Again- Ross vs. Fuqua

Take the money and never look back. Especially since you said "I prefer the location of Fuqua..."

Ross and Fuqua will open up all the same doors.

In terms of Big-3 recruitment for consulting, Ross is better than Fuqua, as in 40 vs. 27. Is that worth 50k? That is up to you.

The fact that 13 more people went to MBB from Ross as opposed to Fuqua doesn't mean its easier to get MBB. It just means they liked 13 people at Ross more, or that those 13 people asked to placed in office where there was more demand, or some other reason pertaining directly to those 13 people.

The most important differentiator is the ability to get access to that company by way of on-campus recruiting. All that matters is getting that first round interview. They will interview a roughly similar number of candidates from both schools, and then the ones they like best overall are compared against similar candidates from both your school and other schools.

You are on your own after the first round interview. If they liked you at Ross, they'll like you at Fuqua.

Action is louder than words.

Well, I just gave some hard numbers. It's open to interpretation, and the OP is free to take it how ever he/she wants. Really not looking to turn this into a Ross vs. Fuqua thing.

Thanks for all thoughts.

Ross also has a bigger class, so they should have more people go into the big companies- simply because they have more numbers...

Any other thoughts?

After figuring in class size, it's 5.9% at Ross and 3.9% at Fuqua. That said, it's hard to compare these two numbers, because it also depends on how many people at each school are seeking M/B/B employment, and personally I don't have that information.

You may also want to take geography into account. Ross is a big feeder to Chicago; I'm not too sure about Duke, but I'd assume the mid-Atlantic region.

Ross is a slightly stronger brand and also has a bigger network, but the difference between the two is not enough to outweigh a large scholarship from Duke. Honestly, you cannot bank on the probability of securing a internship/offer from MBB from any school, recruiting for those positions is just that tough. Your chances are the same from both schools, if you get an interview, it's on you from there on out. I would personally take on less debt knowing that if I get a position at MBB, great, I can enjoy more of my money, and if I get a position at another top MC firm but not MBB, I may have a lower starting salary, but at least I have $55k less debt to worry about and will still enjoy more of my paycheck than the others who got MBB offers with 100k of debt.

In which case, you should save yourself about 40k minimum and not go to business school. Your chances of getting into MBB are outside odds at best.

Yea I wasn't looking to do it either, sorry if I came on too strong about it. I loved both schools (though Fuqua didn't love me back) and researched them both thoroughly, so I really wanted to convey that both schools are awesome.

Eh, not really. Let's call it a 5% shot at either school but that's only out of the kids who want to go into consulting (say, maybe 40%). Now the chances are more like 10-15%. Still low but it doens't end there. You have to figure that since the consolation prize could be a good position at a less prestigous firm, it is still worth going for lots of people.

Anyway, I think Ross has a slightly better rep. but not enough to overcome $55k. In my mind, you are looking at the 9-12th school and the 10-13th school.

I would take the $ in this scenario. Both are really good schools, location and fit are not a deciding factor. At Fuqua you might be ahead of the pack getting that 1st round interview. I started crunching some ROI numbers and that much less debt looks too good to pass.

Another thing you might want to consider is where you want to work after you graduate. Statistically Ross is stronger in the Midwest than Fuqua and vice versa. This is not a determing factor by any means, you can always be among the exceptions.

I'd go with the $$$ as well. You already prefer Fuqua's location, and I think the schools are close enough in reputation that it'd be worth it to give up a few ranking spots for $55k. Both schools are courted by top MC firms, and if you were unlikely to be hired at Fuqua, I don't think going to Ross would change that (not saying that you aren't a good candidate).

The only thing that would change my mind, as someone else mentioned, is if you are thinking about working in the Midwest in the long-term. In that case, I feel the advantage of the Ross brand would increase significantly.

Another point that crossed my mind, do you plan on returning to your original contry? as an international student as well, I often think about that. When returning home, depending on where home is, schools are perceived differently. Also this impact your long term ROI as salaries outside the US tend to be smaller.

Not planning on going back home and I'd much rather live in the South. In fact, I live in the south already. Moving to Duke would be a really easy transition. But again, I'd be willing to move to Michigan if I can see the benefit.

I'd agree with the general sentiment of this thread - the money makes a lot of sense in your situation. Unless your applying to one of the dual-degree programs at Ross (ERB, etc.), I think the two schools are about as close as they come. I really enjoyed my visit to Fuqua last year but simply enjoyed my time at Ross more. You can't go wrong either way. If it hasn't been mentioned, I'd at least contact the Ross admin to see if they can do anything about offering you some cash to offset the difference.

The two schools are very similar in quality (In My Opinion). In this case, the scholarship is a huge differentiator. I've applied to both and looked into each, and they seem very comparable. I've visited Duke and am a little biased but I don't think Michigan is worth an extra $50K.

You can negotiate with Michigan and attempt to get some money out of them ... but Durham has better weather!

Really though ... I don't see $50K difference.