The Biggest Myths About Your Favorite Business Schools

 

Myth: Everyone at Stanford is running a company and has raised millions for it.

Reality: “In my experience, this is actually partially true! Many people want to start a company. Fewer are able to raise money for it, but capital is not as hard to get as a GSB student!”
Suhani Jalota, Stanford GSB

 

Myth: Tuck students are known for being “nice”.

Reality: “The perception or myth we struggle with is that, because we are nice, we are less assertive or direct. I can affirm that Tuckies are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. My fellow classmates have been there for me in ways that, previously, I would only expect from immediate family. My classmates have also been the first to give me constructive feedback and lead difficult conversations, proving that nice and direct are not mutually exclusive at Tuck.”
Andrew Hazel, Dartmouth (Tuck)

 

Myth: You need to be an entrepreneur or start your own business to attend F.W Olin School of Business.

Reality: “Babson’s methodology surrounding Entrepreneurial, Thought & Action is about using entrepreneurship as a way to analyze and solve problems whether they are business problems or social problems. I would say that the students at Babson are extremely unique and you realize that when you start to get to know them. There is not one path that is expected. You get to create your own path based on your interests.”
Ashley Patterson, Babson College (Olin)

 

Myth: Nowhere to “unplug” and prioritize your lives on campus.

Reality: “I have found Sternies to be incredibly engaged and excited to be here. There is always somewhere amazing to be or something awesome to do with a larger group, so long as you are willing to put yourself out there.”
Khalil Zueh Romain, New York University (Stern)

 

Myth: We are all interested in social impact more than business. H

Reality: “I realized upon coming to SOM is that we are all in search of the intersections of social impact and business through various mediums and industries, including sustainability, energy conservation, technology, resource accessibility, etc. We all find our own places where we want to make a difference that are unique. I knew that SOM was diverse, and it is—not only in terms of ethnicity and background, but also in terms of passions, interests, and opinions, all of which add a lot of value to the classroom.”
Elizabeth Varughese, Yale SOM

 

Myth: There is not much to do in the city of Gainesville, where the UF MBA program is located

Reality: “I quickly realized that this myth couldn’t be more untrue. First of all, one of the greatest experiences of my life was attending Florida Gators’ football games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, commonly known as The Swamp. The energy in the stadium was a scene that words can’t accurately describe. Being in a stadium with 90,000 people screaming at the top of their lungs while decked out in Gator attire is a beautiful site where the school spirit is on full display. Fair warning: your ears will be ringing for the rest of the day after the game.

Gainesville is home to some really cool restaurants, breweries, bars, and nature sites. My favorite restaurant is Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, which is not only where you’ll find the best short rib risotto you’ll ever tasted, but it is also a place that has some of the most incredible Florida Gators football memorabilia. You’ll definitely want to bring your camera to take a picture with Steve Spurrier’s Heisman trophy and championship rings. If you are a sports fan like myself, I guarantee that you will love this restaurant for its delicious food and a fantastic display of memorabilia. Gainesville is a beautiful city with lots to see and do.”
John Scurto, University of Florida (Warrington)

 

Myth: There is a belief that a lot of folks only pursue government or public policy positions and that recruiting outside of the National Capital Region will somehow be an uphill battle.

Reality: “I’m confident in saying that my experience and those of my peers couldn’t have been further from this. The greatest percentage of MBA graduates still recruit and successfully place in the finance, consulting, and technology sectors.  As to the location placement concern, McDonough is acutely focused on a global mindset and our graduates ultimately go on to work all across the U.S. and internationally.”
Derek Cunningham, Georgetown University (McDonough)

 

Myth: Anderson MBAs spend their entire two years at the beach.

Reality: “It is beautiful, but it turns out there are also hiking trails, large museums, an up-and-coming downtown, a very fun K-Town (Korea Town), a million taco trucks, and more. Throughout my two years at Anderson, I visited the beach about 2 times per year. Yeah, it is beautiful.”
Jesse Meza, UCLA Anderson

 

Myth: Smeal is a supply chain school.

Reality: “I applied to Smeal for its reputation in the Supply Chain Management field. I found that there were so many great faculty members that had vast academic research in Supply Chain Management and relevant industry experience. However, Smeal also has extraordinary faculty members and resources in other fields, such as corporate finance, marketing, and strategy management. I’ve developed an interest in the finance field in this program, and Smeal was able to provide me with resources and opportunities to build skills that are highly valued in the field where I want to develop my career. Moreover, skills that I learned from Supply Chain Management classes can be used widely in other industries, and I benefited from that during my summer internship.”
Lu Lu, Penn State (Smeal)

 

Myth: Rochester Simon is too quant.

Reality: “If you walk down the halls of Simon, you will see “Unabashedly Analytical” written in big letters across 10-foot glass doors. Simon is undoubtedly quantitative driven, but one myth is that incoming students need to be experts in analytics. Although my background is in analytics, many of my peers come from all types of different fields (teaching, healthcare, banking, etc.). I have not personally witnessed any material correlation between possessing quantitative expertise and performing well at Simon. Having a growth mindset and desire to learn are much better predictors of success.”
Andrew Black, University of Rochester (Simon)

                                                    

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