UNC Kenan-Flagler or Cornell Johnson for MBA

Fortunate enough to be admitted to both schools with full scholarships. Admitted to Ross and Darden as well but missed on the very top schools, and have decided that the difference between my admits is not big enough to justify paying $120k more.

Have 4 years of marketing experience for F100 companies: 2 years at a big tech company and two years at a commercial bank. Looking to transition to management consulting after the MBA.

I grew up in California but have lived in NYC for the last two years. Post-MBA I am fairly open as far as location, although I do not want to move back to the West Coast. I do like NYC but the cost of living in Charlotte or somewhere similar (Johnson places some consultants in Pittsburgh for example) is appealing too. Consulting pay is the same regardless of location so that can make a big difference.

I have talked extensively with the presidents of the consulting clubs and heads of the career centers at both schools, so have a good handle on the consulting placement. Cornell does place a few more people at MBB each year, although UNC has very strong relationships with McKinsey and Deloitte. I like my fit and interactions with students at UNC a bit more, while Cornell is slightly higher ranked (16 vs 18, although some argue there is a "tier" between the two schools) and has the institution-wide prestige I don't think UNC can match.

Interested in hearing some other people's thoughts.

 

Both are good. Cornell has a slightly better reputation, but only slightly better. Cornell is really a public school in disguise where UNC-CH you already know that. I would say they are more similar than they are apart. But I would go with who ever offers you the most money. Johnson and Kenan-Flagler have similar reputations, they are great but meh...

I would take Ross if were you! I think Michigan is better than both.

 

Wouldn't really call it a public school in disguise... The state-contracted schools are all undergrad (ILR/CALS/HumEc) - Johnson is endowed. Also there isn't a divide between state-contracted and endowed schools - the undergrad business school is housed in CALS and is as much of a target for recruiting as the Econ program housed in A&S which is endowed.

Will agree that Johnson is meh for consulting placement, but it is stellar for banking if you're considering that.

 

Cornell.

Cornell Johnson is in the same tier as Yale, Duke, Darden, Ross, UCLA, etc. A lot of cross admits and you'll meet people who chose Cornell over Ross, Darden, Duke, and other same tier schools depending on their goals. Even though Johnson's strength isn't consulting, I'd still choose it.

 
sillymonkey123:

lol subtle Yale troll. Yale is not at the same level as Duke. Yale SOM is sub 30. I have never seen a single Yale MBA in my life.

Looking at your post history, you're clearly a UNC and Duke fanboy so stop making biased posts. Simple fact is: Yale, Duke, Cornell, UVA, Michigan, and UCLA are all on the same tier. Difference is negligible, but UNC is definitely below. Different programs in this group are stronger in one area than another with a a lot of cross admits in this group.

 

Thanks for the comments.

As I mentioned in the OP, I got full-rides to UNC and Cornell, but no money anywhere else. So I don't understand the comment saying go to which one gives me more money. And while I agree Ross is a bit better than either of them, I don't think it's worth $120k more to go to.

Not interested in banking. I will be transitioning into management consulting. Any thoughts on which school I'd be better off at?

 

Cornell (Johnson) is #16 on US news, #10 on Forbes, #16 on Business Week, #15 on FT, and #15 on The Economist.

UNC (Kenan-Flagler) is #18, #13, #17, #18, and #21, respectively.

So, Cornell is the better school, but you are right that the difference is relatively negligible and you are also right in approaching it by judging fit. If you like UNC more, make sure the companies you want to work for recruit there and go for it. Also, do not turn down a free ride at either for a marginally better school at sticker value.

Also, for the troll in the thread, Yale is #13, #11, #11, #9, and #13 respectively too, so yeah, it's not "sub 30" on any respectable or even semi-respectable ranking

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

I agree with CRE best advice so far. Pick the company you REALLY REALLY want to work for and go with the one that best sets you up for that company or VERY similar companies. The whole point of an MBA is to get your dream job at your dream firm. Ithica and Chapel Hill are quintessential college towns,. I will add though winters at NC are mild, so winters are very nice where in upstate NY winter will be frigid. Its funny people forgot about weather with admission. I was also admitted to Michigan and I love the school but I turned it down because I had other choice and weather was definitely a factor. It was one of many factors.

 

bear in mind that only 2 students get into McKinsey each year from UNC and about 6-8 into Deloitte. which is great if you are one of the chosen few, but if not , what are your options? you said you spoke with cornell's consulting club people as well. are the numbers better there? both schools have about the same class size. Which school gives you the better odds?

 
annymo:

bear in mind that only 2 students get into McKinsey each year from UNC and about 6-8 into Deloitte. which is great if you are one of the chosen few, but if not , what are your options?
you said you spoke with cornell's consulting club people as well. are the numbers better there?
both schools have about the same class size. Which school gives you the better odds?

UNC places more in consulting than Cornell by a substantial margin.

 
sillymonkey123:
annymo:

bear in mind that only 2 students get into McKinsey each year from UNC and about 6-8 into Deloitte. which is great if you are one of the chosen few, but if not , what are your options?you said you spoke with cornell's consulting club people as well. are the numbers better there?both schools have about the same class size. Which school gives you the better odds?

UNC places more in consulting than Cornell by a substantial margin.

Not according to the employment reports
 

So, having just been through the first year MBA recruiting cycle at UNC , i do feel like it came down to 2 things in many cases when employers made decisions-> pedigree of educational institutions attended in the past and the candidate's personality i.e. likeability

and when it comes to pedigree, cornell ranks higher.

also most of our consultant interns are heading to atlanta and such for the summer. Which city would you want to end up in long term? Make that part of your decision as well.

 
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