MBA DecisionWire

Hi everyone, I feel really fortunate to be in this position. After much consideration I am now between UNC Kenan-Flagler and Duke.

I'm an international student with post-MBA goals to pivot into consulting. I have 5 years of experience in market research and data analytics, working closely with consulting teams.

Would appreciate any thoughts!

Coming from an entirely tech background and looking to continue IT Ops management but keeping my other options open. The Cornell 1+1 program is a big interest but I’m also very intrigued by the community and top rated tech courses at CMU. This is a hard choice

Stern is my dream school and Georgetown offers me a full ride. I am still weighing my options and could use some advice.

US FGLI student below poverty line; S.Viet fam; extensive leadership; T1-2 strategy; T50 UG; GRE: 83-93 percentile max AWA & Quant, ~55-69 percentile Verbal (TC/SE = greatest weakness). Received Yale Aspire Full Ride Scholarship & Forte Fellowship. CBS ~$50K/year need & merit. HBS estimated ~100K need+ add'l fellowships. Wharton = waitlist

Very torn between Wharton and Columbia, still waiting on Sloan. I want to do VC post MBA so believe Wharton has an edge here, but Columbia has in-semester internships and NYC access.

Psyched about how this application cycle turned out!

My spouse and I went through this application process together. While they were unfortunately rejected at one school after the interview stage, we are nonetheless thrilled with our outcomes.

Our top priority is finding a strong community where my spouse feels most comfortable.

Was waitlisted at Yale & NYU. Currently based in Washington, D.C. with most of my family and connections on the East Coast. I'm negotiating with Haas to match the scholarship given by CBS. VC is my post-MBA goal, but I'm open to possibilities in PE. VC would be a career pivot for me. I'm financing my MBA myself so cost of attendance is important.

I really want to (almost) go all-in on my start-up during my MBA. Trying a fail-fast approach. As a backup, I would recruit for management consulting. Work in HR consulting now.

Money matters. I do not want to take a bunch of loans being that I may not make much money as a founder post-grad.

Start-up location would be SE. Consulting anywhere

I want to:
- get into NYC IB
- shift to London/Zurich after 3-5 years of working in the US

Is the following correct?

Darden: stronger presence/brand in the US finance space

Anderson: stronger presence/brand in Europe but that'll be less relevant once I've done a few years in the US (?)

(scholarship isn't important to me)

Thanks!

Dual admit couple - one looking at VC, other tech (PM - admitted to dual MS/MBA program at Columbia; MBA-only at Wharton).

With the GI Bill, Columbia is 80% off, collectively. Wharton is 45% off, collectively. Living costs are not a concern, given GI Bill benefits.

Is Wharton worth the additional cost?

Still waiting to hear back from MIT Sloan (I have interviewed with them) I live in Chicago and want to stay. I would love to minimize my loans. Booth is my dream school followed by Kellogg. Would really love to get more money from Booth/Kellogg. Went to UVA undergrad and don't love the idea of going back for my MBA. Any advice?

Also waitlisted at CBS

I am an international student and taking on debt poses serious challenges given the current market conditions. I would like to keep my options open post MBA to move out of the country as well and I am not sure how Ross’ reputation fits in the international market. Would really appreciate some insights!

I am torn on where to go. My ideal post MBA role is to join a leadership development program (LDP) in Chicago. I am torn between Ross and Kelley. At Kelley I received a full deans fellowship scholarship. Kelley places well in Chicago and has great employment report numbers. However Ross is extremely prestigious and excels at general management.

I am undecided right now between Vanderbilt and UT. Personally, I live close to Nashville and would be close to family, as well have several friends entering into this program who are also vets like myself. Professionally I also believe Owen swings above their weight in consulting; however I admit I do know UT having a better rank. Thoughts?

Coming from an MBB background and looking to pivot into brand management in CPG. Both programs have good cultures, but concern with Fuqua is similar experience (grew up in NC and attended school in NC) vs going somewhere different with Ross. Can't ignore the scholarship at Fuqua (attempting to negotiate with Ross), but don't know which to choose.

Non-European looking to work there post MBA(Spain > UK > Netherlands > Others), Spanish B1.IESE feels like the best fit, but it’s more expensive (vs. full ride at Oxford). Concerned about the Spanish job market, though I prefer living in Spain for better quality of life. Open to work in anything other than finance.

Schools want to accept people who genuinely want to attend their school; it boosts their yield %. Don't hesitate to express your enthusiasm for their program.
Connect w/ as many students/alumni as you can. You'll want to be able to reference meaningful interactions you've had in your app/interview. Schools will also ask who you've spoken to.

Engineering background in chemicals/manufacturing. Deciding between Kellogg and Jones. Received no scholarship from Kellogg but full-ride at Rice. Post-MBA goals are operations or strategy in energy,chem,biotech. Particularly interested in the entrepreneurial environments of both universities. Is Kellogg worth sticker when Rice makes me debt-free?