Booth vs. Kellogg FT

Question

Hi Everyone -

I was fortunate enough to be admitted to both Booth and Kellogg FT and I am having a hard time making a decision. Any input is appreciated.

I have attached below my profile:

Occupation: Private Credit & Structured Equity (Mezzanine) in MM/LMM 
Experience: 4.5 Years
Undergrad: Big 10 school; Accounting & Finance dual degree
Scholarship: None at either
Desired Position After MBA: Music Royalties Private Equity (acquisition of song rights) / Entertainment

Thanks!

bb

bb · Answer

Thanks for posting so quickly and congrats on your admits! Fantastic job!

Entertainment and PE are hard! Fun job though but my guess a lot of it is happening LA or New York?
This seems very specialized and laser focused career goal (which is great by the way - the more precision like this you can get, the more successful your recruiting will be. At this point even I am curious and wondering if I can help (which I don't think I have any contacts. I have had one from Universal Music in LA but he is way out of that job).

There are 3 components to Bschool recruiting: 
1. On campus recruiting - I think that's out of the question here
2. Off campus (your sweat and blood) - this is the path you will most likely have to take. This is where you would research the companies that specialize in this type of work and which PE's hire and see if you can see a pattern. Are they all HBS, are there some Booth or Kellogg folks and that may play a role in your decision. However, they all may quit by next year and that's where the last component of recruiting comes in
3. Luck - a lot of the recruiting is luck-based. You submit a resume into a form and you get a call or you meet someone on a plane or you have a classmate from undergrad who gets a job at one of these places and makes an introduction. This part is sort of independent of the first 2. Very unpredictable too.

So, naturally, Booth would fit more with this idea of PE. However, entertainment and PE are highly specialized and competitive. Often they want previous work experience in the exact same thing. It will be tough. I have a slight Booth leaning/preference since it is Finance and PE focused program with connections into many firms. This would be my 2 very stereotypical cents.

jameshsieh95 · Answer

bb

Thanks for the quick response! You are correct - it is largely in NY, LA, Nashville, and London. My plan is to put in the work and try to network my way in during my time at MBA vs. relying on on-campus recruiting. I intend to do a quarter abroad in London (at either LBS / LSE) to try to network into said companies. I want to caveat with that I may have an opportunity to return to my current firm if my plan does not work out.

bb · Answer

Got it. Sounds like a good plan. Your best option is to tell everyone what you are looking for and sooner or later they will connect you with someone. I would find the names of the companies as well to the extent possible.

It is great to have a backup plan. Sometimes they may hold you back from being desperate enough to cross some comfort lines but I think that's not a major concern. 
My cousin spent 2 years in London and was underwhelmed with salaries and recruiting there. While he had a good time there, he found some opportunities to be more limited than in the US (he was recruiting for Tech and Consulting so quite far from what you are considering). He ended up coming back to the states.... so Europe would require a good amount of work to break into it and also the whole Visa/recruiting part can annoy an employer who is not experienced with these types of things.

-B

driscoll42 · Answer

Both are excellent programs, you might find a matrix I made comparing them when I made my decision a month ago useful  here , though I am seeking a tech focused role and was choosing between the Part-Time programs. I ultimately decided on Kellogg and just finished my Orientation this past weekend and so far am thrilled with my choice.

I assume you've looked at the job placements for both, any one stronger/weaker than the other for what you want? And/or looking on LinkedIn or sites of companies to see if either of them have Kellogg/Booth connections. I can say that from the few days I've sent at Kellogg so far, I am loving the atmosphere, everyone has been terrific, friendly, smart, helpful. I'm sure it's great at Booth too but I hear there's more of a competitive/individualistic nature there.

krishnaddala · Answer

+1 to  driscoll42 , I've only applied at Kellogg as it was more community driven, and I had a few pathways(another word for major) at Kellogg that I was interested in and my experience talking to current students, alumni really helped me make that decision. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either schools. Booth I heard is more academically rigorous, has nobel laureates, there's a difference in On campus recruitment between FT and PT students. Whereas, Kellogg is more teams focused and has a great courses, strong alumni, a great on-campus recruiting process. I've had an amazing experience last weekend when I finished my orientation and meeting great people.

Both these schools are top 5, and I would say talk to both current students and alumni and I think it will surely help you to make that decision.

bb · Answer

Wow! That's some guts - just 1 school. I admire your confidence

I wish I had that

krishnaddala · Answer

Lol I just planned for one app to see how I would fare and then plan for other schools for R3. Thankfully my application was strong enough to get me through and into Kellogg which was where I wanted to land.

Booth vs. Kellogg FT

Booth vs Kellogg

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