Businessweek Guide to the Best Business Schools (Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools, 7th ed)

BusinessWeek provides a good overview and some keen insight into the top 25 MBA programs as well as the 25 runner up programs. The guide also contains good information on its b-school ranking process. A word of caution though. This book does not contain highly detailed information on the profiled schools and if you do decide to apply to any of these schools, you will want to conduct some additional research for your "Why I want to attend your business school" essay.


Detailed information that you really need   June 26, 2002
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I confess to being a professor at one of the schools mentioned in this book as the "Best". Business schools have developed a love/hate relationship with this book because although it contains a lot of good, thoughtful information, some people use it for the wrong reasons.

Make a distinction between the RANKINGS and the extended essay-type descriptions contained on the top scools. The RANKINGS tell you (possibly) two things: they tell you (maybe, sometimes) about the quality of the results the graduates get, and they tell you....well they tell you whether you will get bragging rights to your friends. In other words, the rankings have developed their own prestige which is SEPARATE from the issue of whether they have anything to do with quality.

So consider the rankings with caution...do you need the reassurance of a very high ranking....or do you really care about quality of program? This book actually tells you a great deal about the quality of the program, including everything from details about the curriculum, what they are looking for in admissions, which teachers are held in highest esteem, and general comments from recent students. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE NUMBER. It's related to the number, but it's not the same thing.

Remember, however, not to stop with this book: the information given in any edition will start to get inaccurate before it hits the bookstore. I can think of 5 or 6 top schools with new deans within the past year or two. Perusing through the book I see a good number of "top faculty" that either have already gone on to another institution, or are non-tenured faculty on short-term contracts, who may be gone by the time you get there. Even the curricula change pretty quickly. Back up your reading of this book with school's web sites, visits, talks with alumns, etc.

After all, the question you really want the answer to is not "do grads of School W make more money and have better careers than graduates of School Y?", it's "Will I MYSELF have a better career at School W than School Y." Rather than worry about the ranking of the school you get into, find the school that works for YOU. Finally, I see other reviewers saying "this book got me into the BigBucks school." I think that reviewer's intelligence, personality, and experience got him in. If he hadn't gotten in to BigBucks, he would still be smart and hardworking, and the school that got him would have been lucky. And (for the record), the number at our school is just great!


The Best Book on the Market!   August 6, 2001
 2 out of 12 found this review helpful

Look no further. This book has EVERYTHING one could ask for when applying to schools.


Very bad, avoid this one   March 3, 2001
 19 out of 22 found this review helpful

I bought many books while applying to MBA. I felt that the Business Week's book could be helpful. Yet, I would suggest that you avoid this one since it has nothing except a collection of basic information that you can normally find on b-schools' website. Do not expect real insights on b-schools (it has been written by journalists who do not know much about the real stress of MBA application), no advice to craft powerful essays that will get you in, and no tip to ace interviews!!


Too Skimpky: Needs to be more in-depth to be meaningful   August 19, 2000
 11 out of 15 found this review helpful

Take the guesswork out of the most important career decision you'll ever make! Which MBA program is right for you? Which school's grads get the highest total pay packages? Which schools have the highest-rated programs in management, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, international business? What are the up-and-coming schools-those that may be at the top of everyone's list in a few years? And just as important, what kind of educational experience will you have in terms of campus life, workload, and curriculum? A slick brochure won't tell you. This book will! Completely revised and updated, the BusinessWeek Guide to the Best Business Schools is the only guide that provides accurate rankings and profiles of the best graduate business schools rated by the people who know them best: recent graduates and corporate recruiters. Find out how the top 50 schools stack up against one another and which international schools you might consider as well. Compare the top 25 with the 25 runners up-maybe you don't need the top school to get what you want. Discover the strengths and weaknesses of each school in: quality of teaching-including the most outstanding professors at each school as rated by the students; average starting pay for graduates, and success of placement offices in finding you your dream job; curriculum innovations and niche programs you won't hear about elsewhere; average GMATs and GPAs for admitted students; campus environment and what to expect when you arrive. Plus, get expert advice on how to increase your GMAT scores, earn big points with your applications and written essays, find today's bargains in a quality MBA education, get your school to foot part of your tuition, and much more!