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how do you choose from the top mba schools to find the school that best matches your own aspirations and requirements? the following checklist details all the factors that you need to consider:

1. where do you want to study?
2. what are the admission requirements?
3. what is the graduation rate?
4. is the mba school or mba program accredited?
5. what is the ranking of the mba school or the mba program?
6. what student support services are available?

1. where do you want to study?

one important factor is the geographic location of the business school. do you want to study nearby or are you able to travel nationally or internationally? this can have a major effect on the cost of your mba program and also on your admission requirements so you do need to choose carefully.

some of the top mba schools, such as university of phoenix also run distance learning and online mba programs which can be worth considering.

2. what are the admission requirements?

if you are aiming to be admitted onto the program at one of the top mba schools, you need to be sure that you can meet the admission requirements. be honest with yourself and assess what your own abilities are.

we know from feedback from our visitors that one of the most daunting aspects of the admission process is the mba admission essay, particularly as you need to make the admissions officer or committee aware that you are not just another 'standard' applicant.

to help you with your admission essay, mba360.com have teamed up with essayedge, the net's admissions essay resource who will ensure that your mba admission essay is unique and memorable and we highly recommend their services.

in addition, one of the best books available to help you get into the top mba schools is abc of getting the mba admissions edge which is officially supported by mckinsey and goldman sachs, both of whom are major recruiters of mba graduates from these top business schools.

3. what is the graduation rate?

one of your main objectives when choosing to study for an mba is that you need to be sure that you are going to be able to graduate. otherwise, the investment of time and cost will be wasted. find out from the business schools that you are applying to what the graduation rates are for their mba programs.

if there seem to be a lot of students dropping out of the program or if the graduation rate is very low, find out why. similarly, if the graduation rate seems very high, ask more questions until you are comfortable with the answers.

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mba360.com highly recommend the following additional resources to help you to select from the top mba schools:

4. is the mba school or mba program accredited?

accreditation is really an independent review of the mba program offered, or of the mba school offering it. it is an indication that the content and academic level of the mba programs offered meet the standards or requirements of the accrediting body.

the issue of accreditation is interesting in respect of the mba, as there is no universal governing body to control the award of the mba. however, there are three main independent organizations that accredit the mba programs or the mba schools. if you are looking for more details of these organizations, you can visit their web sites by clicking on the link below, which will open up a new window:

• in the usa: aacsb international - the association to advance collegiate schools of business (formerly known as the international association for management education and, before that, the american assembly of collegiate schools of business) - aacsb international accredit mba programs.
• in the uk and parts of europe: amba - the association of mbas - amba accredit mba programs.
• in europe: efmd - the european foundation for management development - who operate equis - the european quality improvement system, which is the system used to accredit the top mba schools.

the accreditation of the mba program or the mba school undoubtedly helps to increase the reputation of the mba gained and you should certainly do further investigation if there is no accreditation of either the mba school or its mba program. whilst there may be a reason behind this, it is a fair assumption that employers are more likely to be interested in mba graduates from accredited programs or top mba schools than ones who are not.

5. what is the ranking of the mba school or the mba program?

rankings of top mba schools generate a lot of interest and are a subjective assessment of the quality of the school or the program offered. they are based on questionnaire answers and there are many criticisms of the methodologies used. however, they do provide another tool to help you to select the right business school for you.

for full details, please click here for mba rankings.

remember that whilst business school ranking is one factor in your overall decision, the best determinant of whether the business school can be considered to be one of the top mba schools for you is how it will help you to achieve your goals.

6. what student support services are available?

you need to evaluate the services that you need to help you to reach your own goals. firstly, what support services are available to you when you are studying and secondly, what support is there in terms of career counseling and support?

when you are studying is there sufficient support available, such as libraries and computer labs if you are on-site or access to course materials if you are off-site?

also, how much support will the business school offer to help you land the job or internship that you are aiming for? you will need to know what career services are provided and how successful these have been for previous students and graduates of that particular mba school.

once you have decided what business school you are going to apply to, you need to make certain that you are prepared to pass all aspects of the admission process.

for help with this, you can visit the mba360.com pre-mba section where you can find help on how to achieve high scores on the gmat and make your mba admission essay unique and memorable. alternatively, you can save this page to your favorites and come back when you are ready.

click here for more information on the mba from regis university.

named a top mba school by u.s. news world report

for 10 consecutive years..