The collection of resources below will help you to research the world’s top business schools, figure out which one fits you best, find out what they’re looking for in applicants, and gather the other information you need to submit a great application.
These resources are designed to be used actively during the process of writing your MBA applications, not just read once and put aside. Using these pages consistently will save hours compared to browsing business school websites directly or running a Google endless Google searches for class profiles, employment reports, essay questions, club listings, and more.
MBA rankings come and go, but Harvard Business School is recognized as the long-term #1 business school in the world.
Harvard Business School MBA Program Profile
Stanford is famous for its ties to Silicon Valley, venture capital investing, and tech startups. But the MBA program at Stanford is much broader than this, teaching students an interdisciplinary, interpersonal curriculum.
Stanford GSB MBA Program Profile
Wharton’s MBA program is good in almost every area. Yes, finance, but also entrepreneurship, technology (don’t forget their San Francisco campus!), social impact, and more.
Kellogg’s MBA program is rightly famous for its team-based approach and the location in Evanston, which combines access to Chicago with a relaxed college town setting.
The Booth MBA program is known for its academic and analytical rigor, and the fact that its flexible curriculum has only a single strictly required course, with students customizing everything else.
Columbia Business School is about access to New York City and its resources, like executives who come to campus as guest lecturers, entrepreneurs in residence, or to hire in-semester interns.
Columbia Business School MBA Program Profile
At MIT Sloan, the MBA program is strong in technology — in all senses of the word. Tech at MIT doesn’t just mean Google, Facebook and Amazon, but also physical product design for consumers and industry.
The Tuck MBA bring together a small number of students for an intense bonding experience in its Hanover, NH location, creating a fanatically loyal alumni group that donates to the school at 2-3x the average, and pulls out all of the stops to help other Tuckies.
Dartmouth Tuck MBA Program Profile
Berkeley’s Haas School of Business is on the forefront of diversity, both through its connection to the very progressive host university, UC Berkeley, and through its own initiatives, like appointing a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Its Bay Area location allows excellent placement within the tech industry.
UC Berkeley Haas MBA Program Profile
Yale SOM seeks to educate “leaders for business and society,” with a special focus on training future managers about the impact of their decisions on society at large. MBA students at the SOM also have access to the full resources of Yale University.
The MBA program at UVA Darden, sometimes known affectionately as “the bootcamp,” puts students through a highly rigorous case method program (which makes the students very appealing to employers with a similar style, including banks and consulting firms).
UVA Darden MBA Program Profile
Fuqua focuses on admitting MBA students who have a high “decency quotient”, considering not just their professional achievements, but also whether they treat their colleagues, friends, classmates and others with respect.
Duke Fuqua MBA Program Profile
The Ross MBA program is a part of the much larger University of Michigan, whose huge alumni footprint creates opportunities to network with people in almost any company or location, anywhere. “Go Blue, Go Anywhere!”
Michigan Ross MBA Program Profile
Learn more about Ross from our interview with Soojin Kwon, Director of Admissions:
UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business is the “Harvard Business School of Texas,” and rather well respected outside the state, too. The Austin location provides great access to the city’s booming tech and VC scene.
UT Austin McCombs MBA Program Profile
Learn more about McCombs from our interview with Rodrigo Malta, Director of Admissions:
INSEAD’s MBA program, delivered through campuses in France and Singapore, gives students a truly international experience. You need to speak two languages to matriculate, and three to graduate!
London Business School offers the premiere 2-year MBA program in the UK and Europe, making it a great choice for career changers who benefit from a summer internship and therefore prefer a 2-year program to a 1-year program. LBS programs like LondonCAP give students access to the best of London.
London Business School MBA Program Profile
Based in Barcelona, IESE’s 2-year MBA program offers a truly balanced experience that can prepare students for any major career field: consulting, finance, general management, entrepreneurship, technology, and more. Their pragmatic approach to admissions focuses on finding students who will achieve career success using IESE’s resources.
