tortoiserun wrote:
As a second-year Ross student who was also accepted at Anderson and is currently looking closely at her post B-school budget, I have to say that I disagree that you shouldn't factor the money into your decision. I'm not sure if your fellowship is for $40k total or $40k per year, but either way, it's a lot of money! If you were looking at two schools that had vastly different rankings or specialties, then I'd take a closer look at the ROI between the two, but those two schools are close enough in ranking and culture that I would give a serious edge to Anderson given the money. Really, the culture between any two top B-schools isn't that different at the end of the day. And while B-school is all about the experience, you'll have a great experience either place, and when you graduate and have bills to pay and financial goals to meet, you'll appreciate that money you saved! I love Ross, but if I was in your shoes, I'd pick Anderson. If you have any other questions about the two schools (I lived in LA when my best friend went to Anderson so I know a good bit about them as well), feel free to PM me.
I agree to you as you are the person who knows in and out of being a b school student. But I would still advice to go for the school that is important for your future aspirations. If your dream company does not recruit at A and you have to make a choice between A with $ and B then there is no point of going to A. We are already spending so much money and no salary for 2 years, so it is impractical to judge the school on fellowships as a general rule.
But in case both A and B are equally good for you, then going with fellowship is indeed a better option. Since UCLA and ROSS are both top schools there is no question of which is better, but the question is which is best for you.
I have not done r n d on ross yet but to me UCLA is a perfect fit so I didn't even bother to look around for other schools as I will join UCLA with or without fellowship and I can bet you financially I m no better than any student coming there. Once I m done with my UCLA app I will look around because I m already short of time.
To me selecting school is not less than selecting your soul mate, so the decision should be practical.