Hello,



I am QA analyst from India with an experience of 7 years working as a software tester and have worked for multiple organisations and clients. I have an admit from the below MBA programs in the USA but it's getting difficult to choose the best four of them. Which of the following would be best for me if I want to transition from a tech role to a management consultant role in either the Big 4 or the MBB firms. Also which out of the following will give me best opportunities to work in the USA.



The college's that I have admit from are:

1. Arizona State University

2. George Washington University

3. University of Maryland Smith business school



Thank you.

[Edited by MBACandidate141 on May 07, 2023]

Take at look at the post about using LinkedIn linked from my profile page. I assume that none of these will be very effective paths for MBB.

Hi Duncan,

I did some research on LinkedIn and there were mixed outcomes. Some have gone to get jobs in MBB firms but not all (the number is quite few). As I said I would also be ok with a consultant role in a Big 4 company. Will a consultant role in a Big 4 company be possible out of the above colleges if I don't have a prior experience in any of the Big 4 companies. 

Overall how are these programs in terms of ROI, placements and program structure? In the FT rankings all three of them are placed almost close to each other and have good overall rankings. 

I think you can easily answer this yourself.  

If you compare the schools using the FT data you can see RoI ("value") and placement. The program designs are also outlined clearly. 

LinkedIn will also allow you to see the prior backgrounds of MBA alumni at Big Four firms. 

[Edited by Duncan on May 08, 2023]

Software testing is a rather narrow technical domain and I'm not sure if it's a bit too limited as an entry point into technology or management consulting. 

If you look at the Big 4 websites, you can easily see the kind of technology and consulting service offerings they have. You might be better off getting a couple of years more work experience in one or two different areas of technology before thinking of doing an MBA and going into consulting.