Calling all McDonough Applicants (2015 Intake) Class of 2017

For those who accepted their admit, can I ask how you guys chose/what made you decide to go to MSB? Without aid it is a harder decision than I thought it would be. I've been accepted to Tufts Fletcher school MIB program with a nice scholarship and I've just been invited to interview after being waitlisted at UW Foster.

Any advice?

I've chosen MSB for several reasons, one being the obvious: Career options. Of the five companies at the top of my list that I'd want to work for, they ALL recruit at MSB, and two in particular seem to have a very strong relationship (which might be due to nepotism, but hey, whatever works). The company at the top of my list takes interns consistently every single year, and I've been in contact with all the past and present interns of that company from MSB. I also like the small class size. I did undergrad at a HUGE university, worked for the worlds largest firm in my industry, and I'm so over being a number. The network at MSB works just fine for my personal career interests, though I get why it wouldn't work for some if their career choice isn't so well accommodated. I also like that there is a semester abroad option, as that was REALLY important to me when choosing a school. I also need a (pretty) city with actualy transit options, high walkability, etc. I'd rather look at a sky scraper than a tree and I'd rather smell exhaust fumes than a meadow. Seriously lol. DC has a good balance thought for those rare moments when I need nature. There are also a handful of student orgs that are pretty active, and when I reached out, no other school was more welcoming to me as a prospective student. This is just my perspective and it's all pretty personal, so make the right decision for yourself! I recently came into some money due to an inheritance, so the lack of aid is not a real setback for me, which is definitely a unique situation.

Foster is a good option too! And have you heard from Anderson? I'm not so familiar with Fletcher, but an opportunity to join the Men in Black might be hard to turn down.

I guess it would depend on your career aspirations, where do you want to work, in what sector? Fletcher is a fantastic school, but a MIB is not a MBA, are the firms you are looking at flexible on your degree or will you be at more of a disadvantage without an MBA?

I also considered the MIB but this : "Of the graduates who completed the survey, 98% sought and found employment, obtained fellowships or internships, or had gone on for further study within six months of graduation." off of their employment report was a bit too vague for my taste. Also, the average salary for graduates going into the private sector was 74K which seemed a bit low to me.


But I could be very wrong, Fletcher is a leader in IR education and if you can avoid a huge amount of debt it might be the best fit for you.

Personally, as a career switcher (looking to go from military to consulting), the MBA just seemed like the perfect degree.

very well said

Congrats!! Where are you going backpacking?



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I haven't heard from Anderson, but without an interview I'm expecting a ding.

Thank you for all of your advice guys My gut tells me to stick with an actual MBA - ease of moving through job market, it is recognizable and accredited (I haven't been able to find anything about Fletcher's MIB that states it is an accredited business degree, but I may just be looking in the wrong place) - but the finance part still spooks me a bit.

I guess for now I'll see what happens with Foster and if nothing comes up I'll have to choose between Tufts and McDonough by April 20th (deposit date for the Fletcher school).

Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it.

I have planned to travel through northern Africa. I lived in Morocco for a period of time a few years ago, and would love to go back to the region for the summer.

Does anyone know McDonough's policy on deferring a year for the full time program? I couldn't find any information on their website...

Thanks in advance!

Hey ShoeBunny, I'll be at Admit Weekend too, looking forward to meeting you there!!!

Awesome! Are you planning to stay for the game night on Friday? The whole weekend honestly sounds like a hodgepodge of other MSB events I've attended. I'm certain I'll be matriculating. But hey, free breakfast, lunch, and dinner is hard to turn down haha

For anyone that used to be or even currently on the wait list have you ever tried to schedule a meeting with your assigned admissions advisor? And was it successful? A few friends of mine have recommended to me that I should try to schedule an in-person meeting, but I'm unsure if that is a good idea or if it's even possible. I was wait-listed as a R2 applicant. Any insight is appreciated!

R3 Submitted!!! fingers crossed now!!!

I'm also waitlisted as R2 applicant. I talked to some students who were waitlisted, one of them mentions about talking to admission advisor. I hvn't tried it. but i guess its possible to try talking to them about it. best of luck!

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For anyone admitted: has anyone asked for an extension on the deposit? When I interviewed at another school they said that many b-schools give extensions to give people more time to decide. Has anyone done that for McDonough? And if so, how did you word it?

Thank you, and best of luck to you too!

I do have quite a lot of community experience, probono work with startups, and have been a semi- professional soccer player for the last 5 yrs.
Also i work in the energy and oil & gas sector.(some variety)

Not enough for Mcdonough i guess