Ross (no money) vs. Kelley ($$$) -- for marketing

In my opinion, you should definitely go to Kelley (assuming you don't get any scholarship money from Ross). You can find my reasoning in this post: rank-and-school-selection-149225.html

Good luck!

Hey, thanks for the link! Looks very thorough -- will check it out now!

Jon, the owner of Admissionado, generally gives good advice (I did a free consultation with him) and I highly recommend talking to him. The one area of disagreement is with his name brand obsession. It's a bit much for me--and no, it's obviously not only him. His motto is basically this: everyone should apply to Harvard and if you get in you should go. His opinion relies on one huge assumption: everyone has the same goals in attending business school--money and prestige. For me, the primary goal is getting the perfect job, and I am hearing that you might have the same goal. If Kelley can do that for you, then take the money and don't turn back. The idea that you're "too good for a school" is silly. There are tons of people who will be amazing at all these schools, whether they "chose a lower-ranked school" because of location, money, or fit.

Kelley is a great program and people seem beyond happy there, but same is said about Ross. Talk to alumni and see if you can get where you want to be!

When do you have to decide? A scientific way to figure this out would be to see which school advances further in the Men's NCAA tournament. Or which team has the hotter cheerleaders.

+1 to CobraKai for the best criteria ever! If Duke pulls out the win, I may have to back track on my decision...jk.....

If you are set on CPG, you should take Kelley's money. P&G and other CPG heavy-weights recruit strongly at Kelley. With CPG, I don't think the brand difference between Ross and Kelley will provide Ross with any edge.

If you think you might change your mind during the course of your MBA journey, Ross offers more flexibility. The value of the school falls significantly after your post-MBA job, so you should not factor that into account.

Thx again all. The reality is that while Ross is ranked better (although some would say it's slipping), the additional money I'd spend at Ross (~$50k * 2) is staggering when considering the added weight it would put on my student loans - and I'm not sure it would be justifiable. It seems many in the gmatclub forum have a fetish for saying money doesn't matter, but as *incremental* cost, $100k can't not matter assuming some semblance of work-life balance and quality of life is desired post-MBA. I am also waitlisted at Booth and have been considering it vs. Kelley (if I'm lucky enough to have that dilemma), but again, for my marketing goals, Kelley seems a wise choice. Not to mention the people really are fantastic, from the students to the staff.

Of course, if anyone else has an opinion otherwise, I'm certainly all ears. I love these public debates!

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I don't think you'll have regrets for choosing Kelley. We'd be happy to have you in our class!

I think you're making a wise choice. I hear Kelley is fantastic for brand management in CPG!

At the end of the day, it's going to be your MBA experience. It doesn't matter which school you end up at as long as you're happy with your decision. Congrats again on the admits!

I hope I'm not too late in giving my opinion. And just in-case if you have already made up your mind, there is absolutely no need to continue reading further.

Ross is a terrific school. I was too keen on Ross when I started my application process. But the fact is that placements at Ross is not that great. It has been deteriorating over the years. It is located in a dead city. They are not getting enough applications (But the fact is that I still got dinged and it did hurt!!)

Now coming to Kelley, it is one of the most friendly B-schools. Although, I haven't visited or met any student from Kelley, I could feel the warmth in each of my interactions with over 2 dozen students in the past 3-4 months. It is known for its top-notch faculty, great career services, and unique academic structure (academies). Kelley is top 10 marketing school. All the top firms come for hiring. Even if you want to change your career track, you can do so at Kelley, with the financial freedom you would have. Kelley is strong/decent in other areas too - finance, accounting, supply-chain, manufacturing, consulting (although, maybe not as strong as Ross, but the difference is marginal). You will be among the cream at Kelley, and that would give you an added advantage.

Go with KELLEY!!!

PS: I too will be matriculating at Kelley with the same offer as yours