Undecided - 04-07-2023 | Clear Admit DecisionWire

April 7, 2023 11:42am ET

Enrolled: Undecided

Admitted: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper $

$50000

, Cornell / Johnson $

$60000

, UVA / Darden

Applied: Berkeley / Haas, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, UVA / Darden

Entering Year: 2023

Post MBA Career: Undecided

GMAT: 760

GPA: 4

Notes:

I am an International student and not fixated on any career path. I am just inclined towards consulting. However, I want to keep other options open as well considering the current market situation. I am negotiating with Darden for a scholarship. In case they match the Cornell offer, what shall I do? In case they don’t, what shall I do?

Like (1)

Show Comments (6) Last: April 19, 2023

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1860 Congrats on your acceptances to Tepper ($50k), Johnson ($60k) and Darden. All three are solid MBA programs. Would you be willing to share more information about your preferences? For instance, do you have a career preference, a geographical preference? a personal fit preference? How about prestige preference and scholarship preference? For example, Darden would have an edge for consulting. Having said this, Johnson is good with consulting placement and may have more of an international brand. My sense is that Johnson with $60k seems like a good option - but again, it would be helpful to have more information from you about what is most valuable to you. (1)

anon97226 Likes Earned: 16 OP here: Thanks for the reply, Eliot. Means a lot. I am certainly inclined towards consulting but also exploring other options. I would like to be in the US as long as I can get a Visa sponsorship. Within the US, I don't have any preference for now but again that would be too early to say anything. Scholarship certainly plays an important part since 60k USD is a huge amount for an Indian. Prestige - It's important but not certainly the only deciding factor. Would appreciate it if you can guide me. (1)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 776 Unless Darden ups the $ close to Johnson, I'd roll with Johnson. Consulting is strong at Darden, but Johnson is roughly in the same tier and the balance of other paths is similar between the programs in case you decide for something else. The better financial package would be appealing given the economy and if visa lottery requires return home after OPT runs out. If Darden matches, then I'd make a decision on your primary focus, consulting, if you'd like the case method, and school fit. (2)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1860 Yes, I agree with anon10646. I think that Johnson with a $60k scholarship sounds like a good option for you given its combination of brand, consulting placement and scholarship. (1)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1155 I presume you have investigated this, but are you planning on taking a STEM track at whichever program you choose to give you three years of OPT? I'd read the fine print on this, since not every major/concentration/offering comes with the STEM designation. Beyond that, I think it would really behoove you to determine some post-consulting preferences in terms of a career, as this might shed light on which program is the best fit. Best of luck with your Darden negotiations and keep us posted as to what you decide! You certainly can't make a bad choice here - these are all excellent, close-knit MBA offerings. (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1587 More details on this decision in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2023/04/mba-wire-taps-287/ (0)