I'm glad you had the balls to address the "diversity" category because it shows you're being authentic in your assessment of the student base. I think that the "diversity" category has grown exponentially in recent years and put meritocratic selection criteria for entry into these programs into question. The main reason that universities are seeking to offer entry to minorities, LGBTQ+ people is because it now impacts their ranking. The percentage of women that gain entry to a program also impacts the schools "diversity" score and hence their ranking. That means a white male seeking to gain entry to a top tier program will typically need to score well in excess of the average GMAT for that particular school unless they bring something unique to the table. Even if they do gain entry, they're far less likely to gain the same level of discounts from the school e.g. a white male may pay 60% of the list price whereas a woman with the same attributes would pay closer to 30% - 40% (partly because they're subsidized by the Forte Foundation). This ratio may not apply at top tier schools, but it was roughly right at the mid-tier Texan school I attended. Indian students will also get big discounts as they are deemed to have lower purchasing power. The situation is likely to be different at the pointier end of the rankings table as those schools don't have to provide big discounts to attract top talent whereas the mid-tier schools do if they want to boost their rankings (which is one of the aims of the game). I agree that true diversity of experience, industry, nationality etc. does add to the student experience but that is not consistent with the "diversity" that the business schools and ranking systems are focused on i.e. race, gender and sexuality (as per woke capitalism). Merit has taken a bit of a back seat when it comes to MBA student selection and unfortunately it also has a large bearing on student aid / discounts as well given a variety of top schools will be competing for the same higher quality "diverse" students as they want to be able to tick that "diversity" box without diluting their rankings too far by letting in some students who wouldn't otherwise be able to come close to qualifying for a certain top tier school if it wasn't for their "diverse" characteristics. I also found that another key group of students was the engineering cohort who were seeking to move up the managerial ranks or enter it in the first place. They're great students to work with, especially in anything to do with Operations Management or that is data based. They tend to pick up the content very quickly and do very well.
@@adrianbruno-mba and don't we all know it? the universities have certainly jumped on that bandwagon big time and have started allocating their grant money accordingly. There is still plenty of grant money available apart from that though and I think that quality students who could qualify at a top tier may want to consider going to a mid-tier if they can get heavy subsidies. I know people that have been granted a free ride at such universities and would have had to pay nearly full freight at a top tier.
How do the rich students....manage to get good grades or pass classes if they are not even on campus after class most of the time? How do they get by? Pls do comment....
Hi Bruno, thanks for taking the effort to give back to society by making these videos. As someone with a dilemma of choosing bschools, i would love to hear your suggestions. Im looking to get into management consulting Tier 2 such as LEK. I have the following offers: Tuck (Top 10 US); Kenan-Flagler with 50% scholarship (Top 20 US) and Vanderbilt with 100% scholarship (Top 30 US). I have no personal preferences, but would love to save as much money as I could without affecting CV reputation in front of prospective employers(consulting firms). Which offer should I go for as per you?
Hi Rommy, thanks for your comment. Given this is a tough market right now, I would probably go with the strongest brand. Even though it will cost you a lot more than Vanderbilt, it still gives you more access to highly reputable firms. UNC is also great, but Tuck is definitely one tier above. If you want to hedge your risk, I would probably go with UNC. Unless you are ok with spending more money, then go with Tuck. Vanderbilt is certainly a great school but I doubt that it will create the same types of opportunities.
@@adrianbruno-mba Thanks Bruno. I am right now strongly leaning towards UNC mainly because for me brand doesn't matter (I'm not from the US and apart from HSW nothing will matter brand-wise in my country). It's indeed a tough call 😞. If my home country currency was stronger, I would have definitely taken tuck but as things stand, I think will have to settle with UNC.
@@adrianbruno-mba I'm again tilted towards Vanderbilt because UNC placements this season in Consulting were super poor. So I don't want to bet any money on marginally better outcomes. That said Tuck is clearly the king but I am not comfortable with loans since I have never taken any before and nowhere close to the magnitude of 150,000. But thanks for your inputs.
@@rommy007 It's probably more like $220K+ with all the living expenses, travel, etc. It's definitely a risk. If you are more comfortable with Vanderbilt, you should do that instead
I'm glad you had the balls to address the "diversity" category because it shows you're being authentic in your assessment of the student base. I think that the "diversity" category has grown exponentially in recent years and put meritocratic selection criteria for entry into these programs into question. The main reason that universities are seeking to offer entry to minorities, LGBTQ+ people is because it now impacts their ranking. The percentage of women that gain entry to a program also impacts the schools "diversity" score and hence their ranking. That means a white male seeking to gain entry to a top tier program will typically need to score well in excess of the average GMAT for that particular school unless they bring something unique to the table. Even if they do gain entry, they're far less likely to gain the same level of discounts from the school e.g. a white male may pay 60% of the list price whereas a woman with the same attributes would pay closer to 30% - 40% (partly because they're subsidized by the Forte Foundation). This ratio may not apply at top tier schools, but it was roughly right at the mid-tier Texan school I attended. Indian students will also get big discounts as they are deemed to have lower purchasing power. The situation is likely to be different at the pointier end of the rankings table as those schools don't have to provide big discounts to attract top talent whereas the mid-tier schools do if they want to boost their rankings (which is one of the aims of the game).
I agree that true diversity of experience, industry, nationality etc. does add to the student experience but that is not consistent with the "diversity" that the business schools and ranking systems are focused on i.e. race, gender and sexuality (as per woke capitalism). Merit has taken a bit of a back seat when it comes to MBA student selection and unfortunately it also has a large bearing on student aid / discounts as well given a variety of top schools will be competing for the same higher quality "diverse" students as they want to be able to tick that "diversity" box without diluting their rankings too far by letting in some students who wouldn't otherwise be able to come close to qualifying for a certain top tier school if it wasn't for their "diverse" characteristics.
I also found that another key group of students was the engineering cohort who were seeking to move up the managerial ranks or enter it in the first place. They're great students to work with, especially in anything to do with Operations Management or that is data based. They tend to pick up the content very quickly and do very well.
"Diversity" is definitely a topic in itself!
@@adrianbruno-mba and don't we all know it? the universities have certainly jumped on that bandwagon big time and have started allocating their grant money accordingly. There is still plenty of grant money available apart from that though and I think that quality students who could qualify at a top tier may want to consider going to a mid-tier if they can get heavy subsidies. I know people that have been granted a free ride at such universities and would have had to pay nearly full freight at a top tier.
Excellent insights . Thanks
Thank you, Raj
I am interested in knowing of the stereotype of HBS.
The family guy 😂 hilarious!
Thank you, Max! ☺
How do the rich students....manage to get good grades or pass classes if they are not even on campus after class most of the time? How do they get by? Pls do comment....
Thank you, Sam! They do the bare minimum I guess. Grades don't matter at business school
Can you make a video on B schools with a truly global brand value in your opinion
Thank you, Jayan. I will put it on my to-do list
Hi Bruno, thanks for taking the effort to give back to society by making these videos.
As someone with a dilemma of choosing bschools, i would love to hear your suggestions. Im looking to get into management consulting Tier 2 such as LEK. I have the following offers: Tuck (Top 10 US); Kenan-Flagler with 50% scholarship (Top 20 US) and Vanderbilt with 100% scholarship (Top 30 US). I have no personal preferences, but would love to save as much money as I could without affecting CV reputation in front of prospective employers(consulting firms). Which offer should I go for as per you?
Hi Rommy, thanks for your comment. Given this is a tough market right now, I would probably go with the strongest brand. Even though it will cost you a lot more than Vanderbilt, it still gives you more access to highly reputable firms. UNC is also great, but Tuck is definitely one tier above. If you want to hedge your risk, I would probably go with UNC. Unless you are ok with spending more money, then go with Tuck. Vanderbilt is certainly a great school but I doubt that it will create the same types of opportunities.
@@adrianbruno-mba Thanks Bruno. I am right now strongly leaning towards UNC mainly because for me brand doesn't matter (I'm not from the US and apart from HSW nothing will matter brand-wise in my country). It's indeed a tough call 😞. If my home country currency was stronger, I would have definitely taken tuck but as things stand, I think will have to settle with UNC.
@@rommy007 Go with UNC in that case. I am sure you will have a great time and won't regret it!
@@adrianbruno-mba I'm again tilted towards Vanderbilt because UNC placements this season in Consulting were super poor. So I don't want to bet any money on marginally better outcomes. That said Tuck is clearly the king but I am not comfortable with loans since I have never taken any before and nowhere close to the magnitude of 150,000. But thanks for your inputs.
@@rommy007 It's probably more like $220K+ with all the living expenses, travel, etc. It's definitely a risk. If you are more comfortable with Vanderbilt, you should do that instead