Perfect B-School for a Career in Consulting, Banking, IT or Entrepreneurship

Business Schools, especially the very top ones are expensive investments. While they are hard to get in, for those aiming for them, it is not just about the name and the brand value associated to it. What matters also is which all companies hire from the B-school of your choice. Even though rankings keep changing, any person would tell you that in the end…all the Top 20 Management Schools of the world are equally good. They keep shifting positions from one year to another and from one magazine to another. What remains consistent, however, is the companies that hire from these colleges. They come once and keep coming back. And over years, some B-schools get established for their ability to cater to one specific industry. We talk about this very thing.

For the purpose of ease, the article talks about 4 broad categories of industry, namely,

• Consulting
• Banking and Financial Services
• IT and E-Commerce
• Entrepreneurship (Given the recent trend of start-ups!)

So, if you are intent on your chosen career in a particular segment, here’s which all top schools you should look into.

Consulting

Consulting is by far the top hirer from all the top B-Schools combined. No matter which consultancy you look at – be it McKinsey or the Boston Consultancy Group or indeed Accenture, the Top B-Schools of the world are all best places. Of all the top B-Schools however, Chicago Booth and Kellogg. Both the colleges scored high when it came to placements in top notch consultancy firms in 2014. In fact, McKinsey alone hired 215 graduates from Kellogg last year. 4 consultancy firms together hired 35% of graduating class of Kellogg. Similar is the number for Chicago Booth.

So if your heart is set on a career in Consultancy, then aim at these two colleges to further increase your chances.

Banking and Financial Services

The other major industry that seems to look at the top B-Schools continue to be the Banking and Financial Sector. If crunching the numbers and finding the best possible financial solution attracts you then you need to look at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate Business School. 29% of the graduates of Stanford’s Class of 2013 were taken up by the sector. A whopping 12% of which went to the Private Equity Sector. So, if you aspire to be an Investment Banker, then Stanford and HBS are your prime selections.

IT and E-Commerce

IT giants all over the world continue to hoard the Top B-Schools. And if you aspire to be at Google, Microsoft, Apple or even Amazon then Michigan Ross and Columbia should be in your top prime. A large number of graduates from Ross were picked up by the e-commerce giant – Amazon along with other giants like Google, Microsoft and Dell. Columbia saw a steady pick by Google as well. Apple, however favoured UCLA Anderson.

Entrepreneurship

If, contrary to all the above, you aspire to have your own start up, then the top choice goes to Harvard Business School and Stanford again. A record number of graduates from these colleges successfully started their own ventures with an investments ranging over 2 Million Dollars. Every dream requires that one push and if you have your own brilliant idea…these B-Schools would be the ideal place for you to ponder over them, dwell on and grow on them and get adequate funding as well from investors.

So take your pick, and before you decide on the top B-School, find out which one is most conducive for your chosen career. Here’s a quick tip…every top B-School releases an employment report that states which all companies hired from it and what percentage for which industry. Wait for the same and before you apply, have a peak.

All the best!