I went to a large state school for undergrad and enjoyed every single bits of it. I look forward for an MBA, because asides from all the obvious reasons (job placement/network/etc.) I also want to go back to school for 2 more years and enjoy my life when I'm still young and can afford doing so without hurting my career.
For those of you that had done your MBA in a top school, how does it compare to your undergrad experience? I assume there would be more work on the recruiting/networking side and students are more mature (so probably not as much partying, drink til sunrise stuff).
I'm heading to a top MBA program this fall, have friends at pretty much all the top programs and did my undergrad at a top school. So i think i have a fairly good perspective on this even though i'm not a current student.
My college friends are all enjoying their mba experience a lot more than undergrad. However, the major caveat here is that our undergrad was quite intense and competitive, so it was NOTHING like the typical state school undergrad experience. I think there are 2 major factors that make the mba experience different from undergrad. First, grades don't matter (most top schools have grade non-disclosure). This inevitably takes a lot of pressure off of you, and you don't feel the need to dominate every exam you take. MBA students work hard, but most of their efforts are geared towards recruiting and networking, NOT grades. Second, because people are older, and there is a much larger age range than in undergrad, this results in a different social dynamics from undergrad. MBA students party hard, but it has a different feel from the typical state school partying. And of course, the girls aren't as nearly as hot. With regards to my specific undergrad though, mba social scene is a huge improvement, and my friends are all having a blast. Finally, there is a lot more travelling; my friends' facebook pages are constantly updated with photos from their latest trips throughout the world. Travelling to 20-30 different countries during your MBA is not at all uncommon.
Overall, any program is what you make of it, and people's undergrad experiences will vary depending on where they went and personality/preferences. So my comments above are pretty general, but hope it was somewhat helpful.
^^^This is very true from what I see on my FB wall from two friends at an M7 and a Top 10 B School.
However, Brady has created a mental stigma in my mind about B-School social life.
When I was at admit weekend i met multiple fellow admits who also went to elite colleges and worked in high-stress job in finance/consulting. They pretty much all said that they missed out on the typical college social experience and are coming to b-school for a do-over. On the other extreme, I hung out with a guy who went to a big state school for undergrad, and he laughed at the notion of b-school being more fun than undergrad. We were walking around the building, and he said "the hottest mba girl i see here would have been a 4 at my campus." So yeah, my point is that your perspective will differ depending on how your undergrad social life was like.
why is there so much more travel in MBA? Is it for recruiting purpose? Maybe MBAs have more money/debt?
Part of it is career treks, but a lot of it is just part of the mba culture. At top schools in particular, the prevailing ethos is, "look we worked our butts off to get here, we're part of the elite, and this is our last chance to blow off steam before we start working again, so let's go all out." This is reflected in the phenomenon known as FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. Basically there is so much social activities, parties, and travelling in b-school that it's literally impossible to do everything, but one is tempted to go overboard because of FOMO. Think of b-school as a bufett at the bellagio hotel: so many options, each tasteful in its own way, but you're physically unable to indugle in everything. Hence, you have to choose what you want and make sacrifices.
Went to one of those top party state schools and now in one of the more social MBA programs. Few quick observations: - There are few different types (e.g. married, more focused), but also a lot reliving undergrad and doing immature/stupid stuff. You will see them more often outside of classroom - In a State U undergrad you mess around first 3.5-4.5 years, and look for job in the last few months. In MBA, you try hard the first 2-3 months and get that internship and if everything works out, you kind of hang out for next 1.5 year and do whatever - Some schools are just more friendly or competitive than others. One data point, but I actually asked someone from mbavsmfin's future school how life is in Philly and he was dying from class workload. I couldn't figure out how that'd matter with non grade disclosure and offer in hand, but different schools have different mentality. Some are also just more demanding - You will see travel pictures of those who travel. You might go to one career trek in 2 years, but with 2 week Fall and Spring break, 4 week winter break and another 8 weeks off in summer, people go to trips just for fun (or school organized learning/fun trips). You just have too much time off. Not everyone is traveling like Marco Polo though. There are many borrowing all of that $150K-$200K and won't be burning $2K-$4K in every trip. People with kids won't go with classmates. Some will prefer to go with bf/gf/wife instead. Also most MBA trips are sterile (e.g. skiing, developed countries/big cities, super touristy places) if you are into more exotic places - Put your MBA glasses on and girls will look good. Even without, there are some pretty good looking ones (but they also tend to be married/engaged haha) - MBA students hooking up with 18 yr old undergrads is true but very few are doing it and everyone knows - Probably the best way to judge which one you'd enjoy more will depend on whether your undergrad friends are already tagged as your best man, etc.
Take a banana, great reply
This is very true. One of my best friends from high school is in her second year at Darden right now. When I started looking to apply to schools I called her up and she was in her first year there. She was miserable and had tons of school work. She says now as a second year she is having fun and would recommend the school but her first year she hated it and would not have recommended applying there. So it definitely varies from program to program and even year to year.
Darden would probably see far more applicants if it didn't have a reputation for being the "hardest" of the country's top business schools. I know that I won't be applying there this fall just because of this reason.
Yeah can't figure out why some of my friends fell in love with Darden.
Probably another major difference I didn't mention is the perception of money. Having gone to a state school, most of us were pretty broke and even now we joke how $8 dinner was luxury. At a top MBA, most come from good money (even internationals) or worked in a good job where they were paid pretty well. So you see more eating out, drinking out, trips, nicer cars, etc.
People fall in love with darden because of its strength in the south and in consulting as well as the general "fratty" culture. For people who love that environment, Darden is a great fit. It's obviously not for me.
Totally right in your 2nd paragraph. My friends at HBS for instance routinely spend $100 on dinner on like a tuesday night. And on weekends, they spend $300+ per night easily on food and drinks. Then there is the weekend get-aways, which happen quite often.
wow that seems so wasteful. I'm going to a top 10 school this year and I can't imagine spending that much regularly on dinner - this after earning 5x the average pre-mba salary for the last few years.
guess it pays to have rich parents....
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