The best B-schools in the world based on the two best sources: newsweek.com and businessweek.com are the following.


The University of Chicago http://www.chicagobooth.edu/

Northwestern University http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/

The University of Pennsylvania (Wharton school of business) http://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/

Harvard university http://www.hbs.edu/

Stanford University http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/

Massachusetts institute of Technology http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba



Best business school outside the US is:

IESE business school (Spain) http://imba.ie.edu



This is just a short list, you can do further research with the links below.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/rankings



http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1112_best_business_schools/2.htm

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1112_best_international_business_schools/2.htm

WARNING: B-SCHOOL IS EXPENSIVE O (even though its worth it), IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR IT DON'T COME O . THEY WILL KICK YOU OUT BECAUSE MOST B-SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE ANY FORM OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANTSHIPS. If you can afford it, TRUST ME, IT IS WORTH IT.

Also, on another note, even though the rankings occasionally change, they pretty much remain consistent, especially in the top 15.

Davidif, "worth it" is questionable.

Risking over $100,000 (a tenth of a million) to study a few subjects is questionable in my opinion.

But I guess it depends on the circumstances of your life stage.

Davidif, "worth it" is questionable.

Risking over $100,000 (a tenth of a million) to study a few subjects is questionable in my opinion.

But I guess it depends on the circumstances of your life stage.

Sagamite, trust me it is, especially in business. In yanki, if you were an employer and you have to equally qualified candidates and you have one with an Harvard MBA or some no name MBA who would you seriously pick?

When i say worth it, i mean it really is worth it because you learn a lotttttttttt from the best proffessors in the world who have had several real world experiences. You also get to go to seminars where you have guest speakers who are the lords of there fields (Warren Buffet has never come to my school).
Then you also talk about the alumni connection. My dream job is to work for a wall street firm, specifically the legendary Goldman Sachs but most firms on wall street only recruit from the ivy leagues or the best schools in the country partly because of there obvious intellectual prowess but also because of there alumni network. In going to these schools you get to mix with not only the best and the brightest but those of privileged backgrounds who can network you to other people. Let's not forget that even in yanki, IT IS NOT ONLY WHAT YOU KNOW BUT WHO YOU KNOW that matters, afterall, there are so many smart people in the world. The problem employers have is how do you find this people because not all the smartest people in the world go to those schools that i have stated above.

Some other great business schools are

Yale University

Dartmouth

University of California at Berkeley.

so wetin concern us ? I know business school is a backdoor to the highly selective bulge bracket/boutique i-banks/ consulting 3 (bain, bcg, mckinsey)/ accounting (pwc, ernst and young, deloitte). But very few nigerians can afford it anyways so no need to rub it on their face. Also as someone who attends a target school for Goldman sachs/ Jp morgan all that glitters is not gold. You would just sit down in a small office being part of the machinery and later becoming frustarted because of the limited opportunities for upward mobility as well as the greed. If you want to distinguish yourself, start a company and aspire it to be the next GS/JM

However, if you are rich and you want to become rily rily rich well business school in the way for you .

Deleted as duplicated by moderator to correct spambot. See next post.

Deleted as duplicated by moderator to correct spambot. See next post.

However, if you are rich and you want to become rily rily rich well business school in the way for you  .

Yep, you are right. The problem is that there is sooooooooooooooooo much ignorance in our country.  Instead of posting this topic for general discusion, they would rather post topic like "can you date a 16 year old?" or "NYSC camp: a woman is toasting me".

Our people are not innovative at all. All they want to do is come here, get an engineering degree and instead of inventing something and patenting it, they just want to work in the oil industry that is why we don't hear of any sillicon valley heavy hitters from Nigeria.
Just take a look at this slideshow, and it will show you that most of these people went to the best schools in the world http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/08/0821_most_successful_immigrants/index.htm


P.S When it comes to innovation, Nigerians only know how to boast about Phillip Emeghwali. The man only came up with a software for geology and Nigerians decided to blow it all out of proportion by saying he invented this or that ( the man doesn't even have a Ph. D)

Also as someone who attends a target school for Goldman sachs/ Jp morgan all that glitters is not gold. You would just sit down in a small office being part of the machinery and later becoming frustarted because of the limited opportunities for upward mobility as well as the greed.

Man i have been to wall street before, you don't just sit down in a small office. The offices are huge with a lot of people who have assigned to them computers with 4 or more different monitors where they sell CDO's, CPDO's, CDS and other securities. It is a great interactive workplace where people always mingle with each others, its not some isolated office experience.

Yep, you are right. The problem is that there is sooooooooooooooooo much ignorance in our country. Instead of posting this topic for general discusion, they would rather post topic like "can you date a 16 year old?" or "NYSC camp: a woman is toasting me".

I dig you. yes that's a big problem in nigeria. it serves some entertainment value though and do enjoy all the yabbing and jokes. And the oil problem, I noticed it too. i am happy people with correct heads are increasing in nigeria. Emeagwali is a small fry though very small fry, and nothing to be proud of.

By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year.

Deleted as duplicated by moderator to correct spambot. See next post.

davidif:

Sagamite, trust me it is, especially in business. In yanki, if you were an employer and you have to equally qualified candidates and you have one with an Harvard MBA or some no name MBA who would you seriously pick?

Obviously the Harvard MBA if the no name MBA did not list some great outstanding past experience achievement in his CV.

davidif:

When i say worth it, i mean it really is worth it because you learn a lotttttttttt from the best proffessors in the world who have had several real world experiences.

I guess you probably would learn from the best professors. It is what I would term as a "premium" value proposition. But before I spend my money, I always look at the beneficial difference in the premium and ordinary, then I look at the cost of acquiring this beneficial difference, the realistic returns when it becomes an asset and the alternative opportunity cost.

That is why you would not see me buying a fantastic jacket from Harrods for £2000, when one of similar design but ordinary quality would cost £150 in Next. If I want premium quality, I would rather go to John Lewis and buy theirs for £350. Obviously the Harrods one would be better than John Lewis one, but the difference in quality would not be worth the £1650 difference (which a large part is the cost of the Harrods brand). And the John Lewis one would still be an asset that can generate almost similar impression with the Harrods one, if not then I would look for something else to achieve the effects goal at a fraction of the cost.

$100,000 to learn from anybody in my opinion is a rip-off, not even if it is learning from Wise King Solomon. I would consider it if someone else (e.g. my company) is paying.

Very few jobs would offer you returns on your investment, and those jobs that do are normally stressful and would get their pound of flesh.

If I had $100,000 to flung. I would rather start-up a business (the alternative opportunity cost) rather than do an MBA and then still have to circulate CVs and jump in a suit interviewing around for jobs looking for someone to employ me.

davidif:

You also get to go to seminars where you have guest speakers who are the lords of there fields (Warren Buffet has never come to my school).

If one is so keen to learn such, buy their books. It would cost you less than $70, not one tenth of a million. You will learn more in it than you would learn in the 1hr they speakers would afford you and 100 other MBA candidates at any seminar.

davidif:

Then you also talk about the alumni connection. My dream job is to work for a wall street firm, specifically the legendary Goldman Sachs but most firms on wall street only recruit from the ivy leagues or the best schools in the country partly because of there obvious intellectual prowess but also because of there alumni network. In going to these schools you get to mix with not only the best and the brightest but those of privileged backgrounds who can network you to other people. Let's not forget that even in yanki, IT IS NOT ONLY WHAT YOU KNOW BUT WHO YOU KNOW that matters, afterall, there are so many smart people in the world. The problem employers have is how do you find this people because not all the smartest people in the world go to those schools that i have stated above.

Good ambitions, but take it from someone with similar bulge bracket background it is not the be all and end all. Your dream should be to set-up your own stuff. Working at GS might make you money but for most it does not bring happiness as it is cut-throat, back-stabbing and life-sapping.

Less than 30% of those that go to top MBAs would end up in GS and its like, less than 10% of these would excel in the way you hear in the sensational stories or profiles you read. So you are playing a high risk with your $100K, although it gives you an advantage but in the industry now the power of MBA is waning.

But as I said, it is a good ambition but a better one is to find a product or service people need and use your money to develop it and sell it to people. You get all the rewards and you are your own boss, no need for anybody to give aggressive appraisals despite your MBA. And you can keep a relationship with friends and family.

$100K investment, if spent right, can provide you with a business that turnsover $2m within 3 years, and the profit on that (and capital gains) would exceed virtually all jobs.

The whole alumni network thing is usually just a business school sales pitch to get their hands on your $100K.

I dig you. yes that's a big problem in nigeria. it serves some entertainment value though and do enjoy all the yabbing and jokes. And the oil problem, I noticed it too. i am happy people with correct heads are increasing in nigeria. Emeagwali is a small fry though very small fry, and nothing to be proud of.
By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year.

You are right, the man is such a very very small fry but we blow his achievements out of proportion because pretty much he is the only thing we have.

Good ambitions, but take it from someone with similar bulge bracket background it is not the be all and end all. Your dream should be to set-up your own stuff. Working at GS might make you money but for most it does not bring happiness as it is cut-throat and back-stabbing.

Less than 30% of those that go to top MBAs would end up in GS and its like, less than 10% of these would excel in the way you hear in the sensational stories or profiles you read. So you are playing a high risk with your $100K, although it gives you an advantage but in the industry now the power of MBA is waning.

But as I said, it is a good ambition but a better one is to find a product or service people need and use your money to develop it and sell it to people. You get all the rewards and you are your own boss, no need for anybody to give aggressive appraisals despite your MBA. And you can keep a relationship with friends and family.

$100K investment, if spent right, can provide you with a business that turnsover $2m within 3 years, and the profit on that (and capital gains) would exceed virtually all jobs.

The whole alumni network thing is usually just a business school sales pitch to get their hands on your $100K.

Yes, you do have a point man, the reason why i said it would be beneficial if we went to these schools is that it would help most of us to wanna be successful enterpreneurs. An MBA teaches you how to run a business well, so that you don't make normal mistakes that new business make. It teaches you key things like corporate strategy, negotiations, and key issues that affect the business world nowadays like how to maintain quality control during expansion, where and how to find talent and several other problems in business. The value of an MBA is very valuable because a lot of the people who go on to this programs become very successful enterpreneurs. Just look at the slides that i showed yu about successful immigrants, some of this people went to some of the best schools in the world.

Another thing is that getting a top notch MBA probably in a place like MIT, Stanford or Berkeley which have top research institutions would introduce you to future Sergey Brin's (founder of google) who are looking to start there own companies: it would introduce to the world of venture capital creating more opportunities for you to start your own business.

I dig you. yes that's a big problem in nigeria. it serves some entertainment value though and do enjoy all the yabbing and jokes. And the oil problem, I noticed it too. i am happy people with correct heads are increasing in nigeria. Emeagwali is a small fry though very small fry, and nothing to be proud of.
By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year.

You are right, the man is such a very very small fry but we blow his achievements out of proportion because pretty much he is the only thing we have.

Good ambitions, but take it from someone with similar bulge bracket background it is not the be all and end all. Your dream should be to set-up your own stuff. Working at GS might make you money but for most it does not bring happiness as it is cut-throat and back-stabbing.

Less than 30% of those that go to top MBAs would end up in GS and its like, less than 10% of these would excel in the way you hear in the sensational stories or profiles you read. So you are playing a high risk with your $100K, although it gives you an advantage but in the industry now the power of MBA is waning.

I dig you. yes that's a big problem in nigeria. it serves some entertainment value though and do enjoy all the yabbing and jokes. And the oil problem, I noticed it too. i am happy people with correct heads are increasing in nigeria. Emeagwali is a small fry though very small fry, and nothing to be proud of.
By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year.

You are right, the man is such a very very small fry but we blow his achievements out of proportion because pretty much he is the only thing we have.

Good ambitions, but take it from someone with similar bulge bracket background it is not the be all and end all. Your dream should be to set-up your own stuff. Working at GS might make you money but for most it does not bring happiness as it is cut-throat and back-stabbing.

Less than 30% of those that go to top MBAs would end up in GS and its like, less than 10% of these would excel in the way you hear in the sensational stories or profiles you read. So you are playing a high risk with your $100K, although it gives you an advantage but in the industry now the power of MBA is waning.

But as I said, it is a good ambition but a better one is to find a product or service people need and use your money to develop it and sell it to people. You get all the rewards and you are your own boss, no need for anybody to give aggressive appraisals despite your MBA. And you can keep a relationship with friends and family.

$100K investment, if spent right, can provide you with a business that turnsover $2m within 3 years, and the profit on that (and capital gains) would exceed virtually all jobs.

The whole alumni network thing is usually just a business school sales pitch to get their hands on your $100K.

Yes, you do have a point man, the reason why i said it would be beneficial if we went to these schools is that it would help most of us to wanna be successful enterpreneurs. An MBA teaches you how to run a business well, so that you don't make normal mistakes that new business make. It teaches you key things like corporate strategy, negotiations, and key issues that affect the business world nowadays like how to maintain quality control during expansion, where and how to find talent and several other problems in business. The value of an MBA is very valuable because a lot of the people who go on to this programs become very successful enterpreneurs. Just look at the slides that i showed yu about successful immigrants, some of this people went to some of the best schools in the world.

Another thing is that getting a top notch MBA probably in a place like MIT, Stanford or Berkeley which have top research institutions would introduce you to future Sergey Brin's (founder of google) who are looking to start there own companies: it would introduce to the world of venture capital creating more opportunities for you to start your own business.

Davidif, it seems the spam bot is deleting your posts as well.

Yep, i don't know why? this website is absolutely useless, this is why i say it would be better if Nigerians went to good business schools because as you have seen the owner of this website doesn't know how to run a business. Posters on this web have been complaining for a while about there posts getting deleted and seun is not listening to them. This shows that the man does not the cardinal rule of business; the customer is king. He might learn that if he went to one of those business schools i posted

Oga sagamite, this people don tire me sef. If you want to read my last post, just go to my profile and click "show the last post of this person" right under "additional information" and you would see my response. Useless website.

davidif:

Yep, i don't know why? this website is absolutely useless, this is why i say it would be better if Nigerians went to good business schools because as you have seen the owner of this website doesn't know how to run a business. Posters on this web have been complaining for a while about there posts getting deleted and seun is not listening to them. This shows that the man does not the cardinal rule of business; the customer is king.

You go soon hear from seun 

You go soon hear from seun

I send am message?
sagamite, here is the original post jo.

I dig you.  yes that's a big problem in nigeria. it serves some entertainment value though and do enjoy all the yabbing and jokes. And the oil problem, I noticed it too. i am happy people with correct heads are increasing in nigeria. Emeagwali is a small fry though very small fry, and nothing to be proud of.
By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year.

You are right, the man is such a very very small fry but we blow his achievements out of proportion because pretty much he is the only thing we have.

Good ambitions, but take it from someone with similar bulge bracket background it is not the be all and end all. Your dream should be to set-up your own stuff. Working at GS might make you money but for most it does not bring happiness as it is cut-throat and back-stabbing.
Less than 30% of those that go to top MBAs would end up in GS and its like, less than 10% of these would excel in the way you hear in the sensational stories or profiles you read. So you are playing a high risk with your $100K, although it gives you an advantage but in the industry now the power of MBA is waning.
But as I said, it is a good ambition but a better one is to find a product or service people need and use your money to develop it and sell it to people. You get all the rewards and you are your own boss, no need for anybody to give aggressive appraisals despite your MBA. And you can keep a relationship with friends and family.
$100K investment, if spent right, can provide you with a business that turnsover $2m within 3 years, and the profit on that (and capital gains) would exceed virtually all jobs.

Yes, you do have a point man, the reason why i said it would be beneficial if we went to these schools is that it would help most of us to wanna be successful enterpreneurs. An MBA teaches you how to run a business well, so that you don't make normal mistakes that new business make. It teaches you key things like corporate strategy, negotiations, and key issues that affect the business world nowadays like how to maintain quality control during expansion, where and how to find talent and several other problems in business. The value of an MBA is very valuable because a lot of the people who go on to this programs become very successful enterpreneurs. Just look at the slides that i showed yu about successful immigrants, some of this people went to some of the best schools in the world.

Another thing is that getting a top notch MBA probably in a place like MIT, Stanford or Berkeley which have top research institutions would introduce you to future Sergey Brin's (founder of google) who are looking to start there own companies: it would introduce to the world of venture capital creating more opportunities for you to start your own business.

The whole alumni network thing is usually just a business school sales pitch to get their hands on your $100K

ehn  na lie o, it works wonders. In my school, i even see old alums coming to recruit from our school.

By the way are you schooling the US now? Also would you be interesting in attending the africa business conference at harvard or upenn---they cost a money, but i plan to attend one of them this year

omo, sefago, i can't even afford to even begin to attempt that kind of trip, its waaaaaaaay too expensive son. I was in the north east a couple of weeks ago and trust me i am not trying to go there anytime soon.

By the way, i have heard of a conference like this before, are there a lot of Nigerians over there.

Deleted as duplicated by moderator to correct spambot. See next post.

davidif:

Yes, you do have a point man, the reason why i said it would be beneficial if we went to these schools is that it would help most of us to wanna be successful enterpreneurs. An MBA teaches you how to run a business well, so that you don't make normal mistakes that new business make. It teaches you key things like corporate strategy, negotiations, and key issues that affect the business world nowadays like how to maintain quality control during expansion, where and how to find talent and several other problems in business. The value of an MBA is very valuable because a lot of the people who go on to this programs become very successful enterpreneurs. Just look at the slides that i showed yu about successful immigrants, some of this people went to some of the best schools in the world.

Another thing is that getting a top notch MBA probably in a place like MIT, Stanford or Berkeley which have top research institutions would introduce you to future Sergey Brin's (founder of google) who are looking to start there own companies: it would introduce to the world of venture capital creating more opportunities for you to start your own business.

I guess you are mainly right in these assertions but as I said earlier, it depends on the stage or direction you currently are in.

MBA normally covers mainly Strategy, Ops & Change management, Marketing, Accounting and Finance.

I have a background in Strategy consulting and I have learnt a bit of the stuff you mentioned above (Ops & Change management) as a business consultant. So paying $100K to go anywhere for a gloss or just the pleasure of someone stressing my brain is not that appealing.

Marketing I picked a bit in Uni and is the same genre as Strategy hence it is quite easy and usual, since I have done strategy, to cross over and get work experience in marketing, the Accounting and Finance I can pick up by doing a professional accounting course at a fraction of the price.

I think the MBA might be useful for someone who:

a) is on a wrong track and needs to change industry/profession e.g. a scientist, civil servant trying to get into banking
b) is stuck at a rank and function in his firm and needs to prove he can perform at a higher level
c) does not currently have the privilege of a highly regarded university and needs a bit of gloss from the top unis
d) is out of his depth in business management and wants to be an entrepreneur

Only (b) is possible to have a chance of occurence for me at the moment and be worth $100K. It has not happened yet so I don't see the need of the MBA at my stage or direction.

davidif:

ehn  na lie o, it works wonders. In my school, i even see old alums coming to recruit from our school.

I thought you were referring to advantages of MBA school alumnis (e.g. both of you attended Harvard together). I wouldn't pay $100K for that.

Don't get me wrong though. I think MBA is a fantastic qualification but after the hype of the last 15 or so years, the price of obtaining one is just exorbitant especially from the top schools.

Unfortunately, only the top schools provide a good chance of return but it is still a high risk that might not be worth taking if your direction is on the right track, you can add alternatives with professional qualifications at a fraction of the price and if you know what to do with $100K.

If your firm is willing to pay a good fraction of it, then by all means take it.

If GS was to hire between:

A Stanford Econs grad, with financial consulting experience for NYSE 100 firms and a CFA.

And a Bethune-Cookman University grad with a recent Harvard MBA with previous background as a teacher or charity fund raiser.

I think the first would have a better chance.

But that said, the second would not have a chance anyway without the MBA, so MBA can be a good thing depending on stage and direction.

Unfortunately, only the top schools provide a good chance of return but it is still a high risk that might not be worth taking if your direction is on the right track, you can add alternatives with professional qualifications at a fraction of the price and you know what to do with $100K.

Yeah, i understand that. That is why i am working on getting other qualifications as well.

davidif:

Yeah, i understand that. That is why i am working on getting other qualifications as well.

A very good close friend of mine is currently doing his MBA in MIT and he was hired for the summer by a Private Equity firm and sent to work in Lagos.

He had always wanted to do the whole Corporate Finance stuff so getting a PE opportunity, by all accounts, was even better.

I called him recently to discuss how he is finding PE and if he sees his future in it and the firm. He told me that even PE is small cheese that the level of projects he was exposed to working in Nigeria has opened his eyes. He said some Nigerian guys were making a killing opening up their high profile business projects and all he is looking at now is how to work for himself.

I was shocked as most financiers see PE as the holy grail. 

Hello my brethren, Ive been following your conversation with interest and I must say it really is interesting.

My opinion on the whole MBA issue is that the $100K+ investment in Education is absolutely worth it provided you have subjected yourself to a rigorous self-examination and reflection and decided what you really want out of life.

The truth whether or not you choose to accept it is that top firms such as Goldman, Mckinsey, Bain and Co., Morgan Stanley etc. are extremely selective in their recruiting. These firms I daresay have remained the best primarily because of the talented people they continue to employ; nowhere else in the world can you find a greater concentration of talent, potential corporate superstars and potential global leaders than in a Harvard or Stanford MBA classroom. That is precisely why these top firms focus their recruiting attention on certain 'Target Schools' such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan etc. Thay can rely on the quality and calibre of the graduates of these programmes and be confident in their ability to bring fresh (and profitable) insights into their companies.

You may question the absolute nature of my previous statements but I dare say I have reasons for my conclusions. You need to understand there are MBAs and there are MBAs, You simply cannot even begin to compare a top schools to rest of the pack. What makes the top schools stand out? I am not an authority on the subject but I believe three major factors distinguish these schools from others.

First the calibre of professors that teach on Top MBA programmes are second to none. Harvard and Stanford for instance have several Nobel Laureates among their faculty. These professors apart from being technically sound in their fields are foremost thinkers steadily reeling out fresh ideas that become the stuff of textbooks and are eventually adopted the world over. Examples include Myron Scholes (Stanford) who received the Nobel Memorial Prize for the creation of the Black-Scholes options pricing model, a benchmark formula for the valuation of stock options and William Sharpe (also from Stanford) who received the Nobel Memorial Prize for his development of the Capital Asset Pricing Model, an economic model that weighs the potential gain from an investment against its potential risk.

Second major factor is the quality of the students admitted into these top business schools every year, You need to read their profiles, these folks are not ordinary, I am not talking about grades alone, that is where so many mediocre institutions miss it, I am talikg about accomplishments and leadership potential, In these schools, you find people who have taken the initiative to do meaningful things like starting charitable organizations or leading charitable causes, Bottom line, apart from being incredibly smart (Super high GPA and GMAT), you have to be a well rounded outstanding individual. Forming close bonds with such people over two years will revolutionize the way you think, act and respond to situations around you. These schools realize that potential for success can be displayed in a number of ways not just by detailed knowledge of a particular subject, This is why Harvard may admit an applicant with a very good GPA and GMAT who has accomplished a great feat such as leading a team of Mountain climbers over the Everest in record time and deny another applicant who has a perfect 4.0 GPA, MSc with Distinction, C.F.A and even a PHD but absolutely no extracurricular accomplishments.

Also very important are the Alumni Networking opportunities available at these top schools. Be it a career on Wall Street or in a top Consulting firm or even as an Entrepreneur, It is a great help if you have valuable connections. Certain schools like Harvard have alumni in virtually every sphere of American (and global) society, You just need to look up the notable alumni of these top business schools; this alone is enough motivation to get a top MBA, (George Bush, Henry Paulson, Our very own Bayo Ogunlesi are all Harvard Alumni), Harvard is a LEADERSHIP FACTORY, Other Schools such as Wharton, Columbia, Stern or Chicago boast probably the highest number of alumni that work on Wall Street, Stanford Alumni on the other hand are typically the pride of Silicon Valley,

If for instance your dream is a fulfilling career in Goldman , JP Mogan or a similar firm, an MBA from a school like Wharton or Columbia is probably the surest way in, Different schools also have their particular specialties. This is specifically why I said at the beginning of this post that you need to determine exactly what you want out of life before you dole out a 100Grand on an MBA, If you know all you desire is to be a top shot in one of Nigeria's commercial banks, do not waste your money on an MBA, Simply bringing in Billions of Naira in Deposits will get you to your promised land, the MBA is for people with far bigger dreams,

To my distinguished colleague who would rather spend the 100+ Grand on a business venture, I daresay that is a very noble idea once you have done your homework well, If you have a really great idea, go for it by all means. It is important to note however that top MBAs also focus on building entrepreneurs. A number of successful young entrepreneurs take a break and go to business school for two years to gain valuable insights and make even more valuable contacts. The teaching in the top MBA programmes is revolutionary, These programmes make great use of Case Studies that present some of the most complex business issues that exist today and even issues that they anticipate will exist in the future. Students are encouraged to THINK beyond the limits they have previosly set for themselves, analyse these issues and tackle them while in a classroom environment, Top programmes typically hold Business Plan Contests, The winner of such contests in some cases may receive funding and alumni support to bring the plan to reality. I believe the MBA, while in no way a neccessity if you are on an entrepreneural track, is also udoubtedly HIGHLY USEFUL as a lot of the concepts taught are very relevant in starting and running your own business successfully. Once again, a glance at the notable alumni of top schools like Stanford and Harvard will reveal the number of successful entrepreneurs that have been groomed in these formidable institutions.

An MBA is a lot more than the typical academic qualification, It is also very professional in nature providing you networking opportunities your peers can only dream of, The top MBAs also prepare you for Global Business Opportunities and ensure you do not remain a 'LOCAL CHAMPION' in your chosen field, The MBA as I have said is not only useful to those who have Goldman Sachs or Mckinsey in mind, even as an Entrepreneur, this qualification could really provide the missing link (knowledge, concepts and contacts) necessary to take your business to greater heights.

It is an expensive venture but one I DEFINITELY choose to invest in, Like my friend DAVIDIF, I am an absolute GOLDMAN SACHS FANATIC and I am not ashamed to say so, This is why I intend to go to a TOP business school in the very near future, As I have said repeatedly, let your ULTIMATE GOALS AND DREAMS determine your decision on whether or not to pursue an MBA, Never be a victim of 'CROWD ACTION', Only dead fish swim with the stream, If you've got what it takes and you want to make an impact on the GLOBAL BUSINESS scene, then an MBA may be just the thing for you.

Finally, research has proven that the Economic value of an MBA is directly related to the status of the school you choose to attend, Mega paying corporate establishments like Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, KKR etc are very UNLIKELY to recruit out of certain less prestigious schools. You honestly cannot expect Harvard Business School and University of Maryland's Smith Business School to send their grads to the same companies, Complain as you want, it is not impossible but certainly very unlikely to see a Smith MBA in a firm like The Carlyle Group, That is just the way it is, My advice: do all you can to make yourself the ideal candidate for the top schools, this will give you prestige, virtually limitless opportunities, more confidence and certainly MORE VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY,

I REST MY CASE.

A very good close friend of mine is currently doing his MBA in MIT and he was hired for the summer by a Private Equity firm and sent to work in Lagos.

He had always wanted to do the whole Corporate Finance stuff so getting a PE opportunity, by all accounts, was even better.

I called him recently to discuss how he is finding PE and if he sees his future in it and the firm. He told me that even PE is small cheese that the level of projects he was exposed to working in Nigeria has opened his eyes. He said some Nigerian guys were making a killing opening up their high profile business projects and all he is looking at now is how to work for himself.

I was shocked as most financiers see PE as the holy grail. 

That's interesting because me too, i applied to a private equity firm in the summer through a partner that i know at the firm but i didn't get it. But there are no business opportunities in naija like that. Its not as if you can go to Unilag and look at new innovative technology or new "start-ups" firms that have marketable potential in the future then decide to establish your own venture capital firm like they do at sillicon valley. In naija, everything has to do with banking.

By the way, private equity is not the holy grail, its hedge fund. To me working at Goldmans Sachs' risk arbitrage sector would help me gain experience so that i can start my own hedge fund that specializes in risk arbitrage.

yessir

I think Mba these days are not worth it  or too risky

Especially with all the money invested in school, When I ever i see Mba i just think to my self too much of a risk
In recent times people who have gotten their Mbas are the ones losing jobs when private companies go Bad.

I plan on getting my Mba with a JD just to be safe

or llm and masters in economics