Do you really think that those who attend top-tier schools are better equipped to succeed at companies after graduation? I am not one from a top-tier school, but I don’t think I am any less capable than those who graduate from Harvard and Princeton to do my job later on. Although, the competitive pressure out there really does question my capability and suppress my confidence. A recruiter at a bulge-bracket told me that they only look at resumes from 3 schools and chuck rest of the others out. I don’t go to one of those 3 schools. I know they get bombarded with resumes and this saves them time, but I really think they are losing out… =(
I agree. Think it is just easier for HH to rule people out.
I predict this thread will not get very many replies.
It means something when you search for your first position out of school. After that, it’s all dependent on you.
talk about beating a dead horse
drs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > talk about beating a dead horse Agreed. Geezus — he must be a neophyte.
Has anybody ever compared CFA exam pass rates of MBAs vs. non-MBAs?
look around the top finance firms (investment banks, VCs, PE, Hedge Funds) you will see that an overwhelming % of the those folks went to top schools. It’s not that those schools (in an of themselves) create the opportunities / success, it is that those schools tend to have high quality graduates. High correlation not causality. If you are able to get into one of those schools and do well there, you are more likely to “succeed”
Gecco – very well said. The highest achievers (as a whole) will seek out (and be accepted to) the most challenging/respected universities. It is not that going to these schools makes these people more qualified, its that on the whole, highly qualified people gravitate towards these schools. So, yes, you may very well be just as capable as an H/Y/P grad but you chose some other school for whatever reason. HR/recruiters are lazy, and the average grad of H/Y/P IS more capable than an average grad from any other school, statistically speaking. Thus the practice of targeting these schools. /end dead horse beating
For the employer, it’s all about risk minimization. A manager can’t make a bad decision by hiring someone from one of the top schools; if that person doesn’t pan out, it’s the person’s fault, not the manager’s. The older I get, the more apparent it is to me that the great motivator in organizational behavior is avoiding blame. To wit, see the original poster’s comment about the recruiter. By looking at candidates from only three schools, the recruiter strictly limits its own work / input and culpability in pushing candidates toward its clients. Lower expenses, less work, get paid, avoid blame… sounds like a good biz model, huh. This is a useful thing to keep in mind when you’re interviewing. The hiring manager is likely to hire the candidate who is the lowest risk, and if you’re going up against candidates with better resumes, you’re going to have to beat them in the interview.
frisian Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > For the employer, it’s all about risk > minimization. A manager can’t make a bad decision > by hiring someone from one of the top schools; if > that person doesn’t pan out, it’s the person’s > fault, not the manager’s. The older I get, the > more apparent it is to me that the great motivator > in organizational behavior is avoiding blame. > > To wit, see the original poster’s comment about > the recruiter. By looking at candidates from only > three schools, the recruiter strictly limits its > own work / input and culpability in pushing > candidates toward its clients. Lower expenses, > less work, get paid, avoid blame… sounds like a > good biz model, huh. > > This is a useful thing to keep in mind when you’re > interviewing. The hiring manager is likely to > hire the candidate who is the lowest risk, and if > you’re going up against candidates with better > resumes, you’re going to have to beat them in the > interview. Well said, frisian. You’re right. I’m going to have to work twice as hard to show them what I got. WHOO!!! I shouldn’t complain, and I’m not complaining… anymore anyway. There’s nothing you can’t do if you keep tryin’.
I think they are better equipped. Bill Gates said just talking with Warren Buffett and bouncing ideas off him helped him run Microsoft better. In the same way, going to a school with the best professors and smartest peers equips you better. I go to a top 20 MBA after starting at a Tier 2 MBA and the difference in my learning is exponential. If I went to a top 5 school I imagine it would be exponentially higher than it is now. Plus, companies are interested in your network. If you went to Harvard and you suck, you probably know a lot of people who don’t.
in my opinion, good firms recruit at good schools b/c the good schools act as a filter. you could look at just about any school and compares its students to the five schools ranked higher and the five schools ranked lower and ability will be mostly indistinguishable. some firms might choose to limit their recruiting to only a few schools, but my guess would be that this practice is limited to the absolute MOST exclusive shops. at most, the school you attend is getting you nothing more than an interview. after that, it’s all you.
Hiring from top schools is also a great marketing tool for companies. They like to show their clients that their people are from top programs. It can add instant credibility to a firm.
virginCFAhooker Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Has anybody ever compared CFA exam pass rates of > MBAs vs. non-MBAs? its misleading. if u attend HYPWS and landed in banking/PE, you wouldnt need to take the CFA. only those that were “subpar” would take the CFA.
Beating the dead horse is fun! The only people that complain about being just as good as those from the top schools are those that didn’t go to one. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but if you were good enough to go to a top 5 school you should have gone. If you didn’t, then yes, there are people more qualified than you who will get the first look when it comes to hot jobs.
just want to clarify though, I’m talking about undergrad. Of course, I think for MBA, the top-tier is the way to go.