Its a question many people have been asking me 
Especially, since I was also interviewed by UCLA and have been Waitlisted.
I have been communicating the following points to people who ask me (sorry.. they are reformatted chat discussions).
1. I got more clarity as I went through the app process and realized that I want to get into working at startups/small businesses (not just technology based, but also looking at transport, clean tech, hospitality, sports, manufacturing etc.) – I feel Babson gets a lot more people who work in small firms outside technology and start small businesses in varied fields compared to other schools.
2. Babson, while a small school and rated tier-2 by BW, has an exceptional entrepreneurship program – at all levels. I read the list of BW top 100 America’s most promising startups and in the first 50, there were 4 Babson startups. Babson’s undergrads and grads both start many startups. Its a culture at Babson, not just a subject or concentration.
3. Babson has a lot of its faculty drawn in from people who studied or taught at Harvard. I might not be going to Harvard, but I will surely benefit a lot from alums and former teachers at Harvard who are now at Babson.
4. Babson is well known in the entrepreneurial community – a group of my clients includes a professor at Stanford and a serial entrepreneur. Both had good things to say about Babson (albeit with some concerns on small alumni size).
5. Babson is located near Boston. Harvard and MIT are a short drive away. I can interact and participate in many events at Harvard and MIT … 2 of the worlds top schools… best option for me, since as an IIM (Indian IT Male) guy, getting into Harvard and MIT is difficult for me. Babson grads participate in a lot of club activities at Harvard, MIT and vice versa.
Hence the location factor is very important.
6. Im looking to spend a semester abroad or visit Canada for industry networking. Toronto is a few hours drive or 1 hr by flight. Ontario is the hotbed of Canadian startups. Both closer from Boston.
7. I met some amazing people through Babson. They have treated me well, are down to earth and are people I identify with. They are daily people who have done good work in their life and careers and are looking at setting up businesses in the near future. I’m really privileged to be in the same class with them.
8. Last, but most importantly, I love cities that have culture, things to do, are safe and have good public transport. I feel Boston is better for me that way compared to LA.
All this educational and professional opportunity at a great price – I got a good scholarship from Babson.
That’s essentially the gist of my thought process in selecting Babson. Your thoughts?
Pingback: Fridays From the Frontline | B-School Admissions Formula
very good reasons, except that I slightly disagree with number 8.
LA has a culture, albeit different from Boston, and many things to do, and is safe in most parts. and public transportation…well, that one is true, haha.
Haha!
What I meant to put across was that I feel more connected to the Boston culture
After my stay in Tokyo, I’ve become addicted to good train systems. That was a clincher
Pingback: Tweets that mention Why Babson? « Rocky’s Journey to an MBA -- Topsy.com
Hi Rocky,
You were recently nominated for Clear Admit’s annual Best of Blogging contest! You might find this post helpful in terms of getting a better sense of the time line (http://blog.clearadmit.com/2010/04/best-of-blogging-nominees-2009-2010/). To receive your ballot and an nominee icon, please contact ‘bob’ ‘at’ clearadmit.com.
Congratulations!
Hi Rocky,
Great Blog! I especially enjoyed your most recent post on Babson. Can you provide me with a link to the list of BW top 100 startups as I can’t seem to find it. I am currently in the process of deciding whether to obtain my MBA at Babson or Kelley(BusinessWeek rank #15) in the Fall.
While I currently work on Wall Street, I plan to make a career change and launch my own business after B-school or take over a family business located on the East Coast. Originally, I thought Babson was the best option but Kelley also has recieved very high marks in the field of entrepreneurship. According to CNN Money/Fortune Magazine “The Kelley faculty reads like a who’s who of entrepreneurial-thought leadership. Executive director Donald Kuratko not only wrote the textbook on entrepreneurship but has also collected every major award. The faculty swarms with experts.” According to Kelley’s website, they also have achieved numerous #1 rankings for their entrepreneurship program. (http://kelley.iu.edu/JCEI/AboutUs/Rankings/page1131.html)
Any thoughts or insight you or others can provide might be helpful. I realize Babson has an exceptional program but its hard to turn down the BW #15 school for a BW tier 2 program. The most compelling argument I can make for Babson is the east coast alumni network of entrepreneurs is probably stronger since Kelley is in the midwest and majority of alums seem to be in Chicago. Overall, thoughts??
Hi FSO,
First up, I’m really sorry mate! Your comments went into the spam queue for some reason and I only saw them today. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay.
Babson vs Kelley is an interesting toss-up. I had considered Kelley a while back albeit for their Information Systems masters program, but never for their entrepreneurial offerings.
A. From what little I have gleaned of Kelley:
- solid MBA program with basics in place and good currency with employers
- good team work culture
- small town atmosphere, laid back and relaxed, low cost of living
The negatives for Kelley (from talking to people) have been that the location is in the interiors and getting out will become a problem. Given that you want to set up your business on the east coast, location will be a big factor I presume.
Again, I must stress Babson’s location in Boston where you will get to participate in venture events at not just Babson, but also nearby schools including MIT, Harvard, BU, BC et al. Boston is the #2 entrepreneurial hub in the US behind only Silicon Valley. I would assume your chances of finding funding are proportionally higher in Boston compared to IN.
B. Kelley wasn’t a school that necessarily came up in my conversations with people when we talked about entrepreneurial schools. I must say that I don’t have much idea about their entrepreneurial offerings or the quality of their faculty. I can definitely say that Babson was top of or near the top of most people’s minds when I discussed entrepreneurship with them.
C. A key factor you might want to look at is probably the amount of financial aid you would get at either school. I have been waitlisted at UCLA (another top 15 school), but I withdrew my application since I figured that the cost differential between UCLA (program + living) and Babson (program with aid + living) would be well invested into my business venture in the near future. I spoke with my former boss (a founder of the startup where I worked) and he agreed with my reasoning. This also helps me keep things flexible. I didn’t want to be tied into a typical MBA job I didn’t enjoy purely for visa (being an international student) and money reasons post my MBA.
D. Another factor I considered for Babson was the professional goals of the people around me. A lot of my fellow admits are already floating ideas and trying to forge partnerships to take them forward. In our class of 150 odd people, I can safely say that there will be atleast 2-3 new companies started along with several on-going ventures. Will you get a similar peer-group at Kelley?
E. The link is here: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/06/0627_fresh_entrepreneurs/1.htm
Its America’s most promising startups and not the top 100. Apologies for the mistake.
I hope this discussion helps you. Please feel free to write back to me. We can also take it forward on email.
Wish you the best!
RB
Rocky, I really enjoy your blog, especially the most recent post. Do you have any thoughts on Babson vs Kelley? Trying decide which would be the best choice for me in the fall. Leaving Wall St. to make a career change and launch my own business on the East Coast.
Babson has an exceptional program, but Kelley ranks #15 on BW and its entrepreneurship program has achieved many awards too. According to CNN Money/Fortune Magazine, “The faculty reads like a who’s who of entrepreneurial-thought leadership. Executive director Donald Kuratko not only wrote the textbook on entrepreneurship but has also collected every major award. The faculty swarms with experts.”
Kelley entrepreneurship rankings are also very strong:
http://kelley.iu.edu/JCEI/AboutUs/Rankings/page1131.html
Any insight or thoughts?? I appreciate your help.
Congratulations, Rocky!
I found your blog, as I periodically do searches for Babson-related information.
I am currently going through the Babson Fast Track program. I initially had my doubts as to whether a blended learning experience could come close to a live classroom experience…make no mistake about it– this is a serious MBA that is presently requiring 20-25 hours/week of my time. I have to admit– in some ways, a blended learning environment (that mixes both synchronous and asynchronous learning) has its advantages.
You’re absolutely right. The Babson students are very genuine, helpful people. I run a small company myself, and I couldn’t be happier that I chose Babson. Entrepeneurship is my life, but now that I’ve been going through the classes, I realize that I have many holes in my thinking.
Anyhow, I wish you the absolute best. As fellow Babson students, perhaps we will some day cross paths!
Regards,
Carey
Pingback: Nominated for Clear Admit Best of Blogging!!! « Rocky’s Journey to an MBA
very good reasons, except that I slightly disagree with number 8. thanks for information. blog niche
Thanks EJ. Appreciate the feedback.
Rocky, congrats on your admission, acceptance and scholarship to Babson. You’ve absolutely made the right choice, and one that’ll pay dividends over the long-term. Of course being a Babson Alum, I might be biased. I even wrote a blog post about what a Babson MBA is worth, to me at least. http://www.thommitchell.com/2010/03/28/whats-a-babson-mba-worth/
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Best of luck and hope to see you around campus.
Thom Mitchell
Babson MBA ’08
http://www.thommitchell.com
Hi Thom,
Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. I have been a regular reader of your Babson posts and I benefited a lot from reading about your experiences in the program.
I have read the post you shared, though I am re-reading it now
There is a comment poster (vkasi) who is interested in the Fast-Track MBA program. I have suggested for him to get in touch with you regarding the program.
Are you in and around Boston? We should plan to meet during some slow period during my program
RB
P.S: I had left a comment regarding MS Excel on your blog a few days back.
I am planning to apply at different schools for part-time/fast track MBA. I work full time at Boston and hence full-time MBA is out of the equation for me. But, while I was atarting to research on things, I had a couple of questions on Babson.
I am aware that Babson is well known in the field of entrepreneurship and their MBA program preaches this every minute. But, how about general management ? How well is it recognised by industry peers and general employers both in northeast and across US?
I do not intend to start any new ventures or business of my own in the future and my aim in studying for the MBA is to get a well rounded management education that is respected and the things that i learn be applied across different industry verticals as I grow in the senior levels of my company (or any prospective future company). The thing is I love management and have the appetite for it and have been in that capacity for some time now at my current company. But, it has been more on the job than anything formal.
I am also looking at part-time programs only in and around Boston area. that leaves me with probably 5-6 options : BU,BC,NorthEastern,Babson,UMass,Bentley and all of them offer the part-time MBA program.
Based on my research, I really liked babson as a good MBA program, but I am not sure if it is for me due to emphasis on entrepreneurship which automatically is percieved as intention to start own venture. One can be entrepreneurial even within the confines of an office is another matter. Your thoughts please ?
Also, I am not sure which ranking to follow for a benchmark.
Since some of you guys in this blog are already deep into this kind of thing as you all are applying at various schools, can you let me know the good schools among the above in Boston that offer part-time MBA all around ?
Hi vkasi,
I will take your comments pointwise:
1. Babson is well known for entrepreneurship: True. But the definition of entrepreneurship as perceived and promoted by Babson includes BOTH self-initiated ventures as well as innovative initiatives in an existing corporate setup (eg. setting up a new division, growing a new business area).
Babson also practices what it preaches. There are a high number of people starting their own ventures, but the nature of the program is such that people going into the industry also demonstrate a tremendous value-add for their employers. Babson has executive management programs in partnership with firms and also has the Fast-track MBA for working professionals.
2. In terms of industry perception, as far as I know, Babson has a strong brand equity in the North East. Pan-US, I’m not sure. You might want to check with people in your line of work in other places for that.
3. Individually, every ranking will have its strengths and flaws. You might want to look at FT, Businessweek, USNews et al in a holistic way. Rankings could be a springboard to start from, but a lot more goes into a school than merely the rank. Also, ranking methodologies and actual ranks for full-time and part-time programs will vary.
You might want to look at Thom Mitchell’s blog (http://www.thommitchell.com/) and also speak with him. Thom is an alum of the Babson Fast-Track program and his blog has data which will help you with your school research, Babson’s strengths and weaknesses and also industry perception.
Hope this helps! Good luck.
RB
Thanks for the useful comments RB…yes…I have also been following up with Thom Mitchel through his blog and he was kind enough to share some of his insights as well…I am at an initial research stage of finding out what concentration and which school is best for me in the long term. So, it never hurts to get as many opinions…
Now, I have yet to appear for my GMAT. How much prep time is generally required to get a good score…? By good score, I mean a score respectable enough to confidently start applying to colleges…I know it depends on an individual’s ability to grasp things etc and hence it is difficult and unfair to put a number to the prep time…
To set a realistic expectation, I don’t have illusions of acing the GMAT in the 700+ range although my aim and prep would be along those lines…Lets assume i start fresh in terms of prep with a good engineering back and school background plus good number of work exp…
By the way, I read your take on GMAT and it was an interesting read as well as good comments by others…
While I concur on most of the points that you have mentioned against GMAT being considered a yardstick, one way to look at it from a grading perspective by schools is to simply test the fact that you can sustain the workloads of an MBA rigor and that you are serious about it…If one cannot get a decent score on a standardized test that is pretty basic relative to a MBA curriculum and one on which there are countless coaching classes and books in the merket, then what level of confidence and expectation can be set on him/her to sustain the MBA workload ? In a way, the schools are probably doing us a favor by having such a standardized test that allows us to set realistic expectations for ourselves before starting to invest/blow more money. Also, your point of testing MBA aspirants on calculus is not valid as more percentage of candidates are from a non-engg background and you are creating an imbalance and bias right there…IMHO, studying for an MBA is all about out-of-the box analysis and lateral thinking and while GMAT does not reflect that adequately, it comes close at least to the extent of gauging one’s seriousness in pursuing an MBA and taking the time to prepare and sit for the exam.
That being said, making international students take both the GMAT and TOEFL is bogus. What can one find out from TOEFL that cannot be found from GMAT ? No idea.
And it should be absolutely made unnecessary for working professionals at US irrespective of the nationality. I am sure one cannot survive at a work place here if one doesn’t have a decent grasp of English.
I think the time varies quite a bit n prepping for the GMAT. I am also in the Fast Track program- I spent about 3 months preparing and got a 750 (shock for me). I think practice tests are very useful, and more importantly making sure the time you put in is quality time with minimal distractions. I have heard times from a few weeks to over a year, but with varying intensity in the number of hrs/week spent.
Also, any suggestions on some good GMAT study materials (books,courses etc) would help. I am afraid I would get lost in the countless books and classroom courses available in the market on GMAT prep. So, any suggestion without BIAS would be appreciated. I plan on putting a hour or 2 everyday in terms of prep timelines and am targeting a 2 month turnaround before I take the actual exam. Is this bullish or is it within reasonable expectations ?
Hey vkasi,
I have to be honest with you. I’m not a good candidate to ask for GMAT prep. Its true that I took the GMAT twice, but I spent 12 days studying for my first attempt and only 10 for the second, which I took 6 months after the first. The strategy I followed for my second attempt was to take the mock GMAT tests 4 times. I used Manhattan GMAT for Sentence correction, reading comprehension and critical analysis in the last 3 days before my main test and that was pretty much it. My final score was in the range of scores I was getting on the mocks. I credit MGMAT with improving my score by 20-30 points on the final day.
Having said that, you should probably read this post by my friend Hari (http://hariformba.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-mba-application-journey-from-gmat.html) who is a GMAT taking expert by now. You will also benefit from the material on Beat the GMAT portal.
One thing I will say is to be strategic about the exam. If you are an engineer, usually you will find quant pretty easy and score around 48-49 with little preparation (mainly probability, statistics). I had a Q48, V36 in my first main GMAT attempt. I knew getting from 48 to 51 in Q was gonna take a lot of time so I focussed on improving my V score. Similarly, once you take a practice test, you will know where you stand and you can prepare strategically from there.
Keep an open mind about retaking the exam. Most people take it twice anyway. Also, most important thing is to keep cool during the test. You might not know the answer to some questions at a critical time, so just make a good guess and move on.
An hour or two each day for two months is a good enough schedule. Good luck for the exam!
RB
Pingback: Accepted… | Rocky's Journey to a Babson MBA
Wow, I’m falling in love with Babson college!