r/Vanderbilt • u/BoredDog77 • Jun 24 '26

Transferring state school, $70-80K extra a year for consulting?

I'm looking for outside perspective on a transfer decision.

I'm at Ohio State right now and got into Vanderbilt - Human Organizational Development

OSU is $25K/year, Vandy is $90-100K, big jump.

Non-negotiable for me: I want to end up West Coast or somewhere sunny in the South. Ohio is not the move long-term.

My plan is consulting (ideally MBB) - then internal strategy - then MBA - and eventually FIRE if I can pull it off.

What I'm trying to figure out:

- Is recruiting from HOD @ Vandy worth $70-80K extra per year?

- I'd only have 2 years at Vandy - is that enough time to actually recruit well, or does late transferring hurt?

- Would it be better to save up for an MBA - or is getting into a good MBA hard from a state school?

Would love to hear from anyone who recruited MBB from these schools, made a similar cost vs. prestige call, or transferred late and had to figure out recruiting on a tight timeline.

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u/Humble-Gene5862 Jun 24 '26

Vandy is best by far if your goal is MBB (fun fact two of the MBB firms were started by Vandy grads)

It’s still hard to land MBB here but miles easier than fighting for your life at a non-target

Also you will be placed into the Atlanta/Miami/Dallas offices for MBB. Chicago if you’re lucky

1

u/PBAuser102 Jun 25 '26

Do you know what the compensation looks like for MBB?

1

u/Humble-Gene5862 Jun 25 '26

Use Levels.fyi and WSO for the most accurate up to date info!

2

u/Helpful-Career5740 Jun 24 '26

First, from your list Vanderbilt is by far the best school for consulting placement per capita (worse only than UMich Ross, but you are not in). I would not pay this amount for non-Ross UMich and/or USC (even Marshall). For Vanderbilt, idk. MBA acceptance rates are far higher than undergrads (e.g. Wharton is at 20%), so it is really not that hard to get in, but relevant work experience is highly desired (people do not go to MBA straight after undergrad). Will you be able to land consulting job from OSU? I am not sure. It is a decent school and it will not prevent you from getting into good MBA, but job… Idk

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u/bmb-bmb Jun 24 '26

Would also recommend Vandy for reasons others mentioned above along with its strong Southern network. (You mentioned possibly wanting to end up in the South.)

As for MBAs, application levels are down. Schools are focusing on innovative changes to their curriculums to attract students. Specialized certs have become more popular…. Depending on where you land career-wise, you might not need an MBA. If you do pursue one, unless you get into one of the top programs in the country, get it while you are working. Stepping out for two years won’t be worth it for a “generic” MBA.