Cornell Johnson (No $) vs Maryland Smith ($$$$)

Question

I have narrowed my decision down to Cornell and Maryland and wanted to see what people thought.

Cornell would be full cost; which means I would deplete all my savings and still need a student loan of 70K~

Maryland I would need to cover living costs which I can pay out of pocket and still graduate with some of my savings intact.

Cornell:
pros: Ivy League / prestige & rank, small college town ( Ithaca seemed very peaceful)
Cons: isolated

Maryland:
pros: easy access to major metropolitan areas which is good for networking & holding internships during the school year.
cons: Not as highly ranked as Cornell and not the highest ranked in the region either.

I am not interested in banking.

Sareen21 · Answer

- If at Smith, you're post MBA target companies offer profiles that you are looking for then you should seriously consider it.
- If you have no frills about going to a "branded" or "Ivy league" school and the above point is also met, then you should definitely go for Smith.
- If however for both of the above points you are having second thoughts, go for Cornell which is what I voted for. You'll have smarter people around you and coupled with the school's reputation and alumni network, the 70K debt will be worth it.

Good Luck !

Mo2men · Answer

I am not interested in banking.

I encourage you to have a deeper look into what you prefer after graduation. look into the stats of employment. Try to contact career service. Although Cornell seems isolated as you said, many big companies go there for recruiting. It does not mean you should go for Cornell. it is a matter of your preferences, cost and high possibility of recruitment.

good luck

domotron · Answer

While the $$$ can sway you, I think Johnson is just a superior school that should give you a better education, surround you with better classmates, and provide you better career opportunities down the road.

MBAschooled · Answer

I'm going to go with Cornell. The Full-Ride is great, but if you've already committed yourself to the MBA process I think (correct me if I am wrong) that you understand and are aware of the investment this is for your career. While the full-ride at Smith is awesome, I think you'll find that the differential in opportunities, brand and alumni network can justify passing on the full-ride.

dontquixote · Answer

The questions is how much is prestige worth to you?

Honestly. No Debt is really freaking good. Obviously Cornell is a better school but is it really worth the cost compared to a Smith MBA? I dont think its worth the freedom. Think really hard. Because after you graduate you are going to have to shell out 1k a month just for loans. The interests alone is going to be around 5k a month not to mention the principal. Go to Smith.

But if I were in your position. I would choose Cornell.

Cornell Johnson (No $) vs Maryland Smith ($$$$)

Cornell or Maryland?

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