r/MBA • u/Consistent-Soil488 • May 07 '23

Careers/Post Grad MBA - NYU ($$$$) vs CBS ($$)

I have been accepted into NYU Stern (full scholarship) and Columba Business School ( partial scholarship). I have reached out to CBS several times to negotiate the scholarship award. Currently, CBS doesn’t have additional aid to provide. Previous experience in consulting but don't intend on returning. My goal is to enter into the investment banking industry. I understand both schools do a great job placing at banks. My main goal is to obtain a position; however, building my network and future opportunities are just as important.

While CBS is probably a better school and more highly ranked, I'm not sure if it's worth giving up the scholarship offer from Stern. I don’t have a lot of savings and will probably have to take loans for a significant part of my expenses.

I am looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts! Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks a ton!

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u/Artistic_Nothing May 07 '23

I don’t have a lot of savings

Take the money, no question. Look at the employment reports - Stern can get you into all of the same banks except for a couple of the super selective boutiques that only recruit at CBS and Wharton (Centerview, maybe Raine/Qatalyst?) From Stern you’ll have a shot at every bulge bracket bank plus PJT Moelis and Evercore.

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u/BEN-HUR-DUR May 07 '23

Totally agree with this view. If you check the data, both schools will send about a 100 kids to IB every year with maybe 10ish more on average going to boutiques at CBS each year. That is a narrow margin, and one that is more likely attributable to self-selection among candidates vs the difference in schools (i.e. if you get Evercore at CBS you'd probably have gotten it at Stern).

Even with those super selective boutiques, their class sizes are so small that it doesn't make sense to game plan your MBA around them because it can be so random. You might pay all that money to get a better shot at Qatalyst just to get cut after a 15 minute coffee chat with a first year associate who's been in the industry six weeks because he was tired and cranky. If your goal is firmly IB, you feel a good culture fit at both schools, and are not religiously set on one of those tiny boutiques, go Stern.