INSEAD or NYU Stern (full scholarship)

I was in a similar situation several years ago, deciding between Cornell full scholarship and INSEAD. I emailed Soumitra Dutta who was an INSEAD professor before becoming the dean at Johnson. He basically said go to INSEAD if you want to work outside of the US and Cornell if you want to work in the US. In the end, I went to neither as I eventually got off the waitlist at Kellogg, but was able to study abroad at INSEAD for a quarter while at Kellogg.

After attending both a US program and INSEAD and seeing where my classmates of both programs landed afterwards, I'd say post-mba geography is a good filter for deciding between the two. The connections you make and job opportunities you are presented at Stern will be very US (and probably East Coast) centric while at INSEAD will be very Euro/Asia centric.

I don't know many Stern folks and less familiar with their program, but I'd largely agree with your pros/cons list of both programs. One thing I think you might be over emphasizing is the summer internship, which for consulting specifically is less of an issues. If you are comfortable with being a consultant and can kill a case interview, you don't need a summer to "feel it out" or "break in".

You are right that that many INSEAD folks go to MBB afterwards, but the large majority go to international (non-US) offices, typically their home country where they know the language and culture. I'll also mention that INSEAD has very little brand recognition in the US. Even those who have heard of INSEAD in the US don't really know how good it is.

I'll end by saying I loved INSEAD and would absolutely recommend it to anybody considering it. The students were some of the smartest, most interesting people I've met with very diverse backgrounds. And they 100% know how to party! The experience of living in Fonty, traveling Europe on the weekends, was so unique to me as an American. From an international, multicultural, "global citizen" perspective, no US program, can touch what INSEAD offers.