Emory ($$$) vs Vanderbilt ($$$$)

Question

Hi everyone, 
I would like to seek your advice on where should I go for my MBA. I was recently admitted to both Emory and Vanderbilt and now having a hard time deciding which one is better for me professionally. 
Background: I am an international student wishing to switch career to consulting post-MBA. That said, I do not mind pursuing other career paths like finance or operation as long as I can land a decent job. I do not have any specific preference in term of location. 
Given the scholarship offered between 2 schools, the cost of attendance is 15 k higher at Emory than at Vanderbilt.

Emory: 
Pros: 
(1) Atlanta is a bigger city with more job opportunities. 
(2) Good placement in consulting
(3) Goizueta is ranked higher than Owen (20 vs 26)

Cons: 
(1) more expensive to attend

Vanderbilt: 
Pros:
(1) Nashville is a great place to live
(2) Close and very collaborative community. More alumni in my home country 
(3) Vanderbilt is ranked higher than Emory (14 vs 21)

Cons
(1) limited consulting choices in Nashville, mainly healthcare ones.

I understand that both schools are good regional schools with the same class size (180) and I can not rely 100% on OCR for my internship. 
Is it worth paying more to attend Emory? 
I am looking forward to your advice.

Kind regards,

teleste · Answer

Per the employment reports, 42% of Emory's class went into consulting and only 29% of Vandy's class went into consulting. Emory: https://goizueta.emory.edu/documents/FT ... report.pdf Vandy: https://business.vanderbilt.edu/mba/van ... -outcomes/ I can guarantee both of them placed a healthy chunk of their students into the same Big 4 Firms' offices in Atlanta (Deloitte Consulting, PWC, etc.). The numbers show Emory has an edge. The Geography definitely gives them a slight edge. If you're absolutely committed to consulting, Emory is probably worth $15k more. If you're not totally committed to consulting, this is as much of a toss-up as I can imagine. Given the choice, I'd rather spend two years in Nashville with $15k extra in my pocket. Full disclosure: I *did* choose the Music City before. Good luck on the decision! ~Anchor Down

abhimahna · Answer

Hey forrestgump123 ,

Congratulations for the two admits. Being an international student, you have "very" few options to apply for in Consulting. Having said that, Emory is quite strong in consulting than Vanderbilt. Hence, I would prefer to go for Emory. If you have any specific questions for Emory, either reach out to your assigned MBA ambassador or shoot me a PM.

Good luck.

forrestgump123 · Answer

Thank you  teleste  and  abhimahna  for offering me insights.
I am not dead set on consulting because the chance of landing a consulting job is rather slim. My discussion with a few friends studying at schools like Darden, Duke or UNC confirms this challenge for international students, especially those who are not native speakers. That is why I cast a wide net. 
Do you think that there are any differences in terms of reputation between these two schools? I feel that Vanderbilt carries a bit more weight thanks to its highly-ranked undergrad and Owen is a promising and up-and-coming program. It consistently improved from a place of 44th in 2008 to a top 25 school around the last 5 year. 
On the other hand, Emory is consistently ranked among the top 20 and it clearly dominates Atlanta market.
If I had to make this decision 10 years ago, it would be much easier. 
I 'd better reach out and talk to more students before making a decision.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey forrestgump123 ,

I think I would rather talk to the current students/alums of each school and figure out what works for me the best. Emory has been quite stable in its ranking and I think that might go in your favor. Talk to current students and take your call.

All the best

Maupassant9 · Answer

Current Vanderbilt MBA student. I don't see any disadvantage coming to Vanderbilt over Emory. They are in the same tier and are regional schools with decent presence on east and west coast. If you have doubts about placements feel free to reach out. With Amazon and EY coming to Nashville, it is turning out to be a strong year for Vanderbilt.

bb · Answer

I think quite a bit has been said about both programs - Thank You teleste, abhimahna, and Maupassant9 !

I can share a bit about the rankings - here is a 12 year view of the 2 programs from the US News Rankings perspective. No rankings is perfect and will capture the programs fully but at least something consistent.

Emory is Blue and Owen is Yellow (trying to stick to school colors type of thing)
Source: https://gmatclub.com/forum/mba-rankings ... ml#p769630

Attachments

Owen vs. Goizuetta.png [ 437.44 KiB | Viewed 9455 times ]

forrestgump123 · Answer

Thank you  bb . I also referred to this graph when making a comparison. I have also read your theory about what is best MBA for internationals (top 20 and top 40). I believe that Emory is on the lower end of the top 20 and Vanderbilt is on the higher end of the top 30. 
Owen is indeed a good school and has been trying a lot to improve its ranking for the last few years. However, there is still a gap to catch up with Goizueta, especially in term of consulting recruitment or admission rate- Emory at 27% and Vanderbilt at 41%. For this reason, I think the caliber at Goizueta is slightly better than at Owen.
These two schools have moved in tandem for the last 10 year and the gap has been narrower. 
I still have a few days to think before deposit deadline at Emory. I appreciate all your ideas and advice.
Thanks

teleste · Answer

When making a decision on who to hire, no firm is going to go look at the 12-year history of rankings to compare Vanderbilt to Emory and then base their decision on it and give a Goizueta student an offer in place of an Owen student. At this point, from either program, your future career and job prospects will be all about  what you have to offer . Both of these schools place their students at many of the same firms in the same Southern markets. IMO, basing your final decision on prestige (especially when the difference really is as negligible as it is) would be a mistake.

Again, if you're sure you want to be in consulting in Atlanta, I think Emory offers some advantage based on geography and the stats in their most recent employment report-- but IDK if it is an advantage worth $15,000.00 .

If (as you've mentioned) you're willing to explore career options, the only thing that matters at this point is where you'd rather live and how you  feel  about fit at each program. Atlanta and Nashville are different beasts. If I were in your shoes, I'd think harder about where you want to be the next two years. Some folks really love the big metropolitan Atlanta, other people really prefer the cozier Nashville.

Good luck with the decision!

Maupassant9 · Answer

Well, I can't argue with statistics and rankings. But, I don't think I am at any disadvantage coming to Owen. I said no to a solid top 20 school (ranked higher than Emory).

I am an Indian male and by no means at any advantage when it comes to internship search. I was able to interview with all top healthcare companies which also interviewed candidates from Wharton and its ilk. Another International secured an internship at Jefferies in IB.

Did rankings stop us? no. Was it easier for candidates at Emory? I doubt.

forrestgump123 · Answer

Hi Maupassant9,
Thank you for your advice. If I pursued a career in health care, Owen would be an easy choice.
I believe that ranking should not be a deciding factor here since the difference is small. The bigger concern, I agree with  teleste , is where I'd rather live. I wish I could visit two schools before making a decision. 
When it comes to recruitment for international, I think it is equally difficult from both schools. What matters are the candidate's working experience and how much effort you put into preparation rather than "prestige".

Emory ($$$) vs Vanderbilt ($$$$)

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