USC vs. UC Berkeley vs. CMU vs. NYU

So the total fixed costs are roughly…

CMU - $40k
Cal - $60k
USC - $80k
NYU - $132k

I think these four schools are peers in terms of Business/Finance – all would look roughly equally impressive on a resume or a grad school app.

So CMU is out to a (minimum) $20k lead over the rest. The question is, does the overall fit at any of the others overcome that five-figure price difference? Unless one of the others overwhelms while CMU just doesn’t feel right, I’d go with CMU.

Do consider other areas of fit… but unless something really stands out to make you think “this other school feels like home,” I think CMU is the top choice.