Kelley MBA vs Mcdonough ( Georgetown ) MBA

Hi,

I think when you compare these two programs, both have similar outcomes for employment in the consulting function both in percent of class and salary. Also, very similar in technology industry hire %s.

Georgetown, of course puts you on the Atlantic coast, which will expose you to a different geography than Indiana. Therefore, where do you want to go post-mba? Have you visited both schools? Georgetown is right in the capital of the nation. Indiana... not so much. So do you prefer rural or metropolitan? Its going to be a lifestyle choice more than anything I think.

As an Indian living in DC, I know from experience that most hiring from McDonough happens for Federal consulting. Great companies come to campus - Deloitte, BCG, BAH etc. but since they all want to staff their Federal practices, they need people with Green card or Citizenship. There is very little opportunity for H1B holders (even when these companies are willing to sponsor) for you to get projects in this area. Please do take that into consideration when you weigh in your options. Hope that helps!

P.s - One big reason I am not applying to schools in this area along with cost of living. McDonough will be significantly more expensive than Kelley.

Good insights but I don't fully agree with you about the hiring statistics. Cost of living would be definitely high in Washington DC. As far as recruitment is concerned, I can definitely say that International students need to put in more efforts to get hired as compared to US nationals. However, it is not difficult. From my experience and from the previous year-class statistics, International students (especially from India) have all got good internships and full time offers in the consulting space. Companies such as Deloitte, PwC, EY do hire international students (though fewer in number).

Congratulations on making it to Kelley and McDonough. Looking at your post-mba goal, both universities have almost similar demographics in the field of consulting. Considering the brand value, Kelley wins among the two. But studying at McDonough will give you better opportunities to get internships and jobs in Georgetown when compared to Kelley. Morever, Kelley has slightly higher brand value than McDonough in the MBA community. It is a very close call, but if I were you, I would go with Kelley.

Good luck!
www.interviewbay.com

This just isn't correct. Less than 1/3 of the consulting jobs accepted by MSB students last year were for public sector/federal consulting. BAH isn't really a focus school for MSB anymore and BCG doesn't have a federal practice. If you had looked at the school 5-8 years ago I think this may have been the norm, but a lot has changed in the past few years.

I'll admit, the above sentiment is purely anecdotal - I hear this from a friend currently in McDonough and going through recruitment. IMHO, recruiting anywhere on a Visa is tough, but adding an ecosystem that is inherently difficult to enter for people on H1Bs is definitely not going to make it easy for most of us. Boxer317, hope you were able to make your decision.

MBAjunkie16,

I'm sure you've got good information from your friend who is currently at McDonough. I can't comment on his experience or the reasons he is personally facing difficulties, but from the experience I've had so far (I'm a first year) I am sure McDonough is improving by the day. I am not taking sides here, but I believe that people should speak for their experiences and not something they've overheard someone saying. All the best Boxer317 with your decision making.

Thank you people, your replies have definitely given me few more perspectives to look at.
Although, I am still not decided on the college but I think I am in a better position to make a call now.
It appears there is not much between Kelley and Mcdonough when it comes to statistics and rankings.
Total expenditure will be more or less the same for me at both the places becuase Mcdonough has offered me better scholarship package compared to Kelley. So I can bear the extra cost of living in DC.

It seems it will be more of a lifestyle choice for me now, as in which place I would prefer to live in. Even this choice is kind of tough as I had the time of life during my undergrad years at a small university town somewhat like Bloomington but currently I feel I ll be more comfortable in a metro. So still thinking.

Please keep pouring in your views and I ll let you guys know as soon as I decide to put in a deposit to lock in my decision.

That's great. I believe you now have all the information to make a good decision. All the best.
Let me know if you have any specific queries. Happy to help.

Hello people,

Just put in the deposit to confirm my place at Georgetown University: McDonough School of business.
I took some time to make the call.
Thank you everyone for sharing your views.
Can't wait to get started.
Hoya Saxa

Kelley is pretty isolated compared to Georgetown as it's like an hour outside of Indy in a rural college town...being in DC for Georgetown is great because you can easily get to the airport or hop on a $30 Megabus and in 4 hours you're in NYC. It will probably be a bit easier to network but a lot more expensive if Georgetown doesn't offer student housing...just an FYI I'm a Kelley Direct student. Check with the schools' career services and see which firms usually recruit from them and explain that you're Indian. I'm sure others have gone to them about this sort of thing...