Booth vs Fuqua (International Student, Working Visa Issues)

Question

No scholarships.

I am an international student from middle east with a desire to stay and work in consulting at the US at least short term.

Currently torn between two business schools. I would normally be in favor of Booth. However, because of Fuqua's STEM qualified certificate program which would bestow me with additional 2 years on my OPT, I'm strongly inclined to Fuqua. Because I don't think I would be able to find a job with only 1 year work permit?

What would you suggest for someone in my situation? What is your experience for international students finding a job and working in US after completing MBA?

Mo2men · Answer

Congrats for both schools

In your early post you mentioned about government sponsorship, Have you mentioned it in you application? Can you shed some light on background? Also, what plans do you have other than consulting?

KS15 · Answer

I think since neither is offering money, Booth should be the easy choice. The Booth brand and network is too strong to let go.

jessepinkman · Answer

I'd also echo the comments on going with Booth. International classmates of mind had no problems getting jobs and visa sponsorships from large consulting firms, investment banks, and corporations.

jessepinkman · Answer

I'd also echo the comments on going with Booth. International classmates of mind had no problems getting jobs and visa sponsorships from large consulting firms, investment banks, and corporations.

shah8 · Answer

As an international undergrad student who suffered through the work visa lottery, I totally get your situation. The issue is not getting visa sponsorship as much as it's about winning the visa lottery (H1B) to stay in the US to work beyond a year. Many companies sponsor visas but its up to your fortune whether, after sponsorship, you win the H1B lottery. This is something I think about a lot and its important to remember that anything can change. There have been recent talks about eliminating the lottery system altogether and basing it on merit. And you never know, they could get rid of STEM too. However, given how your cards are stacked right now, I would actually choose Fuqua. ts got a strong consulting focus and the STEM automatically buys you three years (usually means 3 chances at the H1B lottery) which is pretty fantastic. But this is not a no-brainer. If I hadn't experienced the H1B pain first-hand, I would probably have chosen Booth and wouldn't blame you if you still do. If it makes you feel better, I got an H1B visa the second time around

stoiczoan · Answer

One thing to keep in mind about the 3 year OPT is that the post-MBA "job" also needs to fulfill certain criteria (related to STEM fields) etc, otherwise the 3 year OPT will not apply.
So its not like you can use the 3 year OPT with the regular MBA jobs (consulting, IB etc) unless firms create a new type of role which explicitly fulfills those criteria.

Do a little bit more research into 3 year OPT. Its not as straightforward as it sounds.

NakulChicagoBooth · Answer

In my personal experience of being an international student, finding a job and working in US after completing MBA is relatively easy from Booth or Fuqua. Especially if you are targeting consulting. Best of luck - you cant go wrong

ENGRTOMBA2018 · Answer

Go with Booth here. Kellogg alum here who used to be in that international student category. Yes, STEM OPT extension sounds alluring but as stoiczoan has mentioned above, onus is on you to show that your job will be covered by STEM. USCIS has been denying STEM extensions when they deem your current line of work isn’t covered by STEM requirements. The beauty of consulting is that in the worst case scenario, get into consulting company of your choice in USA (Booth’s brand name will definitely open more/more substantial doors for you) and work in US for a year. Say, after that year you don’t qualify for H1B lottery. Your company will be more than happy to place you in one of the international locations (even Toronto or Dubai or London) for a couple of years before you can ask them to bring you back in USA on L1/2. Processing time is extremely quick under L1/2 and has no cap.

So, go with Booth here as the brand name and alumni network will surely help you in the longer run. With these decisions, always think about the bigger picture. Booth will open up both, NYC and Chicago markets for you, which Fuqua might not be able to. Yes, fuqua is a powerhouse in consulting but Booth’s brand name trumps (no pun intended) fuqua.

Let us know what you choose. Good luck.

Posted from my mobile device

So, go with Booth here as the brand name and alumni network will surely help you in the longer run. With these decisions, always think about the bigger picture. Booth will open up both, NYC and Chicago markets for you, which Fuqua might not be able to. Yes, fuqua is a powerhouse in consulting but Booth’s brand name trumps (no pun intended) fuqua.

Let us know what you choose. Good luck.

Posted from my mobile device

Mo2men · Answer

Adding links to reinforce the above info mentioned about STEM: https://www.ksquareit.com/opt-24month-st ... nsion-faq/ https://www.optnation.com/blog/opt-stem ... on-denied/

souvik101990 · Answer

I'd like to offer a different perspective. I would strongly recommend towards Fuqua because of STEM. H1B has become increasingly non-transparent and most international recruits (even after getting their H1Bs) have received RFEs (look it up!), meaning your H1B can still get cancelled if your employer can't justify your uniqueness. This has affected consulting recruiting the most, as tech employers hire for specialized skills and roles that can be justified easily.

Here is some anecdotal metric: Dell Inc. has converted 85% RFE requests to final H1B approval while for consulting the figure is at a staggering 45%. The main reason is that consulting is generalist work which becomes harder for companies to justify in their RFE response application.

VPGMAT · Answer

souvik101990 has mentioned one perspective which is actually hard to ignore in current circumstances. I have been one of the unlucky folks, who had to go through this RFE denial issue. Even though it was for my wife, I had to bear a brunt because of this situation.
I have mentioned some of the things in one of the post :
https://gmatclub.com/forum/us-work-visa ... l#p2200012

ENGRTOMBA2018 actually makes a valid point for the international value of the MBA. Having gone through the whole work visa fiasco, I would go with Booth, just because it is more internationally well known. Since you are from middle east, there shouldn't be any difference in terms of post-tax salary in US vs Middle east, hence loan repayment shouldn't be any issue.
But still, If I were in your situation, I would talk to alums in Middle east and prepare for the worst-case scenario (H1-B denial and return to middle east). It may not actually happen, but all the ground work now would pay off if it turns into a reality.

Booth vs Fuqua (International Student, Working Visa Issues)

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