<p>In addition to my major courses and extra-curriculars, I plan to either research with a professor (Management/Econ/Law) or study a foreign language (German). I don’t have time to do both. Which of the two would a Top 25 Business School prefer to see in a candidate?</p>
<p>Aside from English, I know Filipino/Tagalog, studied it in primary and secondary school because I lived in the Philippines for 17 years. I’m considering German to get exposure to a European language and culture, since I already know an Asian language. However, I can imagine that doing research with a professor will look good too on an application. Which should I choose? Thanks.</p>
<p>Business schools tend to be more practical. I’d say learning a language would be more marketable. However, it depends on your professional aspirations. Engaging in pertinent research could also be very appealing.</p>
<p>Language: Spanish/French.</p>
<p>You live in LA…why learn German and not Spanish?</p>
<p>My professional aspirations after business school aren’t clear yet; I know I want to work as senior management in some company (don’t know which industry yet), or possibly start my own business. Between undergrad and business school though, I plan to work in management consulting, or maybe banking or something in the securities/investments industry. How useful would research experience be in these fields?</p>
<p>As for choosing German, I figured so many people (especially from LA) are learning Spanish, and I wanted to be different. I know German isn’t useful in LA like Spanish, but I find it to be a cool and interesting language. And if I ever do Int’l Business, I’d love to go do business in Europe, and German is the 2nd most spoken language in the EU (English being the 1st).</p>
<p>Forget about b-school and “what’s look good” for a moment. Go with the one that you are going to enjoy the most. My gut feeling is you prefer learning German. </p>
<p>Good research skill (when framed as problem solving) is always helpful regardless the profession you get into. For many b-schools, college-level activities are less scrutinized than post-college professional experience. The fact one’s has learnt a new language or done a research project in college in itself usually has little bearing on b-school application outcome.</p>