Back to Business

Feedback on the b-schools I visited in order of visit with a little commentary on the areas:

Chicago, the city: loved it and would love to live or work nearby for a little while.

University of Chicago
A last-minute addition to my schedule after a tip from a Kellogg '08 student who looked at Chicago, too. I was one of 3 potentials in the info session, so we got lots of personalized info from an associate director of admissions, but no student feedback. The tour was led by someone who didn't seem to know much about the program, but it was hard not to be impressed by the beautiful state-of-the art facilities. I fell in love with the classrooms and winter garden. On the way out, though, there was mention of how competitive registration is -- people line up down the hall. I guess the flexible curriculum doesn't let everyone take everything they want. Just because my gut likes the school, I'm not convinced to add Chicago to my list, it's still a backup.

Northwestern
I had high hopes and was pretty sure Northwestern was up on my list, but I was completely unimpressed by the campus. I missed the info session and class visit due to the time it took to get to Evanston, but did get a personalized tour of by a current one-year student. The community sounds great, but I couldn't see myself going there. Sad to see it go, but Northwestern's off my list, too.

South Bend, IN: nice town that pretty much centers around Notre Dame. The campus is really nice, though definitely geared towards Football season.

Notre Dame
Everyone was really friendly and I really like what I saw in the school (focus on ethics, strong Catholic influence, strong alumni network, etc.). After more evaluating, though, it doesn't bring much more value than Maryland would and would cost more, so it's coming off my list, too.

Ann Arbor, MI: A little more out-of-the-way than I'd like, but pretty and a nice college town. Undergrads abound, but I do get a sense that there are places to hide out in graduate communities. I get the impression it doesn't get quite as cold as I feared, just lots of snow.

I met with several different Admissions staff members and really appreciated their openness. They even tried to woo me a bit, reinforcing my confidence about applying business school. I think I could get into Ross and be happy there, so I feel much better about this whole process.

Due to my school visits and conversations, here is my current list:
Top: Stanford GSB and Michigan (Ross)
Likely: Berkeley (Haas), UVA (Darden) and UMD (Smith)
Backup: Dartmouth (Tuck), University of Chicago GSB, UNC (Kenan-Flagler)

I guess it's time to start pounding those essays.