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Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND)

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Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   27 May 2020, 12:40
Hi all! I would love and really appreciate any perspective and advice, as I try to narrow down my choice for the right b-school for me.
I have done a LOT of research on my own in terms of statistics, but there's only so much I can find/google.

Background: From Chicago, went to undergrad in LA, and now work as a buyer in NYC in my mid-20s. I'm hoping to switch to the tech industry (dream would be music/tech so working for Spotify, Apple Music, etc) in either LA, Chicago, Nashville, or Austin post-graduation.

Current b-school options:

Mendoza (ND): Full ride, STRONG alumni, easy adjustment back to Midwest, low cost of living. However the companies I'm aiming for do not recruit there and I would be doing all the heavy-lifting in terms of recruiting.
Owen (Vandy): Almost a full ride, great location, however companies I'm aiming for do not recruit there and majority of class funnels into healthcare/consulting.
Marshall (USC): Very little scholarship, sends a good % of class into the media industry, strong alumni, great location, have friends already there, yet high cost of living, means more really only in CA, and I technically have a LA network from undergrad I can fall back on
Fuqua (Duke): Good scholarship yet would still need to take out a somewhat hefty student loan, strong alumni, low cost of living, prestige, good connections for tech industry and strong Entertainment club, yet not ideal location.

Wondering what I should do/next steps I should take based on the above. I am leaning towards Duke or Vandy but unsure where to go from here, even after speaking with current students.

THANK YOU!
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Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   27 May 2020, 15:28
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Welcome to GMAT Club and congrats on your admits and scholarships! Awesome results!

1. Usually I would say Fuqua blows all the options you have out of the water.
2. USC is an up and coming program and it is doing better but the reason it has been sending alums into Music and Entertainment is probably well known to you - that's about the main industry is in LA.... but it does not mean those are good positions. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
3. I understand your first choices but those are very hot spots and require specific skills and lots of networking. The entertainment industry is all about the personal touch and networking which is very hard right now in the current state of social distancing. So if you are going to be doing facetime calls from LA, Indiana, or North Carolina, I am not sure it matters... but more importantly, I would also have option 2 or Plan B - what happens if Apple music is not hiring this season or in case Stanford and Columbia grads are dominating that space? It is always good to have a plan B.
4. I would drop Notre Dame from your choice and put your bets on regional vs. national strength. Since USC did not give you a scholarship to write home about, I would pick Fuqua without any reservations. It is a lot stronger program and the brand will transcend through a variety of noise and pandemics. Fuqua will help you with plans A, B, and even C.

That would be my choice.
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Re: Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   27 May 2020, 18:11
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I edited to add a poll for you.

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Re: Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   27 May 2020, 18:55
1) Agree ... drop ND from the list.

2) Ask USC if they'll bump up their scholarships in light of your Duke and Vandy scholarships. If they do, it'd be hard to not accept it.

3) If they don't, you'll have to weigh the value of having world class options at Plan B and Plan C (i.e., go to Fuqua) vs. having the Nashville music scene and all those connections in your back yard.

If it were me, I'd consider asking Fuqua if they'd bump up their scholarship to reduce your risk given the weird economy you're looking at graduating into in a couple years ... risk reduction makes a good decision easier ...

... and even if they don't change anything, I would still pick them. Probably. I value a good back up plan.

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Re: Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   27 May 2020, 21:08
For your goals - USC it is... now if you have the $, go for it.
I feel that every body has a different financial background and risk affinity. So full ride may not mean much to you compared to someone else who’s probably risk averse and doesn’t come from a financially sound background.

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Re: Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink] New post   28 May 2020, 03:53
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Everyone already has good points here so I’ll thrown a different one in.

If you already went to school in LA, probably not worth going back there so you can broaden your alumni network reach. Just my 2 cents here.

Duke would give you probably the broadest alumni reach of the bunch

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Re: Fuqua (Duke) v. Owen (Vanderbilt) v. Marshall (USC) v. Mendoza (ND) [#permalink]
28 May 2020, 03:53
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