Kellogg vs. Booth ($$) vs. Haas ($$) Ross ($$$) vs. Fuqua ($$$$)

Question

Hi all - I feel very grateful to be in this position, and would love any thoughts and/or advice! I received a full ride from Fuqua, 1/2 from Ross, and basically 1/4 from Haas and Booth, nothing from Kellogg.

I currently live on the East Coast but am hoping to be in Chicago after business school, which automatically leads me to lean towards Kellogg/Booth/Ross. That said, it's hard to overlook a full ride offer from Fuqua! I am hoping to go the consulting route (with an interest in boutique firms). I really value culture, and felt like the cultures at all of these programs were collaborative, supportive, friendly, etc. From the start, I have leaned towards Kellogg because of the community, location, and strong focus on teamwork--generally it has always felt like the best fit, especially when visiting. I also am excited about their strong consulting and marketing placement. That said, I wasn't offered scholarship money there, which is obviously an important factor to consider. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Businessconquerer · Answer

I vote for Fuqua
Although Kellogg is amazing for Consulting, there's no denying a free ride
Your total saving will be $180k
The placement at duke is amazing
So even if you get a $10k less from Duke, it will still take 18 years to cover that what you saved

Besides, if you didn't like Duke, you won't be interested

JohnJohnJ · Answer

This is easy... Duke it is, save money! You’ll get the same benefits of Kellogg at Duke.

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bb · Answer

Congrats on your admits! Fantastic job!

I think part of your question is answered here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/consulting-r ... 12877.html

Fuqua is solid and has good MBB recruiting with recruiters present on campus 4 days a week but some of the niche recruiters are definitely more likely to be at Booth and Kellogg rather than Fuqua.

PS. Based on my old valuation model, I feel it would a good deal to take Fuqua+Full ride over Kellogg. If you got 50% at Booth and Kellogg that would be a more equal choice but they did not offer. Your other option is to address the scholarship situation with Kellogg. If you show them your Booth and Fuqua offers there is a good chance they will match at least one of them.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/negotiating- ... 12949.html

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Staphyk · Answer

Hehe too much bucks mehn! 
Team Fuqua ✌️

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jojo15 · Answer

These posts are super helpful - thank you! I am definitely planning to negotiate, so that will definitely add some clarity in one way or another once I hear back. My major sticking point is that recruiting for those more niche / boutique firms based in the midwest will definitely be more realistic from Kellogg/Booth (as you mentioned). Given I hope to be in the midwest, I also like the idea of having a larger network there, which would be more possible from Booth/Kellogg/Ross. That said, I agree with everyone that a full ride from Fuqua may outweigh!

JohnJohnJ · Answer

McKinsey recruited 10-12% of the graduating class in 2019, that says a lot about the school. It’s an easy choice

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jojo15 · Answer

Which school are you referring to? Fuqua?

JohnJohnJ · Answer

Yes, sorry - McKinsey recruited ~45, BCG hired 37, Amazon hired 38, Microsoft hired 23, google hired 18 and Dell 18 from the class of ~390 at Fuqua.

While I personally think that these numbers could be misleading because the hiring % for all of these 5 companies indicate that they have increased their hiring from Duke by over 200-300% —— which is not normal, but it makes a case for the school being good for consulting.

https://poetsandquants.com/2019/11/26/d ... -report/2/

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JohnJohnJ · Answer

Dang! But the more I think about it, it kind of scares me... what if they’ve faked these numbers? 200-300% increase for all of these 5 companies is not normal and it may very well be a case of them faking numbers (there is no way to validate it)

I change my vote - so it’s Booth vs Kellogg, they’re both equally good. But, Booth it is...

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I change my vote - so it’s Booth vs Kellogg, they’re both equally good. But, Booth it is...

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sunnyjohn2 · Answer

I thought Kellogg is better for consulting?

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Businessconquerer · Answer

Yes it is
No denying that
But truth be told, all the top 10s have definitely got something up their sleeve

newgirl · Answer

Quick note: While Fuqua has good consulting/MBB placement, I found most of the students I talked to were going to offices in the Southeast (Atlanta, DC, Charlotte, various in Texas). If you want to end up in Chicago, it might be worth talking to a bunch of students and confirming if there is a pathway back to Chicago. Sure, you might have to put a little extra effort in, but how much?

If money were equal, Kellogg would be my top pick. It may be worth trying to see if you can negotiate more money out of Ross, seeing as they have strong consulting program and good placement into Chicago. Since it's not M7, they may be more willing to match or close the gap between their current offer and Fuqua's full-ride. Personally, I would take 75% at Ross over 100% at Fuqua for peace of mind about Chicago.

School culture at UChicago seems pretty different than Ross/Kellogg/Fuqua. Did you visit all these schools? What was your experience like?

jojo15 · Answer

Thanks for your thoughts here! I agree, the Chicago angle (especially given I'm interested in smaller firms in the Midwest) was something that drew me to Ross/Kellogg/Booth. I did visit all of the schools, and tend to agree with your sentiment about Booth (and actually liked my visit a lot, but it would definitely be a different experience from the others). I did end up getting a small scholarship from Kellogg, which is exciting news. Definitely different than a full ride, but another factor to consider given my ultimate goals.

bb · Answer

Congratulations! If you don't mind me asking (for the sake of my  scholarship master thread ), how did you get the scholarship and when? Any details you may share would be quite helpful. 
Thank you!

stoiczoan · Answer

I'd like to chip in here. 1Y at Booth going through consulting recruiting.

First up, Duke #s cited above include both full-time and intern hires which is why the numbers look weird vs previous years. Total MBB full-time hires at Duke is in the range of 40-45 depending on how good the year is - which is a pretty strong performance overall. However it is nowhere close to Kellogg and Booth which had 104 and 109 MBB full-time offers respectively for class of 2019. (Numbers from official placement reports)

Kellogg is a traditional powerhouse in consulting with so many top partners at MBB firms being Kellogg alumni. Booth however has progressed tremendously in the last 5-7 years.. as is evidenced in having higher MBB #s than Kellogg in 2019.. which I think is probably the first time in history. (of course Kellogg beats the % number based on total class size.. but still)

I'd suggest that you go for Kellogg or Booth - the difference in how firms view these schools vs non-M7 is not trivial. Of course you can very well get an MBB job at any of the top 15 but I think you will have a better chance at Kellogg / Booth and there will be other benefits of a strong alumni network + M7 prestige (if you care about it)

Given that Booth has offered $ (and the fact that I am at Booth) makes me lean towards Booth. The people and culture at Booth are top class - over the last 3 months of rigorous consulting recruiting I have not had even one bad interaction. Everyone has been rooting for each other and been very supportive throughout. Booth has the "commuter school" perception, but the key point is that 80% of class lives within 3 blocks of each other.. which means you have a strong community feeling.. even though everyone lives a 15-20 min train/uber ride away from Hyde park campus. (Don't forget that there's a downtown building where you can take classes or meet for group projects)

TL,DR: Go for Kellogg or Booth (maybe Booth since you are getting $) because consulting recruiting is SIGNIFICANTLY stronger

FuturePM91 · Answer

Duke is pretty good in consulting recruiting, not as good as Kellogg or Booth but it still is achievable. You may not end up in Chicago but you could transfer there eventually. I agree with what others have said, ask Kellogg if they would consider matching your other scholarship offers, if they say no I would go to Duke.

Quick comment on culture though, I do personally feel like Booth is the outlier on culture here. Kellogg, Ross, Haas, and Fuqua seem to be pretty similar cultures (more poets than quants so to speak). I'm not sure how much time you have spent with students from those programs but if visiting again is an option/attending admits weekend I would do so. That's not to say Booth is bad, just that my experience is that its a different feel than the other programs you named and I wouldn't personally put them in the same bucket when it comes to culture. Maybe  stoiczoan  can comment further. For me the difference was most pronounced when I took a class at Kellogg and Booth. Booth's teaching style seemed to be a bit more data and stats heavy.

stoiczoan · Answer

I won't get into the debate here about comparing Booth's culture with the other schools. I can list down the aspects of Booth culture that I have experienced and its up to each individual to see if something vibes more with them.

1) Booth culture is heavily "pay-it-forward" - the community is very supportive and truly believes in winning together. Just this week a 1Y student decided to start an initiative called "The Giving Trees" where you can leave an encouraging message for fellow students busy in recruiting and they can take home the message note. (Give what you can, take what you need!) 2) Booth has a wide variety of people across age range and backgrounds. One of my best friends at Booth owned an art gallery in LA for many years, another friend was a soccer player in MLS and my roommate is a traditional MBB consultant. No matter who you are, you will find people like you. 3) The best way to describe Boothies - "extremely smart and analytical people who don't take themselves too seriously". 4) The faculty is best in class and the academic rigor is strong - Boothies can flex and become analytical poets or artistic quants depending on the situation. The flexible curriculum really encourages and drives the skill development. 5) The Booth community will give you options to party every night if you wish to or play board games every night if that's what you prefer. No judgement and you are never alone - you will always have people willing to participate. 6) The respect in the industry for Booth's academic rigor and the students' intellectual prowess is immense. So many times I've heard a guest speaker or a company rep say "You go to Booth, so I'm sure you'll understand it" when explaining something technical. 7) Booth's focus on "data" and rigorous decision making is becoming an increasingly significant differentiating factor in today's information age.

Kellogg vs. Booth ($$) vs. Haas ($$) Ross ($$$) vs. Fuqua ($$$$)

Which school to choose?

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