Sloan v Booth?

Question

Got the call on Thurs/Fri from Booth and Sloan, respectively. Very excited about both. no $ from either. Trying to learn more about differences.

Live in Chicago already, but BOS expenses might be a rude awakening.

Pre-MBA in management consulting. Post-MBA goals in entrepreneurship and analytic mgt. MIT has leg up on entrepreneurship; Booth probably has leg up on Analytics Mgt given their stated concentration on it.

Not a heavy STEM background, so a little uneasy about MIT....

Also waiting to hear back from Haas.

Thoughts?

Ward2012 · Answer

I think people underestimate and don't realize the number of startups that come out of Booth with the help of the Polsky center. Are you going to the Admit Weekend? Even if you aren't, since you live in Chicago, I'd suggest making a visit to the Polsky Center to learn more about it (and also the New Venture Challenge that the Polsky Center organizes that is similar to Sloan's 100K competition.)

For analytics management, you're probably right that Chicago is more well known for it with the defined concentration it has and some well-known partnerships with data companies like Nielsen. I'm not familiar enough with this field to know more about what you need from a school to have a career in analytics management, but from a cursory look (i.e, 5 minutes poking around the web), I think it would probably be easier to focus on this at Booth with the stated concentration and the flex curriculum. However, this is Sloan, we're talking about, and I'm sure they can offer up strengths on their own in analytics management. You just might have to do a little more on your own.

In terms of where you should go, that's a tough choice. I'm not sure which I'd pick if I were you. If one had given you money, I'd say, go where the money is, but that's not your situation. I give a slight edge to Booth for the reasons stated above (unless you really want to take a break from Chicago.) But like others will advise, I'd say go to the Sloan Admit Weekend and see if you like the culture there.

Ward2012 · Answer

Also, I'm moving this post to the "Help! Which School to Apply/Attend?" forum because the topic of this post is more relevant there, so you'll get the benefit of hearing from a wider audience, and not just people applying to /interested in Sloan.

jumsumtak · Answer

I kind of agree with Ward. I interviewed at Booth this year, and my iv-er mentioned that e-ship is Booth's 'hidden gem', which a lot of people underestimate. Also, they are making big strides in the area ( Article )

P.S - I'm not saying that you should choose Booth, because I'm not sure how big is big regarding MIT's e-ship reputation. Just saying that don't discount Booth completely.

Good luck

mcavin · Answer

Thanks to both replies. Very helpful! And really appreciate the article reference... That was new info to me.

kingfalcon · Answer

Both are fantastic schools and I'd advise you first and foremost to visit each school. Next, I'd think about where you'd rather live. You mention that moving to Boston could be a rude awakening; does this mean you would rather be in Chicago long-term? If so, Booth is obviously a powerhouse in the Midwest.

As a current Sloan student, I can't give you much perspective into Booth's offerings in entrepreneurship and analytics, but I know a lot about what Sloan offers.

In terms of entrepreneurship and startups, the resources here are overwhelming. Entrepreneurship is so prevalent that it makes folks who aren't pursuing it (like me) wonder what they are missing out on! There are lots of programs in place to support budding entrepreneurs and to help connect Sloan students with students from other MIT programs and other schools in Boston. Some examples include: the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship, the MIT 100K Competition, numerous hackathons (HackFit, Hacking Arts, Hacking Medicine), the Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Track, and the E&I and Coders Clubs.

In terms of analytics, one of the things that the Sloan faculty pride themselves on is looking at management issues using an analytical framework. In our first-semester core, we take three fairly quantitative classes: Economics, Financial Accounting, and Data, Models, and Decisions. There also lots of follow-on analytics classes offered for your final three semesters. Here are a few that I've heard awesome things about that you might want to look into (https://web.mit.edu/catalog/pdf/course_15.pdf): The Analytics Edge, Statistical Consulting, Pricing, The Economics of Information, Customer Analytics, Introduction to System Dynamics. And that of course says nothing about all the non-Sloan MIT quantitative classes you can choose to take.

On a personal note, I was invited to interview at Booth after I got into Sloan, but decided to withdraw my application. Most notably, I wanted a smaller class size (400 vs. 550) and wanted a flexible curriculum, but not to the extent that Booth offers. Obviously, there are arguments to be made in favor of both sides, but I just wanted to share the most important reasons on why I chose not to pursue a spot at Booth.

So yes, Booth is a great school with many strengths, but don't count out Sloan just yet!

cheetarah1980 · Answer

I'm not an entrepreneur, but I've completed the entrepreneurship concentration at Booth and was on a top 10 finalist team for the 2013 New Venture Challenge. The entrepreneurship resources at Booth are robust to say the least. Booth has strong ties to the incubator 1871 in Chicago's Merchandise Mart, a very active Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group (which hosts SeedCon annually), and a top notch faculty that includes Steve Kaplan and Scott Meadow. Booth also gives you 5 years to complete your degree so if you want to decelerate to work on your startup and get full use of Booth resources for 5 years then you have that option. One of my classmates is doing that now. However, I think the best thing about entrepreneurship at Booth is that there doesn't seem to be a preference for tech companies. My classmate's business is a food truck. Another NVC finalist was a beverage company. There's room for innovation of all kind at Booth. I would definitely reach out to current students who are pursuing they're businesses. They'll be able to tell you more about the specific resources they've used.

Africa1989 · Answer

OP,

feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt (or at least with less weight than the previous two who have actually experienced the schools in question).

Entrepreneurship:

I'm currently making a similar decision, and the signs keep pointing me towards Sloan. In terms of entrepreneurship, Sloan's resources, and above all its culture seem to be tough to beat. I've spoken to more than a handful of students, and all of them have harped about the numerous opportunities Sloanies have to collaborate with each other, MIT in general, and the greater cambridge/boston community (this isn't to say that Booth doesn't have amazing offerings as well).The way I see it Booth has great resources and is very supportive, but MIT seems to live and breath entrepreneurship

Analytic Management:

Both MIT and Chicago have amazing quantitative chops. While Booth does have a well beaten path in area, I think the quantitative rigor of Sloan classes and MIT courses in general would be equally sufficient. At the end of the day it depend on whether you want to go through the "extra work" of charting your own course. But like I said, whichever school you go to will definitely have the resources available to give you a sufficient analytic background.

Gist:

In my opinion if you are leaning more strongly towards entrepreneurship (or are equally spaced between your two topics) go MIT, if you are more into the analytic sphere either one will suffice.

Sloan v Booth?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards