Booth ($$) vs. Ross ($$$)

Question

I've been trying to think through this decision pretty much non stop since last Thursday, but haven't seemed to have made any headway. I was offered a full tuition scholarship at Ross back in mid-March- at which point I was 95% certain I would be headed to Ann Arbor. I was really not expecting to receive any other offer that would make me reconsider. And then last Thursday I've come to find that I got offered a $60k scholarship at Booth.

I'm super humbled by both of these options. And I feel like I'd be a fool to say no to either. I feel like Ross might be a better fit for my personality, but I'm not sure what kind of doors Booth would open up for me that Ross couldn't. I know that in the long-term I want to have a career that's social sector oriented- but I'm not sure if I want to do impact investing, non-profit consulting, CSR, or something else. I also don't have a very strong quant background and so I wonder if Booth would be better for me in terms of building stronger skills in that area. On the other hand, I have concerns about the social dynamics at Booth- given that people seem to live all over Chicago and there aren't any sections. And then- of course- I wonder if the Booth experience is really worth an additional $60k in debt. Assuming I work hard and network like a rockstar at Ross, I wonder if rankings/overall reputation matters that much.

Sorry in advance for rambling. I'm kind of tired and just typing thoughts stream of consciousness...

wmay · Answer

I say Booth - Booth is at least a tier better than Ross in almost every aspect. A harder decision would have to be made if Booth didn't offer $$ but only Ross did.

diddly2 · Answer

need help w this decision as well

jessepinkman · Answer

i think booth is a no brainer here given the $$ but you should go to both admit wknds before making your decision

cosmopolitan · Answer

Booth.

EuroEng · Answer

I highly recommend that you spoke with people at both schools to get a sense of where you'd fit the best. For the rest, Booth would most likely offer better recruiting opportunities, better networking opportunities, and a better education. Besides, the social scene is very vibrant with most students living close to each other in downtown Chicago.

NickPapagiorgio · Answer

I would go with Booth. It's seriously a tier, possibly 2 (in some eyes) better than Ross. Doors are going to open no matter what you want to do at Booth. I live in Chicago and have been to a handful of Booth events and had a blast. They may not have sections to forge extremely strong bonds, but everyone was really fun and excited about the strength/future of the program.

coby9999 · Answer

For overall reputation, I would agree that Chicago Booth is 1 to 1.5 tier higher than Michigan Ross (as a current student at Michigan Ross). While I would suggest you do two things before making the decision:

- Understand in details in terms of the career opportunities that you're interested at both schools, and see what's the difference here
- Attend admits weekend and talk to current students/alumni to feel the fit. Because these two schools are quite different in atmosphere and way of daily life

Booth ($$) vs. Ross ($$$)

Booth for 60k scholarship or Ross for full ride?

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