Evening all,
I am an international student from the U.K. and went to a small university in PA for undergrad.
I would be interested to hear your Top 5 Criteria for deciding between schools, as my situation is below.
I have been accepted into the following programs:
1. Rotman with a 15% scholarship, to the
2. University of Miami with a 50% fellowship,
3. Awaiting Decision from Katz (however I am leaning more toward the first two options.)
With the difference in financial aid and tuition fees:
Rotman - Around $66,000(USD) out of pocket.
Miami - Around $50,000(USD) out of pocket.
** Not including cost of living expenses
GoalsMy goals are to pivot from my current industry into a finance based one, either in investment banking, trading, or consulting.
I also value some entrepreneurially based electives, as a future goal is to start a business.
From an MBA program I would hope to expand and develop my network, choose electives that I could actually build and learn genuine skills from, and change career path as mentioned but also not rule out the possibility of finding a passion that I would like to ultimately pursue afterwards. Also coming in to play is the potential for work after graduation and the opportunity to get an internship as part of the program.
ConsiderationsRotman has a mandatory internship program that pays on average $4,000 - $5,000CAD.
I have spoken to current Miami students and internships are harder to get as an international with fewer companies sponsoring visas lately.
With regards to visas, post grad, a US MBA offers a 1-Year OPT Extension, compared with Rotman that has a 3-Year extension.
I have many friends in Toronto that I could live with, one friend in Miami, but would need to find my own accommodation.
Questions- How much weight should I place on the ranking/prestige of the institution when comparing these two?
- Is a U.S. MBA more valuable than one from Canada?
- Are there any other key metrics I should consider other than affordability, career prospects, academics, & network?
- Would any of the name brands listed be a game changer on my resume since my undergraduate university will not be recognised?
Any information, experiences, advice with regards to this decision, or any consideration I neglected would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers,