Dear admissions consultants,
Thanks very much for your time. I'm considering two (very!) different paths to an MBA. You are welcome to comment on one or both -- but needless to say, I'd love it if you can consider both. Comments on 'path 1' are especially appreciated since I'll need to make a decision on it in the next 80 days. Some of the background on path 2 is redundant, so you can skim over it.
Path 1: Baylor MBA/MSW joint program, starting in Fall 2016I'm considering a new path to the MBA that would let me complete it about 4 years earlier, and I'd like to know your thoughts. I have about 80 days before the application deadline, so thanks very much for your advice!
A brief introduction: The career fields that I’m most passionate about are nonprofit work, social services, and mental health. I applied to UT Austin’s Master of Science of Social Work program, and was accepted for this fall, but I deferred for a year so that I could gain in-state status. I plan to graduate in 2018.
However, I also plan to get an MBA in the near future, since it would open up a lot of administrative positions within the social services and healthcare fields. I think a management degree will let me pursue work that I care deeply about, and also enable me to support a large family. (Which isn’t in the picture -- yet!)
Although my plan has been to go ahead and complete the MSSW at UT-Austin (I’d graduate in 2018), work in clinical social work for 2 or 3 years, and then enter an MBA program (in 2021), I am also seriously considering Baylor’s MBA/MSW joint program for next year (2016). It would let me obtain both an MSW and MBA by 2019, rather than wait until 2022 or 2023. It would also let me avoid leaving the workforce for 2 years (2021 to 2023) to obtain an MBA. I also like the fact that 48% of Baylor MBA grads go on to work in healthcare/pharma/biotech, which indicates that its reputation in the healthcare field is pretty strong. FWIW, I do want to stay in Texas for my career. I may also be married in the summer of 2017 -- perhaps that could help pay for the program? (The woman whom I (hope) to marry is in her final year of a BSN program, and I imagine she’ll find a great nursing position wherever she lives.)
If I did apply to enter next fall, I’d apply via the ‘single choice early action’ option (deadline: 11/1), which would give me the best possible positioning for acceptance and scholarships.
Here’s how my profile would stand if I do apply:
1. GMAT: I took the practice GMAT a week or so ago, and I got a 720 without having really studied for it. I’m going to study for it over the next 2-3 months, and I figure I can get a 750 or above once I do an extensive math review. Obviously I’d take it before the 11/1 deadline.
2. Work experience: will be 15 months if I enter in the summer, and 18 months if I enter in the fall. That’s not much -- BUT the median work experience for Baylor MBA matriculants/applicants (not sure which) is 22 months, and the middle 80% is 0 to 80 months. And professional work experience isn’t required -- just strongly recommended.
I’m working as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Houston, which is a full-time position with a monthly stipend.
I spent virtually all of 2014 with a religious order in Chicago to see if God was calling me to the consecrated life. (I ultimately felt drawn to the married vocation instead.) What a Baptist school would think of all this, I can only wonder.
3. Undergrad/GPA: 3.63 GPA in psychology at a top-10 liberal arts college. The only math class I took was a statistics course, which I got an A- in.
4. Letters of Recommendation: hoping to get these from my AmeriCorps supervisor(s), and maybe one or two college professors.
5. Essays: On one hand, my limited work experience will be a challenge when I’m writing these. But I do think I can clearly explain why I’m applying to both programs, and how I plan to use these degrees in the healthcare/nonprofit fields.
6. 24 years old now, so I’d enter the program when I’m 25. White male, so no minority status there.
My questions are twofold:
(1 Do I have a realistic chance at getting into the Baylor MBA? (I’m not too worried about the MSW, since I figure that if I got into UT’s social work program, I can get into Baylor’s. But of course I’ll have to apply there too.)
(2 Even more importantly: would choosing Baylor’s dual degree over a UT Austin MSSW + an MBA from a school like UT-Austin, A&M Mays, or UT Dallas be at all a good idea? I think there are a lot of pros and cons to both options. Some potential cons to the joint program at Baylor: (1 it may end up being a lot more expensive, since it’s a private school and work experience is the #1 factor in their scholarship awards; (2 Baylor is lower in the rankings than UT-Austin for the MSW, and lower in the MBA rankings than a number of private/public Texas schools; this would be a concern in terms of job placement and salary potential; (3 I’d be finishing the MBA with very limited work experience, so I might have to ‘ride’ the MSW for a few years, which puts the strategy of getting the MBA early on into question. Since I would be submitting an application to Baylor in under 82 days from now, I need to decide whether to apply to Baylor relatively soon! Thanks very much for your help.
Path 2: UT MSSW program (2016-2018), then a few years of social work, then an MBA starting in 2021The career fields that I’m most passionate about are nonprofit work, social services, and mental health. I applied to UT Austin’s Master of Science of Social Work program, and was accepted for this fall, but I deferred for a year so that I could gain in-state status. I plan to graduate in 2018.
However, I also plan to get an MBA in the near future, since it would open up a lot of administrative positions within the social services and healthcare fields. I think a management degree will let me pursue work that I care deeply about, and also enable me to support a large family. (Which isn’t in the picture -- yet!) My plan is to apply to an MBA program after I have a few years of social work experience, which I would need anyway to get my LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) certification.
So, here’s my hypothetical profile (as of 2020 or 2021, when I’ll think of applying):
1. GMAT: I took the practice GMAT a week or so ago, and I got a 720 without having really studied for it. I’m going to study for it over the next 3 months, and I figure I can get a 750 or above once I do an extensive math review.
2. Work experience: should be 3-4 years at the time of applying. I plan to have at least 2 years of MSW-level social work experience by the time I apply to an MBA, and 3 years by the time I enter the program. I’ll also have at least 1 year of experience as an AmeriCorps VISTA member (which I’m doing now). The MSW program also includes 1,000 hours of field experience.
3. Undergrad/GPA: 3.63 GPA in psychology at a top-10 liberal arts college. The only math class I took was a statistics course, which I got an A- in.
4. Letters of Recommendation: most of these will probably come from people whom I haven’t met yet -- but I haven’t had trouble finding good LOR sources in the past.
5. Essays: In my essays, I plan to explain how the MSW and my social work experience have prepared me for the MBA and a career in management. I feel pretty confident about this element of my application.
6. 24 years old now, so in 2020 (when I’m applying) I’ll be 29. White male, so no minority status there.
I’m planning on a specialization in nonprofit or healthcare management, if the school offers either one.
What are my chances at these schools (for now I’m most interested in full-time programs):
1. UT Austin - in many ways my top choice. I want to live and work in Texas for as long as I can, and I’ll qualify for in-state status, so I think McCombs makes a lot of sense.
2. UT Dallas
3. Texas A&M
And I may as well ask:
4. Harvard
5. Wharton
6. StanfordThanks very much for your help!