Who should you talk to? Alumni.

I'm still in the slightly frazzled state of mind that results from the application process. Spending dozens of hours rehashing and rearranging the minutiae of my vocational history for various forms has been somewhat numbing. I'm only applying to three schools, and I'm very glad I chose such a small number. When I have more information on my experiences at those schools, I'll be sure to post them at Clear Admit's Wiki (http://clearadmit.jot.com/WikiHome) -- an excellent use of that technology, by the way.

Recent experiences have led me to a few more observations about this whole B-school thing:

1. Alumni are the best source of information about whether a particular (or any) B-school is appropriate for you. That glossy brochure? That MBA conference? The campus visit? All propaganda. And hell, you don't go to B-school so much for the educational experience. The reason you go for an MBA is the employment that comes afterward. (I'm a geek, and I'm honestly thrilled with the prospect of going back to school. But I don't need to spend $40,000 a year to learn.) So I need to know how others who have gone through this process have done. Alumni can tell you what sort of doors their school opened for them. They can tell you the truth about different industries and careers. If they are 2-5 years out, they are far enough from the experience to give you perspective on the place of an MBA in your life. Alumni can tell you what you need to know. Seek them out.

2. The B-school applicant forums (and blogs) are a sort of hyper, obsessive version of reality. Try to ignore them. You know you read them. We all do. They're filled with all sorts of bizarre pissing contests about rankings, admissions, GMAT scores, etc. Ugh. Yet you can't look away from it all, either. If you were to base your picture of B-school solely on these sources, I think a lot of people would withdraw their applications. From their online personalities, I really hope a lot of these people don't end up as my classmates.

For me, the ugliest part of it all is the "rankings snobbery." A few unofficial "tiers" of business schools have come together in many people's minds, based on the various published rankings. It seems that the BW crowd believes that "H/S/W" are way out front, then a ways back lies a second tier, then way behind them a third tier, and finally the remainder of the top 20.

Unfortunately, this becomes self-fulfilling after a while, driving applications, which in part drive rankings. Nevermind the fact that the finance-oriented schools that send huge percentages to I-Banking will always get a boost in the rankings as long as salaries are part of the criteria. Nevermind that the changes made to the criteria weightings are more responsible for schools moving up and down the rankings than any substantial changes at the schools themselves.

Of course there are better schools and worse schools. But forum discussions would have you believe that the gaps between them are huge. I think this is highly exaggerated.

3. Spreadsheets are your friends. (Is that a sad thought, or what?!) Maybe this is just an obsession of mine, but I've found that over the past few months, I've made dozens of models analyzing the "B-school" vs. "No MBA" scenarios for my future. Regardless of their numerical outcome, the very fact that I made them indicates that I should go to B-school.

4. Why are so many schools interested in what my parents do?? That should matter about as much as my shoe size and favorite flavor of ice cream. So why is it on so many applications? I'm afraid that as someone with parents who make only slightly above minimum wage, I don't like the implications of business schools wanting to know that information.