Help deciding where to go? 
(Senior Monkey, 83 
Points) on 1/19/10 at 7:34pm
I got accepted at Rice ($), Texas (in-state), Georgetown and Tepper. I have 3 years exp in the consulting industry, and I want to concentrate in finance during my MBA. Is it worth paying the extra money to go to G'town or Tepper because of their proximity to NYC? Or would I be making a foolish move. I know Texas has a lot of name in US News rankings, but it is a very regional school (I did my undergrad there) with not so good career services. I am really confused, any help would be appreciated!
hookemhorns86 wrote: Is it
by TheBuySideGirlIs it worth paying the extra money to go to G'town or Tepper because of their proximity to NYC?
No
if you want to do IB in
by Affirmative_Act...if you want to do IB in Houston/Dallas- Texas will get you there and, to a lesser extent, so will Rice. I'm sure you know this as you are from Texas, but the nice thing about investment banking in Texas is that you have the energy capital of the world in Houston close by, and all the premier BBs recruit for the energy banking groups at UT. Also, after a couple of years at a BB in Houston, you may be able to transfer to its NYC office.
If you want to do IB in NYC right away- none of the programs will be a sure bet. Georgetown will get you banking jobs in DC and the mid-atlantic. Tepper is more of an asset management kind of school, not good for investment banking.
I think your best, and least expensive bet, is UT.
Thank you for the input. If
by hookemhorns86Thank you for the input. If it comes down to between just UT and Rice, would I be crazy to pick Rice over UT? I like the B-school facilities at Rice much more than UT. I pay the same amount for tuition in both schools.
Honestly, you have a Texas
by Anthony .Honestly, you have a Texas school under your belt already. All of the schools you have listed are great, but I do think that NYC firms will give preference to northeastern schools. Gtown is only 2 hours from the city so if you want to interview you can do it with ease. Also, suppose you don't get invited for interviews with BB firms. Middle Market places are going to be reluctant to fly you across the country to meet with them. In that case a more local school will win out. Just my .02 cents. All your choices are great by the way. Congrats!
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Thank you Anthony for the
by hookemhorns86Thank you Anthony for the valuable input! I am waiting on a decision from Yale, if I get in there it will be a no-brainer for me.. but until then I am sitting here weighing pros and cons of each school. I really wish I'd applied to NYU.
Have you visited all of these
by Anthony .Have you visited all of these schools? I am very familiar with Tepper and can comment on the atmosphere and area a lot. I think you will be fine wherever you go to school though !
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I am planning on visiting
by hookemhorns86I am planning on visiting Georgetown and Tepper in the first week of February, so that should help hopefully. How is Tepper? I have heard it is more quant focused than other schools. Also, a lot of people say it is "very far" from NYC, which I don't think is true..
Rice wouldn't be crazy. I
by Erwe422Rice wouldn't be crazy. I don't know what the numbers are at UT, but I do know that around 6-8 students a year do investment banking at Rice with a class size of 125. That doesn't seem too terrible to me although I obviously don't know how many of those 125 actually wanted to do ibd.
rice is good, but is less
by Affirmative_Act...rice is good, but is less well-regarded at the MBA level than is Texas. if you are getting an MBA in texas, do UT.
as for the comments about georgetown- it is true that it is only a few hours from NYC, so you may be able to get a banking gig in NYC, but it is a semi-target at best. you should be able to get IB in the DC area though, which may be interesting as many firms have their ADG (aerospace, defense, government) groups there.
as for carnegie mellon: good for quant asset mgmt stuff, but i have never really heard of BBs recruiting there for the traditional front office IB roles.
have you thought about a school like virginia or cornell? they place pretty well in NY IB.
Tepper Job Placement :
by Anthony .Tepper Job Placement : http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/mba/your-career/career-paths/download.aspx?id=...
It all comes down to fit. I have spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh and love the city as well as CMU. It has decent IB placement and is a well respected school. Oakland is really nice place to live in and there are a bunch of large financial firms to intern in within the area. It is not NYC by any league, but if you got to CMU you can intern at Mellon, Fidelity, PNC, Citizens, Raptor, etc.
All of your schools have solid alumni and good reputations. Hit me up when you go to Tepper. I can tell you some awesome places to hit up in PGH.
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AnthonyD1982 wrote: Tepper
by hookemhorns86Tepper Job Placement : http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/mba/your-career/career-paths/download.aspx?id=...
It all comes down to fit. I have spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh and love the city as well as CMU. It has decent IB placement and is a well respected school. Oakland is really nice place to live in and there are a bunch of large financial firms to intern in within the area. It is not NYC by any league, but if you got to CMU you can intern at Mellon, Fidelity, PNC, Citizens, Raptor, etc.
All of your schools have solid alumni and good reputations. Hit me up when you go to Tepper. I can tell you some awesome places to hit up in PGH.
Thank you Anthony, I will let you know for sure :)
Affirmative_Action_Walrus
by hookemhorns86rice is good, but is less well-regarded at the MBA level than is Texas. if you are getting an MBA in texas, do UT.
as for the comments about georgetown- it is true that it is only a few hours from NYC, so you may be able to get a banking gig in NYC, but it is a semi-target at best. you should be able to get IB in the DC area though, which may be interesting as many firms have their ADG (aerospace, defense, government) groups there.
as for carnegie mellon: good for quant asset mgmt stuff, but i have never really heard of BBs recruiting there for the traditional front office IB roles.
have you thought about a school like virginia or cornell? they place pretty well in NY IB.
I missed the deadline fo Darden.. never had Cornell on my list. I don't really care that much about doing IB in NYC, as long as I can do it in one of the major cities. Just thought there might be more opportunities if I am closer to NYC. If Texas can get me into one of the big names in either Houston or Dallas, that's perfectly fine by me. Just that Texas as a state is a not a big financial hub like the east coast. People do say Houston energy IB is big, but honestly I barely ever come across anyone or see any such opportunities in Houston.
It's going to be a tough decision, unless Georgetown or Tepper totally WOWs when I go visit, I think I might end up going to Texas again!
Your opinion has been invaluable, and thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it! :)
Erwe422 wrote: Rice wouldn't
by hookemhorns86Rice wouldn't be crazy. I don't know what the numbers are at UT, but I do know that around 6-8 students a year do investment banking at Rice with a class size of 125. That doesn't seem too terrible to me although I obviously don't know how many of those 125 actually wanted to do ibd.
That is true.. tough decision ahead! Thanks :)
Houston IBs recruit on campus
by energy_fin_guyHouston IBs recruit on campus only at Rice (Jones) and UT (McCombs). It's actually hard to make it into Houston IBs even from the top north-east schools. I have met few bankers in Houston from Wharton, Chicago, NYU and Columbia (who usually moved from the NY office) although the overwhelming majority are Rice and UT MBAs. Never met anyone from the other two schools you are referring.
I must say that in recent years Rice MBA's have been hired more than UT's at the Houston BB.
Rice this year placed 4th in Finance in the World according to WSJ (UT was not in the top 10).
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/74b8bd3e-06a4-11df-b426-00144feabdc0,dwp_uuid=...
It also ranked higher than UT on the overall FT MBA rankings as well as on the Economist.
http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings
Rice actually has quite a few alumni on Wall St. where there is a one week treck every year, including the current CIO of George Soros Fund and cofounder of Blackrock (Keith Anderson). The CEO of Ernst &Young is also an alum.
I personally turned down Berkeley, UT, and USC to attend Rice.
In addition, Rice University as a school overall has more wow factor in terms of academics than UT out of state.
Also, outside of NYC, you
by energy_fin_guyAlso, outside of NYC, you will find real IBs offices only in Chicago (industrial/commodities), Houston (energy), LA (general), San Francisco/Silicon Valley (tech), and Miami (healthcare and Latin America).
Dallas doesn't really have much IB going on.
I personally had applied to schools in each one of those cities, except Chicago since I hate cold weather. It was the right choice for what I can see.
Actually you wouln't. I did
by energy_fin_guyActually you wouln't. I did it and so did many other current Rice students.
Outside of the top schools,
by CompBankerOutside of the top schools, geographic proximity to employers starts to matter a lot. While you have received plenty of good advice above, I'd say go to the school located in the area that you want to kick off your post-MBA career. It's not just a matter of placement out of the MBA program, but also one of brand recognition throughout your career. If you go to Rice and still end up in NYC, your may find that a lot of people have no idea what Rice is and instantly write you off as less intelligent. It's incredibly snobby but unfortunately common in the IB world.
Obviously if there is a significant gap between the quality of the programs you get into, you want to go with the highest quality program. Don't turn down Stanford for UT because you want to be in Texas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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CompBanker wrote: If you go
by energy_fin_guyIf you go to Rice and still end up in NYC, your may find that a lot of people have no idea what Rice is and instantly write you off as less intelligent. It's incredibly snobby but unfortunately common in the IB world.
"less intelligent"?!? Hopefully, less ignorant that somebody who pretends not to know that Rice is one of the best universities in the country.
Are you the Rice troll from
by hookemhorns86Are you the Rice troll from BW forums?
Affirmative_Action_Walrus
by Easy EGeorgetown will get you banking jobs in DC and the mid-atlantic.
GS, JPM, Barclays, BoA ML, Citi, Deutsche, Wells Fargo, Lazard...all recruit from Georgetown (and for NY offices). Grant it, each bank is not making the same number of offers at gtown as it would at Harvard or Wharton, but each one is still making numerous offers. Plus there are less applicants to compete with as the program is not as big
I am currently at gtown and starting FT at one of the above mentioned banks in July. Please dont take advice from people who dont know anything about the program...let alone those who have not been to bschool
Rice troll? You are the one
by energy_fin_guyRice troll? You are the one getting upset because I don't know the Carnegie Mellon business school name...Neither do most peole outside of Pittsburgh. ROTFL
energy_fin_guy wrote: Rice
by hookemhorns86Rice troll? You are the one getting upset because I don't know the Carnegie Mellon business school name...Neither do most peole outside of Pittsburgh. ROTFL
1.) None of my comments show I am getting upset
2.) If you don't know Tepper then I don't know what else to say
Not knowing Tepper is like
by energy_fin_guyNot knowing Tepper is like not knowing Cox or Mays.
umm ok.. you probably don't
by hookemhorns86umm ok.. you probably don't know Georgetown either. Anyway thanks for your help!
Easy E
by Affirmative_Act...Georgetown will get you banking jobs in DC and the mid-atlantic.
GS, JPM, Barclays, BoA ML, Citi, Deutsche, Wells Fargo, Lazard...all recruit from Georgetown (and for NY offices). Grant it, each bank is not making the same number of offers at gtown as it would at Harvard or Wharton, but each one is still making numerous offers. Plus there are less applicants to compete with as the program is not as big
I am currently at gtown and starting FT at one of the above mentioned banks in July. Please dont take advice from people who dont know anything about the program...let alone those who have not been to bschool
Is that so?
I was always under the impression that Georgetown was a primary feeder into Washington DC IB
If what you say is true then Gtown is definitely worth considering.
When screening resumes, Rice
by ideatingWhen screening resumes, Rice (for undergrad) screams "I'm a privileged idiot from some connected family in the South who couldn't get into a top school."
I can't even imagine what to think about the Rice MBA.
If you go to Rice and still end up in NYC, your may find that a lot of people have no idea what Rice is and instantly write you off as less intelligent. It's incredibly snobby but unfortunately common in the IB world.
"less intelligent"?!? Hopefully, less ignorant that somebody who pretends not to know that Rice is one of the best universities in the country.
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ideating wrote: When
by Affirmative_Act...When screening resumes, Rice (for undergrad) screams "I'm a privileged idiot from some connected family in the South who couldn't get into a top school."
I can't even imagine what to think about the Rice MBA.
If you go to Rice and still end up in NYC, your may find that a lot of people have no idea what Rice is and instantly write you off as less intelligent. It's incredibly snobby but unfortunately common in the IB world.
"less intelligent"?!? Hopefully, less ignorant that somebody who pretends not to know that Rice is one of the best universities in the country.
really? that sounds a lot more like SMU. Rice is a top 20 national undergrad per US News. I agree that the Rice MBA is mediocre though.
You are a true idiot based on
by energy_fin_guyYou are a true idiot based on your statement and inability to properly quote.
Affirmative_Action_Walrus
by energy_fin_guyWhen screening resumes, Rice (for undergrad) screams "I'm a privileged idiot from some connected family in the South who couldn't get into a top school."
I can't even imagine what to think about the Rice MBA.
If you go to Rice and still end up in NYC, your may find that a lot of people have no idea what Rice is and instantly write you off as less intelligent. It's incredibly snobby but unfortunately common in the IB world.
"less intelligent"?!? Hopefully, less ignorant that somebody who pretends not to know that Rice is one of the best universities in the country.
really? that sounds a lot more like SMU. Rice is a top 20 national undergrad per US News. I agree that the Rice MBA is mediocre though.
Rice is #21 ranked US MBA per FT and #4 in finance on a global level. It's also much more young than most other peer programs. If you call that mediocre...
energy_fin_guy wrote: You are
by Affirmative_Act...You are a true idiot based on your statement and inability to properly quote.
Do you see the inherent irony in your statement?
Also, per your last post on this thread: it's "younger" not more young
you are either a flaming troll, have lost all of your brain cells from sniffing oil fumes, or both
And you are probably just
by energy_fin_guyAnd you are probably just sour because Rice rejected you.
energy_fin_guy wrote: And you
by Affirmative_Act...And you are probably just sour because Rice rejected you.
nope, never applied to rice- never will
not that it's a bad undergrad, quite good actually
but not for MBA- i'm going to shoot higher for business school
if you got into to both UT-Austin and Rice, I'd suggest taking UT-Austin, unless you get a full scholarship at Rice
Go ahead. Shoot higher.
by energy_fin_guyGo ahead. Shoot higher.
Truth is for Ibanking at Rice on a typical year there are about 5-6 spots for roughly 10-15 people (out of 120 in the class) wanting to go to IB. Those are not bad odds. At UT probably they are much worse since the class size is more than double and the number of spots available are the same (Houston banks primarily).
At Chicago, Wharton, etc... just about everybody in the class of 500 or more people wants to do banking. There is probably 1 spot every 10 people. That's assuming those schools place more than 50 people in banking each year, which I don't think it's the case.
energy_fin_guy wrote: Go
by Affirmative_Act...Go ahead. Shoot higher.
Truth is for Ibanking at Rice on a typical year there are about 5-6 spots for roughly 10-15 people (out of 120 in the class) wanting to go to IB. Those are not bad odds. At UT probably they are much worse since the class size is more than double and the number of spots available are the same (Houston banks primarily).
At Chicago, Wharton, etc... just about everybody in the class of 500 or more people wants to do banking. There is probably 1 spot every 10 people. That's assuming those schools place more than 50 people in banking each year, which I don't think it's the case.
I agree with you that Rice may have less competition than does UT for IB, but I think a higher % of UT students place into IB than Rice students.
I think kids who go to Wharton are better off than the ones going to Rice
Out of the 523 students reporting job offers at Wharton,
over 200 were placed in either IB, Investment Management, Real Estate Finance, Private Equity, Venture Capital, or Hedge Funds
140 were placed in management/strategy consulting- (McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group)
So 2/3 of the class was able to break into the 2 most coveted career paths there are and have a diploma whose name carries a lot of cachet in the entire business world.
The Rice MBA brand name isn't very strong outside of the Southwest.
So, once again, if you are 100% committed to staying in Texas, Rice isn't a bad choice. If you aren't, you may be better off getting MBA elsewhere
Affirmative_Action_Walrus
by energy_fin_guyI agree with you that Rice may have less competition than does UT for IB, but I think a higher % of UT students place into IB than Rice students.
Maybe slightly higher number (since class is more than twice the size), definitely not higher percentage.
Did you seriously just assert
by ideatingDid you seriously just assert that Rice is a better business school for IBD than Chicago or Wharton??
Rice is a joke of an MBA. Get 650 on your GMAT, work a few years in some middling job and talk about how much you love Rice = auto-admit. I get it; you have school pride, you have an ego and you are weak minded enough to wholesale drink the Kool aid. Did you get that tingly surge of pride and accomplishment when the Dean stood up and told you guys how successful and lucky you are to be there on your first day? Do alumni frequently mention how Rice is the "Harvard of the South" or how it helped them become successful as "real estate entrepreneurs" in the Texas panhandle?
Go ahead. Shoot higher.
Truth is for Ibanking at Rice on a typical year there are about 5-6 spots for roughly 10-15 people (out of 120 in the class) wanting to go to IB. Those are not bad odds. At UT probably they are much worse since the class size is more than double and the number of spots available are the same (Houston banks primarily).
At Chicago, Wharton, etc... just about everybody in the class of 500 or more people wants to do banking. There is probably 1 spot every 10 people. That's assuming those schools place more than 50 people in banking each year, which I don't think it's the case.
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Easy E
by hookemhorns86Georgetown will get you banking jobs in DC and the mid-atlantic.
GS, JPM, Barclays, BoA ML, Citi, Deutsche, Wells Fargo, Lazard...all recruit from Georgetown (and for NY offices). Grant it, each bank is not making the same number of offers at gtown as it would at Harvard or Wharton, but each one is still making numerous offers. Plus there are less applicants to compete with as the program is not as big
I am currently at gtown and starting FT at one of the above mentioned banks in July. Please dont take advice from people who dont know anything about the program...let alone those who have not been to bschool
That sounds great and congrats to you! I am assuming you had prior work experience in the field? I visited their campus and the new building is really impressive, the best I have seen so far by a stretch. Can you provide any insight on the off campus housing options there? The cost of living is a major factor for me, considering Houston is so cheap..
ideating wrote: Did you
by energy_fin_guyDid you seriously just assert that Rice is a better business school for IBD than Chicago or Wharton??
Rice is a joke of an MBA. Get 650 on your GMAT, work a few years in some middling job and talk about how much you love Rice = auto-admit. I get it; you have school pride, you have an ego and you are weak minded enough to wholesale drink the Kool aid. Did you get that tingly surge of pride and accomplishment when the Dean stood up and told you guys how successful and lucky you are to be there on your first day? Do alumni frequently mention how Rice is the "Harvard of the South" or how it helped them become successful as "real estate entrepreneurs" in the Texas panhandle?
The answer to your first question is no. But you just proved that you can't read or comprehend written English, other than also quoting like a 5th grader and being a huge hater.
My $0.02 If you don't mind
by mmonkeyMy $0.02
If you don't mind going into debt, I'd rank the B schools as follows
Tepper (1st by a mile) > Georgetown > UT Austin > Rice
Tepper really has the best name on the street compared to the others, Georgetown is pretty close, but Tepper just places better into MBB and IBs (not well compared to HSW, but if you top your class you pretty much have access to very good opportunities)
I think you really should go to Georgetown or Tepper, the investment will seem like nothing 5 years down the line and you can obtain loans at ridiculously low interest rates (and you save on taxes too).
Contrary to what energy_fin_guy says, Rice is actually the weakest MBA, I cant believe he turned down berkeley for Rice. He either doesn't know what he is doing or is lying (which is more likely)
Thank you mmonkey. I know I
by hookemhorns86Thank you mmonkey. I know I am not going to UT just because I do not want to go back to the same school as my undergrad, and also it's not really that GREAT there.. plus the career services is very mediocre. I will have to take a loan wherever I go, and you are right in the long run the investment will feel like nothing. I still have time till mid March..so the thought process continues :)
mmonkey wrote: Contrary to
by energy_fin_guyContrary to what energy_fin_guy says, Rice is actually the weakest MBA, I cant believe he turned down berkeley for Rice. He either doesn't know what he is doing or is lying (which is more likely)
If you say so :-)
hookemhorns86 wrote: Thank
by Affirmative_Act...Thank you mmonkey. I know I am not going to UT just because I do not want to go back to the same school as my undergrad, and also it's not really that GREAT there.. plus the career services is very mediocre. I will have to take a loan wherever I go, and you are right in the long run the investment will feel like nothing. I still have time till mid March..so the thought process continues :)
Really? I have always heard that UT-Austin has a really great career service dept- at least for undergrad.
care to elaborate?
energy_fin_guy
by mmonkeyContrary to what energy_fin_guy says, Rice is actually the weakest MBA, I cant believe he turned down berkeley for Rice. He either doesn't know what he is doing or is lying (which is more likely)
If you say so :-)
You've dealt with this very maturely, I was wrong to have been rude. I do still disagree with your points though
Not really, or maybe I didn't
by hookemhorns86Not really, or maybe I didn't have a very good experience personally. Most of the people who graduated with me in my class also were not very impressed...we had to find jobs through our own networking more than the help from career services. Also, since it's a huge public school professors don't really care much about the students and it is hard to reach them in office hours. Maybe it is different at MBA level..but you know the bad taste stays..
I definitely want to try a
by hookemhorns86I definitely want to try a private school for my MBA.. unless of course it is Haas or Ross.
I will confidently tell you
by energy_fin_guyI will confidently tell you that Rice MBA career center and office of admission were one of the main factors for me to pick Rice over UT and Berkeley.
energy_fin_guy wrote: I will
by monty09I will confidently tell you that Rice MBA career center and office of admission were one of the main factors for me to pick Rice over UT and Berkeley.
both were great for me too. I did not attend but they were helpful in every step
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hookemhorns86 wrote: Not
by Affirmative_Act...Not really, or maybe I didn't have a very good experience personally. Most of the people who graduated with me in my class also were not very impressed...we had to find jobs through our own networking more than the help from career services. Also, since it's a huge public school professors don't really care much about the students and it is hard to reach them in office hours. Maybe it is different at MBA level..but you know the bad taste stays..
Were you in McCombs business school as undergrad? All of the BB's, top MM's and boutiques do on-campus recruiting at Texas undergrad, in addition to McKinsey, Bain and Boston Consulting Group. So I'm not sure what the career services center was lacking in.
No the engineering school.. I
by hookemhorns86No the engineering school.. I know it's different
hookemhorns86 wrote: Easy E
by Easy EGeorgetown will get you banking jobs in DC and the mid-atlantic.
GS, JPM, Barclays, BoA ML, Citi, Deutsche, Wells Fargo, Lazard...all recruit from Georgetown (and for NY offices). Grant it, each bank is not making the same number of offers at gtown as it would at Harvard or Wharton, but each one is still making numerous offers. Plus there are less applicants to compete with as the program is not as big
I am currently at gtown and starting FT at one of the above mentioned banks in July. Please dont take advice from people who dont know anything about the program...let alone those who have not been to bschool
That sounds great and congrats to you! I am assuming you had prior work experience in the field? I visited their campus and the new building is really impressive, the best I have seen so far by a stretch. Can you provide any insight on the off campus housing options there? The cost of living is a major factor for me, considering Houston is so cheap..
No, I didnt have prior IB experience. Nor did I have much finance experience before bschool/summer internship.
As far as housing options go…the majority of students either live in Georgetown, just north of campus in Burleith/Glover Park, near Dupont Circle, or across the river in Rosslyn. Georgetown is probably going to be the most expensive of those options, but prices will vary depending on the location and the number of roommates you get. I share a 2BR place about 15 minutes walking distance from the business school and our total rent is $2500 ($1250 each). You should expect to pay anywhere from $1100-$1400 with a roommate(s), and $1400-$1800 for a nice 1BR. Studios are available too, but I have no idea what they cost.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I'd be glad to help you learn more about the program and living in DC.