MBA decision: Wharton or Booth?
Hola kiddos,
I'm having a good type of headache these last days. I was admitted into both Chicago Booth and Wharton (+Lauder) MBA programs and I'd like to hear different perspectives on the options.
Background: single, latin/asian, army veteran, currently in MBB, going to MBA to have a good time and also thinking about transition to buy-side (HF or PE) in the medium/long-term
What I value: international experiences, brand, good network and tight bonds (aka friends) during the program
Current status: slightly leaning towards Wharton
Appreciate any inputs, thanks!
If there's no overwhelming preference or cost difference then I'd do Wharton-Lauder in a heartbeat.
Wharton Lauder > Booth > Wharton
Given that you care about international experiences, I think it's a no-brainer to go with Wharton. (Would have said Wharton even without Lauder, but it'd be a much closer call.)
I'd just caution that at either school, it'll probably be an uphill battle to go buy-side without previous experience in those (even if you are focused on non-US opportunities). Not that it's impossible, but friends who've tried to make a similar transition in b-school generally had a really tough time.
Tough but doable from both. Ex-consultants can compete on good footing, both from MBB and T2 firms.
In terms of international recruiting - expect a good deal of travel and missing class if recruiting for AM overseas. I assume you have ties to the country you're targeting; otherwise, this further complicates an already difficult career transition.
It will take a little extra to set yourself apart though. CFA progress is almost table stakes from a non-investing background. It's a very meritocratic process though. If you are a superstar in your stock pitches you'll be fine. You'll be competing against people as smart or smarter than you with much better experience with financial markets, however - so if you can't already talk the talk to someone in the industry to the point where they listen to what you're talking about, best get cracking.
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