Rank These MBA Programs and Comment

I'm not going to rank but I do know a bunch of people that went to UMass and do very well for themselves..

all these schools are there to there. you're going to need to network from all of them. might as well just go to the cheapest one.

If you want to work in FL then you can't really beat UF. Countless amount of loyal alumni all over the state. (I grew up in FL)

None of them are targets, so I would just go with whichever one is the most convenient and which you like more......

I do want to live in Florida. I'm just afraid that there aren't enough opportunities to earn a lot of money. What do you guys think?

In Florida UF is number one, then FSU add in UM for South FL. What's your GMAT, because if you have a 650+ I'd say add Emory, Vandy and UNC.

Opportunities are few and far between in Florida when it comes to finance. There are certain a fair number of firms, but they are typically really small shops with just a few senior level people and one or two junior level people. They typically don't hire much from what I've seen, that is to say, not on an annual cycle...mostly as a need arises...so finding a position would simply be a matter of networking and luck.

Rule of thumb is you get the best MBA education you can manage to get into. It's easy to move to Florida with a degree from UNC, might be harder the other way around.

Regards

Florida isn't a definite. I just like to keep my options open. Every winter I wish I was somewhere sunny. For now, I'm in the NYC area and I'm just trying to capitalize on my (limited) options.

I'm leaning toward UMass being #1 on my list. I say this because: I already went to Rutgers, so I can tap that alumni stream and still go somewhere else who has alumni too. UMass is less than half the price of PSU or Syracuse. People have mentioned that UMass is represented to a degree on Wall Street. Finally, if I DO move to Florida, or somewhere similar, the UMass degree will still hold some esteem because it is from a school in the northeast.

UF and FSU are basically tied for second at this point. UF seems slightly better, but FSU is half the price.

Can anyone agree with my thinking here or chime in with their opinions?

I'm a huge Florida State fan and wouldn't hesitate to recommend UF over FSU when it comes to academics, especially finance. There are a few things that FSU does better than UF...girls would be one of them, partying (despite the recent rankings) and, arguably, football...but UF reigns supreme when it comes to academics. FSU does have a few programs that might be better, like certain scientific focuses and things like that, but for business UF is the place to go if you HAVE to go to school in Florida.

UMass doesn't sound like a bad choice, but check with the school and see about getting the job placement stats to see where the grads end up from both and industry and a geographic standpoint. Search LinkedIn as best you can to find alumni that work on WS. If you find some, try to reach out and ask them some high level questions about their experience while in school and with the recruiting process, etc.

Remember, after your first job (maybe two) out of business school, your degree will mean more to you than it does your employers if you aren't shooting for top echelon shops. They will want to see how your career has progressed over the years and education will be more of a check in a box as time goes on. That means you want to find the school that gives you the best opportunity to find a great job at/before graduation, not the one that appears to provide you the most opportunity 10 years from now, especially if your criteria is a place or region you think you might want to live...this is why a Florida school won't necessarily trump the other schools when it comes to long term success, even if you are living in Florida. Also consider there are literally hundreds of thousands of UF grads. If one of them picks up your resume they might think it's cool you went to the same school, but chances are there is another UF grad in the resume pile so you don't necessarily have an advantage over the other applicants.

You just never know how it is going to play out which is why you just have to put in some time up front researching what gives you the best chance as success and then go from there.

Regards

Interesting. In searching Linked In, "Finance" was the 6th most popular career industry for UF grads and 4th most popular for FSU grads. UMass grads chose Finance with the 6th most frequency, as well.

If my employer pays part of the tution, I could graduate from FSU or UMass with an MBA for $10k or less. Though these aren't "top-tier", I believe that is a pretty good deal. Especially since I can continue to work full-time and gain work experience.

Hopefully I'm right in this thinking.

I think you need to figure out what you want to do first. An MBA, in my opinion, should be viewed as a "Get out of jail free" card. Use it only if you have to. If you don't like the industry you are in, then use it to wipe the slate clean and jump ship. If you like the industry you are in, then have a clear benefit defined for obtaining the degree...like potential promotions or higher salary, etc. If you aren't going to benefit from it, why waste the time and money?

Also consider that many places don't just pay for your school without a time commitment on the back end (or repayment of the cost). If they offer a certain amount per semester, then realize that you might spend a few years getting your degree as opposed to just 2 years for a full time program.

I think your first step is to figure out what you want to do. Keeping your debt/cost down is a great idea, but not at the expense of the network, experience and job opportunities you get from that school/program. If your goal is IB, then you need to aim higher for a better probability at breaking into the industry. If you aren't sure what you want to do and don't mind staying in the industry you are in, then the cheapest program might be the best route.

Regards

I would imagine Rutgers, Penn State and Syracuse have the biggest alumni populations on Wall Street, which is going to be your only hope since none of them are targets for front office investment banking. The placement statistics are all going to tell you the same story- grads from those schools don't go to front office IB jobs. You need to look at the alumni population and the extracurricular networking ops each school offers. I doubt any school is going to offer a better ROI than Rutgers given your in-state status, although with a ~700 GMAT you may be in scholarship territory for those schools. If you can get a scholarship or tuition remission at Penn State, that is the highest ranked and probably best option.

Can I ask the seemingly rational question assuming you have ok work experience, do well ideally 700+, but at least a 650 why not consider Vanderbilt, UNC-Keenan Flagler, Georgetown, BC and the like?

A certain joke comes to mind op....why are private schools do expensive? Cause they are worth it