Notre Dame (Full Tuition) v/s Cornell

Question

Hey Guys!

Looking for some expert opinions here to help me make up my mind.

I have been admitted to Cornell Tech MBA (1 year) and had almost made up my mind to join the program starting May (let go of HKUST and Babson both with partial scholarships). 
But received news from Mendoza that I have been accepted to its 1 year MBA program with full Tuition scholarship.

My post MBA goal is Product management, which is why I opted for 1 year MBA programs being an international candidate, as I heard Product Management (and Consulting) can be cracked without internships. The other reason for choosing 1 year MBA is my 7.5 years experience and desire to get back to work sooner.

Please help me decide between Notre Dame with full ride and Cornell Tech! The difference in $ between both would be ~$110K

Thanks
Bethun

Hatakekakashi · Answer

The current situation is not the best for job hiring

While Tech does hire a lot of International students, it is best that you save that $110k

If it were a 2 year program I would be leaning towards Cornell for the brand but I'm not sure how financially flexible you are so try the Mendoza program and graduate with minimal debt and if you don't get a job and go back it doesn't hurt you much

Regards,
hK

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admits. You can definitely do a one year program if you have the work experience. The main reason for an internship in the summer is in case your resume lacks brand names and you are switching industries. If you have some good brand names and you’re not wanting to switch industries, there’s no much value from an internship besides perhaps giving you some prep and rehearsal for recruiting.....

Asked to Notre Dame, the answer will be the same as for any non-top 15 school, you’ll be recording on your own. You’ll be nagging alarms and bugging people on LinkedIn and trying to hustle. Don’t count on any companies coming on campus or recruiting even if they do come. However, getting a scholarship you are reducing your risk quite a bit.

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ssonesh · Answer

Congratulations on your admit Bethun! 
Since both are one year programs, internship is out of question
I think bb is absolutely correct. You'll be knocking on a lot of doors if you opt for Notre Dame over Cornell. I think the $110k won't hurt you in the long run as much as the brand name of Cornell and the peer/industry network will help you.

I'll say, go for Cornell. 
All the best. Let us know what you decide ultimately and your thoughts behind it.

Sonesh.

Posted from my mobile device

neosumit · Answer

First of all Congrats on both the admits!! I was requested by BB to help with my perspective though I don't count myself as an expert on taking the best opportunity or I would have completed my MBA by now.

. I had interviewed at Cornell a few years back & liked the school & the feel on campus. But I was waitlisted & didn't convert. Location: Cornell at Ithaca is far from NY so location wise none of these schools holds sway over the other, although you can travel to Chicago from South Bend (Notre Dame) in like 2-3 hrs so that's a plus. I have never visited South Bend btw. I felt Ithaca probably is a better place to spend that 1 year. Coming from India, winter is going to be long & gloomy at either of these places but I feel South Bend isn't the most engaging place out there. I understand the Tech MBA at Cornell would mean you will spend most of the time at NY, which is great even from the perspective of Networking. Cornell wins hands down on this one. Career outcome: If you are open to the idea of starting at an Associate level in Consulting, then Cornell is the place to be as I assume the Consulting firms do sponsor a lot of Internationals. However, if you believe you will have to network outside of the campus recruitment scheme at either of these schools then paying 0 tuition makes a lot of sense. You can spend the money saved on travel, networking & it will be less of an issue if you don't get the right opportunity at the time of graduation. I personally know few folks who took job offer 2 months after graduation and they were in reputed schools - just below the top 15. I think having no student loan to pay back will help immensely and give you confidence during that tough phase. The Cornell Tech MBA holds more appeal to someone who wants to work in a startup, so if that's your idea you must be heading to Cornell without a doubt. Again, I feel lot of Internationals,& Indians specifically, assume that the job post an MBA from a recognizable brand would come on a platter which is not how things work at US B-schools. Networking, your past experience & brand name on the resume plays a very important role in opening doors for interviews. Alumni: Now I have heard great things about ND & the brand itself is recognized pretty well in the US. So I would assume even without a Cornell on the resume, if you have worked with some recognizable brands in the past, networking will hold the key. Personally, I feel that ND has a better & tighter alumni network & getting an opportunity in Midwest (Chicago specifically) will be the primary target for any International candidate. Having said that, a Cornell Tech MBA is a fantastic thing on the resume if you look yourself 10 years down the line in the Tech industry. So if you can afford to pay, take that offer. With the Cornell degree, the alumni network would be very effective for landing opportunities in the NY area. Finally: Go for Cornell Tech MBA if you can afford to pay the tuition over several years & believe the school can land you that first opportunity which is the most crucial step for any International & you want to work in a small setup post-graduation (read startup). Go for Notre Dame if money is very important & you are ok to hustle (as BB mentioned). In all likelihood, your first opportunity wouldn't be via the school's career management centre. If you decide to return to India in say a couple of years, you can do that without any issues. Go for either of these with full force & conviction.

bethun · Answer

Thanks everyone for the insightful feedbacks. They were super helpful. Although I have couple of weeks to put down my deposit, I am evaluating between the two options based on these parameters:

Brand and Curriculum:
Cornell Tech wins hands-down. They have one of the best designed curriculums for Technology careers with their Studio format pedagogy (Product Studio, BigCo Studio, Startup Studio).
Coming to the brand value, I feel you can leverage it best for the next 3-5 years post MBA to get access to opportunities compared to competition. Post that, its your work and skills that would determine your professional growth.

Financial:
Notre Dame seems to be a no-brainer.
Given the free ride at ND and the opportunity to graduate debt-free does remove a lot of mental/financial pressure. Moreover the money saved can be well utilised to do legit certifications and bolster my resume.

Career support services:
After discussing with Adcom at Cornell Tech and speaking with students, I realised that you would have to hustle for jobs even there, with no companies coming to its New York Campus. However being based out of NY gives it a location advantage over South Bend for sure.

I am still deciding between choosing Product Management or Consulting as my post-MBA career. While Notre Dame is not known so much for Tech unlike Cornell, it will allow me to keep my Consulting dreams alive (however slightly) which I have to do away with if I choose Cornell Tech. 80% of class at Cornell Tech pursue PM, ~10% entrepreneurship and rest other related careers.

This is going to be a tough call as I am equally torn between the two options for now

Notre Dame (Full Tuition) v/s Cornell

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