Carlson (50% tuition waiver) or Smeal (Fellowship)

Hi Everyone,

I am in a dilemma. I have to make a selection from the above choices very soon.

I am a 27 year old international candidate with 5 years of work experience in a reputed oil & gas infrastructure development firm. I have taken up roles in engineering, procurement, costing, and risk analysis functions. My post MBA goal is to transition to consulting (Strategy/Operations). Target firms - Deloitte, EY, and PwC. Back up career plan - Internal consulting for technology firms such as Amazon, Apple, and Dell.

I have got 50% scholarship at Carlson and 100% scholarship plus $760/month at Penn State Smeal. I have also received admission offer from Georgetown McDonough but without $$. I would be funding the entire tuition fee through loans. Also, I do not have a work permit in the US so the risk is higher.

Being an international student, ROI is one of my major concerns and for this reason I have decided to withdraw from Georgetown. I am confused between Carlson School of Management & Penn State Smeal College of Business. Carlson is better ranked, has much higher avg. GMAT score of incoming class, offers experiential learning programs, and has more diverse class. But, as per my interactions with few current students at Carlson, the opportunities for international students are very limited and the school is strong in strategy and marketing rather than operations. On the other hand, Smeal has an excellent operations and supply chain program with many opportunities in consulting and technology space. However, it is very low ranked with very low avg. GMAT score of the incoming class. Besides, I have heard that Penn State is only known for its undergraduate degrees.

Should I overlook the ranking & avg. GMAT, and go for Smeal OR should I enroll in a better ranked program at Carlson and network my best to land a job?

Requesting fellow GMAT clubbers and admission consultants to help!