First off, congrats and all that jazz.
Let's assume UNC-KF is out and it's a question of Duke versus Cornell (Tech). Brand-wise, I assume Duke and Cornell are at the same tier just below the M7 and the better school for you is a matter of fit with what you are looking for. For tech, I would rank Cornell Tech over the Cornell 2-year program unless you are a career switcher.
Location: Cornell TechWhile it's not Palo Alto, I think it's very clear that NYC is much better to network with alumni in the tech space than Durham, NC. Besides being a better place to live while attending school, this is why NYU and Haas are so selective despite being ranked substantially lower than other schools that are far away from employers and alumni. That being said, few will attend Columbia if they get into Wharton.
Alumni: Toss-upI agree with heyivy to use LinkedIn. I would reach out NOW to alumni in both Fuqua as well as Johnson to see who is more responsive. This can be huge, but this will depend upon your preferences: where you want to live and what you want to do? Alumni will impact your recruiting opportunities right away and in 5-10 years the make-up of your class may enable you to transition into better opportunities or perform better in a senior role (e.g. bring more business to your firm through your contacts). The former is based primarily upon the success of alumni that graduated decades ago. For example, it's known that Apple recruits from Fuqua because Tim Cook went there. In the 13/14 report, they gave internships to 9 and hired 6 full-time. Apple isn't mentioned in Cornell's employment report. Further down your career path, the connections you make with your peers may open up a lot more than a simple interview opportunity, so Cornell Tech may have something to offer as well. Let's look at each school.
Cornell:
(+) smaller class size will mean stronger connections with your classmates.
(+) a tech-focused MBA means nearly all of Cornell Tech's graduating class will enter into your industry each year.
(+) you will build a network with cs masters students. tech firms are actually more interested in hiring engineers than mba's, so this could be big down the road.
(+) VERY strong network in NYC. last employment report for 2-year program has 33% entering NYC metro area + 14% in northeast outside NYC versus 35% total in northeast from Duke
(-) no prominent alumni in tech easily found
(-) strong network in banking won't be valuable to you
(-) Cornell Tech is new. Cornell alumni may not identify the same way with you versus students in the Ithaca 2-year program
(-) weak alumni on west coast but graduating class moving to west coast is similar to duke
(-) long-term the school may flop like how ASU acquired thunderbird
Duke:
(+) prominent alumni: Tim Cook (Apple), Dylan Smith (Box), Chad Dickerson (Etsy), Amy Hood & Scott Guthrie (Microsoft), Aaron Patzer (Mint, now Intuit)
(+) data point from BW shows a slightly higher % of students entering tech versus cornell (19% vs 14%)
(+) alumni are VERY supportive of their school and this is evident in the BW results in which biased alumni recruiters & reviewers pushed Fuqua up to #1. part of this is duke listing duke alumni as the respondents for the employer survey, but cornell would be stupid if they didn’t do the same (they fell in at #13 on bw FWIW).
(-) larger class means it will be harder to make as many close connections
(-) more peers will go into different industries
(-) weak alumni on west coast but graduating class moving to west coast is similar to cornell.
Internship Opportunity: DukeA 2-year program like Duke enables you to pursue the internship you want, but it's up for you to nail it. This is probably a bigger advantage for someone entering banking or consulting in which jobs are primarily offered to summer interns. I'm not sure how common MBA internships are at tech companies you want to work for. I recommend investigating this. While Cornell Tech has a company project in the fall and a start-up project in the spring, you may not get the one you want. I wouldn't consider the start-up project an internship but it may align with your goals if you are interested in that. For weak applicants who may not land top internship roles in tech, I would actually suggest Cornell over Duke because I assume they will shoe you into a company project/internship without you needing to make the cut in an interview like a traditional internship. The company project with Cornell Tech will probably give you more opportunity to connect with senior executives than a generic internship. I interview MBA students from HBS, Tuck, CBS, Kellogg, etc. who want an internships we offer in our corporate strategy & development group each year. I've seen and worked with a few and their exposure to people within the company is quite limited. Compare this to a co-worker who told me the other day he was very impressed with a Booth company project that presented to a business unit and senior management after a semester of work. Still, there is no guarantee you will have any interest at landing the company project you want. For example, does Mastercard R&D count as tech in your book? It would be a great opportunity for some but others may have no interest in a fintech project at an established financial services firm.
Career: Toss-upDuke is better for consultants and Cornell is better for investment banking. Tech is another story. With a goal of entering tech, I would pick Duke over the 2-year program at Cornell. Cornell Tech throws a wrench into any analysis because it is essentially a brand new school despite having the Cornell brand and it's targeting the exact market you want.
Cornell:
(+) Better networking opportunities in NYC
(+) David Tisch (TechStars, BoxGroup), Greg Pass (Twitter), Marina Dadashev (Amazon)
(+) As the second graduating MBA class of Cornell Tech they will be investing heavily into your success. I'm assuming the only reason they started the programs before the campus was finished was to begin building a track record.
(+) You can spend savings on events like SxSW & techcrunch disrupt
(-) You will have access to the Ithaca based recruiting process but all the events are 4 hours away in Ithaca
(-) Only one-year to "hustle it" and find work visa
Duke:
(+) Better on-campus recruiting opportunities since you are part of the main program
(+) Better chance of finding sponsorship with traditional on-campus recruiting than "hustling" it
(+) Two-years to "hustle it"
(+) More tech hires than Cornell's main 2-year program
(+) AAPL
(-) I will repeat location because it's such a big deal. "Hustling it" from Durham, NC will be MUCH harder than from NYC even if you have two years to do it.
Curriculum: CornellDoes anybody go to b school to actually learn? From what I understand, the Cornell Tech curriculum is essentially a degree in Product Management but they call it an MBA because it’s more marketable. You get a summer of basics that covers what most programs teach in their first year “core” and 9mos. of curriculum designed for product management – precisely for what you want to do. That being said, there is probably next to no flexibility such as wanting to study abroad or taking classes in other departments. A 2-year MBA program is not a full 24mos., but actually 18mos. of classes + a <3mos. internship. So, Duke gives you an extra 6mos. of classes, but the intensity in the second year for most people is quite light unless you really want to skip the networking/party scene. I imagine you would learn a comparable amount of material from either program.
Fun: DukeTwo years out of school having fun > 1 year out of school having fun. ‘nuff said. NYC is fun but people in the south really know how to party and the weather is much better.
Cost: CornellLet's say you got a 50% scholarship for a total tuition cost of ~$50k
cornell Tech versus tuition at ~$115k for two years
duke. You will need to pay living expenses in both NYC and Durham and if you didn't go to school, but it's well known that NYC is much more expensive so let's add another $15k to Cornell. Also, let's say you make $75k/year after taxes and ignore interest given today's low interest-rate environment.
Marginal cost to attend Cornell: 50+15+75=$140k POST-TAX
Marginal cost to attend Duke: 115+75*2=$265k POST-TAX
SummaryLocation: Cornell
Alumni: Toss-up
Internship Opportunity: Duke
Career: Toss-up
Curriculum: Cornell
Fun: Duke
Cost: Cornell
From your post, it seems you are risk averse and looking for a job at a tech firm that offers a visa sponsorship. For this, a traditional 2-year degree with an internship opportunity probably offers a slight edge over Cornell Tech’s 1-year program. If you already have the background to land a job after Cornell Tech, I don’t think this is huge for you. The Cornell Tech program itself is clearly a perfect fit for what you want. Duke will give you more time off from the real world, but it will cost an extra $115k in post-tax dollars. Take your pick. Either will be awesome.
edits: typo
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18 Mar 2015, 10:57
