Intern
Joined: 30 Jan 2018
Posts: 1
Location: United States (CT)
Concentration: Other, Technology
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V41 GMAT 2: 760 Q49 V47
GPA: 3.65
WE:Broadcasting (Entertainment and Sports)
Decision Time: UCLA Anderson, vs. NYU Stern, vs. waiting/reapplying
[#permalink]
01 Jun 2018, 15:48
Greetings everyone,
I've read through a lot of questions/advice on this site, and now it's time for my to add my own.
So, some background on me... I'm a veteran of sports television production, worked in the industry for over a decade, so I'm definitely a bit older (34) than the typical MBA candidate, and to be honest, hadn't considered returning to school until recently, as I've hit something of a wall in my production career/job-search, and decided to explore the possibility of moving over to media management, the business side.
Applied to a number of school, mostly in Los Angeles and New York, given their status as obvious media hubs, and now find myself mulling over a few big questions.
I received admission at NYU Stern, but with no scholarship support, as well as an offer at UCLA Anderson that includes a half-tuition scholarship. Obviously, cost of living is expensive in both cities, and finances are definitely a concern. Given that I spent a number of years paying back undergrad loans (which are thankfully all paid off now), I don't have a lot in the way of savings.
All things being equal, being in New York at Stern is quite appealing. But obviously, the scholarship support at Anderson is quite enticing, and I've been very impressed with their program, the collaborative nature, the Parker Career center, and the fact that the school is quite connected to tech, which I sort of envision as a 'backup plan' of sort if the right opportunity in media could not be found. (Obviously, Stern is also well connected in this area.)
So, I'm weighing a couple of decisions, really. First and foremost is whether I definitely want to enroll in an MBA program full-time, at this moment. It's something I definitely still have some reservations about, given the major debt that's obviously involved, at either school. (I know, obviously, that a lot of debt is pretty much a given at any top MBA program, unless you're independently wealthy, of course.)
And then, there's the question of where to enroll, should I take the plunge. Anderson's scholarship support is certainly appealing, given my financial worries... but in an ideal world, I'd really prefer to place, career wise, back in the northeast at the completion of my degree, and obviously that's much easier to do from NYU than UCLA.
As you can tell, I keep going back and forth. Another possibility, one that I've thought about, it postponing enrollment for now, trying to find the right opportunity work-wise in the city, and looking to enroll in Stern's part-time program. Of course, that means giving up the certainty of the offers I have now.
So, yeah, was just curious to hear some different perspectives, get some advice from people who know and have been through this process. Am I making too much of the cost/debt issues? I'm just concerned about the finances, given that a) I'm older than a typical graduate, have less time in workforce ahead of me, and b) obviously media may not be as lucrative as traditional paths of finance/consulting.
Curious to hear from everyone, thanks for any feedback!