WHARTON OR CBS

Question

Hear me out!

CBS was always my dream school; been wanting to go there + live in NYC for over 10 years. Getting in was a genuine dream come true.

Next day I get into Wharton, completely unexpectedly. While I know this is a no brainer for many, I really want to investigate my options and research this very thoroughly before going through with a decision.

A couple of things about me/my preferences:

I am not necessarily looking for a career in finance/PE etc- I’ve been a consultant for 4 years and looking to explore a career in marketing or strategy for a larger company (possibly in consumer goods or media). I know both Wharton and CBS are finance focused schools, but just wanted to put it out there.

I care about making genuine connections and being really involved at school; think clubs, activities, etc. I want to come out of this MBA with friends for life.

I want to probably return to the Middle East region (where I am from) long term

I know that either way I’d like to intern in NYC; am I right in saying that’s probably possible equally with both schools?

Living in nyc has been a dream for the longest time; I know there will be exposure to NYC with Wharton as well, but is the Wharton experience so great that it makes Philly an awesome place to be?

Again, I know there may be an emotional decision with me wanting to go to CBS. But looking for genuinely honest answers about people’s experiences at both, given the priorities I’ve mentioned above. Would love to hear all your thoughts!

klamm · Answer

I think it's a pretty easy decision - go to Columbia.

I don't think there is a difference between the schools that comes close to your desire for NYC. Columbia also has an enormous international reputation - maybe even greater than Wharton (outside of pure finance circles).

Archit3110 · Answer

congratulations for admit.. its a tough choice to make... considering your long term goal and plan i will vote for columbia.. 
all the best...

jessepinkman · Answer

Unless you got a bunch of $ from CBS I'd go to Wharton

bb · Answer

Thank you for your voice!!! Great to see you stop by.

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bb · Answer

I would say the career you are pursuing is a fairly small sliver of applicants. You will be in the 5% or 2% at either school.

By the way this isn’t just for these two schools, marketing and CPG are fairly low on the totem pole for recruiting. Not only there are very few jobs but also the pay is on the lower side. There are obviously exception and amazing opportunities, so you may be lucky. But it’s probably good to have Plan B just in case.

Moving to Middle East 10 years after graduation, it really doesn’t matter which program you go to because I doubt you would be relying on schools network but maybe if you have no other options. In that case Wharton would be a stronger play because they have a decent number of foreign government sponsored students.

PS. Neither program is going to be perfect. Something will be annoying, Professor will be bad and life is never perfect. However, think about introducing yourself, let’s say you went to Columbia. Would you say that hi my name is Jim And I went to Columbia for my MBA. Do you feel you need to say I also got admitted to Wharton but I choose to go to Columbia?

Scenario two you can say hi my name is Jim and I went to Wharton for my MBA. You probably would not be adding to say that you also got admitted to Columbia. 🤷‍♂️

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WHARTON OR CBS

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