Tuck ($$$) vs Booth (no $) [Solved: Tuck $$$]

Question

Hello Gmatclub community!

Well, I have a pretty tough decision to make. I am very fortunate to have been accepted both at Tuck (with over 50% in scholarships) and Booth (zero scholarships).

My profile : international from France, coming from CPG, 7 years of exp in corporate finance, with the last 5 between the US and South America, married with two young kids, 30 years old.
 Objective post-MBA:  likely to stay in corporate finance (no IB) or go into Leadership/Finance Dev programs, particularly interested in the tech industry but I'm not closed to other ones. I'm still thinking about consulting as an option, but I'm uncertain at this point, mostly because I don't know if the lifestyle vs family is something viable for me. It's important for me to be able to stay in the US after the MBA.
 Desired location post-MBA : I love Boston and the Northeast. But the location post-MBA will not be the deciding factor.

I will likely have to put 60-70k more at Booth, all of it covered by extra loans. Overall I'm looking at an 80k remaining debt after signing bonus at Tuck vs 140/150k at Booth. 
My partner and kids will come with me to the US, and she (partner) will take care of our two kids. Tuck here is an obvious option for us, the school/community being amazing for partners. And being in the countryside for two years might be a good option for the kids.

But a little voice in my head is saying that I am crazy to pass on Booth. It's an amazing school, the city is great, and it's an M7 school. From a prestige POV, the school is more renowned around the world than Tuck.

What do you guys think? Is Booth worth the extra money or not?

Thanks!

yashikaaggarwal · Answer

I also believe Booth is a better brand name but the brand name doesn't cut the whole school acceptance decision.
 ARINGO   Admissionado  we could use some help here.

Posted from my mobile device

Admissionado · Answer

Jerdel87 :

Extremely tough call with no right/wrong answer.

In the interest of giving you an actionable answer, I would say go with Tuck. Booth is a great school, but if you are looking at Corporate Finance (and not IB), Booth's reputation for being a finance powerhouse won't carry nearly as much weight. That would be the main reason I would pick Booth over Tuck.

Tuck may not be M7, but it's pretty darn close. The network is really impressive and close-knit. Countless top companies recruit from Tuck so you won't be at a perceived disadvantage by picking a lower-tiered school.

As the person above noted, reputation only matters so much. You ultimately give and take what you want from the school.

One other thought: if you are really torn and want to find a way to pick Booth for whatever reasons you ultimately choose, why not reach out to Booth to see if they will grant you some scholarship money? They may not match Tuck but they can potentially close the gap.

Jerel87 · Answer

Admissionado

Thanks for the feedback! I'm with you on all your arguments. Tuck seems a good option. I was unfortunately not able to get extra scholarships at Booth

One of the concerns I have (aside from the extra financial burden Booth would represent) is the fact that Tuck has been declining in the rankings, while Booth is rock solid on that aspect. The decision is going to be heartbreaking ahah

bb · Answer

Something to consider is if you are going to be moving with your partner/SO and kids. Integrating them into a local community/group would be great. Obviously it would be more options for transition for school choices in Chicago. I know many students have moved to Downtown Chicago and enjoyed the life there with parks, day cares, etc, etc. I don't know much about Tuck's community options (does not mean they are not there, just that you will need to find out about them). I would definitely research that side. It may be something researching ahead of time.

Jerel87 · Answer

bb

Thanks for the feedback. I had a lot of discussions with the partners club at Tuck, and although Hanover isn't is big city, the community seems fantastic.

What would be your own decision if you were in my shoes?

Admissionado · Answer

Jerdel87 :

The rankings aren't everything. The school's historic reputation and alumni network matter a lot more.

Not going down a rabbit hole here but the that HBS and Stanford aren't in the Top 3 of the US News ranking (but are clearly in the Top 3 of most people's estimation) says everything you need about the reliability of rankings. If you are concerned about Tuck's "decline" the question you ask is why are they declining? Which metrics are pulling the school down? If they are significant and will impact your experience, then it's worth taking into account. If it's something kind of ancillary to you but important to their methodology, then why let it factor into your decision?

You're going to have a blast no matter which you choose. You're in quite the enviable position!

Jerel87 · Answer

Anyone who would choose Booth and why?

It's also fun to notice that, based on the Financial Aid model from Gmat Club (financial aid consideration curve 2021 post), Booth would be picked over Tuck even with a full scholarship at Tuck

bb · Answer

I’m not sure if my choice and what I would’ve picked would help you and perhaps may be a little bit dangerous because who knows why I’m choosing one of the other. For example, when I ask my children about which vacation they like better, specifically Mexico or Caribbean they overwhelmingly said they liked Caribbean better which brought a smile to my wife’s face because she like the Caribbean. I press down and ask them why and they immediately answered, they got a lot more screen time during their vacation in the Caribbean 😂 a sad funny story.

Anyway, I would say that if you lack well-known brands on your résumé, you want to get us high and as strong of a business school as you can. This way if you recruit, and you came from a medium-size company that nobody has heard of in the US or potentially a large international company but still that hasn’t been well-known in the US, having Booth there provides a strong validation of your work experience. That’s one very crude way of looking at it.

Second, during my early years, I didn’t care about the cost and I wanted to get us high and as good as I could and so both would be my immediate and only choice. I bet that if you got dinged at tack and got no money and booth, you would still be happy to attend. Tell me if I’m wrong here 😇

I do think that Tuck has a great thing going with the community and the support they’re able to provide to their students due to their isolation. If you were looking for consulting, I would say go to Tuck, it is a no brainer. Finance on the other hand is the bread and butter and booth. You can get connected through professors, through on campus events, and the extensive booth community in Chicago in New York that is finance focused. I would say that if you are looking for investment banking or asset management or things like that, very strong reason to go to booth. That is not however what you’re looking for so you are potentially not leveraging all the value and benefits…

Are you good at networking and interviewing? If so, they can be useful and you can save some money. At the same time, if you need help, having those on campus opportunities will be crucial and having Booth name behind you, helpful. It is good to be the 500 pound gorilla, especially when booth is rated number one and pathetic Harvard is number five 😂. Who wants to go to Harvard anyway 😂

Posted from my mobile device

Admissionado · Answer

Jerdel87 :

There are a multitude of reasons why someone might choose Booth. For example:

(1) They do not consider cost to be a major issue, so a full-ride elsewhere is not a high consideration.
(2) They want to be in the Midwest, specifically a major US city.
(3) They have a strong predilection for Booth's famous Flexible Curriculum.
(4) They want to recruit heavily for finance (specifically investment banking), which is easier at Booth. 
(5) They want a large class size than the more intimate feel of a school like Tuck.
(6) etc. etc.

You get the point. With all of these choices, ranking and scholarship money are not always the primary driver in the ultimate decision.

BostonTC2018 · Answer

Personally, I would choose Booth > Tuck. Hanover is a cute little town, but it gets pretty boring after a while. If I was bringing my family, I would probably pick a larger city as there would be more opportunity for them there. Additionally, Booth is a global name that provides a lot more value when you go abroad. Just my 2 cents, but I see it as a no-doubter since the money won't mean that much in the long run.

Jerel87 · Answer

Thank y'all for the insights! I'm still trying to get scholarship money at Booth (you never know). I'm leaning heavily towards Tuck, but will let you know the decision once deposit deadlines have passed 👍

Jerel87 · Answer

FYI, I decided to go with Tuck 👍. Thank you all for your kind help and insights!!

Posted from my mobile device

Tuck ($$$) vs Booth (no $) [Solved: Tuck $$$]

Tuck ($$$) vs Booth (no $)

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards