[Urgent] 2 days to make a decision between ESADE and BU (55k off)

Question

Hello people of GMAT Club,

I have come to you once again with a fork-in-the-road question. I just received a very generous offer from BU (55k) scholarship, which has thrown up a new dilemma since I already have an ESADE admit and have 2 days to make the deposit payment. Sharing some context and what are the pros and cons in my view
 
 Post MBA goal: To work in tech management or VC. I have 8 years of Startup experience but want an MBA to work in a more senior role as a PM or BD lead in a larger tech firm. I also have experience in VC but mostly handle marketing and communication, I want to transition into a more analytical and financial role with an MBA. I'm open to both but I realise that VC is much harder to get into and my best chances are in tech.  
 Other considerations: Financially speaking I'm the only earning member of my family so debt does play a big role. For ESADE funding I have taken a loan with our home as collateral 
 Long-term settlement and life: I was set on the EU as a place I want to live in the long term but I realise that if I graduate with a lot of debt, it might be harder and take longer to realise that dream  
ESADE Pros
 
 I like the program for opportunities like working on projects with CERN and exchange semesters at top B-schools like Booth and Kellog 
 It is more tech-oriented than other EU schools, which matters a lot since I'm not keen on consulting  
 I have spoken to many alumni and they have nothing but good things to say about the schools and have gone out of the way to help me  
 Barcelona!  
ESADE Cons
 
 Career prospects that weigh on me are the middish mean salary and the fact I know some ESADE alum who have returned or went to the UAE to work (Don't want to end up there) 
 High cost of tuition and living (I will be spending close to 100k USD) 
 Spain and the EU in general as a career destination. While employment the world over is pretty hard for MBA grads rn, it is extremely difficult in EU at the moment.   
BU Pros
 
 While it ain't HBS or MIT, it still holds its own on the East Coast as a reputed institution  
 The dual specialisation is something that really appealed to me and the curriculum overall seems very up-to-date 
 The scholarship + post-employment salaries make better sense in terms of ROI 
 Boston is a hub for tech   
BU Cons
 
 Not a very strong brand beyond the Boston or East Coast Area vs ESADE's EU reach  
 USA wasn't my first choice to settle down in  
 I will mostly have to be content with working in T2 consulting or tech firms as a fall back if I don't get my desired companies  
I have never faced a tougher decision in my life and would greatly appreciate any kind of guidance from the folk here.

Athena22 · Answer

First of all congratulations on getting multiple admits. I got an admit from ESADE and other schools so i ended up picking another school. Hence, I cannot give an expert opinion on ESADE. But from what I heard through my interactions with the previous cohort of ESADE, its a good school, reputed in the business world for years (one way to cross-check this fact is to see its FT rank over the past 10 years). Secondly, if you already made up your mind in staying in the EU, then its better to get your degree from the same place where your school will be most recognized (not saying that Boston would not be recognized just that recruiters at EU would be able to do an apple to apple comparison if you do it in the EU). Thirdly, keeping in mind your post MBA goal, Spain especially Barcelona has a well-renowned start-up culture, even if you cannot crack a role in VC (which is difficult but not impossible and your start-up exposure can be used to your advantage), you can make your way to one of the start-ups in Barcelona. Fourthly, I do understand your concern about funding but while considering a B-school you should treat it like a long term investment-this is what makes people invest over 150K in the Ivy league schools and they reap the returns over the long run. So, BU scholarship might appeal to you now, but think of what you'll get out of the school after you graduate? And if you're too keen on the budget factor then you can accept the BU offer and try and network your way to EU.

I can give you two suggestions: Try to negotiate your way through the recruitment desk at ESADE. Securing admits from higher ranked schools might help you with this (you need to make the recruiter feel how big a loss it would be if you end up rejecting their offer). They offer need based scholarships too and i believe, you're not too late for it. Hope you end up making the right choice. Cheers!

I can give you two suggestions: Try to negotiate your way through the recruitment desk at ESADE. Securing admits from higher ranked schools might help you with this (you need to make the recruiter feel how big a loss it would be if you end up rejecting their offer). They offer need based scholarships too and i believe, you're not too late for it.  Hope you end up making the right choice. Cheers!

bb · Answer

If you want to work in Europe, I think you should go to school there.

I think the best suggestion would be to follow advice already given and to try to negotiate a scholarship. it’s very hard to recruit another continent. So recruit on the same continent you go to school

Posted from my mobile device

saurlatad · Answer

Hey, 
I was admitted to ESADE, SDA Bocconi, Georgia tech (50% off) and Simon Rochester (60% off) 
I picked esade 
1) diversity
2) flexibility of the program
3) Europe
4) Global hub and well connected
5) people who I spoke to are very collaborative and it holds true even in the college.

Also I can pretty much assure you that it would be difficult to find a tier 3 firm from BU. It's really competitive in USA if you not from a top 15 b school

Happy to connect and discuss more.

Posted from my mobile device

gokusan · Answer

These are very valuable inputs and to let everyone know I have paid my fees for ESADE and I'm also taking up the advice of  Athena22  and looking forward to a future in EU.

Posted from my mobile device

[Urgent] 2 days to make a decision between ESADE and BU (55k off)

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