Cornell Johnson

Cornell University, Johnson School of Business

Median GMAT:has risen from 680 to 700 (from class of 2008 to class of 2010)
Median work ex: 5 years
Class size: 270-300
International students:approx 30%
countries represented: approx 25

Johnson is a b-school with a small class. This means one can expect a closely knit community as is the case with Tuck. From what i have read professor's at Johnson open their homes for students (only for helping student's with curriculum).Students can expect high degree of attention from faculty.

Majority of the class opts for a career in consulting or finance (as is the case with most of the b-schools). Johnson is a general management program and its finance curriculum is particularly strong.

What i like most about Johnson is the concept of immersion learning.
"Students in the two-year MBA program complete the bulk of the Core MBA coursework during their first semester. In the second semester of their first year, most choose an immersion learning experience, plunging them into electives, site visits, and live cases aimed at getting them up to speed in their area of interest. " -- cortsey Johnson B-School website
Immersion learning is nothing but the application of theoretical concepts learnt during core curriculum. I personally feel this is one of the best methodology. One applies the concepts during internship. There are certain pre defined immersion programs but if you are not happy with one of them then you can work with a prof and craft one for yourself. Also, Many career switchers report that Immersions are an effective way to gain an in-depth understanding of their new target industry.

{Immersion Learning, also referred to as “the semester in reality,” is an experiential method that allows students to take a hands-on approach to functions such as: Managerial Finance, Investment Banking, Brand Management, Manufacturing, and e-business.}

The school is located in Ithaca NY. I found it a beautiful place (did some googling). The school has consistently been ranked in top 15. Placements are good, even in current bad times 93% of Johnson students got a job offer within 3 months of graduation. This reflects the brand value associated with this b-school. Majority of the job offers are from US companies while 12% students took offers from companies in Asia (sounds interesting).

After going through the website of Johnson b-school and reading articles about the school on net, i can say that Johnson is a school where i would like to apply. But other schools on my list are equally impressive, i can't be sure whether i would apply to Johnson until and unless i evaluate them thoroughly.

Next i will be posting on Tuck (one of the most selective school in USA).