Wharton ($0) vs. Kellogg ($0) vs. CBS ($0)

Question

I need help making a decision for a two year MBA program! I have R1 admits with $0 from Wharton, CBS, and Kellogg; dings from HBS, GSB, and Sloan

BACKGROUND
I’m an engineer from a non-target UG (I’m an ORM w/ above avg GPA and median GMAT for you lurkers) with experience in project planning and development at an oil major (~2 years) and currently working in a similar function at MBB (~2 years at matriculation) but I’m going to school unsponsored and will be a “free agent” for internships and full-time roles post-MBA

CAREER
Short-term goal: I’m open to explore careers, which is one of the main reasons I’m getting an MBA, but I have been looking at working in EV infrastructure planning and development (e.g. Rivian, Lucid) or in strategy at a sustainable energy tech company

Long-term goal: make good money doing something good for the planet, while working 40-50 hours a week so I can coach my kids in sports; prefer settling somewhere with good weather and nature

CURRICULUM
I plan to study pretty hard and soak up as much as I can from my classes.

I like the idea of achieving the BEES major at Wharton, or the Energy/Sustainability pathway at Kellogg, but I imagine I could take the the same types of classes at CBS and I’m not sure how much weight employers place on having an MBA major.

CULTURE
I’m not going to MBA to party all the time, but I do hope to make good friends and develop a strong network.

It seems like Wharton and CBS are a little more competitive and cutthroat, and Kellogg is more collaborative and friendly. I’m not Type A, so I’m more attracted to Kellogg’s culture. But I imagine I can find people like me anywhere, so I’m not sure how much of a concern this is.

I’m conflicted because I’m dually attracted to the idea of picking the most prestigious option (I’m an ashamed status chaser) while also being turned off by the idea of elitism and higher concentration of trust fund kids.

COMMUNITY
NYC seems like the funnest city, but also the most expensive; Philly seems very historic and more laid-back, with easy access to NYC and DC; Evanston seems quaint and fun for a young family, but freezing cold (though not a dealbreaker for us)

I have a wife and baby, and they don’t have a preference, though I do have to consider their happiness and the level of support that they will receive from the program (e.g. we would enjoy being in a program with other young families and active partners/kids clubs)

Posted from my mobile device

GrandpaGMAT · Answer

The right decision here is clearly Columbia. NYC >> Philadelphia > Chicago

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Merry Christmas! Sorry missed your post.

I will probably say it’s tough to recommend one of these amazing programs without greater degree of focus. In terms of a career. I’ll touch on this a little bit later as well, but I’ll do my best to share a few thoughts.

The short version is that we’re probably splitting hairs in someway, but at the same time, looking at your interests, and the fact that Wharton has a San Francisco campus, I may be a great, jumping off point for some of the green tech.

I would caution you, however, that your interests are very altruistic, but not uncommon. Many people going for business school are looking to impact the world around them, which is amazing but this also makes competition for the very few available MBA level positions very tough. I usually pay is not great either since the focus is not on the individual, but rather the value and benefits to the society. Many graduates find it challenging to live in the bay area for example, or New York while, having a large student loan. This is especially true for some of the nonprofits. Hopefully lucid and Rivian should not have pay issues, but they probably only have a handful of positions. You would be looking to recruit for. There are always exceptions.

I would strongly consider Wharton and then Kellogg. Columbia is one of the schools we really hear about it. It seems to be a great school for New Yorkers but I really don’t see a whole lot beyond that. This is of course, anecdotal feedback based on my observations on GMAT Club. 🤷‍♂️

Oh, anyway, Kelly would be great for product management, which would likely be the position you would be recruiting for. Right? Do you work?

I have heard a few people complain about Philadelphia and the the quality of life there. I would suggest asking another family for some honest feedback about grocery stores and safety and parks and things like that in Philly. I have never heard horror stories, so nobody has ever had a violent attack or anything like that but most people wanted to move out of Philly as soon as they graduated. It hardly matters for business school student since you will hardly have any time for anything but it don’t matter for your family.

My two choices would be Wharton followed by Kellogg and possibly Kellogg due to product management and product marketing concentrations that coworker has as well as better quality of life.

PS. I would highly recommend for you to start researching ASAP. Places where you want to work, jobs, employers, industries, positions. I made a mistake, thinking that when I start business school, I’ll have a whole class telling me how to do these things, and basically presenting me with all this information. That was a pretty bad assumption, and none of that happens. Instead, you are overloaded with school and a whole lot of other things and you still have to do this research so the biggest regret that most of the business school graduates or first year students have, is not frontloading a lot of this research work for finding an internship and a job. I would also say that being more focused and I would even say laser focused is a lot more helpful for finding a job that being open to anything. This one is counterintuitive, but it actually works and worked many times. Imagine you meet someone at a party and they tell you they need a job and they are open to most things. What is your impression of that person? Unless your company was hiring and badly needed someone, that would be the end of that conversation. Moreover, you probably don’t want to recommend someone who is desperate for any kind of job because clearly they are desperate and couldn’t find anything. Now imagine same party but the person you meet tells you that they are looking for a product management job Within the automotive industry and looking at Lucid or Rivian or Tesla specifically focusing on battery supply issues. while you may not be working at those companies, you may know somebody who does. Peoples minds immediately connect points and also people feel that someone with such laser focus must be really, very picky and therefore very qualified. Obviously, you have a lot of accomplishments and you wouldn’t get into these business schools without them and you probably have more specific ideas and goals than you shared here but I would suggest getting the most precise as possible in the next six months. Moreover, being specific can also help you narrow down the school and perhaps you’ll see that Columbia is a huge Driver or placement program for your target jobs…. And imagine you have listen to me and chose not to go there. 😂

Posted from my mobile device

Braintree · Answer

It's not a dumb question at all; The same cannot be said about your reply though.

The OP has gone through considerable effort in providing relevant details so that experts or fellow 'lurkers' can provide more effective suggestions.

I suggest moderating this post,  bb

In my view, among the top 10 schools - HBS and GSB are non-negotiable, except with each other. The rest all can be chosen over the other - for valid reasons - such as for personality type and culture, specialisation, regional preference, or alumni preferences.

From the three that you do mention, Wharton is a distant third, Kellogg not far too behind Wharton, CBS the weakest among the three. I your case, I agree with what  bb  has said. Between Wharton and CBS, I will add that both CBS and Wharton are strong in finance/economics. However, at a more granular level, Columbia's Economics 'School' is stronger (which is generally independent from the MBA school, though has alliances and 'cross-pollination' with the MBA school), whereas Wharton's Finance 'Department' (which is a core component of the MBA school) is stronger. The implication is that if you want to specialise in Finance/Economics - Wharton will have more/better tailor made courses for the MBA, whereas in CBS you will have stronger professors for economics -- even Nobel Laureates -- but you would have to take such courses in the Economics School. So choosing CBS over Wharton makes sense if you would like to have such options, otherwise Wharton edges out CBS, generally. I wouldn't consider NYC to be a big factor, since anyhow you would be too busy to 'enjoy' NYC - and for networking all the recruiting biggies come over at your doorstep.

catinabox · Answer

I'm only going to weigh in on the community and culture perspective. While the popular narrative is that Kellogg is more collaborative and friendly, I'd say there are still quite a few type A personalities here too. You might want to talk to people at Wharton and CBS about it- might be more type-A personalities there haha. Personally, I feel like this should not be a factor- you can find your community and the right crowd at any school- though it might take more effort at some schools.

The family culture and partner inclusivity however is where Kellogg would truly stand out. Partners, or 'JVs' as they are referred here are included in every part of Kellogg. They can join all the clubs students can join, go on KWEST, audit classes, and even lead KWEST or student clubs. I do not know much about this aspect at Wharton and CBS, so if this is something you really care about, you should ask students there.

bb · Answer

Thank you for your feedback and points  Braintree . I will revise the comments to make it less repulsive. I’ve reread it and I agree with you.

Posted from my mobile device

dranfoz · Answer

I faced a similar situation, having been admitted to Wharton, Kellogg and Berkeley. I decided to attend Wharton, and I'm very happy with my decision. A few comments on my side:
- Wharton is undoubtedly the best ranked amongst the three, which in practical terms means that you will find it easier to open doors no matter what your goals are after graduation.
- About Wharton and CBS being more competitive and cutthroat than Kellogg, I can tell you that this is not true. The Wharton community is extremely collaborative, and I'm sure CBS is similar. You will find type-A people in every top school, but because of grade non disclosure most of them manage to promote collaboration over competition. Having said that, some industries (banking and consulting, for example) can be a little more competitive during recruiting, but you will always find others to accompany you in the process.
- Location matters. If you care about NYC, I can tell you that being in Philly you could go to NYC almost every weekend if you wanted to (many people do during recruiting). What is nice about being in Philly is that the experience is not absorbed by the city, but you are still in a major city and just hours away from NYC and DC. If you care about being in NYC though, CBS would be the best option, obviously. Just be aware that the city tends to "steal the show" a little bit at CBS/NYU.

Having said all these, all of these schools are fantastic. Just make sure you assess the right variables and that you talk with people. Avoid falling into stereotypes!

Please DM if you would like to discuss further. Good luck.

Wharton ($0) vs. Kellogg ($0) vs. CBS ($0)

Which school should I choose?

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