Thanks to you all for sharing your opinions. Really helpful!! I couldnt have imagined the voting would be so skewed in favor of Darden. I guess for most people it is indeed a no-brainer.
hamm0 wrote:
Awesome situation to be in.
The answer, to me, is easy. Go to Darden. If you're recruiting for IB down to corp fin., I would imagine your chances are about the same at each school; that is to say very good. The difference in terms of quality is negligible - Tuck does have great alumni, and probably a better PE connection, but if you have a Jefferson fellow scholarship on your resume and what sounds like an awesome past.. you'll be just as competitive
Thanks hamm0. I agree with the premise that the aschools are not altogether very different in terms of quality and opportunities.
sesamemochi wrote:
Congrats on the two admits that you have! Have you visited either of the schools? Asking because I didn't see any mention of the campus or students in your comparisons.
Thanks sesamemochi and you are right. My request for US visa was rejected last year (for flimsy reasnos). I am thinking of attending the Fellowship weekend at Charlottesville in February and take a few more days off to visit the Dartmouth campus. I will have to think about the ethical implications since Darden is paying for the to-and-fro flight tickets.
sesamemochi wrote:
FYI, don't know if that was a typo or not, but Darden is in VA and not GA lol.
Sorry, I should hav been more clear. My understanding is that Darden places more students ni the Atlanta, GA region compared to Tuck which has greater penetration in the NY-Boston area. Please feel free to disagree with me on this. This is just my unscientific research speaking.
MBA2ER wrote:
Location aside, I'll still take the full scholarship at a well-regarded T15 school over being 200K in debt at a slightly more prestigious school. But it's all a matter of personal preference and differing priorities in life. Either way, you're in a good spot so congrats!
CobraKai wrote:
I've always said money should be a tie-breaker, not the primary factor. In this case it truly is a tie-breaker - we're not talking a full-ride at a top 30 school, Darden is no slouch.
MarvelAdmissions wrote:
As others have suggested, try visiting both schools if possible. If not, try to talk to as many current students at both schools to see where you fit in better and ask specific questsions about career opportunities.
Thanks MBA2ER, CobraKai and Christine. I agree both schools would provide me a significant step-up from my current role and the money is too big to ignore (especially in post-tax terms). My approach right now would be to talk to as many current students at bth school as possible and try for the fellowship. While a fellowship will greatly tilt my decision in favor of Darden, I would like to do my research and then take a leap of faith. And ultimately, not look back with from my decision witgh any regret.
Consulting2Finance wrote:
I am a first year student that interviewed for the Fellowship but did not receive it. I put being a finalist on my resume...I'm not sure if it improved my candidacy at all but one bulge bracket complemented me on it this past week.
Let me get back to you over PM! You are just the person I was looking for
jumsumtak wrote:
too much money to be turned down and yes, as far as I've read, the scholarship/fellowship definitely builds your case for recruitment.
Thanks for input jumsumtak. Fellowship aside, what if its just a full ride? how do you include that in your resume? Does that still matter to recruiters?
Shawshank wrote:
But yeah, this is 50/50. I think you need to visit both and see which school makes you feel more at home. If you had gotten into wharton/mit/booth, obviously this would be a no-brainer.
Thanks for your honest assessment Shawshank. And interesting perspective that I will definitely explore more thoroughly. I am with you right now on the decision probabilities. I will likely go to both schools in Feb before making a final decision.
Since I have already made the EA deposit at Tuck (sunk cost, i suppose), I still have time to mull over Darden. The fellowship decision is out on the Feb 26 and deposit deadline is on the 28th. So right now my position is if I win the fellowship, I will likely go with Darden. If not, will go with my guts (which will be strongly influenced by my current research). I am beginning to feel it will come down to actual advantages, if any, Tuck has over Darden in the buyside in thge US and Asia. Money is, of course, very important (and more so for somebody who has been earning a paltry Indian salary for the most part) but I am sure going with one´s heart is sometimes the best policy despite the perils.
Thanks again! Please feel free to share if you have any further thoughts. I will keep updating this thread as I come to a decision!
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Updated on: 13 Jan 2013, 20:09
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