Anderson vs. Ross

Question

Upon entering business school this fall, I will have ~4 years of experience working at a boutique market research firm that focuses on the wireless and video game industries. I am looking at getting into the Competitive Intelligence field post-MBA, which falls under the Marketing umbrella. I would say I'm also pretty open to product marketing positions as well. I like market research and the tech/mobile sector, but would like to make decisions within industry rather than evaluate it from the outside. Ideally, I would like to land a job at a "tech" company such as Samsung USA, Google's Motorola division or at Amazon and would prefer to stay on the West Coast. I am getting a $40K fellowship at Anderson and unsure about any $$ from Michigan (waiting on a packet to come in the mail soon with details, but my sense is that if there weren't any details in the email / call from admissions, chances are I received no fin aid).

Although I can find all sorts of reasons to go one way or the other, I am leaning toward UCLA at the moment ($$, location preference, Easton Tech Leadership program). I don't want to muddle the topic any more at this stage or find things to split hairs over, as I would like to hear some thoughts on whether there's something glaring that I could be overlooking (i.e. does the fact that various publications consistently rank Ross higher matter at this point? What if Ross gave me the same amount or more in fin aid?)

I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks for your time and I hope this discussion helps anyone who finds themselves in a similar position. Cheers!

gurpreetsingh · Answer

Both are TOP schools and fellowship is indeed tempting.

But do not join the school just for 40k. If you think you fit better with ROSS, go ahead !! 40k can be earned later but the time spent in the school you wished is beyond the parameter of MONEY.
UCLA is indeed a great school and the deciding factor should not be the fellowship but your FIT. Do not compromise with your future aspirations.
If UCLA is a good fit then go ahead and cherish the feeling of fellowship.

Ranking : Don;t bother about the rankings. UCLA is a great school and no lower than ROSS in any terms. I would like to mention the word 'FIT' again here. Go ahead with the school keeping aside the fellowship.
Compare UCLA vs ROSS rather than UCLA with $$ VS ROSS. 40k is not enough to change the decision. Had it been 100% waiver, the comparison would have been favored for even less fit school that too in case of short of finance. Else if some one can afford or take risk he should always join the school that is a best FIT.

tortoiserun · Answer

As a second-year Ross student who was also accepted at Anderson and is currently looking closely at her post B-school budget, I have to say that I disagree that you shouldn't factor the money into your decision. I'm not sure if your fellowship is for $40k total or $40k per year, but either way, it's a lot of money! If you were looking at two schools that had vastly different rankings or specialties, then I'd take a closer look at the ROI between the two, but those two schools are close enough in ranking and culture that I would give a serious edge to Anderson given the money. Really, the culture between any two top B-schools isn't that different at the end of the day. And while B-school is all about the experience, you'll have a great experience either place, and when you graduate and have bills to pay and financial goals to meet, you'll appreciate that money you saved! I love Ross, but if I was in your shoes, I'd pick Anderson. If you have any other questions about the two schools (I lived in LA when my best friend went to Anderson so I know a good bit about them as well), feel free to PM me.

gurpreetsingh · Answer

I agree to you as you are the person who knows in and out of being a b school student. But I would still advice to go for the school that is important for your future aspirations. If your dream company does not recruit at A and you have to make a choice between A with $ and B then there is no point of going to A. We are already spending so much money and no salary for 2 years, so it is impractical to judge the school on fellowships as a general rule.

But in case both A and B are equally good for you, then going with fellowship is indeed a better option. Since UCLA and ROSS are both top schools there is no question of which is better, but the question is which is best for you.
I have not done r n d on ross yet but to me UCLA is a perfect fit so I didn't even bother to look around for other schools as I will join UCLA with or without fellowship and I can bet you financially I m no better than any student coming there. Once I m done with my UCLA app I will look around because I m already short of time.

To me selecting school is not less than selecting your soul mate, so the decision should be practical.

j0bear · Answer

Thank you both for your perspectives! I welcome any more feedback and plan to make a decision by the end of the month. Just for clarification, the fellowship is $40K total (as opposed to $40K per year).

kingfalcon · Answer

You may find this thread interesting:

ucla-anderson-vs-michigan-ross-both-without-money-145132.html?hilit=anderson

Ultimately, I agree with you. Anderson definitely seems like the best place for you given the money situation, your location preference, recruiting, and your goals. Have fun in LA!

asimov · Answer

I don’t think you should factor the scholarship into the consideration: 1) the amount is small in the long run, and 2) you also need to factor in total cost of attendance (I presume Ann Arbor is cheaper than LA).

For a post-MBA perspective, I would say UCLA is a better fit. You will have an easier time landing a job on the West Coast (where there’s a higher tech concentration) from UCLA than Michigan. While larger tech/mobile companies will recruit at both schools, the smaller ones may not. Furthermore, depending on economic conditions, HR is more likely to cut recruiting for a distant school than a local one (unless the distant school is a core school).

Anderson vs. Ross

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