Anderson vs Stern for Tech PM (Both full rides)

My vote is for Anderson. It aligns with your goals and geographical preferences. Tech is also the school's forte. It should be noted that the alumni presence in the Bay for Anderson is more limited - there are 3 times as many alumni in LA. You can find the official statistics on the alumni page, whereas it's a bit more difficult for Stern. But based on LinkedIn searches the latter is somewhere between 1600 - 2000, Vs 3700 for Anderson. Have you considered Haas?

Great to see you MBASomeTime! Hope you are doing well! Thanks so much for your feedback!

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Sometimes the higher ranked school is the lower quality choice. This is one of those times (imo).

What did you decide?

Decided on Anderson! Thanks all!

I am struggling to make this same decision as well! Also looking to go into tech product management after, but my situation is a little different as I graduated in engineering from UCLA for undergrad already, so I thought NYU would be a great choice for adding diversity to my resume.

Im struggling because I know recruiting resources will be stronger at Anderson, however since less people go into tech from NYU (because it's got such strong connections to Wall St) I figured it would help me stand out more in a smaller pool of people. That being said I loved my undergrad experience at UCLA and would love to go back, but am struggling because I think NYU has better academics and brand overall and the experience would help me build a larger network outside of UCLA. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Do you have a location preference for where you want to work after graduation? I think that should be a major factor in your decision.

It's also worth considering how much your non-professional goals would be fulfilled at both of those schools. For example, my undergrad school has a really strong MBA program, but I didn't apply because I felt that going to a new school in a new city would be more of a growth experience for me on a personal level.

Congrats on your admits!
I would mention that if you are planning to be in SoCal after you graduate from Stern, then it is not a ton of reason to attend an East Coast school. (though Stern would be an interesting and valuable experience just from the diversity experience but not sure that's worth sinking 2 years into).

Second, I would not worry too much about the academics aspect. I don't think it will come into play a whole lot. Anderson has good options for classes and that becomes a secondary priority the closer you are to graduation and the more focused you are looking for a job.

One element of difference will be on-campus recruiting. Anderson and other west coast schools don't attract as much on campus activity from MBB's and other recruiters. I don't think it makes a difference in tech though between the 2 schools. But if you look at the stats, esp the pre-pandemic stats, west coast schools tend to lag. Even Stanford does not have as high of a number of people employed 3 months out and Berkeley either. It seems jobs are harder to come by. One reason is the on campus recruiting is weaker with fewer employers making trips. Also average salaries are lower out of Anderson than any of the schools ranked higher. I think that's an element of local recruiting and not that LA is so cheap but the jobs offered in the LA area tend to be medium and small businesses that tend to have lower comp vs. New York and larger firms.

My thought would be that if you liked Anderson, then no reason per se to take a risk, unless you wanted to be on the east coast in the long run (not very likely with tech focus which likely will lead to Bay Area or Seattle). There are some statistical indicators that would lean one's decision towards Stern but not sure that applies a strong trend in your case.

My 2 cents
BB.