Congratulations to everyone that was admitted to an MBA program for the Fall of 2010!
This post is to let everyone know where you will be attending in the fall.
The Official Fall 2010 Matriculation Thread
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- brianm
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My profile is here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/2010-where-a ... tml#210327mygmat.2009 wrote:Brian, can you share a high-level profile (Work Exp-Industry, GPA-Program) ?
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Thanks Brian.
On the other thread, you explain some of the reasons you found UT a better fit for you, but is there a reason why you withdrew from the UCLA wait-list before knowing whether you got admitted or not? i.e. didn't curiosity itch at all?
On the other thread, you explain some of the reasons you found UT a better fit for you, but is there a reason why you withdrew from the UCLA wait-list before knowing whether you got admitted or not? i.e. didn't curiosity itch at all?
- brianm
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Oh yeah curiosity was keeping me in the race for a while. I'll try to explain this clearly but I have a feeling it won't come out quite right, so I expect some clarifying questions latermygmat.2009 wrote:Thanks Brian.
On the other thread, you explain some of the reasons you found UT a better fit for you, but is there a reason why you withdrew from the UCLA wait-list before knowing whether you got admitted or not? i.e. didn't curiosity itch at all?
In the past week or so since I got dinged by Berkeley, I thought a lot about my decision and knew UCLA vs. UT would be tough. I was admitted to UT in mid-March and in February had visited the campus and gotten a feel for the culture by talking to a few different current and former students. Although I've spoken to about the same number of UCLA students, I unfortunately didn't get a chance to visit UCLA at all (my interview invite came at a bad time when I had to stick around Chicago for work), so I had less personal experience with the campus.
I continued to learn more about both schools while I was waitlisted at UCLA, and as I approached the May 19 decision date for my UCLA waitlist, I realized waiting it out would only provide marginal to neutral benefit.
Basically what it boiled down to was "do I wait for UCLA, and if I get in, cram a lot more learning about the school/visiting campus to go to a school that provides many similar benefits as UT?" or "do I stick with the school who outright admitted me early on, the community that has been very helpful to me, and a place I know that I feel comfortable?" If I were to get admitted on May 19, I realistically wouldn't be able to make a final decision about UT vs. UCLA until early June, which had implications on when I leave work (and when my girlfriend could leave her job), when I sign an apartment lease, etc.
I was really waiting on Haas, so once I heard from them, my decision became easier. I was just ready to be done with the process and get excited to know where I was going.
Ultimately I chose UT over waiting for UCLA because of a lot of different factors (in no particular order):
-Similar rankings (according to US News, Businessweek is a joke imo (Stanford #6? lol))
-Strong and similarly ranked programs in areas I'm interested in (high-tech, marketing, and entrepreneurship)
-Lower cost of living in Austin
-More tight knit community feel and involvement in Austin vs. the spread out nature of LA student living
-I'm a bigger fan of the semester system (UT) vs. quarters (UCLA)
-Overall Austin lifestyle appeals to me more than LA
-Something about the central time zone that makes me feel a little closer to my midwest home
Hope that helps and makes some sense. If not feel free to ask more questions.
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Those are all valid points and at the end of the day it comes down to a personal choice. However, my question was really to understand that even after deciding to go to UT, why not stay on UCLA's list to see whether you got accepted or not for other reasons like:
- To access whether the time you spent on the application paid off or not
- To see whether they might provide a scholarship if they offer admission
- Maybe to brag about getting accepted to 2 MBA schools
- For the heck of it
- ...etc?
Or did you act on it from an ethical perspective that your withdrawal opens up a spot for another person on the list ?
- To access whether the time you spent on the application paid off or not
- To see whether they might provide a scholarship if they offer admission
- Maybe to brag about getting accepted to 2 MBA schools
- For the heck of it
- ...etc?
Or did you act on it from an ethical perspective that your withdrawal opens up a spot for another person on the list ?
- brianm
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Yeah those are valid points as well. It was really about getting closure and moving on. I really tried to put ego aside and not stay on for selfish reasons (i.e. getting into UCLA when I knew I likely wouldn't go, hitting on your ethical point). I also know I'm not a high enough quality applicant for a large enough scholarship to sway me to go to UCLA, especially in a year as competitive as this year. So it wasn't worth it for me to stay on and live in limbo while I waited for a decision that ultimately would likely only benefit my ego.
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Got into Columbia Business School but waiting to hear back from three other schools!
Waiting for Berkeley Haas (invited to interview), Chicago Booth (interviewed), and UCLA Anderson (interviewed)! The wait is killing me...
Waiting for Berkeley Haas (invited to interview), Chicago Booth (interviewed), and UCLA Anderson (interviewed)! The wait is killing me...