Booth (80k) vs. Anderson (Full-Tuition) + Waitlists

Question

I was accepted to both Booth (80k) and Anderson (full tuition+fee) and would like your opinion on where I should choose. I really enjoyed visiting both schools but saw myself fit in slightly better at Booth, although a full ride is hard to turn down.

Post MBA, I want to be in the healthcare industry (with a focus on technology, i.e. biotech) whether it be in consulting or in a startup environment. Naturally I want to try out both consulting and startup internships during the school year as well since I do not have experience in either capacity. In the long term, I hope to be in California but in the short term, I may want to go to the East Coast depending on my partner's situation.

*  One side question : I was waitlisted at two other top 10 schools (not H/S/W). Although I am very interested in attending, I would be hesitant to choose them unless they can offer at least 80k. One of the schools do offer need-based aid which I do expect to receive around 30k. Would it be worth pursuing the waitlist?

Ok, back on topic. Here's some Pros and Cons for the two schools:

Booth

+ I like the independent, nerdy, and pay-it-forward culture and clicked well with students on my visit. In contrary to some stereotypes, I found Booth students genuinely caring, friendly, and collaborative at times.
+ Experiential learning is one of the main reasons why I want to do an MBA and Booth offers great opportunities such as NVC. 
+ Strong reputation within the US for having robust academics and quantitatively driven students. The flexible curriculum is a plus.
+ More opportunities to go abroad a lot more than Anderson (at least from what I saw).

- Not liking the 20+ min commute from where most people live. Also general safety is a slight concern.
- 3 hour classes do bug me but definitely not a deal breaker.

Anderson

+ Location! LA is fantastic. Beautiful weather. Also have extended family there.
+ #1 Career services and strong job placement within California. Also seems to be focusing more on tech recently. 
+ Flexibility to take on tech focused internships during the school year and entrepreneurship opportunities through BCO.
+ A full ride would really help me out here.

- Weaker brand recognition and reach (especially for recruiting) outside of California.
- Summer term to start? Again not a deal breaker but not liking that.
- I would most likely have to get a car.

I think the big question here is, would Booth open more doors for me than Anderson based on my goals to make that additional 70k(ish) worth it? Thanks ahead!

Mo2men · Answer

Congrats for both schools

One question: does Booth scholarship mentioned above cover one year and will be renewed to second? or total for both years?

Are you citizen or international ? would you be able to take loans for Booth? prodigy....etc

Thanks

tndhks · Answer

Thanks  Mo2men

$80k covers both years so $40k/year (I wish it was per year). US Citizen - In fact I will have to take out loans for either school.

Mo2men · Answer

Given your goals and status, i would invest in my mba from Booth.

I tagged  jessepinkman  to help with his view as Booth student.

good luck

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admits! Fantastic Job!

I know many people who have paid full tuition without hesitation at booth and passed up scholarships at McCombs, Anderson, and Foster. I have to mention that on campus recruiting at Booth and Anderson are not the same and not on par. I have heard somewhere that Anderson Career center won some awards - I want to know for what exactly and specifically. They may work hard, and may have really amazing people but having a class size 350 vs. 600 at Booth in Chicago, I can't see many companies recruiting on campus. Again the career center may be phenomenal but I know for a fact that many alums spend months looking for a job after graduation.

Have you heard about Tech in LA? There is Irvine but the reason everyone goes to tech is that there is nothing else, and even Tech is not really in LA. Most go recruiting up north in Bay Area (kind of the only place there is to go since LA does not have that many prominent companies HQ's - Snapchat perhaps the only one). I am probably being overly negative here but I feel I can be since I have lived in LA for 8 years, gives me a bit of a right to point a few things out. It is a great place and a great lifestyle without kids but tough to raise a family unless you are in Simi Valley or OC where you have an actual neighborhood, so I would somewhat challenge and explore your long term SoCal move plan. (mea culpa for negativity. You can't beat the nice LA weather).

I would think that if you want to be challenged and you need help in recruiting, you would be much better served at Booth, esp since you are not expecting to be in SoCal right away anyway. The combination of stronger classmates, stronger recruiting and stronger faculty has a multiplier effect. I would go to Anderson only if you had a full ride vs. zero scholarship but with 50% at Booth, you are in a very good spot. Higher ranked MBA's also perform better in slower economies when jobs are tighter, their alum networks are stronger since it is harder to get in and more exclusive, and finally, you are not being bought, which is a psychological factor and does come with buyer's remorse.

P.S. You "may" get a car in LA? LOL. You can't buy groceries without a car in LA and that takes 45 mins. You would be the loneliest person if you did not have one and you can much easier get away without one in Chicago. Yes, everyone commutes by train from Downtown but that's hardly an issue since you will not find anything closer than 20 mins in LA unless you live in a dorm. Booth has a pretty good community since everyone lives downtown and is basically a few building (Aqua and a few other on Wacker dr that are very walkable and you will likely run into alums and 2nd year students who still live there too). Chicago is a diff lifestyle but if you are planning to be east coast, I would strongly encourage not going to LA as West Coast schools have a reputation for laziness and surfing before classes (one of these may be true) but there is a bit of a stigma, and getting used to that nice weather, you will be unlikely to leave. The Eagles may have been unto something with their song.

In any case, congratulations on your hard work and fantastic admit results!

tndhks · Answer

Thanks a lot  bb  for all your detailed and honest comments! This information is very helpful to me and in fact I am leaning towards Booth. I will make the final call after the admit weekends.

I would really appreciate it if you can also comment on my waitlists. From what you’ve seen so far, would it be worthwhile to pursue them?

jessepinkman · Answer

Definitely go with Booth Here. Top 3/4 school versus a Top 15 school in UCLA. If you had no money at Booth and a full ride at UCLA, this would be a tougher decision but given $80K at Booth, I don't think the additional money at UCLA puts it over the top. I would not pursue any of the schools you are waitlisted on as I would only choose H/S at full fare over Booth.

ko91 · Answer

Congratulations on both schools with scholarships! Waiting until after admit weekend is a great idea! Also make sure you let folks know what you are interested in at Admit weekend because they can better connect you to the right people at the schools to talk to. Booth has been making healthcare a big focus and a good amount of people in the class are interested in healthcare either from the entrepreneurial side (New Venture Challenge always has some strong HC contenders), the financing side (PE Healthcare focus, VC biotech), and the operations side. I can't speak to Anderson, but I'm sure they also have great healthcare opportunities!

Booth (80k) vs. Anderson (Full-Tuition) + Waitlists

Which school should I choose?

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