Tuck vs Fuqua vs SOM

Question

Hello all,

I am an international student and admitted to Tuck, Fuqua and Yale SOM.

My short term goal is VC and long term goal is Impact Investing. I would like to do summer intern in VC and I believe I have to look for the position with alumni because these schools don’t have a big connection with VCs like IBs.

Also, I prefer good culture and money is not my prior consideration. Reputation, school’s focus on my industry, location and alumni network is also important to me.

Each school is amazing but I have to choose one. I have been thinking over and talked about these options with other people but it’s still really hard to choose one because of pros and cons.

I know I have the final responsibility but your advices would help me a lot.

Major cons that I thought for each school is as below.

Tuck : Cold weather, heard that not many students are interested in VC or Entrepreneurship (I’m not sure).

Fuqua : US News ranking is going down (I’m not sure why it is going down).

SOM : Ranking is going up but still not many alumni in my field. Near Harlem. not many students are interested in VC or Entrepreneurship

I know these are rough thoughts but your ideas would help me a lot.

Thank you for sharing your time!!

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bb · Answer

Wow. That's an amazing job you did getting into 3 great schools!

A few thoughts you may or not have considered (these are pretty minor so don't expect a huge aha):

Tuck appears to be consulting heavy and many people focused on consulting all day long. It is also the most remote school. If you are are social person and always want to feel the vibe of a city, you will have a bit of adjustment to make. Durham and New Haven are better but as you mentioned Yale can be dodgy in the neighborhood around it.

Yale probably has the strongest name of all of them due to the recognition. Not sure where from but I know some folks butcher the Fuqua name badly enough - this will only play if you are planning to back or work out of the US/internationally. You can judge the popularity of school rankings based on your experience

Rankings wise, Yale was not as well ranked just a few years ago as it is now. Some folks felt it was the right thing to elevate it into top 10; while others felt it was wrong. Looks like it is here to stay but I would say there is little diff between Tuck and Yale SOM. I feel Yale better know for undergrad and law school and Fuqua is better known for its undergrad and Med schools.... so there you go

Have you visited all schools?
Have you considered some of the future employers and where they recruit?

(Tuck and Yale are both cold.... Fuqua can get cold and can get hit by hurricanes. Call me old fashioned but I feel bad judging an educational institution based on outside temperature). Congrats again and a great job!

P.S. I would probably pick Yale out of that mix based on your goals and background but that's me. I feel I have ran into a few folks from Yale who went into VC/etc, more so than from Tuck or Fuqua.

Have you visited all schools? Have you considered some of the future employers and where they recruit? (Tuck and Yale are both cold.... Fuqua can get cold and can get hit by hurricanes. Call me old fashioned but I feel bad judging an educational institution based on outside temperature). Congrats again and a great job! P.S. I would probably pick Yale out of that mix based on your goals and background but that's me. I feel I have ran into a few folks from Yale who went into VC/etc, more so than from Tuck or Fuqua.

gogogogo · Answer

Thank you for your kind response!!
If I’m planning to get a job in US, is the reputation between these 3 schools would be different? (I’m aware of the visa issues and it’s hard to get a job in US..But nobody knows the future..So I would like to consider many aspects..)

Thanks again!!

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mbsingh · Answer

i have strong bias towards tuck so take my opinion with grain of salt but lot of the VC's from tuck actually care about reputation and are more receptive to Tuck students and also there's student club/ small VC organization in hanover run entirely by tuck students. So exposure and opportunities are there, Yale is another great fit and same with Fuqua. Visit the campus, you can probably fly to boston or new york and get a rental and visit all three schools. Fuqua is bit far but you can take train there.

stoiczoan · Answer

In my opinion, VC will be very tough to crack, specially as an international student. Neither of these 3 schools stand out in that field. I think you should probably choose based on your backup career option and school culture you’d enjoy most.

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Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum

bb · Answer

Very good point! In addition due to change and new perspective, many change their target industry first or second year so you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself.

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ENGRTOMBA2018 · Answer

I second that these 3 schools don’t have a strong presence in VC. One major hurdle that internationals face is the sponsorship issues as VC firms dont hire more than 2-3 per class and if they lose out on even 1 candidate due to visa issues; they won’t like it. Another consideration is that VC is all about networking and contacts. So choose a school that has a bigger/greater alumni presence in VC.

Final consideration is that major VC firms are in SF and thus you need to tailor your story about why SF in addition to why VC during your conversations. Start early and start strong by working on these connections. VC is a closed industry and thus be patient.

Good luck.

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Tuck vs Fuqua vs SOM

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