The Ultimate “Smackdown” Series: MBA Program Intel

Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) has just released an update to its legendary MBA Program Smackdown series. Curious about success factors for MBA application essays, what makes each program unique, why past admits selected one program over the other and/or comparative job placement for each of the programs? How about sample application essays on MBA career goals, HBS’s new essay topics, or Stanford GSB’s What matters most to you, and why? Look no further. The Smackdown series is a must-read for MBA applicants before launching into school evaluation, application planning, and essay development. 

Across each of these deep-dive school comparison summaries, we showcase the advice of the former MBA Admissions Officers on our Stacy Blackman Consulting team. We also reviewed the overviews with the current Executive Directors and Admissions Officers at each of the MBA programs and incorporated their insights, perspectives and advice. We highlighted  the advice from successful Stacy Blackman Consulting clients and how they navigated their admit decisions.  

Read about insider admissions tips and critical perspectives on top MBA programs at the links below. 

Curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant. 

Harvard Business School vs. Stanford GSB: The Ultimate Smackdown
Described as “deftly-written with a ton of useful info side-by-side,” this HBS versus GSB smackdown is rich with information, including candid insights from the former HBS and GSB MBA Admissions Officers on the SBC team.

Columbia vs. Wharton: The Ultimate Smackdown
Hailed as “100% spot on for both schools, a remarkable piece and one of the best comparative stories,” you won’t want to miss out on this Columbia vs. Wharton smackdown.

Northwestern Kellogg vs. Chicago Booth: The Ultimate Smackdown
Northwestern Kellogg and Chicago Booth have long been fierce competitors. In this Kellogg vs. Booth MBA smackdown, you’ll learn how these programs are similar and how they are different.

MIT Sloan vs. Berkeley Haas: The Ultimate Smackdown
MIT Sloan vs. Berkeley Haas are on opposite sides of the country. Yet, there are similarities between MIT and Haas that we evaluate here, along with admissions insights.

INSEAD vs. London Business School: The Ultimate Smackdown
Consistently ranked as top among the European MBA programs, INSEAD and London Business School (LBS) offer truly global B-school experiences. Recruiters overwhelmingly agree that candidates with international experience outperform those without, and that global priority has pushed many applicants to head abroad for the MBA.

You can read additional insights on how to find your MBA program here:

Career Recruiting by MBA Program

MBA Program Deadlines & Average Test Scores

MBA Program Rankings

Additional comparisons follow below, although these were not updated in the current year:

Duke Fuqua vs. Virginia Darden: The Ultimate Smackdown
Tight-knit culture and community are hallmarks of both Duke and Darden’s MBA programs. Let’s get critical through this new smackdown here.

Oxford Said vs. Cambridge Judge

Check out Stacy Blackman Consulting’s B-Schooled Podcasts for more guidance on evaluating MBA programs and tailoring your MBA applications. Here are relevant B-Schooled Podcasts:

School selection and program strengths: B-Schooled episode 7

Choosing between MBA programs: B-Schooled episode 196

12 MBA program considerations *beyond* the rankings (Part 1 of 2): B-Schooled episode 155

12 MBA program considerations *beyond* the rankings (Part 2 of 2): B-Schooled episode 157

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Stacy Blackman Consulting’s B-Schooled Podcast is hosted by Erika Olson, Harvard MBA, and Chandler Arnold, Stanford GSB MBA. B-Schooled now has more than a quarter million downloads and 200+ episodes.  Search and sort through our 200 B-Schooled podcasts. 

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Stacy Blackman is the founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). We are the only consulting firm in the industry that has a complete panel of former MBA Admissions Officers from the top US and European MBA programs. SBC holds the #1 ranking on MBAinsight, CollegeConsensus, ClearAdmit, BeattheGMAT, ExamStrategist and we are  #1 out of 11 firms for the presence on our SBC team of former MBA Admissions Officers by PoetsandQuants.  Sign up for SBC’s E-Newsletter for valuable insider intel culled from the former MBA Admissions Officers on our team and real-time learnings: stacyblackman.com/newsletter  Request a free MBA Advising Session call: stacyblackman.com.