Simon (Rochester) $$ vs SMU Cox $$$

Question

Hi Everyone,

I am an international applicant and got admits from both these schools in R1, but I am having a tough time deciding which one to choose for the deposit. I come from an engineering background with overall work experience of 6.5 years (2.5 years in boutique consulting + 4 years in a CEO's office at a startup). My aim is to go into consulting post-MBA.

The rankings of Simon are significantly better everywhere except US News (Simon 32 vs Cox 34). I heard that Cox has jumped up the rankings compared to past few years. However, the percentage of international students at Cox is considerably lower compared to Simon.

Employment outcomes are more or less similar. Cox has a significant location advantage because of Dallas and the new stock exchange, I feel. Rochester would require more travel, but I have heard consulting recruitment is majorly virtual.

Could anyone suggest which school I should go for and why?

Thank you in advance.

EggOnToast · Answer

I'm a 1Y at Simon, from 24 and 25 employment report from Cox it seems to me that their consulting hiring is seasonal 30% in 2024 and 12% in 2025. Simon is relative consistent with 15% of class going into consulting related roles. I think after speaking with many other MBA students/grads from different schools, people get what they "deserve." In lower ranked schools usually the people who works really hard towards consulting gets consulting, its not like top tier schools where MBB and recruits 20 students per school.

Personally I don't think Simon or Cox is really for "consulting". Most consulting recruitment here is virtual, but alums are definitely more responsive than other schools.

My 2 Cents is take the cheaper MBA and the culture which you resonate with, reach out and coffee chat over LinkedIn with students currently at the schools. IMO cultural fit is probably better for your 2 year experience.

bb · Answer

Thank you EggOnToast!

Consulting companies are picky as they love rank as they can showcase it to their clients so rank matters there but it is possible to break through if you focus on it, so prioritizing cost makes the most sense.

P.S. Simon is usually a finance-focused school (traditionally). SMU I think has a much smaller class size if I am not mistaken.

EggOnToast · Answer

85~ vs 96-100 at simon.

iabhish1509 · Answer

I spoke to a few Simon alums last year, and they mentioned that Simon’s finance and pricing courses are really strong. Finance outcomes are also quite good due to its proximity to NYC. Consulting outcomes, however, are fairly basic.
I haven’t done enough research on SMU Cox yet, so I can’t comment much on that side.

That said, Simon generally seems to have a slight edge in terms of brand value. Based on the rankings and the points you shared, I think it makes sense to compare the total cost for both programs and go with the more affordable option.

As  bb  and  EggOnToast  mentioned above, SMU Cox has a smaller class size. If you prefer a smaller cohort, that’s definitely something worth considering while making your decision.

Also, I believe you still have ample time to improve your application and apply to better schools in R2. From what it looks like this year, there seem to be higher chances of getting into top schools due to a lower number of applications overall.

bb · Answer

Thank you for the feedback and insights!

Unfortunately most of the R2 for the sexy schools have passed at this point but perhaps OP has applied already. 
However, Simon with $$ vs. Emory without any $$ may not be too much of a difference in employment outcomes for consulting so I would pick $ in that case as well.

goingplaces25 · Answer

Thank you for the insights.

I also feel that the number of international students at SMU is pretty less and given the current dynamics it would become challenging. The final total expenses at both places would roughly come to be the same given the scholarship and Dallas vs Rochester.

I have applied to Emory, McCombs and Foster in R2. If things go well, will have more options to chose otherwise I will consider going to Simon vs applying next year with further improvement in the profile.

Simon (Rochester) $$ vs SMU Cox $$$

Simon (Rochester) $$ vs SMU Cox $$$

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