Myth #9: HBS Is for Everyone

As strong a program as it offers, Harvard Business School simply is not the right fit for every single MBA candidate. We are not writing this to bash HBS—in fact, you can even replace “HBS” in our myth with the name of any other business school, because no program is truly appropriate for every candidate—but we are hoping that you will use this statement as a trigger to critically appraise your target MBA programs and determine which schools are truly best for you. Ask yourself the following questions to start:

Would I prefer to be in a larger program, or would I be overwhelmed by a larger program’s size?
Would I prefer to be in a smaller program, or would it feel claustrophobic?
Would I prefer to have a flexible curriculum with a consistent stream of new classmates and where I could make my own academic choices early on?
Would I prefer to have a comprehensive core curriculum set out for me so that I am, for a period of time, learning the same material as my classmates according to a predetermined course structure?
Am I best suited for programs that use the case method, the lecture method, or strong experiential components? (And do I really understand what each entails, such as the teamwork and public speaking that are necessary for the case method?)
Do my target schools match my academic objectives?
Do my target firms recruit at my target schools?
Are alumni well placed in my target industry/post-MBA location? (Are alumni even important to my career?)
Do my target schools have facilities and an environment that appeals to me?

Again, these questions are just a start—we could certainly pose many more. Our point is that you will get far more than a brand from your MBA studies. You will get an education and an alumni network, and you will spend two years of your life and thousands of dollars on your experience. So skip the rankings, determine what is important to you in your selection process, and then do your homework so you can pick the program that truly fits you and your needs.