Epic battle: Booth vs CBS Full time MBA

Question

Want to get everybody's opinion on this. My goal is to go into finance after graduation and with the possibility to work internationally. Thanks very much!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Tough, when you throw in the international factor, because CBS has a good brand, maybe a better one overseas, than Booth. 
However, they don't really need to know you value that so much. Both are great in finance. What other factors matter to you? 
What do the employment stats bear out for each school, for your target job? 
if you are inclined to go with CBS, you might consider negotiating a scholarship. 
Your GMAT is a hot commodity and they might be willing to pay for it.

bb · Answer

The two are very close. I would vote for Booth but I am biased as I have about 10x the people I keep in touch with who had gone to Booth vs. CBS. I also like Chicago better than NYC.

Have you visited the schools? Or planning to?

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mbaapplicantjim2016 · Answer

Thanks so much for your insight! For my target job, CBS seems to have a better placement. However, on my campus visits and the active student reach out to me after acceptance, I have been more impressed by Booth. Still a 50/50 tough call!

I am wondering how to negotiate a scholarship with CBS? Should I actively reach out to someone? I think I checked "to be considered for merit-based scholarship" when I applied and that process I think starts in Jan. Please advice, thanks so much

mbaapplicantjim2016 · Answer

I have visited booth schools multiple times (summer school at U Chicago during high school, work in NYC now). Like Chicago the school much better but at the same time like NYC the city better...tough choice still!

FunkFreed · Answer

I would also go Booth here, also given you work in NYC perhaps Chicago would be a nice change of scene for 2 years? I like both cities a lot. Curious, what's your target job?

mbaapplicantjim2016 · Answer

Finance/PE but with a real estate twist given prior work experience (but subject to changes).

I am curious how to start negotiating scholarship offers at these schools, should I just reach to the financial aid office directly after acceptances?

FunkFreed · Answer

Great question, I asked it on another thread but I'm also not sure how to start the negotiation process. Hopefully someone can chime in?

bb · Answer

It is not very common for schools to match scholarship offers but definitely not unheard of. 
There is a set pool of money I am not sure that the fin aid office is the one calling the shots - it is likely a joint or more or less purely adcom decision how the pie gets cut. Fin Aid office simply administers it. As the result, I would guess you would have more success reaching out to an admissions person (if you were smart enough to meet/chat one up/stay in touch with one) and start your process there. You would be much better served if you were able to get ad adcom member to lobby on your behalf vs. cold emailing an undergrad student worker at the financial aid office.

P.S. Adcoms do consider all admits as their "folks, people, and depending on age, sometimes children" so there is some attachment and there is some responsibility involved in that relationship so you don't need to feel like a stepchild - they are also interested in your success and your eventual matriculation. This may be something to save after the admit student weekend where you can meet an adcom member and establish a stronger relationship but don't wait long into R2 when money get scarce.

bb · Answer

I would recommend searching around the forum a bit more for actual experiences - so far I am finding some small amounts only. It seems schools don't like turning Fin Aid offices into auction houses.

Here are some helpful reference points/discussions (some from 10 years ago)
negotiating-a-scholarship-59021.html#p439303
negotiating-scholarships-64890.html
scholarship-awards-more-random-than-admissions-45421.html
how-do-you-explain-these-scholarships-44671.html

mbaapplicantjim2016 · Answer

Thanks so much. Still a pretty close call at this point...

jessepinkman · Answer

I'd go to both schools' admit weekends before making a decision. In many cases, it will be very clear which school you prefer after these weekends, was definitely the deciding factor for me.

mbaapplicantjim2016 · Answer

Did you have a hard time deciding between these two as well back then? I am definitely going to both welcome weekends.

jessepinkman · Answer

I was ultimately deciding between Booth and a different M7 than CBS. I was leaning Booth before the admit weekends but wasn't entirely sure and the decision was easy for me after the admit weekends so hopefully they'll provide some clarity for you.

Epic battle: Booth vs CBS Full time MBA

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