Hi,

I am in a bit of a fix. I have 2 offers for my MBA, Schulich in Canada and AGSM in Australia

So fee wise: Schulich $75,000 USD for the entire program (awaiting the decision on scholarship but not sure), and AGSM $62,000 USD for the entire program. Both are 16–20 months.

Both countries have relaxed PR policy and I am not sure which one would suit me and its hard to figure out. I guess both have their due advantages.

I have experience in oil gas and would prefer moving into Operations Consulting. I see, that AGSM has perhaps a stronger placement in Consulting with few even making it to MBB. Whereas, Schulich is gaining traction in Ops/Supply chain within the Tech sector (Amazon) which is a good space to move into also.

Location wise, both schools are pretty strong (Toronto and Sydney).

My plan would be to apply for PR once I accept the offer.

Would appreciate an expert opinion on this.

Sydney has higher wages and a better quality of life.

Congratulations, you are accepted to 2 top MBA programs in the world.

AGSM is clearly the best school in Australia and has no competition except from Melbourne University MBA which still has a quite a fair bit to catch up. They also graduate at different times so they don't compete directly.

Canada in the other hand has quite a few comparable schools Toronto Rotman, Queens, Ivey Western, Sauder UBC, McGill. Even schools such as HEC Montreal or Alberta are strong post-experience schools.

In the national ranking York Schulich is among the top Canadian names but consistently down in the pecking order. As schools in Asia make strides York fail to differentiate.

AGSM has extensive exchange network with top schools, you have 20 slots to go to London Business School or 2 or 3 slots to go to Chicago Booth or New York Stern or Yale

York has no exchange of that sort, you gotto go to mediocre schools in Eastern Europe.

While York has more in-depth curriculum, AGSM place better into consulting.

Migration after work, Canada may be a bit better but not as nice to settle down.

Hi Guys,
Thank you for writing back.

I applied at Rotman, Ivey for 2018 in R3 which is a no-show for internationals. It was an odd time since I had taken my GMAT around that time and these 2 being the initial schools, the application as a whole wasn't on point as I think it is right now. The schools rejected me without an interview.
As for Queens, it rejected me in the preliminary assessment. That left me with Schulich. While for AGSM, I applied in the 2nd Round so I knew I had a decent shot at the school.

Just for the sake of curiosity I saw your earlier post that you were accepted to UBC Sauder. I think that is a more viable option for you.

To continue in oil and gas and energy why not going to Alberta?

Having looked at your previous career I believe Sauder is stronger and it has quite a lot of flexibility going on exchanges and the product and innovation tracks look refreshing. York is strong just that it is under the shadow of more competitive schools around Toronto.

Same like Temple University in Pennsylvania, it does you no service to be next to Wharton.

Yes, Sauder would be a stronger choice than Schulich. But if it's a question between AGSM and Schulich, I'd go with AGSM, due to the issues Duncan has pointed out (especially if you're open to options outside oil /gas, such as for example consulting...)

Hey everyone thank you for the replies.

First off, I did not get very good reviews for the sauders placement. Also, I applied in R3 on a friends suggestion and they offered zilch scholarship! Plus this was 2.5 months back and the offer is sadly gone.

As for Schulich vs AGSM, pfff, it's definitely not an easy choice.
I defiantly want to move outside oil gas, but remain within operations and operations consulting is the perfect space for me. It's for sure my dream in terms of a career prospect.

Positives of Schulich:
Toronto (I feel it has more traction compared to Sydney)
Close proximity to US (Although I don't think this should be an advantage)
3-year visa post-graduation (Relatively easier PR routes also)
Living cost much lower than Australia

Positives of AGSM:
FT ranked and without question the best in Australia
Good placement in consulting (A recent oil gas graduate from AGSM working in PwC told me that the school stands tall in Ops consulting)
Higher salaries
Exchange semester with some pretty good schools


@Duncan @mba_hipster (What would you guys suggest? Eagerly waiting :)

If you still have a job why not just wait a few more months and embark on a more proper MBA plan, something which is very important to you and you only do once in your lifetime.

Yes, I'm not surprised they offered you no scholarship money - it's a highly competitive school and scholarship money doesn't flow freely to those without spectacular profiles.

AGSM is probably the better option. If it was Rotman vs. AGSM then that's a different story, but Schulich doesn't have the same level of prestige.