CMU Tepper (no money) vs OSU Fisher ($$$$)

Again, congrats on getting into two great programs.

Fisher: You are definitely much more boxed into mid-west when you attend Fisher. It is a regional program that has been holding stead with the rankings but placements for your target areas are weak. The program is half the size of Tepper (117/year vs 213). Only 10% of grads last year went to work in the West from Fisher (average salaries - $111K)

Tepper: 25% of Tepper grads went west and were hired with an average salary reported at $121K. The money does not matter as much, and more of an indication of caliber of grads and jobs they were able to get into.

I think Tepper is a much more natural/better fit for you due to West Coast and Industry match but you can't ignore the scholarship. As long as you can accept that you will be absolutely on your own to find a job and accept that fact, you will probably be fine. Over the long term - 20 years or so, when you start considering being a giving part of the alum network, which would you rather be a part of? Which program do you relate more to?

P.S. If the only reason you want to attend Fisher is that it is free, probably not the best place. You need to find more anchor points why you like it, why you want to be there, etc. You want to be a part of the experience, program, community, etc. Make sense?

Tepper - top 20 school will open a lot more doors and they're way stronger in tech

CMU is definitely stronger if we look into your post MBA career goals. No doubt about that. However, a free ride cannot be ignored considering Carnegie's tuition and other expenses ($173K for 2 years) are way too high and in sync with the Top 10 business schools. It is definitely a lot more than other schools in that range. If you have good networking ability and would start making contacts at organizations you want to work with from now, there is no doubt that you cannot be a part of that 10% from Fisher who makes it to the West coast. Witha full ride, I am sure you can even try different options and explore better. I'd also like to draw your attention to a unique concentration that Fisher is offering in the Technology direction:

https://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba ... siness-mba

Having said that, if you can work your way through finances, you should go to Carnegie. No doubt about that.

Will you actually be excited to go to Fisher? Will it allow you to achieve the goals that you actually applied to b-school to achieve? If you can say yes to both, then go to Fisher otherwise go to CMU because it is a better fit for your career