I've never been more torn in making a decision in my life! I was lucky enough to get into a few schools and have since narrowed it down to Booth and INSEAD. Both are great programs and I'm so grateful to have been accepted into each. I recognize that I can't go wrong with either choice, but for some reason that isn't helping me make a decision. I would be extremely grateful for any thoughts or musings on my situation - hopefully you guys can help me come to some sort of decision here since I only have a week left to make up my mind!
About me:-29 F, US citizen / caucasian
-Ivy undergrad, engineering degree
-7 years work experience in tech - analytics and internal strategy
-Studied abroad in Shanghai in undergrad. No work experience abroad but have done a lot of international work projects/trips
-I am SO ready to travel
Goals of MBA for me in no particular order:-Use it to pivot abroad. Spend 2-4 years abroad (preferably somewhere in Asia or an emerging market) and return to the US to settle down in my mid 30s
-Learn as much as possible. Round out my business acumen
-Explore different areas like VC/PE, also interested in international expansion/international strategy roles
-Make a solid group of friends and build a network that will benefit me 10/20/30 years down the road
Booth: (already have a deposit, deadline to defer is 7/1)
PROs:
-Much stronger network in US. I plan to ultimately settle down in the US so this will be useful in the decades to come
-2 year program, so it gives me more time to explore different classes and try new things
-Classes are 3 months vs INSEAD's 2 months, so they go deeper and theoretically I would be learning more
-I've been admitted since December so I've already had time to meet my classmates and I feel like I'm part of the community already
-I could do a 3 month study abroad wherever during my second year
CONs:
-I'm 29 - already above the average age. Worried I'll feel like my classmates are babies since I think so much personal/professional growth happens from 26-28
-Chicago is smack in the middle of the US, so international travel becomes that much more cumbersome
-From the small group of Booth alumni currently working broad that I spoke to, most were either international students to begin with or they were US citizens who ended up in London (I would be fine in London, but it definitely doesn't excite me)
-I would be doing nontraditional recruiting since 99.9% of on campus options are US-based
-Study abroad is only 3 months
INSEAD: (need to pay $13k deposit by Friday 6/25)
PROs:
-Gets me abroad asap (it's been a life goal of mine to work abroad)
-Higher likelihood of me finding a job abroad (see cons for potential counterpoint)
-Average age is 29 so my classmates will have more experience coming into school
-Would begin in January so I would have an internship opportunity
-More international traveling
CONs:
-I've read so many posts that say INSEAD is for consultants to get the MBA stamp and then return to their prior company, or that INSEAD is where the rich international students go to goof off for a year before returning to their home country/family business, so as a result, the focus on academics is lacking
-I ultimately want to settle down in the US, so if I go to INSEAD and work abroad for a year or two after, the INSEAD brand likely won't help much when I'm returning to the US and looking for a job. But perhaps I could rely on my undergrad brand for this? It seems silly to pay so much for a brand name that has short term benefits (getting me abroad) but not much in terms of long term re: US networking...
-INSEAD career services told me that only 50 US citizens in the last 5 years have found job sponsorship in Singapore/Australia after graduation, which equates to 10 per year or 5 per class. This is somewhat alarming since ~50 students in each class are American
-The INSEAD alumni I've spoken to who immediately returned to the US after graduation told me that their INSEAD degree/network didn't help at all in the job search and they had to rely on other networks. Again - red flag since this is going to cost $$$$$$ and I want the value to last longer than the few years I'm abroad for
Other facts to consider:-I received a scholarship at Booth so both schools come out to approx the same amount for tuition + living expenses. Wish I could pick one based on $ alone
-There is a SMALL chance that an international role could open up at my current company, but I likely wouldn't know this until after the INSEAD deadline comes and goes. If I could make this work, I would jump at this role and defer INSEAD or Booth for a year. Likely INSEAD because then I'd be extremely old by Booth standards, but there's no way I'd know if I got the job by the INSEAD deadline next Friday
-Do I really want to be early 30s and trying to uproot what is supposed to be the beginning of a stable career trajectory to try to go abroad? 30s is generally the time people want to settle down and I'd be completely uprooting my life
Tl;dr: My brain is telling me Booth, but my heart is telling me INSEAD. I always make decisions with my brain, but maybe it's time to do things differently? Or is a ~$150k purchase a silly time to start doing things differently? I can't seem to give up the idea of INSEAD even though I know it might be a poor choice longer term since my goal is to return to the US, but I don't want to always wonder "what if" and watch the opportunities to go abroad pass me by.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU