Kellogg vs Stern (Full Ride)

Question

Background:
  Coming from Corporate Finance in Tech in Chicago
UG GPA: 3.85
GMAT: 750 (Q48 V45)
Post-MBA: Consulting (MBB) or Tech
Post-MBA Location: Short term- NYC (if possible) but Long term- Chicago

Happy to be in this position but struggling with my decision (and the added unknowns of covid are not helping either!)

Kellogg 
  Pros: 
- Ranking and prestige are higher 
- Quality of current students/alumni network is better from my personal experience 
- Better placement in MBB 
- Strong Chicago alumni network helps my long term goal of settling down in Chicago

Cons: 
- In my comfort zone- I have lived in Chicago for 5 yrs. and know a lot of people who have gone or are going to Kellogg 
- Really removes the opportunity to move to NYC 
- On a personal level, my significant other will be moving to NYC in the fall so we would have to deal with long distance

Stern
  Pros: 
- In NYC- would be able to network more easily and potentially get an internship during the school year 
- Full Ride- I will say this is a lesser pro for me given that I currently am in a very lucky position to not have to take out any loans to pay for school 
- Out of my comfort zone- would allow me to experience something new 
- Wouldn't have to do long distance

Cons: 
- Stern brand name isn't as strong, especially in the Chicago area for my long-term plan
- Harder to break into MBB 
- Didn't click with the current students as well as with Kellogg
- Uncertainty in NYC and potential for virtual classes seem higher than at Kellogg

Would love any advice you all have.

Cheers!

Nikhil · Answer

Tagging a few who can help here.

FuturePM91 
 MBASomeTime

FuturePM91 · Answer

Curious why you think Kellogg “removes the opportunity to move to NYC” everyone I know who wanted to be in NYC for their internship/full time from Kellogg had no trouble making that happen.

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pd2pmm · Answer

I think No brainer. Stern isn't even in same league as Kellogg for consulting (esp. MBB) or tech. Tough to give up money, but don't take the chance of missing out on top 5 school career prospects.

MBASomeTime · Answer

I think that Stern is the better option here, provided that you want to end up in the city short term. I don't think there will be an issue with transferring offices later on. MBB isn't some esoteric PE shop, and recruits heavily at both programs. Kellogg is a consulting powerhouse and without a doubt places better than Stern - but with a full ride on your resume (and I'm assuming the general strength of your profile is nothing to scoff at) I think you'll have near equivalent odds at either program.

If it's any consolation, a friend of mine opted to attend Stern at half tuition instead of going to Booth with a 20k/ year scholarship due to geographical preferences. He's going to be interning at McK this summer. I know you can't extrapolate one case to general placement odds, but you'll have great opportunities at either program.

hwbcn12345 · Answer

The one line that does it for me is: "in a very lucky position to not have to take out any loans to pay for school"

Whether this is because of your own industriousness, that of your family, or sponsorship from an employer, I see that as the clear point of rationale to go Kellogg. The reason to go to Stern would be because its free - that's your doing, bravo. That's not a selling point for you, however, so ignore the temptation (read: distraction). When it comes down to brass tax, you are willing to acknowledge that $150K is negligible. Maybe try writing $150K is negligible on a sheet of paper 50 times and if you still feel that way, choose Kellogg, if not, re-open Stern to consideration. Stern folks are great, but different than Kellogg folks. If you didn't click, I would worry those feelings may persist during your time there. While it may be a challenge to land a NYC MBB offer from Kellogg, consider it equally if not somewhat more challenging from NYU, so discount that argument.

FuturePM91 · Answer

Agree with everything here except that it will absolutely not be a challenge to get into a NYC office, at least not anymore so than any other MBB large office. If the $150k is truly negligible to you pick Kellogg. Otherwise pick stern.

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ket310 · Answer

Biased opinion (I'm a Sternie, full disclosure)
Echo pretty much what everyone else said, depending on the negligibility of the $150~160k.

However, one more thing to consider is your relationship. 1. If you really really don't want to do long-distance, 2. You potentially see a lifetime relationship, and 3. If he/she is a person who can't really tolerate long-distance (there are those, my wife is one of them), then come to Stern. This is a non-negligible factor. After all, money, school ranking, and the job doesn't make you truly happy. A healthy relationship makes you happy. You can get a decent job out of both programs (MBB or something else if you fail at MBB). I know as pre-MBA you could potentially place a high value on ranking. But once you graduate, it fades off very quickly, per my friends and undergrad alumni who went to M7s. They mainly say if you can get a same job from T15 and can save big money, def do so cuz loan isn't a joke (although not for you seems like). So definitely a personal decision for you on the money factor and your relationship.

Kellogg vs Stern (Full Ride)

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