I was favored to have choices - Rice (Full Ride), Cornell (Full Ride), Duke (1/3 scholarship) and Texas (No Scholarship).
It boiled down to 3 choices - the schools that offered me money, while allowing me do what I wanted to do. I was not totally sure of the track to follow, but I definitely knew I wanted to be in the energy industry. The 3 schools were all schools but Texas.
I turned down Rice, because I had lived in Houston, and wanted to experience other locations. Besides the brand recognition was a part - regional MBA brand vs. Ivy League brand vs. Global brand.
The decision between Duke and Cornell was really tough. My heart was in Duke, but my head was at Cornell (full ride). It was tough, but my particular situation ultimately pushed me to Cornell.
I am LOVING every bit of my decision. Cornell's class is not too big, and that worked well to my favor. There are tons of opportunities that opens the door of enterpreneurship to you. I love the decision, and would make it again if I had to!