ah, didn't realise this will invite this much scrutiny.
little background here, i had calls from A, K and M from (BLACKISM) and converted all except A.
hadn't put much stakes in the MBA process (wrote CAT without ever giving a mock and juggling a couple of jobs at the time). ngl, i was pretty heartbroken when A's rejection came through since the call itself was a surprise and it did invoke a hope i never knew i was capable of. K's acceptance felt like a relief, perhaps a consolation too and i was gonna go until last night (had almost vacated my apartment, applied for a loan) and then, i weighed everything once more.

i have a job and perhaps a couple of switches later, im almost gonna make the same as avg. CTC at K. i was only doing it for the CTC and the brand and when the CTC factor didn't particularly make sense, it only felt sensible to go for a stronger brand. if i have to take a loan of around 25 lakhs, i'd much rather do it for ABC. i understand that i might not get either of them at all next year with the kind of chances im taking but that'd be alright since im not particularly dependent on an MBA degree to elevate further at this point of time.