Rice vs the Big Name B-Schools

In an upcoming show for MBA Podcaster, we'll be comparing regional schools with the Big Name B-Schools. So today, I talked with Sean Ferguson, Associate Dean of Degree Programs at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University. Elegant and eloquent guy.
Ferguson says Rice does well as a regional school at a top twenty national university. Its largest alumni base outside of Houston is New York, followed by DC/Maryland/Virginia, and then Dallas. He points out that Texas has the fifteenth-largest economy in the world.
Ferguson says for B-students who are deciding between regional schools or the big name B-schools, recognize whether you know what you want.
"If you want to do finance," Ferguson says he tells students,"I don't think there are ten better schools to do Finance than Rice. If you want to do Energy, there aren't two or three schools better than Rice to do Energy or Entrepreneurship."
Another thing to consider -- big name schools are less likely to pay the freight. Those regional schools might just give you a scholarship, and your ultimate ROI will come much faster.
Regarding regional schools, Ferguson says "You can't be all things to all people, because you don't have the scale." And he says a recruiter won't bring a whole team down for 120-people, but Dallas-based companies might.
Overall, if you choose carefully, he says "Many regional schools stack up just as well with the big boys."