Fuqua vs Foster: What factors to decide on?

Hi,

I am an International with a background in Tech and Business. I have a B.Tech degree and worked in Engineer/Development role and then pivoted to a more managerial role in a small Agricomodity Firm (Helped in digitization efforts, so was connected with tech).

My Post-MBA Goal (Declining order of preference)- 1. Tech PM (Think Amazon TPM, Goggle PM) 2. PM (Think Microsoft PM, Amazon PM) 3. PMM 4. Other roles in Tech

I have talked with some current students and was told my background was technical enough to apply for Tech PM. I would still love to hear more perspective on this from others on this forum as Tech places more value on relevant experience than collage brand. I am not sure if my work experience is relevant or not as I didn't hold any PM position. Also, The firm I am currently working in has a PM role and I have internally applied to it, Will that be useful?

I have asked Foster for more scholarship and was told I will hear about the decision by March. I am currently leaning more towards Foster even without the scholarship and below are my reasons for it. Let me know if I am going about this the right way. Would appreciate people poking holes in my decision making.

1. My post-MBA Goals

Now, Foster places really well in Tech and will offer me the same opportunities as Fuqua. I can't make sense of landing the same role, in the same company and with the same pay but paying a premium for it via Fuqua. If its just Tech, I don't think Foster loses to Fuqua in any sense.

2. Network

Now Fuqua has ~400 Daytime MBA students each year compared to ~100 at Foster, so Fuqua has that Bigger network advantage over Foster and since Fuqua places really well in a lot of industries, the breadth of opportunities you will get from networking will be more. But a quick LinkedIn search for Foster Alum and Fuqua Alum in Microsoft, Amazon and Google will show you Foster has ~2300 Alums compared to Fuqua's ~980. If you are in Tech, which anyway cares more about your work, Foster will provide a bigger network than Fuqua and add in the small class size at Foster, the number of Alums to reach out to per student is way more.

3. People

Now more on the subjective matter and based solely on my personal experience, I found Foster students to be more reachable than Fuqua.
During my Application+Interview phase I was able to connect with(Video call/email chat) 5 students and 2 replied and then ghosted (reached out to 14). I thought that might change after I got admitted and even after mentioning I am an incoming candidate, I was only able to connect with 2 students after reaching out to 6. I understand they are in the thick of recruiting and may reply after some time (It has been 2 weeks). This is only my experience and I may have reached out at the wrong time. Also, the people I did connect with were very kind and helpful, so I am not generalizing them as a whole but only comparing my experience. I also don't think the number is too bad to begin with but comparing to Foster is where I am driving my conclusion from. At Foster during Application+Interview phase I reached out to 10 people and connected with 8. After admission I was able to connect with 4 more after reaching out to 5. I also re-connected with 4 people I had reached out to in application phase as they were more than willing to have another call with me to discuss anything I was curious about. Again this is very subjective and it will vary, so don't take my experience as a fact about the schools.

4. Location

Both Seattle and Durham seem like nice cities. As an international, I never paid much attention to cities while applying and even after admission, I hadn't put a lot of thought into. But I do have some connections to Seattle as one of my friends lives in Seattle and my uncle lives in Surrey and often visits Seattle. Now, for the Tech scene, Seattle is obviously a strong location. But I'm not sure how much emphasis I should put into this as Fuqua also places a lot of it's students in Seattle for Tech. I guess if I really want Tech and Tech will eventually lead me to Seattle, it makes sense to be in the city but again I am not sure exactly how important that is or how much should I value location. I'd love to hear more about location advantage from people on the forum. How much will it matter for Tech recruiting compared to being in Durham?

5. Financials

Now, I won't consider only the tuition as I will have to finance all the expenses through loans as I have lil to no savings ( I know I should have known better and saved!!). I don't have a US co-singer and current interest rates on Discover, Prodigy are insane (12% APR). I will most likely take loans from local banks as interest rates here are lower and my parents can act as co-singers to get better interest rates.
So the 2yr total costs are (considering scholarships, internship(tech) and monthly expenses for a good MBA experience (source: current students)):
Fuqua ~190K vs Foster ~100K --- ~90K difference ( *cough cough* sorry the number is tough to swallow)

Now, I am not sure I buy the 90K difference will not matter in the longer term. Sure, it will depend on person-to-person but I feel it will unnecessary add to the stress of MBA and ,maybe not true for everyone, will hinder you from performing your absolute best. For me, I feel if I went to Duke, I will have the pressure to secure a high paying job and might force myself into consulting (not dissing the industry but I don't think its for me) or feel devastated if I don't get Tech PM in Big Tech (FAANG) whereas in Foster I feel I can keep my focus only on Tech and even if I don't get Tech PM in Big Tech, I can still explore other options in Tech without worrying too much about debt (still will have to worry somewhat). Also, I feel life after MBA will be more restricted if I took 190K in loans. I would have to live more conservatively for at least 3-5 yrs (just guessing) with the ever-looming H1B sword over my head.


TL;DR- Fuqua vs Foster. Am I looking at the right factors for making the decision between the two schools? Or What other factors should I consider in my decision making?

Congratulations on getting admitted to both programs. Duke is a better brand, Foster is near to tech companies, but nothing Duke degree can't help you. but bb might be able to help you better.
BB, we would like some help.
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Congrats on your admits!

What matters most in that short period of time when you are selected for an interview is brands on your resume. Do you have recognizable brands? E.g. if you have a Top Tech brand, then you will get selected. If not, it depends on the market and situation with other applicants. Having Tech experience helps. Some positions are rather technical and google for example requires technical skillset and experience to join in a PM role. Also Google plays less than others to MBA recruits so it is a double-whammy. Better to join another company and switch in 18 months after a promotion.

In terms of focus, Fuqua is not a tech-focused school. They do a lot for MBB, Consulting, Healthcare, and Finance. Tech is #3 or 4 in terms of focus. I have heard a few students mention this in terms of the treks and recruiting trips so if you are looking at tech, Foster provides more focused approach. You will be doing a lot of recruiting locally on your own but with lots of past alums who have been in the same shoes doing it locally on their own, they will help out but only if you are not shy to ask. Yes, during the past years tech firms came on campus and did presentations/etc but at the same time, the roles you may be invited to will defer based on your resume and potentially school but that's only in HSW case. But as you pointed out, your past experience and internship will be a bigger differentiator than which top 20 mba program did you attend since you and all of your classmates will be applying for same positions.

P.S. One reason you may have more foster alums in Seattle area is the PT MBA. They have night classes and a bigger alum group. Many also stick around and stay in Seattle after graduation, obviously, but I feel the reach is due to PT MBA. There are several campuses in the Seattle metro area.
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Thanks for the insights bb. I'll keep these in mind before making the final decision.

Good luck and please let us know what you decided. I appreciate your post with the detailed analysis and awesome job doing the research and speaking to the students!
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Hey behlmanmeet,

Your background in tech and business along with a B.Tech degree would make you a strong candidate for a tech PM role. Your work experience in a managerial role in an agri commodity firm and your internal application for a PM role at your current firm can also be leveraged in your application.

Your reasons for choosing Foster over Fuqua seem well thought out. Foster's strong placement in tech and larger alumni network in tech companies make it a strong choice for your post-MBA goals. The reachable and helpful students and personal connections in Seattle are also factors that you have considered. The financial aspect of choosing Foster over Fuqua is also a valid concern. However, it's important to consider the long-term impact and whether the lower cost at Foster will outweigh the benefits of attending Fuqua.

MiMEssay

What would you say are the long-term benefits of Duke over Foster? Wouldn't my work experience matter post-MBA more than which B-school I graduated from, considering I'm in Tech?

Hey behlmanmeet,

The long-term benefits of attending a certain business school, such as Duke or Foster, can vary depending on individual circumstances. While having a prestigious degree from a top business school can open doors and provide a strong network, ultimately your work experience and professional achievements will have a greater impact on your career success.

In the tech industry, practical skills and hands-on experience tend to be highly valued, so it's important to focus on acquiring those during your MBA program and beyond. Additionally, building a strong network and building a strong personal brand can be important for advancing your career, regardless of the school you attended.

Ultimately, it's important to consider your personal and professional goals when making a decision about where to pursue an MBA, and weigh the potential benefits of each program against your individual needs and priorities.

Thanks MiMEssay for the useful insight. I'll keep your feedback in mind while making the final decision.

There are 2 levels of consideration:
1. Does the company hire from both Foster and Fuqua? or perhaps they hire from both/dont' care, so it is a Pass/Fail test so to speak
2. Then they choose you based on your internship and past work experience. If you have a strong brand on the resume, it is super helpful since they are looking at hundreds of other MBA Students from all top 20 programs...
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Hey bb

1. For the first consideration, As far as I know, pretty much all Tech companies that come to Fuqua, come to Foster as well. So, it's a pass I guess.

2. I don't have a strong brand on my resume. How much should I factor this in making the decision between Foster and Fuqua?

1. My understanding is that few tech companies come to Fuqua on campus to hire since Fuqua does not place into tech a whole lot but this may have been impacted by this year's PM recruiting drought.

2. There is value in having a Fuqua's brand on the resume to elevate it and give you more bling. It won't help while competing with other applicants from Fuqua since you will all have that but it will help in recruiting when you are applying off campus to elevate your resume/application potentially. However, having a better school name on a resume along won't get you the job. There are lots of other chance and luck components involved and the best opportunities come from networking and connecting with people, and thus since Fuqua is not a big player on the west coast or in tech, you are likely going to find more Foster alums 🤷‍♂️
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Thanks bb. But I get more confused exactly because of the Tech recruiting drought of this year. Since the drought mostly is in Tech, It will impact Foster way more than other schools that don't place highly in Tech. Fuqua can give me more security in terms of getting a job as an International but I feel taking 200K+ in loans is the furthest thing from security. The tech drought does complicate things while deciding. I guess I have a lot of thinking to do.