One of the main concerns for MBA aspirants in making their choice prior to joining the program is the size of the class. Some of the schools make smaller classes their USP while others claim bigger the better.
In the US, Harvard Business School (HBS) leads the pack in cohort size enrolling 934 students for its Class of 2018. Wharton follows next with 851. Colombia has 558 students.
At the other end of the spectrum is Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Business with just 175 students. Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business has a class size of 181 students and Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business 185.
Bigger Cohort Advantage
Schools with large student intakes claim that students would benefit from having a greater pool of classmates to share knowledge and experiences.
Correspondingly, the extensive alumni network would prove extremely valuable for students in netting career opportunities after completing the program.
Small and Cosy
Votaries of smaller class say it provides a more closely knit community. Quality of interaction than quantity makes a difference
Average Size
QS Top MBA, analysing the number of students admitted in the MBA classes of 20 US b-schools, found an average intake size of 382.
At around this level were the 360 and 390-strong class of 2018 cohorts at UCLA Anderson and NYU Stern, respectively.
However, this average is more than double the number of students joining the MBA classes at the Kelley School, Goizueta and Vanderbilt this year, each of which have fewer than 200 students.
Does Size Matter?
Thus, it could be said that both the relatively bigger and the smaller MBA classes have their plus and minus points. It would be up to the prospective student to work out which size best suits their interests and personality and which is most likely to facilitate what they hope to achieve by enrolling in an MBA program.
