Undecided - 12-24-2021 | Clear Admit DecisionWire

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December 23, 2021 10:20pm ET

Enrolled: Undecided

Admitted: U. Chicago Booth , NYU Stern $

$170000

Applied: U. Chicago Booth, NYU Stern

Entering Year: 2022

Post MBA Career: Investment Banking Companies: Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley

GMAT: 760

GPA: 3.4

Location: CA, USA

Notes:

Received full-ride to Stern and nothing from Booth (planning to negotiate). Short-term is to break into banking to pivot to social impact/impact investing in the future. I know both programs have great access to my short term goals, so the full-ride seems like a no-brainer, but I'm having a hard time balancing that with the network/access of Booth

Like (1)

Show Comments (9) Last: January 9, 2022

bluedevil16 Likes Earned: 14 OP: also applied to Columbia and H/S/W, but waiting on R2 decisions. So this is interim decision/in case I don't get into any of the other 4 (0)

bluedevil16 Likes Earned: 14 Also definitely would love to be in NYC, but I know with banking, I will almost certainly end up in NYC after bschool if I'm not there for school anyway. I'd love to eventually return to CA, so the broader Booth network is something to consider, although that far into my career, I'm not sure how much it will matter. Sorry for so many additional comments. Would greatly appreciate everyone's insights! (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1576 A classic dilemma, exacerbated by your desire to be in NYC short term, then back to CA. Frankly, I’d be hard pressed to look beyond Stern’s offer here. Booth is great, but a free ride at Stern, for banking, is pretty great, too. Good luck with Round 2. (1)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1857 As an interim decision, a full ride at Stern is a very compelling option. Out of curiosity, suppose that you also gain admission to H/S/W. Of the five which would you choose? (1)

bluedevil16 Likes Earned: 14 Thanks to you both for your insight! in in your opinion, even if the short-term is banking, you don't think the long-term benefits of the broader Booth network outweigh $170K? I've heard some feedback that where you went to bschool matters less after your first job post-MBA, but I'm having a hard time getting over that hurdle mentally. And do you think going to Booth is safer in case I decide that banking is not the right immediate decision for me post-MBA? As for H/S/W vs Booth or full-ride Stern, I'm fairly certain I would go to any of H/S/W over Booth & Stern. Order would probably be Harvard, Wharton, then Stanford, but given name recognition, networks, and program alignment, going to any of those programs would be easy decisions (also because 2 offer need-based financial aid). (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1576 Critical to the decision, and it’s implications, are the people you meet, befriend, during the MBA programs. They will provide you most impact, in the long run. To me, this is the core of the network you are accessing, as part of the MBA experience. (1)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1857 Thanks for your additional information. I agree that Booth is a great program with a great brand. Booth is also a tier above Stern and all things equal most applicants would choose Booth over Stern. However, you need to choose the right program for you and given your desire to be in NYC combined with the very large scholarship Stern is offering you makes your Stern offer very compelling. I do encourage you to do your due diligence by attending admit events and chatting with current students and alums of both programs. You will also get more information when you hear back from H/S/W. Good luck. (2)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1576 More details on this decision in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2022/01/episode-207-wire-taps/ (1)

anon10646 Likes Earned: 763 If you were looking to be in CA very early post-MBA, then Booth network may help as Stern is very NYC centric, but my read has been by 5+ years out the network name itself opens less doors. Also for what it's worth I didn't apply to any NYC schools (they also didn't appeal to me) as I assumed there was a strong chance I'd end up there for jobs, but after doing finance recruiting there was not as much of a massive NYC gravity pull as I was expecting. Yes, if you want NYC it has the most seats, but also a ton of core schools, so there was also lots of opportunities in other places ATL, CLT, CHI, LA, SF/Bay. Several people I networked with in those locations were in NYC as Associate/VPs and lateralled offices. (2)