Very interested in returning to my alma mater for business school...but will it look phony if I discuss how much I want to return, because of university loyalty, if I haven't paid my alumni dues? Are the admissions people even able to access this information?

I was wondering the same thing. I am not currently in my university alumni association, but was considering joining shortly. At any rate I applied to my alma mater for an MBA and was waitlisted, then eventually rejected. I was wondering if I would have been active in the alumni association if this might have made a difference for an applicant like myself who was close to being admitted. I am unsure if they can access this information or not, it would be nice to know though.

I used to work for the alumni association at my alma mater and can say that it is a completely separate entity and for the most part alumni associations are a rip off. Now if you are talking about giving money specifically to the business school, that might be a different story, but even then I doubt they would care. Most new graduates (0-5 years out) cannot (and are not expected to) afford to give much if anything to the school. Once you make it big, then they will come after you:) I just know that fundraising is completely separate.

Out of curiosity, do you mind saying where you went to school for undergrad?

I know for my undergrad that you automatically become part of the alumni association when you graduate, but that if you pay dues you get extra benefits (gym usage, can access parking lots, discount at university store, etc.). I've paid dues in the past but the benefits work to the best if you actually visit the campus during the school year, which I won't be this spring. I have been active in the alumni association as far as interviewing potential undergraduates, representing at college fairs, etc. so hopefully that will show that I'm loyal!

Looking for thoughts on best school for aspiring entrepreneurs. I have my opinions (and yes, I've done the research, seen the US News rankings, etc -- this forum is not my substitute for doing my homework), but interested to hear others. I'm thinking M-7 schools...

My thoughts: Stanford, Wharton, HBS...maybe Chicago. Agree?

The school of hard knocks.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think entrepreneurship can be taught. And for true entrepreneurs B-school is a waste of time.

Depends what type of entrepreneurship (tech, consumer goods, product dev, VC, etc etc.). As someone who aspires to be an entrepreneur and refined my school search with entrepreneurship in mind here are my list of top schools for entrepreneurship:

MIT (Tech/Biotech)
Stanford (Software/Internet)
Harvard (VC)
Kellogg (Consumer Goods/Family)
Babson (General)
Haas (Software/Internet)
Wharton (VC)

I have heard the "real entrepreneurs don't go to B-school" argument and think its totally wrong. I know tons of entrepreneurs who have gone to B-school and been extremely successful.

You learn very particular skills at B-school that aid you in increasing the probability of success of your venture. Sure - you're not going to learn everything in B-school - but you will gain lots of valuable skills that will inform your decisions in starting your business.

Why would you venture on something extremely risky (like many entrepreneurial ventures) blind? I have met several entrepreneurs who have failed and have gone back to B-school to learn strategies and skills that will help them navigate the landmines of venture startup more tactfully. I have also met the success stories of people succeeding after B-school in the new ventures that they start.

Also, B-school is a great environment to work on ideas and business plans in a structured environment with great feedback (while using the opportunity to learn many other business skills).

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Our March BC Business Days was last night and I was accosted by a few of you because I haven't posted a blog in a while. "Brendan posts a blog every week" (not true). "Brendan talks about his internship." Brendan does this - Brendan does that. I had a serious talk with Brendan last night at the bar - I might outsource some of my blogging to him. We learned that in Operations. But if you want to check out his blogs, go here: http://blogs.chatuniversity.com/bccsom/index.php/brendan

The rankings came out this morning - US News gave BC the highest-ever ranking in the school's history. We've reached the Top 35 and the next step will be the Top 25. After meeting a bunch of our new admits for 2010, I'm pretty confident that we'll get to the top sooner than anyone thinks. Everyone seems much smarter than me. Which is a good thing.

You've read about this semester thanks to (cough) Brendan's blog. He's doing that "finance" thing - FSA (Financial Statement Analysis) has left a number of students with glazed eyes. I, on the other hand, decided to take a different route. My classes consist of: Strategic HR Management - an excellent class with Professor Monique Valcour (she's a Brown alum - also just like Brendan). Monique works through current cases related to organizational structure, leadership development and talent management. Last week we discussed Southwest Airline's hiring practices - the next day they grounded 22 p***s because someone forgot to check some wiring. Oh well. I will be declaring my Leadership and Management specialization this week (I switched from customized) and this class fits in well with my academic and career goals. E-Commerce - Professor Mary Cronin leads us through an array of readings and guest lectures about the dot com world. Marketing analytics, UI development are current topics - last week we had a presentation by Greg Selkoe, the CEO and Founder of Karmaloop.com, a Boston-based street-wear online clothing company. We then wrote a case analysis about some of the issues Greg is facing as he grows the business. Professor Cronin is a leading authority in the field - and it shows - classes are great.

The Legal Environment of Business - Business law for MBA folks. Richard Powers offers up 20+ (maybe more) years of experience as a lawyer and is teaching us the basics of federal and state law and how it impacts us in our daily lives of business-dom. Each of us has to write a legal brief before the end of semester - I will be concentrating on the recent merger of Sirius and XM - partially because I just installed Sirius in my new car and I am addicted. Completely addicted...