Intern
Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 44
Given Kudos: 0
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Operations
Advice Needed
[#permalink]
20 Nov 2012, 12:15
Hello everyone,
I'd appreciate some advice/insight into my situation for applying to business school... I think it's a pretty unique and abnormal situation. I would be applying for a Fall 2014 start semester.
Here's my profile:
Age: 25 (going on 26) Asian male
Undergrad: Civil & Environmental Engineering with 3.1 GPA
School: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Haven't taken GMAT yet
5+ years commitment to church leadership and outreach
Avid guitar player/musician, snowboarder, and basketball player
Work Experience: 2 and a half years, both with Fortune 500 companies. Worked in operations/supply chain management in a Global Leadership program, now doing Product Management for Staples in their eCommerce division
As you can see my bachelors has no relation to what I'm doing now. After graduating, I was going for a master's in Operations Design and Management at my school, when my adviser recommended me to go for the MBA instead, as it was a more valuable degree with only a handful of additional classes. I was a full time MBA student (with 0 full-time work experience) for about a year and half when I was hired into the global leadership program. I've since then moved into my ideal position and industry with my current employer Staples. I am about 75% done with my MBA which, relative to other programs, is lower cost because I took advantage of graduate tuition promotions.
I'm happy with my current role and the potential growth opportunities over the next few years, but I feel that my growth could be capped based on the fact that I don't have a top tier MBA. I'd like to get into consulting or corporate strategy, which will likely require a high ranked MBA. I've asked several people on their opinion on finishing at a non-ranked school (which is almost complete) vs. getting the top degree and have gotten mixed responses.
The caveat here is that I've accumulated about $150K in loans from undergrad and the current MBA program that I'm in (WPI although a very good school is very expensive). If I were to do this, I would need to go the part-time/tuition reimbursement route or join a low-cost MBA program. I've been looking into the following programs:
Kelley at Indiana University, ranked #23. Has a great online/part-time program that costs only $50k total
Marriott school at BYU, ranked #32. Costs ~$20K total, but it is a full-time program
Tepper at Carnegie Mellon, ranked #19. They will be starting a new online/part-time program next year, I believe it will cost around $60k total
Is it worth abandoning my current degree to pursue a higher ranked MBA going online/part time (or full-time in the case of BYU)? Would my salary increase post-MBA be worth adding on to my current school loans? With my current resume, would I be able to get in the above schools assuming I get a GMAT score around 670 or higher? Are there other low cost ranked schools you can recommend that I would be a good candidate for?
Thanks in advance for your advice!