Hi bb,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! I have a few follow-up questions:

1. Tepper Dilemma:
• actually already have funding, so the financial factor is less significant.
• The scholarship is conditional on maintaining good grades for 2nd year (uncertainty about whether I can secure it)
• CMU’s reputation in Korea is relatively weak, which worries me in case I return home long-term. Do you think Tepper’s tech strength outweighs this concern?

2. Johnson’s 1+1 Tech MBA:
• I’m intrigued by Johnson’s 1+1 option (1st year in Ithaca, 2nd year in NYC), as it seems like a great way to access NYC’s tech hub.
• However, I’m wondering if this program might be weaker for someone pivoting to Tech PM compared to Tepper or Anderson. What’s your take on this?

3. Round 2 Strategy:
• I’m thinking about Kellogg, CBS, and Haas—would applying now be a stretch (outreach) or worth a shot?

I know I’ve thrown a lot of questions at you, but I truly appreciate your advice and time. Thanks again for your help!

Hi. That's great! That is awesome you have funding.
Yes, you can secure it Nobody gets bad grades. This is not a trick type of thing. It is a usual 3.0 GPA requirement.

I will start in reverse order:
3. You should absolutely apply in R2. I was going to suggest it but did not bring up in case you were burnt out / wanted to find out more. So yes, def apply. You can also add Fuqua into the Mix or Yale (that would have the strongest international brand name unless you already made that shot). MBA applications is just like lottery, the more tickets you have the better.

2. Tech recruiting is taking a beating as Tech companies are waiting out and cutting staff. Your best chance of recruiting will be a referral/network/on campus pipeline (e.g. Amazon) as well as your fellow classmates. I don't know enough about 1+1 program at Johnson, but one concern would be separating with your cohort for the second year... are there employers coming to NY Campus? Maybe more than to Ethica... so this may be a strength but I just don't know enough about the program. P.S. Johnson has mostly been a Finance school. I know they have Tech MBA but most alums are still in Finance.

1. Would Carnegie Mellon Reputation would be better internationally, than Anderson or Johnson? I am not talking about your family members per se but potential recruiters instead. You are a better judge of it; often a network of alums is more important than recognition, and that's something to check by potentially connecting with a current student from Korea at Tepper, Johnson, as well as Anderson to see what they see in the Alum database (I would only look at the MBA one however, not others). By the way, fun fact for you - CMU undergrads in computer science with zero work experience make more money than MBA Grads with 10 years of work experience 😂 (Not sure still true now that tech bubble has burst but there is a clear discrepancy there).

I know a few Tepper students and one of them already secured a tech internship at MSFT (through a veteran's event however, so would not apply to you) and they had a bit of experience as they were a Tech PM at GMAT Club (something we do in Feb in case you are interested to get some Tech PM experience), but the bottom line all recruiting will happen through connections/networking/etc if you do not have existing Tech PM experience. I don't think you have many disadvantages (besides the awesome restaurant scene in NYC) that you will be missing out with CMU.