Hi everyone,
I have a big decision looming between two great options:
UCLA - $70k scholarship
Kellogg – no $
Career goals: Working in tech in a product manager/marketing role OR strategy/strategic partnerships. While I’d love to work for a blue-chip company (Google, Microsoft, etc.), I’m open to small-medium companies if the opportunity seems right (probably not a startup though).
Mainly I am looking for advice as it pertains to career opportunities. I’ve tried to look at this from an analytical perspective - The employment reports favor Anderson (sending 28% into tech vs. 18% at Kellogg) but LinkedIn shows more than 2x as many Kellogg grads at the top tech companies compared to Anderson (even taking into account class size, it’s a higher % than Anderson). Maybe this is because Anderson sends a higher percentage to small-medium companies. I’ve asked several UCLA students if they felt their recruiting process (in tech) was very competitive and they said no, but of course this is very anecdotal. On the other hand, I haven’t met a lot of Kellogg admits/students with my career goals which either means that recruiting could be more difficult or it could work in my favor (make me stand out). Again, completely anecdotal.
The only other note that might be relevant is that I’m open to staying on the west coast after graduation (I think I'd enjoy living there, and most of the jobs are there anyway) but would like to have the
option of moving back east after 5-6 years. I’m not sure if the Kellogg brand name matters much at this point though.
So I guess what it comes down to is, does Kellogg offer a distinct advantage to the point that it’s worth giving up a big scholarship? Any and all advice is appreciated!