Amerasia's Adam Hoff lays down his opinion on Booth versus Wharton in an article by Poets & Quants author John Byrne.
“Chicago and it’s not close. Reasons: I believe that we are only now seeing the full force of Ted Snyder’s run there (and that we will see the same trail at Yale over time). I believe he might be the best graduate school dean of my lifetime, so it’s no surprise that Chicago has a massive up arrow next to it in my mind.
“Chicago seems really intent on taking a type of student that fits there, which is someone intellectually curious, willing to take risks, and who wants to truly max out the experience. I would want such an experience and I really like when a school is an active and accurate partner in helping build a great fit. Stanford is the best at cultivating a cohesive fit and culture, but I believe Booth is the next best at this. I also believe Booth’s affinity and appetite for risk would make it more likely that I would find visionary thinkers and bold innovators to collaborate with during school.
“I believe Chicago (contrary to common belief) has a more vibrant social scene. The change to the city’s South Loop neighborhood has turned the only remaining minus for Booth (no real central neighborhood for MBAs to live in and hang out in together) into a huge plus.
“Booth spends money in underrated places. I always compare it to an NFL team that pays big for the offensive and defensive coordinator. You don’t notice it on paper (you look at the players and the head coach), but it it translates to winning in most cases. Similarly, everyone obsesses with the professors at all the top business schools and while they are obviously important, the people running career services, admissions, library and research services, and even registration (so you can work across multiple disciplines) are hugely important to the actual experience. They even have an executive director of marketing (who is top notch), so you know that the brand of your degree is being advanced and protected.
“Finally, there are specific programs I love. I think the NVC (New Venture Challenge) is the best business plan competition out there. The flexible curriculum is great and treats MBA students like the adults and professionals they are. I could really go on and on. I will caveat all of this by saying that I went to Chicago for law school and took some classes (and ate a lot of lunches!) at Booth (then GSB) so I am clearly biased. But I think Wharton is sliding, Booth is ascending (rapidly), and that it’s not a particularly close call in my mind. ”
Read the full article here - http://poetsandquants.com/2013/12/09/where-would-you-go-wharton-or-booth/