Owen (100%) vs Foster (100%)??

Question

Recently accepted to both schools and I am having a tough time deciding between them - any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

- Experience: 5 years Army officer (3 overseas tours), currently working for a non-profit as a project manager
- Currently location: Colorado
- Desired location: anywhere near the mountains, but preferably Colorado
- Interests: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Innovation (no consulting/finance)
- Looking for experience/skills to launch my own venture, but aware that I may need some corporate experience before I am ready to act on my idea

*Leaning towards Foster at this point

Mo2men · Answer

I think no burden of tuition between Foster & Owen :wink:

I would think in your long term goal to open launch new venture. I would suggest you tho think about where you end up opening your venture. This will help to choose the school and build up your network and maybe utilize your school in future in getting (fund, obtain data, clients, research...etc).

deabas · Answer

I think Entrepreneurship is the best fit for you because you have plan to have your own venture... as for the required skills and experience, within the Entrepreneurship program you will learn accounting and financial management for ventures, marketing/sales skills for Entrepreneurship, and all other required skills for your success in your venture. Also, you will be involved in capstone projects where you apply the managerial and financial skills you learned in the program... go for Entrepreneurship and work hard

GOOD LUCK!

iammike385 · Answer

Thanks for the input Mo2men and deabas!

Are there any other opinions on the pros/cons of either Foster or Owen? Both appear to be regional schools, so location is definitely a high consideration (especially in regards to where I want to start my business). But has anything else jumped out to anyone about the programs? Foster has risen quickly in the rankings recently - any reason to believe they won't still be this high for the foreseeable future? In contrast, Vanderbilt is a rather consistent name/brand - never going too high, never too low.

deabas · Answer

Ranking is very subjective issue and all those schools are highly ranked.. I would prefer to look at other factors such program structure, capstone projects, innovation centers and industry partnership, thus consider all the factors that will boost your venture when you finis the program... Also it would be useful to look where you can find as many factors as you can start your venture when you finish. Search for successful ventures from each program as a measurement of program outcome!

teleste · Answer

Owen 2nd Year Here...

1. You are in a great spot. Congrats on the admits and schollies!

2. I think it is wise to get some work experience before you launch your own venture. With that in mind, take a good hard look at the employment reports from both schools. Knowing what kinds of job types and locations they place MBAs into is important. I would also try to get a feel for what companies do on-campus recruiting at both schools and for what roles.
Vandy - https://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/employer ... report.cfm
U Dub - https://foster.uw.edu/careers/full-time- ... tatistics/

3. Visit both schools. I cannot tell you how important this is. My visit to Owen swayed me from the higher ranked school I was all set to attend. I was very impressed with the Career Management Center at Owen, I thought Vanderbilt was wonderful, and I LOVED Nashville. It has been a great two years. (Needless to say, this could be your experience, or you might find that Seattle is the kind of town where you'd like to plant your flag.)

4. If I were you, I would reach out to graduating MBAs at both schools to get a feel for their experience (especially those who went to your undergrad institution OR who have military backgrounds as they'll be able to best relate to your situation). If you ask them for the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly about their MBA experience, you will probably get some candid opinions and sage advice. This might help you figure out what is best for you.
Vandy - https://blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu/armedforcesclub/
U Dub - https://depts.washington.edu/mbaclub/mb ... sociation/

Good luck!

ThisSideofParadise · Answer

Vanderbilt is stronger on East coast, Foster on West coast. Both schools have nice campuses. I personally prefer Nashville but I don't think you can go wrong.

bb · Answer

I think Foster fits your profile better, and I agree with your feeling. Seattle is growing like crazy (good and bad) - prices high for real estate and it has made it to the top 10 congested cities in the US. Amazon, Google, FB, Dropbox, and slew of other tech companies have opened offices, and lots of activity that resonates with Innovation. I feel it is also similar to the outdorsy culture of Denver and not pretentious.

I 100% agree about going out and making a school visit. It is a public school vs. private; so while some things may be better, i would not focus too much on hardwood floors or flush receptions - look at your fit with other applicants and current students. You will spend your next 2 years with them and you will be thrown with all of them in a group and have to do team projects - most annoying thing in the world :wink:

Not sure what kind of business you are looking to start/open but if web-related, this is a good spot. Also, makes sense if you are planning on staying West in the long term. One big downside - the weather; having moved from LA 6 years ago, it still bugs me.

Good Luck!

Not sure what kind of business you are looking to start/open but if web-related, this is a good spot. Also, makes sense if you are planning on staying West in the long term. One big downside - the weather; having moved from LA 6 years ago, it still bugs me. Good Luck!

iammike385 · Answer

Wow - thanks for all of the feedback! Really helpful stuff - I am going to visit both Welcome Days and make a decision from there. Luckily, I still have about 2 weeks until I need to make a decision. It is true, I don't think I can really go wrong - very thankful for these options.

whitman · Answer

Foster seems like the answer for you. You can drive an hour and hike to Lake Serene (google it), a lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains, or you can drive 2 and hike at Mt. Rainier. Foster seems to have a bigger emphasis on entrepreneurship, too. Also, Paccar Hall is brand new and super nice. It's a much larger building than you'd think, based on the class size. However, Foster graduates generally stay in Washington. There's a lot of Colorada-like country in Washington, but if you want to actually go to Colorado, neither Owen or Foster are going to have strong networks there.

drivechipputt · Answer

So, I'd disagree pretty strongly with whitman and thissideofparadise (and generally speaking, most feedback from a self-selected group of prospective students) on a couple of different points.

1) Vanderbilt is not a regional school. At all. Vanderbilt is a top-15 national program, and is generally recognized and respected as such. Yes, Owen has a different ranking (albeit one that is ascending rapidly, similar to Foster) than the parent brand, but outside of this forum and anyone who went to Wharton, nobody obsesses over rankings--they respect the overall institution. In Colorado, Owen is one of only a handful of programs from which DaVita pulls (HBS, Stanford, Duke, and Kellogg are most of the other names), and has a terrific network of people, though it's not as large. If you're looking at 2 programs under 200/class, you're not going to find huge networks in beta cities.

2) You'll have amazing scenery in Washington state. In Tennessee you have the Great Smoky Mountains (#1 visited national park in the US). With all due respect to Seattle, you won't find a hotter city right now than Nashville.

3) As a veteran, you'll be in good company at Owen. This could be a comfort, or you may want to be around more civilians, but the south has always been known as a welcoming home for those who have served.

Owen (100%) vs Foster (100%)??

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards