Intern
Joined: 04 Aug 2012
Posts: 38
Location: United States
Concentration: General Management, Real Estate
Schools: Wharton - Class of 2015
Re: Columbia with Full tuition vs. Wharton
[#permalink]
31 Mar 2013, 16:36
I find this whole thing very deja vu, since I had to deal with a similar situation a few months back. Granted, I didn't get a full ride from CBS, but full tuition for the first year only, while Wharton gave me nothing. I spent over a month talking to professors, alums, current students, and people from my potential industry in order to make sure that I made the right choice for me.
In the end, I chose Wharton for two reasons - one, I ended up receiving a fellowship about a week before the decision was due (not as much as CBS gave me but still substantial); and two, the Admit Weekends were vastly different experiences. There's always a lot of talk about "fit," and Wharton really felt right to me - I felt much more at home with my potential classmates and current students at Wharton than I did at CBS. I don't know if I could really put my finger on the exact reasons, but it was a gut instinct, I guess. In terms of the post-MBA path, my impressions of Wharton real estate and what it had to offer over Columbia real estate were also stronger.
That said, financial matters are important, though I can't count the times when the words "rounding error" came up at both Admit Weekends when alums talked about their debt. Think about it based on your post-MBA field of choice - obviously, taking the plunge with debt could very well limit your flexibility in school in what you choose to pursue. But it's also important to think about your potential classmates, who will be a huge part of your network for the rest of your life.
Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more about why I made my choice. I'd be happy to chat.