Hi Friends, I have been fortunate to face this dilemna and need ur advice on the same. I have the following admits so far: UNC - Kenan Flagler - Admitted Univ of Maryland - Admitted Purdue - Admitted Penn State(Smeal) - Am…
Hi Friends,
I have been fortunate to face this dilemna and need ur advice on the same. I have the following admits so far:
UNC - Kenan Flagler - Admitted
Univ of Maryland - Admitted
Purdue - Admitted
Penn State(Smeal) - Amitted with grad asstship: this includes tution fee waiver+ monthly stipend...brings down my MBA cost down to a few lacs
Georgia( Terry) - Admitted with grad asstship...(similar to Smeal)
Univ of Pittsburgh - Katz: Admitted with full tution scholarship in in the first year and half tution scholarship in the second year
MSU- Eli Broad : Waitisted
Wake forest: Admitted with 10,000 scholarship
I m confused as to whether i should take up the offers from the better ranked nivs and end up taking huge loans or take up penn state or terry which would barely require me to shell some 5-6 lacs for my entire mba education...
What would you all do..Kindly suggest...waiting for ur advice:
My post MBA gols:
Strategy Consulting
IT Consultiing as a second option
Hi Friends,
I have been fortunate to face this dilemna and need ur advice on the same. I have the following admits so far:
UNC - Kenan Flagler - Admitted
Univ of Maryland - Admitted
Purdue - Admitted
Penn State(Smeal) - Amitted with grad asstship: this includes tution fee waiver+ monthly stipend...brings down my MBA cost down to a few lacs
Georgia( Terry) - Admitted with grad asstship...(similar to Smeal)
Univ of Pittsburgh - Katz: Admitted with full tution scholarship in in the first year and half tution scholarship in the second year
MSU- Eli Broad : Waitisted
Wake forest: Admitted with 10,000 scholarship
I m confused as to whether i should take up the offers from the better ranked nivs and end up taking huge loans or take up penn state or terry which would barely require me to shell some 5-6 lacs for my entire mba education...
What would you all do..Kindly suggest...waiting for ur advice:
My post MBA gols:
Strategy Consulting
IT Consultiing as a second option
Hi mba_desigirl,
Your career plans seem to be priamrily focusing on Consultancy.
I believe amongst your admits you can safely omit out a few based on the merit of their rankings. This leaves you with a good combination of the good ranked univs and the ones giving you a schol/waiver.
If you ask me, the choice would be between
UNC: Kenan Flagler (FT#29)
Univ of Maryland, Smith (FT#3
Penn State: Smeal (FT#42)
A few rankings here and there would not make a difference, neither would a few lakhs (thanks to the student loans!!) What would matter is the learning and the career push that you get from these univs.
Do some research wrt consulting opportunities for these univs.
And do listen to your 'inner voice' when it comes to chosing between 1 out of the last two.
Cheers,
Aks
Go with UNC...They do have a Guaranteed loan as far as I know...All the Best with ur options...
for go for UNC its a gud school
Its is good dilemna to be in.....
UNC is the best amongst the options if u go by the rankings.....
Purdue will probably be a little easier on ur pockets...
Penn state is a good option considering that u would have no loans on ur head post MBA....
Go for penn if u dont wanna take any loans......if u r willing....unc is better than purdue
I think Pennstate is the best choice here...
I dont think the ranking or brand name of UNC beats a full aid from Pennstate...
Only an admit in the absolute top 5-10 beats full aid elsewhere...
Anyways its my personal opinion... Great going on cracking so many foreign schols
good luck,
K
My opinion. What is in rankings ? If you have the aptitude and the smarts (read as ability to network) you will get a job on your own - in which case Smeal wins hands down.
Cannot even think of chucking a full aid, unless ofcourse you had got something from the M7 perhaps.
Arun
Penn State is close to New York. That makes networking easier for you. My two cents 😃
My opinion. What is in rankings ? If you have the aptitude and the smarts (read as ability to network) you will get a job on your own - in which case Smeal wins hands down.
No offence, but indian students are known to suck at networking abroad. The cultural difference, the quant and textbook obsession, the good-grades fixation, and of course the "shy nature" of ours does us in (if you just raised an eyebrow to that, recall when was the last time you walked up and said hello to a stranger on a bus...do you know what`s your neighbor's profession...what percentage of your college crowd did you actually interact with beyond studies?). So i wouldn`t really count on desis networking aggressively. So it would be a safer bet to go to a place where your job prospects are more taken care of by the brand name of the college than by your untested/nonexistent skills.
Besides good overall ranking, UNC is THE top school for careers in consulting. Debt can be paid off easily with the fat salaries, perks and signining bonuses that follow. Sometimes subsequent career progression might also depend on which school you`re from (there might be a bias for promoting the harvard dude before the maryland one, given comparable performance).
of all your choices UNC is the best. try to negotiate a scholarship or an assistantship. Funny as it may sound such negotiations are quite common and you have nothing to loose in the process.
No offence, but indian students are known to suck at networking abroad. The cultural difference, the quant and textbook obsession, the good-grades fixation, and of course the "shy nature" of ours does us in (if you just raised an eyebrow to that, recall when was the last time you walked up and said hello to a stranger on a bus...do you know what`s your neighbor's profession...what percentage of your college crowd did you actually interact with beyond studies?). So i wouldn`t really count on desis networking aggressively. So it would be a safer bet to go to a place where your job prospects are more taken care of by the brand name of the college than by your untested/nonexistent skills.
I think networking is an art that one needs to cultivate. The fact remains networking is something that is not exploited even in India, especially for job search. The general understanding is that you just put it up on naukri, monster etc and forget about it till the consultant calls up. In the US, on an F1 visa, things become a lot more difficult. Weeks and months might pass before anyone really calls you for an interview. Even that might be bleak considering that you don't have a valid work visa. This is when you are true networking skills are tested and you end up getting your foot in the door through informational interviews and the ilk.
Desis who have *never* been abroad might be totally at sea intially - but one needs to be smart enough to figure it out and hit the ground running. If you are smart enough to get through a good Bschool you should be smart enough to do this too.
BTW Crash_Testbhai, I might be looking at the whole thing from a different light but I think networking is NOT about wishing people in public transport (btw even in the US no one ever does that) nor does it mean following the love thy nehibor commandment (and the usual caveat - unless she is pretty
). It means looking at everyone you come across as a possible business associate or future employer. It does not mean not being yourself but respecting the network or association you manage to wrangle.
Besides good overall ranking, UNC is THE top school for careers in consulting. Debt can be paid off easily with the fat salaries, perks and signining bonuses that follow. Sometimes subsequent career progression might also depend on which school you`re from (there might be a bias for promoting the harvard dude before the maryland one, given comparable performance).
Actually there was a post on Stanford Senapati's thread which broached the same topic. Whether it makes sense to go to a lesser known college with full aid and risk not landing a job or going to a higher ranked college with no aid. I think it boils down to ones risk profile. And I think I am generally very averse to risk (or any possible fallout of a decision that might cause entropy and chaos in my otherwise placid life - read my email sig
)However I see just about a faint difference between Smeal and UNC. Trust me ! I am sure if you give a test to recruiters they would probably not rate both too differently. But I do agree that there is a difference. But I think the free ride more than compensates for that difference.
Arun
My opinion. What is in rankings ? If you have the aptitude and the smarts (read as ability to network) you will get a job on your own - in which case Smeal wins hands down.
Cannot even think of chucking a full aid, unless ofcourse you had got something from the M7 perhaps.
Arun
If you ask me, the ranking matters a lot. It's a very rare chance that students from lower ranked places will get a salary as fat as the ones from the higher ones. The discrimination is far more than we can imagine. It's always been there. We just choose to overlook that fact for the sake of consoling ourselves that what we have in our hands is equally attractive.
And as for networking, don't you think it'll be easier to influence people if you are from a top notch school?
I am in a similar dilemma between Kelley and Tippie. Businessweek 2004 rankings for the two schools are 18 and 38 respectively. Do you think there's a significant difference between the two schools ?
BTW Crash_Testbhai, I might be looking at the whole thing from a different light but I think networking is NOT about wishing people in public transport (btw even in the US no one ever does that) nor does it mean following the love thy nehibor commandment (and the usual caveat - unless she is pretty). It means looking at everyone you come across as a possible business associate or future employer. It does not mean not being yourself but respecting the network or association you manage to wrangle.
arre, i didn`t mean that networking implies you gota exchange pleasantries with neighbours or walk their dog. I was talking about how even basic communication is absent in our culture/society/whatever, leave alone aggressive networking. It wouldn`t hurt if you were looking for a job in finance and you were at good terms with the neighboring "uncle" who has been a practicing CA for 25 years. Such guys have the connections to make one phone call and get you an interview at an MNC. It would also not hurt if you were looking to get out of those sad maintainance projects and get into development, and you happened to have a chat during lunch break with the team lead of a j2ee project who knows where spots are free! Abhi if we can't strike a conversation with people we meet everyday in the most comfortable settings, how`re we gonna be cold calling white guys in US and tell them to hire us AND sponsor our visa? When i was looking for a job, i used to talk up to anyone in the local train who wore a tie! Most of them turned out to be sales executives, but it was worth it...one of them forwarded my CV at a good company.
If you ask me, the ranking matters a lot. It's a very rare chance that students from lower ranked places will get a salary as fat as the ones from the higher ones. The discrimination is far more than we can imagine. It's always been there. We just choose to overlook that fact for the sake of consoling ourselves that what we have in our hands is equally attractive.
And as for networking, don't you think it'll be easier to influence people if you are from a top notch school?
Anupbhai, what is the difference between UNC and Smeal ? I accept a few ranks on the US-News or BW list. Remember that BW used to rank Stanford GSB at #12 till around 2002 !! So you have to tell me *solid* reasons yaar........
Sab yehi ratt lagaake baithe hain ki Rankings matter, arrey mein kab inkaar kar raha hoon
But pray tell me what the freaking difference between a UNC and Smeal. http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/Programs/MBA/careerServices/placement03.cfm
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/mba/stats.html
Except ofcourse for very strong reasons:
(a) Your heart is set on IB go for UNC, for manufacturing go to Smeal
(b) You have very close relatives in that state who yout think can help you
(c) You like the research work and choice of electives
(d) Some X factor
etc. etc.
But if you are neutral to such stuff then what is the difference ? I think everyone jumps on the Ranking thing without thinking that the OP has a FULL TUITION WAIVER plus FREE CASH to boot !!!
Arun
chandler SaysI am in a similar dilemma between Kelley and Tippie. Businessweek 2004 rankings for the two schools are 18 and 38 respectively. Do you think there's a significant difference between the two schools ?
Whooa ! Do you have aid at any place ? If no, then Kelley is a no-brainer. My next-door neighbour in Baroda went to Kelly in 2002 and last heard was doing pretty good for himself (though he too had the waiting-for-a-job ulcers after passing out). His profile was BE (Mech) with Avg acads + GMAT 650 + 5yrs workexp in L&T.; Strong in operations, I think he was the president of the Operations Club at Kelley. Search for a guy called Nikhil Sarin.
Arun
I have a grad asst with Tippie. Kelley is yet to declare the R2 schol decisions. Evene if I get a schol at Kelley there is a good $50K difference between the two in terms of tuition and living costs.
Tip on choosing school.
Choose the school which is best for you
(You do that by looking at which sector who want to work for specific companies, if you are location specific, brand of school in India if you want to come back after 3-5 years etc, )
The scholarship money DOES NOT count in making a decision of which is the best school.
For some people who has brothers/cousins in specific cities that can be a factor but in my opinon that should not be a factor.
Now after trying to match your goals if there is no significant difference between the two schools then choose schools which is cheaper.
In other words let's say you are choosing between UNC,UCLA,Emory (similar rankings) then go with the one which is cheaper.
In your case Chandler the schools in question (Kelley and Tippie) are in different TIERS. This choice is a no-brainer. Kelley all the way.
In Kelley you have some chance of moving out of Mid-West later. In Tippie no chance, you are stuck in a small town in Midwest. I know the scholarship $$ looks inviting. But doesn't Kelley have a guaranteed loan? So money should not be a concern.
Regards
I always believe go to the school which is best for you.
Hi,
I agree with Senapati .In this case UNC and Penn are in different tiers.The quality of recruiters at UNC is much better.As far as location goes ,both are nearly the same.UNC is very close to charlotte , an upcoming IB hub.
Arun,I feel crashtest dummy concerns are very apt.Indians are disadvantaged at networking , first of all because they are aliens and your american classmates would know a lot more ppl since they have already worked in the industry there for so many years , holds true for u in india..doesnt it?Second , culturally we take time in fitting in , and 2 years of bschool is not enuff. My friends at a few top 15 schools are facing a tough time in summers...for career switch in finance altho they have better grades than their IB exp classmates.The feedback is that jobs like sales and trading require customer interaction which is more suitable for an american.Even if you thow all the "indian" inhibitions and start networking, its a tough task.
And i agree that a free ride at a lower school is enticing ,but the free ride is given coz u wud be among the best..that goes a lot in telling u about the quality of your classmates and faculty as well.
Its a personal decision depending upon the amount of risk you can take.But remember , this would be your last piece of education and it better be good.So better add the pedigree to the degree ;)
cheerz
Bysodus
p.s i would have said the same even if i didnt have an admit from UNC 😉