Hey guys.
I’ve been reading these forums a lot over the past week, and I’ve just signed up.
I’m aged 21 (Male, British with parents of Indian Origin, raised by a single Mother) currently, on a 4 year ‘Sandwich’ degree at a top 20 University in the UK, studying Computer Science. I am on the Sandwich portion of my degree, which means I am working for 12 months at one of the world’s leading Cyber Security & Defence firms. I will be expecting to graduate in 2015 with a 2:1, or maybe even a 1st class BSc (Hons).
Last summer I worked at Atos for the London 2012 Olympic Games as a Service Desk/IT Manager. I have 2 years part-time work at a Retail Mobile Phone store.
I am looking to do an MBA as the technical side of Computing (programming etc) does not appeal to me, and I prefer to look at issues and lead them at a higher level, while occasionally diving into the details (which my 1st degree allows me to do). My ideal target firms are Google/Accenture (product management/IT Strategy Consulting). I am also looking to stay within the UK after my MBA.
As I have little academic work for the next 10 months, I plan to study for my GMAT from January 2014 and sit the exam in September 2014, and as the score is valid for 5 years, will allow me to enter into a BS until 2018-2019 (depending on the actual school).
Currently I am looking at Said, LBS and Cass. Which other Schools should I look at, ideally within the UK?
I live in South London, so LBS and Cass would allow me to keep living costs down.
I am facing a few issues however.
I cannot enter a triple accredited MBA programme without three years of Post Graduate(PG) W/E, and annoyingly enough all AMBA accredited schools are strict on this. This means my Industrial Placement at the Cyber Security & Defence firm will not count toward this requirement. Said are not AMBA accredited and in an email they have said that they would consider the Industrial Placement as long as the work is demanding enough (I am treated like any other graduate, so I’m not some tea boy).
Therefore, I have to ask, does AMBA accreditation matter? Has anyone been penalised/held back/rejected from jobs because their BS MBA was not AMBA accredited?
Additionally I plan to finance at least the tuition fees entirely through savings, which means I’ll have to work for at least 2 years PG to afford it, or 3 years PG for LBS. (I’ll be living at home like a student, so living costs will be kept down.
) Does anyone know in the UK if Consulting firms (particularly Accenture) offer tuition reimbursement? And the conditions surrounding it?
To make financial planning even more difficult, I have to predict the cost of tuition fees 5 years ahead, do the following figures sound realistic?
Said: £55,000 (2013 fees: £45,800) Approx Living cost: £20,000 (not London)
LBS: £90,000 (2013 fees: £61,400) Approx Living cost: £20,000 (two years)
Cass: £45,000 (2013 fees: £34,500) Approx Living cost: £10,000 (London)
Attached is a rough calculation I have made, am I missing anything important? (YoE = Year of Entry) (W/E= Work Experience)
There is a 99% chance I will be offered a job to come back to the Cyber Security & Defence firm in 2-15 after my BSc, but this time as a Consultant and not as an Analyst. Should I go back? Or should I perhaps try a more business role? I have some ethical issues regarding the current firm I work for, but I’m not in that department and I can live with myself.
To conclude, this is part of my ‘2020 plan’. Two other goals by 2020 include finding a wife (maybe) and getting ready to move out of the parental home (definitely).
I am not an admissions consultant but I am a Brit looking to apply to b-school this year.
Triple Accreditation - seriously don't worry about it. The business school's brand will go a lot further than whether it is accredited or not.
Since you are at such an early stage, I will pass on a few pieces of advice that I wish I received during Uni:
1) Make sure you get a 1st if you are serious about an MBA. Having a stellar transcript will boost your candidacy greatly.
2) If you are successful in joining Google or even Accenture, it will help a lot.
3) The average years of experience at Said and LBS tend on be on the high side. 3 years of work experience may not cut it. I think LBS averages around 5 years for their students and really emphasis on what those students can contribute. Not sure about Cass
4) Don't choose schools for convenience and keeping costs down. Business school is about much more than just turning up to lectures and getting the 3 letters after your name. I have met Londoners who moved out to live near LBS's campus to get the most out of the experience. Definitely look further afield and see what other schools have to offer.
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Updated on: 25 Jun 2017, 11:13
