Hello,
I have offers from Aston and Bradford but awaiting the interview call from Strathclyde. The admit from Aston was pretty straight forward as it was an unconditional offer but Bradford interviewed me on the phone.
Because Aston is in the doorstep of the 2nd UK city, there have been many favorable posts in the forum suggesting people to choose that rather than Bradford but for me, the real confusion is between Aston and Strathclyde.
If I get an offer from SBS, it means firstly, I'm getting an offer from a B school in the top 100 of FT rankings and secondly, the HSMP application would be a walk in the park but since SBS lies in Scotland, the network is arguably weaker compared to Birmingham as it's closer to London.

My question is, do these things matter in the first place? Should I blindly believe the ranking? Why did Aston take a huge hit in the 2011 ranking? Finally help me choose between Aston n SBS

Thanks,
KK

Don't blindly follow the rankings. I think the rankings give one a broad overview of the schools' reputation in context. I like to see that a school is somewhere in there, but for me, how schools move each year doesn't really matter. I suspect that Aston's "downfall" has more to do with the FT wanting to get new, international faces in the top-100. (Yes, I am cynical of school rankings).

I'm not sure there is going to be a big difference between networking in Birmingham and Glasgow. But there are some more informed people on this board who could make a more informed recommendation between Aston or SBS. Good luck!

@Evan

Thanks a ton mate! I'm more inclined into the cynical side when it comes to analysing rankings but wanted some reinforcement in the form of opinions of others. But regarding networking and job prospects, I have extensively heard that Aston has the edge. Any Aston alumni or anyone who knows alumni would definitely help.

Hey ! Regarding the "downfall" of Aston in the rankings this year - It's not much of a downfall. It's because the alumni were lazy enough not to provide FT with their salaries.

I have received an Unconditional Offer to join Aston in September 2011. I was really shocked they were not included in this year's FT rankings. I did some research and found out its mainly because Alumna's failed to give all the necessary info about their salaries.

I'm in a dilemma myself. Not knowing if i should be skeptical about the rankings and alumni network - the alumni network is the weakest link in Aston by the way - but answering your question; i believe Aston is a much better choice than SBS! In terms of networking, student diversity and all that !

Best of luck to you! We might end up being colleagues !

cool buddy! But if u analyse, SBS' program structure from the look of it, is superior to many other UK universities which boast of their rankings. The emphasis on strategic management is indeed unmatched and their alumni network is pretty good considering the fact that it's based out of Scotland.

Anyways, I will be able to make a decision in a fortnight's time n hope I end up making the right one. Where are u from? m from Bangalore India with an IT experience of 6 yrs.

KK

I'm from Beirut, Lebanon. I have 4 years of experience in HR.

Good luck !

@All,

I got through Strathclyde and have decided to pursue the same though I would never pan Aston as it's a great school as well.

KK

@All,

I got through Strathclyde and have decided to pursue the same though I would never pan Aston as it's a great school as well.

KK