Of course--I'd be delighted if he came to PSU, but to say he doesn't have any sense of commitment to keep him at Stanford is not really true--from the Basch interview, he sounds very invested in his team.
Shane Grifith?
- Thread starter GogglesPaizano
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If you say it enough times, the hope is that it will permeate the culture and become true eventually. It's like a runaway tide of internet crackpot hopes and dreams. So it is written, so it shall be done delusional type shit.
I just got the sense he just wasn't tipping his hand in the meeting. He said he would love to stay if it can work out but he doesn't have all the answers yet. He also said he felt he did what he had to do and he wanted to take his visits still. Didn't commit one way or another. Justin balanced it really well between getting some tidbits of his next plans but also not interrogating the kid to revealing anything he isn't ready to. Justin said "Now that Stanford is back, you can end your other visits and leave the portal!" and Shane basically said I still will take the visits.
Like I said, I don't think the kid knows and he doesn't have to know. The poster on 247 who knows a family member said the guy more or less said "He's a Cardinal right now and will be until August" He wouldn't lose his spot anywhere so he can really take his time and think. I also imagine he has a ton of work to do since graduating from Stanford in 3 years is no joke.
That ultimately depends on what he wants more. If it's wrestling, then he should go elsewhere.
If it's his post-wrestling career in the fields he mentioned, it's Stanford and not even close (assuming he gets admitted to the MBA program).
People who say "Stanford undergrad is good enough" have no idea what they're talking about. The choice of grad school matters immensely.
Full disclosure: my brother was PSU undergrad + top 10 full-time MBA, and now partner at a major firm in one of Griffith's desired fields. I attended some of my brother's MBA events and saw this first-hand: many of the recruiters could not be bothered with schools outside the top 10.
Those are the employers to target -- best paying jobs and/or fast track programs to partner, and usually individualized career development.
Going elsewhere is declining $1M or more in career earnings, and likely being put into a meat-grinder up-or-out firm where working **only** 90 hrs/week gets you fired in 3 yrs. (Exception: Northwestern is also at that level, but not on his school list.)
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I fully understand the importance of MBA prestige. There's a pretty common saying that you shouldn't even bother getting your MBA unless it's somewhere in the Top 15 (7 is a common number also) since the investment might not be worth it. (You forfeit 2 years of income in addition to the tuition itself) Why does ranking make the investment worth it? Networking as you said. I just am not convinced it matters all that much in Shane's case.
A MBA usually enhances previous work experience (which Shane won't have any of) Most importantly, it provides access to recruiters to some of the most elite companies. For example, you are 100% right, a company like McKinsey/Bain/Boston (the holy grail of Management Consulting) would not even bother to come to Penn State for MBA students (they probably have limited quotas for UNC even but then a school like Michigan would be a feeder school for it and obviously Stanford MBAs can do whatever) If he wants to go to Investment Banking, Penn State is DEFINITELY not a feeder school to that. This is true for regular people.
For the common folks, like Engineers and Accountants or whatever looking to make the big bucks ... it very much makes a million dollars difference in career earnings. The thing is, Shane is not a common folk. There won't be a single company that won't want to talk to him if he submits his resume. Stanford undergraduate would immediately catch their eye, then they'll see wrestling team then they'll see National Champion then they'll suddenly see his story on Google. Also as mentioned here, Cael might know a guy or two who can connect Shane to some good people in business.
I'd agree with a lot of this if Griffith were a Finance major at Stanford. But he's not. He's also not in Engr or Acctg or the like -- he's in Science Technology & Society, which is essentially a philosophy degree.
IMO we're also overrating how much employers will value his wrestling national title. It'll help him some but is hardly a golden ticket. My brother's class included an Air Force fighter pilot who did get a few more looks -- and a lot of questions about how many targets he missed, plus questions about how many fighter pilots are out there.
His efforts to save Stanford Wrestling could be a big help if he can demonstrate a real leadership role in what became a large organization change -- but leadership by example (being "the face of the movement") by itself won't move the needle.
That’s a good point that Stanford has cachet. But to say Stanford MBA = $1M+ extra dollars is simplistic. It depends on the person! Some people know/assume they are heading for the big time, and so they make their decisions differently from someone who is unsure.
For someone already headed for the big time, they might be looking to enrich their inner qualities and substance more than their paper qualities. They might rightfully reason that they will be more valuable in the long run for having been part of a gang of supreme champions, such as PSU/NLWC. Because mental and spiritual qualities, including happiness, might prove to increase monetary creative power in the long run.
Also, $1M is not a lot of money to big-time MBA types, especially over a lifetime. It’s what Bordeaux calls loose change.
Obviously I'll take your word on it since you would have a ton of anecdotal evidence but I've seen Investment Banking Analysts and MBB Consultants often come from all kinds of majors at the "Smart Schools" (example my buddy majored in Government Policy at Dartmouth and became an IB Analyst) His situation would also be interesting since MBAs usually jump on into Supervisory Positions (since they've had 3-6 years work experience) at those companies.
I just think Shane's Stanford undergraduate degree and national title (and it's not just any national title) will get him interviews everywhere (Wall Street and Business love athletes, let's be honest) and it's really how you do from there (he strikes me as a great interviewer anyways) Those interviews I've heard are brutal for anyone though. (they get very technical but also just ask you open ended puzzling questions, your brother would know obviously haha) I think it'll be really easy to spin that he was the leader of the movement since his face was plastered everywhere.
Either way, seems like the kid has a great plan and will do his due diligence on everything throughout the summer.
Nothing to do with Griffith but thought folks would be happy for JV tying the knot.
Awesome. Best Wishes! I think we can all agree Verk outkicked his coverage with this lovely lady
JK.....Enjoy a Lifetime of smiles.
I don't want to sound like a ninny and say it can't happen for him outside of Stanford. Just talking about probabilities.
Some pros/cons of his situation:
+ Stanford undergrad degree
- Non-quantitative undergrad (some MBA employers won't even consider this)
+ National champion athlete (especially overcoming the CA shutdowns + sport cancellation)
- No prior work experience (hurts more if he doesn't take a summer internship after 1st year)
+ Save Stanford Wrestling
- 2-yr lag (disinterested parties won't remember to look for him in 2 yrs)
- MBA workload (70+ hrs/week) + wrestling -- no time for dedicated career search
+ Interview skills
- Spicolli surfer dude accent (can be fixed)
By the lag I mean it hurts for jobs that are not posted openly -- those employers won't remember him unless they're Stanford alums or alums/hardcore fans of the 11 sports. He'll need to get on the good side of his MBA faculty and MBA career office, and a well-connected 3rd party can help. All of his candidate schools have these, but Stanford is the best.
You're right about the interviews. My brother's friend (the fighter pilot) was once asked several consecutive accusatory questions about missing targets in the air during a night flight battle in wartime. If Griffith transfers to PSU and doesn't win 2 more national titles, you can bet he'll get asked why he lost. "You went to the best team, with the best coach, and did worse? Sounds like you don't belong in the big time."
To re-emphasize: he can get a high-paying job from Michigan, UNC, or PSU. It will be much harder for him to get a cream-of-the-crop job if he leaves Stanford. Not impossible, but much harder. And that means risking lower pay, increased workload, decreased job security, more difficult progression, etc.
And all of that might be OK by him, depending on his priorities.
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So if he gets his Stanford degree in August.......
1) Wrestling, damn near everyone wants him, but there will be some where it isn't a fit
2) Grad School, damn near everyone wants him but there will be some where it isn't a fit
3) Not knowing his grades or the details of his curriculum, maybe scoring the best jobs out there isn't the goal. The folks I worked with at Boston Consulting Group ( we were a client and I worked with their team on the ground every day for over a year ) were totally focused on a narrow path to a place like BGC.......playing a sport would indicate you are not totally focused, regardless of your grades, curriculum etc.
4) SG will be fine.
1) Wrestling, damn near everyone wants him, but there will be some where it isn't a fit
2) Grad School, damn near everyone wants him but there will be some where it isn't a fit
3) Not knowing his grades or the details of his curriculum, maybe scoring the best jobs out there isn't the goal. The folks I worked with at Boston Consulting Group ( we were a client and I worked with their team on the ground every day for over a year ) were totally focused on a narrow path to a place like BGC.......playing a sport would indicate you are not totally focused, regardless of your grades, curriculum etc.
4) SG will be fine.
This whole line of detailed breakdowns seems about as invasive as those Internet posters-playing-doctor posts. Creepy and inelegant. People are individuals. They have their own ways of deciding. There is not only one Tiger-Mom way to success. It’s distasteful to break down people’s real-life qualifications to this depth that have nothing to do with wrestling. Where would we draw the line? I think less far than this. The guy did not sign up for this by being on a Kardashian show. We sound like Kardashian-show groupies when we get into this depth of personal-life detail.
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Dogwelder is 1000% correct. Granted, forums provide a vehicle for opinion and speculation: however, the "detailed breakdowns" of this college kid's life and future are borderline Peeping Tom like in their intrusiveness. I hope Mr. Griffith is able to laugh off this thread as the soap opera it has become. I suspect though that he might be more than a little offended by the in depth analysis of his personal life.
The teammates in the portal? The coach that’s not even there anymore. He did his part to save it. Like the poster above said he should feel no loyalty to anyone or at least not let that be a factor in his decision. Sometimes ya gotta do what’s best for you and the hell with what everyone else thinks. Might as well learn that now.
Good lord y’all talking about his accent for interview skills?? That sounds like a place I’d def not want to work lol. “Why didn’t you win three championships in a row?” “Well you see this ncaa wrestling tournament thing Is pretty tough” lmao. This thread maybe heading to the dumpster.
People are afraid they’ll jinx it by saying he could possibly end up at PSU. Turned into if he doesn’t get 2 Stanford degrees he’ll never work at a good company.
If Griffith were to take all this advice under consideration he would soon suffer paralysis by analysis.
Griffith's decision, surely with help from family & friends, and those he respects the most. Can't imagine it's an easy one. Also can't imagine our little corner of the universe has the absolute answer. Time will tell. Seems like a great young man, wish him well.
Man, I can't even imagine what kind of shape you have to be in to carry around a million $s in loose change!That’s a good point that Stanford has cachet. But to say Stanford MBA = $1M+ extra dollars is simplistic. It depends on the person! Some people know/assume they are heading for the big time, and so they make their decisions differently from someone who is unsure.
For someone already headed for the big time, they might be looking to enrich their inner qualities and substance more than their paper qualities. They might rightfully reason that they will be more valuable in the long run for having been part of a gang of supreme champions, such as PSU/NLWC. Because mental and spiritual qualities, including happiness, might prove to increase monetary creative power in the long run.
Also, $1M is not a lot of money to big-time MBA types, especially over a lifetime. It’s what Bordeaux calls loose change.
I'm just looking forward to the new "Griffith made his final decision" thread so I can stop checking this frayed one.
Should the new thread be “with titillating girl photos” or “without”?I'm just looking forward to the new "Griffith made his final decision" thread so I can stop checking this frayed one.
Should the new thread be “with titillating girl photos” or “without”?
Did you have to say 'titillating'? Insert giggle here.
I’ve been on these boards for some 24 years. And for once - just once - I decided to act like my (advanced) age in this thread. Then this ...
Always "with"!Should the new thread be “with titillating girl photos” or “without”?
Not hiring internally when they have 2 coaches that are highly qualified makes 0 sense. One of them has been a HC at Penn (Tirapelle) and the other has given 14 years to the school (Ray Blake)
This basically feels like the administrator is saying, okay you win but we get the last laugh since you had the nerve to made us look bad for a few months: go find a new job.
This basically feels like the administrator is saying, okay you win but we get the last laugh since you had the nerve to made us look bad for a few months: go find a new job.
A slam dunk hire may be a hard pull---any possible coach would have to have concerns about support from the university as well as length of terms.
Yeah. Shane should just come to PSU already. Do we know what the deadlines are, if any, for him to apply to grad school(s)?
Every time I read this thread I keep visioning Shane all packed up, beginning his long ride ahead, out of town, and little Joe (in this case, the Stanford A.D.) raising his hand to his mouth and yelling...."SHANE....., SHANE.......COME BACK!!!"
Little birdie chirped that Jake Varner may be throwing his hat into the Stanford HC job search.
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