johnnyx9 wrote:
So for me, once you get out of the elite cluster, the next three clusters are really all in roughly the same area. I'm sure someone going to Mendoza would totally disagree, but if you look at placement numbers and average salaries for all these less than elite schools, the differences aren't anywhere near as dramatic as the drop-off from ultra-elites to elites on down.
Cluster analysis:
I must admit I have not researched too much on schools beyond Elites (as I did not apply there). So you may have a valid point. I did, however, research McCombs and UNC a bit and I think they have an edge over Wake Forest and Wisconsin at least for the majority of industries / functions. I will agree that beyond the TransElite Cluster there's probably significant overlap, though.
So let's say:
NYU: Cluster 2
BU: Cluster 4
BU freebie: +1 Cluster
BU in Boston:+1 Cluster
So we have a tie here. You are now choosing between 2 equally clustered schools. Good luck!
A note on risk mitigation:
I have always thought that an MBA is about risk mitigation. If you are great, you don't need a brand name MBA, or you may not need one at all. If you have what it takes, just pick up some books, learn from experience, use your street smarts and you should do just fine.
On the other hand, if you are average, you will need all the "brand push" you can get. Only you will know what to make of this. I think your upcoming meeting will assist you with this process.
Another option?
Additionally, I think there's a third chance you might be overlooking: since you are already in the field (healthcare), and companies are recruiting heavily for people with experience in the industry, wouldn't you be able to go PT and achieve similar results? Or, most importantly, couldn't you just start throwing around some resumes and get a nice position? I don't know if BU has a PT option, or which other PT options you have in the area, but I would not overlook this possibility. Heck, you may even try and get into NYU's PT program! And get your employer to finance it!
Hope it helps. L.
PS: I was about to write a 4th option: the rockman-is-a-troll option but I realized even when some people would get the joke, others might have been offended. So I did not. But you can figure it out if you know rockman.