Tepper ($$) vs Wharton EMBA vs Re-apply

Question

Greetings everyone! First time post here.

I have had a strange application cycle and it’s come down to this.

Got into a few schools earlier this year and had to defer because it seemed this year wasn't gonna work for me (life circumstances). Only one who deferred was Wharton EMBA, the others told me to re-apply.

I was really bummed about this, but a short time later, I got into Tepper and eventually I found out I got $$ from them (roughly 65%).

I'm deciding whether to go to Tepper (life situation has changed, could do it), wait for Wharton EMBA or re-apply. My goal is to become a PM in tech, in either fintech or gaming, and hopefully be able to learn more about tech (take some CS classes). I’d have wanted to do a dual MS/MBA degree but I didn’t get into LGO or Kellogg MMM, so being able to do an MS post-MBA is also a personal goal.

Profile: early 30's, 164Q/164V GRE, 3.85 GPA (foreign uni though), URM, >8 years of exp, currently in tech (client-facing engineer)

Tepper :
+ scholarship
+ move (I live in NYC area and kind of fed up with it)
+ tech-focused school and curriculum (techie)
+ ability to take electives across multiple schools
+ Accelerate Leadership Center
+ younger cohort, more aligned to me and my goals
+ ability to pivot more easily (internship)
+ ability to have an authentic MBA experience (join clubs, etc)
+ leave my job (I loved my job last year, 6 months later, it's a very different picture, though still not super dire)
+ good cultural fit, friendly admin and culture
+ lower loan amount would mean I could do an MS afterwards like I wanted to, or could go live abroad in Europe for a while (lower salaries)
+ can start now
- lower in the rankings (currently ranked 16th, historically ranked 19th or 20th?)
- I asked some friends both here and back in home country, they were not aware of Tepper (some were also not aware of Wharton)

Wharton

+ Ivy League
+ prestige
+ network
+ resources/opportunities (amazing speaker events)
+ McNulty Leadership Center
+ more solid business curriculum (faculty is amazing)
+ cohort is older and more accomplished, some unique profiles (think Special Forces, neurosurgeons, etc) —> would learn a lot from them
+ W bomb ... I don't know how else to put it without coming across as a huge asshole, I'm just referencing the equivalent to the famous Y bomb (I know some folks would disagree with this due to the EMBA vs FT difference)
+ seems like it could be a huge boost in my career and educational perspectives, which I'm sorely needing right now
+ no opportunity cost
- no control over electives (the class votes on the electives)
- not techie
- didn't feel as friendly
- no ability to take electives with FT students, participate in clubs, or take classes in the other Penn schools
- huge loan amount, could limit my ability to live abroad and/or pursue a MS later on
- would have to live close enough to Philly for it to work out, which means staying put in NYC for me, most likely. I'm kind of fed up with the area, so this is not ideal for me
- see above about no longer really loving my job anymore

Re-apply 
Not sure where I'd be competitive? Not sure about M7, T10-15 I think I'd have a better shot. I've been thinking I could re-apply to one of the 1yr Tech MBA's (liked Cornell's) or target Booth's dual degree MBA/MPCS or Haas MBA/MEng (this last one seems like it's hard to get into, at least for the MEng in CS) LOR's could be a hassle (1-2 recommenders might not be available again) I wonder though if it makes sense to do ANY of these instead of Wharton or Tepper. Lastly, thinking of doing a plain old part-time MS in CS first (cheaper and thus easier to commit to?)
--

I'm not sure if it comes across fully in this post, but while I recognize Wharton is an AMAZING opportunity, I have some doubts. I'm wondering though if I'm being stupid, overthinking it, and I should get over myself and just do it. The lack of flexibility and limited tech learnings kind of put me off. I know this is the kind of thing I should compromise on, but I find it hard to do so with a >200k price tag. On the other hand, Tepper's a great option, lower loan amount, better experience (FT, have fun, take any class I want) but kind of worried about being haunted by turning down the Wharton network/prestige/opportunities.

And there's the option of doing something completely different, trying to find something in between. Obviously there's no guarantees with this path (could end up empty handed)

Lastly, I thought of leveraging the W admission to maybe get more money from Tepper (not guaranteed they'd budge), but kind of hung up about doing it since I'm not committed to Tepper yet (i.e. they come back with more scholarship and I'm still undecided, what then?)

Thanks in advance!

bb · Answer

Congratulations on getting into the Tepper MBA program and the Wharton EMBA. I have a feeling, you could possibly ask the Wharton admissions team to reconsider you for placement this year. The executive MBA program is a lot more flexible with what they can do and how they assemble the class so if you were eager to start sooner than later, they may be able to help out. Or perhaps you already asked and they said no? Thank you for posting by the way. This is a pretty rare topic and when people often split hairs, in this case we are comparing completely different species so it’s a lot more fun

First of all, the full-time and executive programs are meaningfully different. You would be expected to have a job while you’re doing the executive program or you probably want to have a job so you can pay the bills. It makes the executive program cost a lot more palatable since you don’t have to quit your day job. I can’t remember if the Wharton program is two or three years but either way, The total cost including the opportunity cost, he’s probably going to be about the same or maybe a little cheaper for Wharton. At the same time, the executive programs don’t usually focus on transformation or switching industries. They tend to be designed for accomplished and experienced individuals Who don’t need to be rebuilt or rebranded but rather augmented or improved. As the result, there’s no recruiting component usually embedded into the executive programs. Often executive students are not invited to recruiting events or other full-time engagements. There are reasons for that and many of them a logical, often the opportunities for recruiting would be Junior to work you would be looking. Which brings a good question, will the full-time program really fulfill your needs? Would be employers coming to hire mid-level consultants or project managers be attractive to you? Would those jobs be a fit for you? I’m not asking if you want them but rather would you feel he will work hard to get them and then you would fit once you got them? A lot of times the recruiter would’ve been a graduate who graduated five years ago and is probably in their mid-30s. It makes it tougher for older candidates to recruit on campus and full-time programs. It’s a less traditional track. Most well experienced candidates tend to recruit around or network off campus.... are you expecting Tepper to help you land a job? Asked to your aspiration of taking any class you want, it’s not as good as it sounds. First of all, classes tend to be limited in size. That means you have to bid for them will compete with other people which means you may not get all the exact classes you want. Not all classes are offered every semester. Some classes overlap with others or take place during very inconvenient time creating gaps and holes in your schedule. Also, by the time you are in your second year, you have done 15 presentations, five projects, taking 12 finals, and sent out 100 resumes to get an internship. At that point you’re looking for a job and the last thing you need is an interesting elective class that will keep you away from recruiting, keep you up at night and threaten to torpedo your GPA. It’s kind of like an all you can eat buffet for two years with the same dishes. He gets tiring after a year. 😉 I don’t think the class selection in Tepper is going to beat Wharton. I would not be worried about it. I am a little bit unsure about your comment about getting a masters degree on top of an MBA. I don’t think it helps. You can do it for personal reasons but it’s almost never worth the effort.... To me it sounds like you’re looking for a change and sooner than later perhaps. I don’t think executive MBA would be enough change based on what you’re saying so your options are to try to change your job or to go to Tepper if change is something you feel you have to do in the next 3 months. Your other option is to potentially spend the next six months and change your job and get your personal things in order before starting the Wharton executive program but what do you expect for the MBA to do for you? I am not sure you can improve your situation significantly by reapplying. It’s definitely possible but statistically unlikely due to the age component and your experience. Schools tend to have a certain sweet spot for applicants and certain career track that fits well consultants and tech project managers. Graduating in the second half of your 30s, does not fit that track. I think your options are either Tepper in three months or taking a year to sort things out and join Wharton if you still think MBA is the right choice at that stage. (you can ask to join the Wharton sooner but it sounds like you need to sort your work situation first). That’s how I see it. It feels like Wharton would be the less risky option as well. Posted from my mobile device

maksifaust · Answer

Thank you for your response!

I haven't asked them if they could take me back this year. It might be hard to swing that with my boss, too. Even though I'd keep working, being able from work two Friday's a month requires some planning. The EMBA program is 2 years.

A lot of people have told me that doing a Master's post MBA makes no sense. I get it. I however really wish to strengthen my knowledge of the fundamentals of tech. In an ideal world I'd have done this prior to the MBA...

I really want to transition into Product Management, or some other role within tech, because my current trajectory is not ideal (I'm a client-facing engineer). I know an EMBA is not ideal for this, but it seems people have made it happen (Wharton has a lot of articles about people pulling it off)

Everything else you mention makes a lot of sense. The electives piece I hadn't thought of. And yes, I'm craving some change right now, specially after the tough month of January I had (and the reason for the deferrals).

bb · Answer

Here’s the funny part of the MBA, speaking to a PM from Amazon and another one from Microsoft, they both joked how they’re not using any of the knowledge they have gain during the business school for their current jobs though it is exactly because of their business school degree why they have their jobs at the moment. They’re doing a lot of learning on the job and I think that’s generally an expectation. You definitely want to understand how the cloud works and the latest trends but nobody will be asking you internal proprietary information during the interview. You could probably brush up on all your basics without doing a masters in a matter of two months and come out pretty strong by taking a couple of the fluffy online classes or if you prefer, you can take HBX. They have a ton of options. A lot of it is also available publicly online you just have to find the time and motivation. I think it’s awesome you want to better yourself and a lot of people fail to see that but you would potentially be taking a year of your productive career to do that and I’m not sure that you can afford it.

My only other thought is going for MSX or Sloan fellows since those programs are one year MBA equivalence for more experience professionals who don’t want to do a traditional executive MBA. That could be a good option but I think both of those have finished there intake seasons and past the deadlines.

I personally don’t feel you need any more tech background that what you have already. Many tech companies have variety of projects that go from corporate to consumer to AI and they prefer people who can learn fast rather than someone who is deep and immovable. The key is eating the interview most of the time. I see Tepper placing modestly on the West Coast at the moment... around 22% most people are still in IMD Atlantic and East coast areas.

Posted from my mobile device

maksifaust · Answer

Thank you! I hear that a lot about certain degrees not really being necessary. I'll probably do a cheap MS in CS at some point, just because of personal desire (I could have done around 7 years ago but was dumb and decided to keep working)

bb · Answer

FYI - you may want to tune in to this video that starts in 20 mins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH0HlODeUM0

JohnnyBlaze · Answer

Wharton easily.

I just don't get this decision. OP is in his early 30s and deciding between a Tepper MBA and a Wharton eMBA.

It's a decision between being the oldest person at a T20 MBA program with low global brand recognition OR joining one of the best business schools in the world and having industry leading colleagues, but getting an eMBA. In a few years post-graduation, no one will even realize it's an eMBA vs an MBA. Has to be Wharton hands down. Also, if you want tech, W's SF campus is calling your name for networking.

maksifaust · Answer

Thank you for your response JohnnyBlaze! I agree with you, however, there's also other factors (from my perspective). The way I see it, this is a decision between:

- T20 vs HSW
- Low global brand recognition vs Massive global brand recognition
- Being one of the oldest vs being one of the youngest
- 100k vs 215k (and I have a feeling I might be able to negotiate more scholarship with Tepper if I leverage the EMBA admission, though I could of course be wrong)
- FT vs part-time
- Pittsburgh vs staying put (I prefer moving)
- Leave job vs stay in job
- Now vs 1 year from now
- Change careers vs stay in same career
- Have fun, take a break, have the full MBA experience vs part-time
- Have flexibility in electives vs a more structured curriculum
- Be able to take tech classes vs not being able to do so (though I understand it might not always be possible or desirable)
- Be in a tech-focused environment vs one that's not
- Better fit vs less fit

Etc, etc.

I understand that the Wharton EMBA is probably the logical choice, but I wonder if choosing Tepper instead would be totally insane. I wonder if anyone around here has ever made such a call. Graduating with as little debt as possible is important for me and if I'm going to spend that much money on a degree, I'd rather be able to have some fun, take any class that I want. Work vs no-work is dependent on the quality of my current company. Last year I was ok with doing part-time, this year things are different.

I'd have preferred to have on the plate something closer in ranking. Maybe Stern ($$) vs Wharton EMBA, or Kellogg vs Wharton EMBA. Alas this is not the current scenario... this is why I think of re-applying, although there's certainly no guarantee I could get into these other schools, or that I'd get money at them.

As a side-note, a friend of mine did the Columbia EMBA and loved it, he even took Python, C++, Databases and similar classes. Another friend took classes in Organizational Psychology. I've heard that Booth EMBA is also super international and includes trips and it's also a far friendlier environment, the Wharton EMBA one is very intense.

I understand a lot of people might not agree with my hesitations, and I agree that some of them seem petty. I wonder if I'm making a wrong move but not choosing Wharton and whether I should essentially force myself to go there, and get over some of these concerns. I understand it won't hurt me, it'll grow my career, but I'm also wary about spending close to quarter of a million dollars on something that might not necessarily feel as good over the two years that I'm there.

JohnnyBlaze · Answer

You're overthinking this wayyyyy too much.

It's a Tepper MBA vs a Wharton MBA.

Tepper has $$$ attached and Wharton has an 'e' attached. But at the end of the day, those are the degrees. Everything else is just details (noise).

When it comes to $, if you're too worried about the cost difference, your dreams aren't big enough.

Tip: If you do end up at Tepper, don't tell your classmates about your decision as you'll quickly be branded as insane and probably subject to countless jokes.

maksifaust · Answer

For what it's worth, the 'e' for the Wharton degree does not bother me at all, that's not the point.

What makes you think folks would label me as insane and make fun of me? I've talked to a few folks about it and no one's thought it's crazy to not do Wharton (not saying that's what I will do). I have heard of at least one person turning down HSW for Tepper though in their case it was a complete full ride.

JohnnyBlaze · Answer

Because it's not just Wharton>Tepper, it's Wharton>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Tepper.

Tepper will get you your first job, Wharton will get you a career.

T15-T20 students have a bit of a chip on their shoulder as the schools are 'top' but not 'top enough.' Expect many to think you're insane for your decision, as they would have easily elected for Wharton over Tepper in any form. These would be the ones who don't have big scholarships to turn down HSW, the vast majority of students.

maksifaust · Answer

Regardless of whether or not you make valid points, I doubt people would call me insane or make fun of me. Clearly you'd, but I don't think that's representative of everyone else.

bb · Answer

Yes, Wharton is stronger than Tepper, I don't think you need to point the obvious. The OP's situation is more complicated than usual though, at least I feel that way, the Wharton is an EMBA and is delayed by a year. There is urgency which makes the decision a lot more complex. Maybe something that eluded you in the original post but I feel the wharton vs. tepper is not comparing apples to apples. Just my 2 cents.

I would agree that on the surface people will ask you "why did you pick Tepper again?" and that will be your Tepper classmates as the first group double-guessing your decision. I had to make a few non-popular unusual decisions in my life and I am always annoyed with people double-guessing and making very rudimentary suggestions saying such as "well, you need to look at the rankings" and it makes it a complex argument since they I am defending my decision which was a lot more complex than they realize or ever will realize and I get pissed of at them at the end. Not a reason to be influenced by that but you can be finding yourself sometimes saying "I went to Tepper with a full scholarship and that was really my only option at that time" sort of justifying Tepper.... but I am not sure what situation the OP is in. Obviously Wharton is higher-ranked but we have to make peace with our decisions and there are many factors.

bschool22 · Answer

If I'm reading this correctly, the OP deferred his acceptance to Wharton, and now he regrets it and is trying to decide between going to a lower-level school and waiting a year to atone for his mistake.

Yes, deferring was a mistake, no mitigating that. I've never heard of anybody turning down Wharton for Tepper. I could see if the OP had a better FT option on the table, but he doesn't.

Given Wharton's reputation in tech and the fact that half of the program's students are tech executives, I don't see one rational reason here for choosing Tepper, but some lucky waitlister is happy to gain from your unfortunate error.

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Thanks for the summary 😉

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