Hi GMC -
I am deciding between an MBA at Yale and an MBA/MPP at Duke with scholarships. With the money offered from Duke, the total cost of attendance between the two programs is essentially the same (although opportunity cost of 2 vs 3 years in school is not to be discounted).
I work now in environmental consulting, and am hoping to end up back in the enviro / social impact space, including potentially working at a multilateral like the UN or World Bank but open to other private-sector options in social impact. I live in San Francisco and would love to come back to this area, although would be open to New York, Atlanta, or DC.
The programs flip/flop in rankings and both have a reputation of having resources for social impact students. Both send the largest share of their graduates to the West Coast and have strong connections in both DC and SF. However, with the exception of a few gems I've met at Duke, the general vibe and student experience at Fuqua seemed frattier than Yale's, which felt more scholarly and collegial. I feel more at home with students (and admits) from Yale than I feel with Fuqua students/alumni. My heart is with Yale, but I'm having a hard time saying no to an objectively good offer at Duke. Can you help me think through this?
I perceive pros and cons to be the following:
Duke
Pros
- dual program with funding gives me an extra year essentially for free, including an extra summer internship and policy curriculum on top of MBA
- two graduate alumni groups to pull from, including policy which is more in the multilateral and social impact space
- larger MBA alumni base
- Durham has a better climate and is objectively a better (and cheaper!) place to live than New Haven
- family is in Atlanta, just a day's drive away
Cons
- frattier / sports-oriented party culture at Duke is a turnoff
- worse international brand recognition
- older facilities / buildings
- grade disclosure
Yale
Pros
- better perceived culture fit in terms of students I met, the way I saw students engage with each other, etc
- stronger "social impact" reputation could be helpful in recruiting/networking in this space
- more integrated curriculum and focus on social impact throughout
- newer facilities
- more international brand recognition
- GND
Cons
- New Haven (compared to Durham)
- MBA-only program (did not get accepted to policy program, but could re-apply)
- MBA-only gives me less of an "in" into World Bank and other multilateral fora
- full cost of attendance
I think the choice comes down to: is the policy program (and its associated resources, alumni base, and chance at a second summer internship) at Duke worth what I perceive as a worse culture fit than Yale? Any/all help is much appreciated!