I am interested in investment management and have been accepted to Cornell Johnson and University of Michigan Ross. I need to make a final decision on one of the schools in the next few days. Please let me what you feel is the better fit for me.
My Goals
[*]Gain experience in asset management / PE / VC (buy-side research, hedge fund, portfolio management, private equity, equity research)
[*]Eventually want to work in the Midwest (Chicago) after several years of experience.
[*]May consider working in a corporate development type role or starting my own hedge fund long-term
Cornell Johnson
[*]Ivy league brand
[*]From 2002 to 2011, the Financial Times, US News and BusinessWeek ranked Cornell on average at #14 while UofM was ranked #11.
[*]Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11.
[*]Strong alumni connections (undergrad and graduate) in finance, asset management. Total alumni are almost half of the total alumni at UofM.
[*]Out of 50 hedge funds that I specifically looked at, Cornell ranked higher than Ross for # of alumni and # of funds with alumni.
[*]As a hedge fund feeder school, Cornell ranks #2 for undergrad, which provides great alumni connections. Ross is not in the Top 5 (https://hfobserver.com/news/top-u-s-hedg ... r-schools/).
[*]For private equity, Cornell is ranked slightly below Michigan (#12 v. #13 https://www.wpen.org/article.html?aid=397)
[*]Opportunity to help manage the Cayuga Fund, one of the largest student-run funds
[*]Close proximity to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. Lower placements in the Midwest.
[*]Immersion program seems strong and helps prepare students for internship and full-time opportunites, strong interest in Capital Markets and Asset Management immersion.
[*]Smaller MBA class of 278 side may build stronger relationships with others
[*]Tuition is approx. $103,000 for 2 years (more expensive than UofM).
[*]Starting salary at Cornell exceeds UofM for Finance.
[*]From BusinessWeek, total career pay at Cornell exceeds UofM ($2.8 million v. $2.5 million)
[*]Cost of living is cheaper than Ann Arbor.
[*]Ithaca is similar to Ann Arbor, but doesn't have as much to offer, is smaller, and there isn't much else around.
[*]Johnson school of business not as state-of-the-art as Ross, but seems to have a great facility.
[*]Parker Center, Boas Trading Room
[*]Stock pitch competitions for top schools are sponsored and held at Johnson
Michigan Ross
[*]Not ivy league brand, but is absolutely an elite school.
[*]From 2002 to 2011, the Financial Times, US News and BusinessWeek ranked Cornell on average at #14 while UofM was ranked #11.
[*]Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11.
[*]Largest alumni network in the world, strong in finance. Total alumni are almost double that of Cornell.
[*]Out of 50 hedge funds that I specifically looked at, Ross ranked below Cornell in # of alumni and # of funds with alumni
[*]Opportunity to manage several venture funds there. None as large or reputable as the Cayuga fund at Cornell.
[*]Close proximity to Chicago, which is not comparable to opportunities in NYC, Boston, Philly, etc.
[*]Close to home, family and friends. Easier to move to and find housing at, etc.
[*]Action-based learning and multi-disciplinary program (MAP) seem effective and prepare students.
[*]Larger class size (~500) may make it more difficult to make stronger bonds with students.
[*]Tuition is approx. $96,000 for 2 years (cheaper than Cornell).
[*]Starting salary is lower at UofM v. Cornell.
[*]From BusinessWeek, total career pay is less than at Cornell
[*]Cost of living is more expensive than Ithaca.
[*]Ross school is state-of-the-art and brand new, compared to Johnson.
[*]Great sports program, provides great way to network with others
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Cornell Johnson or University of Michigan Ross
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Jon@Admissionado
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Well, it's very hard for us to say, because we don't know which of your needs are more important than the others.
But I will say one thing, you have REALLY given this thing thoughts and have got what I think is a very clear and good vision of the advantages and disadvantages of each school. So I have only one thing to advise: VISIT!
Imagine you are dating and you see on a dating site someone who seems perfect for you. Their "list" matches your desire. But as you and I well know, it doesn't mean you are gonna like them, or even that you are gonna fit. And the only way to figure it out is to visit.
Other than the idea of fit and feeling, I would say the location of Ross and its proximity to Chicago and its relation to your goals gives it a little boost. But I wouldn't say it rules out Johnson either if you preferred to go there. You could reasonably graduate Johnson and then seek a job in Chicago.
But I will say one thing, you have REALLY given this thing thoughts and have got what I think is a very clear and good vision of the advantages and disadvantages of each school. So I have only one thing to advise: VISIT!
Imagine you are dating and you see on a dating site someone who seems perfect for you. Their "list" matches your desire. But as you and I well know, it doesn't mean you are gonna like them, or even that you are gonna fit. And the only way to figure it out is to visit.
Other than the idea of fit and feeling, I would say the location of Ross and its proximity to Chicago and its relation to your goals gives it a little boost. But I wouldn't say it rules out Johnson either if you preferred to go there. You could reasonably graduate Johnson and then seek a job in Chicago.
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Reach out, and let's gab. Our only requirement is that you don't prefer warm milk over cold milk. Everyone else, 100% welcome.
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Hit us up on WhatsApp.
Ping our satellite: 0884#&@-2#101101
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money9111
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I looked at both schools when I was applying and a lot of the points you made are valid. One thing I would say though is that things like this:
"For private equity, Cornell is ranked slightly below Michigan (#12 v. #13)"
&
"Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11."
Should not push one school up over another mainly because the rankings change every year. Plus, what's 1 placement over another? If it was #12 vs. #30 then surely there's an obvious difference. For instance, you said "As a hedge fund feeder school, Cornell ranks #2 for undergrad, which provides great alumni connections. Ross is not in the Top 5." The next question you should ask though is, are Cornell undergrads responsive to B-school students reaching out to them vs. Michigan undergrads responsiveness to Ross students reaching out to them? One school can have 100x more people, but if they aren't receptive or responsive then is it worth it? Those are the types of questions that you may need to get answered.
At this point you've already narrowed down your schools and have gotten into both places which in and of itself is the major hurdle.
To decide where you should attend you should definitely visit if possible. If you can't visit, or even if you can, now is the time when you should reach out to students at the schools who are doing what you're interested in. That's the best way to get a sense for which school is the best fit for you. After a couple of conversations with people you'll know where you belong.
Both schools will offer you the curriculum that you need to acquire the skills to do what you want to do, so try to go beyond that and figure out where you want to spend 2 years of your life and $150,000. People would never think to buy a $150,000 Mercedes without test driving it first, but I'm amazed at the number of people who will attend a school and pay $150,000 without having visited. If you want to speak to people here at Johnson who are in the Cayuga fund and are pursuing careers in Banking, send me a PM and I can put you in touch with some people. They may not response immediately because right now as I type this they're in an all day bond pricing session haha.
You definitely have a big decision ahead of you but cherish this time as it's a good one! If you have any questions about Johnson do not hesitate to ask! Also, if you want to be put in touch with someone at Michigan, I have many friends there too who would be able to answer some questions for you! Best of luck though!
"For private equity, Cornell is ranked slightly below Michigan (#12 v. #13)"
&
"Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11."
Should not push one school up over another mainly because the rankings change every year. Plus, what's 1 placement over another? If it was #12 vs. #30 then surely there's an obvious difference. For instance, you said "As a hedge fund feeder school, Cornell ranks #2 for undergrad, which provides great alumni connections. Ross is not in the Top 5." The next question you should ask though is, are Cornell undergrads responsive to B-school students reaching out to them vs. Michigan undergrads responsiveness to Ross students reaching out to them? One school can have 100x more people, but if they aren't receptive or responsive then is it worth it? Those are the types of questions that you may need to get answered.
At this point you've already narrowed down your schools and have gotten into both places which in and of itself is the major hurdle.
To decide where you should attend you should definitely visit if possible. If you can't visit, or even if you can, now is the time when you should reach out to students at the schools who are doing what you're interested in. That's the best way to get a sense for which school is the best fit for you. After a couple of conversations with people you'll know where you belong.
Both schools will offer you the curriculum that you need to acquire the skills to do what you want to do, so try to go beyond that and figure out where you want to spend 2 years of your life and $150,000. People would never think to buy a $150,000 Mercedes without test driving it first, but I'm amazed at the number of people who will attend a school and pay $150,000 without having visited. If you want to speak to people here at Johnson who are in the Cayuga fund and are pursuing careers in Banking, send me a PM and I can put you in touch with some people. They may not response immediately because right now as I type this they're in an all day bond pricing session haha.
You definitely have a big decision ahead of you but cherish this time as it's a good one! If you have any questions about Johnson do not hesitate to ask! Also, if you want to be put in touch with someone at Michigan, I have many friends there too who would be able to answer some questions for you! Best of luck though!
My goal is to make MBA applicants take onus over their process.
My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog
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My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog
Me featured on Poets & Quants
Free Book for MBA Applicants
Love the dating analogyPrecisionEssay wrote: Imagine you are dating and you see on a dating site someone who seems perfect for you. Their "list" matches your desire. But as you and I well know, it doesn't mean you are gonna like them, or even that you are gonna fit. And the only way to figure it out is to visit.
Other than the idea of fit and feeling, I would say the location of Ross and its proximity to Chicago and its relation to your goals gives it a little boost. But I wouldn't say it rules out Johnson either if you preferred to go there. You could reasonably graduate Johnson and then seek a job in Chicago.
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Jon@Admissionado
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So, which gal you think you gonna spring for?
Let us know your choice and maybe share some of your reasons with all the peeps here at BTG. Maybe we can all learn something from it.
"Hands down the best MBA admissions consulting firm of all-time, and boy, what an incredible founder!" -- Raj Patil, Founder of Admissionado
Something for everyone:
https://admissionado.lpages.co/admissio ... nter-2018/
https://admissionado.lpages.co/50-essay ... ked-vol-4/
https://admissionado.lpages.co/case-studies-lp/
https://admissionado.com/mba/reviews/
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Admis ... 700945.htm
Reach out, and let's gab. Our only requirement is that you don't prefer warm milk over cold milk. Everyone else, 100% welcome.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 866-409-4753
Hit us up on WhatsApp.
Ping our satellite: 0884#&@-2#101101
Contact us via web form you lazy git: https://admissionado.com/contact/
Mostly, email Claudia.
Something for everyone:
https://admissionado.lpages.co/admissio ... nter-2018/
https://admissionado.lpages.co/50-essay ... ked-vol-4/
https://admissionado.lpages.co/case-studies-lp/
https://admissionado.com/mba/reviews/
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Admis ... 700945.htm
Reach out, and let's gab. Our only requirement is that you don't prefer warm milk over cold milk. Everyone else, 100% welcome.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 866-409-4753
Hit us up on WhatsApp.
Ping our satellite: 0884#&@-2#101101
Contact us via web form you lazy git: https://admissionado.com/contact/
Mostly, email Claudia.
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FutureWorks
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Hi I3igDmsu,
Given both the schools have good mba program now it's your decision on which schools fit your
parameters better. We can help you with what these parameters should be
The best way to choose a B school is based on career goals. You need to see if the schools will help you realising those goals. Apart from that,factors like what the school specializes in, geography location including urban/rural factor, size of classes in school (big class or small class), alumni success rate. Also you need to keep in consideration what recruiters tend to come on campus. You can talk to alumni's and career center wings to know further the opportunities the school provides you.
Given both the schools have good mba program now it's your decision on which schools fit your
parameters better. We can help you with what these parameters should be
The best way to choose a B school is based on career goals. You need to see if the schools will help you realising those goals. Apart from that,factors like what the school specializes in, geography location including urban/rural factor, size of classes in school (big class or small class), alumni success rate. Also you need to keep in consideration what recruiters tend to come on campus. You can talk to alumni's and career center wings to know further the opportunities the school provides you.
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chendawg
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I completely agree with Money's point; my ranking of schools from my initial research just from online research completely changed after visiting schools. There are just things from a visit that you can't completely describe on paper. It's like trying to describe how a certain dish tastes to someone that hasn't tasted it before. Sure you can give them an idea of what it will taste like, but only eating it will give that person the complete experience.money9111 wrote: People would never think to buy a $150,000 Mercedes without test driving it first, but I'm amazed at the number of people who will attend a school and pay $150,000 without having visited.
I'm not bipolar...I'm bi-winning!!
I3igDmsu wrote:I am interested in investment management and have been accepted to Cornell Johnson and University of Michigan Ross. I need to make a final decision on one of the schools in the next few days. Please let me what you feel is the better fit for me.
My Goals
[*]Gain experience in asset management / PE / VC (buy-side research, hedge fund, portfolio management, private equity, equity research)
[*]Eventually want to work in the Midwest (Chicago) after several years of experience.
[*]May consider working in a corporate development type role or starting my own hedge fund long-term
Cornell Johnson
[*]Ivy league brand
[*]From 2002 to 2011, the Financial Times, US News and BusinessWeek ranked Cornell on average at #14 while UofM was ranked #11.
[*]Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11.
[*]Strong alumni connections (undergrad and graduate) in finance, asset management. Total alumni are almost half of the total alumni at UofM.
[*]Out of 50 hedge funds that I specifically looked at, Cornell ranked higher than Ross for # of alumni and # of funds with alumni.
[*]As a hedge fund feeder school, Cornell ranks #2 for undergrad, which provides great alumni connections. Ross is not in the Top 5 (https://hfobserver.com/news/top-u-s-hedg ... r-schools/).
[*]For private equity, Cornell is ranked slightly below Michigan (#12 v. #13 https://www.wpen.org/article.html?aid=397)
[*]Opportunity to help manage the Cayuga Fund, one of the largest student-run funds
[*]Close proximity to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. Lower placements in the Midwest.
[*]Immersion program seems strong and helps prepare students for internship and full-time opportunites, strong interest in Capital Markets and Asset Management immersion.
[*]Smaller MBA class of 278 side may build stronger relationships with others
[*]Tuition is approx. $103,000 for 2 years (more expensive than UofM).
[*]Starting salary at Cornell exceeds UofM for Finance.
[*]From BusinessWeek, total career pay at Cornell exceeds UofM ($2.8 million v. $2.5 million)
[*]Cost of living is cheaper than Ann Arbor.
[*]Ithaca is similar to Ann Arbor, but doesn't have as much to offer, is smaller, and there isn't much else around.
[*]Johnson school of business not as state-of-the-art as Ross, but seems to have a great facility.
[*]Parker Center, Boas Trading Room
[*]Stock pitch competitions for top schools are sponsored and held at Johnson
Michigan Ross
[*]Not ivy league brand, but is absolutely an elite school.
[*]From 2002 to 2011, the Financial Times, US News and BusinessWeek ranked Cornell on average at #14 while UofM was ranked #11.
[*]Recent US News Finance ranks Cornell #12, while UofM is #11.
[*]Largest alumni network in the world, strong in finance. Total alumni are almost double that of Cornell.
[*]Out of 50 hedge funds that I specifically looked at, Ross ranked below Cornell in # of alumni and # of funds with alumni
[*]Opportunity to manage several venture funds there. None as large or reputable as the Cayuga fund at Cornell.
[*]Close proximity to Chicago, which is not comparable to opportunities in NYC, Boston, Philly, etc.
[*]Close to home, family and friends. Easier to move to and find housing at, etc.
[*]Action-based learning and multi-disciplinary program (MAP) seem effective and prepare students.
[*]Larger class size (~500) may make it more difficult to make stronger bonds with students.
[*]Tuition is approx. $96,000 for 2 years (cheaper than Cornell).
[*]Starting salary is lower at UofM v. Cornell.
[*]From BusinessWeek, total career pay is less than at Cornell
[*]Cost of living is more expensive than Ithaca.
[*]Ross school is state-of-the-art and brand new, compared to Johnson.
[*]Great sports program, provides great way to network with others
