mbahopeful81 wrote:
It was a tough decision for me since I really wanted to live/work/play in HK, but I ended up choosing UCLA because I felt the quality of the education as well as the weight the degree will hold when doing my next career move would be stronger. Being from the US, I actually didn't even consider the Columbia or LBS programs since I wanted to focus my career in Asia, so I chose the China focus. It is enticing though, to think you get to study at those top institutions, but ultimately when you graduate, it will not be the same as actually holding a degree from those schools so be careful if that's a huge factor in your decision.
I'm in the tech field, and I've been getting advised from friends/coworkers from Accenture and Cisco.
Thanks for the feedback, and no the Columbia/LBS option wasn't a significant factor. I actually didn't end up applying to HKU but it did look appealing because of those options.
One of the student ambassadors of HKUST was in Accenture when I talked to him actually. Based in their Beijing office I believe.
HKUST's China focus is definitely an attractive feature for me, and a few of the grads I spoke to are currently working in Beijing. That said, did you consider CEIBS? A big part of their value add is the immersive experience that you get with them. In the end I chose not to apply because I've been working here for close to 5 years already and needed a change of scenery. However friends of mine who attended have said that there's higher potential to meet up and coming government people in CEIBS so that would definitely fall under the "who you know" category.
Regarding the study/networking balance at HKUST, I found a blog of a current student who described her schedule thus...
"Back in school, my schedule everyday was like this: Wake at 8am, Class at 9am till 12:30pm, Lunch till around 2pm, then we have the option of:
a) Groupwork at the library. This comfortably lasts 2 to 3 hours depending on the subject.
b) Recruitment event either on campus or in the HKUST Building in Central. This comfortably lasts 2 hours.
c) Extra-curricular meetings on conferences, events, etc. This lasts quite a while too.
d) A combination of A, B, and/or C. Kill me nao
I think my life as an MBA is far more hectic than when I was working. Back then, I still had my Sundays. At HKUST, call me a nerd but my Sundays are purely devoted to working or studying. Drives me up the wall."
She's talking about their first fall semester.. Sounds pretty hectic. But again I don't really have a basis of comparison here...