Why I chose to go to Stanford Graduate School of Business

Note: I wrote this before I started at GSB, but my reasons for going to GSB hasn’t really changed in my two years here. I’ll probably write another post in the future after I graduate in June 2014.

This is a question I get asked a lot, so I thought I would quickly list out a few reasons as to why I ultimately decided to attend the Stanford GSB. Note my views were formed from visiting Stanford GSB’s admit weekend (so it would be inherently rose-tinted), and talking to over 40 alums from the various top b-schools as part of my application process.

Anyway, here goes:

• Nice: like all top business schools, the GSB attracts people of amazing talents (amongst my classmates are NASA space scientists, high street fashion entrepreneurs, military officers and senior movie executives to name just a few). One thing that stood out to me, however, was that the Stanford GSB people were exceedingly NICE. The general consensus at the school is that business should not be a zero sum game and that b-school education is about increasing the size of the pie rather than your own slice of it. Which leads nicely onto my next point…
• Collaboration: due to the belief that everyone can get a better outcome by working with, and not against, each other, amazing things happen at the school (like this). The school also actively encourage this by allowing the enforcement of the Grade Non-Disclosure Policy and taking courses from other faculties is EXPECTED.
• Change: people who go to Stanford GSB generally have an innate desire to change the world. Unlike most people who want to change the world however, these people have insane talents, incredible drive and ruthless execution to ensure their dreams come to fruition. Failure is seen as a natural part of the process, the important thing is to think BIG, start SMALL, fail QUICKLY and scale FAST!
• Ecosystem: I don’t know the ecosystem of other entrepreneurial centers like Boston so can’t comment on how it compares, but the entrepreneurial ecosystem that Stanford has built up over the last 70 years is nothing short of breathtaking. They have so much institutional knowledge, industry connections and infrastructure, that everything I thought were “obstacles” melt away as merely excuses to not do something. How can you not do something when you have initiatives like this and this.
• Inspiration: yes the program has amazing teaching staff (Schmidt, Condi, Grove, Joe to name just a few); yes the student body is amazing; yes Silicon Valley is an amazing place to be to be inspired. All those things make Stanford GSB awesome, but the most important thing that struck me was that almost every one of my classmates were intimidated by what everyone else has achieved, in a good way, which means everyone is incredibly humble and eager to learn from each other. There is an infectious idealism at the school and Stanford students and alumni inspire and support one another to reach their OWN dreams.

Want to continue the conversation on this topic? Feel free to comment here or ping me @bowenpan.