A chance to compare MBA schools

In regards to this comment:

“Lastly, don’t bother with an on-line program if you’re serious. Those programs are for professionals who want to learn just a little more to help them along in non-standard business related fields (like engineers or scientists).

Also, the interaction with professors and other students is limited, and are often not challenging enough, they are often just programs for people who only want the 3 letters after their name. A real business school is much more serious, and you will definately earn your degree.”

However, if you want to really want to become knowledgeable about your field then I would strongly suggest that you attend a program that is either on-ground or an online program that is associated with a large reputable school, like the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, or something along those lines.

Annie- I am going to go with the assumption that you are asking me what I mean by messed up…My 1st big mistake was agreeing to move to Orlando, a city that is almost exclusively a tourist economy. With a background in Product Management I was unable to find a comparable position. I ended up working in a sales position for a commercial supplier in the construction industry however after September 11th the industry tanked and I was still unable to find a position in a Product Mangement role.I actually ended up removing my MBA from my resume because it made me appear over qualified for the positions I was able to find to apply to. I made the decision to go back and try another career path with the hope of bringing my new training and old together but have had absolutely no luck (after several years). I spent big money to have my resume written by a professional and tried contacting headhunters but since I have no direct industry experience I get the cold shoulder and have not had one reply to any resumes I have sent out. So…now I punch a time clock and work for a fraction of the pay.

Thanks for the the great information. I am looking at starting an MBA and this was useful to know.

Andy
http://www.savingtoinvest.com

Anniie here — When you say you “messed up”, what do you mean exactly?

I wish everyone well pursuing an MBA. Mine has done absolutely nothing for me. Of course I am sure a big part of this is do to the miserable & worthless job market that Orlando is. Sure Disney is here but it is so incestuous that you virtually have to have a job at Disney to get a job at Disney. I ended up going back to school and becoming and X-ray Tech. Moving here has pretty much been career suicide for me. Sorry for the whining. BTW..went to undergrad @ University of Illinois & grad school @ Northern Illinois University.

I always thought I’d get an MBA and head to law school after obtaining my CPA license (I also have 2 bachelor degrees). Since embarking on the entrepreneurship route however, whatever extra cash I get is reinvested in my business or invested for future gains. I started a non-thesis mathematics masters program at De La Salle University but have put it on hold since being an entrepreneur and studying MATH just don’t realistically complement each other. I had to compartmentalize my business from schoolwork which is hardly efficient. I have been planning on giving myself an MBA, studying cases and reading business/entrepreneurship/personal finance books. If only the cash outlay of graduate degrees weren’t so prohibitive.

Since I graduated from my first Bachelor degree, I wanted to study an MBA. There are plenty of options. 4 years ago I attended for the first time to the MBA tour here in Mexico City, the tour here takes place on September. This was very helpful to make me choose from a wide variety of options to 3 potential Universities in USA. I will attend again to the tour this year to choose definetely the university program. On taking up this program will help me to enhance my potential management - entreprenurial skills, and of course networking networking. Kind Regards.

Getting my MBA from Northern Illinois University was the smartest thing I ever did. I know everyone says you need to go to a “Top” school, but it is just not true, it is just PR that those schools put out to bolster applications. I had a BA & MA in Political Science, and getting my MBA in Finance put my career right on track.

Well, I am not sure if an MBA prgram is actually a good idea for an entrepreneur. I know it can definitely be great for someone looking for a job, but as an entrepreneur, we can see the lists of the richest people in the world, and realize that plenty of them don’t hold an MBA degree. Also, I wonder if, as an entrepreneur, a two year prgram is convenient, instead of the myriad of one year programs held in Europe. I am also worried about the age. Even though I’ve gotten several MBA brochures from all over the world, I can see that people getting MBA degrees nowadays are very young. I also want to say that I was impressed by the University of Chicago Dean’s comment, saying that regarding job experience: less is more. That is very interesting. I knew plenty of Art schools or MFA programs like it that way better, but I was unaware about b-schools. I was out of the working place for a while because of health issues, I wonder if that matters. There are plenty of questions to ask, and therefore, to get answered.

I am currently midway through the Professional MBA program at Tulane University in Houston. As a regular full time working professional, who is not concerned with attaining a pretentious degree from a top ranked program, I looked for a solid program, with a solid reputation. Somewhere I knew I could learn and interact with the professors instead of just being taught at.

I chose Tulane not only for several convenience factors, but because of it’s reputation. It’s a private school (small and personable), but it’s not snobbish, it’s not inexpensive, but it’s not overpriced, and it’s not a well known (overhyped) Houston program (yet), there is comfort in anonymousness.

I looked into other ‘ranked’ schools in the Houston area; Rice, Univ of Texas, Texas A&M and the University of Houston, and besides conveniences, they just didn’t offer what I was looking for.

UT had more than twice the number of students per class, Rice is a little pretentious and Houston, while respectable, didn’t hold water comparably. TA&M was just too far of a commute for me, so I couldn’t honestly compare their program.

Don’t choose a school just because they will get you a job after graduation (a job you might not want or like anyways), I suggest finding a school where you will enjoy learning. If you’re miserable for the next few years, why bother? Every school that is worthwhile will have excellent resources for graduates, it should be a secondary consideration.

Figure out your ideal Work-Life-School balance, and find a school that fits.

Lastly, don’t bother with an on-line program if you’re serious. Those programs are for professionals who want to learn just a little more to help them along in non-standard business related fields (like engineers or scientists).

Also, the interaction with professors and other students is limited, and are often not challenging enough, they are often just programs for people who only want the 3 letters after their name. A real business school is much more serious, and you will definately earn your degree.

As someone who has been out of a B-school for nearly 20 years, there are essentially two critical questions that a prospective student needs to ask. The first question is what does the school itself offer not only in the classroom but but slao outside of the classroom. The second may be the most important, how well does the student fit into that particular environment and what do their fellow students think about the school and program. A good recruiting team will also have current students accompany their recruiters.

I would also mention not to overlook some of the smaller schools and more flexible programs. Many of them will allow students to tailor courses to fit their interests.

I choose the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business for a few reasons. 1) It was an international program. 2) I was supporting my family of 5 and Columbia, SC was really afforable compared to other places. 3) Professor Stacy Woods an expert in consumer behavior inspired me. 4) The other students, everyone had either worked, studied or had done maybe missionary work abroad. Everyone was focued on global issues.

I’d like to get into a top notch school sometime. But I think I need a good professional background and lots of money!
Also, my decision to choose a school depends on how many graduates land what kind of jobs, how much does alumni really help, how much real world experience do u get in school, and….how much it costs!

Last year I completed an online Tulane University “mini-MBA” (Masters Certificate program). Is there value in this to future employers looking to hire an MBA candidate, but who also want the 17years of work and senior management experience I have?