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I'm a career switcher from a completely non-traditional background. I've spent most of my career in education, and it's been a good run, but education is not for me. Starting last fall, I applied to several MBA programs in the top 15, and in the end, I was accepted to UCLA and Cornell.
I started applying to business schools with the intention of transitioning into management consulting. My skill set and unusual background seemed a better fit for consulting than other industries. But consulting really isn't a strength at either of the programs where I was accepted. Tech would seem like a natural choice at UCLA, given my EdTech experience, but I'm not sure my IT background is impressive enough to get noticed. At Cornell, IB is an obvious strength, but work/life balance in banking scares me. I'm told that if the consulting lifestyle is manageable, the IB hours are a complete tragedy with 100+ hour weeks and no free time on weekends. As a teacher, I'm used to working 50 hour weeks, a few hours on the weekends.
Location is another issue. I grew up and live in NJ and always imagined my future in the Northeast. But only 6% of UCLA graduates make it to the Northeast with 76% staying in California. I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to a life in a part of the country I've never lived in, even though I know I might love it. At the same time, Ithaca really is in the middle of nowhere. I turned it down in undergrad partly for that reason, and the trip between Cornell and NYC is expensive. I could probably benefit from being in a city like LA during my job search.
One of the things that worries me most about UCLA is that there's no way to bid for interviews. I don't know how important that is in the recruiting process, but I have comparatively unimpressive work experience, a strange resume, and I don't expect to get a lot of interview invitations from MBB. At the same time, even if Cornell does have interview bidding, they don't guarantee open interview slots like Darden or Tuck would. It's entirely up to the recruiter.
Cornell Pros
Ivy League brand
Strong East Coast network / placement
Interview bidding
Strong immersion program
Decent consulting placement
Great IB placement
Cornell Cons
Weaker rankings when compared to UCLA (Cornell is a lot of people's "safety" school)
Remote location
BCG doesn't recruit on campus
UCLA Pros
Slightly better rank over the years (top 15) in US News
Location near a large city if recruiting doesn't pan out.
Opportunities in tech
LA beats Ithaca
UCLA Cons
Few career options on the East Coast
No interview bidding
Not much placement in consulting
Any perspective? I'm working off of my impressions, which may or may not be informed, so correct me if I said anything that wasn't true. But I need to make up my mind fast. The deposit deadline for both schools in the next few weeks.
I started applying to business schools with the intention of transitioning into management consulting. My skill set and unusual background seemed a better fit for consulting than other industries. But consulting really isn't a strength at either of the programs where I was accepted. Tech would seem like a natural choice at UCLA, given my EdTech experience, but I'm not sure my IT background is impressive enough to get noticed. At Cornell, IB is an obvious strength, but work/life balance in banking scares me. I'm told that if the consulting lifestyle is manageable, the IB hours are a complete tragedy with 100+ hour weeks and no free time on weekends. As a teacher, I'm used to working 50 hour weeks, a few hours on the weekends.
Location is another issue. I grew up and live in NJ and always imagined my future in the Northeast. But only 6% of UCLA graduates make it to the Northeast with 76% staying in California. I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to a life in a part of the country I've never lived in, even though I know I might love it. At the same time, Ithaca really is in the middle of nowhere. I turned it down in undergrad partly for that reason, and the trip between Cornell and NYC is expensive. I could probably benefit from being in a city like LA during my job search.
One of the things that worries me most about UCLA is that there's no way to bid for interviews. I don't know how important that is in the recruiting process, but I have comparatively unimpressive work experience, a strange resume, and I don't expect to get a lot of interview invitations from MBB. At the same time, even if Cornell does have interview bidding, they don't guarantee open interview slots like Darden or Tuck would. It's entirely up to the recruiter.
Cornell Pros
Ivy League brand
Strong East Coast network / placement
Interview bidding
Strong immersion program
Decent consulting placement
Great IB placement
Cornell Cons
Weaker rankings when compared to UCLA (Cornell is a lot of people's "safety" school)
Remote location
BCG doesn't recruit on campus
UCLA Pros
Slightly better rank over the years (top 15) in US News
Location near a large city if recruiting doesn't pan out.
Opportunities in tech
LA beats Ithaca
UCLA Cons
Few career options on the East Coast
No interview bidding
Not much placement in consulting
Any perspective? I'm working off of my impressions, which may or may not be informed, so correct me if I said anything that wasn't true. But I need to make up my mind fast. The deposit deadline for both schools in the next few weeks.
02 Apr 2015, 12:37
Kudos
Bookmarks
Wow, it seems like you've thought through the pros and cons thoroughly.
Both are very comparable programs although UCLA is a tad bit larger.
I guess it comes down to a few things:
-Which do you consider more important, location during your MBA or location after your MBA?
-Which school do you seem to "fit-in" more? Have you met current students from either? Maybe you'll find that you like students at Anderson more in general. Remember, these people will become a part of your professional network forever moving forward.
-What's your "back-up" career plan if MC doesn't work out or what do you plan on doing after MC? If you think you'll head into finance or IB later on it'll help to know a lot of people in the industry. If you think you might head into tech or the entertainment industry, perhaps having some Anderson contacts will help.
It sounds like you've got a tough decision moving forward. Congrats on the admits though!
To me, I actually like Ithaca and I find the space and scenery a good reprieve from the crazy city life. But that's just me
Both are very comparable programs although UCLA is a tad bit larger.
I guess it comes down to a few things:
-Which do you consider more important, location during your MBA or location after your MBA?
-Which school do you seem to "fit-in" more? Have you met current students from either? Maybe you'll find that you like students at Anderson more in general. Remember, these people will become a part of your professional network forever moving forward.
-What's your "back-up" career plan if MC doesn't work out or what do you plan on doing after MC? If you think you'll head into finance or IB later on it'll help to know a lot of people in the industry. If you think you might head into tech or the entertainment industry, perhaps having some Anderson contacts will help.
It sounds like you've got a tough decision moving forward. Congrats on the admits though!
To me, I actually like Ithaca and I find the space and scenery a good reprieve from the crazy city life. But that's just me
02 Apr 2015, 18:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
From my pov, you'll have to think hard about where you see your life post-MBA. I don't have exact statistics on hand, but I want to say a high % (80%+) stay in California immediately post-UCLA. Whereas, from Cornell, there seems to be a bit more movement between staying on the East Coast vs the West Coast, which could give you more flexibility when it comes time to making a full-time decision (at least for the first few years post-MBA). Perhaps @highwyre can bring in some more perspective on this.
Also, have you visited the schools recently or do you plan to visit during Welcome Weekend? I looked at a ton of schools for undergrad and dismissed them for various reasons, but found myself looking for something different in graduate school. Your initial impressions of the school's culture, location, etc may not still hold nowadays. If you can visit in-person now, talk to students and see what they have to say. I'm sure you'll find others making similar decisions whom you could bounce ideas off of.
Also, have you visited the schools recently or do you plan to visit during Welcome Weekend? I looked at a ton of schools for undergrad and dismissed them for various reasons, but found myself looking for something different in graduate school. Your initial impressions of the school's culture, location, etc may not still hold nowadays. If you can visit in-person now, talk to students and see what they have to say. I'm sure you'll find others making similar decisions whom you could bounce ideas off of.
