UCLA Anderson MBA ($70k Scholarship) vs. LBS and INSEAD

Hi folks,

I just got admitted to UCLA Anderson with $70k fellowship, but I have a tough time deciding whether I should go. My other options are INSEAD at Fonty campus and London Business School (had an interview and am likely to also get it). I would not want to go to Europe for MBA because MBA recruitment is not as structured and openings and pay are less. But my long-time girlfriend is about to graduate in the UK and would soon begin working full-time this summer. I need to balance my career and relationship. Two possible outcomes: I’ll convince my girlfriend to come to the States with me, and she needs to do another masters due to visa issues (she hasn't studied in the US so hard to find jobs that offer immediate visa sponsorship). Or I should just give up the thought of going to the US and head back to London. I’m not sure if I’ll regret this career decision…

A little bit about myself. I studied at one of Oxbridge for both undergrad and masters. I originally planned to do Physics research but gradually realized it’s not my cup of tea. Due to this change of mind, I only completed two finance internships with boutique investment firms. I then founded an education firm and have been running it for the past 5 years.

I sort of screwed up my application for M7. My GMAT is 750. I was confident with my UK school and startup experience I could get into Harvard, Wharton, MIT, or CBS for R1. Got rejected by the first three without an interview, and CBS dinged me after the interview, which I thought went really well. I guessed I didn't tell my story right. The MBA consultant I sign up for really didn't help at all. I wasn't as serious for R2 because I was a bit frustrated with R1 results a the time, plus my gf really wanted me to go back to UK. So I only applied to Anderson and didn't bother with other Booth, Kellogg and other better-ranked B schools. Now I really don't want waste another year's time. 

I now want to break to US bulge bracket banks as an associate and gain some sell-side experience before going to growth PE. My concern is that the UCLA brand is not that strong in finance and the west-coast location, which is not ideal for serious finance positions which are clustered on the East Coast. I don’t mind doing internships in NYC though. Obviously, I understand that with little finance work experience, I need to network a lot and prepare seriously to break into BB, irrespective of what B schools I go to. That being said, I wonder how ‘disadvantaged’ I will be if I were to compete for positions with HBS/Wharton/Booth students.

From what I gathered, Anderson’s reputation is solid in consulting (MBB) and product management. This may also be something that I’m interested in as I want to keep my options open at this stage. Could anyone share some personal insights in these industries, e.g., career trajectory, industry trend, etc.

Sorry about the long message. Just want to lay down all the factors that go into my decision-making. Any useful advice is much appreciated!