Do you dream of becoming an entrepreneur, CEO or investor in Private Equity and for that you want to do an MBA? Fine, but where? This is the question that many young professionals ask themselves in the face of the growing number of schools offering this training. If the subjects taught are often similar from one MBA to another (finance, accounting, marketing), it is difficult to choose the training that will suit you best and the different rankings will not help you any further. Rather than choosing your MBA according to rankings, it is much more sensible to choose the MBA where the company of your dreams has its recruiting habits, that is to say where the leaders of the company have learned their skills. and where the alumni already in post will favor you.
How to integate an MBA?
The application process is relatively standard. There are 3 application periods per year, the most important of which ends in December-January (depending on the school).
GMAT: The most important section of this test for business schools is the quantitative part. In total, you will need to have a high score to get into the top schools, over 700, and in many cases over 720;
Application package / motivational questions: you will need to write an essay describing your professional experiences, previous studies and your personal history as well as how they are relevant with the program you are aiming for;
Letters of recommendation: you will normally be required to provide two letters of recommendation supporting your application to the program;
CV: a professional CV is required;
Professional experience: essential for most programs. The majority of MBA candidates have already accumulated several years of experience and are looking to accelerate their careers. You must demonstrate how your previous experiences combined with the specific program to which you are applying will enable you to achieve your professional goals;
If you want to work in Tech… Go to Ross School of Business (University of Michigan) or Fuqua School of Business (Duke
Silicon Valley Wasn’t Always the Promised Land of MBAs It Was For a Long Time persona non grata for a long time.You didn’t need a flashy diploma to found Microsoft, just a good idea and a garage! Steve Jobs’ distrust of three-piece suits was real, and the best sign of your belonging to the geek counterculture was to have dropped out of college. This period now seems to be over in view of the evolution of tech companies. Today these companies are recruiting MBAs with a vengeance. It may come as a surprise, but Amazon recruits more students from the top 10 American universities than the giants of Wall Street, and it’s not going to stop. A large part of them came from Ross (the Seattle-based firm has become the university’s No. 1 recruiter). For Peter Faricy, Vice President of Amazon Marketplace and Dean of Ross Graduates at Amazon, Without a doubt, it was Ross’ MBA collaboration program with Amazon teams within the company that made the difference. If Faricy was impressed by the analytical qualities developed by the students, it was above all the work ethic, tenacity and humility of the students that caught his attention. These qualities are essential to succeed at Amazon according to him. Regarding Apple, among the top 10 executives, three come from Fuqua including Tim Cook, Jeff Williams the senior vice president of operations and Eddy Cue the senior vice president of software and internet services. Apple keeps its habits in this school since it has recruited no less than 32 graduates from Fuqua for 5 years.
If you want to work at Mc Kinsey or Boston Consulting Group… Go to the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University).
MBAs from this school are particularly in demand by large consulting firms where they recruited 34% of their graduates last year, a higher percentage than at Harvard (23%) and Stanford (16%). The biggest recruiters at Kellogg in 2017 were, in order, the Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Bain and Deloitte. In 5 years, McKinsey has hired 274 Kellogg graduates! Liza Kirkpatrick, the associate dean of the school’s MBA program, explains this performance by the strong culture of problem solvingand teamwork, but always with a critical and client-oriented eye. What surprises Kellogg is the importance of very personalized interview recruitment based on the human qualities of the candidate and his behavior in the company. It is clear why these students are so sought after by large consulting firms.
