Anderson ($$$$) vs. Haas

Question

Hi all. I would love everyone's insight on which MBA program I should choose. I was admitted to UCLA Anderson on a full ride, and to Berkeley-Haas with no scholarships (I'll look into negotiating, but even if I am successful in getting some $$, I doubt the amount will be very significant in comparison to Anderson's offer). I am currently working in the media industry in LA. Post-MBA, I'd like to stay in either media and/or tech, and also stay in LA.

With all that said, I feel like it may seem obvious that I should go with Anderson. However, I feel culturally very aligned with Haas, and I'm a bit hesitant to turn down a Top 7 school. I don't necessarily have a culture clash with Anderson - in fact feel like I'll get along just fine there - but I "click" more with Haas' students, values and program approach. Still, the logical part of me feels like this isn't enough to turn down a full ride at Anderson, a school that has strong media and tech programs, which is in the same city where I intend to live after biz school, and won't leave me with any significant debt. I need that extra little push in either direction - what do you guys think?

jessepinkman · Answer

given that you want to stay in LA and work in media, Anderson seems like a no brainer here

bb · Answer

I agree about Anderson and esp if you recruit in the industry you are familiar with and one that strongly relies on networking and connections (where on campus recruiting would not be very helpful).

Congratulations on the admits!

Posted from my mobile device

stonecold · Answer

+1 to Anderson.
Just out of curiosity why didn’t you apply to USC?
A much higher percentage of USC grads go into media and Hollywood.
Given that you have admits from such great schools, USC admit would have been a cake walk for you..

But UCLA offcourse has 10x times more pedigree than USC.

Go for UCLA!
All the best

Stone

George88 · Answer

Thank you everyone for basically affirming what I think will be my final decision. And in response to the question about USC - I wanted to target Top 15 schools, especially in my first round (figured if for some reason I decided to make a larger career pivot, a higher ranked school give me a more realistic shot at doing so). Between UCLA and USC, it was a no brainer that I preferred UCLA, so I only applied there in R1 and figured I could reevaluate if I didn't get into any of my initial targets. Again, many thanks for the insight!

bb · Answer

Congrats again on admits and making your choice!
Thank you for coming back to post your decision!

Anderson ($$$$) vs. Haas

Which school should I attend?

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