The MBA Thread

[DaveB]

Thanks for the info, I completely winged it last summer and got a 610. I just needed to have a score, any score to do the masters in accounting program for my 150 hrs so I did not prepare at all. I was thinking about taking it again a little over a year from now (2 from when I first took it) between the end of school and the persumed mid fall start date for public. I would need something to keep busy during this time anyways and it would be good if ever wanted to get an MBA after getting my work exp in public. Good to know I can probably get the score up with a decent amount of studying.

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by pebblegrain

I'm done with MBA, don't worry it wasn't even a top 10 school. I said it before somewhere in this thread but the top schools don't care about an ultra high GMAT score. They could take their pool of applicants and pick by resume alone, and the resulting GMAT average would still be above 700. Just dont score a 610 or some ****... even 680-ish is fine...
I would disagree with that to some extent. 680 is less than sufficient for the truly top schools, unless your application is positively extraordinary in other areas. If you want to have a fighting chance at a top 5 or even top 10 school, 700 is the unofficial minimum for most applicants. Again, all bets are off if you won a Nobel Prize or started a microfinance bank in Tunisia or some **** like that. There is definitely a point of diminishing marginal returns on GMAT scores, though. I'd say that, if you crack 720 or so, there's no need to bust your ass or waste your time retaking the test. Focus on other things at that point.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

If you are going part time doesn't it increase your chances of getting into a better school as well?

 

[Joenobody0]

Originally Posted by emalkin23

Has anyone in here done a Professional MBA while working 40-45 hours a week? My boss has approached me willing to send me to get my MBA (full ride on his dime) but it is at a much less than stellar program (University of Colorado at Denver). This is the only program around that I could continue to work and still take classes in the evenings. Obviously free school is something I can't turn down but I was curious if anyone had done it and how difficult it was juggling school, work, home, etc. I am single (25) with no kids so I don't have too many obligations except a mortgage. Any info or advice would be great.

Look into the Exec MBA at Michigan Ross. They have a program where you fly to campus, stay in their hotel, and take classes on the weekend. I think the classes are one weekend a month, but I'm not sure.

 

[pebblegrain]

Originally Posted by Joenobody0

Look into the Exec MBA at Michigan Ross. They have a program where you fly to campus, stay in their hotel, and take classes on the weekend. I think the classes are one weekend a month, but I'm not sure.

many schools have this, I think wharton SF, uchicago, etc.

 

[Storm33]

Originally Posted by Joenobody0

Look into the Exec MBA at Michigan Ross. They have a program where you fly to campus, stay in their hotel, and take classes on the weekend. I think the classes are one weekend a month, but I'm not sure.

That's pretty much the case, with a 9-day residency at the beginning, and a week-long residency at the beginning of the second year. Additionally, there is a multidisciplinary action project where you engage with a business client, which can involve one to two weeks of travel between the first and second year.

It's a pretty big commitment. The weeks in between your residencies are spent in distance learning, i.e. video lectures and working on assignments with teammates. Plan on the equivalent of two 45-hour jobs for two years straight, with no breaks.

Ross also has a weekend program now, where you go every other weekend.

 

[Joenobody0]

Originally Posted by Storm33

That's pretty much the case, with a 9-day residency at the beginning, and a week-long residency at the beginning of the second year. Additionally, there is a multidisciplinary action project where you engage with a business client, which can involve one to two weeks of travel between the first and second year.

It's a pretty big commitment. The weeks in between your residencies are spent in distance learning, i.e. video lectures and working on assignments with teammates. Plan on the equivalent of two 45-hour jobs for two years straight, with no breaks.

Ross also has a weekend program now, where you go every other weekend.

That does seem like a large commitment. You are very knowledgeable about the program. Are you a Ross graduate? I'm heading to Ross in a month to start my PhD.

 

[Storm33]

Will be on Sept. 2, God willing...

Congratulations on your admission to the PhD program! What is your area of focus?

 

[Joenobody0]

Originally Posted by Storm33

Will be on Sept. 2, God willing...

Congratulations on your admission to the PhD program! What is your area of focus?

Good luck to you! I'll be studying Operations and Management Science.

 

[KJT]

Got into Georgetown yesterday. So accepted at UMD, UNC, UT-Austin, and Georgetown. Makes things difficult. Here's my situation: DC born and raised, went to undergrad in Maine, then back to DC to work. 5 years later I'm applying to business school and have a bunch of choices. I'm in the consulting industry and plan on moving back to DC and continuing in consulting after getting my MBA. I'm also recently engaged. My fiance is graduating from law school in a few weeks and is taking the bar in MD/DC. She has several job prospects here in DC at the moment. I was accepted at UMD and UNC up until last week. We were facing the chance that we might have to do a long distance relationship while I went to school at UNC and she stayed here. It made the most sense in terms of our careers - setting up our lives for the most success long term and we both thought that our relationship could handle it. UNC is a much better school than UMD in terms of recruiting and job prospects post graduation, starting salary, lifetime earnings, and we felt that it made sense to make a shortterm sacrifice. Fast forward to yesterday and I'm accepted at both UT-Austin and Georgetown also. I am strongly considering taking a hit in the rankings of the school I attend and a slight hit in starting salary (~$7k) and career earnings (~$30k which really is negligable), by attending Gtown over UNC because I'll be able to live with my finance and also live in the city I want to work. Both schools do very well in recruiting in the DC area, but I imagine the it must be helpful to be networking in the city in which you'd like to work during your 2 years at school. For those of you that are post MBA or in consulting, am I shooting myself in the foot by going to a "worse" school in order to better balance my life outside of school? My mindset during the application process was that I would go to the best school I got in to because it would set me up the best for my career, but I'm now leaning in another way. Thank you for both reading this and for your responses. Edit: points of reference for both schools via poets and quants: Gtown - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...l-of-business/ UNC - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...siness-school/ UT-Austin - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...l-of-business/ UMD - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/20...l-of-business/

 

[Lord-Barrington]

Originally Posted by KJT

Got into Georgetown yesterday.

So accepted at UMD, UNC, UT-Austin, and Georgetown. Makes things difficult. Here's my situation:

DC born and raised, went to undergrad in Maine, then back to DC to work. 5 years later I'm applying to business school and have a bunch of choices. I'm in the consulting industry and plan on moving back to DC and continuing in consulting after getting my MBA. I'm also recently engaged. My fiance is graduating from law school in a few weeks and is taking the bar in MD/DC. She has several job prospects here in DC at the moment. I was accepted at UMD and UNC up until last week. We were facing the chance that we might have to do a long distance relationship while I went to school at UNC and she stayed here. It made the most sense in terms of our careers - setting up our lives for the most success long term and we both thought that our relationship could handle it. UNC is a much better school than UMD in terms of recruiting and job prospects post graduation, starting salary, lifetime earnings, and we felt that it made sense to make a shortterm sacrifice.

Fast forward to yesterday and I'm accepted at both UT-Austin and Georgetown also. I am strongly considering taking a hit in the rankings of the school I attend and a slight hit in starting salary (~$7k) and career earnings (~$30k which really is negligable), by attending Gtown over UNC because I'll be able to live with my finance and also live in the city I want to work. Both schools do very well in recruiting in the DC area, but I imagine the it must be helpful to be networking in the city in which you'd like to work during your 2 years at school.

For those of you that are post MBA or in consulting, am I shooting myself in the foot by going to a "worse" school in order to better balance my life outside of school? My mindset during the application process was that I would go to the best school I got in to because it would set me up the best for my career, but I'm now leaning in another way.

Thank you for both reading this and for your responses.

Edit: points of reference for both schools via poets and quants:

Gtown - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...l-of-business/
UNC - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...siness-school/
UT-Austin - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14...l-of-business/
UMD - http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/20...l-of-business/

If you want to get into consulting in the DC area, just go to the school that places best in -- wait for it -- consulting in the DC area! That will probably end up being McDonough. UNC has a good MBA program but I don't know if it justifies the move, especially if you want to get back into consulting in DC. If you were looking at energy I'd tell you to go to UT without delay but there's probably no point going out there if you just want to come back to DC.

 

[KJT]

Originally Posted by Lord-Barrington

If you want to get into consulting in the DC area, just go to the school that places best in -- wait for it -- consulting in the DC area! That will probably end up being McDonough. UNC has a good MBA program but I don't know if it justifies the move, especially if you want to get back into consulting in DC. If you were looking at energy I'd tell you to go to UT without delay but there's probably no point going out there if you just want to come back to DC.

Agreed. Do you know where to find more specific employment reports to see what you suggest? The school generated reports are pretty vague in general. Have a look at them below:

gtown:
http://students.msb.edu/admissions/e...nt_profile.pdf

UNC:
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/ass...alary-2010.pdf

 

[Lord-Barrington]

Originally Posted by KJT

Agreed. Do you know where to find more specific employment reports to see what you suggest? The school generated reports are pretty vague in general. Have a look at them below:

gtown:
http://students.msb.edu/admissions/e...nt_profile.pdf

UNC:
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/ass...alary-2010.pdf

I should have asked, what type of consulting are you looking to get into? Strategy consulting, IT consulting, etc. That makes a big difference. Going from GTown to Accenture or Deloitte is probably quite doable but places like MBB or other top strategy consultancies probably don't recruit there all that much.

 

[Ad Fundum]

I have a question for everyone who has experience in the IT consulting field: This year I will be making the transition to consulting in the Healthcare IT sector and while I recognize it as a hot field now and it appears to be gaining steam, no field can maintain it's upward movement. I'm wanting to ensure that I position myself well now while looking for chances to move upward in the future.

Would an MBA be useful for me? I have been looking into Health Informatics Management masters degrees to help keep myself competitive but if the MBA or perhaps, a combined MBA/MHIM would be a more useful move, I'd keep it in mind.

And I recognize I am soliciting advice from the interwebz but I was hoping I would find someone on here who has a similar background.

 

[KJT]

Originally Posted by Lord-Barrington

I should have asked, what type of consulting are you looking to get into? Strategy consulting, IT consulting, etc. That makes a big difference. Going from GTown to Accenture or Deloitte is probably quite doable but places like MBB or other top strategy consultancies probably don't recruit there all that much.

I wrote a long reply to this, but my computer froze up and I lost it all, so here's a summary:

MBB does recruit at UNC on campus, but each firm seems to take 1 or 2 applicants at the most. Knowing my own limitations I'm not holding my breath. I think I will be a much better fit for Deloitte or Booz, which GTown seems to do quite well with.