Tropical/Warm Climate MBA program - Is it a pipe dream?

I've been doing my research for quite a while and have run into the following dilemma:

I am an individual that truly THRIVES in warm, tropical climates such as Hawaii, southern Florida, and (sometimes) southern California. The problem of course is that all the top MBA programs are in colder climates. The only school that would be acceptable, as far as I can see, is UCLA.

Essentially what I'm looking for is someone that's in my same situation and can offer their opinion on my situation. As I see it I have two options.

- Go to UCLA and continue to thrive.
- Try for a top 10 MBA program and just "suck it up" for two years.

My concern is that I have lived up north before (Seattle area) and I was miserable. For some reason constant rain, cold, and cloud cover just really dampens my spirit. I am worried that If I do go back north, this similar attitude will return. Of course, the long term benefit from a top 5 MBA program is very enticing. However, I am in the tropics right now and therefore feel GREAT, and that might be clouding my judgement on these northern programs.

So what would your advice be? My hunch is that IF I get accepted into a TOP program like Wharton, Booth, or Harvard, it would most likely be worth it to suck it up. From an outsiders standpoint this would clearly be the better choice. This is why I would like to find someone on this forum with my similar aversion to cold/rain/cloud cover, and hear their perspective.

 

Hey user401,

Thanks for that recommendation! I am most definitely not restricting myself to schools in the US. It is, however, the only place I have received education so far, and therefore what I am familiar with.

ISB looks like it has a great MBA program, I see it's partnered with Kellogg and Wharton.

Do you have any input on how it would compare in quality to top 10 MBA's in the US? Is it a good school for finance?

Really appreciate your perspective here.

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things
 

ISB does not compare to top 10 or even top 50 in the US. Going to ISB as an American would be a huge mistake for long term career plans. It is good for Indian kids who want to live and work in India. If you are going by FT rankings then be warned that it is a bunch of BS when it goes and ranks Indian business schools.

If you hate colder climate so much then look into HKUST and INSEAD Singapore. Also, the Spanish business schools are good.

 

I haven't even started college yet so unfortunately I'm not too knowledgeable about this but FWIW, I understand that ISB is a top target for all sorts of finance in India and probably has r some kind of output in the US as well. In terms of general prestige and difficulty of admission, I would hazard a guess that it's about on par with Tuck or CBS.

 

I'd try to suck it up and settle for some sort of compromise if you think there would be a way for you to be happy during it. Potentially not worth it if you're absolutely miserable in my opinion, but others would say it's just 2 years and to suck it up. Would probably shy away from Chicago Botth if I were you

 

Hey notthehospitalER,

Thanks for the suggestion. I've been thinking about this and I've decided that I think I could manage it. I wouldn't be ABSOLUTELY miserable, but it would definitely not be on par with living in the tropics for me. However, this is the reality of the situation: There are no top ranked MBA programs in the tropics for the United States.

Why should I not consider Booth in comparison to others? Is the climate there worse than in other areas of the North-East?

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things
 
TravelBonobo:

Hey notthehospitalER,

Why should I not consider Booth in comparison to others? Is the climate there worse than in other areas of the North-East?

Hahahahahahhahahahahahahaha

Move to CHICAGO. What could go wrong there from November to February, right?

Ok in all seriousness... Chicago is known as having HORRIBLE snow and winds and bitter cold with winds in the sub-zeros. Can be much worse than the northeast.

You're just going to have to choose. If its just too much on your delicate system, you'll most likely need to sacrifice the top schools. Otherwise suck it up. Kind of reflects on the ability to buckle down and really sacrifice for something you want if you won't even deal with a total of 10-12 months of non warm weather in the northeast, right? (By the way, for a total of 3 of those you'll have winter break and can go wherever you want so really it's a total of 7-9 months of cold).

 
Best Response

I also hate the cold weather, and do not function as well (everything else equal) during the months of September-April. I wanted to do an MBA program in LA (UCLA), but also applied to a top ranked school in my hometown (ranked higher than UCLA). I decided to go with the latter for a few reasons: although I would do much better in a warm climate like LA, I took into account the "energy" that I would gain by participating in a top ranked program. I did not want to discount the fact that the environment I would be living in, while in a cold city, greatly changes my attitude. If I were you, I would consider how participating in a top ranked program (top ten, like you mentioned) would impact your overall attitude. Consider the net impact.

Also, I decided that I will pursue internship opportunities in LA. This means that I will visit LA at least a couple of times during the first year, then live there for about 2-3 months. I will also be pursuing full-time opportunities in LA. The way I see it: I would rather get the best education possible so I can take it to LA and maximize the hell out of it.

Also, I am going to study Finance. I know you mentioned that.

 

Hey M.A.J,

I appreciate your input here.

You made a really good point, considering that being in a top-ranked program will provide extra energy/motivation that would be missing at a other program. This extra energy/motivation could potentially make up for the lack of warmth/sunshine that usually affects me.

I think an important consideration is that I did not go to a top-ranked high school, and was therefore not really surrounded by brilliant people all the time. Maybe this is why I put so much emphasis on the climate.

The more I think about the long-term repercussions of my actions, the more I am leaning towards a top-ranked program, regardless of climate. This program, unlike undergrad, will only require two years of time, and will result in a SIGNIFICANT increase in quality of life in the long term. Therefore it is worth it to sacrifice potential, optimum, maximum happiness and adapt to the situation at hand, which is:

The top MBA programs are in the North-East.

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things
 

Well, it depends... what are you looking to do post-MBA? If you're gunning for PE or something really competitive, you'd most likely have to suck it up for 2 years. If you don't mind working at a tier 2 i-bank/consulting firm or a corporate role, you have a lot more options. But check out places like Duke and Emory: not as 'tropical' as Hawaii, but much better in the colder months than the northern schools. If you don't mind SoCal, USC should be considered as well.

 

Yep I'll echo what most have said already: If weather is your prime consideration, and you still want a top 25-ish school, look at Stanford, Fuqua, Haas, Anderson, Marshall, McCombs, and Goizueta. That spans an array of "Tiers" so to speak, and each is a solid school.

I don't think selecting a school 100% on the basis of weather, is a great idea though. If you're looking to have nice weather, just move to the area you like after you finish your MBA at a school that is the best fit for both your career AND personal goals.

 

Duke, UNC, Texas, or Cal-Berkeley are top 20 schools that should have moderate enough climate to get you through two years.

Rice and Emory are borderline top 20 that definitely have warmer climates.

If you can't suck it up at one of these schools in one of these moderate climates for two years then save the B-School spot for someone who isn't a pussy.

 

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I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things

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