Alpha1734 wrote:
I am struggling to decide if I should go to UNC Kenan-Flagler or NYU Stern.
I am currently a medical student (MD Candidate) in North Carolina aiming to transition into consulting (ideally MBB) after graduation. Since recruitment has been very rough this year, especially for advanced degree candidates, I am thinking I should do an MBA to increase my odds of getting an offer. My ideal situation is to just not do an MBA and get a consulting job immediately after medical school, but chances of that happening are looking unlikely as of now.
I have gotten a full ride to both Kenan-Flagler and Stern to start this summer but I am having trouble picking a school. I am also waitlisted at Chicago Booth - if I get in here I'd definitely go but chances are looking slimmer and slimmer as time goes on.
Factors to consider for Kenan-Flagler:
- Full ride scholarship / lower COL
- It would only add 1 year of school for me
- I already have a lot of friends and professional connections in this area
- I have family in the area
- It would be a much easier adjustment for me
- MBB firms do recruit pretty well from Kenan-Flagler but I cannot find official numbers/stats
- Every MD/MBA at UNC I've found has gotten an offer from McKinsey or BCG
- While I may want to go to a bigger city for a little bit when working, I want to stay in NC long-term
- If I am able to get a consulting job this year, I could very easily drop out of the MBA and finish my MD by next summer
Factors to consider for Stern:
- Full ride scholarship / very high COL (rent alone would be 35-40k/year)
- It would add 1-2 years of school for me (most likely 2)
- I know almost no one in the area
- It would be a very hard adjustment to live in the city and I don’t think I’d like it very much
- 30-40 people from each class tend to go into MBB firms
- This school seems to finance heavy which I'm not sure would be beneficial for me
Hi
Alpha1734 hope you are doing great
Congrats on the stellar admits!
UNC-KF has a strong regional presence. With the nearest major consulting employers being based in the Charlotte and Atlanta area, if you are keen on the location, it might be worth making an effort to connect with the consulting recruiters in these offices to understand the feeder pipeline. You did not mention whether you have a specific focus area in mind for management consulting. I have known some medical doctors who pursued finance-focused MBAs based on their goals. If finance is not your interest, you could do without Stern's focus on Finance. I also suggest that you speak directly with the career center at KF to gain a clear picture, considering your well-defined interest in MBB. If the research insights are positive, you could pick KF, even though the admit to Stern is highly coveted.
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex admissions interviewer)
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