Got into Wharton/HBS for Deferred MBA. Need Financial Aid advice
Obviously, I'm hugely grateful for both these offers, but I'll have to make a decision in the next month.
I'm an EU international who just finished undergrad in the US, but am heading into a job in my home country during the deferral period that will pay me far less than what my American friends going into IB/PE/tech/consulting will make, at least on the top-line (I'm getting ~$50K USD/year in a HCOL city). I did several finance/consulting internships in NYC during my college summers, and it's clear to me I'll have to find a way back stateside to make actual money.
So I would use the MBA to return to the US and try to recruit for a job in finance, most likely IB. Financial aid from either school would impact my decision the most, but both H/W only let you know if you get aid in the year you matriculate (so not now). I plan to defer my admission for 4 years, which is the max deferral period for either, to allow me to build up savings because imma be poor AF.
The way I see it, I have 3 options with the following justifications for each:
- HBS: it offers need-based aid unlike Wharton that may be helpful for someone like me who isn't going to earn a lot. Sadly the online estimator doesn't seem to exist anymore
- Wharton: apparently offers large merit based scholarships that from anecdotes I've seen on Reddit, can be very substantial. But I couldn't find much on what these require, and how they're given
- Accept both secretly and ultimately attend the one which gives me more financial aid in 4 years time. Risky.
There is no way I could attend either MBA program in 4 years' time without getting decent aid, so at the moment I am leaning toward HBS for the need-based nature of their aid, which seems more of a sure-thing for my profile than Wharton's merit based aid. I presume I am/will be broke enough to qualify. But maybe I am misled.
Any guidance from people experienced with this would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!
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