Advice - Fuqua vs cornell vs ucla

Hi biggienamk,

Congratulations on your admissions results! Choosing among these programs is a great position to be in. Just to clarify -- the programs you were admitted to are Fuqua's executive MBA program, Cornell's engineering management program, and UCLA's engineering management program, correct?

The most important difference here is the breadth of the programs in question. If my understanding above is correct, then the key point is that Fuqua's EMBA program will attract a much wider swath of professionals from different backgrounds (and with different career goals) than the Cornell or UCLA engineering management programs. The academics will also be broader; case studies and homework assignments will cover a wider range of industries and fields.

Whether this is a plus or a minus depends on your own short- and long-term post-graduate goals. All three of these universities have strong reputations and alumni networks. However, if you want to preserve career flexibility (i.e. if you want to have the option to move outside of the information systems field either right after graduation or further down the road), then attending Fuqua's EMBA makes more sense. You'll develop a broader network and be exposed to a wider range of potential employers than you would at Cornell or UCLA. On the other hand, if you already feel certain that you want to stay within information systems (or engineering / data-driven fields generally) and want to pursue management roles within those types of companies, then the more narrow focus of the Cornell or UCLA programs will be a better fit for you.

I hope this helps! Congratulations again and best of luck with your decision!

Doris