Smeal (Full Scholarship+GA) Vs WP Carey (Same)

Question

Can anyone please suggest Which school to choose.
Both Schools are alike.

Situation:
WP CAREY: Admitted with 100% scholarship and Graduate Assistant Ship. So total Cost for MBA would be around $24k. (Accommodation expenses for 2 years, give and take)

Smeal: Havn't received the mail but same as WP Carey.
Applied to only these two schools because I can't afford a heavy loan burden of MBA.

Post MBA Goal is: Consulting (Supply Chain OR B2B Marketing)
Both Schools provide good resources for Supply Chain and B2b Marketing.

I have no constraint of location. Whether for studying or Post MBA Placement. Being an International candidate my concern is Post MBA employment.
When I spoke to candidates from both the schools, my Experience pretty good.

How to decide? Please help !

cesarucv · Answer

post MBA carreer goal?

D3N0 · Answer

Supply Chain Consulting..

somesh86 · Answer

My suggestion would be Smeal for supply chain hands down. I have had some friends who graduated from Smeal and have done exceedingly well at companies like Amazon in Supply Chain. Also with that scholarship also its a better option.

cesarucv · Answer

I would go for Smeal here, it is better in Supply Chain and better in Consulting.

D3N0 · Answer

Dear All,

Any Advice Please??

D3N0 · Answer

Dear Somesh,

Thank you for responding. I am also inclined toward Smeal. I was speaking to one of the alumni and he said because of the Alumni efforts Smeal was able to place 100% of its International Students. This actually helps as of the current VISA issues for International Candidates.

Mo2men · Answer

Hi D3N0 I'm happy to assist you. You can go into my previous comments about supply chain/ operation https://gmatclub.com/forum/msu-broad-vs ... en%20Broad https://gmatclub.com/forum/scm-broad-ca ... en%20Broad https://gmatclub.com/forum/kelley-vs-ol ... en%20Broad https://gmatclub.com/forum/ohio-state-f ... n%20fisher If you still have any question, do not hesitate to ask. Good luck

D3N0 · Answer

Hi  Mo2men  ,

Thank you for your post. I have gone through the links you have provided. Points I still am searching data for are:

1. Although I have no location constraint on Post MBA Employment Location, It would be great to get a position in California. 
2. SMEAL and WP CAREY both has approx same % of Job placement for class of 2016 graduated in 2018. Smeal had class size of approx 80 and Carey had approx 120. But average gmat score at WP Carey is +680 while it is 660 at SMEAL. This makes difference in class quality.
3. Electives at CAREY are more in numbers, including the Mentorship program and Data analytics focused courses.
4. Smeal has good connections with consulting firms which hire from Smeal regularly and also hire International Candidates. about 20% class went into consulting last year. While from CAREY only 10% went into consulting. (Date from Recent employment Reports)

Mo2men · Answer

Hi D3N0 I have some comments that might help you. If you prefer to work in CA, then Carey is your choice. Be close as possible to your dream location to have access. 3 years ago, I recall a student in Smeal who was disappointed as her dream was to work in Starbucks that does recruit from Smeal but does from Carey ( As I remember, she rejected Carey). This is no mendatory correct. There is another stats I read one year before that Smael is very very picky. Also, do not forget that Carey offer full ride for all its students that make it attractive to huge number of applicants. So it is natural to see high GMAT score. I agree with you. If it is the case and you love Carey's curriculum then it is clear that Carey provides you with what you want. Also BS is poweful add-on to SCM. Based on percentage and class profile you mention above, the total recruited in Smeal=16 & total recruited from Carey= 12, So insignificant by numbers. Do not stuck with those number as it may change in near future. I'm weakening your argument now

Good luck

cxa0897 · Answer

I was very impressed with the Carey students at a supply chain case comp I was a part of. They've won it in consecutive years which is particularly impressive considering the simulation conditions change each year.

I don't think there are many large differences in the programs, but the locations couldn't be more different. PSU is in the middle of nowhere, and the entire town is built around the university. If I recall correctly, PSU's enrollment is greater than the state college's permanent population. ASU is in a large city, and if you want to be in California, it is an obviously better choice.

Also worth mentioning, I don't think the GMAT and class room discussion/learning have any significant correlation, especially a small difference such as these two schools. Some of the best insights I've gained in my class are from a student with one of the lowest GMATs in the program. I'd much rather be in a classroom of diverse low scorers than just bankers with 780s.

D3N0 · Answer

Hi  cxa0897  :
Thank you for your kind reply.
I totally agree with you about the classroom discussion. I have been speaking to many current students at ASU and they mentioned that in past few years ASU attracted many talented candidates to its program and also made changes to its curriculum so that it suits the current requirement of the employers. for these reasons they are expecting that ASU will do good in the coming years.

My concern is many people think that since ASU started this Scholarship for all thing many freeloaders are there and people are talking negatively about the School. I personally do not care about these things as long as education is good but do you think that employers also see "Scholarship for all" negatively??

D3N0 · Answer

Hi Mo2men , Thank you for your pointers. I definitely agree with the points you mentioned. Yes, you definitely weakened my argument by stating that data is negligible to come to the conclusion. GMAT has prepared us well for this. :D

Thank you once again for giving me few points to think about.

cxa0897 · Answer

I haven't heard any of those comments regarding ASU, but they may well exist.

In my opinion, the supply chain education at ASU is going to be top notch regardless of who enrolls, and I'd argue that there likely aren't many freeloaders. Some might sneak past the filters, but gaining admittance isn't easy and the adcom can generally sniff out who is serious and who isn't through essays and interviews, especially given their application volume now.

If it's worth anything, I actually started a round 2 application to ASU last year but didn't complete it once I got into MSU early in the fall. My attitude towards "reputation" is that it doesn't really matter as long as recruiters are still coming to campus. Even if the school does trend downward 10 years from now, you'll already have an established trajectory and network, so I'd put those concerns to the side.

bb · Answer

In terms of ASU, and free tuition scholarship, the folks who get things for free and do not pay, always tend to complain more. People just don't value free things, esp when EVERYONE got in for free. Folks start feeling they are too good for it since they got it for free (it is the over the top pendulum swing). There are always regrets in BSchool, even in HBS and Booth - things are never perfect in this world, and I am sure many at ASU feel grass is greener elsewhere as soon as they hit a tough patch. I believe it is mostly psychological but I have not heard/seen any ASU bashing here - would be interested if anyone has a first hand experience.

D3N0 · Answer

Thanks  bb  for your reply. I second that. It is such a pity that people behave this way.
My such experience was only when I was browsing through other portals for reviews of the Schools and other things and there I saw few comments like these. Also when I was speaking to few students from those portals, they did make some comments (Negative) like these about free education. Then I decided to neglect those because I thought maybe they couldn't get in and "Grapes are sour" kind of condition applies to them.

Rather I posted here for proper guidance.  bb  what are your thoughts about ASU and Penn State? and looking at the current Visa conditions which School will be able to help more in Post MBA employment?

Mo2men · Answer

Let us know your final decision when you make it.

Wish you successful journey in either school.

D3N0 · Answer

Mo2men : Afrter a lot of thinking, I have decided to go with WP Carey MBA. Now I need to prove my decision right.

Mo2men · Answer

Good luck my friend in your journey. Wish you success

D3N0 · Answer

Thank You  Mo2men  for your kind wishes.

Smeal (Full Scholarship+GA) Vs WP Carey (Same)

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