Mendoza, Kelley, Goizueta, Kenan Flagler, Wash U???

Question

I was recently admitted to the below 2-year MBA Programs:

Kelley
Mendoza
Goizueta
Kenan Flagler
Wash U

I have a bit of a scholarship at each school and I can't decide on which program. My post-MBA goal is to work in consulting. Any advice/thoughts on each school would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Mo2men · Answer

Congrats

Kenan Flagler is the strongest among the list. It has also reps from big 3 in consulting industry so you can build network. Then comes Goizueta. However, it depends where you want end up working and living.

VP85 · Answer

Hi,

I have also been accepted to Kelley and Olin and am awaiting an answer from Goizueta (when did you get accepted?). My field of study is also Consulting. I applied to Kenan Flagler in Round 1 and was not accepted.

I visited all of the schools on your list except Mendoza. Did you visit them?

Kenan Flagler has a strong leadership feedback program. The b-school is up a steep hill. I visited when students were on winter break, but met some in NYC. They said they were incredibly intelligent, but mostly humble.

Goizueta students were engaged. All said the core was very intense and they seemed stressed relative to Olin and Kelley. Goizueta has recently-built, top-of-the-line technology, since the building is new.

Olin also had intelligent, engaged students. I found people in St. Louis extremely friendly. Olin has a very intimate program, where everybody knows everybody else by face, name, and something about them. If, like me, you're from the East Coast, a Midwest address can get you closer to West Coast employment. I got a more laid-back vibe, like they were in control and less stressed than the Goizueta students.

Kelley is in more of a college town setting, with an echo in the building's atrium. I found students to have school spirit. They designate a bar to meet at every night. They don't mind talking about their MBA experience, and I met a bunch who chose Kelley over Goizueta. They are very happy with their professors.

Let me know what your opinions were. Maybe we'll be classmates! Good luck with your decision.

cameronelliot · Answer

VP85 - Thank you for the detailed response! I was accepted to Kelley/Emory in Round 3 but got a decision extension. I'm originally from Indiana so I've visited IU and Notre Dame quite a bit. I've also visited Emory quite a few times because a few of my good friends went to undergrad there. I didn't get a change to visit Wash U or UNC though.

That's great feedback you received from the Goizueta students. Did they give any particulars as to why the Core was stressful/intense? I've also have heard that the Kelley program is quite enjoyable and that aspect is making me lean towards choosing Kelley. I also really like Bloomington and always had a great time when I visited my friends during their undergraduate studies. I've never really been a fan of South Bend but I think the Notre Dame campus is beautiful. If you go outside of the campus, the area is really on the downtrend and not a place you'd want to be in for long.

VP85 · Answer

I had the best visit at Goizueta because I was able to stay multiple days (a few weeks ago). The MBA students have a KEGS tradition every Thursday, and I met a lot there. I was also able to sit in on 4 classes. During KEGS, all of the students said the core was tough due to the amount of time spent at school. If I remember correctly, they participate in classes Monday - Friday 9AM - 5PM, and then had groupwork until approximately 8PM, and, like the other schools, worked on professional development, recruiting activities, and clubs. One student said the full-time work didn't make the transition to full-time school as easy as he expected. I have to re-read the literature, but perhaps they had a less rigorous pre-core course...?... What were your impressions of Emory? Did you look at Goizueta, specifically?

Geography is a concern. If you're from Indiana, you may not mind staying in the Midwest. As an East Coast person, I have a slight tendency to cling to the ocean. No real reason, I suppose. Employment in all of the schools is easier in the region where the school is located.

St. Louis is infamous for having bad neighborhoods, and I was advised to be careful walking in unknown areas. I walked a lot, though, on two roads near the school and in the area near the Gateway Arch, and found it very beautiful. The campus is very pretty. A student said companies fly students to their offices for final round interviews, whereas Kelley students may have to pay for their own flights.

Kelley is highly ranked for student satisfaction, and it shows. Students I met said "come here" with enthusiasm. They are very happy with their professors. Marketing seems to be the most popular concentration there; they have 2 marketing tracks. If you're looking for structure plus personalization, Kelley may be a good fit.

I'd be happy to read more of your impressions, based on your visits! Sorry I can't help with Mendoza.

Mo2men · Answer

I will add some info that may help you. I do not have any info about Mendoza as it was not my target school.

I was in direct contact with students, professors and articles regarding the other schools. I investigated them a lot.

UNC: One of the most supportive cultures. Students enjoy studying in friendly way. The percentage of case method is high percentage (after Harvard, Darden, Tuck). The Star program is a good way to apply your tools. the university provides multiple exchange programs. I never seen this in any program( max a semester= 2 modules in different places, if you want). UNC is place where (Bain, BCG, Mckinsey). There is a representatives from those company in campus, something important for networking. There is other companies such other Deloitte, Accenture..etc. The professors are even former consultant such as Prof: John Durrent who was in Mckinsey, teches the consulting Skils and frameworks. Students finf electives are helpful to add more experience in healthcare or energy or operations. I do not know about the core courses load relative to others. I have attached you employment reports.

Kelley: famous of its intimate community. The program has a high variety of electives, although it is famous for marketing in the Midwest. Kelley offers wide electives in supply chain as I put an alternative strategy for me if I can't penetrate the consulting field. The academy is their point of strength. The director was a former Accenture consultant. In class they have mix of lectures ans case studies lower than UNN. I was in contact with co-director of consulting who said that Deloitte, E&Y and PWC are main recruiters of Kelley. Also, it provides a semester exchange program that I like. The core program is relatively lighter.

Emory: is dominant in South. The school has privilege as it is in Atlanta near to corporate headquarters. A said by students, class is mix between lectures and case roughly 40% case studies. from my view, it has nice variety of electives but not compared with Olin, Kelley and UNC. The application of consulting is done thru management practicum. I do not know about the experience about profs like the above. Students talks very positively about the career management which was stated in Poets and Quants tables.

https://poetsandquants.com/2014/12/08/be ... schools/2/

Olin: has strong electives and recruitment. you can refer to the link above. Maybe its place is scary. However, it has still reputation for good education. Consulting is not its main as it appears from the its report. It has it experiential learning as practice. I'm not sure but it has some job placement as internal consultants in some companies

All schools share the same: small class size and friendly environment

It is only my view. I hope it helps

:gl

Attachments

Emory Employment 2014.pdf [16.37 KiB]
Downloaded 63 times

Olin_WCC_EmploymentReport.pdf [1.32 MiB]
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MBA Employment Statistics Class 2013.pdf [452.44 KiB]
Downloaded 74 times

UNC_Employment_Database.xls [1.73 MiB]
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kelley employment report 2014-2015.pdf [6.68 MiB]
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cameronelliot · Answer

I've only been to St. Louis once when I was very young and I don't really remember much from that visit. A good friend of mine actually went to Olin for her MBA and really enjoyed the program. The only reason I'm not considering Olin that much is because I'd like to stay on the East Coast(currently live in NYC) and from my research it looks like Olin places much better in the Midwest. The Olin program also didn't seem to offer much in terms of international/global projects. Did you get that same impression?

I did look at Goizueta and was very impressed with the facility and the Emory campus overall. I also really liked all of the people I met their and found everyone overly friendly. Thats quite shocking the amount of time the students say they are spending at school! Any other interesting comments from the students in terms of the program? My only concern with Emory is the campus environment. I really like the "college-town" setting and that is something Emory doesn't really offer. Did the students talk any about social life and what they did outside of the classroom?

I would of loved to visit UNC but my work schedule unfortunately hasn't allowed me to do so. The people that I've talked with who went to UNC have all raved about the school and the program though.

Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen. All of my friends who went to Notre Dame became heavily involved with following the athletic programs and the Saturday football games are incredible. My concern with Notre Dame is that the MBA network is not that strong. The more I've looked into the program, the more I like the structure of it but for some reason the program doesn't get a lot of respect in most rankings. I'd be happy to tell you more about the campus/area if you have questions.

Most of my family, including my parents, went to IU Bloomington for undergrad studies. Bloomington is the ultimate college town and probably has the best combination of athletics, social life, campus beauty and academics out there(maybe Vanderbilt has a bit better combo). The Kelley program has always appealed to me and the admissions people have all really been outstanding. They were the only program to send multiple personal emails/notes congratulating me on the acceptance and also sent a cool bookbag! I've also got the impression that the program is not as "academic focused" as others and is more enjoyable because the focus is on projects and case studies. Did you get that impression as well?

Mo2men · Answer

Regarding Olin, it seems that is more domestic, although there is something about global management. I think it is1-3 weeks trip to other culture. I can say it not compared to Global consulting in UNC.

Regarding Emoy, I dis not ask about life, because maybe I like calmness. However, I will ask him today and return back to you. it is nice to know. I was in contact with him till 2 days ago and he is nice.

Regarding Notre Dame, it is not on my list because it does not provide the level of elective that appeals to me. However, I know the alumni is loyal.

Regarding Kelley, I got the same impression. To be honest, if the MBA program is too academic, I won't think to go there. Also it is about your style. After watching class in Darden on youtube, I said it is not for me. Also I did not like the electives. For me I love Kelley. I'm not obsessed with brands and ranking so much.

let me know if you still want to know more about Emory so I can get an answer to you as soon as I can in order to help you.

cameronelliot · Answer

Did anyone ask Kelley students about The Core part of the program? Any insight to that would be greatly appreciated!

Mo2men · Answer

I suggest that you can contact one of students ambassadors. They are helpful and supportive but may take some time to reply. My advice to send your question to 2-4 persons so you can get many views. follow that link: https://kelley.iu.edu/MBA/Admissions/Mee ... e38396.cfm

mbaapplicant2013 · Answer

Where do you want to end up? Chicago? Atlanta? Charlotte? No one of these schools is clearly better than the others and they all have much stronger regional than national pull. Go to the one with the strongest network and opportunities near your target geography.

Mendoza, Kelley, Goizueta, Kenan Flagler, Wash U???

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