scoonian wrote:
Post-MBA plans:
Path A: Would like to move into management consulting in firms like PWC, Bain, and KPMG. Prefer to work in infrastructure management and PPP (Public-Private Partnership) roles, but open to explore other areas too.
Path B: In my present job in project management I spend a significant amount of time on data-analytics. Along with Infrastructure Industry, Data Analytics is my passion. If I chose this path, ultimately, I would like to set up my own data-analytics firm. I still need to figure what kind of roles would be suitable and are of interest to me in this field, post-mba. Any insights in this regard would be helpful.
You're probably not going to get the most unbiased information in this thread, but I applied and was accepted to both Haas and Anderson. Anderson is a good school with real strengths in the entertainment industry and international business.
Haas is better in technology, and we're in the Bay Area. So, recruiting is a lot easier here. Being a top 10 program, recruiting for consulting is easier. If you plan on going down that route, you
have to plan on doing an internship between your 2nd and 3rd years in the EWMBA program. This requires you quit your job.
Keep in mind though, consulting is usually something people only do for a couple years. So, figure out what you want to do long term and decide if consulting helps you get there before you go down that path.
scoonian wrote:
3) Reapplying (full-time):
Due to personal constraints, this year, I had to start my application process in the very last minute (First week of January). I applied three schools - Kellogg full-time, Anderson full-time, and Haas EWMBA). Spent a week on Kellogg, another week on Haas, and 3-5 days on Anderson. I am confident of my story, and am sure that I can put a better application next year. However, with respect to age and work experience, I’ll fall closer to extreme right on averages at most top 10 schools. I am not thinking of Harvard or Stanford, but I am hopeful of getting into at least one M7 school. This is what my thinking is:
Kellogg/Booth/Sloan/Columbia
- I think I have a decent chance of getting into at least one of those schools if I put my best application. I’ll be happy if I get into those next year.
Haas/Tuck/Stern
- I am confident of getting admitted to at least one of these. I’ll be satisfied.
Any other school
- I guess, one year later, I would feel that I might have been better off joining Anderson when I had the option.
First, do you want to go full time or part time? Haas is about as close as you can get to the full time experience while having a job, but there are still distinct differences.
Second, the schools you listed have
very different personalities. Sloan is probably as close to Haas' culture as any of the others. I went to NYU prior to Haas, and Stern is not at all like Haas. Kellogg and Both are both very different. Our Operations professor this year flew in every weekend from Tuck, and he was amazing, but again the middle of nowhere in NH is much different than being in the Bay Area.
Once you're in one of the top programs, it's all about fit. Haas is trying to cultivate a very specific type of leader that's different than other schools.
Are you excited about going to Haas? Have you talked to current students and feel like they're your kind of people? Are you ecstatic about the electives and the professors you'll get to learn from? Do the clubs sound like something you want to get involved with?
Edit:
I should probably address this specifically:
scoonian wrote:
c) network (not sure how much a part-time MBA would help me build a strong personal and professional network)
The network you come out with is entirely up to you. You get an amazing network built in from your classes (there's an ex NFL player, a west point grad, a couple neuroscientists and many more in my classes), but you will have more opportunities given to you than you can imagine. It's up to you to take advantage of them. I'd highly suggest getting involved with the clubs and going to the events as much as you possibly can, it's well worth it.
17 Apr 2014, 12:50
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