Stern also has put its money where its mouth is when it comes to diversity. Stern recently had a female dean (undergraduate dean Sally Blount, who's now dean at Kellogg) and currently has a black dean (Dean Peter Henry – the only black dean at any major bschool).

A focus on teamwork and collaboration permeates every aspect of the Stern culture, from the classroom to the clubs. Community is even a factor in their application evaluation process.

All this – plus of course a top-notch graduate business education – adds up to a distinctive school in one of the greatest cities on Earth. And, one with very competitive admissions! Stern has a similar acceptance rate to Columbia, and they both have great finance programs, but that's about where the similarities end.

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