Hopefully you’ve been following along with our recapitulation of an earnest former BSer’s quandary around which school to choose following release of decisions last year.
Previously they posted a very detailed pro/con list about NYU vs Ross.
And here’s what we said back to them:
There’s an easy summary of our take on your decision: NYU — not only because of NYC but also very much because of Stern’s deep connections — is the place to be for media. Full stop.
If you want to pursue media in the future then NYU is hands down the better decision.
You seem to be hedging on a S/T goal — consulting, or maybe some unspecified tech thing, and you mentioned Amazon in the context of Ross…. But isn’t your heart in media? Why not take that and run all the way with it? Or at least make that the priority for everything else you’re lining up? If you are planning for this stopover in consulting (or tech) just because you know there’s going to be a good salary associated with it, then that’s more of the ‘play it safe’ mentality. But you’re sitting here ready to go big with your life. Why play it safe now?
Everything you said about why you want to choose NYU is the list of the reasons you should choose NYU.
You will LOVE Manhattan. You will LOVE the people at Stern.
The rankings thing? You nailed it by saying it’s just not the priority of that school’s administration.
To their credit, it **is** a priority at Ross right now **and** they are implementing some innovative programs and strategies to get there.
NYU, by contrast, is merely innovating because that’s what they’re about.
They were a quiet leader in the tech sector for MBA programs long before it got trendy. They hit the Big Data thing much much earlier than anyone else.
You mentioned that lots of people at NYU will be focusing on banking and that’s semi-true but perhaps not as much as you assume. Banking is just not that popular right now. What you’ll likely find is that the entrepreneurial environment is HOT HOT HOT at NYU, and lots and lots of tech, and also a good amount of social venture/nonprofit stuff. It’s all in all a very happening place.
Ross would be an excellent choice for you. BUT YOUR HEART IS SAYING NYU.
Also keep in mind that a big chunk of Amazon recruiting at many schools has been to go into their supply chain functions, not their tech / marketing roles. This may be changing more recently so it’s important to ask questions! We don’t have firsthand knowledge of the numbers at Ross (or NYU) but it’s something to keep in mind (see here for related).
Anyway, NYU seems to be the obvious choice! We can’t wait to hear what you decide.
As always, this is a totally personal decision — but sometimes it helps to have someone to bounce your ideas off of, who has no personal stake in your decision whatsoever (unlike your family and friends who may have strong opinions related to who they think you are or what they think your priorities should be) so if you want our input to your situation, we’re available! Anyone who’s used services from us in Round 1 is invited to lay out their current decision-making process in their School Targets in My SnarkCenter and we’re happy to give some ideas back in return. And don’t worry, we don’t make a habit of publishing these exchanges! This is presented to all of you only because we were invited to do so by a giving-back BSer who knows how challenging it can be to be in the position you’re currently in.
Tell us what you think.