Ross (no $) vs. McCombs ($$)

Question

Just another one of these polls haha but in all honesty I love both schools and even though Ross is rising under new dean and even top 10 with US News, $35,600 in tuition is a big chunk of change (potentially $74k if I can swing in-state). Currently working in media/advertising and hoping to make the sidestep into CPG brand management or general marketing (initially targeting the P&G, Unilever, PepsiCo, Nike, adidas kind of worlds, may pivot to tech as well given strength of both programs).

Basically Ross, in my opinion at least, is a better school with a strong national network and I fell in love with it during the application process. However UT is still a great school, a nice car amount of money cheaper, and given proximity to Dallas may actually be stronger with a PepsiCo.

UPDATE: UT is going to classify me as in-state and offer $10k extra bringing the tuition down significantly. Numbers reflected above.

Mo2men · Answer

I do not see that scholarship is attractive to passe Ross. You chose a field that Ross excels with lots of opportunities, especially that Midwest it home for many CGP. I believe that alumni base is helpful too. In recent analysis it passes Tuck.

https://poetsandquants.com/2018/03/28/t ... -148655061

Good luck

redfield · Answer

Thank you for the commentary and helpful link! I agree the scholarship is relatively insignificant but coupled with the already $27k cheaper tuition it was more like a $37k difference. However I am leaning Ross anyway because of the points you made as well.

abhimahna · Answer

Another vote for Ross.

Congratulations for the two great admits. Ross has very strong networks, very strong global brand name and hence alot many opportunities. Infact, getting into top 10 itself is an achievement for you. I know people who have rejected McCombs full ride for no dollars at Ross.

redfield · Answer

I know and with a 3.1 GPA I'm pretty happy about it haha, so it seems like you and others are confirming my gut feeling that it's just too much of a better school to choose the close to $40k in tuition instead. You know when you ask friends between two options and you're hoping they all say the one you're thinking?

bb · Answer

Congratulations! Great to see one of these from you and funny how hard it is to make your own decision.

With this years rankings bumping Ross to Top 10, you have an interesting choice. A theory I threw out there a few years ago was that full ride at a top 20 is an equal offer from top 10.

I feel $1,500 a month is a good price to pay for a better experience and a stronger class.

Sometimes, all that a higher ranked school gives you is more confidence... which a lot of times that’s all you need.

Congrats!

Posted from my mobile device

stonecold · Answer

ROSS! ROSS! ROSS!
If I were you, I would have definitely chosen ROSS.

I am an international candidate and money is a HUGE deal for me. So I totally understand the financial aspect of the decision making.
But see, the difference between the cost isn't that much. Try negotiating with Mccombs. Maybe they can comback with a lucrative offer?

P.S ->  Souvik  is heading to Ross this fall. You might want to get in touch with him and ask for his opinion.

mbaclass2020 · Answer

Congrats for the two great admission offers!

If I were you, I wouldn't base my decision only on rankings and money. Rankings change every year, and US$ 35k is less than 20% of the amount you will spend in the next two years. I would think mainly about which school you prefer in terms of culture and location, and which school would offer you better career chances in CPG. I don't know if you have been to Austin and Ann Arbor, but I would definitely try to visit both schools to feel their environment and talk in-person with some current students. Good luck on your decision, and I hope you decide to join UT!

redfield · Answer

Alright everyone, potentially game changing update. UT is going to give me in-state bringing the cost down an additional $27k essentially making it $64,000 cheaper to go to UT than Michigan.

My heart tells me Ross (damnit Ross why can't you be cheaper) but my mind says $64k is a lot of money that I may not actually be making back

Would really appreciate revised inputs if any (or maybe confirming the same sentiment)?

abhimahna · Answer

Hey redfield , Personally I would prefer to go with Ross. It has its own benefits and getting an MBA from a top 10 school will pay you off and will make you feel proud throughout your life

All the best

souvik101990 · Answer

I would just leave it to this thought,  redfield

HOW DARE YOU? AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!!!

BrunoP · Answer

I understand that 60k is a lot but the first question you should do is: can I afford Ross no matter what?

If you can, then you should choose Ross. Better school, top 10 and the 60k will get paid in the future (5 years or so). I am not saying that UT is bad or anything like that, but I see the upsides of Ross worthing the 60k more in the short-term.

redfield · Answer

https://replygif.net/i/127.gif

ENGRTOMBA2018 · Answer

$64k is nothing in the grand scheme of things. You want to earn an MBA from a program that will provide you tremendous intangible benefits that go with the seemingly standard MBA credentials. Intangible benefits include alumni network (for recruiting now or 15 years down the line), tremendous brand name on your resume for life and finally, learning from one of the best cohorts out there.

Thus, Ross should be a no brainer here as there is a reason why it’s a top 10 or 12 school while UT is much later.

Ross’ location is right where all sorts of things happen, be it consulting/finance/tech/retail or CPG, you name it.

To your point about Pepsi’s proximity to Dallas, Ross places a good number of students in CPG and it’s reputation will open doors for you that UT with its 64$ won’t be able to, to put it bluntly.

So, IMO, you are merely wasting time by even considering 64$ against Ross’s admit. It’s a small amount that you’ll recoup during your internship even, if you are aggressive enough. Sometimes, you do go into your MBA program with a certain plan bt with great schools, you’ll also have the opportunity to pivot into a completely new industry/function through great resources on offer, which again, I don’t see with UT.

Good luck.

Posted from my mobile device

Apply2020 · Answer

Rankings come and go. I'd be shocked to see Ross at #7 next year. B-Schools will see what the heck is going on and "adjust" accordingly. Perhaps it will stay in Top 10, or it will fall out like Yale did.

Whats key is where you want to work and in what industry. If you ever lived in Texas you'll know the power of the UT / Mccombs brand. Top tier students in public high schools reject offers from elite private institutions and head to UT. Frankly speaking, Texas Firms will put you equal footing with Ross graduates. ENGRTOMBA2018 have you been to Texas? Seems like a blanket statement.

That being said Ross is the CPG King along with Kellogg, so this may be a no brainer to go with Ross given your career goals.

stonecold · Answer

Going by your same conspiracy theory - Schools in the Top 20-30 bracket may find out "what the heck is going on" and will "adjust". So, UT MCCOMBS could fall out of Top 20 or maybe Top 30 next year. As you would realise - This is not logical!

Ross worked hard and earned a spot in the Top-10.

UT Austin is a fait regional school, with strong prospects in Texas. Ross is a MUCH STRONGER brand. Outside Top 20, money should be driving your decisions. But Within Top 10(or 20), Stronger branding and reputation should be our focus.

Don't get me wrong - UT Austin is a fabulous school. 
Better than Ross? 
I don't think so.

Apply2020 · Answer

Remove your bias aside. You thnk Ross jumped 4 schools and "earned" it over a year and is better than Tuck? How many people on GmatClub would take Ross over Yale / Tuck? And no sour grape answers from us fellow Yale rejectees. Will you say Ross "deserves" it when it falls down a couple spots?

Focusing on a school's current ranking is pointless, did you know that in 1990 Yale SOM was underneath Mccombs? Or Ross was actually #7 before slowly sliding to the #10-13 until this year. What matter is recruitment & network over the long haul. And in Texas, I can guarantee you if they get one from Mccombs vs one from Ross they will be treated equally.

In fact I'd wager between Fuqua and Ross, you'd have a 50/50 split in enrollment.

But again, if OP is targeting CPG, Ross is a no brainer here. And of course nationally Ross is going to be a much better brand.

redfield · Answer

Votes have gone from 6:3 to 9:7. I'm still leaning Ross just because I've fallen so deeply in love with the Program but the new ratio certainly expresses my reservations to a degree, $60+ thousand starts to tip the scales a bit.

spiderml · Answer

Hey, fwiw I faced a similar decision with a similar dollar delta. I think Ross is the clear choice at this delta, with the exception being if you 100% want to stay in Texas for 5-10 years immediately following your MBA. This response from a redditor really helped swing my way of thinking: https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/8 ... e/dwfafkl/. BTW I am the OP in that post to get a better sense of things (and yes the delta is around $60-70K USD at time of writing, was $90 at the time of that post). While I can't specifically say outside of the consulting space (where Ross is the clear choice over schools like UNC or even UT) I do think that the breadth of options available will mean that your B and C options will be much much stronger at Ross vs UT, and you would at the minimum get as strong of a chance at your A choice if realistically not much stronger. Putting it into economic terms, I think the expected value of the Ross MBA over McCombs would reach a delta of $60k within just a few years after MBA, because your chances of getting the job you actually want are much higher (unless again you are recruiting for a specific Texas based company). It was really tough to let go of the money for me too, especially as an international student who has to deal with Visa issues, but in an hour my UNC deposit deadline will be up and I'm happy with my choice. Ultimately I think 10 years down the line you will more likely to be wondering what your career trajectory might have been with a Ross MBA than to wonder if your debt payments were a few hundred less a month, just my two cents. Final note, you say you "might pivot to tech," and I think Ross is much stronger here than UT

cxa0897 · Answer

Ross is a better program, in a better location for CPG, and I think it is worth the current price difference for a top 10(ish) school. The only reason I'd change my opinion is if you were dead set on a single company in Texas that doesn't recruit from Ross or UT upped to a full ride.

Ross (no $) vs. McCombs ($$)

Which Program for Marketing (total cost)?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards