Hello,
I've been accepted at Kellogg and Fuqua for the 2Y MBA Program. I currently work in FI research in buy-side Asset Management for a F500. I really enjoy it and the hours are great but it pays toward the low end of the spectrum (think 45-65 all-in). Granted, it's in an extremely low COL area. I'll only have been at it for 2 years by the time I would matriculate (was a financial advisor for a BB for 2 years before that). I have an MS and BS Econ from a top 25 non-target. I'll have my CFA charter upon graduation.
I have absolutely no interest in investment banking. Humans need sleep to function. I am very physically active and being stuck in an office for 20 hours per day would kill me. I know that IB would be an easy grab from either of these great programs, but my real passion lies in the public markets, not in transactional work.
Kellogg has the most stacked lineup of interesting finance courses I have ever seen, and their hands-on Asset Management Practicum seems invaluable.
By contrast, Fuqua seems to be mostly general management courses and some basic finance that I have already taken. I doubt that I would learn anything new (in finance) there. It would basically be paying $100k for their career services department.
Looking at the very detailed 2012 employment reports, both of these schools have placed grads at places like Fidelity, PIMCO, BlackRock, Cerberus, etc. This is where I want to be. However, it's only like 2% of the class going into asset management. Strangely, Fuqua seems to do better? Is this a situation where the opportunity is there, but the students self-select into MBB consulting/ IB? Or are positions at these firms really so hard to get that it would be a shot in the dark even after attending these top MBAs? Can any former students answer?
I would also be perfectly willing to do equity research on the sell-side for a BB. The situation looks equally rare here, with only about 1% of the class going this route.
I would be quite upset if I paid $100k+ and sacrificed two years to get FURTHER AWAY from my career goals, by taking a position in IB or something.
Kellogg is the overall better program in terms of cachet. A few years ago some delusional people who "rank" MBAs had them on top .... but they are probably a top 10 school, a bit above Fuqua. In terms of comparison, it's tough for a couple of reasons: 1. n30 for AM/ER in both schools; 2. For those grads who got into places like PIMCO, you have no idea what their background was before B-School, but it's more likely than not that they had some good relevant experience.
I'd reach out to both schools and check out how specific teachers/courses help, e.g. the practicum (how well does it place, etc.), but I would not hold much hope for thses. Honestly, if you are already on your way to the Charter, just network at the local CFA and get a job without wasting 2 years and a lot of money because of AM/ER you won't learn much at any MBA, with the possible exceptions of Col Value Investing program and Chicago GSB analytical finance (and remember how LTCM turned out ...)
I sincerely thank you for your reply.
A tangential question I have is: do BB ER teams recruit from the same pool of students as the IB teams? As in, if JPMorgan is there for on campus recruiting, would I just walk up and tell them I'd like to interview for an ER position? It would be quite a letdown to have all these big names available for interviews, but they're only looking for IB associates.
im pretty curious about the AMP at kellogg as well as i applied this year and mentioned that but i know IBD and ER are NOT the same for recruiting
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