Hi guys, I am in a bind now. I have acceptance offers from both ISB and Tepper (USD 10K/year scholarship)…i am in the process of deciding between the two and your inputs will be highly appreciated. As i see, ISB advantange: 1) One …
Hi guys,
I am in a bind now. I have acceptance offers from both ISB and Tepper (USD 10K/year scholarship)....i am in the process of deciding between the two and your inputs will be highly appreciated. As i see,
ISB advantange:
1) One year course
2) 1/3 rd monetary investment
3) In india (long term plan to settle in India) + spouse can work
Tepper advantage:
1) Global MBA
2) More brand value worldwide (as of now)
what do you guys think?
Hi, I have found your thread very similar to that of ISB vs Cambridge. However, there is a significant difference as you have mentioned having a spouse. I think she is critical in making a decision that would most likely lead to ISB. Tepper is a strong school but its brand value isnt as strong as W/H/S. Therefore, even having a 10K scholarship wont compensate the enormous investment gap when compared to ISB. In addition, ISB is building a very strong reputation and I am sure it will become a truly global competitor in 10-15 years. In your case, u must think for two instead of one. Being single is a whole different story. Do you think your wife will be happy if she doesnt have the opportunity to develop herself as an individual? work provides all of us with a sense of usefulness and purpose. Waiting for you every day after class doesnt look like an exciting option. In India its a whole different story. Second point, money IS an issue. I think very few schools around the world can match ISBs value for money; as previously mentioned, Tepper lags far behind Hyderabads business education powerhouse in this regard. And last but not least, you have mentioned settling in India on the long run. So networking and geographical distribution of job offers after graduation are important issues too. CMU is a reputed university but I am sure the average Indian citizen will relate closer to ISB. Again, brand value comes into play; Tepper isnt a top-top school. I am Peruvian (quite redundant considering my nickname) and was considering ISB but discarded this great school given that I place a strong emphasis on international diversity. Tepper is the clear winner among both but international exposure doesnt seem to be a priority in your decision-making process. So I would suggest choosing ISB. It has an excellent infrastructure, leading academics, bright students, its a 1YP (family matters!), its much cheaper (though not lesser quality) and provides you with job opportunities that match better with your personal plans. And, of course, your wife will still be able to cook original paneer masala after a tough day of study (with the money she has rightfully earned at her workplace!). Best of luck.
PeruvianGuru
Peruvianguru SaysWaiting for you every day after class doesnt look like an exciting option.
LOL !! 😃
Luminos24 would surely be seeing his marriage in an entirely new light from now on!
Man! I would hate to hear that from my wife!! (although somewhat true)
LOL !! 😃
Luminos24 would surely be seeing his marriage in an entirely new light from now on!
Man! I would hate to hear that from my wife!! (although somewhat true)
Just in case, love feelings arent questioned here! Yet, having the same routine for 2 years surely doesnt look like fun. I hope PGs understand my main pont. nos vemos luego
chau
Just in case, love feelings arent questioned here! Yet, having the same routine for 2 years surely doesnt look like fun. I hope PGs understand my main pont. nos vemos luego
chau
S Senor! I agree.
That comment was, of course, a reflection of my interpretation rather than your intention.
Its just that somehow I couldn't help laughing at that particular sentence. My apologies Luminos24!
Hey,
My $0.02.......
Well, i might not be an expert to comment on this, however i do feel that some of the major points while comparing these two schools have been overlooked in this discussion.
Whatever one says, an MBA is to be considered as an investment for the future.
All top US schools stand out for one thing that no bschool in India can ever meet - the quality of education. Thatzz the key differentiator and will be so for many many decades to come.
No matter what the general perception is, Tepper is one of the top Bschools in the world.
Small class size, amazing student:faculty ratio and one of the toughest quantitative oriented courses among all the bschools. 50% engineers in the class and still fantastic placements in consulting and IB - this school is a gem in itself.
Indian Bschools are shining only because the local market is booming. MNCs who want to hire the smartest people in the country with knowledge abt the local market come in and pick people from IIMs and ISBs just because there is a lot of screening done before the students are picked. Other than that, the quality of education is absolutely no where close to any of the Top 30 US bschools.
U wanna settle in India in the long term. I can tell you, there is nothing like coming back to India with an international MBA and 5 to 6 yrs of Post MBA int exp, which is what you will have by the time you pay off the loans.
Accomodating family priorities with ur career aspirations is really tricky. It is true that it makes no sense that your wife shud quit her job and be idle all the time. But, now that you have decided that you wanna do ur MBA to give ur career a push, it makes sense to sacrifice ur personal life for the next two years. Else, u cud have really opted to move on in your current job, which in no doubt shud be good enough. Itzz that ambition that has driven you so far and let it drive you for the next 2 yrs.
Moreover, the answer to this million dollar question is there in your question itself... At the time when you applied to Tepper and ISB, obviously Tepper would have been your dream school and ISB a safe school. Why has it changed all of a sudden?? Your heart says Tepper... go for it man.... Live your dreams... 😃
Cheers,
Shyam.
Hi.. I would suggest that you check with the alumni of both the schools and see how your personal goals fit at both the schools.
I had faced the same dilemma between ISB and Cambridge/ Said but after speaking to the alumni and a current student at ISB, I was convinced that ISB was not a place where I would want to do an MBA from. Check from the students/ alumni/ career services of both the schools yourself and then take a decision.
My Opinion - I dont think ISB is comparable to an international program like Tepper at all. Tepper is way ahead of ISB as an MBA. It is only if you have some kind of constraint preventing you to move outside India that you should consider ISB and not Tepper. On the other hand, if thats not the case - Go for Tepper.
Hey,
My $0.02.......
Well, i might not be an expert to comment on this, however i do feel that some of the major points while comparing these two schools have been overlooked in this discussion.
Whatever one says, an MBA is to be considered as an investment for the future.
All top US schools stand out for one thing that no bschool in India can ever meet - the quality of education. Thatzz the key differentiator and will be so for many many decades to come.
No matter what the general perception is, Tepper is one of the top Bschools in the world.
Small class size, amazing student:faculty ratio and one of the toughest quantitative oriented courses among all the bschools. 50% engineers in the class and still fantastic placements in consulting and IB - this school is a gem in itself.
Indian Bschools are shining only because the local market is booming. MNCs who want to hire the smartest people in the country with knowledge abt the local market come in and pick people from IIMs and ISBs just because there is a lot of screening done before the students are picked. Other than that, the quality of education is absolutely no where close to any of the Top 30 US bschools.
U wanna settle in India in the long term. I can tell you, there is nothing like coming back to India with an international MBA and 5 to 6 yrs of Post MBA int exp, which is what you will have by the time you pay off the loans.
Accomodating family priorities with ur career aspirations is really tricky. It is true that it makes no sense that your wife shud quit her job and be idle all the time. But, now that you have decided that you wanna do ur MBA to give ur career a push, it makes sense to sacrifice ur personal life for the next two years. Else, u cud have really opted to move on in your current job, which in no doubt shud be good enough. Itzz that ambition that has driven you so far and let it drive you for the next 2 yrs.
Moreover, the answer to this million dollar question is there in your question itself... At the time when you applied to Tepper and ISB, obviously Tepper would have been your dream school and ISB a safe school. Why has it changed all of a sudden?? Your heart says Tepper... go for it man.... Live your dreams... 😃
Cheers,
Shyam.
Hi kshyammohan, I am sure your comment will provide our undecided friend with a different and fresh perspective. However, I checked out the thread related to Tepper and Luminos suggested to be inclined more towards ISB rather than Tepper. However, I have to respectfully disagree with some of your comments.
1. "All top US schools stand out for one thing that no bschool in India can ever meet - the quality of education. Thatzz the key differentiator and will be so for many many decades to come."
I have checked out ISBs webpage and if one thing stands out immediately is - in fact - the academic rigour and practical calibre of its professors. All of them teach in leading US schools. The brain drain is reversing!!! at least for some months. I dont think it will take many decades for ISB to establish itself as one of the strongest bschool brands around the world. On a short comment, IIMs are also great schools, I had the chance to visit IIM Ahmedabad while visiting India in Jan-Feb 2oo6 and confirmed the whys and hows of its ntl. /intl. reputation. But IIMs are lagging behind in marketing strategies and if they dont reverse this tendency, ISB will prevail some few years ahead.
2. "No matter what the general perception is, Tepper is one of the top Bschools in the world."
Agree 99.9% though its not one of the top squared schools!
3. "Indian Bschools are shining only because the local market is booming. MNCs who want to hire the smartest people in the country with knowledge abt the local market come in and pick people from IIMs and ISBs just because there is a lot of screening done before the students are picked."
Indian schools are shining cuz the local market is booming + the whole world has started to realize that Indias comprehensive development is based on its enormous intellectual capital pool. The screening process is also done at top US-EU schools, thats why MBAs are in such demand! If you check placements, ISB also places a significant portion of its students at international posts - mainly South Asia, SE Asia and Asia-Pacific region. The question is for Luminos to answer What and where does he understand as international?. He pointed out staying in India on the long run but would an ISB degree prevent him from working abroad? I dont think so, especially if he points out international locations among his preferences at the schools job fairs during recruiting season. Btw, when you mention things such as "to hire the smartest people in the country..." believe me, not only Indian companies will be aware of that. A bunch of Indian academicians, students and professionals are world class!
4. "U wanna settle in India in the long term. I can tell you, there is nothing like coming back to India with an international MBA and 5 to 6 yrs of Post MBA int exp, which is what you will have by the time you pay off the loans."
Agree. International experience is enriching in all its forms. But checking out post-MBA salary stats and the investment incurred at ISB, its students could also pay their loans within the period of time u have suggested. I guess point 3 can be added here too.
5. "Accomodating family priorities with ur career aspirations is really tricky. It is true that it makes no sense that your wife shud quit her job and be idle all the time"
Absolutely agree!
6. "But, now that you have decided that you wanna do ur MBA to give ur career a push, it makes sense to sacrifice ur personal life for the next two years."
Whose life is being sacrificed here? it does make sense for Luminos to sacrifice HIS personal life - getting an MBA is such an exciting challenge that can switch the term sacrifice into excitment - but let me tell you that his wife will assume that sacrifice to a much larger extent. Man, two years doing nothing but socializing and eventually working as a nanny (unless she gets a fake Social Security Card and/or works ilegally - will demand a semi-divine commitment from her!! Luminos is not alone here so if his wife is aware of these commitments and decides to support his husband, then it will be great for both. Otherwise, if she decides to go ahead without truly understanding what comes next, it will definitely become into a shack that could dramatically damage their relationship
7. "Else, u cud have really opted to move on in your current job, which in no doubt shud be good enough. Itzz that ambition that has driven you so far and let it drive you for the next 2 yrs."
Be it ISB or Tepper, moving out from his job doesnt make any difference. The consequences are the same - he becomes an unemployed student. When family matters are involved, 1YPs definitively have an edge over 2Y ones. The reasons are endless and needless to be posted.
8. "Moreover, the answer to this million dollar question is there in your question itself..."
This phrase can be compared to Frodos ring (The Lord of the Rings movie, just in case).
The views confronted here are not meant to settle a confrontation but to throw more arguments - even open more questions! - to/for Luminos dilemma/dillema/whatever its spelled. At the end, I am sure his decision will be largely based on a combination of ambition, empathy and respect.
Godspeed
PeruvianGuru
Hi.. I would suggest that you check with the alumni of both the schools and see how your personal goals fit at both the schools.
I had faced the same dilemma between ISB and Cambridge/ Said but after speaking to the alumni and a current student at ISB, I was convinced that ISB was not a place where I would want to do an MBA from. Check from the students/ alumni/ career services of both the schools yourself and then take a decision.
My Opinion - I dont think ISB is comparable to an international program like Tepper at all. Tepper is way ahead of ISB as an MBA. It is only if you have some kind of constraint preventing you to move outside India that you should consider ISB and not Tepper. On the other hand, if thats not the case - Go for Tepper.
Extremely valuable and wise comments based on similar personal experiences!
I don't intend to plagiarise but I came across a related post on BW forums.
This is from a poster (bulishona) whose ex-husband went to Harvard. She was responding to a question whether lot of marriages soured in business school.
(if you intend to read the full thread then head off to BW and look for a thread titled - Forget academics...BEST PARTY SCHOOL???)
well... yes and no. it really depended. many of the couples were newly married (i.e. got married the summer before starting school) and others had been married longer (i'd been together with my ex for 5 years and married for 2).
but i found that the couples who had the most problems/stress/etc were ones that the wife had her own career/life that was completely separate from school. many of the wives worked part-time in some HBS-related capacity. but others of us, like me, had a career that didn't get put on hold just because our husbands were in school. i commuted an hour each way to have a great brand management job. another wife i knew commuted 45 mins to work for a top tax acctg firm. others had similar stories. it was very hard to manage our own career and friends when your spouse's life was completely consumed with school. not to say it's impossible, of course, just hard.
in my case, we'd had a lot of issues before bschool. i'll be honest and say that we probably would have stuck it out a lot longer if he hadn't gone to school. it puts a LOT of stress on a relationship and ours just fell apart. i know of a few other couples who broke up (both long-term married and non-married) but it certainly wasn't the norm. but it wasn't unheard of either.
just be prepared... it's really hard on the "partner."
Thank you guys for your valuable comments. I really appreciate your inputs in this regard...Through all the points mentioned here for/against, i see the following commonalities. These are also the top three factors which will affect my final decision:
1) Spouse
As of now, we disagree on this matter. As i mentioned on another thread, i am the one leaning towards ISB after considering money and other family considerations. Being an understanding gem of a person that she is, it is my wife who is pushing me to consider Tepper. She knows that Tepper figured above ISB on my list of schools (as Shyam rightly guessed) and is willing to sacrifice her sanity and social life in favour of my joining Tepper. I, on the other hand, am torn between keeping a balance b/w my MBA, ROI and our family life. 
2) monetary investment
Since i want to stay in/return to India in the long run, ISB provides me a fairly good ROI. However, if i go to Tepper, work in US for 3 - 5 years, pay off my loans and then return to India, i would still be in the same/better position + an MBA from Tepper. Putting in USD 120K in my MBA education is a big commitment and i want to be sure that i am making the right decision. :confused:
3) over-all MBA experience
Clearly, ISB can not match the overall MBA experience provided by Tepper (atleast not as of now). The only reason why Tepper initially figured above ISB in my list of schools was this differentiation. As they say, an MBA education is more from the batchmates than from the classroom. How can i get a gloabl and diverse perspective when 40% of my class has the same profile as mine and probably 8 - 10% of the class worked in the same company as mine. But then, global and diverse MBA education from Tepper will come at great monetary cost. Is it worth it?!
And i thought that the worst was over when i submitted my applications!!!!!!! :sarcasm:
Thank you guys for your valuable comments. I really appreciate your inputs in this regard...Through all the points mentioned here for/against, i see the following commonalities. These are also the top three factors which will affect my final decision:
1) Spouse
As of now, we disagree on this matter. As i mentioned on another thread, i am the one leaning towards ISB after considering money and other family considerations. Being an understanding gem of a person that she is, it is my wife who is pushing me to consider Tepper. She knows that Tepper figured above ISB on my list of schools (as Shyam rightly guessed) and is willing to sacrifice her sanity and social life in favour of my joining Tepper. I, on the other hand, am torn between keeping a balance b/w my MBA, ROI and our family life.
2) monetary investment
Since i want to stay in/return to India in the long run, ISB provides me a fairly good ROI. However, if i go to Tepper, work in US for 3 - 5 years, pay off my loans and then return to India, i would still be in the same/better position + an MBA from Tepper. Putting in USD 120K in my MBA education is a big commitment and i want to be sure that i am making the right decision. :confused:
3) over-all MBA experience
Clearly, ISB can not match the overall MBA experience provided by Tepper (atleast not as of now). The only reason why Tepper initially figured above ISB in my list of schools was this differentiation. As they say, an MBA education is more from the batchmates than from the classroom. How can i get a gloabl and diverse perspective when 40% of my class has the same profile as mine and probably 8 - 10% of the class worked in the same company as mine. But then, global and diverse MBA education from Tepper will come at great monetary cost. Is it worth it?!
And i thought that the worst was over when i submitted my applications!!!!!!! :sarcasm:
Hey Luminos, after reading this information, then it becomes clear where u should go.... pack your baggages to the US. btw, u have married to an amazing and supporting woman. Go grab the world with both hands!!!
best of luck
PGuru
hey luminos....
im in an alomost identical situation as u....got thru ISB and Tepper....and though i was pretty sure what my decision would be before the results came out.....once the results were finally out I found it to be a very hard decision considering the ROI etc....
but since im not married and dont have to consider in a spouse etc, my decision is a bit simpler than urs....n iv finally decided on Tepper...Tepper will deinitely give u a much better "MBA Experience" with the int consulting treks, etc, plus studyin with a class made up of 30+ nationalities wud be awesome! after all ur only gonna do ur MBA once (well ateast me...no second or exec MBA for me agn) :))))
hope to meet u n ur wife at Tepper this fall 😃