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KCL5728
Joined: 26 Mar 2023
Last visit: 01 Mar 2025
Posts: 21
Given Kudos: 17
Location: Taiwan
Schools: MIT '27 (A$) HBS '27 (D) Wharton '27 (A)
03 Jan 2025, 12:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi everyone,
I'm fortunate to have been admitted by both Wharton and Sloan MBA, and am deciding between the two.
Nationality: East Asian Male
Background: Investment Banking (Bulge Bracket firm, 5 years WE, industry group: Tech), studied finance in college
Goals: To be very honest I don't have a clear career goal, and I'm hoping to use MBA to (1) explore other careers given I've been in IB since graduating from college, and I do not intend to do IB for life. (2) To experience life in the US. I did exchange student in the Europe and worked in Asia, but haven't spent time in the US yet so wanted to have that experience. I do consider working in the US for a few years post MBA.
That said, my potential career options/directions are: (1) join a tech firm (big tech strategy, PM, or M&A arm) (2) stay in finance, maybe do PE. I know entrepreneurship is another potential option - but given how few entrepreneurs actually succeed, I'm more inclined to find a job than to start my own business (although I remain open minded).
WHARTON
PROS:
- Brand: Given the notion of "HSW", some may think Wharton's brand is better in the business world
- Campus in SF: Given Tech is a space I'd like to explore pivoting into, having a campus in SF is definitely a plus
- Finance power house: While staying in finance is not my top option, I believe going to Wharton could further enhance my finance career if I want to (e.g., pivoting to PE/VC, etc.)
CONS:
- Brand Addition for me: Wharton is still most famous for Finance IMO. But I'm already in a US top BB investment bank (think GS/MS), so I feel like adding a Wharton to my resume does not really add much brand value (and in a way - may mode me even more into a "finance bro" type)
- Career Options: While some alums say that Wharton is also strong in non-finance areas, I still feel like most of the students would still be recruiting for finance, and most of the career resources would be for finance as well (which may defeat my purpose of exploring other career options outside of Finance). Happy to be corrected
- Philly: I have never been to Philly but from research it seems that more people enjoy Boston (I've been to Boston and liked it)
MIT SLOAN
PROS:
- Brand: MIT brand is unmatched internationally (i.e., random Mom and Pop would know MIT, but they might not know Wharton/Penn)
- Brand Addition for me: Given my entire career so far has been in IB, I feel like having MIT on my resume would give me a more techy profile and may allow me to pivot better into tech
- Cross register with HBS: I think it's really cool that I can take courses and utilize resources/networks at both schools. Huge plus for me
CONS:
- Brand: vs Wharton, some may still think Wharton holds an edge over Sloan (and I also heard that some jobs may exclusivly recruit from HSW only). Also some may say Sloan derives its brand value from MIT and not Sloan itself
- Focus on Entrepreneurship: Know that MIT is well known for entrepreneurship, but that's not my top career goal. Not sure how good is the career resources for MIT outside of entrepreneurship. Especially if competing for jobs with HSW students - would I be in disadvantage?
- Location for Networking: Boston is good for healthcare tech, but I'm more interested in hardware / software tech (which are mostly in SF). I worry that networking would be a hassle (vs. at Wharton I can spend a semester in SF and just network)
I did get scholarship from one of the schools - but I want to disregard that and just focus on the schools itself for now.
Any thoughts/inputs would be much appreciated!
I'm fortunate to have been admitted by both Wharton and Sloan MBA, and am deciding between the two.
Nationality: East Asian Male
Background: Investment Banking (Bulge Bracket firm, 5 years WE, industry group: Tech), studied finance in college
Goals: To be very honest I don't have a clear career goal, and I'm hoping to use MBA to (1) explore other careers given I've been in IB since graduating from college, and I do not intend to do IB for life. (2) To experience life in the US. I did exchange student in the Europe and worked in Asia, but haven't spent time in the US yet so wanted to have that experience. I do consider working in the US for a few years post MBA.
That said, my potential career options/directions are: (1) join a tech firm (big tech strategy, PM, or M&A arm) (2) stay in finance, maybe do PE. I know entrepreneurship is another potential option - but given how few entrepreneurs actually succeed, I'm more inclined to find a job than to start my own business (although I remain open minded).
WHARTON
PROS:
- Brand: Given the notion of "HSW", some may think Wharton's brand is better in the business world
- Campus in SF: Given Tech is a space I'd like to explore pivoting into, having a campus in SF is definitely a plus
- Finance power house: While staying in finance is not my top option, I believe going to Wharton could further enhance my finance career if I want to (e.g., pivoting to PE/VC, etc.)
CONS:
- Brand Addition for me: Wharton is still most famous for Finance IMO. But I'm already in a US top BB investment bank (think GS/MS), so I feel like adding a Wharton to my resume does not really add much brand value (and in a way - may mode me even more into a "finance bro" type)
- Career Options: While some alums say that Wharton is also strong in non-finance areas, I still feel like most of the students would still be recruiting for finance, and most of the career resources would be for finance as well (which may defeat my purpose of exploring other career options outside of Finance). Happy to be corrected
- Philly: I have never been to Philly but from research it seems that more people enjoy Boston (I've been to Boston and liked it)
MIT SLOAN
PROS:
- Brand: MIT brand is unmatched internationally (i.e., random Mom and Pop would know MIT, but they might not know Wharton/Penn)
- Brand Addition for me: Given my entire career so far has been in IB, I feel like having MIT on my resume would give me a more techy profile and may allow me to pivot better into tech
- Cross register with HBS: I think it's really cool that I can take courses and utilize resources/networks at both schools. Huge plus for me
CONS:
- Brand: vs Wharton, some may still think Wharton holds an edge over Sloan (and I also heard that some jobs may exclusivly recruit from HSW only). Also some may say Sloan derives its brand value from MIT and not Sloan itself
- Focus on Entrepreneurship: Know that MIT is well known for entrepreneurship, but that's not my top career goal. Not sure how good is the career resources for MIT outside of entrepreneurship. Especially if competing for jobs with HSW students - would I be in disadvantage?
- Location for Networking: Boston is good for healthcare tech, but I'm more interested in hardware / software tech (which are mostly in SF). I worry that networking would be a hassle (vs. at Wharton I can spend a semester in SF and just network)
I did get scholarship from one of the schools - but I want to disregard that and just focus on the schools itself for now.
Any thoughts/inputs would be much appreciated!
S746BM
Joined: 03 Jul 2024
Last visit: 25 Feb 2025
Posts: 1
Given Kudos: 92
Location: China
Schools: HBS '27 (D) Stanford '27 (S) IESE '27 (A$$) MIT '27 (S) Kellog '27 (I) Tuck '27 (A$) Darden '27 (D) Yale '27 (II) Booth '27 (II) INSEAD Jan '26
04 Jan 2025, 02:12
Kudos
Bookmarks
First of all, congratulations on getting admitted to two top schools! That’s already an incredible achievement! As someone also from East Asia, I’m really happy and proud to see your success 😀 Here are some of my thoughts, which I hope will be helpful:
Honestly, I can sense from your words that you seem to lean more toward MIT. Looking at your pros and cons analysis, the pros for Wharton are mostly external, objective factors, whereas the pros for MIT are what you really feel excited about. On the flip side, the cons for Wharton are clear and based on characteristics you believe aren’t as valuable for you, while the cons for MIT are more about heard facts—potential risks rather than definite downsides.
On a more rational note, to ensure that your decision ultimately aligns with your personal goals and the experiences you seek from your MBA journey, you might consider taking the following steps to complete this "due diligence" process:
1. Reflect on whether you value the finance connections Wharton offers or the tech-oriented environment at Sloan, (which you obviously have been doing) and consider where you see yourself in the long run. While both brands are strong, think about which aligns better with your aspirations—whether in finance, tech, or another area.
2. Since you mentioned you've never been to Philly - If you can, visiting both campuses could provide valuable insights. Talking to current students and faculty can help you gauge the culture and opportunities at each school;
3. Think about where you want to work after your MBA. If a significant portion of your desired roles is in Silicon Valley, Wharton's SF campus might offer a stronger foothold there;
4. (most importantly IMO) Reach out to alumni from both programs who have transitioned from IB to tech roles. Understanding their experiences can clarify how each program supports such transitions.
At the end of the day, both programs have their strengths, and choosing the one that resonates with your aspirations will serve you best in the long run. Just a disclaimer: I personally lean toward MIT, haha, even though I also see the tech industry as my top choice post-MBA. I suspect your scholarship is from MIT and not Wharton; setting aside the financial benefits, this already suggests that you might stand out more at MIT, while Wharton has many students with similar backgrounds, so your exposure there might not be as refreshing as at MIT.
I’ve rambled on for quite a bit, so I’ll wrap it up. Again, massive congratulations, and I look forward to your status update after you make your decision!
Honestly, I can sense from your words that you seem to lean more toward MIT. Looking at your pros and cons analysis, the pros for Wharton are mostly external, objective factors, whereas the pros for MIT are what you really feel excited about. On the flip side, the cons for Wharton are clear and based on characteristics you believe aren’t as valuable for you, while the cons for MIT are more about heard facts—potential risks rather than definite downsides.
On a more rational note, to ensure that your decision ultimately aligns with your personal goals and the experiences you seek from your MBA journey, you might consider taking the following steps to complete this "due diligence" process:
1. Reflect on whether you value the finance connections Wharton offers or the tech-oriented environment at Sloan, (which you obviously have been doing) and consider where you see yourself in the long run. While both brands are strong, think about which aligns better with your aspirations—whether in finance, tech, or another area.
2. Since you mentioned you've never been to Philly - If you can, visiting both campuses could provide valuable insights. Talking to current students and faculty can help you gauge the culture and opportunities at each school;
3. Think about where you want to work after your MBA. If a significant portion of your desired roles is in Silicon Valley, Wharton's SF campus might offer a stronger foothold there;
4. (most importantly IMO) Reach out to alumni from both programs who have transitioned from IB to tech roles. Understanding their experiences can clarify how each program supports such transitions.
At the end of the day, both programs have their strengths, and choosing the one that resonates with your aspirations will serve you best in the long run. Just a disclaimer: I personally lean toward MIT, haha, even though I also see the tech industry as my top choice post-MBA. I suspect your scholarship is from MIT and not Wharton; setting aside the financial benefits, this already suggests that you might stand out more at MIT, while Wharton has many students with similar backgrounds, so your exposure there might not be as refreshing as at MIT.
I’ve rambled on for quite a bit, so I’ll wrap it up. Again, massive congratulations, and I look forward to your status update after you make your decision!
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