Kellogg vs CBS ($$$$) vs Stern ($$$$)

Question

I'm a bit torn and would like outside perspective. I've been fortunate to receive admittance to Kellogg (no scholarship) as well as CBS and Stern (both with full scholarships). Kellogg hasn't budged on money, despite me asking. I love it in Evanston and feel it is the best fit for me. However, I can't look past the money. It is significant and I know all of these schools open similar doors.

I come from a FinTech background and will likely return to that space (though if I took out loans I could be swayed to pursue something more traditional for a few years to pay that debt off).

My attraction to Kellogg mostly boils down to the community (the new building doesn't hurt either). I really felt at home there and it seems like a great place to spend two years. New York would be fun but I am geographically open and nothing is stopping me from moving there after school. Am I overvaluing the fit at Kellogg and dismissing CBS/Stern for being city-centric commuter schools?

I am also on the Sloan waitlist. It is probably best for my goals but I'm not too keen to woo them more than I already did.

zuzaroni · Answer

FWIW it’s worth I’m choosing Kellogg ($30k scholarship) over Ross ($120k scholarship).

CBS>Stern for sure. CBS vs Kellogg is a little trickier.

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jessepinkman · Answer

Gotta go with CBS here. CBS and Kellogg are peer schools so with the full ride this is an easy choice. If you prefer Kellogg, see if you can get them to match.

dlabarb · Answer

Completely agree with Jesse. I would be between CBS and Kellogg. A full-ride goes a long way though - definitely will allow you to choose a job after school for the job and not the worry of loans building up

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Wow congrats on these fantastic options. Kellogg is the best school of the bunch with probably the strongest culture of any top MBA program but I would really caution you against turning down the money at CBS. It is just about a peer school with Kellogg and will allow you to get to where you need to get but with the money it pushes things clearly in favor of taking this offer.

Congrats again!

Congrats again!

NisthaT · Answer

Got to go with Columbia. The only downside of it usually is the $$ which you already have covered. 
I have lived in both Chicago and NYC and I think NYC holds an edge especially if you are looking at Fintech. Eventually, it boils down to what will you do rather than the name of the school alone. 
I dropped out of NYU Stern because I leveraged the value of the location, networked and landed a great job offer at the end of first year itself. I feel location can matter a lot if you know how to play it. I interned with a fintech startup in Brooklyn in summer and it was great. I don't think Chicago gives you as much exposure professionally. 
Of course, CBS holds an edge over Stern.

bb10 · Answer

Do you want to work in IB or Finance in general? Then NYU is probably the right way to go.

Kellogg vs CBS ($$$$) vs Stern ($$$$)

Kellogg vs CBS vs Stern

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