Oxford MBA or a US MBA?? (REPOST)

So, I am juggling a similar predicament (sounds absurd to call this a predicament) . . .

I am weighing a US Two-Year MBA (top-15, not top-five) vs. the One-Year Oxford MBA. I am currently a MC with five years experience and made the leap to Associate at an excellent white-shoe consultancy. I would like to continue working in consulting and my firm has offered to foot the tuition bill. I have an undergraduate degree in business, so while the education is extremely valuable, I feel that a lot of this is a screening exercise and the opportunity to build a larger network.

So, my question is, is it worth giving up 20 months of income (add-back internship earnings) for the US ivy name and a better school network stateside or better to apply to a school like Oxford which is 12 months and whose parent school has great brand equity? It seems like a lot of money, and moreover TIME, but the US schools have such cache in MC and PE) Also, is the Oxford MBA similar to the Yale SOM play - buy-low, sell-high (sorry if I oversimplify, but that seems to be the root of the argument I've seen and accept)?

Would be very interested in seeing some discussion on this, as it seems a bit thin on the gmat club boards, thanks!

As a reply to the original post, if the original deposit of several thousand dollars is due, that's a heavy insurance premium to pay (US schools are like $1,000, so it's not pocket change, but if something truly better comes around, it's a rather nominal cost of business) and therefore I think you need to actually make a decision. If you're choices are between Oxford and a top-five US school and all indications (interview receipt, alumni colleagues, adcom discussions) are that you have a pretty good shot at acceptance, I think I would probably wait on the US acceptance and ask Oxford for a three week/one-month extension (insert creative excuse here).

If your choices are between a top-20 school and the burdensome deposit, I would probably pay it and call it a day and if your top-choice US b-school comes knocking you can then make the business case then. With regards to Columbia (these days it's like 7th? for what that even means), as a New Yorker, whose wife just graduated from TC, Columbia and New York is hard to beat location-wise and job-prospects-wise. It is hard to quantify the value of being able to take the subway down to mid-town to meet for a coffee with a banker and be back in class an hour later. Yes, cost of living is exorbitant here, at $2,000 - $3,000 a month, rent here in the city is crazy as a student and that's just housing, a gallon of milk is like $4 at the market on 110th and broadway. However, CBS has an excellent name wherever you go in this world and anyone in the post-MBA fields will recognize the CBS brand name as such. Anyways, happy to answer all of your NY questions, just reach out, cheers!

anyone? anyone?

Hey man,
Do you have any idea how good is Oxford MBA for a career in investment banking ?

its really good...UK's forte is finance and banks...if there's anything else you're looking for in the UK MBA, then you have a problem....Said is ranked pretty high as well in the UK..and its Oxford so it has a huge branding and attracts lot of recruiters....

Hey C,

Guess you would have made your decision by now. BTW, did Oxford inform you of any scholarships at the time of acceptance decision? Is one required to make the deposit before the scholarship results are out?

Thanks,
O

Around 40-45% of students are placed in financial services sector (it includes IB) but I have no direct experience nor an exact figure on how many are IB out of financial services.

May be ask this question to a current student at Oxford. Average salary of > 65k suggests placement in IB for sure.

Btw, Man Utd are moving into financial services as well.. worth a thought

During application I had to select scholarships which I wanted to be considered for. Being British, I did not have much choice as most scholarships are for overseas students but I selected Skoll and Oxford has asked me to apply for Skoll Scholarship.

Decision for many scholarships are after the deposit date so yes you are required to pay the deposit and then wait for scholarship application outcome.

Everyone who applied for SBS Scholarships already have been informed about decision with application itself.
All the best.

Yeah, with that debt who knows what will will happen in the future.
BTW, do you think it is better to major in Economics and Mathematics or Economics and Business admin , in order to have a better chance at Said ? And better chances for other top MBA programs for that matter. Thanks

Update - I asked Oxford for a deposit extension and they were kind enough to grant me one until 07-Feb-11. I hope to get all my results by then, so can make a more informed decision. Also got an admit at Ross, so I'll mostly take up a US school now.

Thanks anyways for your comments.

thats good man. BTW, did you get any scholarship from Oxford, as I see you have an awesome GMAT score.

Nope. Din get any...

thats very strange. has anyone got a schol?

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