Wharton or Booth: Where Would You Go?

Sandy Kreisberg, founder of HBSGuru.com

Sandy Kreisberg, founder of HBSGuru.com

Sandy Kreisberg, founder of HBSGuru.com:

“I’d tilt towards Wharton but I’d check out hiring in my target industry, e.g. who hires, how many kids got hired in this field recently, what their backgrounds were, who visits campus. I’m a firm believer that the blah, blah, blah of what the school itself says goes on there for two years is pretty commoditized–despite the schools spending endless time and money decorating their own piece of coal.

“You attend a school because of the brand and job you will have leaving. Sure, you could change your mind about what you want to do, and many do, but going to the best brand will give you a leg up in your new goal as well.

“Chicago may be ahead of Wharton on some odd rankings (e.g. Business Week, Forbes, and The Economist) but to the educated business executives in all fields, including finance, tech, and consulting, that just ain’t true.  All that said, they are both fine schools, and Chicago is moving up in the world. It just takes a long time to change perception, which is the only thing I am interested in.”