Poll: Fuqua vs. Goizueta ($$$$) vs. UNC ($$) vs. Owen ($$$$)

Question

Hi all,

I am accepted to all four of the schools and am interested in pursuing healthcare in the Northeast. I received a full ride to Owen, got $80k from Goizueta, and got $60k from UNC. I know Fuqua is the highest ranked school and the best for healthcare, but the money is hard to turn down. In addition, all schools but Fuqua seem to be regional and I would prefer to end up back in the Northeast. Any advice would be appreciated!

Wajeeh · Answer

Go to goizueta directly

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dominationstation · Answer

I would go with Fuqua:

1) It's one of, if not the, best healthcare school out of all business schools (although Wharton HCM and Haas MBA/MPH are powerhouses as well)
2) Those other schools will have a hard time placing you back in the Northeast for the reasons you mentioned (regional schools)

I can't speak for anyone's financial situation but if you have the means, I would not make the decision based on near term $$. If you have another 30-40 years left in your career, that money will be a drop in the bucket. And the delta between Fuqua and the rest of those schools when it comes to healthcare is humongous.

bb · Answer

I don’t think owen is a bad option with the full ride. They have a strong healthcare program - not at the level of Fuqua prestige but Vanderbilt hospital and their med school are well recognized and that’s what will matter in recruiting.

Would be great to hear what teleste thinks

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dominationstation · Answer

OP, what segment of healthcare are you specifically looking at?

If you're considering more the healthcare administration / insurance route then I suppose you can get there with any of these schools.

If you're looking at healthcare consulting (ZS Associates/MBB Healtchare/Deloitte Healthcare), Biotech/Pharma, or Med Device, then I think Fuqua does have a much better chance.

It's tough because healthcare is such a huge industry with various sub-industries (I came from healthcare consulting pre-MBA fwiw)

teleste · Answer

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!

Maupassant9 · Answer

I turned down UNC and Emory to join Vanderbilt for its healthcare focus. And to tell you the truth, I couldn't be happier. Going for a stellar MBA internship this summer.

If anything in your list competes with Owen healthcare it's Fuqua. But with the money, I would have picked Owen. I interviewed with every top biotech/pharma company that recruits at Fuqua, Wharton and their ilk and got into one.

If money was equal Fuqua was a no brainer!

Shredder · Answer

It is Fuqua vs Owen. Are you a domestic candidate? Do you have connections in North-east? If it's a yes to both the questions then go for Owen.

If healthcare consulting in MBB is your goal and money doesn't matter to you then go for Fuqua.

Also, if one year from now you get into an internship where you find a student from Owen, which is highly likely in healthcare, you will regret paying 140,000.

woody93 · Answer

I think all these schools are pretty strong in healthcare relative to other top programs. Emory is a solid healthcare school and UNC has a tremendous healthcare ecosystem as well. It is hard to turn down the money, but I really don't think you can go wrong at any of these schools. I know a lot of UNC MBA's working in Pharma in the northeast and it places well there.

Shredder · Answer

I don't think as many healthcare companies recruit at Emory as they do at Owen. A quick LinkedIn research and employment report analysis will prove that. Secondly, Owen is a core school for giants such as Medtronic, Genentech, J&J and Amgen; Emory is not.

U.N.C is better ranked but Owen and UNC share the same list of companies in Healthcare and the extra money is not worth it.

Having said that, Fuqua is notch above Owen. But if you are targeting the companies I mentioned above why would you pay 140,000 extra for the same internship? Scenario changes with MBB as Owen sends 2 candidates every year to BCG and Bain, and Fuqua sends 30+ candidates to MBB.

mradamsmith · Answer

Congrats on your offers! What a great problem to have. First--as others may have mentioned: ASK FUQUA FOR AID! The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Now, discussing things as they stand:

1) Fuqua traditionally sends the majority of its grads to the Northeast, whereas Vanderbilt (and the others you mentioned) are considered the more "regional" options. This is reflected both by incoming students and those graduating. Not a huge deal either way, but you're right on track with this line of thinking.

2) HSM stands above, and the deeper connections and longevity of those connections (especially in the northeast) are a major factor to consider

3) The size of your class (and their backgrounds) will make a big difference in your network moving forward in the industry and beyond. A larger cohort of healthcare-minded classmates and many from (or heading to) the northeast will be impactful.

In short--you have a great problem on your hands. However, Duke and the HSM in particular are several notches ahead of what Owen currently has to offer. It's true that a true outsider will not perceive much difference between the two programs (or Duke vs. Vandy name rec) however the opportunity set leaving school could be materially different (and an even wider gulf if you are considering consulting or finance related to healthcare), and given your specific northeast desire, Duke is an extra step ahead. The larger cohort and deeper healthcare track make Fuqua the favorite here.

Good luck!

teleste · Answer

Fuqua only sends 25% of its grads to the Northeast. (Source: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/sites/www1.f ... inal_0.pdf) This is indeed a greater percentage than Owen's 13% (source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/vu-web/owen/wp ... ORSITE.pdf), but it is certainly not " a majority " of its students. And of course stats don't account for self-selection--my anecdotal experience with this is that many of my Owen classmates had opportunities to go work in New York but chose to stay in Nashville or move to Atlanta because the quality of life was way better. (Why live in a dumpy little apartment during long winters when you can own a 5-bedroom house in the sunshine?) I think this is true overall, and especially in the case of any firms that recruit on-campus at Fuqua and not Owen (I don't know of any in the health care space though). That said, if the goal is to get hired at a firm that recruits at both Owen and Fuqua, I disagree that this would still be a major factor. No firm will hire you solely because you went to Duke and not Vanderbilt. I agree this is true, but is it worth $140,000+ of debt? (Especially in the case that the employment outcome is the same?) +100 to this. Given what's written in the post, I still would advocate not taking on the debt, but this is def your call OP. Congrats on all the admits and good luck again!

mradamsmith · Answer

Good catch! I definitely misstated what I intended to say-- which is that the Northeast is traditionally the top destination*** for Fuqua grads rather than a "majority." Good to clarify.

I also also prefer the southeast over paying >2k for a brooklyn studio so self selection certainly factors in for both schools, amen!

One brief point though on the 25% vs. 13% is that class size difference. 25% of 440 is ~110 students heading to the northeast vs. 13% of 180 ~25

All in all you've got an Owen alum rooting for you and a Fuqua student here rooting for you. Best of luck and no wrong choice here!

KS15 · Answer

Congrats on all the offers! All are great schools. But given the money and your goals, Owen seems to be the best option. Good Luck!

Poll: Fuqua vs. Goizueta ($$$$) vs. UNC ($$) vs. Owen ($$$$)

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