Until recently this was very much my bailiwick and I absolutely wouldn’t count on it. The GSB is pretty stingy with course access for undergrads (and even students from other grad programs). Do not expect to get your feet wet at the GSB.
Admission to the GSB is a long-shot for absolutely everyone (although they have historically taken a lot of Princeton and Stanford grads) but I really wouldn’t base today’s decision on some hypothetical future scenario. Choose for the you that you are today, not the person you think you might be in 7-10 years.
While Stanford and others don’t publish their # of grads per school, of course, higher echelon schools will be well represented for the same reason they were to begin with - top kids out of high school will often be top kids at the time applying to grad school. Still with 165 schools representing 900 or so student, it’s clear the breadth of schools is large- the reality is, for every 10 kids who go to Stanford, there might be one or half of one or whatever the # that go to Iowa State - but that kid, with a great work experience and test score, has every bit the opportunity to get into a top school.
Validating this - and I’m not sure where they get their data - is the Fortuna Admissions team who says:
"A number of candidates hailed from state schools as varied as Cleveland State, University of Minnesota and UC Davis. And outside the US, Chile’s Pontifica Universidad Catolica and Imperial College London supplied more students than Oxford or Cambridge. This data speaks volumes about what’s central to the admissions committee at Stanford GSB – and it’s not the status of your school, but the power of your story (and ability to convey it with coherency and clarity).
Similar to law schools that do publish the # of school data and the top all have a wide swath of schools - I do think, given work experience is so critical for grad school, the name matters less.
All that said - we are talking Princeton vs. Stanford, not Portland State vs. Salisbury - although grads from that level of school could certainly also get into a top MBA program and likely do.
“An unsurprising (if staggering) number of candidates earned their undergrad in the Ivy League or Stanford (36.8%), as we report.”
Some math…
The Ivy League plus Stanford have about 60,000 total undergraduate students combined. There are about 18 million college students in the USA and about 200 million in the World. In Fortuna’s words it is “staggering” how over represented the elite undergraduate schools are at elite MBA programs like Stanford.
Stated differently, those 9 schools constitute a paltry 3/100ths of 1 percent of the global pool Stanford draws from, but make up 37% of students. This statistical benefit thankfully is undeniable and overwhelming from both schools you are considering.
As an aside it should not be surprising that a company that represents itself as staffed by coaches “uniquely qualified to help you strengthen your profile, position your application and target the best schools” also concludes
“the power of your story (and ability to convey it with coherency and clarity)” are important factors in determining admissions outcomes.
OP: Are you a transfer student or will you be entering as a freshman ?
(I ask because of your post on the Cornell transfer thread.)
Have you visited both schools ? (Very different vibes.)
P.S. OP: You have not shared enough information about you, your interests, your exposure to each school, and your career goals beyond an intention to earn an MBA degree in the future. (Which suggests that Cornell Dyson–your other acceptance–should be given serious consideration.)
Flip a coin, whichever wins, how do you feel? Pick one and try it on for a few hours. Wear the sweatshirt out. Tell a stranger you’re going there. How does that feel? Study the Class of 2028 Instagram pages. Do some of them seem like your kind of people—ones you’d be excited to know?
Truly, you can’t make a bad call. But it is yours to make.
Anecdotally, if it’s useful, I’ve lived in the Bay Area most of my life and have spent most of my career at consulting firms (MBB), so I’ve known plenty of Stanford grads over the years. They usually stick around the Bay Area for the rest of their lives, or they make their way back here at some point. The ones I know well are well-rounded with tons of interests, and are down to earth, outdoorsy, and friendly in that affable, charming kind of way. Of course, I’m sure there are all kinds of people who attend, but it’s left me with a positive impression of the place. I’m sure others will remark that Princeton has just as many fine alumni!
So personally, if I was doing college again I think I would actually choose an LAC versus a college in a research university. But of your two stated options, Princeton is closer to my current ideal, so that would make it the easy choice for me.
But you are not me, so that may or may not resonate with you.
Yeah. I figured that it could be helpful info for anyone who happens upon this thread, especially those considering an REA/SCEA app or those lucky enough to be admitted to both.
That being said, a decision update would be welcome.
Hey guys!
I decided to transfer to Stanford!
While it was an extremely hard decision, even when I matriculated, I’ve struggled with the decision -
but I am going to continue being happy and trying to have zero regret.
Thank you guys so much!