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popin7
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 20 Dec 2017, 03:39
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I got an admit in Olin (full scholarship) and Foster (50% scholarship). Which school would be a better choice ?

I am looking to work in technology post MBA. I am an international and money is a consideration for me but that does not outweigh post MBA career potential.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 20 Dec 2017, 07:05
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I would pick Olin. I don’t think Foster is any better (actually lower ranked).

Foster being in Seattle has a bit of an easier access to MS, Amazon, and other tech in the area but it is not like they get courted or anything. They have to work for it just like other school grads but they have a logistical advantage for Seattle. Not really Bay Area.

I don’t see any reservations about going to Olin with a full scholarship.

Congratulations!!!

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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 20 Dec 2017, 22:32
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bb having MSFT and Amazon in vicinity is a great advantage for Foster over Olin, right? I talked to an admission officer from Olin this year and I don't think Olin places as many students in Tech as Foster does by a long shot. If rankings are ignored for a minute, does not Foster finish ahead?

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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 21 Dec 2017, 07:50
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bb having MSFT and Amazon in vicinity is a great advantage for Foster over Olin, right? I talked to an admission officer from Olin this year and I don't think Olin places as many students in Tech as Foster does by a long shot. If rankings are ignored for a minute, does not Foster finish ahead?

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Part of the reason Foster places people in tech is that many people from Tech apply there (e.g. people who have worked at MS and Amazon).
I don't know if Amazon or MS or FB or Google come on campus to Olin. A few of them may in Seattle since it is so close but I would ask the adcom to be sure.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 21 Dec 2017, 08:03
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Olin without a doubt.
Plus the money makes it so much easier!
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 21 Dec 2017, 08:24
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bb having MSFT and Amazon in vicinity is a great advantage for Foster over Olin, right? I talked to an admission officer from Olin this year and I don't think Olin places as many students in Tech as Foster does by a long shot. If rankings are ignored for a minute, does not Foster finish ahead?

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I don't agree with previous answers and i don't know what data their answers are based on. i researched this very carefully as I want to go to tech product management. and I am not from tech background. I talked to many alums and current students at Foster. choose Foster without a doubt if you only choose between Foster and Olin. Olin is not indexed on tech all that much. look at industry seminar speakers for its prod mgmt specializations - none of digital tech giants are even on the list of speakers. its a definite confirmation that Olin is not so well positioned to place people to Amazon, Microsoft etc. its location plays against your goals in this respect as well.
its a great school and very respected, no doubt, but Foster is the place for you goals. all students and alums i talked to made it to Amazon. When looking on Linked in i couldn't find a single recent Olin mba alum working at Amazon. hope this helps.
and by the way do not believe rankings too much. I spoke to a person who gave up kelogg offer for Foster and he is happy as hell, also working at Amazon now. he said that a lot of faculty in Foster come from top top schools, and also the atmosphere in general is really nice. i am sure you would love it.
I'd definitely go to Foster if i wasn't accepted to UT with larger scholarship. i was also accepted to Olin with full schol but having offers from Foster and UT i am not even considering it.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 21 Dec 2017, 23:32
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bb having MSFT and Amazon in vicinity is a great advantage for Foster over Olin, right? I talked to an admission officer from Olin this year and I don't think Olin places as many students in Tech as Foster does by a long shot. If rankings are ignored for a minute, does not Foster finish ahead?

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I don't agree with previous answers and i don't know what data their answers are based on. i researched this very carefully as I want to go to tech product management. and I am not from tech background. I talked to many alums and current students at Foster. choose Foster without a doubt if you only choose between Foster and Olin. Olin is not indexed on tech all that much. look at industry seminar speakers for its prod mgmt specializations - none of digital tech giants are even on the list of speakers. its a definite confirmation that Olin is not so well positioned to place people to Amazon, Microsoft etc. its location plays against your goals in this respect as well.
its a great school and very respected, no doubt, but Foster is the place for you goals. all students and alums i talked to made it to Amazon. When looking on Linked in i couldn't find a single recent Olin mba alum working at Amazon. hope this helps.
and by the way do not believe rankings too much. I spoke to a person who gave up kelogg offer for Foster and he is happy as hell, also working at Amazon now. he said that a lot of faculty in Foster come from top top schools, and also the atmosphere in general is really nice. i am sure you would love it.
I'd definitely go to Foster if i wasn't accepted to UT with larger scholarship. i was also accepted to Olin with full schol but having offers from Foster and UT i am not even considering it.
Show more


Keep in mind that being from non tech background you will need to do something to demonstrate your capability. Few employers want to hire a person for mid level management who has not worked in the industry. Why would they hire someone from Foster with chemistry background for example while they can get someone from the same Program or UT who has worked in tech? (Finance and Marketing can be more portable in many cases - these are complimenting industries as well as project management)

This does not mean you are doomed but you need a Tech Internship (and work hard to get it) and you need to demonstrate your ability/capacity to succeed in that area and make your experience/accomplishments relevant. Networking will be big. Keep in mind that you are competing with your classmates for jobs.... also, Tech is growing huge in Seattle due to Amz, MS, FB, Google, etc, so even if you get a janitorial job, it would be in a tech company. Things can be decieving - you won't get a job just because you went to Foster while there are other more qualified people applying so you need an edge - better interview, better resume, a personal recommendation, etc. You get the idea.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 22 Dec 2017, 01:38
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bb
you won't get a job just because you went to Foster while there are other more qualified people applying so you need an edge - better interview, better resume, a personal recommendation, etc. You get the idea.
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(Emphasis mine.)

This x 1000

So many times I see people on this forum who seem to think that the school they choose will be the deciding factor in what options they will have after graduation. I see people take on obscene amounts of debt to needlessly attend schools that USNWR ranks a few spots ahead of other options (as an example) for no good reason other than chasing prestige and presuming that will give them a big leg up.

The truth is, the vast majority of what people get out of their MBA has to do with what they put into it, what skills they have (or develop), and how they perform in interviews/on the recruiting trail. Sure, some employers only do on-campus recruiting at certain programs because of their lay prestige, size, or geographical placement, and if you're targeting one of those employers specifically, then yes, it may be wise to pursue your education at one of those schools. I wouldn't ever directly link the outcome you expect (read: hope for) to be based on the school you choose though. *Wherever you go to school, landing the offer will be on you, it won't be based on the school name you have on your resume.*

That all said, Foster may the right option in this scenario since OP seems to be dead-set on Tech.

popin7, you should really try and negotiate with Foster. You have a full-ride to one of their peer schools that is actually ranked higher than they are. See if you can get them to cough up more money. That may make this decision easier. (I don't think you can go wrong with a full-ride to a top 20 school though if Foster won't budge.)

In any case, good luck with the decision!
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 22 Dec 2017, 01:52
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I am an international student and I am not sure about the H1B visa so I wanted to work for a company in which I can get an internal transfer to India if my visa situation does not work out. My rationale behind Foster was that half of the class went to work for tech companies I am interested in. I am looking to work with Microsoft, Amazon or Google. I was wondering if interviewing on campus with these companies in Foster will give me a better chance than interviewing off campus studying in Olin. I will be looking at negotiating my Foster scholarship but I read somewhere as a matter of policy they do not offer full scholarships and rather distribute the scholarship fund among more students.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 22 Dec 2017, 02:18
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bb having MSFT and Amazon in vicinity is a great advantage for Foster over Olin, right? I talked to an admission officer from Olin this year and I don't think Olin places as many students in Tech as Foster does by a long shot. If rankings are ignored for a minute, does not Foster finish ahead?

Posted from my mobile device


I don't agree with previous answers and i don't know what data their answers are based on. i researched this very carefully as I want to go to tech product management. and I am not from tech background. I talked to many alums and current students at Foster. choose Foster without a doubt if you only choose between Foster and Olin. Olin is not indexed on tech all that much. look at industry seminar speakers for its prod mgmt specializations - none of digital tech giants are even on the list of speakers. its a definite confirmation that Olin is not so well positioned to place people to Amazon, Microsoft etc. its location plays against your goals in this respect as well.
its a great school and very respected, no doubt, but Foster is the place for you goals. all students and alums i talked to made it to Amazon. When looking on Linked in i couldn't find a single recent Olin mba alum working at Amazon. hope this helps.
and by the way do not believe rankings too much. I spoke to a person who gave up kelogg offer for Foster and he is happy as hell, also working at Amazon now. he said that a lot of faculty in Foster come from top top schools, and also the atmosphere in general is really nice. i am sure you would love it.
I'd definitely go to Foster if i wasn't accepted to UT with larger scholarship. i was also accepted to Olin with full schol but having offers from Foster and UT i am not even considering it.


Keep in mind that being from non tech background you will need to do something to demonstrate your capability. Few employers want to hire a person for mid level management who has not worked in the industry. Why would they hire someone from Foster with chemistry background for example while they can get someone from the same Program or UT who has worked in tech? (Finance and Marketing can be more portable in many cases - these are complimenting industries as well as project management)

This does not mean you are doomed but you need a Tech Internship (and work hard to get it) and you need to demonstrate your ability/capacity to succeed in that area and make your experience/accomplishments relevant. Networking will be big. Keep in mind that you are competing with your classmates for jobs.... also, Tech is growing huge in Seattle due to Amz, MS, FB, Google, etc, so even if you get a janitorial job, it would be in a tech company. Things can be decieving - you won't get a job just because you went to Foster while there are other more qualified people applying so you need an edge - better interview, better resume, a personal recommendation, etc. You get the idea.
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BB, you are def right that jobs and internships never just fall on your head by themselves =)) i didn't mean that in any way of course. jobs are competitive independely from schools . and you have to really prepare well and know what's required for job, and build proper skills which ever way you can. All i am saying is that Foster still gets you into tech faster than Olin with all other factors being equal.
and about tech background - maybe we are talking about different roles here. I was talking only about prod mgmt, namely position of non-technical market-facing product manager in tech, because that's what i research. of course if you aim for technical pm it becomes crucial. but as for nontechnical pms, i talked to at least 20 people who didn't have any tech background whatsoever. like totally none. but even if technical background is required for other roles and suppose you don't have it, you can always build it up outside of your mba with programming online courses and other activities. so it is a matter of knowing what precisely is required for your role.

and also one other thing for people to consider. in case of Amazon (i know just about Amazon) it sponsors H1B for people coming only from certain schools. For other schools it just doesn't sponsor H1B , and its not even about ranking. I know that for a lot of east coast schools it doen't sponsor. I know this for a fact. the list of schools is not public of course and it might change but still some information to consider. And i do know that in case of Foster it does sponsor H1B.
In case of Olin - i didn't get any confirmations of that.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 22 Dec 2017, 12:27
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Okay, hold up.
You should not choose a school because of the US News ranking.
Foster admitted 23.9% of applicants last year versus 29.7% at Olin.
Foster's average GMAT was 691 versus Olin's which was 688.
Foster's average salary was $133k versus Olin's which was $115k.
Foster's employment at graduation is 85% versus Olin's which is 79%.
Also Foster puts 40% into tech versus 12% at Olin.

The school choice at even money is a no-brainer, and I don't think it's as clear cut as people here are making it sound.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 22 Dec 2017, 12:31
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indecisive
Okay, hold up.
You should not choose a school because of the US News ranking.
Foster admitted 23.9% of applicants last year versus 29.7% at Olin.
Foster's average GMAT was 691 versus Olin's which was 688.
Foster's average salary was $133k versus Olin's which was $115k.
Foster's employment at graduation is 85% versus Olin's which is 79%.
Also Foster puts 40% into tech versus 12% at Olin.

The school choice at even money is a no-brainer, and I don't think it's as clear cut as people here are making it sound.
Show more

just an update for those interested in Olin. i talked to a first year student today and he totally confirmed that the school does not have strong relations with tech companies. so he said that when looking for tech jobs you are all on your own. he also said that new Dean came in who will be working on changing things, including beefing up relations with tech. but things like this take time of course.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 25 Dec 2017, 11:34
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indecisive
Okay, hold up.
You should not choose a school because of the US News ranking.
Foster admitted 23.9% of applicants last year versus 29.7% at Olin.
Foster's average GMAT was 691 versus Olin's which was 688.
Foster's average salary was $133k versus Olin's which was $115k.
Foster's employment at graduation is 85% versus Olin's which is 79%.
Also Foster puts 40% into tech versus 12% at Olin.

The school choice at even money is a no-brainer, and I don't think it's as clear cut as people here are making it sound.

just an update for those interested in Olin. i talked to a first year student today and he totally confirmed that the school does not have strong relations with tech companies. so he said that when looking for tech jobs you are all on your own. he also said that new Dean came in who will be working on changing things, including beefing up relations with tech. but things like this take time of course.
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Any reason you're not choosing Mccombs? Clearly a tier above the rest of the schools.
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Olin ($$$) or Foster ($$) 25 Dec 2017, 11:41
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indecisive
Okay, hold up.
You should not choose a school because of the US News ranking.
Foster admitted 23.9% of applicants last year versus 29.7% at Olin.
Foster's average GMAT was 691 versus Olin's which was 688.
Foster's average salary was $133k versus Olin's which was $115k.
Foster's employment at graduation is 85% versus Olin's which is 79%.
Also Foster puts 40% into tech versus 12% at Olin.

The school choice at even money is a no-brainer, and I don't think it's as clear cut as people here are making it sound.

just an update for those interested in Olin. i talked to a first year student today and he totally confirmed that the school does not have strong relations with tech companies. so he said that when looking for tech jobs you are all on your own. he also said that new Dean came in who will be working on changing things, including beefing up relations with tech. but things like this take time of course.

Any reason you're not choosing Mccombs? Clearly a tier above the rest of the schools.
Show more

Oh I am, absolutely :cool: its not even about ranking, just a great school with great atmosphere, and also great for pm in tech