Hi,
I got into Wharton and Yale and just 2 days back I got a 50% grant from Yale. I am not able to decide how much difference it will make to go to Yale than at Wharton.
Provided I am from India and considering the H1 visa problems this financial aid will be really a great support.
Points of confusion - I want to get into Consulting, Social Impact and Social Entrepreneurship. (NO finance and not-so-much of nonprofit) but I want to go with an open mind.
Wharton has a very strong alumni network in India which might be really helpful if I want to get into entrepreneurship 5 years down the line. Yale’s alumni base is not so active or wider in India.
Also with the larger class size, I feel I might be more challenged and will have a better diverse experience at Wharton than at Yale but again I can’t ignore the flexibility that I can have in choosing my career due to the financial aid.
Any kind of help/opinion/perspective appreciated. Thanks!
Graduates of top business school often have very high lifetime income so the difference in cost is not as relevant on a proportional basis when compared to the more typical income situation. Wharton may open more doors than Yale; choose the better school and pay back the higher loans. It shouldn’t be too much of a burden.
The difference between Wharton and SOM are distinct, but not necessarily better. SOM which only started to confer the actual MBA degree in 1999, has a much more holistic approach, which makes a fairly delineated nexus to the societal good and contribution. Wharton is certainly much more versed in the quantitative subjects as applied to finance, as well as the attendant connections and history it has with related employers.
On the other hand, many CEOs/Presidents of large non-profits and NGOs hail from SOM. That is not to say that there is not a fair representation of may SOM grads on Wall Street, PE firms, Hedge Funds and similar ilk. SOM just completed construction of an incredible stand alone building for their programs, you should visit it. Two superior choices, but if you want to do something on the social impact side, I would make serious consideration to SOM.
I think Wharton would give you a stronger network and I would try to make it work.
I would take the money and Yale. It’s simply lower risk.
You can’t count on higher earnings and being 6 figures in debt without a high-paying job is not a position you want to be in.
I would pick Wharton. It’s a materially stronger business school and is basically tied with Harvard and Stanford as #1. Yale’s business school isn’t even in the top 10. Your career desires can and will change over the course of your career, even a little, and Wharton will be a stronger name on a resume.
I am NOT an MBA and I am very prestige-focused, so take my advice in that context.