Kelley($$$$) vs Ross($) - for Tech PM?

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm facing a tough decision! I've been accepted to both Ross ($40k) and Kelley (full ride with Forte Fellowship). My goal is to transition into Big Tech Product Management after my MBA. Currently, I'm a Software Engineer, and ideally, I'd like to live on the West Coast after graduation.

Here's the dilemma:

Ross: Valuable experience, big on tech PM opportunities, huge alumni network - but a hefty $150k loan as an international will be an additional burden.

Kelley: Full scholarship eliminates debt, but not a big brand name and mostly a CPG marketing school.

Please let me know your thoughts.

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your dilemma.

I’ve known people from both schools to get job at the same company funny enough. The distinction I would make is the power of your résumé. If you have a strong brand on your résumé, you can go to Kelley. However you worked in a bunch of small companies and perhaps not very well known, it helps to have a validation and vetting brand such as Ross.

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bb · Answer

I would probably lean a bit towards the scholarship just because of the safer which is also a personal choice and perspective. Do you want maximum opportunity or do you want lowest risk.

PS. Traditionally based on research, men are much more reckless than women and women tend to be more practical and since you have a forte scholarship you likely would be more practical and less prone to take high risk statistically speaking. You are more comfortable not having the huge weight of a big loan, I think Kelly could work.

PS. Ross usually does not negotiate scholarships but it doesn’t mean you cannot try.

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Tidefan · Answer

Hello,

I'm currently a 1st-year at Kelley and I love it here. We have a large recruiting network for all marketing and some of my friends got PM internships this year at Microsoft and Amazon. We certainly have a big CPG footprint, but our network of alumni is so expansive that you could get help just about anywhere. I'll be at Kellanova this summer and wound up with interviews at 13 different companies in a variety of industries. My background was in recruiting, so I didn't even have marketing roles on my resume to prompt additional consideration. I chose Kelley over Goizueta because it was a better school for marketing and, frankly, their scholarship offer was insulting. If it's about money, then the choice makes sense to be Kelley. If it's about opportunity and potential, I would recommend speaking with some current students. I could try to get you in touch with my friend going to Microsoft this summer to talk about her experience here if you'd like. One of my other friends here is also a software engineer at Boeing, so maybe you 2 would have things in common to discuss since she's looking into PM as well. Let me know.

PyjamaScientist · Answer

I think BB summed it up nicely- low risk versus high opportunity. As a Ross MBA, I am naturally biased towards Ross. But, I know that what you'll be getting at Ross will go a long way than Kelley. I was in a similar situation as yours an year back with a full ride from Kelley and a bare minimum scholarship from Ross. I ended up choosing Ross because I chose best opportunities over debt.

Having said that, Tech recruitment for the past couple of recruiting cycles has been abysmal across schools, and most of the folks who got anything was through their own network. So, if you have a robust network that can help you irrespective of the school brand, go for Kelley. If not, come to Ross. Yes, you will have a debt on your shoulders, but you can pay that back once you get the big bucks post MBA. Atleast that's how I saw it for myself.

Kelley($$$$) vs Ross($) - for Tech PM?

Kelley($$$$) vs Ross($) - for Tech PM?

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