Beat The GMAT a GMAT & MBA community

Does anyone have any input they can offer? I am really struggling with this decision and and help would be much appreciated!

Hard to say. Texas A&M/Mays has a MUCH better full-time MBA, but if their Part-time program is new you may be better off sticking with Tulane/Freeman. Both are decent enough schools so no need to worry about reputation.

Diversifying by getting your MBA from a different school shouldn't factor into your decision too much either. You need to figure out what YOUR career goals are, and then look at which program will have a stronger network in that industry.

Thanks for the input! I am curious what makes you say that A&M has a much better full-time MBA program? According to this website (click full time MBA tab), A&M is #30 and Tulane is #35:

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/#

That doesn't seem like a huge difference but I could be wrong. What source(s) are you using for your program research? Thanks again!

Glad to help. For starters, I'm not an expert, and there are plenty of experts on this forum that may have better insight

Second, I really like PoetsAndQuants.com's rankings, because they compile various rankings and estimate an average. All of the rankings have their flaws but if you consider them all together, you still get a decent overall idea. Anyway, according to their site Texas A&M/Mays is 30 compared to Tulane/Freeman at 50. At their site (listed below) you can see the breakdown.
http://poetsandquants.com/2011/12/08/the-top-100-u-s-mba-programs-of-2011/4/

Ranking isn't the only thing that matters though. Again, this stuff may be harder because these are both part-time programs but you need to compare average starting salary for the schools, as well as the industries and employers that hire out of each program. You can find some great information by Googling the school's name w/ the phrase "employment profile", or search through their career services website. If part-time information isn't available, estimate what you can from full-time information. In this case, Texas A&M would clearly stand above.

Have you visited either of these schools yet? That may play a role in your decision as well. Since you're on the fence, it's important to consider lots of angles that may help you decide.

flat_syc, the rankings you provided were undergraduate business school rankings, unrelated to the MBA program as it is for graduate study. It's quite difficult because their cost of attendance is also quite similar (Texas A & M costs $74,500 and Tulane costs $79,000). The difference in tuition, though, is made up by the fact that Tulane's tuition includes the cost of airfare, hotel, and group meals for domestic and international seminars.

U.S. News and World Report has A & M at No. 32 and Tulane at No. 43, but again those are for full time programs. Like was mentioned earlier, I'd say because of the similarities I would start looking into the little things. Take into account any statistics about the earning ability of graduates at each school (even if that means having to use statistics from the full-time programs, it can give you an idea of how much weight each school carries), faculty-to-student rations, and little things you may not initially have considered.

Thanks for the nice replies. I am more comfortable choosing an established program versus a brand new program. Both are great schools and I wouldn't trade my undergraduate years at Texas A&M for anything, but I think diversifying and getting my graduate degree from Tulane would offer exposure to companies that recruit at both schools and to the alumni network of both schools.

Sounds like you've made your decision. Enjoy your time at Tulane, it's a fine school to have on your resume down the road, and I know it especially carries weight in the South.

Congrats on the decision, it sounds like Tulane has a great program!

Hey flat_syx,

I also got accepted in tulane in houston recently and had a similar dilemma. Am going with Tulane mostly and look forward to seeing you there !