Considerations for Choosing Your Business School | Paul Martinez Pinzon
For most people, choosing the ideal degree program for themselves and their career is a carefully considered decision. Disciplines, opportunities and requirements are weighed up and compared from a range of universities. Not an easy task. One of our students, Paul, has summarized his decision-making journey.
Something to Consider while Choosing Your Business School
Now that application deadlines are approaching, you are probably doing what I did some months ago: making a shortlist of my favorite master's programs and... comparing, comparing, comparing 😊
Compare schools, degrees, and requirements.
Compare rankings, lectures, and career prospects.
Compare countries, cities, and costs.
I invite you to compare one more thing while making your final decision: check whether the master's programs on your shortlist are offered by a stand-alone business school or by a school that belongs to a university. While both types of schools can provide high-quality academic content, I believe two things can only be offered by a business school that falls under the umbrella of a university. The first one is access to other academic faculties. The second one is a real campus experience.
If your background is, let's say, electrical engineering, wouldn't it be interesting to check what the university's Faculty of Electrical Engineering has to offer? The faculty might have a research center on an interesting field, organize talks from industry leaders, or host events that bring companies and students together. If your business school is part of that university, you will certainly benefit from those initiatives. The RWTH University has more than 45.000 students divided into nine faculties and 16 research centers. It is a vast network you can benefit from. Check more on this topic here.
Business schools usually have a reduced number of students to provide a better learning experience. On the other hand, the infrastructure of a business school tends to be significantly smaller than that of a university. This difference becomes evident in spaces such as libraries, sports facilities, restaurants, and study rooms. If you choose a business school that belongs to a university, you get the best of both worlds: a reduced number of students in the classroom and a university campus that will enrich your academic and social life. As an example of what the RWTH University Campus offers, check the university sports center here.
Take care. I hope to meet you soon.
Paul.
Paul Martinez Pinzon
Student of the M.Sc. Data Analytics & Decision Science (Class of 2023)