What Business School Is Really Like
“So what’s it really like?”
We’re all curious when we meet someone who’s been where we want to go. We’ll ask, “Did you do this?” “Any advice on that?” “Is it worth it in the end?”
Sure, we want to picture what it’s like. If you’re applying to business school, you’ve probably read every blog and ranking. And you may have even visited campus too. But you really don’t know what it’s like until you get there. When you do, it might not be what you thought.
That was the main takeaway from first years at the Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and the Harvard Business School and a second year from Cornell’s Johnson School of Management. Here, these three students absorbed the biggest lessons of business school: You can’t do everything. Grades don’t matter. Your cohort is your family. And your peers are far more supportive than they were in corporate life.
In a column on Wall Street Oasis, a write named “OpsDude,” an aspiring consultant with a 750 GMAT, shared his initial experiences at Kellogg. “I came into Kellogg with high expectations,” he writes, “and it’s absolutely surpassed them.” Drawn to the school for its culture and consulting prowess (and its support network for his significant other), OpsDude cited his classmates as the top reason for why he loves business school.
“Kellogg, more so than any other school, really filters for strong social skills,” he points out. “I’ve really never been in an environment where everyone really care for each other, and goes out of their way to help them succeed.”
And these bonds start a week before pre-orientation, with most students taking a Kwest trip overseas with 20 first years and 5 second year seconds, with destinations ranging from Peru to Turkey to Japan. “These people really become your best friends, and they become them fast,” OpsDude writes.
In fact, his 72 person section became his extended family. “At Kellogg, sections actually have a very strong identity,” he observes. “You are giving a decent budget, spend orientation and a few classes together, play sports together, etc…There’s section social chairs that throw events every week or two. Things like randomized potluck dinners are common, so you get to know people on a more personal level.” Plus, as he mentions, “Its not cliquey.”
Another benefit is Kellogg’s location in Evanston, Illinois, which OpsDude describes as a “small college town” just 20 minutes outside Chicago (depending on traffic). As a result, Kellogg students get the best of both worlds, where they can take an Uber ride to the loop or roam around a picturesque lakeside campus that has 3-4 “Kellogg bars.” “If you are bored, you know you can just show up and find classmates to hang out with.” However, he warns that “There’s definitely more partying [at Kellogg] than elsewhere,” which could become a distraction.
Finally, OpsDude touts an underappreciated factor in choosing a business school: teaching excellence. “I think Kellogg has one great thing going for it,” he writes. “We are the only school in which tenure decisions use student feedback. So even though we may have less Nobel Prize winners, our professors can TEACH and are entertaining.”
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I started a free lance writing company with content advertising for my blogs
9 年I thought of majoring in International business and even took several classes in that direction it just motivated me to learn more and to start my own business which is so much fun. I never feel like I am going to work. It just seems like play to me. I think school can be really supportive in making us think about where we want to be and how we want to go about it. I always ;loved being a student.
Experienced Marriage Celebrant and Trainer, Canberra Region and nearby NSW - Director Ceremonies With Heart. Brides Choice Awards nominated as a Top 5 Celebrant. Are you considering getting married- contact me.
9 年Thanks for the update. Sounds like a place I would like to be. I have spent most of my life studying for this degree or not that and have made some good friends on the way. I cannot say it was in such a support environment as Kellogs. I run my own Celebrancy business now and am enjoying it thoroughly.
Experienced independent actuarial consultant
9 年My (albeit limited) knowledge suggests that most businesses school graduates end up as employees. So why do you call them "business schools" if students end up working for someone else rather than starting their own business? The only real "business school" is starting a business of your own. Everything else it is just a marketing buzzword.
President at Paul Hoofard
9 年Looks like to me lousy advertising. :)