Georgetown and Yale – Why It Never Hurts to Have a Strong Pedigree

In previous posts we’ve covered why following the latest b-school rankings is a waste of time, and what the (pretty static) rankings of the programs are.  In this post we’ll talk about two programs that have defied this general convention: Georgetown (McDonough) and Yale (YSM).

Both programs are relatively young in business school terms, both being less than 40 years old.  However, both of them have managed to claw their way over other older programs in the esteem of the public and prospective students to make legitimate claims of Top 25 status.  What’s the secret to their success?  Both have plenty of money and savvy administrators sure, but at the end of the day one key component to their rise underscores a significant aspect of the overall value proposition of the MBA: Pedigree.

Outside of business school the overall reputations of both schools are incredibly strong.  Yale is of course an Ivy League school which can at least make a case at being the top undergraduate school and Georgetown possesses a powerhouse academic reputation in its own right.  The population at large certainly doesn’t know much about the prestige of business schools, but they certainly know the overall reputations.  This halo effect of the overall schools helps it attract great students.  Furthermore this phenomenon may be more pronounced outside the US.  This is not to take away from the two MBA programs, which are both high caliber, but it was certainly easier for them to build their reputation than equally well equipped public schools. 

So depending on what your post MBA plans are, you may do well to consider this point when selecting schools to apply to.  And in the extraordinarily small chance Princeton decides to open a business school – you should definitely apply there.