What to choose b/w USC Marshall & NUS Singapore

Question

I got an offer letter from USC Marshall with a 100K Scholarship and NUS Singapore with a S$20,000 Scholarship. My professional background is I come from a law background in India. I am very confused about what should I choose in respect of better job opportunities.

Admissionado · Answer

Guptamanali :

Let's start from the beginning. Congrats on both acceptances (and with money!) That's fantastic - it's great you have a choice.

Can you tell us more about your career ambitions? Do you have a clear plan laid out that's either consistent with your admissions essays or something entirely different? Which sectors are you targeting?

Where do you want to be geographically after graduation? If you want to be in North America, the USC Marshall is the way to go. If you want to (stay) in Asia, then NUS is likely a better choice.

Of course, all of this information is entirely separate from where you would be happiest. Culture, fit, etc. play a big role in your experience; however, since you framed the question with a focus on job opportunities, we limited our discussion to that criteria.

-Admissionado

Guptamanali · Answer

I have a legal background with 4 years of work experience and I want to pivot into marketing. I am unsure if combining law and marketing is viable for me as I have heard that private equity, consulting and Investment Banking are the fields where the lawyer gets priority. Therefore, I am concerned about what to choose in regards to better job opportunities, since it will be a big decision both financially and professionally.
Also, I got an offer letter from Rotman Business School with a 20k scholarship.

Admissionado · Answer

Guptamanali :

You should definitely have a good shot to pivot into marketing. It's not one of those fields that is big on pre-MBA experience. The key is to demonstrate the current skills you have that would make you a good marketing professional and to fill in the gaps with coursework, club involvement, and other ways to demonstrate this interest.

Consulting and investment banking are other viable options as they don't require pre-MBA experience to participate in the on-campus recruiting processes. Private equity is an entirely different story. That would be your least likely path.

I still believe that your geographic preference is more important in making this decision. Do you want to share your thoughts here?

Guptamanali · Answer

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi Manali,

Congratulations on all 3 admits and the scholarships. All three are great MBA programs. 
I am going to agree- it boils down to the location. Which country do you wish to live in for atleast a few years after MBA. Think about a 5-7 year framework, because many people tend to come back to their countries after this duration.

Secondly, as you are keen to pivot into a new field (where lawyers typically don't go after MBA), I think you should select a b-school that will give you lots of chances for project work/ internship, so that you can explore different careers/ functional roles better.

Hope that helps

What to choose b/w USC Marshall & NUS Singapore

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