Anderson ($90k) or Kellogg ($0) ? - Advice appreciated!!

Question

Hi All,

I am a business journalist who looks to transition into big tech as a PM. I got admitted by Anderson with $90k, Darden with half scholarship and Kellogg with no money. I've been struggling to make a decision between Anderson and Kellogg, and I would really appreciate some advice or insights in either school!

THINGS THAT MATTER TO ME:
 
1. As a journalist, I don't have high salary or savings. $$$ matters, so $90k is a huge amount to me, otherwise I would have to take at least $150k loans.

2. A strong school brand that opens doors matters, since I'm from a very nontraditional background.

3. Access and placement in tech is important. I am about to take CFA III this year, so I'll also be open to finance, but not strongly interested.

4. My boyfriend hopes he can move with me as we are planning on family. He is a software engineer at one of the biggest tech firms in Seattle.

5. My bf and I plan to live in the west coast post-MBA, either in California or back to Seattle. We are open to go to NYC or other cities, but if given options, we prefer west coast.

MY CONSIDERATIONS:

---Kellogg---
Pros:
1. There is no doubt that its ranking is significantly higher, which means its reputation and alumni network will open more doors for me wherever I go in the long run.

2. Has great strengths across industries, so in case I change my mind about tech at school, I would still be able to find my way out and end up in a good position in consulting, GPG or something else.

Cons:
1. The tuition and living expense is already very expensive. My bf and I will have to do long distance since Chicago does not have big tech jobs (unless he goes to a startup. That will be a sacrifice taking him back a few steps in career). We will pay double rent, more food, more transportation....

2. Cold....it's depressingly cold...

3. Evanston is far from west coast tech hubs. I will have to fly for off-campus interview and networking. I won't be able to do during-semester internships at companies like Uber or Hulu that some Anderson students do in LA.

--- Anderson ---

Pros:
1. Tech access. Its culture and career support is very tech oriented. Tons of alumni in tech in California and west coast in general.

2. My bf can easily find a job at a peer company in LA and move with me. Given that plus $90k, we will save a significant amount from tuition, rent, food, flights...I'll almost be debt-free coming out of school. My post-MBA income can be fully put into our plan for a family (potentially buying a house) and having kids, which will also be costly.

3. Weather. Can't be better.

Cons:
1. School reputation, ranking, size of alumni network. I have a master degree from an Ivy school and I understand the reputation and alumni network makes a big difference. I have spoken to probably 50+ MBAs from many business schools. Most of them said ranking is the #1 priority, especially for career switchers like me, because a school like Kellogg will greatly benefit me in the next 30 years no matter which industry I'm going. They tend to think that Anderson is also a great school, but not comparable to Kellogg.

2. Recruiting. I will likely have to commit to tech if I go to Anderson, otherwise it's not worth it. My MBA friends and consultant said the higher the school's ranking is, the more power its recruiting process is, simply because 1) companies pay more attention at resumes from top schools 2) top school alumni network is bigger at large firms. Anderson has very good alumni network in tech and California(70+% stay in state), but not so much in other industries or geographic areas compared to Kellogg. While Kellogg's presence in west coast is not as extensive as Anderson, its reputation definitely carries through in Silicon Valley.

3. Anderson has a smaller class size, which will translate to a smaller network in the future. Its students mostly stay in California, while Kellogg people spread out more evenly nationwide. Going to Anderson means I'll have fewer friends outside California in the future.

These are my considerations so far. My apology for typing so much! Any advice would be very much appreciated!!

teleste · Answer

Is Foster totally out of the equation?

If you have money at Anderson, I bet you'd get in-state+scholly at Foster. And given your personal/family situation in Seattle+the fact that you want to work in Tech, I definitely would at least consider UW.

I took a peek at the employment report. Half of Foster's class of 2016 went into Tech. Also, one third of the class went into Marketing/Sales. https://foster.uw.edu/careers/full-time- ... tatistics/ Even from a non-traditional background, if you have your CFA, I am sure you could get a great outcome from UW and not have to suffer through a Chicago winter or live apart from your SO in SoCal. I would be pretty weary of paying exorbitant tuition prices for the same degree at Kellogg that may only lead to the same employment outcome you'd get at UW or UCLA...that is unless you are absolutely dead-set on MBB consulting or working in Marketing for a CPG and really need that purple K on your diploma.

tl;dr - I voted UCLA given the choice presented, but I would also check out Foster.

Dondarrion · Answer

Out of everything you posted, your cons about Anderson really stood out to me and I totally disagree with them. Although I'm applying to Anderson, I'm certainly not a homer but I'm going to stick up for them. Going to stick up for the little guy.

1. Fit > Ranking. You listed the reputation, ranking, and size of alumni network as negatives? UCLA is a global brand and the Anderson brand is known around the country. Is it as big or well known as Kellogg? No, but that doesn't mean it's somehow a "con". Also, b school ranks and "prestige" are going to take you through your first 1-2 jobs and 2-5 years out of school. After that it's all about your performance - nobody gives a crap where anyone went to school 10 years down the road.

2. Required to go tech? You should read the employment report - they send people everywhere. IB, MBB, tech, healthcare/pharma/bio, etc.

3. Do you want a big class or a small class? There's your answer. "Going to Anderson means I'll have fewer friends outside California in the future." - not sure what this means, are you only friends with people you go to school with?

Ultimately, you should go where you fit in and where you and your partner will be happy. Saying Kellogg and Anderson are "not comparable" is just flat out wrong. Getting an MBA is just a step in your professional career - you're going to school to get a better job. Performance in that job is going to dictate your career success - not the "prestige" level of the school.

Judging by the tone and content of your post, you don't want to spend two years unhappy at Anderson do you? Go where you will be happy.

hornet2011 · Answer

I voted for UCLA. Here is why:

Based on the goals you've stated, I don't think Kellogg is worth the extra cost. If you were to have said that your goals were MBB or Bust I would have said go Kellogg. The amount of debt you would be looking at going to Kellogg is substantial. I think a lot of people underestimate what $150k of debt feels like. I have a lot of friends who went to med, business, and law school burdened by a similar amount -- and even with 150k+ salaries it is still a burden (especially if you are living in a high cost area).

Is all that money really worth the chance that you don't want to do Tech and that Kellogg will open up enough more doors to be worth it? I personally doubt it, but that is just my opinion

MBABoss · Answer

Take the money and run to UCLA

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dcj · Answer

First, thank you for the comment! Certainly very helpful. 
Please don't get me wrong - all the pros and cons I listed are relative in this context of comparison. I certainly don't think Anderson is not a great school, otherwise I wouldn't have had such a hard time choosing. 
Like I said, I spoke to dozens of people from top 20 schools before and after applying, collecting opinions on academic, culture, recruiting, etc. I have also personally gone to both schools' events for admitted students. It's understandable that M7 schools think they have better resources as they share job boards and have more large employers in a wider variety of industries(I compared Kellogg and Anderson job report stats and spoke to both career offices in length). Actually, several Anderson alumni told me to go to Kellogg if I'm not 100% sure about tech, because things like MBB is just not its strength (quoting them). But no one from Kellogg suggested me look at other places. That also makes me hesitant. 
Finally, I totally agree with you about fit and b-school degree not dictating the future.

dcj · Answer

Thanks for mentioning that! I did applied for Foster and got in with a $50k scholarship and waiver of non-residence fee, which makes the total scholarship worth about $60k. When comparing Foster with Anderson, I lean towards the latter since it offers more $$, has higher ranking and sends students to a more diverse group of companies. You made a very good point that if I go to Kellogg, I would probably end up paying $100k more (in debt) for the same job I would get in Anderson...

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Kellogg has very good placement at top tech west cost firms like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. These companies recruit in huge numbers and the numbers would be even higher if more students wanted to go into those industry. But as you mentioned Kellogg is fairly diverse when it comes to job placement. For most people even with the money this would be a slam dunk but I think your personal considerations are strong factors. You are also considering your BF and his career, so given this it probably makes sense for you to go to UCLA. Just know if this was an independent decision, I would probably recommend Kellogg for you.

dcj · Answer

Thank you for the advice! If it were an independent decision, do you think the benefit of going to Kellogg would significantly outweigh the $90k, which I will prob spend 10 years paying back?

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

The reason you are applying to b-school is to reach your development goals. I think Kellogg would allow you the best opportunity to confidently achieve your goals in the ST and LT. How you value that only you can know. 90k is a lot of money and student loans are real, trust me I know I am still paying mine! But I usually factor in money when it comes to similarly tiered schools (Kellogg, Booth, Wharton, etc). UCLA is offering all of this money because you are a top candidate who typically goes to schools like the above so they have to offer you this money to be competitive. So keep that in mind, there is a reason why you are getting way more money from UCLA and it has more to do with the caliber of you than the caliber of the school.

teleste · Answer

*Emphasis mine.

This is exactly why I would go with UCLA. If you believe employers will see that about you, and they will, then *IMO* there's no reason to pay more for the same degree. Yes, you wouldn't be attending an M7, but you'd still be attending a well-regarded top 20 program. (It's not like you'd be trading a top program for "Bo Diddley Tech" as they sometimes say.)

Just as an example, if you were to get a job at Amazon/Apple/Google/Microsoft, they're going to pay you the same no matter which school you graduated from. There's no premium for having gone to an M7. AFAIK, all of those companies interview at both Kellogg and UCLA, it is going to be up to you to get the job you want no matter which school you attend. Unless you're dead-set on MBB or PE/IB, I don't know that Kellogg can open any doors for you that UCLA can't.

That all said, as previously outlined by other comments, there are definitely benefits to going to Kellogg over the other options, there are also tradeoffs, and there is still the matter of preference. If it were me, I wouldn't take on the extra debt.

Good luck with the decision!

alphabeta4 · Answer

Business school is largely what you make of it. Where are you going to be more excited, engaged and motivated to push yourself?

If you swapped the rankings which would you choose?

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dcj · Answer

Thank you for sharing ur thoughts! I think you are right on the ROI. I was told by many MBAs to not worry about debt because we will all have a decent income after school to enable us to pay back quickly, so I didn't think too much about the burden of the debt.

bkhu · Answer

with your goals in mind. i would have to say anderson. having less debt will allow you to figure out what you really want to do and not what you may have to do just to pay off loans quicker. not only will you have to pay tuition, but also cost of traveling to network back to the west coast. also, anderson was top ranked for its career services and getting people into the roles that they want. good luck on your decision!

integral · Answer

With those goals in mind, and that scholarship, Anderson is going to be great for you!

I was in a similar problem last year, and I am very happy with the decision. Here are some pointers to help you:

1. Where do you want to be right after MBA? Think industry and location, both!
2. Where do you want to be 10 years after MBA? 
3. What is your financial condition? Do you need a visa? Believe me, if you need a visa and will be taking a loan, a scholarship from a top-15 school will go a LONG way!

jerrygmat · Answer

With your goals, I think UCLA even with half the scholarship you got is pretty much a winner here. The proximity and easy access to the tech firms is going to be most important for networking.

Rohit6 · Answer

I would recommend UCLA as well.
Statistically and logically Kellogg might make more sense but given your personal priorities UCLA is a clear winner. You get access to tech. industry, enjoy the LA weather and can save some $$$. Also, to my understanding, UCLA is still a pretty strong brand. May not be as strong as Kellogg but not too far behind either. Few years down the line, it's your work post-MBA that'll count more than UCLA or Kellogg. IMHO

Anderson ($90k) or Kellogg ($0) ? - Advice appreciated!!

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