Business schools vary in size, from small, intimate campus settings to very large institutional environments, with a lot of variation in between. The size of the incoming freshman student body at business schools is directly related to the student experience. Smaller schools may have more competition for fewer freshman seats, although larger schools with stronger reputations and rankings may also be difficult to get into. The average class size for first-year core classes, the number of electives offered and the number of professors are good gauges of the educational experience at the school. Size of the school also has an impact on specialty programs and initiatives that are available, such as international finance and research.
Tuition at four-year business colleges can vary from school to school. Scholarships, grants, student loans and internships offset some of the costs of tuition, which ranges from $7,000 to more than 100,000. Top-ranked business schools, prestigious private business schools and business schools near major centers of international finance and commerce such as New York have higher tuition than those located elsewhere.
Professor reputations at business colleges make a big difference in student experience and success factors. Most schools publish student evaluations of classes and teachers, a valuable preview of the course and the teacher. Some teachers are published authors or experts in a specific area of business, making their classes more valuable to business students and making early registration more important. Finding out about the professor before taking a class can mean the difference between just earning college credit toward a degree and gaining valuable insight from an experienced expert in your field of study.
Applying to business school is an involved process requiring good preparation. Pay attention to application deadlines and apply at the earliest possible date. Grade point average, Graduate Management Admission Test score, recommendation letters, admission essays and admission interview are all reviewed during the application process and should reflect the student's best efforts. Staying organized within the application process is extremely important, especially when applications to several schools are involved. A file system with accurate calendars helps to keep things on track. Begin building a file on schools of interest long before the application process begins.