Calling UCLA Fall 2008 Applicants

very tough choice NC... it sounds like your fit at Ross is better than UCLA based on all your reasoning. I wish I could give more comments, but I don't know Ross' program well enough, so I can only say that the E-ship at UCLA will definitely get you doing startups immediately. But it sounds like Ross can do that too.

The cost of living difference is solely determined by the location and weather. Like my previous comment about Fargo (North Dakota), you get what you pay for. If you and your wife are ok with that, then by all means, the location and weather should no longer be a factor (whereas in my case, both are huge factors and thus strikes against Kellogg, since I pretty much refuse to live in those sort of winter conditions if I don't *have* to )

bewakoof, no offense taken, it's all about your individual fit. To give NC a different viewpoint, comparing Days at Haas and Anderson Days, I was blown away by DAH. A-Days was fun, well organized, professional, informative, and cool. The people were friendly, genuine, and helpful. But Haas was simply awesome for me. I felt the energy and friendliness of the students, the love they have for the school, and the excitement they bring to everything they do at every event. It's also interesting to note that I met very few engineers at Days at Haas, whereas many people I met at A-Days were engineers... it's probably just a luck of the draw. Also, no offense to any Anderson students, past, present or future, I did feel that the "sharpness" (as NC puts it) of the students at Haas were slightly higher than Anderson, ONLY based on the people I met. Again, this is NOT intended to be a knock at Anderson people, whom I was quite impressed with, but just drilling down to the very fine points (nitpicking). Maybe it's because I'm one of those "nerdy/engineery" types? hahaha

It is unfortunate that Anderson didn't tell you about your admit until too late, because A-Days would be crucial for you to decide your fit at Anderson. I wish we could tell you what the experience was like, but just from reading bewakoof's and my polar opposite experiences at A-Days, it really all depends on the person.

Check with red_s4, maybe he can give a 3rd unique perspective of A-Days to help you learn vicariously through your GMATClubbers to help you make the decision?

terp06,
Thanks for the great info. I'll continue to evaluate the 3 schools in the coming months and try to decide which makes the most sense for me.

I agree that NYC or CA makes more sense than Chicago. Another possible post-MBA location is Houston since I may focus on the energy sector. I didn't realize there was much IB opportunity in LA. I always assumed that West Coast IB opportunities were all in SF...

did anyone else get the UCLA application survey? It asks you to rate and comment their application process, their website, infosessions, admissions office, and brand image. I definitely provided my "constructive criticisms".