I attended the MBA Tour this past weekend in San Francisco. I took this opportunity to interview with a few schools (thanks to Marina), some of which I was interested and some of which I was not. So the tour itself was alright. I think for me it was definitely worth it because it was only one day and an hour drive. I think if it took any more effort than that I wouldn't necessarily think it was worth it. The benefits of the tour were...Ross (Univ of Mich.), Anderson (UCLA), Columbia, Chicago GSB, back up schools, and interviews.
I had not considered Ross because I have no desire to live in Ann Arbor and so I didn't even research Ross. But for some reason I decided to sit in on the 35 minute Ross presentation. I was intrigued because the presentation stressed their non-profit management program, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability. They just made it seem that the school's values matched mine. I still need to look further into the school but they have a great dual degree program that I've been considering (MBA/MPP). So now I think I may be applying there too.
I had not considered UCLA because I went to undergrad at UCLA and I really felt like been there done that. But I, again, was swayed by the 35 minute presentation. More research to be done. In the meantime, I signed up to interview while I'm there on business in a few weeks.
I was convinced I wanted to go to Columbia because it's Columbia and it's in New York and from the website I thought it'd be a good fit for me. Now I'm questioning that after sitting in on their 35 minute presentation. I definitely am going to postpone that application until the second round if I still decide I want to apply there.
I wasn't really sure about Chicago GSB. I thought about it but I was not into living in Chicago. Turns out I was right questioning Chicago. After the presentation I was sure that Chicago GSB was not a good fit for me.
The other benefit to the MBA Tour was that I saw a couple of my back up schools there. I kept going back and forth on whether or not to apply to my back up schools. I am now completely convinced it is not worth going to a back up school or wasting the time, effort and money to apply.
Practice interviews are a great idea. I know now that I really need to be better prepared for them. I tend to chatter a little too much when nervous. There are benefits to this because they don't seem to have enough time to ask me the hard questions? There is a lot more I could add to this but I'm tired and have to clean my house. Maybe at a later date...
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What is giving you second thoughts about Columbia??
I attended the world MBA tour also, but down in LA. Although I am focused only on B-schools in Europe, the tour reaffirmed my decision for the international schools. Yes, some of the presenters did perk my interests i.e. Cornell, Georgetown, and Berkeley. All emphasized their smaller intake to facilitate stronger student community and looking for diverse and unique students.
Hey salsera, thanks for your review. One question, is there any dress code on the MBA tour? it's ok to go casual? lots of ties? thanks :)
anon- there was just something that didn't feel right about columbia. the lady that gave the presentation was nice and enthusiastic but for some reason the benefits of columbia that she was touting weren't that important to me? that's why it surprised me that i liked Ross so much, the charactersitics about Ross that the adcom people were highlighting were much more interesting to me.
daniel- i would say you can get away without wearing a tie but definitely a nice shirt and slacks are a must. especially if you are scheduling any interviews to go along with the tour.
tvu- it's almost overwhelming attending these events...all of the sudden your application list starts to expand!
Thanks for the advice! :P
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