Undecided - 03-17-2024 | Clear Admit DecisionWire

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March 17, 2024 2:08pm ET

Enrolled: Undecided

Admitted: Dartmouth / Tuck $

$11000

, Duke / Fuqua $

$160000

, UVA / Darden $

$82000

Applied: Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Northwestern / Kellogg, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden

Entering Year: 2024

Post MBA Career: Technology, Pharmaceutical Companies: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Other, Pfizer

GMAT: 730

GPA: 3.7

Location: DC

Notes:

I've been listening to this podcast every week for almost a year! Thank you for the great advice on my profile last summer! I'm thrilled with my R2 results so far (still haven't heard from Kellogg)

My goal is to get into a health tech startup in a product or strategy role, in either DC or Boston. Any advice on Tuck vs. Fuqua based on my goals?

Like (2)

Show Comments (12) Last: March 25, 2024

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 Congrats on these results, and good luck with Kellogg. The scholarship money appears to heavily favor Duke (160k to 11k) and I’d think that that does make a difference. Fuqua is also a good place for health care related goals. (0)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1902 Congrats on your acceptances and scholarships to Fuqua, Tuck and Darden. Well done. Yes, I agree with Alex. Fuqua with the large scholarship is a compelling option. (0)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 783 As a devil's advocate I would really evaluate how much you'd prefer Boston or DC. Fuqua doesn't list the % of class to each city, rather a top 10 locations. Boston tends to rank towards the bottom of that list. Tuck however places 20%+ to Boston (that will be heavily consulting related component), but just 5% to entire Mid-Atlantic. D.C places more mid-list for Fuqua behind the much larger MBA job markets like NYC, Atlanta, etc. Returning to DC, Fuqua may be a better option, Boston may have more Tuck alumni. (1)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1902 I agree with anon10646 that your DC vs Boston geographic preference is a factor to consider. I also agree that Tuck has strong ties to Boston and Fuqua has strong ties to DC. In addition, both are great programs that can help you achieve your goals. Given the large scholarship difference ($160k for Fuqua vs $11k for Tuck), I think that Fuqua still has the overall edge. Obviously, be sure to do your due diligence by chatting with current students at both programs that are targeting tech/pharma careers. (0)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 783 I definitely misread. Given Fuqua & Darden $, I read the Tuck amount as 110k not 11k. An award of 11k sounds like an awkward number. If correct, then Fuqua does make sense rather than a closer evaluation. (0)

anon17716 Likes Earned: 7 OP here - Tuck $ was a typo, it's $110,000 over two years. Wondering if I decided I wanted to go to Tuck if they would bump up or match the scholarship. Does it make a difference if I'm thinking DC short term and Boston long term? (1)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1902 Thanks for clarifying that you have a $110k Tuck scholarship (congrats!). Again, both Fuqua ($160k) and Tuck ($110k) are great options that can help you land a job in DC or Boston. Since the net cost is closer, I think that your personal fit and geographic preferences will play a key role here. Do you have a personal preference between Tuck and Fuqua? (0)

anon17716 Likes Earned: 7 I feel really good about both and think I would be happy either place. I think personally I lean toward Fuqua, but part of me still wants the prestige of Tuck and wonders if it might have better career outcomes. But maybe not enough to be worth the $50k? (0)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1902 At the end of the day, this is your choice to make and you can't really go wrong either way. If you are still undecided, do some due diligence by talking to current students. (0)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 783 Cannot hurt to request to scholarship review based on Fuqua offer. Nothing to lose. 'I really like Tuck because XYZ, but Fuqua's offer and proximity to DC...' My understanding in my MBA research and time out is the relevance of the specifc program wanes over time as you build your professional profile and network in post-MBA industry. Reaching out to the HC clubs of each program would be wise as they have nearly identical median placement for HC. Perhaps a lot of the Boston Fuqua alumni are in Boston due to HC and doesn't show on employement reports. That will also provide color on 'career outcomes' as some of the prestige from Tuck may not apply in your case, like Tuck having better MBB %. (2)

anon17716 Likes Earned: 7 That's really insightful and great advice - thank you so much! I'll probe on HC placement and location when talking to students at both schools. (2)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 More details on this decision in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2024/03/mba-wire-taps-345/ (0)