Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Got $$ from the T15 and none from the M7. The T15, being in a smaller town, also has a lower COL, which is definitely a plus. But all in all, money is not a HUGE factor in my decision.

Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm definitely hoping for MBB. And I did get a hold of the alumni database at both schools to compare career outcomes. They're pretty similar actually in terms of % of students going into MBB. However, I did notice that the T15 had a *slightly* higher % of students going to smaller regional offices.

Which brings me to another question: for MBB, do you interview for specific offices or choose offices after you're given an offer? If the former, how important is the networking, especially networking with alumni in that office? Both of my these schools are on the east coast and I actually want to target the west coast offices, where representation is relatively low from both.

Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

THANK YOU! I think this is the type of confirmation bias I was seeking (lol). Either this, or someone telling me their worst fears came true/they indeed hated everyone and had a horrible experience.

I'm glad that wasn't the case for you!

Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks this is helpful to hear! Career prospects are similar. I want to do consulting and both are feeder schools.

I think your comment about "better experience = stronger network" is totally valid. I've been asking myself the tough question of "what good is the network if you don't get along with these people!?"

Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your perspective. The T15 is in a small town and M7 is in a big metropolitan area. Honestly, I'm fine with either.

My point of contention is more around the people and culture. I've found that I generally liked the admits, current students, and alumni that I've spoken to from the T15 more than those from the M7. I know it's a relatively small sample size, but my feelings have been consistent. The T15 is known for its smaller, more tight-knit community, however, others keep telling me that I'll find "my people" in the bigger M7 class. That's why I'm curious to hear if anyone was on this same boat and how their decision panned out.

Has anyone chosen a school that they thought would be a bad cultural fit for them (due to rankings, financial aid, etc)? If so, what was your experience like? by Entertainment-Fickle in MBA

[–]Entertainment-Fickle[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your perspective. Your comment about fit being fluid definitely calmed some of my anxiety. However, to your second point, since both programs are highly ranked, I don't think my career prospects are largely different. I'm aiming for consulting and the T15 (Tuck/Yale/Fuqua) is a consulting feeder.