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Hello guys,
I have to ask for an advice about a tough decision that I am facing. I've applied to 2 schools that I really liked.
School A is better ranked (top 20 in FT ranking), very aggressive with strong finance curriculum, it feels rather competitive (in a good way).
School B is traditionally great but its rankings are slipping for the past three years, it has a huge sense of community, all students that I talked to were super-happy and excited about being there, its MBA has very high reputation in general management and an amazing alumni network.
During campus visits I loved both of them but school B struck me as a much more comfortable place in terms of a personal fit, probably because its fully case-based and I am much more a hands-on practical type of learner.
Today I got an admit and a scholarship offer from School A to which I will have to respond by March 2. School B decision will only be known by March 15. There was an unofficial indication that I may also qualify for a shcolarship in school B.
I know it's probably a stupid question, but what would you do in my place.
cheers
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Senior Manager
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Well first off congrats. I think a lot of people in this forum would give there left arm to be in your position  But with regard to this decision I would say that B-school like any grad school experience is about fit. There are people who say, "Go to the best ranked school you get into" but I don't necessarily agree with that line of reasoning. Certainly I think ranking and prestige are important but they shouldn't be the deciding factor. If for example you would fit in just as well at "A" then "B" then it would be OK to use rank as the deciding factor, but I believe that it should be used only if all else is equal. If you feel that you fit in better at school B even though it is of a lesser rank (and it seems like it is still a well-respected institution) then by all means go to B. I don't know if that is a good answer though. Most of the time Linda and other moderators like to give answers that are in the "It's up to you" variety
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Admissions Consultant
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Re: Tough decision [#permalink]
 03 Feb 2005, 19:31
kosyura wrote: Hello guys,
I have to ask for an advice about a tough decision that I am facing. I've applied to 2 schools that I really liked.
School A is better ranked (top 20 in FT ranking), very aggressive with strong finance curriculum, it feels rather competitive (in a good way).
School B is traditionally great but its rankings are slipping for the past three years, it has a huge sense of community, all students that I talked to were super-happy and excited about being there, its MBA has very high reputation in general management and an amazing alumni network.
During campus visits I loved both of them but school B struck me as a much more comfortable place in terms of a personal fit, probably because its fully case-based and I am much more a hands-on practical type of learner.
Today I got an admit and a scholarship offer from School A to which I will have to respond by March 2. School B decision will only be known by March 15. There was an unofficial indication that I may also qualify for a shcolarship in school B.
I know it's probably a stupid question, but what would you do in my place.
cheers
I just wrote a blog post on " Multiple Acceptances." It deals with some of the issues raised in both the above posts.
Regarding the timing questions, if the deposit for School A isn't too high, I would send it in and consider losing it if you are accepted to B with a scholarship and decide that it really is a better fit.
Good luck!
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Intern
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Thanks a lot for a valuable advice about putting a deposit up and then waiting what life will bring with the second school.
My biggest issue is that I equally like both schools for different things that they have to offer - eg. finance curriculum versus case study approach.
To make it even more complex, it also involves considerations such as future employment for my husband who is works in biotech research, choice between a huge city where a girl can wear a decent pair of shoes to a good theater - for school A and a smaller sleepier town with lower costs and an opportunity to bike almost everywhere for school B.
Anyway, your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.
h.
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kosyura wrote: Thanks a lot for a valuable advice about putting a deposit up and then waiting what life will bring with the second school.
My biggest issue is that I equally like both schools for different things that they have to offer - eg. finance curriculum versus case study approach.
To make it even more complex, it also involves considerations such as future employment for my husband who is works in biotech research, choice between a huge city where a girl can wear a decent pair of shoes to a good theater - for school A and a smaller sleepier town with lower costs and an opportunity to bike almost everywhere for school B.
Anyway, your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.
h.
you're most welcome. I also forgot to congratulate you so I'll do so now. Congratulations!
Multiple acceptances certainly beats multiple rejections. As long as the deposit isn't too large it strikes me as a good way to go. It will buy you time and perhaps with time will come clarity. AT least you will be able to see where your husband gets a job.
Good luck!
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Hello All,
and the saga continues.
Last week when I was on assignment in West Africa my hubby sent a deposit check for to my school A (Rotman at University of Toronto) to meet the deadline of March 5th and secure a spot in the program.
Two days later I got an admit from my school B (Ivey, at U of Western Ontario), who also offered me a significant dean's entrance award which would cover about 35% of total tuition for the two years.
Factors to consider:
- school quality and rankings
- intangible, yet incredibly important 'fit'
- place to live (Toronto versus London, Ontario)
- money (incuding scholarships, non-refundable deposits and cost of living)
I am as confused as ever about which one to choose but will have to do it over the next week...
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Not to punt the question back to you but many of these considerations are highly dependent on your own subjective observations. These schools are essentially in the same cluster among Canadian schools so "rank" does not seem particularly important (Toronto has slightly higher admissions values- we could go into far more detail if you are interested). Moreover, the two schools share similar placement records. Accordingly, I would place the most weight on your "fit" with the campus/metro area and school itself.
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kosyura wrote: Hello All,
and the saga continues.
Last week when I was on assignment in West Africa my hubby sent a deposit check for to my school A (Rotman at University of Toronto) to meet the deadline of March 5th and secure a spot in the program.
Two days later I got an admit from my school B (Ivey, at U of Western Ontario), who also offered me a significant dean's entrance award which would cover about 35% of total tuition for the two years.
Factors to consider:
- school quality and rankings
- intangible, yet incredibly important 'fit'
- place to live (Toronto versus London, Ontario)
- money (incuding scholarships, non-refundable deposits and cost of living)
I am as confused as ever about which one to choose but will have to do it over the next week...
I suggest you look at professional opportunity, recruiting and placement first. If there is a difference, then factor in the cost difference, and then look at where you would prefer to be in terms of the education and living place.
See also "Multipe Acceptances"
Good luck!
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JUST PUBLISHED! MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools
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Hello again,
A bit of info to provide a 'closure' to the story. Rotman at University of Toronto it will be. It really did take a lot of thinking to make this decision - and thank you so much, Hjort and Linda, for helpful insights.
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Congrats kosyura, I actually had a chance to visit both schools. Had I decided to do an MBA, they definitely would have been 2 of my target schools. Do you think that you got the scholarship based on your GMAT score? I very much thought that had I waited 1 more year, I would also have got some kind of scholarship 
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Best Regards,
Paul
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kosyura wrote: Hello again,
A bit of info to provide a 'closure' to the story. Rotman at University of Toronto it will be. It really did take a lot of thinking to make this decision - and thank you so much, Hjort and Linda, for helpful insights.
You're most welcome. Best wishes for your success at Rotman.
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JUST PUBLISHED! MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools
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Paul wrote: Congrats kosyura, I actually had a chance to visit both schools. Had I decided to do an MBA, they definitely would have been 2 of my target schools. Do you think that you got the scholarship based on your GMAT score? I very much thought that had I waited 1 more year, I would also have got some kind of scholarship Hi Paul,
thanks for the warm words. Rotman is a great school that I was really impressed with and Toronto is an interesting place to spend next 2 years.
As to the scholarship - I really don't know what was the key factor. My GMAT wasn't that high - I scored only 720. My hunch tells me that it was more the unusual background (I am consultant in microfinance with work experience in 20+ countries ) and focus on social issues that were appealing to Adcom from a diversity perspective. But then, who knows.
Obviously, I can not complain at all  , but it would be great if schools had more transparent criteria for awarding entrance scholarships.
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Hello Guys,
There was a time when GMAT seemed like the worst thing that could have happened. There was time when making a decision about which school to go was the most difficult one. Thanks everyone for the incredible support with these. This forum has been invaluable!
At this point of time, 6 weeks of an MBA program, my perspective has seriously changed. Now, It's all about surviving in the middle of the brigtest, the strongest and the most competetive crowd ever. Midterms are starting tomorrow, with stats, accounting, mpo, economics all crammed into meager 5 days, barely 5 hours of sleep a day, and lots of incredible fun. Talk about the real workload!
I just wanted to post this message to say that it's worth every bit of trouble to get into school. I'm also writing a blog for my school at
http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/mba/stude ... %20Kosyura
if you want a bit of inside perspective of how great of a B-school Rotman at University of Toronto is!
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