Hello,
Any help/suggestions/insight would be appreciated in helping me make my decision between Pittsburgh and Rochester.
I'm looking to go into a career in brand management or another strategic marketing role.
After undergrad I interned on Capitol Hill and worked on political campaigns for two and a half years. Did a year in sales. Then worked at a large nonprofit foundation in an operations role for two years before being promoted to a role in project management where I have been for about two years.
I received about 40% off from both schools. Rochester is private so it is obviously still more expensive. After estimating total expenses I think Rochester would be ~$13k more.
Rochester will have me start in June to lighten my course load in the fall since my quant score on the GMAT was low. It's unfortunate I won't get to work more to bring more $ with me to school, but it is also appealing to have more time to focus on internship hunting. I've heard Rochester really helps students gain strong analytical skills. I feel like Rochester may be the better choice, but I'm not a fan of the long winters and most of their alumni is in the Northeast (not where I would like to be long term). I love the city of Pittsburgh and could see myself staying in Pittsburgh long term. Obviously Pitt has a lot of alumni in the city which is appealing.
Any opinions would be helpful. I didn't get into any Midwest schools and I'm almost 30 so I'm not looking to wait another year and try again.