I there. I'm currently stuck deciding between admissions offers from Duke Fuqua and Yale SOM. Both are great schools and a great fit for what I want to do in the social impact measurement space. Yale SOM is probably better suited to my career goals, but Fuqua also has a strong center for Social Entrepreneurship (although the student body is less bent toward social sector jobs).
A bit about me...
-Pre-MBA: 4.5 years working for social enterprises in supply chain management roles
-Post-MBA: social impact measurement role for impact investing fund or social impact consulting
After my visit to both Yale really stood out to me in terms of student body, course offerings, and connections for future jobs. However, SOM & Fuqua are relatively comparable in rankings, and Duke offered me a 1/2 tuition scholarship, which I find hard to turn down!
I'm having a hard time quantifying the ROI down the road in either case...
Duke Fuqua:
Pros:
- $$ scholarship (approx 60k)
- CASE center for social entrepreneurship, strong faculty though fewer course offerings
- tight knit/collaborative community
- weather is better and Durham seems cool!
- Fuqua has a strong brand
- loan forgiveness (only non-profit work) ($8k x 8yrs)
Cons:
- less people coming from/going to social impact jobs
- less long-term brand power?
Yale SOM
Pros:
- brand new facility
- large social impact community
- known for non-profit management, do-gooders
- prestigious institution
- more class offerings in social impact/data measurement
- take classes from any Yale school
- loan forgiveness (non-prof, b-corp, or LC3) ($10k x 10yr)
- better academics (?)
Cons:
- No scholarships, therefore higher pressure post b-school for higher paying job
- smaller alumni base
Any insight greatly appreciated!