MBAPrepCoach wrote:
TooTaxed wrote:
Just curious- do any of the top online MBA programs offer scholarships for applicants with strong credentials?
I got into a top-ranked EMBA program but got cold feet when it came to giving up so much time away from my two young children and am now evaluating my other options. I'm intrigued by the online MBAs and curious if my 760 GMAT and otherwise strong application (high income, strong work experience, etc) might allow for scholarship eligibility. I'm not looking for a need-based scholarship or loans, but curious whether any of the programs offer academic scholarships in the traditional sense.
First I want talk you off the ledge with an online MBA - I feel that is just not going to give you the ROI. Maaaybe the IE global MBA but otherwise I feel it is Coursera glorified. The biggest thing to take out of an EMBA or really an MBA is the network and there's no real replacement for face time.
I see you were dinged from HBS but accepted at Wharton EMBA. had you considered any other EMBA programs, in particular, the ones that meet once per month like Kellogg Miami or Ross LA? If you are in NYC the CBS Saturday program is a consideration. I think the Wharton EMBA program is the most rigorous because it is the actual full time program. Other programs will not be easy but not require as much residency and travel time.
Thanks, those are fair points. The only reason I would consider an online program would be if it were close to free, as I presume I can knock most of the coursework out during work hours (or at least during the work week, when I typically only get to see my kids for a little bit each night anyway). I have the same concerns regarding ROI.
I considered Columbia EMBA but the Saturday program actually puts me in a worse position for my concerns- my problem is time away from my kids, and that program replaces two to four work days per month with two more weekend days. The residency time at Wharton is killer in that regard though so at least Columbia is better from that perspective.
I love the idea of a once per month MBA during a workweek but don't think my employer will agree to losing me for a week per month.
My overall issue is relatively short-term though- my kids will only give a darn about me for a few more years until they start to get busy with friends and activities (they are 2 and 4 right now and treat me like the greatest thing since sliced bread
), so what I may do is just restart the EMBA ambitions in a few years.
I was gung-ho about Wharton when I first started down this road but that was 2 years ago (I had to defer my acceptance for a year due to my former employer closing and my starting a new job/new geographical location almost exactly at the same time that the program would have started), and now my kids seem to like me too much!
