Smith ($$$), UNC (no $), possible Georgetown and tepper (no $)

Question

Hi Everyone, need your suggestion and comments here.

I received offers from Smith with 80% tuition covered and UNC chapel hill without $.
I have interviewed Georgetown and will be interviewed by Tepper CMU. (confident of getting the offer, but not for scholarship.)

I'm married and residing in DC area, my husband prefers me to stay in the region. Choices other than Smith and Georgetown means we need to live separately for two years and meet once a month.
 
Goal: short-term: to go tech LDP or tech start-up working on marketing/BD, long-term is for entrepreneurship. ( love to go to tech industry for the trend and also the quick change nature of the industry. But open for other options if goals do change through the program). I'm an immigrant, with international experience for 6 years and am a permanent resident of the U.S..

Smith is the most practical and financially most easy choice for me. I could quickly focus on the program without too much effort on adjusting life and I will network hard to compensate for the relatively fewer resources compared to other programs. 
Pros: Easy adjustment, no need to take loans.
Cons: fewer resources, nationally not as strong as other programs
Possible paths: If go for Smith, I could land a job in the DC area and seek other opportunities through work.
Questions: 
What are the companies recruiting on Campus? 
Since haven't lived long in the DC area, is it a good region career-wise for tech? If that's the case, Smith is strong enough in terms of the network in the area.

Other programs:
Pros: have better resources and on-site recruitment, better national ranking
Cons: Need to take loans
Possible paths: The programs can lead to more resources and opportunities possibly anywhere.

Welcome comments on choices of each program.

stonecold · Answer

Between Smith and UNC ?

There isn't even a competition. Hands down UNC.

provence620 · Answer

without consideration of scholarship?

saswata4s · Answer

Though UNC is a much better choice, considering the personal preferences and the financials, I would definitely choose Smith if I were you.

provence620 · Answer

Thank you for your answer!
Can you provide more background info about yourself and your understanding of Smith's strength?

KS15 · Answer

I would go with Smith as well. 80% scholarship is lot of money.

Maupassant9 · Answer

Georgetown would be a great option if you get an offer. It's equivalent to UNC in reputation, and comes with an added advantage of location in your case. Smith's offer is also very compelling.

stonecold · Answer

Let me explain better =>

NOTE -> ONLY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

If the school in question had been anyone apart from Smith (or GWU or Georgetown) I would said 80 percent is a lot of cash.
But the location of these schools make it impossible(read very hard) for internationals to get a post mba dream job.

For say, you want to go into consulting, of 10 companies that recruit at the campus, 8 would be the federal ones for which you would be ineligible.

Here is a quote from one of the moderators in Washington ->

For this reason I consider Katz, Terry, Simon and others in the Top 50 much much better than GWU, Smith and Georgetown.

Now, lets turn to UNC.

It is a very strong MBA brand. 
Better than McDonough?
YES
Better than Tepper?
Maybe equivalent.

Plus it has an outstanding curriculum.

So, If I were you-> I would either joined in UNC or would have skipped and reapplied to school in the Top 30 rankings next year.

Going to a school in or neat Washington is NOT an option for Internationals looking for a dream MBA job.

Option 2 -> FOR US CITIZENS ONLY ->

If you get into tepper -> I would go with it.
If not -> STILL UNC.

UNC is a very strong brand as compared to smith.

They are not in the same league. I know 80 percent is a lot of Money but the MBA experience you will get at UNC is worth it.

All the best
Stone

Maupassant9 · Answer

stonecold  She is a permanent resident of US.

stonecold · Answer

I have added that too. Thanks

I would still prefer UNC. Just look at the student body, alumni network and the overall MBA experience. Smith vs UNC ?
UNC any day.

Also, if the other school was say Madison or Georgia tech or emory etc.. (other high end school) I would have suggested to go with the money. With smith -> It does not make sense.

Maupassant9 · Answer

stonecold  I agree on smith part, but beg to differ on Georgetown. I visited both UNC and Georgetown campus, and in my opinion unless you are targeting healthcare UNC is no better than McDonough. I chose not to apply to McDonough as I did not see a very robust environment for healthcare leadership in comparison to Duke, UNC and Owen, but otherwise I did not see any difference in their reputation, student body and placements.

vinus · Answer

Hey, congrats!

Could pls tell what's ur GMAT score?

Sent from my moto x4 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

provence620 · Answer

Stonecold, very well explained! Thank you so much.
I visited most of the schools. In terms of the school culture I really like Smith, and they are pretty strong in terms of quan part, but really curious why the ranking hasn't make progress in recent years.

Do you think it is still not easy to land a dream job in DC area as a culturally international student but who will not need visa sponsorship? Can you help me to understand the industry situations in DC area more? I haven't been in the region for too long, but I can see there are banks, consulting firms(though not big ones) and tech startups and amazon, sales force etc.though I do agree the whole regioan is heavily government job focused.

May I know your background a bit and have you already graduated from B school? What sector are you in?

stonecold · Answer

Thanks. I will try to explain the best I can ->

First, In the terms of Quantitative rigour -> Smith is no way near UNC. UNC is much more quantitatively rigorous program.
In-fact at UNC -> The Pre-MBA Summer Programs consist of Analytical Skills Workshop (ASW) and Tools of Financial Markets (TOFM)

Second, in terms of culture -> I would disagree with your Smith perspective. UNC has a super chilled out crowd(not nerds). They know how to party. How to network. How to get **** done.
Going deep into the cultural aspect, UNC has a much more attractive student body. I am not being sexist here, but I am laying out all the cards for you.

You can check out this post -> https://gmatclub.com/forum/mba-dating-t ... 59734.html I will be adding a few useful posts on that super soon.
This I believe is more of a personal thing. If you love networking -> UNC is an easy choice here.
Also remember that Smith has an average GMAT around 650 and UNC is around 700-710 and so that is another reason why I like UNC's student body much more than Smith.

Third, You have a green card. That means you are eligible for the federal recruiting on campus.
But here is the hunch -> Smith won't attract recruiters as UNC does.
McDonough is a different ball game. But they will most likely not offer you any money. They are known to be pretty misers in terms of MBA financial aid.

Now, lets see the big picture ->

If really are a career oriented women looking to kill it in terms of getting that dream internship -> PICK UNC for its outstanding brand value, fabulous student body, on-campus recruiting and off-course its STRONG alumni network.

OR
If you are just working to support your family and are dont mind choosing a second tier consulting firm over your dream consulting group -> Pick Smith.
I would also like to say that MBA is a big investment. So you might also want to involve your financial situation into play. Ask your husband/family members...

As per your other question about my background -> I am in footwear manufacturing business. I have a small family owned Footwear business and my dream internship would be at NIKE. And if I were in your situation -> I would have chosen UNC. It would have been difficult especially with the crazy conversion rate. But at the end of the day -> I would have a UNC degree.

Let me know what you think.

Best
Stone

Smith ($$$), UNC (no $), possible Georgetown and tepper (no $)

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