rhyme wrote:
Care to share why you chose Kellogg?
Sure, rhyme. I was going to write up a whole long post comparing the two schools and post it in the Part-time forum - on the off-chance it would be helpful to others. I'll just post it here instead.
Academically, both are great schools. I don't think anyone will argue with that. From my research, UChicago was definitely stronger in a quantitative sense, but Kellogg was stronger in terms of general management as well as "soft" skills like teamwork. In the end, those cancelled each other out - I'm going to business school to improve in all those areas. In terms of specific classes, Kellogg has more electives that I want to take - especially some business law and intellectual property management classes. Chicago has an amazingly flexible program - but it actually wasn't a major selling point for me since a.) I need a general business background (so I'd be taking the same "core" classes at either school) and b.) having the opportunity to take classes in other schools doesn't mean much to a part-timer when all those other classes meet during the day.
In terms of facilities, Chicago won, hands down. I live down in Hyde Park anyway, so I'd have at least some access to the Hyde Park Center. It's a gorgeous building. And the Gleacher Center is nicer than Wieboldt Hall for Kellogg. It also would be slightly easier for me to commute to and from the Gleacher Center than Wieboldt Hall. I wasn't about to choose on facilities alone, however.
At the end of the day, it really came down to fit. I had three bad experiences with UChicago and I just never felt comfortable there. I am sure there are wonderful students at the GSB, unfortunately, I met some bad ones.
Bad experience #1 - At the info session, I asked the panel a reasonable question about how they choose classes and if any of them had ever not gotten into a class they wanted. The response? "Our registration system is too complicated to explain - you wouldn't understand it." I could understand saying that they use an auction system, with the finer points being too complicated to go over with limited time, but I felt very put-off by the response given. Also, one of the testifiers decided to use her time not to praise Chicago, but rather to rant about Kellogg and put down its program. Sadly, that turned out to be a common thread about my interactions with UChicago students - rather than praise UChicago when invited to do so, they chose to try and bash Kellogg instead. Even a professor did this!
Bad experience #2 - My interview was with a current student - a very nice, friendly guy. He had about three formal questions for me, then we spent the rest of the time just chatting about other things. I was finally able to get my question about the registration system answered, and we also talked for awhile about their accounting club. He offered to have some particular info about it sent to me. He said while he couldn't contact me after this interview, he would make a note and assured me, repeatedly, that the Admissions Office would contact me with this info. Never heard a thing. The info wasn't important enough to me to try and track it down, but the lack of follow-through was a bit of a let-down - especially in comparison to Kellogg, who had repeatedly sent me follow-up information and notification for various events.
Bad experience #3 - I went to a class visit at UChicago after I had been admitted. A very nice admissions person escorted me to the classroom, and then left (the prof wasn't there yet, so he couldn't introduce me). I stood in the middle of the aisle for a few minutes, unsure where I could sit. I was holding a big red folder, and there were several students sitting and chatting around me. When I asked if there was a seating chart and where I could sit, the student just said "No, sit anywhere" then turned away. No one voluntarily talked to me at all - I had to initiate every conversation, even though it was obvious I was a prospective. The responses I got were generally short, one word answers with no follow-up. This was the day after I visited Kellogg, where the students were extremely friendly - I chatted with the students next to me before class, and then I was surrounded by people at the break - asking me about my industry, my background, my interests and suggesting others I could talk to. A few people even gave me phone numbers and email addresses so I could contact them with further questions.
I found myself wanting to go to Kellogg - when I found myself daydreaming about being in school, it was at Kellogg. I gave myself two days after my class visits to make sure I'd weighed out everything, and then I sent the forms to Kellogg and Chicago.
Chicago is a fantastic school. My husband is getting his PhD in physics from there, and my best friend is at the Harris School for Public Policy. I wish that I liked it more. It just wasn't the right fit for me.
close
15 Feb 2007, 15:43
