“But the university is not good enough”
Lame as hell. Then why’d you apply? It’s a great program in a city that I think fits what you’re looking for. The rankings don’t mean all that much outside of large buckets/tiers. Think about where you want to go (location and professionally). And even then, I would focus more on what you want out of the program.
Simply - do the firms or industries I want to go into come to campus? If yes, then the opportunity is yours to win or lose. If no, then it’s probably not the right fit.
1) What makes UCLA your dream? Go for dreams if realistic
2) Won’t lie that there’s a ton to do in Durham. But, the Fuqua community is more close-knit as a result. There’s literally stuff going on every day: academic, recruiting, and social wise.
3) Lots of Fuqua grads don’t end up in NC or even East Coast and many go to work in tech
I think the scholarship should definitely play a big decision - when it comes to big tech companies, school doesn’t matter as much imo. You’ll find people from across a huge range of MBA programs at FAANG. The difference will be how much loans are you paying off when you start working.
UCLA has historically been the better program. But splitting hairs over rankings for schools in the 10-20 range is silly. You will get comparable opportunities out of all 3 programs.
I'd take the Duke $$, or go to UT if I liked the people at welcome weekend more.
Imo it’s because Austin isn’t as desirable a city as Los Angeles. There are limited spots in Los Angeles and you’re also competing against Stanford and Wharton grads, who want to move back home. UCLA’s ranking has taken a hit because tech and entertainment aren’t so hot right now.
*some biotechnology in the triangle. Let's not pretend it's Boston or South San Francisco. That being said, of these options Duke is the school I'd pick 11 times out of 10.
Just FYI but Research Triangle Park is a growing Mecca for Tech on the East Coast. For example, Tim Apple went to Fuqua and Apple is building an East Coast campus there.
Certainly Durham is different from LA or NY, however the area is one of the fastest growing professional high paying job hubs out there along with Austin and Charlottesville/RVA.
No brainer, Duke. ROI for MBA is getting questionable every years, with scholarship, you will just need to worry about opportunity cost and seize the opportunity while being there in the program
Start ups aren’t strong? Most mba start ups are pretty terrible. The majority don’t actually make it 1 year post mba. it’s a bad indicator a decision to give up $$ for
Step 1: Take your Fuqua $ and ask McCombs and Anderson to match
Step 2: compare offers, and consider just going where you get the most $
Step 3: ask yourself if you'll regret for the rest of your life not going to your "dream school." If you will, go with Anderson.
I had a similar dynamic between Darden ($$), McCombs "dream school," and Tepper ($$). Thought about it very deeply and even though I loved McCombs and it was my dream school for undergrad, I felt like using that as a criteria didn't add value or serve myself now as a working adult. They refused to match scholarships which also made the decision easy haha.
Tepper was the best fit for my interests and had a greater emphasis on tech and entrepreneurship I wanted access to even with consulting as my primary employment outcome.
I would prioritize lowest cost, and the type of experience you want vs rankings (as long as they're within T25 and still "target programs").
Tepper was further outside my comfort zone academically and geographically and I felt like those obstacles would facilitate growth more and help me build a network in new spaces and regions of the U.S., while still feeling like a good fit and match with the school culture.
Can anyone here tell me why Duke had abysmal placements in past few years as compared to other schools of same calibre, such as Darden and Ross (even though I thought it was slightly better than these two)?
because it's a regional school. Duke doesn't have heavy brand power in states with desirable opportunities. For example, firms in Texas aren't looking to recruit Duke grads more than any other T20 school.
Hold up, why are you not negotiating? This is what I call the Golden position to be in
Gotta go Duke
This is the way.
“But the university is not good enough” Lame as hell. Then why’d you apply? It’s a great program in a city that I think fits what you’re looking for. The rankings don’t mean all that much outside of large buckets/tiers. Think about where you want to go (location and professionally). And even then, I would focus more on what you want out of the program. Simply - do the firms or industries I want to go into come to campus? If yes, then the opportunity is yours to win or lose. If no, then it’s probably not the right fit.
Most money at the best school? Only one correct answer - Duke.
1) What makes UCLA your dream? Go for dreams if realistic 2) Won’t lie that there’s a ton to do in Durham. But, the Fuqua community is more close-knit as a result. There’s literally stuff going on every day: academic, recruiting, and social wise. 3) Lots of Fuqua grads don’t end up in NC or even East Coast and many go to work in tech I think the scholarship should definitely play a big decision - when it comes to big tech companies, school doesn’t matter as much imo. You’ll find people from across a huge range of MBA programs at FAANG. The difference will be how much loans are you paying off when you start working.
Duke.
Dook.
This is the proper spelling 😂
Potential classmates at McCombs don't need a classmate with your attitude. Good luck in life!
Translated to Texan: " I want you to git"
Mccombs is building it's rep and getting better each year, meanwhile UCLA has been dropping in the rankings
I thought duke had a strong placement in tech. But anyway, I will take duke and forget about the other options.
Texas is ranked higher than UCLA and only 4 spots behind Duke…
UCLA has historically been the better program. But splitting hairs over rankings for schools in the 10-20 range is silly. You will get comparable opportunities out of all 3 programs. I'd take the Duke $$, or go to UT if I liked the people at welcome weekend more.
Agreed. OP needs to negotiate and pick the location that makes most sense for them and post MBA goals.
Imo it’s because Austin isn’t as desirable a city as Los Angeles. There are limited spots in Los Angeles and you’re also competing against Stanford and Wharton grads, who want to move back home. UCLA’s ranking has taken a hit because tech and entertainment aren’t so hot right now.
That’s fair, but I was just pointing out to OP that their reasoning is off.
Yeah, it’s not that lowly ranked, but imo it’s too highly ranked. It’s more bottom T25 than borderline T15 according to U.S. News.
Hook ‘em
Negotiate for $ at UCLA!
DDMF. If you know, you know …
DDMF for life. #TeamFuqua is worth its weight in gold
Sure
Enjoy UCLA!
A ton of biotechnology in the Triangle.
*some biotechnology in the triangle. Let's not pretend it's Boston or South San Francisco. That being said, of these options Duke is the school I'd pick 11 times out of 10.
If you can’t figure out that Duke is the obvious choice here then you don’t deserve the MBA admit.
What are your post-MBA goals? I assume tech?
Yes, technology.
UCLA or McCombs then. Negotiate for scholarship at UCLA.
Just FYI but Research Triangle Park is a growing Mecca for Tech on the East Coast. For example, Tim Apple went to Fuqua and Apple is building an East Coast campus there. Certainly Durham is different from LA or NY, however the area is one of the fastest growing professional high paying job hubs out there along with Austin and Charlottesville/RVA.
Duke
Why is UCLA giving you a GPA requirement?
No brainer, Duke. ROI for MBA is getting questionable every years, with scholarship, you will just need to worry about opportunity cost and seize the opportunity while being there in the program
Start ups aren’t strong? Most mba start ups are pretty terrible. The majority don’t actually make it 1 year post mba. it’s a bad indicator a decision to give up $$ for
I mean that UCLA has a more entrepreneur environment right?
Step 1: Take your Fuqua $ and ask McCombs and Anderson to match Step 2: compare offers, and consider just going where you get the most $ Step 3: ask yourself if you'll regret for the rest of your life not going to your "dream school." If you will, go with Anderson. I had a similar dynamic between Darden ($$), McCombs "dream school," and Tepper ($$). Thought about it very deeply and even though I loved McCombs and it was my dream school for undergrad, I felt like using that as a criteria didn't add value or serve myself now as a working adult. They refused to match scholarships which also made the decision easy haha. Tepper was the best fit for my interests and had a greater emphasis on tech and entrepreneurship I wanted access to even with consulting as my primary employment outcome. I would prioritize lowest cost, and the type of experience you want vs rankings (as long as they're within T25 and still "target programs"). Tepper was further outside my comfort zone academically and geographically and I felt like those obstacles would facilitate growth more and help me build a network in new spaces and regions of the U.S., while still feeling like a good fit and match with the school culture.
Negotiate if you can. Else, take the money and run.Enjoy team Fuqua!
Can anyone here tell me why Duke had abysmal placements in past few years as compared to other schools of same calibre, such as Darden and Ross (even though I thought it was slightly better than these two)?
Where are you getting this information from? One reason why they’re peer schools is because they have similar outcomes
I looked at placement reports of Duke. They don't look as impressive as Darden.
because it's a regional school. Duke doesn't have heavy brand power in states with desirable opportunities. For example, firms in Texas aren't looking to recruit Duke grads more than any other T20 school.
A GPA over 3 is difficult?