Stern v Johnson ($$) v Fuqua ($)

Question

Hi all - Currently work in financial services in NY metro and looking to transition into consulting or banking (leaning more heavily towards consulting) and would like to intern/ultimately end up in the northeast (NYC, Boston, Philly). Feel pretty good about banking placement at each, with the edge going: Stern>Johnson>Fuqua. With re: to consulting, would like to place in MBB or other top tier firms. Believe the edge on consulting end: Fuqua>Stern>Johnson, but unsure of the gap between the first two (also considering the preference for northeast placement)? Also would welcome any views on consulting at all 3 in general. Would also be great to hear thoughts on the choice between the three with re: to overall brand and strength of network. Would like a change of pace from NYC but also realize the value of exposure to firms if staying (ie Stern).

jessepinkman · Answer

I'd go with Fuqua given MBB placement and your desire to live outside of NYC for a bit

alphabeta1234 · Answer

I worked in NYC and worked on the street. NYU is a great school but.......... its NYU. It's a city school.

Yea sure Stern>Fuqua. I'll give you that. Is it that large of a difference to turn down a prestigious school like Duke? Lower cost state? Easier living? More space? Has a campus? Not a city school with 60k students attending it and has 35% admission rate?

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

I would go with Fuqua, great program, huge contrast to the city life which is a bonus, and strong recruiting in your desired function. Also, great reputation among alums for the overall student experience

Grg36 · Answer

Thanks everyone for this great feedback. With regards to recruiting for consulting roles in NYC/northeast, do you think the location of Stern within NYC (and access to companies within the city) makes this a closer decision? From Fuqua folks I have spoken to, Fuqua places mostly into Charlotte, DC, Atlanta and some in midwest and ideally I would like to remain in the northeast. Should Johnson even factor into the decision or no, given their relative weakness in consulting? I appreciate all the guidance.

alphabeta1234  - Are you referring to the perception of the NYU brand in general (including MBA part time)? Would be curious to hear if in the professional world people are aware of/able to differentiate full time Stern MBAs (where admissions are more competitive and lower enrollment#) vs. the wider community?

Grg36 · Answer

Any thoughts on my previous post? Still debating with deadlines approaching early next week. Appreciate the insight!

integral · Answer

Go with Fuqua unless the difference in scholarship between Fuqua and Johnson is 60-80k USD.

aerien · Answer

Tough call. Outside of fit (and these schools all attract a slightly different type of person, which you'll only really see at admitted student weekends), this can come down to money and placement.

I agree with your initial "ranking" of these schools for what you want. If you don't want to be in NYC for school, Johnson vs Fuqua are both solid at consulting. Based on placements, Johnson will feed more into the northeast, and as you also mentioned, Fuqua will place mainly into the southeast (their top employer when I looked at them was Deloitte in Atlanta followed by a number of cities in Texas/DC). You have to be ready to make some moves to get to the northeast; it's a move that is certainly quite possible to make, but you'll likely have to do more leg work than if you were at Johnson (Fuqua has Wednesdays off from class, so you'll have to be ready to miss a good amount of the classes you do have Thurs/Fri).

Hope you can make the admitted students weekends here. Culturally, these schools are unique from each other, and you should go somewhere where you'll have a great 2 years. At the end of the day, all of them can help you get into consulting.

Flyte · Answer

If you are leaning consulting, go to Fuqua, it is heads and shoulders better for MBB. If you change your mind, it still does well in banking.

Grg36 · Answer

Thanks so much everyone for the great responses! Just to round out the discussion, I have some family considerations which are now causing me to consider weighing remaining in NY for my MBA. I think its safe to say that Stern would be strong for banking but I haven't seen many opine on consulting placement. Does anyone have insight on the strength of Stern for consulting? Would location in NYC (ability to visit firms throughout the year) be valuable to placing at top firms? Appreciate the help.

mohnishzaveri · Answer

I spoke to a few current students at Stern and consulting recruiting is on the rise there (last year it was 29%). MBB recruit there but the numbers may not be as high as Darden or Fuqua. For tier 2, there are lot of opportunities - Deloitte, AT kearney, Strategy& and also a bunch of boutique consulting firms based in NY.

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Duke234 · Answer

Tough call, but don't sacrifice your personal life to have a better shot at MBB. All three of those schools are pretty much peers and if you work hard enough, you'll have a shot at MBB out of any of them. That said, keep in mind that Duke is only an hour flight from NYC and Cornell is a shortish bus ride. With Stern, close to 80% stay in the North East, for Cornell the majority stay in the North East, and Duke tends to be pretty spread throughout the country. I believe Duke only sent a handful of people to MBB in NYC/Boston this past year, but it is doable.

If you're goal is strictly MBB, Duke is probably your best bet. If location matters more, Stern/Johnson are better. Given what you've said, I would probably go with Stern unless 1) the scholarship is too good to pass up or 2) you want an mba experience that isn't in a city. As i eluded to before though, you can meet your goal at any of these schools, so go with the school that is the best fit for you (whether that is financial or personal). Also, try asking Stern to give you some money. I imagine they would if Duke/Cornell did.

Stern v Johnson ($$) v Fuqua ($)

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