Yes, I did. I'm going to answer here as best as I can.
Finding a suitable program for yourself is a much more complicated process. It's not 70K tuition at this program versus 80K at another. In the big scheme of things, those numbers are immaterial.
The problem I see with most people here making a choice is that they depend on the opinion of a few friends they have in the programs or anyone they can get opinion from. Personal opinions are never wrong but often flawed due to each person's experience and bias so when you see someone say "
CMU is better than NYU", always ask "Why?". If they say "Go to
CMU NYC", always ask "Why?".
If you can't verify someone's affiliation and motivation behind an online post, ask the poster to clarify his opinion. The internet is full of questionable characters and online forum is no exception.
Ask the programs direct and hard questions. Just like any reputable business, they should be able to backup all claims and numbers they put online. If they don't put any relevant numbers online, ask yourself why.
If a program has been around for over 5 years, there is no reason they can't tell you about the latest internship/placement numbers. A lot of program have been running under the radar for so long because no student has ever questioned them. Just look at Chicago MSFM program and see what happens when frustration comes to the surface.
Now back to the question of
CMU Pittsburgh or NYC, the answer is "it depends"
Companies will have big events in Pittsburgh because the Tepper MBA program is there. There are events that NYC students have to go there to attend.
They also have "Treks" programs that
CMU students go to company's presentations in NYC. Pitts students will have to travel to the city for a couple days to attend these.
NYC students will have a few days during a semester where the program invites companies to interview their students at their Broad Street location. Students who pass this screening will be then invited to company interviews. Pitts students will have to travel to NYC for this round.
And there are ad-hoc interviews that happen on the moment notice when a lead is passed by the program's alumni. The advantages would go to NYC students who can appear a few hours after notice.
The point is there are opportunities at both places. At the end of the day, regardless of where you study, you should be able to land an internship/jobs with the opportunities that the program/location presents to you. How do you do on those interviews will determine if you get a job and what kind of job you get.
The location is a better determined upon your personality and where you like to live.
