Hi guys,
I am in a very tricky situation right now and would love to seek your guidance. I have admits from UNC & McCombs without any scholarship and a half tuition waiver from Kelley & Rice. I am a career switcher and plan to transition into consulting primarily post my MBA. Coming from a middle class family from India, the financial situation is a bit tight and I would be relying on loans for both tuition and living expenses.
UNC / McCombs - Good brand, no doubt. But I don't think I have the risk capability to go 160k in debt
Kelley - Not really sure of the brand value & career prospects & recognition of a Kelley MBA
Rice - Brand value only good for energy which happens to be my alternate career plan but the job scene for international students is a little tight
I do believe I have a decent profile and have a good shot at Anderson / Darden / Tepper but then again my low GMAT score (710) would not make me eligible for a scholarship in any of these schools as well.
Ways out -
a) I go with any of the above schools
b) I apply to a little higher ranked school, max out on loans and matriculate
c) I retake the GMAT, get a higher score*, request to be considered for merit scholarship at UNC / McCombs but I'm not really sure if they would consider that after releasing out the decisions
d) I retake the GMAT, get a higher score*, apply next year to higher ranked colleges
e) Settle with ISB
* - considering I do manage to get that 740+
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you for your time.