A friend of mine is about three years out from a Harvard MBA. Although many of his professors were famous for their business research/theories/whatever (exampl

A friend of mine is about three years out from a Harvard MBA. Although many of his professors were famous for their business research/theories/whatever (example: http://www.claytonchristensen.com/ http://www.claytonchristensen.com/), he doesn't believe the actual classroom experience justified the price tag (in terms of tuition and lost wages). Are you that much better off having listened to Clay talk about disruptive technologies than having read his books and discussed them online with some interesting people? Two outcomes were notable: First, he has a pedigree that gives him lots of options in life. He's a biz guy with a biotech company now, but his credential could probably convince a manufacturing executive that he could provide value (right or wrong, it's a likely scenario). Secondly, he has a huge network of fellow alumni who are doing interesting/powerful/lucrative/whatever things that he can call upon without seeming like a leech. The average Harvard MBA student is making over $100K upon admission. So, two years @ $100K == $200K in lost earnings - $25K in summer internship compensation == $175K. Tack on another $100K in tuition and absurd housing costs, and it's nearly a $300K pedigree. I have an MBA from a "lesser" program. I enjoyed it and think I learned a lot. But, the degree isn't worth nearly as much as my friend's Harvard MBA when used as a signaling mechanism or club membership card (literally in most major cities!). Edit: I realized I didn't actually bother to answer the OP's question. I guess I don't have a good answer.