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scorpionz
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 09 Jun 2012, 22:35
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evigirl
Thanks for the help, Adamtn!

Hi Asimov, I'd like to work in Marketing in a global city. I read somewhere that H-1B is a non-competitive visa classification so a prospective employer wouldn't need to offer the job to an American first, was this wrong?

It's a bit hard to get a good read on the difficulty of the situation, because the other people from my country who got an mba went to ultra elite schools and I am not sure how much that plays into it.
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I didn't quite understand what you meant about H1-B being a non-competitive visa but it doesn't sound right to me at all...Getting an H1-B is a very challenging process since employers have to provide a justification for each case as to why an American national cannot be offered the same position or why is the firm not in a position to source American talent for the same job..

Industries such as IB and Consulting are known more for sponsoring post MBA H1s for internationals. Relatively speaking, it is much more difficult to get a CPG firm, or any such firm where you want to get into Marketing, to sponsor your visa. Not to say it never happens, but it is even more challenging than IB/Consulting..

In my eyes, as I'd posted above, if the difference in MBA rankings/tiers of the schools is significant, then I would always advise going in for the higher ranked school. However you need to take a call depending on your personal finances & situations..
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 09 Jun 2012, 22:56
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Thanks for the advice, scorpionz.

I am sure the process is still hard, but this is what I was referring to:
Quote:

MYTH:
The company first has to offer the job to a U.S. candidate, before they can offer it to a foreign national student.
REALITY:
H-1B is a non-competitive visa classification. Employers do not need to test the U.S. labor market before filling petitions on behalf of the employees.
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I can't find where I originally read this, but Google shows another source: https://case.syr.edu/coops/mythsAndRealities.php
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA Updated on: 27 Mar 2013, 09:54
Originally posted by geometric on 09 Jun 2012, 23:11.
Last edited by geometric on 27 Mar 2013, 09:54, edited 1 time in total.
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I am going to toss my vote into the hat that for an MBA, it's top 10-15 or bust. By bust, I mean that the value probably isn't there.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 11 Jun 2012, 02:52
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guppy
Scenario:

You are accepted to a program ranked in the 10-15 range and in the region you wish to live. However, you receive no fellowship and would need to take a loan of 100k or more.

You are also accepted to a school in the 20-30 range out of the region you wish to live, but with a strong, recognizable reputation nationally. You receive fellowship, and would require a loan of only 30-40k.

Both schools are similar as far as curriculum and 'fit'.'

How much of the MBA decision should be the ROI on the debt vs. the average salary of the school. Averages are not a guarantee, but do signal the opportunity presented.

Is anyone on this forum facing a similar decision and how are you weighing your options?
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For me, region is highly important once I hit the 20-30 range. I'd go for the 10-15 with no questions asked.

Now, if it were, 10-15 out of the region, and 20-30 in the region I wish to live, I'd have a harder decision.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 11 Jun 2012, 09:11
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The constant preening over rank on this forum is nauseating. An MBA is a business proposition and everything about it can be quantified in terms of your future salary. Better networks, more personalized attention, etc. is worthless if it doesn't translate to higher earnings.

You have access to the recruitment and salary data from the schools you're considering. You know what career field you're interested in and you have a rough idea of the career path (if not, research and talk to some alumni). Calculate the NPV of attending each school. Rank does not even factor into the decision, per se. There is a lot of uncertainty of course, but you can come up with some pretty good estimates if you really research. An investment of this magnitude requires some due diligence.

There are definite advantages to top tier schools, but the advantages are different for different people, so a blanket answer to a question like this is impossible. You just have to do the work and figure it out. You may decide not to get an MBA at all.

Aside: You might be wondering how to choose an appropriate discount rate for the NPV analysis. Create several career path scenarios for each school, assign a probability to each, take the weighted average and discount at the risk free rate. It's easier to think about it that way, just try to be as comprehensive as possible in thinking of scenarios.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 11 Jun 2012, 09:16
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pearljam

Aside: You might be wondering how to choose an appropriate discount rate for the NPV analysis. Create several career path scenarios for each school, assign a probability to each, take the weighted average and discount at the risk free rate. It's easier to think about it that way, just try to be as comprehensive as possible in thinking of scenarios.
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Ummm, do you even need an MBA? :lol: You lost me at weighted average and risk free rate. Impressive.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 11 Jun 2012, 11:02
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cheetarah1980
pearljam

Aside: You might be wondering how to choose an appropriate discount rate for the NPV analysis. Create several career path scenarios for each school, assign a probability to each, take the weighted average and discount at the risk free rate. It's easier to think about it that way, just try to be as comprehensive as possible in thinking of scenarios.

Ummm, do you even need an MBA? :lol: You lost me at weighted average and risk free rate. Impressive.
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Flattery! I guess my hours spent suffering over the CFA curriculum weren't totally wasted!
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 12 Jun 2012, 16:46
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ultra-elite does play a HUGE factor.

I would say for Harvard, Stanford, & Wharton....go even at a higher cost. For others such as Kellogg, Booth, Columbia, MIT, Yale, maybe you can make an argument, but hopefully they give you at least a 25-50% scholarship. Anything lower than that, probably better to just take a full scholarship at a top 30 school than pay full price at a top 10-15.

Just my two cents.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 12 Jun 2012, 18:54
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adamtn
ultra-elite does play a HUGE factor.

I would say for Harvard, Stanford, & Wharton....go even at a higher cost. For others such as Kellogg, Booth, Columbia, MIT, Yale, maybe you can make an argument, but hopefully they give you at least a 25-50% scholarship. Anything lower than that, probably better to just take a full scholarship at a top 30 school than pay full price at a top 10-15.

Just my two cents.
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I've seen several people take the money at school 20-30 in lieu of higher tuition at school 10-15 and come out of school with no debt, but also without an MBA level job (or a job in the industry they desire).
I really think it depends on what the OP wants to do post MBA. Evigirl's situation is also complicated by the fact that she's an international student so no debt is safer in case she cannot work in the US after graduation. But in terms of immediate post MBA opportunities, I would say that there are more opportunities in the top 15 than there are below it. I am not saying that the opportunities are different. There will be marketing, consulting, finance, etc. jobs coming out of each tier. There are just MORE of these jobs (and also more blue chip companies) at top tier schools.

It's two very different gambles and both are risky. Some people bet on the school's pedigree, others bet on the "no debt" freedom. I just caution people to understand that while you may gain the freedom of less debt you might lose the freedom of more career options. Tough call.
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Choosing Higher Rank vs. More Money for MBA 16 Jun 2012, 08:01
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I think evaluating the options would help to arrive at a decision. What are the options for an international candidate like Evigirl if she does not get visa for job in US.

SCENARIO: she took huge amount of loans to go to top bschool but now mba is over :) and loans come into life. she has no visa for work and since she is in developing country it would take her too many years to repay loans(rate of interest is around 14%) if she goes back to work in her country and try to pay loans while working there.

Also can alums/bschool help in any possible in such cases
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