Hjort, Question about MBA in special circumstances
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20 Sep 2007, 01:17
I work on 3rd world Telecommunications projects. My career has been focused on technical project management, and I want a change!
Since, I am interested mostly in Corporate Finance, I was told by a few associates that I need an MBA in order to make such a significant career change. I took the GMAT and scored 710.
The problem is that my location is remote, so the only quality option would be a mostly online program. A year without pay wouldn't work for me.
I have looked into Duke, Indiana and Georgetown. From the details of the program and looking at schedule and cost, Indiana makes the most sense.
However, many people have told me that schools like Dallas, Colorado State and UMass have strong online programs for half of the price of IU.
I see the main differences between IU and these cheaper options as:
1-Academic Quality
2-Fellow Student Ability
3-Career Development
4-Alumni Network
The big questions are whether:
-The difference in academic quality is considerably mitigated in an online environment? In other words, will I get a significantly stronger education by attending IU?
-Whether cohorts' GMAT scores make a major difference when you are talking about people that have been in the business world for 5+ years?
-IU offers Career Development assistance for the online students, but will any recruiter take the online degree seriously enough to offer me a finance position if I deliver strong grades?
-Will IU's alumni network take my degree seriously?
What are your thoughts?