B-School Culture Really Does Matter

Those of you who attended small colleges for undergraduate study may be keenly aware of this fact, but schools do have a distinct culture and it is important to determine how well you fit in when selecting which schools to apply to or ultimately attend.  Most MBA programs matriculate somewhere between 300 – 800 students a year (this may be different for some distance learning or part-time programs).  Business schools generally don’t spend much time with other graduate programs, so in essence you are attending a school with 600 – 1,600 students, a generally cozy situation. 

More importantly, a significant part of the value derived from attending an MBA program is in the network you develop.  It’s very hard to build relationships when you’re a die hard outdoorsman, and the rest of the school is filled with sci-fi junkies.  Furthermore, it’s not always easy to get a read on the culture during the application process – schools tend to present themselves as being all things to all people, and most students will have their best faces on in the presence of prospective students.  Being in an environment where you fit in will enable you to achieve the most and get the most out of your experience.  So do your homework or talk to somebody who knows or you trust.  You don’t want to overlook this aspect.