I wear my bias on my sleeve (Anchor Down!), so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. That said, you should definitely go to Owen.
There is no reason to pay Duke
$139,128 in tuition to get the
same degree you can get at Vanderbilt
FOR FREE. (Source:
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/day ... tion-costs.) You'll feel pretty silly when you start at your new job in 2 years, and in your hiring class are Owen alumni, and you've got 10-20 years of huge student debt payments to make for no better outcome.
Here's why you should pick Owen:-Owen has a robust Healthcare track
-For most jobs in the industry you'll be competitive coming from either program, there are
not a lot of reasons to take on $100,000s in needless debt to get the same jobs
-While Duke does offer some edge in placement nationally, I don't know that there's really a significant, measurable difference for
placement in healthcare roles in the Northeast over Vanderbilt, if someone knows better feel free to chime in, I am yet to encounter a firm that didn't hold Vanderbilt in high regard, and job offers are made based on what YOU have to offer, not whether the hoodie you wear has a blue "D" on it or a gold "V"
-Nashville is an important Healthcare hub, back in 2016 Duke's Healthcare students were actually planning treks to Nashville to visit the firms
-Nashville is HELLA MORE FUN than Durham, I think it is a much better experience for two years
-**I think** Owen students are nicer than Fuqua students, this could be based on my very anecdotal personal experiences with both, but I definitely was more partial to the Owen crowd
**Remember, no outcomes are guaranteed from either program. And we (the commenters) are just strangers on the internet. So make sure you do your due diligence. Visit both programs and be thoughtful about how you recruit. A lot of what you get out of the whole MBA experience will rely on what you put into it.
Good luck with the decision!