Finding the Best Business School for You

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Finding the Best Business School for You Looking Past the Rankings

Everette E. Dennis, Sharon P. Smith

Book Code: C8820

ISBN: 0-275-98820-1

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-98820-3

DOI:

224 pages, tables

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 6/30/2006

List Price: $39.95 (UK Sterling Price: £22.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

Dennis and Smith offer potential MBA students practical insights into selecting a master's-level business program and getting the most from their MBA experience. Given the enormous popularity of MBA education today, this book will be of special interest to professionals and aspiring managers/executives considering pursuing an MBA or specialized master's degree in business, as well as to faculty teaching in these programs. The book's 14 readable chapters explore the appeal of MBA degrees and whether or not this attraction is warranted; provide an inside look at the history, nature, scope, virtues, challenges, and failures of the MBA degree; and outline an approach that readers can utilize to evaluate the potential of various MBA programs to meet their professional and personal goals. Along the way, the authors explore the rise and problems of MBA ranking sources and their possible value and relevance to student selection decisions. The book closes by discussing how business schools are changing and will continue to evolve. All in all, an informative, thoughtful primer on the role of master's-level business education in today's world of commerce. Recommended. Public, academic, and professional library collections.
—Choice January 2007
For prospective MBA students, Dennis and Smith detail how to choose a business school that is most suitable for them, based on their "portfolio approach" to MBA education, in which students design their own programs. They outline reasons to get an MBA, deconstruct school rankings, describe how to use them as just one source of information, and discuss how the concept of return on investment can be used to choose a school, as well as by gauging career success and personal satisfaction. They then examine important personal factors and the influence of globalization.
—Reference & Research Book News November 2006

Endorsement From Andrew Leckey
Director, Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, American Press Institute, Reston, Va.: Business schools are becoming increasingly different from one another, and keyed to students' individual career goals. Finding the Best Business School for You will help readers employ the same critical skills in the important MBA selection process that they will later use in their studies. It's also a primer on rapid change underway in this highly practical form of education.

Description: Every year, more than 250,000 people take the Graduate Management Administration Test (GMAT) in preparation for applying to MBA programs. While many will seek admission to the top-ranked schools, only a small percentage will end up at one of these "elite" programs. Everette Dennis and Sharon Smith argue that those who think only in these narrow terms, assuming that "only the best" warrant their consideration, are shortchanging themselves in at least two ways: they may miss the mark and decide to forgo an MBA altoghter, or they may look past the best programs for themselves.
The truth is that, in response to changes in the global business environment, many schools are redesigning their curricula, forging closer ties with businesses, and giving students more freedom to customize their degrees. Some of the most innovative programs are being designed at public universities and other institutions out of the spotlight. Ultimately, finding the best and most appropriate business school requires more than following trends and assessing rankings. Dennis and Smith offer an approach that is designed to help prospective MBA students cast the net more widely, thinking more expansively, creatively, and strategically, with both short- and long-term implications in mind. Discussing the pros and cons of a formal business education (in the context of evolving attitudes toward management and the role of the MBA in developing successful leaders), the authors help readers identify their underlying motivations for pursuing an MBA, learn how to read between the lines of the popular rankings, and utilize the concept of return on investment (ROI) to evaluate programs on the basis of their contribution to long-term professional and personal goals. At a time when one-fourth of all master's degrees conferred are in business, Finding the Best Business School for You offers practical insights for making wise decisions and getting the most out of the MBA experience.

LC Card Number: 2006008233

LCC Class: HF1131

Dewey Class: 650


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