UNC (No $) vs Georgetown (No $) vs Carlson /$$ vs Maryland Smith /$$$

Question

Hi Experts,

I am in a dilemma. I have to make a selection from the above choices very soon.

I am a 27 year old international applicant ( Indian IT Male to be precise ) with 5.5 years of work experience in a reputed IT firm. My post MBA goal is to transition to consulting (Management/Strategy/Operations).

I would be funding the entire tuition fee through loans. Also, I do not have a work permit in the US so the risk is higher. I have got 50% scholarship at Carlson and 80% scholarship at Maryland Smith. No scholarships from Georgetown or UNC KF.

Is paying up full tuition at Georgetown or UNC KF better than taking the scholarship at Carlson or Maryland Smith ?

Requesting fellow GMAT clubbers and admission consultants to help !

EuroEng · Answer

Here's a way to think about this: all of these are US regional school with limited international reach. They'll do great in regional placement but not as great in international placement. In other words, don't sign up for either one of them unless you are ready to take a job regionally. With this in mind, the question becomes: how does the better job opportunities and salary coming out of UNC (or Georgetown) compare to the scholarship money at Maryland (or Carlson)?

My hunch is that UNC opens up more door because it's a top 3-5 program in the South where there's a lot of economic growth, whereas the other programs are lower down the list in their respective regions.

My hunch is that UNC opens up more door because it's a top 3-5 program in the South where there's a lot of economic growth, whereas the other programs are lower down the list in their respective regions.

dontquixote · Answer

Its either maryland or georgetown.

If you want a brand go to georgetown.

IF you want life of happiness and debt free go to maryland.

go to MD

Mo2men · Answer

Congrats for acceptance :-D

UNC has strong reputation in Management consulting. You can even find offices for big consulting companies such as Bain and BCG in the campus, which allow you to socialize and network. have a look to the new article about MBA salaries for class of 2014 https://poetsandquants.com/2015/02/20/wh ... ay-year/2/ If the cost is a concern, so you need to choose between Smith and Georgetown. Wish you success

bostonbp · Answer

Not sure if this is a factor for you but UNC is the only target school for MBB in that list. Of course if you don't have the GMAT to get an interview with MBB that may not matter; but I would think if they recruit there, that other firms do too.

MBAschooled · Answer

Not paying full-tuition is great, having said that, I'm not sure what your financial situation is like so I would think about if graduating with less debt is a high priority for you. I'd also consider geography on this. Carlson has consulting opportunities but they are probably in different cities than UNC/G-Town/Maryland which seem to be more located near each other. I would also look into G-Town/Maryland/UNC/Carlson's consulting numbers from their employment reports and compare how many people in their class go into consulting versus the overall number of students. Sometimes, going to a smaller school with less people may mean you have a better shot, other times, there might not be enough opportunities if its too small. On the flipside, sometimes going to a bigger school that sends more students into consulting means that you have more opportunities and shots. Other times, if there isn't enough coverage, it means you are going to be competing with alot of students for not as many spots.

Sareen21 · Answer

Narrow down your choices to two. I would say pick between UNC and Maryland.

Speak to current students at both schools an decide your fit. The extra debt you will be taking at UNC is not worth it if your target firms recruit at both schools. If cost is too much of a concern, then pick Maryland and network intensively. But do have good backup employment targets in that case.

Good luck !

UNC (No $) vs Georgetown (No $) vs Carlson /$$ vs Maryland Smith /$$$

UNC KF (No $) vs Georgetown (No $) vs Carlson /$$ vs Maryland Smith /$$$

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