Is City University of New York, Baruch College MBA good?

Academically speaking Baruch is very solid, and the tuition if you're a NY state resident is just a steal compared to the name schools. There are some great professors if you know whom to look for (a number also teach at NYU or Columbia), and the grading curve (and hence the competitiveness) is not as generous as with the name schools that have more pressure to give out A's because the students are paying so much. There is a lot of group work, and if you want there is also a lock-step cohort full time program as well as a part time program.

The biggest problem with Baruch is that you're not going to get any front office recruitment there at all. You do get some middle office recruitment (e.g. risk management), but that's it. There are alums, events, etc. but you really have to do all the hustling on your own.

There is one exception, the MFE program. That is a top five rated financial engineering program, and major banks and hedge funds come to recruit, but admission is very competitive. Tuition is a steal, just like with the MBA.

However, before you decide to throw in your lot with Columbia or NYU and take on that debt, think twice. I talked to someone who worked at a top bulge bracket in HR, and they said that both Columbia and NYU were at 'the bottom of the list' in terms of who they recruited for their associate positions (you read that right). And that was in the pre-crisis days.

Not too long ago I spoke to some Columbia MBAs, and they were complaining that it was very hard for them to get a decent front office position, that competition for slots is at an all time high. These people are sitting with six figure loans on their books and are looking at places where they previously wouldn't even bother. A significant number are moving out of finance and going into places like tech, doing startups, etc. So unless you're already a very strong candidate before going in, think carefully if you really want to take on that risk.

If you really, really want to be sure you have a solid chance with the major firms, the only schools that appear to do the magic are Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton. Outside of that, its increasingly becoming riskier.

Of course it will be tougher to break in with Baruch than with NYU/Columbia on your resume, and the latter schools have more alums in high places, but I question whether the extra tuition paid increases your chances by the same proportion.