Kelley vs UIUC $ vs Foster vs Smeal $$$

Question

Hello,

I have gotten admits for the following universities -

Kelley (waiting for packet with info on scholarship if any)
UIUC (Scholarship $)
Foster ( No scholarship)
Smeal (GA + Stipend)

My post MBA goal is to get into Management consulting.

Plz advice which school would be good esp for an international student wrt job placements.

Thanks in advance!

mgg234 · Answer

Kelley and Foster are the only two good enough to get you into MC...although not good enough for MBB recruiting. Check the employment reports (and contact the management consulting clubs if need be) to see how many people got taken for Deloitte/Accentures/PWC/etc, and if it MC or support type of roles.

Edit: I'm bored at work so I did it.... Foster sends 21% of people to consulting at median salary of $100k, Kelley sends 21% into consulting at a median base of $120k....this can be a bit misleading though (2 or 3 more hires from Foster could've sent their median to $120k), and school-wide they have similar average salary and similar student bodies. Kelley looks a bit better for consulting, but not extremely better. Since they are so similar, you should probably go with the region you want to work. Kelley is mid-west and Foster in North West, at a school of this tier, you won't have much ability to move outside this regions. I'd still recommend reaching out to their management consulting clubs and getting the figures for top mba consulting mba employers.

bb · Answer

I would agree that both schools (Foster and Kelley) are regional.
Kelley is about 2x the size of Foster. If you go to UW, you are kind of stuck in Pacific Northwest and not sure if that's where you want to end up.

One thing is that Kelley sends 35 vs. 21 people at Foster to MC, and that may indicate more people interested, more companies hiring from the campus, and potentially a better chance but it is all a wash....

The only negative thing I have against Kelley is location since being in Seattle you are right there close to the network of your alums, close to the employers, and close to city life. Of course it rains the whole freaking time but at least no snow or freezing.

If you get aid from Kelley, go there. 
If not, i would visit both schools and attend the admitted student weekends... if you can, it is worth the visit.

davidkay84 · Answer

Seattle is extremely expensive when it comes to cost of living, too. Should definitely be part of your decision making process, all else equal.

MBAjunkie16 · Answer

For all of these schools, I would also touch base with their current students to see the support provided for placing student who need H1B visa filing and if the consulting companies that hire are open to hiring more than 1 or 2 students of the %s listed above. I know Kelley's career services is definitely doing a lot to help place international student including collaboration with a local law firm to help with filing.

Kelley vs UIUC $ vs Foster vs Smeal $$$

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