Welcome to Part 1 of our six-part series that aims to help you pick MBA programs to apply to. In this series, we will look at how one can go about figuring out which schools to apply to. The MBA is a time-consuming and costly exercise and with the kind of investment of time, effort and energy you are making, you would want to make sure you are not getting into a school which is not a good fit for you and your goals. Hence, little bit of time and energy spent here can really help you in the long term.

Today, we will seek to give you an overview of the different criteria to consider in your school selection process. In the subsequent posts, we will do a deep-dive into each category.

We have divided the criteria into 4 broad buckets namely, Academic, Financial, Professional & Student Experience related criteria which further contain sub-categories. One school may be ideal for one candidate and awful for another. There is no cookie cutter approach which can automate the process of identifying the perfect program for YOU. These categories will help you consider and evaluate the criteria that are most important to you.

Academic:

• Rankings
• Style of Teaching
• Faculty
• Concentration
• GMAT

Financial:

• Cost of the Program
• Financing Options
• Average Salary after Graduating

Professional:

• Internship Opportunities
• Alumni Network
• Company Interaction Opportunities
• Full-time Job Opportunities
• Strength of Career Management Services
• Resources available at the School

Student Experience:

• Location
• International Exposure
• Gender Diversity
• Family Situation
• Length of Program
• Class Size
• Extra-curricular Opportunities

This list is meant to be indicative of the common criteria which can help you decide on schools to apply to. Are there any I have missed?

In our next post, we will delve deeper into the Academic criteria mentioned above. In addition, we will also look at practical examples and simulate the selection process based on certain variables someone might have. So keep tuned in to our series and make an informed decision to the school which would best fit your needs!