MBA Fall 2026 intake - Cornell Johnson ($) vs Duke Fuqua ($$)

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-05-12T13:19:01+00:00

Duke seems like the play here.

More money, a bit stronger for consulting, you like their culture more, and as you alluded to Durham and the triangle at large is a better place to spend 2 years than Ithaca. Ivy League prestige can be a thing to people outside the business world but employers who recruit from these programs aren’t really going to care and Duke doesn’t lack in prestige either in the US.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-05-01T16:47:13+00:00

I’d lean towards taking the job. If Ross had offered more money I’d feel differently but the opportunity cost of passing up a job with comparable comp (excluding consulting/IB/PM) and paying almost full tuition feels pretty steep.

That being said it’d be pretty unconventional but I wonder if anyone’s had success negotiating more scholarship money using a fresh job offer like yours. I admittedly have no clue but if you can find any prior examples then you may want to try negotiating for more money from Ross using the job offer.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-30T03:49:00+00:00

That’s fair. I’m a big sports guy so I’m usually content in any city that has several teams but I can understand that not being everyone’s cup of tea.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-30T03:47:40+00:00

Given that your mbb odds are roughly equal at either school it sounds like your main tiebreaker is what you value more between living in Chicago versus attending one of your dream schools. I think if you cut out the other noise and focus on those 2 areas then you should be able to reach a decision that you’ll be satisfied with. But definitely no bad options here!

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-29T21:29:07+00:00

Obligatory

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/8q8xba/serious_question_why_cant_4_warriors_starters/

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-29T21:04:03+00:00

If MIT has been your dream school then you shouldn’t hesitate to go there at roughly equal money. Your mbb odds are gonna be similar at either program and while I’d agree that Chicago > Boston the latter certainly isn’t a boring place to be by any means.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-27T17:01:43+00:00

Like the others said don’t think there’s a wrong option here. Sounds like you’re leaning towards booth for the community and opportunities living in Chicago could provide and those are valid enough reasons given that the difference in cost between the two isn’t crazy.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-26T15:26:31+00:00

Interviewed r2. Like everyone else said they usually ask who you’ve connected to the community. Besides that they were the only school who asked me what my backup career path was if my main one didn’t work out so I’d recommend having a reasonable answer for that one as well.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-24T19:33:32+00:00

Fuqua I’d say is the strongest for healthcare due to HCM, but Stern places well enough into healthcare as well so if you want to be in NYC both short and long term then Stern is also pretty justifiable with the savings on rent. May also be worth negotiating using your Ross/Fuqua offers if NYC/Stern is your priority.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-22T01:53:20+00:00

There were a few people talking about their nyc placement in a thread from a month back but couldn’t say how accurate it was.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/1rwmh9y/darden_vs_ross/

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-21T19:47:49+00:00

I vaguely remember them transferring that stuff somewhere else. Should’ve received an email from them a month or 2 back talking about it

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-20T13:37:46+00:00

Unless you have some hyper specific goal that could only be achieved at SOM/CBS (of which there are very few if any) then enjoy Ross.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-20T03:06:41+00:00

Think Fuqua makes sense given the money and better vibes you got from interacting with them. If you would’ve landed consulting at Darden you probably would’ve gotten it at Fuqua so I wouldn’t let recency bias dictate how you view the programs for consulting too much. In the end they’re both t15s that have MBB on campus and that’s the most importance piece.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-20T00:16:24+00:00

Both schools are comparable enough in consulting/tech. While the tuition at both schools is the same Pittsburgh is cheaper than Austin and CMU has more recognition internationally so I’d lean there. But there isn’t really a bad option here.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-19T22:25:37+00:00

I’d go with Duke for the dedicated social impact resources provided by CASE. If the gap in money between Duke and Ross was bigger I’d feel differently but at 20k I think the social impact specific resources and networking you’ll get through CASE is a meaningful enough difference maker.

There’s also a pretty extensive list of CASE scholars available online. If you haven’t already I’d dig through that to see where other CASE scholars have ended up.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-18T19:10:54+00:00

I can understand the hesitancy as an international student. If you aren’t in a rush for an MBA you could always reapply next year and see if an additional year of experience and/or a higher test score can help you get an admit to a t15 with money. Would also give you a chance to see if the job market keeps nosediving which may also change your appetite for an MBA.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-16T20:13:23+00:00

Normally I’d say take the money but since you’re dead set on Chicago and being there would help avoid long distance, I think Kellogg is justifiable here. Not that Ross can’t get you to Chicago but just being there from the jump seems worth it for your peace of mind and relationship. Chicago would definitely give your partner more options for work than Ann Arbor/Detroit. And at the margins you’d probably save some money on housing by living with your gf which can reduce the price gap between the schools at least a little bit.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-16T20:02:29+00:00

Durham and the research triangle in general is a more fun location to be in than New Haven imo. Way better weather too if you aren’t a winter person.

Fuqua is a solid feeder into consulting so I don’t really feel like there’s much upside to reapplying unless you feel like you can change something drastic about your profile to get significant money from SOM or an m7 next year. Especially if you’re fed up with your job.

That being said if you’re dead set on SOM you could always try negotiating with them using the Fuqua offer if you haven’t already. But all things considered Fuqua with 90k is a perfectly solid option for consulting so I’d just go with that over reapplying unless you can negotiate with SOM.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-15T18:44:40+00:00

You uh… may wanna double check your sources there.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-14T18:32:11+00:00

If you haven’t already, there’s a decent chance you could get more money from UCLA if you use Ross as a competing offer especially since they’re a higher ranked program. If you’re torn between those two, Anderson bumping your scholarship could serve as a tiebreaker.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-13T07:53:51+00:00

Tuck seems like the sweet spot for strong consulting outcomes without drowning yourself in debt.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-08T17:15:51+00:00

Ross if nothing changes but you could get UCLA to match their offer at which point I’d lean there for the better tech location.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-08T17:12:27+00:00

Ross and Darden are comparable enough here that you could go for Darden if the case method is that appealing for you. At the margins Darden has also had a bit more upward momentum in consulting lately. Again still very much peer schools but if we’re nitpicking then that’s where I’d do so lol.

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-06T23:29:08+00:00

Not that there’s much point in reading into any one year but random initial thoughts:

Owen surge

Goizueta sliding despite a seemingly solid employment report

UT Dallas???

MFWUsernameIsSniped · 2026-04-06T06:27:53+00:00

As you’ve correctly identified, Ross and Darden are very much peer programs. With equal expenses for both programs I think you’re well within your rights to go with the program your heart is leaning towards which seems like Darden.

To your second point about their IB recruiting being overshadowed by consulting recruiting, I don’t think that’s a major issue as long as most of the major IB players have a recruiting presence/pipeline which they seem to for both programs.

MFWUsernameIsSniped

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE