How to choose marketing ph.d offer

I am not in Marketing. But I think Wharton is worthwhile to wait. If you want to focus on behavioral perspective, Cornell is also very good. But not sure whether it is good at quant. Quite a few foreign professors are in their program. The biggest advantage of CMU is you are free to work with any faculty within the university, not only the school or your department. That said, many big names in other schools/departments are also accessible to you. From this perspective, they are strong in both behavior and quant. When I applied, I was very impressed by their program. If you are in the states, come to visit them in April. They are quite generous of their funding.  

I think CMU gives you enough time to wait. Why don’t you keep close contact with Wharton, (maybe also Cornell, if you like the place as well), getting to know a bit where you are placed on their wait lists and how soon they would inform you. I know you might already get vague answers from them. But it is also likely you would be notified with updated information within the next two weeks whether you would be able to move on the wait lists rather than wait until the last minute.

Sorry, did not see duke. Overall, I think there is no big difference among CMU, Cornell and Duke. Wharton is higher in the ranking, both overall and in marketing. I did not know that their placements were not so good. But considering their b-school's size, it would not be so surprising to me. I am not sure about Wharton's psych. They are more famous for their strategy and quant studies. also good for decision-making. If you like Duke for other reasons as well, just go there once they offer you a place. For ph. D., it is also important that you like the program for whatever reasons. However, I still think you’d better visit each school if they offer you to do so. One or two days are not long enough. But after meeting with their faculty and current Ph. D. students, it is likely you would have a better idea of their program as well as their people. They are the ones with whom you are going to work for the next 4-5 years. Sometimes, getting to know them beforehand or before your decisions is also important.

cong first!

most of people will not take the risk. but if you have enough time to wait, why not?  

make sure to reply on time for Carnegie Mellon