Kellogg ($) v. Tuck ($) v. SOM ($)

Question

I am in the extremely fortunate (and tough) position of deciding between Kellogg ($40K scholarship), Tuck ($60K scholarship), and SOM ($40K scholarship). What makes the decision even harder is the lack of admit weekends and, while I've reached out to students and alumni from each, I'd love to crowdsource some opinions here from less-biased folks.

My current thought right now is Kellogg > Tuck > SOM, but Kellogg and Tuck are fairly neck-and-neck and if Tuck were to come back with a competitive scholarship offer, I don't know how I would make a choice between the two. I'd probably reconsider SOM if they returned with a competitive scholarship that I basically couldn't refuse (ie. half ride or more). Career Goals : The current thought is to go into strategy/innovation consulting immediately after b-school and long-term I'd like to work in the global health space (healthcare delivery). I'm not totally sold on the frequent travel associated with consulting (I'm currently a consultant lol) post-MBA, so the secondary option would be an in-house strategy role related to healthcare tech/innovation. Location-wise post-MBA, I'm looking at Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and Austin for the most part, but would consider other major cities depending on the opportunity. All this to say, I'd like to make sure whichever school I choose has a wide-ish reach and solid network in most major cities. Let me know if I can provide more information!

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admits!

I would not hesitate to take a great offer from Kellogg! Probably would not look back much unless Tuck/Yale come with something significantly better. (I see you are from MA, so Yale and Tuck are closer to home and there is value in being close to your network, etc)

FuturePM91  - how do you feel about this choice? What would have made you choose Tuck over Kellogg (perhaps a very childish question for a Kellogg student).

Thanks!
B

manjund · Answer

Thanks for the input  bb !

One of the things that has made me hold off from pulling the trigger is that Tuck offers a dual MBA/MPH in two years, which seemed intriguing given my long-term goals. I don't think the lack of an MPH at Kellogg is a dealbreaker per se, but interested to hear whether this might warrant a second look at Tuck. Am I hamstringing myself by not getting an MPH given my long-term goals or will HCAK at Kellogg be sufficient enough? Not sure if this a question folks here can answer, but would love some input if anyone has insight into this.

bb · Answer

You are correct in your assumption - I am not much help with the MPH degree (though I can see how it would be very valid for a while). What does it take to get an MPH in addition to an MBA? Do you have to sacrifice the summer internship? What is the trade off? (just the cost?)

FuturePM91 · Answer

I don’t know what Tuck’s healthcare recruiting looks like but Kellogg has a pretty strong group of people interested in healthcare and robust healthcare recruiting. There is also a prof who is very well respected in the healthcare strategy space. Craig Garthwaite do you may be interested in looking him up. Hard for me to say who “wins” the battle in the healthcare space because I’m not familiar with the offerings at Yale or tuck for global health but I definitely think you will find plenty of support and resources at Kellogg in that space.

Kellogg is a consulting powerhouse so among the 3 they win there.

The biggest difference between Kellogg and the other two are program size. Kellogg’s program is one of the largest whereas tuck and Yale are on the small side. The plus side of being smaller is that you get to know everyone in your class really really well. The downside is that everyone knows everyone really really well. There is no privacy and it is difficult to escape the bschool bubble. Another downside is that the alumni network is also a lot smaller. If it was important to me that I know everyone in my class and I wanted a small program AND tuck/Yale offered money (Yale would have to be significantly more money) then I would pick one of the other two, but if I don’t care about class size I would take Kellogg.

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bb · Answer

Thank you! And great point about the class-size! Class-size also helps with attracting employers on campus. Would they rather make a trip for a group of 300 or 600? In Chicago or New Haven?

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Mo2men · Answer

I think you mean Chicago or New Hampshire?

manjund · Answer

Thanks  bb  and  FuturePM91 ! These are very helpful points.

As far as the MPH/MBA program at Tuck - it does not significantly impact summer internships. I was put in touch with someone who successfully completed an internship at an MBB while doing the program. But, in researching the opportunities for my secondary option (if I decide not to pursue consulting), it seems Kellogg might be my best option.

What I'm struggling with is deciding whether the class size/location is as important as I'm making it out to be in my head. I loved the idea of spending a couple of years out in Hanover, since I likely wouldn't have that opportunity in the future. I suppose this is a 'me' problem and something I can only answer ha.

One other update, Yale came back with an equal scholarship to Kellogg's offer, however, it is merit-based and includes a Forte fellowship (Kellogg's is need-based, does not include Forte). I'm going to continue researching this since I'm not as familiar with the program, but does this factor significantly impact how I should view Yale's offer? Is it possible (or worth it) to take the offer to Kellogg and ask them to meet the Forte fellowship portion?

bb · Answer

I make a ton of mistakes but in this case I forgot where Tuck was located exactly, so i said New Haven which is where Yale is (and it is not convenient for flying in)

FuturePM91 · Answer

Forte is a great program for getting admitted to business school and being able to afford it but other than that the title doesn’t give you any advantage whatsoever. It’s basically worth the same $40k as the Kellogg scholarship. If I were in your shoes take would have to offer quite a bit more than Kellogg for me to consider them. At least 50%. And no, I wouldn’t ask Kellogg to make you a forte fellow because of aforementioned non-relevance.

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pd2pmm · Answer

Kellogg all the way even if you had no money. Better ranked, better career prospects in consulting, better location for 2 yrs

Kellogg ($) v. Tuck ($) v. SOM ($)

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