decision time for me - Healthcare MBA. Pls comment.

[wackyacky]

Hi,

My profile: Indian male 27, GMAT 740. Very avg acads. B.Engg(Sw) 68 months WE in s/w for engg products (44 months in medical devices). Wrkd for projects on Toshiba med and SJM. Currently at GE healthcare (India). Do a bit of filmmaking. Co-founded a film society. Organized a film festival in mumbai.

Goals: Strategy mgmt in a med device firm at a global level. or in a healthcare related consultancy. Want to wrk in US for abt 5 yrs. Then go back to India (healthcare set to explode here soon) in related field in a higher role.

My analysis and choices:

Kellogg (r2) is dream fit.

Wharton (r2) and Duke (EA - WL) great programs too.

UNC (r2) is strong. (Good record with HC recruiters).

Vandy (Admit with $50k) is known for healthcare. (but, can somebody please tell me if its the tech kinda healthcare I am looking for?? or is it hospital related)

Boston Univ (Desc by Feb9) has a good helathcare program(focussing on tech). Lots of med device firms in Boston. Recruitment sucks BIG TIME for intl students.

Rationale for choosing Vandy and Boston Univ:
Non-cosignor loans for intl students have gone for a toss at most universities. using domestic loans and savings, I will be able to raise only ($60k-$70k). I <at all cost> need to get an Fall 2009 admit. Currently, Vandy has assured me of that.

Assuming that I get a $60k -$70k schol at BU, what would you suggest, BU or Vandy. both have cons and cons. which one has lesser and is a better fit to my goals and aspirations.

I will take an admit in any of the other 4 programs listed, if offerd admission. My predicament is when none of the 4 offer me one.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks,
wackyacky.


P.S: I did look at BEP at Sloan. It is a 3yr course though <Makes it that much more expensive>. But a very good one. It lets u deep dive in a bit of medicine too. The money put me off and maybe the bad facilites at that cost. And also nerdy culture . I am a nerd myself - so need to run away frm ppl like me.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear wackyacky,

I'm not really sure what you are asking in your post. You applied to programs appropriate for your career goals and received a great offer with a large scholarship to Vanderbilt. Congratulations! The reality of your career search is that its success depends mostly on you. While some schools might have more connection to an industry through alumni, reputation or geography, it still comes down to the individual students and their efforts on their search, regardless if the student is an international or domestic student.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[wackyacky]

Thanks Lisa for the quick reply and ur insights abt how my carreer success is something that I shohuld be managing.

If I get a non-cosignor loan admit into the top 4 that I have applied, I will take the offer.

But, I am having a hard time deciding between Vandy and Boston Univ (assuming same $$).

Abt Vandy:
(Pros): Better ranked than BU. Better known overall HC program. Better recruitment that BU.

(Cons): I am not sure if the HC MBA has the tech focus, I need. <This is there at BU for sure>. Though Nashville is a HC hub, it is not known for med device companies. <Boston has quite a few>.

In short, I need to know if Vandy is a better choice over BU given my goals in prev post.

Another thing, If I happen <dont want to immediatey> to return to India after graduation, the Boston MBA has more recall-value among recruiters here than Vanderbilt.

Thanks,
wackyacky.