If you have both the degree and the experience, then you’re definitely a good candidate for management jobs right out of school.

As for reputation, yes, it matters. Employers may not always ask to see your grades, but they will look at the education section of your resume to see where you went to school. And more talented alumni mean better connections for you when you start job-hunting. That’s not to say your career is over if you don’t make the very top tier, but aim as high as you think you have a shot.

Marketing and branding are very competitive fields to get into. If that’s what you want to do, go to the best school you can and get top grades while there. Northwestern, U of Chicago, USC and UCLA are known internationally for Marketing.

Pepperdine and UC Irvine are known regionally for their MBA programs in general, but not nationally (though Irvine has been working hard at increasing awareness of their program).

Do as well as you can on the GMAT and then I would try for Stanford, UC-LA, USC or UC-B. Other good schools closer to Cali include UT-Austin and Rice. If you’re really looking for an innovative school check out the Acton MBA program in Texas.

How well you do in school and the internship you get will to a great extent dictate where you end up after school. For example, if you do well at your internship, it’s a good shot you’ll get a job offer from that company.

But, don’t just think ahead to your first job, instead use B-School to develop a network of connections. That’s where a good b-school will help in the future.

the first thought that came to my mind upon reading this post was 1. WHY is college tuition fee is America ridiculously expensive? WHY do colleges need so much money? A college is NOT a company like Apple or Microsoft. My sister will graduate from her 4 years of university soon and the total coast of tuition pee paid during those 4 years….is OMG too much. the amount is almost as much as the U.S. national debt. 2. do colleges REALLY need a lot of money? 3. America is currently facing an economic crisis; it is predicted to be one of the worst ever in U.S. history. So unemployment is a rising issue, the economy is getting spoiled and there are more innocent citizens suffering beneath the poverty line. And i am NOT against the government but the federal government doesn’t seem to be sorting it out well. I don’t know that much about the ecnonomy, so I learned from my sister (she’s a business / economics major) and i can tell that the nation, the economy and so on are all facing a crisis. Soo….i don’t know but unless the government promises to like help the poor pay for college or something I strongly suggest that colleges DO NOT raise tuition fees. Otherwise…America will face an even worse educational crisis. Does the stuff I typed make sense? hope it does. And……the good news is that the expensive tuition fee paid to a great college was actually worth it since my sister got a great job 2 weeks before graduation.