*** MBA specialization influence admissions?

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*** MBA specialization influence admissions?

by jlee324 » Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:20 am
hello,

i'd like to know if MBA admissions weigh an applicant's field of interest (as stated in the application essay) to help determine acceptance? or, do they just take the best candidates regardless of what they want to specialize in?

for example, i want to specialize in brand and product management and marketing - and would ideally like to stay in NY, i.e. columbia, nyu-stern. yet these schools are structured more for general management.

also, can you point me to a credible site that has MBA-marketing program rankings?

thanks in advance.

j
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by Lisa Anderson » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:44 am
Dear j,

Your field of interest is not a big factor in the admissions decision per se, but it will indicate to the admissions committees how well you have done your research on the program. For example, if you want to pursue brand management in the consumer goods industry and you are applying to a school that has no connections to the consumer goods industry, then that will reflect poorly on you as you did not do your research. So when you are considering schools, it is important to review the curriculum and placement reports to get an idea of whether that school is a match for your desired post-MBA aspirations.

There are not really any rankings that are functional specific, but you can get a good idea from the Princeton Review's "top 10 lists" for these things. These lists are helpful to determine which schools have a reputation in a certain area.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by jlee324 » Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:03 pm
thank you, lisa!