First of all Congrats on both the admits!!
I was requested by BB to help with my perspective though I don't count myself as an expert on taking the best opportunity or I would have completed my MBA by now.
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I had interviewed at Cornell a few years back & liked the school & the feel on campus. But I was waitlisted & didn't convert.
Location:Cornell at Ithaca is far from NY so location wise none of these schools holds sway over the other, although you can travel to Chicago from South Bend (Notre Dame) in like 2-3 hrs so that's a plus. I have never visited South Bend btw.
I felt Ithaca probably is a better place to spend that 1 year. Coming from India, winter is going to be long & gloomy at either of these places but I feel South Bend isn't the most engaging place out there.
I understand the Tech MBA at Cornell would mean you will spend most of the time at NY, which is great even from the perspective of Networking. Cornell wins hands down on this one.
Career outcome:If you are open to the idea of starting at an Associate level in Consulting, then Cornell is the place to be as I assume the Consulting firms do sponsor a lot of Internationals.
However, if you believe you will have to network outside of the campus recruitment scheme at either of these schools then paying 0 tuition makes a lot of sense. You can spend the money saved on travel, networking & it will be less of an issue if you don't get the right opportunity at the time of graduation.
I personally know few folks who took job offer 2 months after graduation and they were in reputed schools - just below the top 15. I think having no student loan to pay back will help immensely and give you confidence during that tough phase.
The Cornell Tech MBA holds more appeal to someone who wants to work in a startup, so if that's your idea you must be heading to Cornell without a doubt.
Again, I feel lot of Internationals,& Indians specifically, assume that the job post an MBA from a recognizable brand would come on a platter which is not how things work at US B-schools. Networking, your past experience & brand name on the resume plays a very important role in opening doors for interviews.
Alumni:Now I have heard great things about ND & the brand itself is recognized pretty well in the US.
So I would assume even without a Cornell on the resume, if you have worked with some recognizable brands in the past, networking will hold the key.
Personally, I feel that ND has a better & tighter alumni network & getting an opportunity in Midwest (Chicago specifically) will be the primary target for any International candidate.
Having said that, a Cornell Tech MBA is a fantastic thing on the resume if you look yourself 10 years down the line in the Tech industry.
So if you can afford to pay, take that offer. With the Cornell degree, the alumni network would be very effective for landing opportunities in the NY area.
Finally:Go for Cornell Tech MBA if you can afford to pay the tuition over several years & believe the school can land you that first opportunity which is the most crucial step for any International & you want to work in a small setup post-graduation (read startup).
Go for Notre Dame if money is very important & you are ok to hustle (as BB mentioned). In all likelihood, your first opportunity wouldn't be via the school's career management centre. If you decide to return to India in say a couple of years, you can do that without any issues.
Go for either of these with full force & conviction.
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Updated on: 13 Mar 2021, 22:53
