Choosing a B-School: What, how and where?

MBA
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Hi, I looked around a bit but couldn’t find a thread to help with this. I’ve finished with my :2gunfire:GMAT, and now I’m reevaluating my School options a little more realistically. So, can anyone help me with getting started? What d…

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Hi,
I looked around a bit but couldn't find a thread to help with this.

I've finished with my :2gunfire:GMAT, and now I'm reevaluating my School options a little more realistically.

So, can anyone help me with getting started?
What did you do to choose the right school? How did u search?

Some of my questions:

  1. How many Rankings should I refer to? Which ones are more reliable?
  2. How should I choose a school, what factors are really important (Salary, faculty, jobs etc.)?
  3. Where can I find info like what College is strong in what field?
  4. Scholarship Programs?
  5. Importance they place on certain factors like Community Service, etc? (The real factors, any colleges website will give generic requirements)
  6. Is there anyway to find out if my "Profile" is more suited for a certain college?


Also, this is what I'm planning to do this week. Does it make sense?

What I plan on Doing for now:
1. Refer to Business Week and Financial Times Rankings
2. Pick 3 School from Top 10, Worldwide
2.a : Go through School Profiles, make a list of GMAT avgs, Work Exp Avgs, Fields that the students have been placed in (to understand school core competency), weighted salary (cause I'm greedy 😉 ) and a few other factors.
2.b: Pick 3 schools ---> NOTE: How? Unclear at this stage.

3. Pick 3 Schools from Top 10-25, Worldwide
3.a: Repeat Step 2.a.

4. Prepare a list of what each school requires, fill it in an Excel Sheet. Note all Dates and Deadlines, feed into scheduler.

5. Begin Essays

6. Contact Bosses and Ex-Bosses for Letters of Rec.

.... more to come.

Looking forward to some great advice from you.

Thanks,
Sharan T

PS: @Mods: May I use this Topic as a sort of personal app tracker? If I am successful in choosing the Right B-school and getting in, I could convert this whole thread into a sort of Step By Step Guide, and also highlight pitfalls and mistakes I made along the way. merci.