Research MBA Programs

Hi,

I have been accepted into the full-time MBA program at both William & Mary Mason and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The timing of my acceptance into UIUC is very bad. I recently decided to attend William & Mary and to send my enrollment deposit. Only days after I made this decision I was admitted into UIUC off of the wait list.

A couple weeks ago I visited William & Mary and I had a great experience. Everything about the program exceeded my expectations, especially the faculty and career services, and I left feeling very comfortable with the program despite its recent slide in various rankings.

I am now faced with what I call a good problem however, this good problem carries with it an unexpected, difficult decision. On one hand I have a program that I have been preparing to go to and feel very comfortable with but on the other hand I have a program with a more recognized brand and possibly a better opportunity. I have some concerns about the UIUC program due to the answers I received to some of the questions I asked during my interviews, and I plan on addressing these concerns during my visit which is scheduled for early next week.

Ultimately my decision will come down to my visit but I would like to get an opinion, from someone who is familiar with both programs, about which program is the better opportunity. Outside of the top-15, the rankings are kind of sporadic and they all use a different methodology which can be misleading and confusing and is why I am looking for some feedback. Also, I am looking for a holistic, generic opinion of each program as I am aware that much of a school's opportunity comes down to an individual's personal factors (career path, location, cost, scholarship,...etc.).

Thank you in advance for your time and response.