Congrats on your acceptance to multiple schools. You seem to have data to justify your decision. If you don't mind, how much did Vandy offer in scholarship? I'll pick Vandy.
BigDreams2024 wrote:
A bit about me - Indian male with 3.5 YOE in Big 4 Consulting, and looking to continue Consulting post MBA. I got into five schools for FT MBA in R1 - Rice Jones, Vanderbilt Owen, SMU Cox, Rotman, Schulich.
The confirmation deposit deadline for each of these schools is first week of Jan. So far, my plan was to put down confirmation deposits for two schools, one Canadian (thinking Rotman - the best brand name amongst the 5, but got the least scholarship here) and one American. This is because I'm still unsure whether I should go for a better paying job market in the US or more secure PR options in Canada post MBA - however feel free to comment your thoughts on this.
The main dilemma is, where should I put down the deposit amongst the US schools I got offers from.
SMU Cox gave me a nice scholarship, after which, tuition left to be paid would be USD 30k for the program. Rice and Vanderbilt, the better programs, gave me smaller scholarships (almost the same), so I'll have to pay significantly more tuition fee (USD 90k).
Scholarship is important to me because I'll probably have to take loans to finance tuition and living expenses. However, should I let go of better schools for less debt at Cox? Also, with the H1B lottery situation, things can be pretty uncertain for internationals. A larger loan would be more of a risk to pay back within 3 years, in case things don't work out with the visa and i have to return to Indian after 3 years? I have thought about trying Middle East if that happens. Feel free to tell me what you think.
As I said, I'm looking to continue Consulting and have checked out all of their employment outcomes. Vanderbilt sent more than 40% of the class into consulting while Rice and Cox sent in around 20%. Consulting salaries at Rice and Vanderbilt seem comparable, and that at Cox are a little lower. Needless to say, Rotman employment outcomes for Consulting are the worst due to the Canadian economy.
Should I take the better scholarship at Cox, or choose a better brand name. If you suggest the latter, which one would you prefer for Consulting opportunities for an International - Rice or Vanderbilt?
Appreciate your suggestions! Cheers.
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