Cornell Johnson 1 YR MBA ($) x Emory 1 YR MBA ($) x Darden 2 YR MBA

Question

Dear all!

I would like your opinion regarding a "good problem"

I was accepted on 3 MBAs

Cornell Johnson 1 YR MBA ($)

Emory 1 YR MBA ($)

Darden 2 YR MBA (no scolarship)

And would like your opinion to which one to choose.

I am leaning towards Johnson and already paid the deposit to not lose my spot, but I am open to suggestions and opinions

Thanks!

mbaapplicant90 · Answer

i have a similar dilemma! - i would definitely rule out emory.

However, with the economy going where its going, it might be nice to hide out in an mba for a bit longer. Are you planning to stay in the United States after? Are you a citizen?

BrazilianguyMS · Answer

I am a brazilian and planning to stay at US for the opt program at least one year

mbaapplicant90 · Answer

if thats the case, it might be prudent to choose darden.

Its a better program and its a STEM program, allows you to stay in the US for 3 years, which means 3 ties at the h1b

RoWin · Answer

Hey  mbaapplicant90 
I am an international & have a scholarship from Emory 1Y too along with an M7 waitlist. I didn't apply to Cornell 1Y as at the time it seemed to me that outside of Finance, Emory & Cornell's 1Y programs had similar employment outcomes. Maybe regionally, consulting might even be better for Emory. But I'd love to hear your thoughts about ruling out Emory - perhaps I've missed something.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

What are your goals? If you are interested in Consulting take Darden and do not look back. I would probably say that for entrepreneurship as well. I really like the academic focus and case method at Darden. Might not be a bad idea to be close to Washington during a time of economic recession.

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aniriddha · Answer

I didn't know Emory ranked that well as compared to Cornell but everyone I speak with considers Emory to be a great school.

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kingcobra01 · Answer

I would go Darden unless you are doing the Cornell STEM. I would also factor in visa issues. Darden may help you alleviate that

JohnnyBlaze · Answer

Easy choice, Darden full time.

1) Rule out Emory, great school but NOT a great MBA program.

2) The 1 year program at Cornell MBA is the program's stepchild. It never gets the love, attention or resources the other MBA programs get. So, you're really on your own to find a job post-MBA. As an int'l without a structured 2year MBA recruiting process in the current crisis, you are just not going to find a job in this mkt from an unsupported T15 sub-program. Also, the program is almost all int'l students, who all go back home after. Your classmates won't be helpful in your job search (this is key) and your interaction w/ the full time program will be limited. Good luck in getting a US career out of this program.

3) Darden overall is a better program than Johnson. Better alums, stronger corporate ties and all around great school culture - a key weakness at Johnson, everyone is there only for Cornell, not Johnson (just think how that translates into b-school alum support).

Regardless of Johnson, you also want to be part of the 2 year MBA program as an int'l during the covid crisis. In 2years hiring will be better than in 1 year. Darden will also give you better resources to find a post-MBA job. Unless you're getting a full ride at Johnson 1 year, it's just not worth it.

Good luck!

Feel free to DM me.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

This is a very complete response and extremely helpful, I just wanted to inquire a bit about the Cornell culture. So I don't honestly have a lot of clients end up at Cornell, and dont know.

Are you saying that the culture is not great at Cornell?

I guess I'm a little confused because they talk about Big Red and the small class size and pay it forward with second years helping out the first years and stuff like that.

Are you say that's not the case?

Not looking to be a contrarian or anything but I'm working with someone who wants to apply there

JohnnyBlaze

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JohnnyBlaze · Answer

Yes - I’m saying the culture is not great at Johnson.

Sure, everyone is friendly while there, but no one is proud to be a Johnson MBA or really happy with the MBA program. There’s a general sense the program could be better if changes were made, but the ppl running it always hide behind the ‘ivy league’ parent title and improving the fulltime program isn’t a priority compared to launching new degrees.

The big problem with Cornell's MBA culture is, no one is there for the b-school itself. You have ~30% of the class who decided to go for scholarships and ~70% who couldn't get into any other T15 program. With an acceptance rate over 40% everyone who goes to Johnson rests on the parent’s brand; with nothing to point to at Johnson standalone.

Sure, second years help first years and that’s very successful in banking. Other than banking, the school isn’t tops or focused on anything. Most tech jobs are really tech FP&A, most consulting roles are in less than desirable cities (Pittsburgh) or areas w/ students have a niche (Colombia, China). You can have plenty of 2nd years who want to help, but if they can’t land good jobs themselves, it doesn’t mean anything. Roll this forward to alums, the ones who make it big did it themselves w/o the school helping, so successful well positioned alums don’t even respond to student outreach.

Yes - the school talks about Big Red a lot, but as one of Cornell's weakest graduate programs, Johnson alums aren’t wholeheartedly welcomed into the Cornell alum world and Johnson’s standalone alumni network is tepid at best.

This is a very complete response and extremely helpful, I just wanted to inquire a bit about the Cornell culture. So I don't honestly have a lot of clients end up at Cornell, and dont know. Are you saying that the culture is not great at Cornell?

I guess I'm a little confused because they talk about Big Red and the small class size and pay it forward with second years helping out the first years and stuff like that.

Are you say that's not the case?

Not looking to be a contrarian or anything but I'm working with someone who wants to apply there

JohnnyBlaze

Cornell Johnson 1 YR MBA ($) x Emory 1 YR MBA ($) x Darden 2 YR MBA

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