Darden ($$$) vs. Yale ($$)

Question

Hi Everyone,

Need your help streamlining my thoughts on which school I should look to attend, especially as the deadlines approach for making deposits. I'm currently considering between Darden UVa [Full-tuition merit (named) scholarship] vs. SOM Yale [~30-40% merit scholarship]. I have visited both the schools and liked their tight-knit communities. In general, I'm not so fixated by a school's location that I make it a decisive criterion for school selection.

I have an international background but have been living in the US for the past 6 years. I studied engineering (MS) in a great public university on the West Coast and have been involved in engineering management in a F500 company located in Silicon Valley. Post-MBA, I want to ideally spend a few years in MBB management consulting focusing on strategy and operations before returning to the high-tech industry (preferably cleantech) in Silicon Valley with a position in business management. If I cannot get through to MBB, I am also open to directly entering the high-tech industry (for example, in general management rotation programs) right after school.

I also want to emphasize that I have not yet applied for a Permanent Residency in US, so I will be considered an international student for recruiting purposes at the B-school (Not all recruiters sponsor international students).

SOM:
+ IVY League brand of the parent university, well recognized internationally (especially in my home country if I transition there in the longer term)
+ Proximity to NY; ease of networking for potential recruiting opportunities in a growing NYC cleantech industry?
+ Great new building and new dean, positive upward momentum in rankings? ... Financial Times 2014 global rank improved from 14 to 10
+ small class size
+/- Partial scholarship covers (only) 35% of annual tuition cost.
- Weak recruiting in consulting?
- Small alumni network of SOM; a very weak network back in my home country.

Darden:
+ Strong focus on case-based learning; might be a challenging new learning style for me, but at the same time a great source of personality development.
+ similar class size as Yale
+ Full-tuition (named) merit scholarship: heard that having it on resume helps in recruiting; no student debt
+ Alumni network bigger than Yale SOM; greater presence in my home country
+ Better focus on MC recruiting than SOM?
- Remote location means more competition for on-campus recruiting jobs; Full-time jobs for international students declined from 91% to 79% in 2013
- Parent university (UVa) brand name not as recognized as Yale, but in business circles Darden is considered a solid program.

Greatly appreciate your feedback!

overmind1632 · Answer

Oh my....what a great problem to have....I dont think there is a wrong choice here, however, I think Darden is too hard to pass up given the full "named" scholarship they are offering and the fact that Darden is slightly stronger of a school than Yale is

get2aditya · Answer

Kingkong,

Congratulations on your admits!!!!. What a great problem to have.

Both the schools are very comparable in terms of reputation. But Yale university is very very well-known across the globe and especially in the Asian region. (Based on your user handle i assumed you might be from asia and I could be wrong.)

But if you plan on pursuing your career in USA, then I would suggest Darden for you given the flexibility full ride offers. Moreover the case method imbibes the much needed skills for the MBB environments. It enables you to make a decision based on the limited set of facts and fine tune based on the differing perspectives. This is how i expect real-world business problems would be in consulting. So that would definitely help you.

Most of the companies that recruit in consulting go to both the schools. So you will not lose irrespective of which way you choose.

Check if your target tech companies, in case consulting doesn't work out for you, recruit at the schools. That would be another differentiator.

Good luck with your choice and keep us posted on how it goes....

Regards,
adi

kingfalcon · Answer

Although both are great schools, I'd pick Darden. It historically does a better job of placing students at MBB (although your most obvious locations are probably Atlanta and DC) and they are giving you a bigger scholarship.

CobraKai · Answer

A full-ride at a top 15 is definitely a separator. Now to clarify, having that on the resume helps you land the interview, but during the interview, they're not going to care if you have a scholarship or not.

Dan8294 · Answer

Even if there wasn't any money on the table, I'd definitely pick Darden. I think you'll get a better education and network for consulting from them.

politricks · Answer

Full ride at Darden hands down. Devotion to case-study method will prepare you well for MBB (Yale will too, but darden is known for case study). Also, Darden is well known in the US and I would assume internationally among business-minded people. But yeah, the Yale brand speaks for itself globally. However, the full-ride, emphasis on case study, and reach of Darden are too hard to turn down. Personally, I would take Darden over Yale even if all factors were equal bc I love Darden's program, people, and placement.

bgp2587 · Answer

Darden, even without the money. MBB recruiting (as well as Tier 2) is much stronger at Darden. Since your short-term and immediate-term goals are both in the US, you should best position yourself to achieve those. Getting a job at MBB will make it much easier to get a job at Google/Apple/Amazon, which ten years from now will mean far more than what b-school you went to. Plus it's a full ride!

machichi · Answer

Wanted to chime in with some thoughts.

1) The case method is used at every business school. Some business schools make it the center-piece of their curriculum (Harvard and UVA), others include it as a part of their program (everyone else). That said, every school also offers international experiences, hands-on projects, and lectures. Curriculum differences often seem more of a branding gimmick than anything (this coming from someone who attends a school that LOVES to talk about its innovative curriculum). I will say that Yale's curriculum is pretty cool, but at the end of the day the question is - am I learning the material? We're talking style not substance.

2) MBB recruiting. People make a huge deal out of this on the forums, as if placement stats are the real predictor of an individual's success. These schools can help you get an interview, but you've got to do the heavy lifting to get the offer. That said, if this is really what you want to do, then higher placement numbers should factor into your decision.

3) Alumni. SOM's alumni network is small, but it's fiercely loyal AND it's supplemented by the greater university's alumni. Yale college folks are so excited to know we attend SOM. It's pretty great. I'm sure wherever you're from there are Yale alumni who would be thrilled to help you out.

4) Geography. Yale places really well in the Bay Area, and in particular at tech firms. Don't know about Darden, but to put it in perspective, I helped organize a job trek to San Francisco and Silicon Valley for almost 150 students (yes, that's over half the first years!). People REALLY want to end up in the Bay Area and tech firms are pretty excited to recruit us. We have people who've received offers from all the major tech firms.

Let me know if you want me to put me in touch with someone from your home country (if you're willing to say where it is). I'm confident I'll be able to find some one.

Good luck!

MacFauz · Answer

Obviously, the OP is from Skull Island..

I'd say the only downside with Darden is that students there don't seem to have much time to do anything else and the classwork load itself is quite heavy (this is all from speaking with people, I obviously don't have any personal experience).. So that might also be a factor in making your decision...

dexmex88 · Answer

I'm a bit biased (UVA Alum :-D

) but even without that I'd still pick Darden. Either way, what a great problem to have!

gentlejack · Answer

Just back from the Day@Darden. According to students, the workload is heavy, but managable. It very much depends on how much effort you put into it, too - some of the students took it way more easy than others. But from my personal experience, surely all of them know how to have a good time

Darden ($$$) vs. Yale ($$)

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