to schools, focus on your needs, not any preconceived notions of what class size is “best.”
5 Reasons to go to a small school
Small class size
Teaching generally done by professors not graduate assistants
More one on one contact with teachers
Greater opportunities to collaborate with teachers
Less bureaucracy
5 reasons why big schools might be better
More distinguished faculty (usually. Because of salaries)
Greater number of courses from which to choose
A wide variety of resources, such as a well stocked library
Name recognition: i.e. Babson vs. Harvard Business School or Wharton? Easier to get your foot into the door after graduation
More extracurricular opportunities both social and professional
10 + 1 Top-Rated Lesser Known Business Schools (enrollment figures are for the MBA graduate programs, full time students)
1,Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Atlanta, Georgia.
1919: Year founded
Why to go there: Ranked #7 by Bloomberg Business Week.
91: percentage of new graduates that get job offers with salaries in the $60,000 range.
Enrollment: 258 in MBA program
2. Villanova Business School., Villanova, Pa. (near Philadelphia).
1842: Year founded
Why go there?: Ranked #15 in the nation by Bloomberg Business
1322: Average SAT score of students in the undergraduate business program
$54,628: average starting salary of graduates.
Enrollment: 1,623
3. Wake Forest University’s Babcock Schools of Management, Winston-Salem, N.C.
1971: Year students first admitted to Babcock
Why go there? Business school is ranked #19 in the nation.
$53,547 is average starting salary of graduates.
Enrollment: 136 full time.
4. Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School of Business
Waltham, Mass.
1917: Year founded
Why go there: #20 on the Bloomberg business school list
Bentley offers business degrees in 11 different disciplines.
$75,616: average starting salary of graduates
95 % of graduating students find jobs.
Enrollment: 327
5. Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics
Bethlehem, Pa
1869: Year founded
Why go there: Offers graduate programs on Entrepreneurs, finance, International business, marketing, and supply side chain management.
35th on the Bloomberg Business Week form.
Why go there: 96 %: percentage of graduates receive a job offer
$56,948: average starting salaries for graduates.
Enrollment: 1,270
6. Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business
Wellesley, Massachusetts
1919: Year founded
Why go there: Babson has a 20-year streak of being ranked number one for its graduate entrepreneurship program. 72 % percent of graduate receive a job offer.
36th on the Bloomberg Business Week top business schools listing.
$59,700: average starting salaries for graduates.
Enrollment: 408
7. Elon University’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
Elon, North Carolina
1926: Year founded.
42nd on the Bloomberg Business Week top business schools list.
Why go there: Study in style. The campus is designated as a botanical garden. 69 % of graduates get job offers.
$48,615: average starting salary for graduates
Enrollment: 137
8. Butler University’s College of Business
Indianapolis, Indiana
1855: Year founded.
47nd on the Bloomberg Business Week top business schools list.
Why go there: Students complete two internships, are assigned a career mentor and even write a business plan in their first year that is used to help them start a business during their sophomore year.
$42,100: average starting salary for graduates
Enrollment: 788
9. Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management
Cleveland, Ohio
1826: Year founded
Why go there: Known for its emphasis on cross-disciplinary pursuits.
$65,000: average starting salary for graduates
Enrollment: 300
10. Quinnipiac University’s Business School
Hamden, Connecticut
1929: Year founded
Why go there: Students invest real money in real time, compete in global case competitions and a 2012 graduate placement of 98%.
Average starting salary for graduates: $52,000
Enrollment: 253
Even More Best Kept Secret: WAY WAY under the radar
Baruch’s Field Center for Entrepreneurship
Why it’s so cool: Part of Baruch College (City University of NY)…since it was founded in 1993 as the “Small Business Lab,” with a grant from the CUNY Workforce Development Initiative, the Field Center has served New Yorkers by providing resources for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.
Enrollment: 121
Average base salary upon graduation (2012): $77.652
Famous Businessmen who graduated from small schools
Warren Buffett, stock picker, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ross Perot, entrepreneur, Texarkana College
William Kleese, CEO Valero Energy, U. of Dayton
Leonard Abramson, founder, U.S. Healthcare, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Phillip Caldwell, the first CEO of Ford NOT of the Ford family, Muskingum College (undergraduate)
Roger Enrico, former CEO, PepsiCo, Babson College
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/
http://www.hbs.edu/leadership/
http://www.hbs.edu/leadership/
http://www.universitylanguage.
http://poetsandquants.com/
http://poetsandquants.com/