Admitted to washington-olin and babson...Suggestions needed.

[girish_mangtani]

Hi friends,

I have been admitted to Olin school of business, washington univ in St louis and Babson university.

I request stalwarts to help me decide which univ to choose as there isnt much difference in the rankings (BW rankings).

My profile

wrk ex - 2 yrs

Industry -- IT-Banking

GMAT -- 710

Goals -- Financial Consulting (Strategy).


After my bit of R&D, this what I have concluded.


Washington - Olin

Pros

1. Better known school for finance and consulting.
2. Small class size of arnd 140. (Biggest attraction for me as i am a career switcher hence personal access is imperative).
3. No major schools in and arnd the location (St Louis) and decent cluster of companies. So decent chances of local placements.

Cons

1. $ 90 k fees for two years. (Biggest worry factor.)
2. No scholarship.
3. Loan given by the univ is $15k/yr (that too will be confirmed after I join the program.)
4. Huge debt burden after grad.


Babson Univ

Pros

1. $34000 scholarship for the first year (Biggest attraction for me).
Have no idea abt aid for 2nd yr as I have yet to negotiate with the school.

2. Lesser Debt burden after graduation.

3. Location - Boston (bit expensive but more job prospects).

4. Has the brand recognition but because of its entrepreneurial program.

Cons

1. Again Location. With schools like Harvard, MIT, BU etc in the locality, job search will be tougher.

2. I am not sure about its performance in finance and consulting specializations.

3. Class size of 350 (Kinda puts me off)


Its the classic case of choosing between higher ranked univ with no scholarship and lower ranked one with hefty scholarship. Had it been 10 -12 grands, I'd have ignored. But 34k for the 1st year makes me consider it seriously.

I need suggestions regarding the choice of school. PG, Senapati, Poseidon n other champs, Please provide inputs and info you have which can help clear the air of confusion and take the right decision.

Regards,
GM

[reachmonil]

Hie Girish,

For the same reason we have started a Phoren B-school Assitance Desk. Post your query out there. Locking this thread.