Research MBA Programs

Hello

I am an international student. I have an admit from Babson college (56,000 schol) And UMD Smith (First Year full tuition waiver + GA ~58000). Overall UMD Smith will be cheaper for me.
I know UMD Smith clearly wins over Babson in terms of Rankings. But I want to evaluate both the programs in terms of Location and job options for my profile.

Does so much focus on federal jobs near the Washington DC area makes UMD Smith a not-so-good option for International students? Post MBA, I aim for Marketing/Strategy/Product Management roles preferably in IT Product industry. Is Boston area (Therefore, Babson) a better bet for me? Also, Does being near Harvard and MIT helps Babson as we might have more open job fairs and similar events?

As I will be relying on loans to finance a major part of my studies, placements become a tad more important. Please help!

Hello

Maryland - Smith is clearly a better choice over Babson - Olin. As far as placements are concerned, Smith has a higher average salary as well as a higher % of students getting placed within 3 months of graduation. As far as the location of Olin is concerned, keep in mind that there are hundreds of schools on the east close which are close to Harvard and MIT. Unless Olin has any tie-ups with any of the two, I don't see how you would benefit from going to Olin. I would suggest you to talk to international students at Smith and inquire if any international students have faced difficulty getting placed. As 44% of the previous class are international students, I highly doubt that that would be the case.

Hope this helps.