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Re: Ross vs Stern
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14 May 2018, 13:35
I got into Ross last year (decided not to go and reapplied to other programs) and into Stern this year. Ross had a great culture when I visited and people were decently responsive/open when I reached out to ask about Ross and if I should go. I always thought Stern was more cut throat and being in NYC probably a more watered down culture. Everyone has friends in NYC and I figured they split time between their existing social group and Stern. I also thought Stern was the place you go if you can't get into CBS. I was wrong.
I've talked to over a dozen current students and alumni from Stern now and I've gotten a 100% hit rate, vs. just 75% from a dozen folks I reached out to at Ross. People were so open and willing to speak to me even though I was just an admitted student - I was taken back a bit. Further, Stern is much closer to tech on east coast and NYC puts you super close to a lot of big tech names (e.g., Google) and startup community. From A2 you're close to Chicago but the tech community just isn't as exciting there I think. Neither help you much with SF/Bay Area jobs with respect to location. I think Ross could be better for healthcare but only marginally. I looked at a ton of employment reports but they don't take into account how many folks are going into that particular field. You might be better served at Stern being one of 60 trying to do Tech vs. one of 100 at Ross. The best way to answer this question is reach out to current students.
Finally, I love A2 and grew up not too far from there but you can't really do better than NYC. I'd go with Stern if I were you and I don't think the rankings mean much. Honestly, if you look at the methodology for many they're useless. The best one IMO is the Economist which details out indexed survey scores. Pick the handful of factors you deem most important (e.g., Student rating of program, quality of professors, etc.) and develop your own analysis using their data. Also maybe look back a few years at rankings/employment reports. The advantages I'd say Ross has over Stern are football (go blue!) and amazing facilities. I honestly think culture and alignment with your career goal is higher at Stern. Good luck!