MBA Schools with least partying

Coming up with a list of schools I'm applying to - one of the things I'm not so keen on with the MBA is the party culture (just a personal preference really, not a diss).

I know school cultures vary, and some (Harvard/Wharton etc) are obviously much more party-oriented than others. My question is, which schools are the "others"? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've heard Booth/MIT/Columbia are generally more academics-focussed. Is that fair to say?

As a side note, I'm not a complete introvert, i don't hate partying and I of course don't expect any MBA courses to have zero/minimal partying. It's just that for me personally, I wouldn't do well in an atmosphere with excessive partying, where it's almost one of the main focuses of the MBA. And of course I'm talking in relative terms. I know all MBAs are quite party-intensive, I'm keen to know which ones are on the lower end of the partying spectrum.

THanks!

25 Comments
 

I lived in the south loop and had a roommate who went to Booth. It seemed to me like a lot of them lived up "downtown" somewhere and not in Hyde Park.

Also, for what it's worth, my roommate seemed to go out a decent amount. I only tagged along once, but it was a pretty fun/rowdy beer pong tournament. I feel like I recall a story that they had some sort of social event at the Museum of Science and Industry and did some damage there and got in trouble. At least the circle she ran in seemed to party a decent amount.

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I wouldn't base where you apply on which schools have more of a partying scene than others. In my MBA experience you can party as hard or as little as you want. There were people in my class that seemed to be going out every night, those who never went out (e.g. had families), and everything in-between. No one will really judge you one way or another as there is a fair mix of all of the above.

You can also choose how your social life goes. There were those who played golf, went on weekend camping trips, had people over for dinner, etc. It's not like socializing is always about drinking and hangovers.

In short, don't limit yourself. Just apply to the school you think fits you best (in this case, it sounds like your most focused on classes/career).

 

LOL! I was so sure I would get this response.. It's true of course.. I am a bit of a nerd and I don't exactly "thrive" in extremely gregarious environments.

But good feedback overall (mostly) - thanks for the responses everyone

 

Can someone tell me which MBA program has ugly women, no sex, a dry scene and nuns forbidding kissing.

BYU or Islamabad University.

 

Yeah Wharton and Harvard are suchhhhh party schools omggg

Just try getting into Harvard first, brah.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

You'll find a huge potential party scene at any top 10 program. I went to Booth, I have plenty of friends who blew off a lot of coursework to party/socialize 5-7 days a week. We have what we call the 'silent 200' though who don't come out much at all, or ever.

I'd say the biggest difference is that at the strict cohort programs its harder to blow off social events without it being recognized by your cohort. It's not that schools like Booth party less, you're just not as pegged in to one social circle so its easier to congregate towards the non-partiers or not at all if that's your game.

Unlike in undergrad, it's also totally acceptable at an MBA program to show up to a party and not drink or to stick to the less drinking heavy events. You won't get the pressure you might associate with what you experienced when younger. Also, every week at Booth there were multiple opportunities to attend student hosted dinners or smaller events. People are really open, there are google sheets that fly around and you can just sign up for a lot of 'get to know you' stuff. We have clubs like a strategy games club that attract people who like to hang out but not drink. Other opportunities include activities like "Booth Insights" that involve meeting weekly with an assigned group of classmates to get to know each other in a sort of storytelling fashion without the pressure to drink. You can also just play beer pong and rage in Chicago almost every night. I'm sure every other school is similar.

 

You don't have to party. This isn't high school / uni anymore. People have more important things to worry about (read: recruit) than ostracize others.

 

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