SMU COX $$ VS. RICE JONES $$ HELP PLEASE AH!

Question

Hello!

I'm trying to decide between SMU Cox and Rice Jones for this fall. Here's the details:

- Accepted at SMU Cox with a 60K scholarship and at Rice Jones with a $74K scholarship. But I can live at home with my parents in Dallas so that evens out the scholarship some.
- Offered Forte Fellowship at both (networking opp for women)
- Looking to go into Marketing/Brand Management at a consumer goods or food/bev corporation after and eventually entrepreneurship (starting a social enterprise bakery). I see that Rice has had no graduates go into marketing/brand management the last two years, whereas SMU has had 13% of students go into it in the last 2 years. But Rice is good for entrepreneurship.
- Rice is better ranked than SMU
- OK with staying in TX after graduation, all my family lives in Dallas

So I guess my dilemma is...does it matter that Rice is better ranked than SMU? Considering I'm not interested in energy/banking/healthcare (which are 3 of Rice's specialties). My undergrad GPA and GMAT are higher than SMU's averages...will I feel challenged? I've also heard concerns about OCR at SMU...but I'm not sure if that's just for consulting/banking/finance.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Also on wait list at UT but that probably won't pan out into anything (did my undergrad at UT so I have the longhorn network already at least).

mbaseeker18 · Answer

Rice is definitely a stronger program overall, so I'd tend to think Rice will provide you with stronger OCR and networking opps. Problem is neither school really aligns with your goals. I'd go with Rice here just because a- better program and b- more money.

mel27 · Answer

mbaseeker18  thanks for the reply! And yeah my top two choices were more aligned with my goals but I got dinged at both. I don't want to wait another year to go though so these are my best choices.

Paul25 · Answer

Even though I am an international applicant, I would like to present my point of view. I interviewed with Rice and UT McCombs last year but didn't make the final cut. The students at Rice repeatedly told me that Rice is not the right school for Marketing. Rice is definitely great for Entrepreneurship. However, SMU is not far behind. Lately, there have been many successful women entrepreneurs from SMU. This year, I applied to SMU Cox. Thankfully, I got in. Rice is a great school; but the Oil companies are going through a very bad time. That might affect the overall economic outlook at Houston. I didn't re-apply to Rice this year. Dallas, as you already know, seems to be heading in the right direction. Ultimately, it is up to you. Do you want the Rice network or the SMU network. With SMU, you already have a head start ( you live in Dallas). With your entrepreneurial goals, not based in Energy or Finance sector, SMU could be a good choice. As for your concerns about the OCR, more and more people tell me that for non top 10-15 schools it is all about networking - for landing a post-MBA job. (This is coming from an international with zero networking experience in US !! ). I also feel that since you want to get into entrepreneurship later, you should be very focused on working/networking in your target industry - consumer goods, food and beverages etc . If possible, you could be somewhat flexible with the role. At least that's how I see it

And yeah, this year am waitlisted at UT McCombs. Most probably, I'll be attending SMU Cox!

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

And yeah, this year am waitlisted at UT McCombs. Most probably, I'll be attending SMU Cox! Posted from my mobile device Posted from my mobile device

PugLyfe · Answer

I agree with mbaseeker. Rice definitely has a stronger program and is a stronger UG institution w/ more resources. This should translate into better opportunities for you. The fact that they offered you such a generous scholarship is icing on the cake. SMU ranked ~50 and offering you less money than the #25 school.

If SMU had far stronger placement into your desired industry, it would make more sense to go there. However, neither program is a marketing powerhouse, so Rice should win this one.

If SMU had far stronger placement into your desired industry, it would make more sense to go there. However, neither program is a marketing powerhouse, so Rice should win this one.

Paul25 · Answer

Rice is definitely higher ranked. Nobody can deny it. Try to see which university places more people in your target industry/ target companies. You may use LinkedIn University Search. For Graduates, UT Austin and SMU are the only universities (from Texas) that make it to the top 25 list for Marketing careers. For Undergraduates, UT Austin is the only university (from Texas) that makes it to the top 25 list for Marketing careers. Rice is featured in neither list. However, Rice is a great university and definitely higher-ranked. You've got amazing offers!
Good Luck

Posted from my mobile device

mel27 · Answer

Thank you for your responses! They've been very helpful. Good luck with your MBA journeys as well!

Paul25 · Answer

I was checking out the Cox Consulting Academy and realized that the Career Management Center has also started the Cox Marketing Academy in Sep 2015. CPG industry seems to be one of their top focus areas. However, you might already be aware of this news!

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

SMU COX $$ VS. RICE JONES $$ HELP PLEASE AH!

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