Haas vs Johnson

Question

Hi, I'm currently deciding on Haas ($60k scholarship) vs Johnson (full-ride)- very thankful for both opportunities. I want to go into sustainability/clean energy or work at a start up.

I like Berkeley for how strong it is in sustainability, start-ups, and data but my biggest issue is that most alum seem to stay in the west coast and if I don’t want to, I feel I may lose that network and friends I make.

I like Cornell because it seems decent in sustainability, seems to have a really good culture, and that scholarship but it seems like the weaker program overall.

Thoughts on which program I should choose or suggestions on how to think about this?

bb · Answer

I assume you are planning to move away or move to East coast after Haas? Why would you lose those friends?

What kind of career are you looking to pursue?

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nandyvik · Answer

bb , ya I was thinking about moving to the east coast after business school but also was not fully set on it. I currently live on the east coast and most of my friends/family live there. I guess I wouldn't lose the friends I made but it'd be harder to see them as often if I moved to the other coast after business school

bb · Answer

Gotcha. The reason all of the West Coast schools have people work on the West Coast is multifold but it kind of boils down to it’s hard to beat California weather and lifestyle. It is expensive and there are definitely many problems but when every day you have bright sunshine and you can wear shorts all year around, as you can see from the data, nobody wants to move .

This does create very limited network strength and also limits on campus recruiting as well because recruiters know that they have no chance of recruiting someone for a Chicago office out of bay area. The network strength is strongest and most impactful within the immediate vicinity of the school and immediately after you graduate. Three years later, it doesn’t really matter. Most likely, you will not be relying on your business school (at least fully) to get your second or third job out of MBA.

So… I would recommend focusing on where do you want to be immediately after business school because that’s the only part that comes into play. Haas network is in the bay area and Johnson network is in New York City. If you would like to be in New York, or on the East Coast, it makes no sense to leave only to come back a few years later.

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Haas vs Johnson

Which program should I choose?

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