Foster vs Goizueta for Consulting/Tech

Question

I'm deciding between offers from University of Washington (Foster) and Emory University (Goizueta). Cost is the same after scholarships and cost of living are factored in. Post grad I'm looking to move into internal strategy, consulting or tech. On the surface it looks like Emory places better in consulting (deloitte, accenture, pwc, etc) while UW places better in tech (amazon, microsoft, etc). A few concerns with both schools are brand reputation and regional pull. Any thoughts from current students, alumni, or prospectives on how both schools are perceived and what recruitment outside local areas are like?

bb

bb

bb · Answer

Congrats on your admits!

Both are pretty regional in their sphere of influence.  abhimahna  - can you perhaps comment on Tech/Consulting?

I know MBB is super hard to break into even from the Top 10 for an internship standpoint. Based on your time stamp, you are likely a domestic applicant so you should have more options but a lot will come down to your work experience and how much you can leverage that to stand out from your peers.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey jkim888 , Congratulations for your admits.

If you are a domestic candidate, I think Emory makes more sense here as you will get all the options you are looking for. We have a very high recruitment at EY/Deloitte and for sure a few at MBB/Pwc and other consulting firms. Tech is a bit tough at Emory until you have a tech background or CS degree and I think Tech will be a bit easier at Foster considering it is closer to top tech firms. So, I would take the decision based on my background and will decide where would I have more opportunities. I hope that helps and feel free to reach out if you have more questions. Good luck

NandishSS · Answer

Hey  abhimahna

CC  bb

Despite having 720+ why did you choose to go to Emory University (Goizueta)? You had chance of getting top 10 US B Schools.

Is it a strategy or Full Scholarship? or any other factor?

bb · Answer

Sometimes you play the hand you have been dealt...

NandishSS · Answer

Would really love to hear from abhimahna

mradamsmith · Answer

Congrats on your admits! If consulting is the priority or something you're interested in exploring, then Emory should be your answer. It will be much stronger in that space yet still places well for tech. The Emory name has national reach as an institution and you'll find much more variability in employment outcomes and geography.

Foster has become strong in tech but recognize that this is extremely regional--almost exclusively Seattle-based. That may not be a negative for you, but just know that if you attend Foster you will realistically be giving up a shot at "top tier" consulting and would have to network like crazy to end up anywhere but the pacific northwest.

From the employment reports: More than 40% of Emory grad took jobs outside the Southeast. Just 14% of UW grads took jobs outside of  Washington State   alone.

In conclusion--unless you told me "I am certain I want to work in tech in Seattle," Emory will be the better option. Good luck!

bb · Answer

Part of the difference is Stats is that Foster is only 125 people and Emory is 180 (50% larger program which has its benefits). 
Seattle has been a strong job market for the last 10 years and it is natural for it to soak up all the grads (lots of people also came from out of State to fill in job positions - as you know Amazon hired 1000 MBA's in 2017 alone). The tech growth of Amazon and MS have fueled a lot of recruiting.

UW is strong in Seattle and highly respected as #1 school here but it is PNW only. With the MBA program graduating 125 people per year, you won't likely find a big Foster alum network in Cincinnati or Atlanta, but probably some in Bay Area as well. As abhimahna mentioned, Tech is the focus in Foster and if that's not what you are pursuing, probably best to go for Emory.