Urgent Advice : Merage(\$$) vs MArshall (\$$)

Question

Hi guys, First off – big time thanks in advance for your feedback. I’m really lucky to be in the situation I’m in, and would love any and all perspectives you may have.

Trying to decide between: UCI Merage: scholarship USC marshall : scholarship (expected yet to receive the admission package) and McDonnough School :without Scholarship (out of question since i Cant afford it) Right now my gut is saying Merage , since it has improved a lot in these 2 -3 years . Pluss USC is way too expensive, without scholarship is it worth too give up $$ scholarship from merage ? I have talked with some of my friends in the US but I still dont have enough information for a confident decision. the MBA program is a starting point of a career path to me so it is very important to make it right. Any opinion and information would help here on the options that I have, especially with the possible career chances after graduation. Thank you so much for your support.

spanxtr · Answer

Look at who recruits at both schools. Isn't USC much better in term so name and recognition compared to Merage??? It seems to be an easy choice to me. I would goto Marshall. I also was admitted to marshall! How do you know you will get a scholarship? were you told from the acceptance call?

AvgIndianGuy · Answer

yes I was told on call . The dilemma is that whoever I have talked has said USC is going down the spiral . My personal experience with their admissions team also hasnt been great .

So i wanted a perspective from a person who is in Marhsall or Merage . Given my post MBA goals as stated above what should be the right choice .

spanxtr · Answer

I feel your pain. I'm deciding between Tepper and Marshall. I want to end up in the west coast, and I've heard nothing but bad things about marshall, specifically the career center. I've heard though, it should be getting better. I've also heard that the clubs really mitigate the lack of career center…which hopefully semi-reverses the downward spiral. I'm not entirely too sure though. Everyone i've talked to has had great experiences at marshall. Regardless, I think Marshall is definitely a much better choice than UC Irvine. The brand/trojan network will take you very far.

AvgIndianGuy · Answer

Torn between what was once a great college and what is on the path to be a great college .

DELLE · Answer

Marshall. Admissions office needs more people it seems, let's call it a "rebuilding" year but the Marshall/usc name imo carries significantly more weight than merage/uci. Also with usc you get not only the Marshall network but also the rest of the Trojan family. With uci I can't say I've heard much about the merage network but there definitely isn't a strong sense of bond overall for uci. (Sc grad so I may be biased.)

Agree with a previous poster that you should check what companies recruit where though.

Posted from GMAT ToolKit

Agree with a previous poster that you should check what companies recruit where though.

https://gmatclub.com/static/posted_from.png     Posted from    GMAT ToolKit

rbsx · Answer

When I visited the school even the current students told me about this, and everything I have seen leads me to believe thats the case as well.

spanxtr · Answer

I've been told several different things to be honest, and it's slightly hard to keep up. I've heard that changes are coming, and the school is very into student feedback. I also hear that although the career center is "rebuilding", which is what all the negative feedback is about. The trojan network and clubs often mitigate the lack of help from the career center. Everyone that i've spoken to got the positions they want in terms of internships and FT offers. I wouldn't necessarily negate USC for providing opportunities. Although I hesitate to give a solid backing, USC may be a good option if you can stand on your own two feet and do the networking. Schools that have solid Career centers may provide better support and one on one counseling, but if you have clear goals and drive, the network and second years may be very capable in helping you reach the next step.

But then again, I don't really know for sure… just my speculation as a potential Marshall student

ltsocal · Answer

Could you give an update about what school you chose? I am in the same predicament!

AvgIndianGuy · Answer

I am a current student at merage ! Come to Merage with . The career center is only a means to help u get the job, but u also have to put in the hard work. Few companies (as is the case in other colleges too)come on college campus and you are basically left on your own to look for jobs if you dont make into them. The alumni network is small meaning you have to be more rigorous in reaching out and your networking efforts. Dont be fooled by ft rankings . I dont know why ft gives it around 50 rank. Other rankings all give Merage very low score. If you get 100percent scholarship then its totally worth it otherwise u might wanna research more! the living cost in Orange county is also pretty high.

Please reach out to a Indian MBA candidate before taking this college.
Doing MBA is risky please research thoroughly

bb · Answer

Thank you for your post and feedback! Sorry to hear about your experience. If you have a chance, could you please leave a review of the Mirage program in the Business School Reviews area?
We will be happy to give you a $20 amazon giftcard. https://gmatclub.com/reviews/select.php

Thank you
BB

Urgent Advice : Merage(\$$) vs MArshall (\$$)

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