Question regarding College selection

[ketaki6]

Hi,

I have a question. MIT Sloan has an overall ranking of 3, and looking at that I don't plan to apply. I am applying for schools between 10 and 15. However, the ranking for marketing is 13, which I want to do. Does this mean that I am more eligible and can consider applying now? Or does the speciality ranking not matter much and I can still write it off my list?

Thanks
Ketaki

[essaysnark]

Hey Ketaki--

MIT's high overall ranking indicates that it is a more competitive program - which we assume is why you're not considering it as part of your application strategy. Assuming that you're looking at the lower-ranked schools because you feel that it will be easier to get an offer from them, then MIT shouldn't be on your list (we're not saying that you should not go for a top-ranked program - we can't say that without knowing more about your profile - we're just reacting to what you've written in your post).

All bschools offer coursework (and many offer specializations or concentrations) in marketing, so you should go to the best-ranked program that you can. Some schools are more known for marketing, like Kellogg, but you can likely get a GREAT education in marketing at any number of very good schools.

We've wrote an article about rankings recently which may help:

https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/10/ ... -trap.html

Basically, rankings aren't the most important tool to use to determine which schools to apply to. Yes, it can help you understand which level of school you may have better luck at, based on where your profile is strong or weak, and what the averages are for accepted students (GPA/GMAT particularly). The lower-ranked programs are more flexible in terms of who they're able to accept. But ranking alone doesn't actually tell you if you'll be happy there! There are many other factors to consider, too - and for marketing, you have LOTS of options!!

Hope this helps - if you have other questions, just let us know!
EssaySnark

[ketaki6]

Hi,

Thanks for the input. However, the essayshark link you've given me doesn't work. I was very keen on reading the article.

Ketaki

[essaysnark]

We just clicked it and it worked for us - maybe try clicking again or hit refresh on the page?

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well, Being ranked 3 or fifteen isn't necessarily what makes it hard to get accepted to. Instead of basing your application on how the school is ranked, base it on how your profile matches up with the school.