Wharton ($) Vs Kellogg ($$)

I have a dilemma as I have an offer from two schools - Wharton and Kellogg. Wharton is offering 20% aid while Kellogg is offering 65% aid. Female currently am in MBB and have assured rehiring so that I have no problems of placement post MBA.
Question is which should I choose?

 

Well if you want to return to MBB I would go to Kellogg. I have no idea how much you value money and how much yo have set aside and on the other side how much you value prestige of going to Wharton vs. Kellogg... If you want to switch from MBB to PE or something or want to explore your options at least, Wharton might be worth it.

 

Hi dressden, First, congratulations! What a wonderful choice. You must feel relieved as well.

Still, It's such an open ended question -- where should you go? It's wonderful that you got aid (as in real $, not just loans). Clearly Kellogg wants you, or they wouldn't have been so generous. Wharton wants you too, but they don't have as big a crush on you as Kellogg does.

For what any of that is worth, Obviously they both think you will add to the class, and that's wonderful news. You are also going back to your firm, but what, if all things were available with the wave of a magic wand, would you be doing? Also, are you interested in going abroad to work? That might argue for a bigger international brand like Wharton. Or are you interested in getting really strong on your leadership skills? I think Kellogg might have the edge there. Certainly it has the edge in marketing, and possibly the fun factor, but everyone's idea of fun is different too.

And then there's the midwest vs. Philly. Personally, I love Philly, but I wouldn't have said that if I hadn't been 2 years ago when Wharton hosted me and a bunch of other admissions consultants like me. Chicago is swell, but Evanston isn't Chicago. Kellogg is building a new building, and that often brings a lot of life into a school's vibe. And gets it more visibility, somehow. Don't ask me how -- it's all part of the brand, I suspect.

Now, if you are female, I can tell you that the Wharton women rock. Not that the Kellogg women don't rock, but of all the women students I worked with and just know from around, the most interesting ones seemed to have gone to Wharton. Now that's all hearsay, I know, but I'm mentioning it because there are a lot of intangibles that go into a school choice. Not that the money isn't important, it is! But you want to figure out where you really feel you fit. That's a touchy-feely answer, but it's your life -- will the money even out after 10 years? 5 years? So it's really a case of what pulls you more.

Hope that helps, Betsy

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 

I can get a sponsorship from MBB if I want to go back and commit for 2 years. I also have partial scholarships from both 20% from Wharton and 60 from Kellogg. So I have a choice and in addition I have partially saved for B-school. I know Wharton specializes in Finance while Kellogg in consulting. By the way my background is STEM. The student bodies and student faculty ratios are the approximately the same size. I also know that Wharton is no 3 in rankings while Kellogg is 5th. I think, the difference is small and as I am assured of being rehired - I am not sure it matters that much as far as the immediate future. The question is after another 5 years post MBA - do employers care that much - Wharton or Kellogg? Which is the incubator for startups? How about alumni network? What about International?

 

I would focus on if you think you want to career switch, and if so go to Wharton. Seems like there's no downside to that because it'll keep your options open if that is the case, but you wont pay for it anyway if you decide to go back to MBB. This is obviously assuming you are somewhat indifferent about location / culture differences between the two schools.

 

You asked:

The question is after another 5 years post MBA - do employers care that much - Wharton or Kellogg?

Not really. Not sure they do even right at graduation.

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 
Best Response

Kellogg for the money.

Assuming you care about money, you should go to Kellogg because your opportunities will be the same from either school.

Assuming you don't care about money, you should go to Kellogg because you probably won't make much of it in the future and every penny you save will count big.

 

I'm a first year at Wharton, so take this with a grain of salt... I've had an awesome first year, way better than I could have hoped for. My biggest pieces of advice are go to the welcome weekends of both schools and talk to as many students as you can. It's the only way to get a true sense of the programs. I had the same impression as I think a lot of people do: Wharton = a cutthroat finance school. That couldn't be farther from the truth. You can graduate from Wharton by taking only a half semester of finance courses. It's really just an school. And, people are actually surprisingly cool, chill, and laid back. I think this has to do with the grade non-disclosure. A few people care about academics, but most don't and instead spend more time on clubs, career, social, startup ideas, etc. To your questions, Wharton has fantastic resources/connections. I'm doing banking so can't speak to it directly, but Wharton has tremendous entrepreneurship resources. We have dozens of startups from students in my class. Wharton has a huge and strong alumni network and alums are very supportive. Roughly 1/3 of the class goes into consulting while only half that number goes into banking now, so I would argue Wharton is just as much a consulting school as anywhere else. Internationally the school has fantastic name recognition and we have study abroad and tons of school and student-led trips. And, Philly is awesome.

I could go on forever and I'm sure you're getting input from lots of family and friends, but bottom line you really have to go to the schools and see for yourself, as well as talk to students and alums. You can't go wrong either way, just figure out where you think you fit. But, I think it's very easy for a very wide range of people to find a great fit at Wharton. Happy to answer additional, specific questions directly, so feel free to PM me.

 

As I have said I am a STEM graduate currently in consulting. Therefore neither Marketing nor Finance are strong areas for STEMs. Kellogg I believe is good for Marketing, while Wharton is good for Finance. Which career path is better in the long run - Finance or Marketing especially for a STEM graduate Again thanks for all you answers up to now. These give me good feedback

 

question: was this monkey shit vote in error? Seems pretty relevant to the discussion.

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 

Congrats and great to be in a position to make these kinds of choices, no? Visit both schools, hang out with students, go to classes, talk to alumni, and choice the place where you feel like you will have the best two years... And since you are sponsored, spend the summer doing something awesome like traveling or a startup, and go abroad to study for a term!!!

 

I go to Kellogg, and absolutely LOVE it. I went to a finance-oriented school similar to Wharton for undergrad (NYU Stern), and didn't like it nearly as much. Kellogg is a very consultant oriented school (even more so than marketing), so if you like the consulting people (or at-least like them better than finance people - collaboration versus individualism), you should like it here. Plus - it's a ton of fun here. Feel free to PM me.

 

I would say Wharton but that's just me. The answer should be in your mind and heart. If you can't make decision for yourself it's worrying considering the fact that you are going to study for an MBA. If you have already made your mind up then that's great.

“It is our fate to be tormented with large and small dilemmas as we daily wind our way through the risky, fractious world that gave us birth” Edward O. Wilson.
 

What's the harm in asking (nicely ) ? If they say no, it is against policy (as they did with @cantslowdown they wouldn't take away admission -- they only do that if they found out something truly awful, like you faked your undergraduate degree. People ask all the time and they either get the official answer, or maybe the school finds a way. You never know. Schools do take their competitions' offers into consideration as they try to increase yield. Not every time, and "competition" is different for every admissions board, but it does happen.

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 

Ducimus quam cum doloribus incidunt placeat molestiae enim. Est harum quo aut est commodi. Necessitatibus qui accusantium velit et magni esse. Et consectetur facilis sint aut veniam. Exercitationem ratione sit qui rerum aperiam minima voluptas tempora. Et expedita ut libero et.

Sed fugit non possimus delectus sint voluptatem maxime impedit. Pariatur voluptatum fugit praesentium voluptas perspiciatis consectetur itaque.

Autem qui ea doloremque velit. Rerum tempora in nihil ullam dolor sapiente in. Dolores deserunt est sed. Veniam quis possimus consequatur incidunt libero. Laborum fuga fuga ad distinctio. Tempore facere doloribus fugiat velit cum sed. Nemo porro incidunt beatae vitae debitis sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”