The following email is from a reader that felt pigeon-holed as a techie and wanted some advice on applying for business school. Well, he got a couple of acceptance letters and now he’s looking for some advice on making his choice. I don’t exactly make the choice for him, but gave him some parameters that he might want to think about. Before posting my response up here, I asked him for permission and he responded:
“Thanks so much Marquis. You da man. Regarding posting the response on the blog, please go ahead. I am sure there are many more candidates who are looking for such valuable info and they will find this useful…I will keep you posted. As ever, I bow down to the master. Thanks a bunch.”
So, I guess he wanted the same advice to be shared for others…I hope some of y’all find it useful.
———-
SS wrote:
“Hi Marquis,
Not sure whether you recall. I am the guy who mailed you about being pigeon-holed. You were a tremendous influence on me and your suggestions have all helped me secure admits in Columbia and IIMA ( Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad). One is the best Indian MBA and the other is a global Top 10 Ivy League MBA.
Firstly, Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I owe it to you. The book you suggested was terrific (ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge). With these two admits, I seek your perspective on how consultants are recruited in McK or other consulting firms. Does the school brand play an important role?
I am torn between the two choices. I am on H1B past my 6 years limit, hence after a Columbia MBA, I will not be able to continue work in US to be able to repay the debt. Unless, there are opportunities outside US with good salaries. Second, the opportunity cost is so different for the two schools – $43k for IIMA vs $150K for Columbia, 1yr at IIMA vs 16 mths at Columbia. My preference in long term is to be in Asia preferable India. I love the US, however the VISA restrictions pose some severe challenges. Considering all this I feel IIMA is less risky, good job opportunities, mature crowd (avg age is 33), Asia placements. However, I don’t want to repent this decision 5 or 10 yrs down the line. I recall one of the alumni at Columbia say that after the MBA you earn enough that you feel you could have dared better housing, more debt etc.
I realize it is difficult for you to suggest what I must choose. However, could you give me some parameters that I must consider in choosing. My target industry is Strategy Consulting or commensurate roles in tech firms such as Google, SAP, IBM.
I have another 10 days to decide. I would greatly your earliest response.
Thanks as ever.
Regards,
SS”
———-
My response:
SS,
Congratulations on your two MBA admissions!!! This is great news and you’ve definitely got the kind of dilemma that most applicants in your position would fight for. As for your dilemma, I’ll give you a quick response because it would take me far too long to give you an extensive one and might lead you past the 10 days that you have to decide.
I have an opinion on which choice you should make, but I’ll leave it up to you to make the final call. In terms of parameters to consider, the following might be useful for you to think about:
- School brand in recruiting: When it comes to recruiting, the school brand is important, but the bigger issue is whether the companies recruit on your campus or if you can leverage your school’s networks to get a shot at those companies. If a company recruits on your campus, it would be easier for you to get in the pipeline and get your shot. If not, you’d have to put in more legwork to get in that pipeline and it may be a more difficult road once you’ve got your foot in the door. Also, having classmates who are looking at similar companies gives you an installed base of potential interview prep partners. Think hard about these issues when making a determination about school brand.
- Road to your desired career path: This parameter is related to the previous one, but it’s a little different. Instead of considering your immediate post-business school position, you might want to look at where you want your career to go and which school can give you the most direct path to it. Think about which option would make you a more attractive candidate in the industries or functions that you’d like to pursue and then decide whether choosing the other option would make things appreciably more difficult. If the latter option would be more difficult, ask yourself whether you’d be willing and able to walk that more challenging road.
- Risk-reward analysis: You mentioned the opportunity cost difference between your school options and that’s definitely something you’ll want to keep in mind. While thinking about the opportunity cost and the associated risk, you should also consider the potential reward that will come from the school that you attend. People often think about the short term effects of this kind of choice, but I’d argue that it is more important to consider the longer-term impact of such a decision. This long-term view would incorporate several factors, including school brand/perception, career options, alumni network, and doors that can be opened up with the degree. You only get to do your MBA once and you’ve got to be sure that you’re looking at the ‘benefits’ of a particular choice as well as the rewards. You alluded to this long-term view in your email message, so I have a feeling that you know what I’m getting at here.
Overall, the decision would be easy for me if I were in your shoes, but that’s because I have my own set of priorities. Now, you’ve got to figure out your own priorities and make a call based on that. I recognize that I might have a somewhat simplistic view, but I’m a firm believer in choosing the best option available despite the risk. You might have a different risk tolerance, so take your time in making such an important life and career choice. I hope my advice above has proven helpful. Good luck on making your decision. Take care.
-Marquis
“Thanks so much Marquis. You da man. Regarding posting the response on the blog, please go ahead. I am sure there are many more candidates who are looking for such valuable info and they will find this useful…I will keep you posted. As ever, I bow down to the master. Thanks a bunch.”
So, I guess he wanted the same advice to be shared for others…I hope some of y’all find it useful.
———-
SS wrote:
“Hi Marquis,
Not sure whether you recall. I am the guy who mailed you about being pigeon-holed. You were a tremendous influence on me and your suggestions have all helped me secure admits in Columbia and IIMA ( Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad). One is the best Indian MBA and the other is a global Top 10 Ivy League MBA.
Firstly, Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I owe it to you. The book you suggested was terrific (ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge). With these two admits, I seek your perspective on how consultants are recruited in McK or other consulting firms. Does the school brand play an important role?
I am torn between the two choices. I am on H1B past my 6 years limit, hence after a Columbia MBA, I will not be able to continue work in US to be able to repay the debt. Unless, there are opportunities outside US with good salaries. Second, the opportunity cost is so different for the two schools – $43k for IIMA vs $150K for Columbia, 1yr at IIMA vs 16 mths at Columbia. My preference in long term is to be in Asia preferable India. I love the US, however the VISA restrictions pose some severe challenges. Considering all this I feel IIMA is less risky, good job opportunities, mature crowd (avg age is 33), Asia placements. However, I don’t want to repent this decision 5 or 10 yrs down the line. I recall one of the alumni at Columbia say that after the MBA you earn enough that you feel you could have dared better housing, more debt etc.
I realize it is difficult for you to suggest what I must choose. However, could you give me some parameters that I must consider in choosing. My target industry is Strategy Consulting or commensurate roles in tech firms such as Google, SAP, IBM.
I have another 10 days to decide. I would greatly your earliest response.
Thanks as ever.
Regards,
SS”
———-
My response:
SS,
Congratulations on your two MBA admissions!!! This is great news and you’ve definitely got the kind of dilemma that most applicants in your position would fight for. As for your dilemma, I’ll give you a quick response because it would take me far too long to give you an extensive one and might lead you past the 10 days that you have to decide.
I have an opinion on which choice you should make, but I’ll leave it up to you to make the final call. In terms of parameters to consider, the following might be useful for you to think about:
- School brand in recruiting: When it comes to recruiting, the school brand is important, but the bigger issue is whether the companies recruit on your campus or if you can leverage your school’s networks to get a shot at those companies. If a company recruits on your campus, it would be easier for you to get in the pipeline and get your shot. If not, you’d have to put in more legwork to get in that pipeline and it may be a more difficult road once you’ve got your foot in the door. Also, having classmates who are looking at similar companies gives you an installed base of potential interview prep partners. Think hard about these issues when making a determination about school brand.
- Road to your desired career path: This parameter is related to the previous one, but it’s a little different. Instead of considering your immediate post-business school position, you might want to look at where you want your career to go and which school can give you the most direct path to it. Think about which option would make you a more attractive candidate in the industries or functions that you’d like to pursue and then decide whether choosing the other option would make things appreciably more difficult. If the latter option would be more difficult, ask yourself whether you’d be willing and able to walk that more challenging road.
- Risk-reward analysis: You mentioned the opportunity cost difference between your school options and that’s definitely something you’ll want to keep in mind. While thinking about the opportunity cost and the associated risk, you should also consider the potential reward that will come from the school that you attend. People often think about the short term effects of this kind of choice, but I’d argue that it is more important to consider the longer-term impact of such a decision. This long-term view would incorporate several factors, including school brand/perception, career options, alumni network, and doors that can be opened up with the degree. You only get to do your MBA once and you’ve got to be sure that you’re looking at the ‘benefits’ of a particular choice as well as the rewards. You alluded to this long-term view in your email message, so I have a feeling that you know what I’m getting at here.
Overall, the decision would be easy for me if I were in your shoes, but that’s because I have my own set of priorities. Now, you’ve got to figure out your own priorities and make a call based on that. I recognize that I might have a somewhat simplistic view, but I’m a firm believer in choosing the best option available despite the risk. You might have a different risk tolerance, so take your time in making such an important life and career choice. I hope my advice above has proven helpful. Good luck on making your decision. Take care.
-Marquis
