Take Two Bskool

I've gotten many questions from friends & family regarding the lack of 'safety net' schools in my target program mix. I briefly touched on the safety school topic in early November, but I never quite explained my target school choices.

Most importantly, I wanted to select target schools that, if accepted to any, I would be absolutely thrilled to attend. Ideally my target mix would have included 4 schools, but my September GMAT date coupled with increased responsibilities at work had me against a tight timeline. I chose Wharton, Haas and Kellogg for the following reasons (among others):

-- general management focus at each school
-- strong track records of post-MBA placement in brand management positions
-- healthy, student-run marketing clubs
-- reputation for accepting and producing bright, motivated and driven professionals
-- my academic focus on marketing would not mean sacrificing a strong base of cross-functional knowledge in core & non-core classes
-- national and international alumni networks (though Haas has strong West Coast reputation, it has a great brand name and many alumns working across the country and world)
-- excellent email, phone and in-person conversations with students from all three schools and a general comfort/fit with each school's cultures

I chose not to include a safety school(s) because I simply cannot justify the the expense of a degree that could possibly fail to position me to achieve my own goals. I learned this lesson the hard way -- there simply wasn't the recruiting at my mid-tier undergraduate institution that my six-figure investment warranted. This lesson was near and dear to my heart when choosing target schools at which I would make an even larger six-figure investment (most of which will be loans) into a graduate institution.

This strategy, of course, is a risky one. Take Two Bskool could easily become Take Three Bskool if my bet doesn't pan out. I'm just that insane. ;) Let's hope Take Two is the final take!