Anderson (U$40k) VS McCombs (no U$)

Question

30years old, brazilian, Law degree, going with my fiance.

Currently in Real Estate, my "A plan" is to remain in that industry in the USA.

I visited Austin with my fiance and we both LOVED the city. We also had a very good impression of the University and the students.

Also, I have been told that Austin's Real Estate market is currently "booming".

By the other hand, Anderson offers a U$40k Merit Fellowship, which considerably flattens the difference in living costs between the cities.

Besides that, Anderson is better ranked in all major MBA rankings.

I have been to LA before for a short period of time and I had the impression that it's not a very pleasant place to live, the exact opposite of my impression of Austin.

Anyone with a better knowledge about the cities and schools could please give me some insight?

bb · Answer

Austin has become peobably the most fun place in Texas to live. It also has had many tech companies open offices there. It is a young professionals town with many folks under 35. At the same time it has under developed infrastructure and traffic has become worse than in LA, it is hot 6 months out of the year (90+ degrees) which of course may be your thing. Just to balance the picture a bit.

The real estate market is booming everywhere in the US right now. Traditionally, the place that somewhat specializes in real estate, development, etc is LA. The cost of land is so high that it creates many opportunities.

In terms of living experience in LA, it really depends. I have lived there for 8 years and liked it after I got used to some peculiarities. You of course would be in Santa Monica, Brentwood, or West LA to be close to school - all are very nice neighborhoods but LA is not for everyone. We moved since it was not a very easy place to live with kids. But you can't beat the weather and proximity to beach, desert, mountains, Vegas, etc. it is very diverse and makes very easy for foreigners to fit in.

You may want to visit LA together with your fiancé if you are planning to consider it seriously. The question is where she will be happier since she will be stuck doing nothing or volunteering or maybe takes some classes? For your purposes you will be so busy with school, projects, meetings, networking and homework that you may as well be anywhere. You may have one free day a week, and that's it.

PS I would also search for any placements and real estate firms in both metro areas to compare opportunities.

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Forgot to say - congratulations on getting into these two competitive programs. One more consideration for you is do you have any friends or family in either Austin or Los Angeles?

It really helps to have even one person or hopefully a small network of people that you can rely on as a safety net for easing into a new place to live or help with some random crap.

Posted from my mobile device

bb10 · Answer

Two wonderful options - but go with Anderson dude.

Better brand, bigger alumni.

Mapman · Answer

Both a really good schools! Not much separating the 2. UCLA has a beautiful campus. Also, traffic in Austin is NOT worse than LA. I've recently experienced both.

https://gmatclub.com/static/posted_from.png     Posted from    GMAT ToolKit

Mo2men · Answer

While I agree with you about Austin, I have big concern about Real estate career for internationals. I think it is one of the jobs that is limited for domestic and I suspect that companies will sponsor internationals.

bb · Answer

While I agree with you about Austin, I have big concern about Real estate career for internationals. I think it is one of the jobs that is limited for domestic and I suspect that companies will not sponsor internationals. I think this is an excellent point! You will really need to bring something special to the table (knowledge, contacts, experience, etc). Part of the issue is the difference in regulations and strategies that impact Real Estate, REIT's, and Development companies. However, I encourage you to stay true to your dream and being specific. You can definitely find an internship (even if unpaid one as long as you are very specific and passionate about it) Mapman , you are correct! I may have been just surprised by Austin. I just looked at different traffic studies and it looks like I am wrong when it comes to averages and overall time. However, what I did find was that most complaints about traffic on Twitter were from residents of Austin and that the traffic was becoming a problem there faster than in LA (where it has been a problem for a long time and I think everyone just expects it or rather knows ways around it using side streets). I am actually thinking the OP is unlikely to suffer too much from it due to likely living close to campus in both places so my point my be hardly relevant. What is likely to be relevant is he should planning on buying a car. It will be tough to make it without one in LA for sure. Austin - not as familiar with their public transportation, but I have a sense it is not great, hence the traffic. Austin: https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/ ... ustin.html Forbes puts Austin as #4 worst which I think a little harsh and surprising https://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45m ... ea80376242

hegz · Answer

Thank you all for your help. I am starting to fell more inclined towards Anderson but there is still a lot of doubt in my head :roll:

In resume, I understand that Anderson has a better "brand", rank and, of course, a U$40k scholarship which is very hard not to consider. As for both cities it seems that Austin "wins" in Quality of life and cost of living. My head is on fire right now.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey, I would suggest focus on ROI.

Quality of life and other things are important if you plan to spend your whole life there. It's just a matter of 2 years. So, Quality of life should not bother you.

Cost of living would be considered in ROI factor.

So, have a pen and paper and determine which one will give you more ROI. Simple logic.

All the best.

bb · Answer

I think different people have different things in mind in terms of quality of life. One problem with LA is price - real estate is expensive. However, there is a reason why the Real Estate is expensive and why there is traffic - everyone wants to live in California. Austin has traffic because of Jobs. LA is doing well because people want to be there.

If you ask people from LA if they would move to Austin and people from Austin if they would move to LA, you would probably get 20% of LA residents to be interested because they can sell their condo and buy a 4-bedroom house in Austin. If you ask a reverse question, probably 70% of Austin residents be interested to get out of the heat and flat scorched landscape. However, they will probably change their mind when they learn the price of a house they live in.

I would compare rent/examples of what it would cost. You can try craigslist or westsiderentals.com for sample apartment pricing in Santa Monica/Around UCLA and in Austin around UT.

bb · Answer

It is true but both of these programs are fairly regional and most grads end up finding jobs/settling in the respective areas. West Coast Schools are quite regional in general - Anderson and Haas and Foster and even GSB. Few people leave west coast.... UT Austin alum network is wider as people move a bit more. 70% are still in TX, but 20 are in west and 10% are in East. Anderson has 10% in the east and that's it...

P.S. Forgot to add, as to rankings, I could consider Anderson and McCombs Equals.

hegz · Answer

I'm leaning heavily towards Anderson. The U$40k makes UCLA's ROI a little bit more appealing than Mccombs.

As for the cities, after a lot of research LA seems more attractive in terms of opportunities and convenience. Also, I gave a very good friend already living there with his wife.

The challenge now is to "convince" my fiance about the city, any tips? (that's a hard one :lol:

)

Again, thank you all for the support.

) Again, thank you all for the support.

bb · Answer

I am surprised she would need selling on LA - perhaps a visit would help you two to come to an agreement and a sense of peace (if that's in the cards in the next few weeks). You can go hang out in Santa Monica, Third Street, Brentwood, Century City, and Venice maybe. You can also have a quick side trip to Vegas. She will be sold :-)

Having a very good friend in LA will help get you settled and will give her someone to hang out with. It will be more challenging for your fiance than for you since she will be with nothing to do and no friends at first. She will be stuck with doing all the support work (shopping, cleaning, dealing with a driver's license, etc). If she does not drive, get her to take some classes/driving lessons in Brazil. US is much easier to drive than any other foreign country - roads are good, rules are clear, and signage in LA is fantastic. Very easy to drive but you need some experience and confidence to get going. Things will get better after about 9 months but the first 6 will be toughest as you go through culture shock, readjustment, and dealing with annoyances of Texas or California lifestyle. If you choose not to get a car at first, in either Austin or Los Angeles, make sure you are walking distance to a grocery store. There is no public transportation to speak of and and it is pain to haul your groceries by bus or Uber. She will also feel less trapped and stuck and have an easier adjustment if she can easily get out and run errands or just take a walk in a nice area. I have a few married MBA friends and their wives all had rough time transitioning because the brilliant MBA husbands just did not think about things from wife's perspective in the midst of all the excitement. P.S. If she is a Fiance, and not your spouse, would it be an issue for getting a visa or having her in the country? Also, if you are planning to get married while you are in BSchool, make sure you allow enough time for her to get a new passport with the new name and then get a new US visa - you would need to research how to best handle this if she needs one that is.

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Great options here...I would probably lean Anderson her especially for more of a cosmopolitan lifestyle coming from Brazil. I would also make sure you are factoring your fiance's thoughts into this whole equation

hegz · Answer

Case sold. Going to LA. Thank you all!

bb · Answer

Congrats! I think you will be happy with your choice. It made sense on all levels - school, career goals, support network, and livability. Don't think you will miss anything from Austin, perhaps cheaper rent :wink: