There is no depth to my shallowness.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
It's going to take me an extraordinary amount of will power for me not to apply to Stanford. I really want to apply. It is considered one of the best (the best, by some) schools in the world. It has an amazing program in arguably one of the most scenic campuses with undoubtedly the best weather. With grades, competition and class ranking nearly non-existant, Stanford has all of the perks with little of the downfall that can permeate other top schools.
The problem is that I would fit in at Stanford like Mel Gibson at a Shabbat dinner. I'm so east-coast conservative, it isn't even funny, and Stanford is so not. One of the descriptions that some MBA applications consultant gave Stanford was, "Students spend a couple years passing the hookah around and then get paid Two Big Ones for offering their naïve opinions to ignorant business owners." That annoys me. I get the image of wanna-be, future CEO hippies smoking pot and talking about how big corporations are evil and that there are no ethics nowadays. Seriously, if you wanted to save the world, you shouldn't be chasing after your MBA.
(On a side note, it has been shown that Wal-Mart, the big, bad, evil corporation who likes to eat babies and kill families actually creates 100 jobs for every 50 it destroys and also may be singlehandedly keeping inflation in check in the U.S.)
The fact of the matter is that, in my uneducated and unwarranted first look, I think that Stanford and I are a terrible match. I think business school should be fast-paced, cut-throat
(to a point) and high-impact. Something about the laid-back California mentality doesn't jive well with getting an MBA. However, in the end, it won't matter. I will probably apply to Stanford anyways. Why?
I am a brand name whore.
I see you with your foot in the stirrup, ready to mount that high horse of yours to tell me that the point of business school is to find a perfect match for you. No, it isn't. The purpose of business school is to get a brand name on your resume so you can wow headhunters and network with others who have that brand name on their resumes too. Perhaps, I'm simplifying here, but I think you'd be lying to yourself if you didn't think that the name on your diploma makes a difference. Sure, Harvard vs. Buttfuck State College will have a significant difference, but I also think Harvard vs. Darden or even Harvard vs. Tuck can make a difference too. Yes, yes, I know that anyone who knows anything knows that Harvard, Darden and Tuck are all upper-echelon schools. Nonetheless, there's a reason that even though a Lexus and a Toyota are both good cars, people prefer one to the other.
When it comes down to it, I'll probably end up applying to Stanford, and they'll probably deny me due to our terribly outstanding differences, but my GMAT score should garner me at least a couple of look-overs before they burn my application.
posted by mbahunt @ 12:05 AM,
