Undecided - 12-21-2021 | Clear Admit DecisionWire

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December 21, 2021 4:34pm ET

Enrolled: Undecided

Admitted: NYU Stern , UCLA Anderson $

$100000

, UPenn / Wharton

Applied: Berkeley / Haas, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, UPenn / Wharton

Entering Year: Other

Post MBA Career: Technology, Consumer Goods Companies: Other, Nike, Unilever, Other

GMAT: 710

GPA: 3.4

Location: West Coast

Notes:

Also waitlisted at Kellogg. Post-MBA career is marketing at a health/wellness company - CPG or tech. Ideally want to be on the West Coast or NYC. Wharton is my dream school and the obvious choice, but I'm finding it hard to pass up $ at UCLA. Also supposed to hear back on consortium fellowship for NYU & UCLA, but not til March. Very torn!

Like (2)

Show Comments (12) Last: March 12, 2022

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 OP here: the Post-MBA career thing looks like a glitch when I submitted. I'm interested in both CPG & tech. Post MBA company examples I'm interested: J&J, Peloton, Nike, Unilever (0)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1860 While both Stern and Anderson are great programs, most people in your situation would still choose Wharton because it is a top ranked program with a global reputation that will allow you to pursue careers either in CPG or tech. While paying full tuition can sound daunting, you will be able to repay your loans within several years of graduating. Obviously, be sure to do your due diligence by attending admitted student events. Best of luck. (2)

anon57888 Likes Earned: 72 Wharton's brand will take care of that 100k in no time ;) (3)

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 Hi OP here - do you still think Wharton is worth choosing over UCLA if i'm targeting a post-MBA career in marketing and not consulting/IB? (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1588 Wharton’s marketing department is absolutely exceptional, for sure. (0)

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 Thanks for all the input. I am honestly still really apprehensive about paying full price at Wharton. Going to try to negotiate with them (though I haven't heard many people be successful) and also wait to see how Consortium plays out in March. (1)

anon Likes Earned: 0 OP, for West Coast, is there any preference on city post-MBA? Obviously UCLA does very well in LA as so much of USC/UCLA stay in Southern California. Are there aspects you really like about Anderson which would attract you over Wharton beyond the money? For some of your goals should be as achievable from Anderson as Wharton, but Wharton opens doors easier and maybe some Anderson cannot. If you really want LA, then I'd strongly consider Anderson, but I'd say closer to full tuition would make passing on Wharton worth it for me. Are there any additional scholarships you could apply to now or for the second year beyond consortium? If negotiating directly with Wharton, try bringing up something of value you can bring which maybe wasn't shown in your app/interviews that you bring to the program. & while a lot of us are saying Wharton, you're the one attending, so if you don't feel comfortable with that debt don't let people talk you into it. (1)

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 OP here - thanks for your questions. I'm targeting NYC or West coast post-MBA, and potentially international at some point. I'm sure I could find great opportunities post-MBA in LA if I attend UCLA but I don't want to be limited. Also based on my research of post-MBA salaries, I think I'm going to try going down the product marketing route since salaries are a lot higher than CPG, and if I really wanna do CPG later on...I can leverage my 5 years of experience to go back in the future. Honestly in every aspect besides money, Wharton wins in terms of marketing curriculum, recruiting, career prospects, extracurricular opportunities, culture, fit, global opportunities, etc. I don't have a car and think I'd probably need one at UCLA? But I've lived in Philly before and I won't need one there especially if living close to campus. Cost of living is also a bit cheaper in Philly especially if I get roommates. I also agree that I think I'd need closer to full tuition scholarship at the other schools to pass up Wharton, so I think that's what I'm waiting to hear back on consortium in March. I was also thinking I could try to negotiate with UCLA, but I don't want to do that yet if I'm ultimately still going to choose Wharton. I did just speak with financial aid at Wharton and while they were super nice and helpful, there's no reconsideration of fellowships. There are some opportunities for gaining financial assistance once on campus (2nd year fellowships, work study, teaching assistants) and they mentioned some students have success getting employers during internships to sponsor some of their tuition. I'll also be looking into any external scholarships I could apply for between now and matriculation. I love LA too so could definitely see myself being a student there and getting some extra perks of being a Forte Fellow, but I think just because Wharton has always been my dream school, I can't help but feel like I'm just going to regret it and feel bitter about not attending? Ugh... (1)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 777 I went to USC for UG, so familiar with LA and to a degree UCLA. I would not say a car is an absolute must as LA has gotten a lot better in past decade or so, but it'd be a disadvantage with degree depending on your lifestyle. Westwood is probably one of the better general immediate areas to not need a car, but I haven't been there for a few years so may have changed. Uber/Lyft and zipcar can be a pretty good substitute if you need to go further afar. UCLA may also be a tough negotiation as they're one of the more vocal 'no negotiations' schools. I'm sure Forte Foundation or other organizations could help pinpoint some additional private scholarships you qualify for. With PMM check the salaries for each school to help calculate how much a higher salary you might get out of Wharton starts eating away the differences. PMM isn't what I recruited for, but at least in IB there are tons of diversity/women's scholarships where you apply for the summer role and can apply for the scholarships; upon accepting completing the internship you got a scholarship and then an additional 'scholarship' bonus sign-on for accepting a full-time offer. (1)

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 OP again - as I'm narrowing my career focus, I'm leaning more towards tech vs CPG. Anderson obviously has a great tech presence, so now I'm even more conflicted. Anyone have insight into Wharton vs Anderson for tech? (0)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1860 Hi OP. Thanks for the note. Understand that you are admitted to three great MBA programs and you can't really go wrong with any of these decisions. For example, Anderson is a very good program with solid tech job placement, particularly in California and they are offering you a $100k scholarship. Having said this, Wharton is a higher ranked school that also has very good tech placement on the West coast. Holding aside the scholarship for a moment, most candidates would choose Wharton over Anderson or Stern. On the other hand, I agree that $100k is a lot of money. Is $100k enough of a difference for you to forego Wharton? One strategy is to minimize regret. First imagine that you select Anderson. Would you regret turning down Wharton? Next, imagine that you chose Wharton. Would you regret turning down the $100k scholarship to Anderson? Good luck. (1)

anon55508 Likes Earned: 37 OP here - I received the consortium fellowship from UCLA. This is making my decision a lot tougher - essentially a toss up between a full ride at UCLA vs no $$ at Wharton. (1)