ANN ARBOR ? The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business tumbled this year from No. 1 to No. 7 in the Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranking of top MBA programs. Recruiters complained about both the haughty attitude of students and the complacent attitude of the career-services office for the sharp decline.

Several other Big Ten schools lost significant ground this year, as well, in the regional rankings, including Michigan State University, the University of Iowa and Purdue University. MSU fell from 5th to 18th, while Purdue, which fell to 12th place from fourth last year, had been No. 1 in the 2004 and 2005 Regional rankings. But this year recruiters were more critical, particularly about students’ limited work experience.

In the Journal’s seventh annual survey of recruiters’ favorite M.B.A. programs, Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business is back on top for the second time in the National U.S. ranking, joined by Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management, which placed first for the first time in the Regional U.S. ranking, and Barcelona’s ESADE Business School, in its second consecutive No. 1 finish in the International ranking.

While they are three very different schools in many respects, recruiters praised them all for their collegial, ethical and hard-working M.B.A. graduates. In fact, when asked which schools’ graduates demonstrate strong ethical standards, recruiters named Dartmouth most often, followed closely by Brigham Young.

This year, 4,430 recruiters took an online survey between Dec. 19, 2006, and March 23, 2007, and rated full-time M.B.A. programs on 21 different attributes, including students’ leadership potential and strategic thinking, their previous work experience, the faculty and curriculum, and the career-services office. Of all the attributes, recruiters said interpersonal and communication skills, a teamwork orientation, personal ethics and integrity, analytical and problem-solving abilities, and a strong work ethic matter most to them.

To be eligible for the rankings, a school must receive at least 20 ratings from survey respondents who recently recruited there. What differentiates each ranking is the type of recruiters the schools attract. But the ratings of all 86 schools across the three rankings are based on how recruiters evaluated them on the same 21 attributes, as well as the recruiters’ intention to return and hire a school’s graduates over the next two years.

In addition, the rankings include a “mass appeal” factor, which is the number of recruiters that the National and Regional schools attract. For the International ranking, the mass appeal measure is different in that it reflects the global reach of the M.B.A. program. Schools can qualify for the International list only if they attract enough recruiters who place a large number of their graduates in jobs outside the U.S.

The most unexpected change in the National ranking this year: the U-M?s drop to seventh place from No. 1 last year. Michigan had rivaled Tuck with its consistently strong showing in the survey in previous years, but some recruiters now complain about both the students and the career-services office. One survey respondent said more Michigan students are demonstrating a “what’s in it for me?” attitude than in the past, while another recruiter urged the career office to “be more customer friendly.”

“Students weren’t as prepared for interviews and were somewhat more arrogant than in the past,” says David Gallon, a survey respondent and senior strategic research consultant, truck and SUV, for Toyota Motor Corp. in Torrance, Calif. “Overall, I would say the students seemed ultra-relaxed and felt that they didn’t need to try to impress the interviewers but rather that the interviewers should try to impress them.” He adds that students he talked with weren’t nearly as knowledgeable about the auto industry or Toyota in particular as he would have expected.

Several recruiters also complained about the disruptions caused by construction of a new business-school building on the Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.

Northwestern University is another school that tumbled in the 2007 ranking — to 12th place from sixth — after a number of years near the top of the ranking. Recruiters said they were displeased with the pompous attitudes of some students at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Some students also proved disappointing in their financial knowledge.

While he found very qualified students at Kellogg, Shad Driggs, a survey respondent and economic evaluations manager for BP PLC in Chicago, says he was concerned that some students could not answer one of his questions about depreciation. “It is a question every M.B.A. should nail,” he says. “We were very surprised to see students near the end of their M.B.A. program still lacking a rudimentary understanding of such a basic accounting principle.”

Unlike the National schools, the 51 Regional M.B.A. programs — a mix of public and private schools spread across the U.S. — tend to attract recruiters based primarily in their home area or neighboring states.

Among the biggest gainers this year were three Boston-area schools: Boston University, Boston College and Babson College. Babson placed highest of the three at No. 21, up 14 spots from last year. Some recruiters said Babson, best known for its entrepreneurship program, deserves credit for creating stronger relationships with companies through its career-services office.

Three new schools broke into the top 10: Indiana University, the University of Florida and Emory University. Indiana jumped 10 places to No. 5 this year, as recruiters noted that students are more polished and sharper, especially in their marketing skills, and that the career-services office has become more responsive. The survey respondents awarded Indiana higher scores this year for incorporating experiential learning into the curriculum, faculty expertise and course content, and overall recruiting value.

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