I'm planning on pursuing an MBA this fall to help me transition into management consulting. I've already been admitted at UNC, and paid my $1k deposit there to hold my spot. But, I just got the call from the McCombs admissions office saying that I'm in. So the question now becomes UT or UNC? As far as rankings go, the schools are more or less equal. UT is slightly higher in USNews, whereas the WSJ and Forbes tend to favor UNC heavily. The mean salaries are roughly equal as well since UT's mean salary is $85.2K, while UNC is $86.5. The big difference is that in-state tuition at UT is $17.4K, but out-of-state at UNC is $37.4K. I was impressed with Chapel Hill, as seemed like a pretty live college town when I visited back in December for my interview. I did my undergrad and have lived in Austin for 7 years almost, so there's also that question of me wanting to try something different. Any advice here would be appreciated. I want to make a decision over the weekend.
I'm originally from Texas and chose to go to North Carolina for law school. It was a great experience to get away, see a new part of the country, and immerse myself in an entirely different culture. That said, I came back to Texas to take the bar exam and have had some difficulty making in-roads in the Austin law community. So, I'd say go and enjoy UNC, especially if you are open to where you want to land professionally. An MBA also has more flexibility than a JD since there is no professional licensing that will anchor you to a particular state. Nonetheless, if you are looking to start your professional career back in Texas you may want to give it a second thought and consider the cheaper hometown education.
Baqui, I'm a first year at McCombs, so I'll totally answer any questions you might have about the program. I'm obviously biased, but there's no doubt in my mind that, in terms of reputation, McCombs > Kenan-Flagler. However, it may depend on the concentration you're looking to pursue, whether it's marketing (like me), operations, finance, accounting, IT, or general management, as certain departments are better than others. Did you go to UT's Preview Weekend last week? Oh, and congratulations!
BTW, if you're looking at rankings, US News and BusinessWeek hold more weight than WSJ. (Don't know about Forbes, though.) WSJ has a serious credibility issue when it comes to rankings, as they're all over the map (Tuck #1? WTF?).
ive lived in texas my whole life and its awesome and all but if i had a reason to live in a different state for awhile i would. if youre not really favoring one school over the other based on academics then i say goto unc. yeah, and congrats. its a good problem to have i guess
Also, I would discount salaries. Students usually stay in same state they got their degree. That means the UT salaries are going to go further than the NC salaries in terms of cost of living. But I agree with othes in that if you're wanting to experience something new then going to another states would seem fun. Even if only for a few years.
Either one is great. I hope you are getting advice from UNC people as well. Obviously, this board will tend to tell you to go to UT.. They are both great schools.
This seems like a huge consideration-- whether law or business. If you are at heart a Texan and want to live and work there, then you might want to stay in Texas.... and enjoy the lower tuition while you're at it!
This is absolutely the key. I'd go as far as saying that generally, a UT MBA is as favorable as an MBA from any other program (Harvard, Stanford, etc.), IF you are going to stay in Texas. The top ones listed above may not be as clear-cut, so if you get into one of those, you go, but again, IF you are going to stay in Texas, and the choice is UNC vs. UT...it's not a choice really. I had to decide on going to Haas this year but decided against it, because I don't want to live in California, and though an MBA from there could get me a job anywhere, what's the point of spending all that extra money?? If I decide on an getting an MBA, it will likely be from UT - either full time or executive.
Did you get your undergrad at UT? Was it a BBA? While I agree completely that you should probably get the MBA in a geographic region that you would like to build your career, I've heard from many that you should try to get your MBA from a school different from where you got your BBA. Fresh perspective, new professors, just broadens the experience I guess. If that's not a concern though, and you wish to pursue work in Texas or somewhere in a neighboring state, then McCombs might be the way to go.
Congratulations Baqui!!! You got admitted to two great schools. I also think that if you want to remain in Texas, UT is the way to go. UT's MBA reputation ranks right up with the nation's elite. But either way you go, congratulations to you and best of luck.
I have great things about the Executive programs in Houston and Dallas. I would seriously considering doing that a couple of years down the road. As far as I know, the executive MBA from UT carries just as much value and respect as the full-time MBA.
Geez. A McCombs degree is NOT just respected regionally. In marketing alone, most of the companies that consider McCombs to be a "feeder school" of sorts, like P&G, Philip Morris, ConAgra, Pepsi-Co, and Kimberly-Clark, are based outside of Texas. Heck, I'm probably going back to the NE after graduation myself. Yes, a good portion of students stay in Texas after graduation, but that's due to choice, not because of necessity.
Thanks for the great feedback guys. Keep it coming. FYI, I did my undergrad in Electrical Engineering at UT, so the transition there would be smooth. Not to mention there would be no relocation. On the other hand, I was pretty impressed by the facilities at UNC as well as the location. The main question is that is it really worth a $40K cost adder to justify a neat experience in a college town? That's a sh*t load of money. I'm not really set on staying in or leaving Texas after I graduate, so that isn't really a factor at this point. I really want to get into management consulting, with a Bain, Boston, McKinsey, or Deloitte, whether it's in Texas or whereever. Like Vecsey mentioned, lots of non-regional companies do recruit at McCombs. But, make no mistake, companies like Dell, Frito Lay, and TXU have traditionally hired the most graduates.
Hmmm. In 2004, the #4, #5, and #6 recruiters for UNC were consulting firms. For McCombs, only the #2 recruiter (Deloitte) was consulting. Granted, though, this data is like 2-3 years old. Looking at recent 2005 data from the schools themselves, roughly the same percentage of students (around 16%) are going into consulting full-time. Here's the McCombs Graduate Consulting Group's web site. And here's the Kenan Flagler Consulting Club's web site. Maybe you can find more info there.
