P&Q’s Must Reads: Ranking MBAs By Return-On-Investment

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: Ranking MBAs By Return-On-Investment

A new Bloomberg ranking of MBA programs by return-on-investment has come up with a ton of counter-intuitive surprises. Among them: the most highly ranked, prestigious programs typically have ROI that is below the median. In this ranking, there are at least 50 other full-time MBA program ahead of Harvard Business School in return-on-investment.

But who in their right mind would turn down an admit offer from HBS to get an MBA at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business & Economics, which has an ROI more than double Harvard’s. In fact, only one of the top 25 business schools in this estimate of ROI is ranked among the top 25 MBA programs in the U.S.

You can see the full ranking, and John Byrne’s analysis of it, in our trending tab.

No. 2: The Top MBA Admission Consultants Of 2024

Enlisting the help of an MBA Admissions consultant is as popular as ever, but picking the consultant who will provide the best bang for your buck is no easy task.

Our eighth annual list of the top MBA admission consultants can help. We base our list on independently verified client reviews on the Poets&Quants‘ consulting directory, which now boasts a total of 606 MBA counselors.

If you’re in the hunt for a good MBA admission consultant, start with our 2024 list, which you can find on our homepage. While you’re there, check out the complementary story about on the Top MBA Admission Consulting Firms.

No. 3:  This French B-School Is Represented By An Incredible 26 Olympians In The 2024 Paris Games

If you’ve been watching the Olympics in Paris the last couple of weeks, you’ve likely seen a business student from French business school Emylon try for gold. Emylon, which has a campus in Paris, has an impressive 26 Olympians competing in the games.

The student athletes, all representing France, are competing in a range of events, from Basketball to Rowing, Fencing to Soccer, Pentathlon to Rugby.

Check out this story, in our news tab, for a full list of the athletes, their events, and their business programs of study.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: Top Tips To Nail The New Harvard MBA Essays. Tackling the new Harvard MBA essays requires thoughtful reflection and strategic storytelling. This article, in our featured post section on our homepage, tackles HBS’ first new essay question.

Next: How To Highlight Growth In Your MBA Application. This article explores vital success factors that will get you noticed. Find it on our homepage. 

Finally: 2024-2025 MBA Application Deadlines. 

This guide has all the relevant dates and deadlines – Rounds 1 and 2, interviews and decisions – for the top business schools in the world. You can find it in our admissions hub.

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.