Looking for advice on MBA options...
Looking for advice on MBA options...
I'm in the process of deciding between my two "safe" schools I applied to for my MBA and would appreciate any input the older WSO crowd could give me regarding my options. Currently I'm an M&A/tax attorney in the SE US and have 3 years of experience. I scored a 730 on my GMAT and have a 3.8 in business from a state school, with a 3.4 (top third in my class) from a state law school. I applied to Notre Dame (Mendoza), Vanderbilt (Owen), UNC (Kenan-Flagler), Duke (Fuqua) and Northwestern (Kellogg). Ultimately, I would like to get into IB/PE at the Houlihan Lokey/Lazard MM rung or higher (due to my experience/expertise at MM M&A transactions).
I was accepted at Mendoza and Owen with 2/3rds scholarships, denied at Fuqua, and am waiting to hear from UNC and Kellogg. Between Owen and Mendoza, as my "safe" school, which is a better platform to build off of, assuming I am not accepted into UNC or Kellogg (which I know are both better options for IB)? From a social perspective, I'd rather spend 2 years in Nashville, but I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on Mendoza's product.
Thanks in advance for your help. Please let me know if I can provide any more information that would be helpful in providing a meaningful response.
PS - I know that outside of Kellogg the schools in play are not in the top 10 (the holy grail of IB MBA's), but I don't care. I really enjoyed visiting each of the schools I applied to, and don't want to attend a place just due to its ranking. Also, I understand that HL/Lazard MM is not GS/MS/BAML/etc, so let's not use this as an excuse to boost egos just because you are at - or think some day you will be at - BB in NYC. Again, I don't care, so long as I don't wind up at Piper.
ND has a great alumni base, Owen is a better ranked school. I would probably do a linkedin search or something and try and get a gauge of which school has more alumni at the places you want to work. BoA recruits from Vanderbuilt.
For starters, I am shocked you didn't get into Duke. You have excellent undergrad GPA, excellent GMAT, you have a JD, and you are an M&A lawyer. To me, these seem like qualifications of someone who should be very competitive for all b-schools in the 5-15 range. I mean, I know people who did Big 4 Accounting, had a lower GPA, and the same (700+) GMAT score who got into schools like Cal, Michigan, and Virginia.
Do you have some skeletons in your closet? any murder charges on your rap sheet? Or is that MBA programs are reluctant to admit people who have already gone to law school?
IMHO, I don't think Vandy or Notre Dame are good for IB AT ALL, and I would stay away from them unless nothing else materializes. Kellogg may be a stretch for you, but I think you have a really good shot at UNC, and UNC is much better for IB than Vandy/ND.
Also, it seems that most lawyers who break into banking don't get MBAs, they just lateral over in to an associate position. Since you are doing M&A law, why don't use think about using your contacts with the IBs to get an associate gig?
I'm just as shocked as you for not at least getting waitlisted at Duke, but I got the sense in my interview that they were looking for people with international experience, which I don't have and won't have in my current career. As for my criminal history, I do have a minor in consumption on my record, but my current employer told me that was a plus when I interviewed with him as it showed some personality.
I've talked to colleagues at IB about lateraling over, but my undergrad degree is in management, so they question whether I have the finance skills to get the job done, which is why I am pursuing my MBA in the first place. Also, my M&A practice is fairly specialized and the IBers I deal with are usually limited to fairness opinions in their involvement (I find the financing for most deals through my contacts in commercial banking)... not exactly the realm of IB I want to be in moving forward.
Thanks for the comments... at this point I am leaning towards Vanderbilt as my safety - but holding out hope for Kellogg/UNC - because they seem to have a pipeline into BA/Wachovia in Charlotte where I already have contacts. Notre Dame just seems too far off the beaten path (literally and figuratively) to be useful.
I did a little asking around and what I have gathered is:
if you are a JD applying to MBA programs, regardless of the kind of legal experience and undergrad GPA you have, you have to be able to present a very compelling argument for why you need to get an MBA (after all, you already have been to law school)
Perhaps this is what hampered you with Duke? I mean, I doubt that most of the American applicants to Duke have worked abroad, and your stats are well above the typical Duke class profile.
Yea, I expected this going in, and I thought I did a good job explaining how I was looking for a rigorous financial education, which I believed I was lacking, in addition to a "name brand" MBA to aid me in switch careers. Hopefully either UNC or Kellogg will see it my way and throw me a bone...
Oh I think you'll get into UNC- the Duke think was likely an anomaly Definitely check UVA and Cal- both of those programs are good for BB IB
Kellog-probably not, if anything they'll be miffed you didn't consider doing a joint JD/MBA with them.
I kind of agree with the Kellogg comment, but felt that NU was the best interview I had, so at least until the end of March I'm going to continue the delusion that I have a shot there. Meanwhile, I'll accept Vandy as a safety and be very happy if accepted at UNC. Fortunately, if IB doesn't pan out I can always retreat back into law and be a star since no one - and I mean no one - truly as a grasp of finance in law (at which point I would probably also pursue my CFA).
To update this post, I was accepted into UNC today and am excited to make some decisions. Is it safe to assume that UNC is a better feeder to BB/MM IB than Vandy? Is it significant enough to pass on a 2/3rds scholarship to Vandy? Thanks again...
Congrats!
I would definitely think so.. also the environment at UNC is fun, my friend went to KFBS and it's a very fun place to spend 2 years. The Charlotte banks definitely love UNC a lot.
congrats on the offer
yes- everything I've heard and read points to UNC being a better feeder for IB than is Vandy- especially for NYC.
Vandy isn't terrible for IB recruiting so long as you are prepared to work in Atlanta.
Personally, I would go with UNC, even if it means paying more- but if money is major issue i would have to think long and hard
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