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05 Mar 2025, 07:03
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Hi,
I’ve been admitted to two MBA programs: Queen’s Smith School of Business and Schulich School of Business. I’ve been awarded a 32,000 CAD scholarship at Schulich and a 10000 CAD scholarship at Smith. Both are full time programs. I want to work in Canada after completing my degree. While I’m thinking about getting into consulting, my plans are still flexible and I’m open to exploring other career opportunities such as IB and Big 4. That being said, I’m wondering which of these two programs would be more prestigious and provide the best opportunity to help me transition from business development into something new such as consulting. As per my research Queen's seems to be the better option but I'm not sure and I was hoping you guys can guide me. I need to deposit my Schulich admission deposit in 2 days time, so hoping to get urgent help.
I’ve been admitted to two MBA programs: Queen’s Smith School of Business and Schulich School of Business. I’ve been awarded a 32,000 CAD scholarship at Schulich and a 10000 CAD scholarship at Smith. Both are full time programs. I want to work in Canada after completing my degree. While I’m thinking about getting into consulting, my plans are still flexible and I’m open to exploring other career opportunities such as IB and Big 4. That being said, I’m wondering which of these two programs would be more prestigious and provide the best opportunity to help me transition from business development into something new such as consulting. As per my research Queen's seems to be the better option but I'm not sure and I was hoping you guys can guide me. I need to deposit my Schulich admission deposit in 2 days time, so hoping to get urgent help.
05 Mar 2025, 18:29
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My perspective is going to be a little bit unique here, in that all of the fields/companies you've mentioned (IB, consulting, and Big 4) are highly, highly over-rated. There's very slow growth, low salaries, very few opportunities to even get hired, and generally bad environments to work in. Consider a career in tech (SaaS, security etc.), whether it be finance, in-house consulting, marketing, sales, operations, and so on. If I were you, I would use the biz dev experience to find similar roles in SaaS, which would pay me FAR more than anything I could make in finance or consulting.
Having said that, I wouldn't read too much into which of the two institutions is more "prestigious". While your overall experience might be 'better' (I mean it) at Queen's/Smith, it's also the more expensive of the two (quite significantly), is far away from Toronto (where all the jobs are), and has little-to-no bearing on your job prospects vis-a-vis an MBA from York/Schulich. All else being equal, a candidate isn't more or less attractive to a potential employer if he/she graduated from either Queen's or Schulich. So the decision criteria could be as follows:
(1) Cost - how much of a factor is it for you? Can you afford a more expensive MBA?
(2) Quality of the year-long experience as an MBA student - how important is it for you? If quality of your overall experience as a student is something you're willing to forgo, in an effort to cut costs, it's an easy pick....
(3) Proximity to Toronto - you're constantly going to be travelling to Toronto for coffee chats with potential employers. Do you want that trip to be a 20-minute train ride OR a 3 hour train ride? I suppose a lot can happen over virtual chats, so this might not be a super-important point, but worth considering regardless.
(4) Strength and quality of alum - Both are more or less equal. Neither one has a strong advantage over the other on this front.
(5) Impact on your job hunt - Again, all else being equal, neither school has a strong advantage over the other. If you do the right amount of networking, interview prep, and related activities....you're going to be successful at either instituation.
I know this answer gives you more data to ponder on (as opposed to giving you a final answer), but that's the point, you have got to pick what works for YOU. Feel free to ask any further questions.
Myself: Queen's/Smith full-time MBA '17
Having said that, I wouldn't read too much into which of the two institutions is more "prestigious". While your overall experience might be 'better' (I mean it) at Queen's/Smith, it's also the more expensive of the two (quite significantly), is far away from Toronto (where all the jobs are), and has little-to-no bearing on your job prospects vis-a-vis an MBA from York/Schulich. All else being equal, a candidate isn't more or less attractive to a potential employer if he/she graduated from either Queen's or Schulich. So the decision criteria could be as follows:
(1) Cost - how much of a factor is it for you? Can you afford a more expensive MBA?
(2) Quality of the year-long experience as an MBA student - how important is it for you? If quality of your overall experience as a student is something you're willing to forgo, in an effort to cut costs, it's an easy pick....
(3) Proximity to Toronto - you're constantly going to be travelling to Toronto for coffee chats with potential employers. Do you want that trip to be a 20-minute train ride OR a 3 hour train ride? I suppose a lot can happen over virtual chats, so this might not be a super-important point, but worth considering regardless.
(4) Strength and quality of alum - Both are more or less equal. Neither one has a strong advantage over the other on this front.
(5) Impact on your job hunt - Again, all else being equal, neither school has a strong advantage over the other. If you do the right amount of networking, interview prep, and related activities....you're going to be successful at either instituation.
I know this answer gives you more data to ponder on (as opposed to giving you a final answer), but that's the point, you have got to pick what works for YOU. Feel free to ask any further questions.
Myself: Queen's/Smith full-time MBA '17
06 Mar 2025, 00:52
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I'd probably go with Smith for two reasons:
- Smith is generally considered a stronger brand in Canada, particularly for consulting and finance. It has a better reputation among employers and a strong alumni network in top firms.
- To the best of my knowledge, Smith has better placement in consulting (MBB, Tier 2) and IB compared to Schulich. Schulich is stronger in marketing and general management rather than top-tier finance/consulting roles.
Don't let the scholarship affect your decision too much. Focus on long term career prospects after each school.
Do let us know what you decide finally.
- Smith is generally considered a stronger brand in Canada, particularly for consulting and finance. It has a better reputation among employers and a strong alumni network in top firms.
- To the best of my knowledge, Smith has better placement in consulting (MBB, Tier 2) and IB compared to Schulich. Schulich is stronger in marketing and general management rather than top-tier finance/consulting roles.
Don't let the scholarship affect your decision too much. Focus on long term career prospects after each school.
Do let us know what you decide finally.
