Yale SOM vs Tuck School of Business

Question

Hi all,

I've been admitted to both programs. No scholarship, so the game is fair.

I want to join a consultancy company with a long term goal of General Management but I don't exclude other paths I could discover while there.

I'm trying to analyze adv\disadv for both school in order to figure out which program attend.

Tuck:
- Still perceived a bit stronger for its MBA.
- Very strong placement in consulting.
- Alumni network.
- Place to live: I've been to Hanover, nice, little town similar to the one I live in atm.
- Overall rankings still better than Yale except for FT & BW.

Yale:
- Still more famous for its undergraduate. (Still perceived as a 2nd tier for business education?)
- Good placement in consulting but not as strong as Tuck one.
- Alumni network less developed.
- Place to live: the campus seems to be fantastic, but New Haven don't seems to be fantastic.
- Trend: Yale is scaling the ranks of quite all the MBA rankings but in general it's still below Tuck.
- Brand: Yale has a strong brand, in the case I'm coming back to Europe it can be a plus even though companies I hope to join are
well-aware of what's Yale and what's SOM.

I think that I'm forgetting something and I also think that lots of other candidates will find themselves in this situation.

Come on clubers, anyone want to express reason and help me out??

:-D

DefyingGravity · Answer

It seems that you've rated Tuck above SOM in every category you mentioned. What's holding you back from choosing Tuck?

Also, I'm assuming that since you've already heard back from Tuck, you must have applied early decision. Was Tuck initially your top choice? If so, what has changed?

All-in-all, they are both great schools. Congrats!

Posted from my mobile device

EmaSira · Answer

Dear DG, thank you for your precious answer.

Well, you didn't miss even a shot. Tuck was (and think is) my first choice. I rushed and applied in the 4th round for T'16 and was waitlisted. I applied only to Tuck.

This year I decided to expand the poll to have more than only one shot because now it's the right moment to do an MBA. Now that I have to choose is not so easy. I think that overall Tuck is still a better bet to have a good post MBA career.

On the other hand, Yale is really rising and it's brand is well-known all over the world and I'm not sure what's actually recruiters perception
and schools short term perspective.

Here begun my doubts....

Your opinion?

HealthcareMBAGuy · Answer

I wouldn't necessarily say that Yale's brand is more well-known around the world. Dartmouth is a big name too

EmaSira · Answer

Totally agree, Dartmouth is a big name. But in Italy everybody knows what's Yale. On the other hand, just some overseas education specialist is able to understand what Dartmouth\Tuck means. :-D

Happy to be in the position to decide...but really can't almost sleep..

politricks · Answer

I think Yale is definitely more a known quantity to the general public. However, in business circles, Tuck's strength and reputation are well known. I think having a known parent institution is important and helpful, but business circles know the hierarchy of business schools and ultimately that is the most influential group for your career.

EmaSira · Answer

That's definitely true!!

Flyte · Answer

So I came down to the same decision last year regarding Tuck and YSOM. I chose Tuck, and have not regretted it for a second. Interview invitations for on-campus just came out and it really confirmed my choice (not to mention an utterly fantastic group of classmates). Particularly if you are interested in consulting. I liked YSOM, but what swung it for me was when I went for the two admitted students weekend. Tuck placed nearly triple the percentage of students (roughly 22%) into the top consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, and BCG), not to mention we are Parthenon's top target outwith of that.

Both are great schools, but Tuck is a cut above if consulting is your goal. Additionally, if you want to go back to Europe, we have a strong European Advisory Board and have had London treks in particular for consulting the last couple years. From my class (I am a 1st year), we have quite a few people from my class who got invites for MBB London in particular. There are also a number of 2015s who are headed back to London for full-time MBB roles. I am happy to discuss further if you'd like.

All-in-all you can't go wrong, but I will say I have been utterly blown away by the Tuck alumni network. It is even better than advertised. The responsiveness really is unparalleled and has had more time to develop to the senior ranks of top consultancies and Fortune 500 companies.

jessepinkman · Answer

go to tuck no question. without any $ from som this is a no brainer.

BazingAu · Answer

It sounds like you are second guessing your choice just because now you have a choice. I always say go with your gut. There is a reason why Tuck was your first choice to begin with. Now that you've been accepted, congrats! :-D

Back2US · Answer

I am in a similar position (actually just opened a thread on Kellogg vs Yale). From what I have heard so far in my European circles, the tough thing is that outside of business circles, literally noone in Europe knows the US business schools except for Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Yale. Even Wharton and the likes are provoking mostly blank faces. Yes sure, within the business world it is different and then the others get the pull as well (though even Tuck and Kellogg seem to be far behind Yale in German business knowledge), but it seems like you should ask ~~two~~ three questions:
1) Do you want to move out of "pure" business anytime soon? If so, how important would be your MBA brand vs your next work experience in that recruiting? If you want to stay, Tuck may be better, else Yale seems more attractive from my European perspective...
2) Do you want to do MBB badly or just consulting in general? From what I see so far, both are getting MBB hits but you can increase your odds at Tuck.
3) Edit tells me that it also matters if you want to have a US-centric job or something more international - this might have some relevance as well here...

Got a tough decision ahead of you, but don't forget that we are in a luxury position no matter how we decide.
See you in fall maybe

Cheers

Cheers

BazingAu · Answer

I think this is inaccurate. I think you are confusing Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Yale undergrad schools with their business schools. They are two different things, and people outside the US generally don't know the difference between the two. Most know the general reputation of the school (i.e. MIT) versus the specific reputation of the business school itself (i.e. Sloan). So in that case, the undergrad name should be controlling if your potential network circles don't know the b-school reputations. That also begs the question - if where you want to work in the future doesn't recruit from the schools you are applying, why are you applying there?

Flyte · Answer

Just a point regarding the bolded line, I don't know your experience, but having worked in Germany and dealt with a variety of the top firms ranging from DB to BASF to RB to Siemens, they are all extremely familiar with Tuck and Kellogg. Just an FYI. Not to mention both schools place into MBB in German speaking countries quite well...

EmaSira · Answer

Thank you all. It's a great discussion and really helped me out.

What I have to say is that I had the same doubts. Everyone in Italy knows Yale but is also unaware of what business school means. Clearly people out of the business circles are not supposed to be familiar with this kind of world.

What I noticed is that btw people that are aware of what I'm talking tell me to head Tuck. Maybe  jessepinkman  is right, it's a no brainer. My only doubt was for a return in Europe. I want to try the USA experience but should I want to be back in Europe I don't want to waste such an investment as a two year MBA is.

For some reasons a bet on one of the most important educations brand like Yale, seemed to me the best choice for a moment.

What  Flyte  says is quite reassuring. I would like very much the MBB London option.

So, after your comments the better choice seems Tuck.

The 18th of January I'll also have INSEAD final decision. Let's see what's going to happen.

domotron · Answer

I can also jump in as a 1st year Tuckie who is recruiting for consulting in Europe. I have gotten interviews with London offices and to be honest it wasn't all that bad. I thought about applying to Yale for similar reasons to you (well known institution) but bailed at the end because my goal was always to come back to Europe. In terms of alums, Yale has a lot of undergrad alumni in Europe but very few SOM alums whereas Tuck had a very robust network in London alone. That really swayed my decision.

gracerx · Answer

I'm facing the same decision... and got to be honest, I'm leaning Yale.

I love Tuck - at least conceptually. And Tuck has offered me $$.. so I know this probably would seem crazy to most of the people on this thread... But as someone with ambitions in business in Africa - the Yale brand carries a lot more weight internationally - especially outside of traditional MBA recruiting (though, if you're looking at MBB, this is definitely less true). Of course, Yale's strength in social enterprise is also a factor for me.

I don't know. I'm not all of the way there yet. And I'm definitely struggling with the decision.. but just wanted to give 2 cents that are leaning the opposite direction from what seems to be the foregone conclusion on these forums. If I were headed on a traditional consulting career path, I'd likely be of a slightly different opinion... but I also think that there's something to be said for considering the brand of the parent universities internationally. It is something worth considering, even if it's not what ultimately makes your final decision for you.

Either way - perhaps see you in the fall! Best of luck with making your decision - the good news is you have no bad options here... I don't really think you can go wrong!

EmaSira · Answer

Thank you for your opinion. Well, your point is quite convincing. Non traditional goal and parent university.

I'm targeting MBB, so probably Tuck is the most reasoning choice. I've to say that I got a very good feeling with Yale community and the power of the brand really makes me think even now.

What I concluded is that probably I'll be able to spent in a more effective way my MBA just after graduation and business circles and in general company in targeting, are well aware of the meaning of a Tuck MBA.

Morover, even though the Yale brand is really famous, SOM network is not as developed as Tuck one.

So, still leaning to Tuck with a piece of heart heading New Haven.

As you said, what matters is that there is no wrong choice. Both schools are great.

Congrats for your admits and have a nice time with your decision.

forevertfc · Answer

I think I can contribute a bit to your last question.

The game is a bit different for international applicants. Generally, we want to come to the US because the best business schools are located there. Outside Insead and LBS, no school comes close to the top 15 in the US. Coming to the US as an international (if you're not looking at it as a permanent move) is more an affinity than anything else.

With that said, a school's overall reputation sometimes has more weight abroad than the business school. For example, I'm in Canada, and I get more of a reaction from the general public when I say "UCLA" than "Kellogg" or "Northwestern". Now of course, if we're talking MBB, that is totally different. And the business community in Canada has a good understanding of the top programs. However, working for a German firm myself, i do know that the MBA in most of Europe is nothing special; that is to say the MBA culture has not really developed there. In that case, a Yale is much more recognizable on a resume than most other schools, even if Yale is probably 14 out 15. (matter of personal opinion of course.)

Yale SOM vs Tuck School of Business

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