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16 Sep 2021, 10:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey Personal MBA Coach.
I'm in a bit of a stand-still with figuring out the best path for my future. Can you read my profile below and let me know if you think I should do an MBA or an MS in Information Technology?
Age: 27
Location: Chicago (downtown)
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems
School: Top 220 school but known for its research.
GPA: 2.881
Current Role: IT Manager at top 4 biotechnology companies.
Current Salary with bonus: 150k.
Past experience (including "part-time" Technology jobs): 99 months (8.25 years)
GMAT and GRE: I'd honestly like to skip this if possible. I haven't taken it but I could see it as taking months of studying. I'd like to get started but I'm not 100% crossing this out.
I'm not quite sure what I'd like to do to ensure my future is covered. "Covered" in context is making a choice on a masters that aligns with technology leadership and furthering my education by staying technical. I grew up very poor in an area with lots of crime with a father working as a correctional officer. It was not an easy upbringing. To give an example, there was used heroin needles thrown in our yard by past inmates that knew my father regularly in an attempt to hurt his children (myself). With such an upbringing I have learned to save money wherever necessary. It's hard for me now that I have savings and such to justify a ton of money on a degree when I can't guarantee ROI with my current income. My GPA in school was low. 2.881. I was working full-time hours at a "part-time" role and taking 5 courses on average a semester. I graduated with no debt, and while my GPA is a bit rough, I am actually quite proud of it based on the amount of work I was doing. My last 60 credit hours I had a 3.2 GPA. In my current role I've been promoted and relocated twice. My salary has doubled within this company within 3 years. One relocation was for a promotion. Now my company would like me to manage the headquarters infrastructure and technology in Chicago. I'd really like to gauge what you think I should or can do.
Options that have crossed my mind:
MBA's:
GRE/gmat needed
Booth - 120k out of pocket
Kellogg - 125k out of pocket
GRE/gmat not needed
Kelley (online) - Received a Gmat waiver. 50k out of pocket.
Ohio State (online) - fully covered through work.
iMBA at UIUC - worried this will become a mill for a degree - fully covered through work.
Non MBA's:
MS of Information technology at Northwestern - 50k out of pocket. (CURRENT PLAN)
MCIT at UPenn (Might be worth to get into programming and software development?!) - Fully covered
MIT at Virginia Tech. - ~7k out of pocket. Not an M.S though.
Do schools offer part-time scholarships?
Any assistance from you would be most appreciated. I've been struggling for a few months on what to do and can honestly say I'm extremely anxious with nobody to really get guidance from. If unsure, could you let me know what my profile looks like for MBA's?
Thank you!
I'm in a bit of a stand-still with figuring out the best path for my future. Can you read my profile below and let me know if you think I should do an MBA or an MS in Information Technology?
Age: 27
Location: Chicago (downtown)
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems
School: Top 220 school but known for its research.
GPA: 2.881
Current Role: IT Manager at top 4 biotechnology companies.
Current Salary with bonus: 150k.
Past experience (including "part-time" Technology jobs): 99 months (8.25 years)
GMAT and GRE: I'd honestly like to skip this if possible. I haven't taken it but I could see it as taking months of studying. I'd like to get started but I'm not 100% crossing this out.
I'm not quite sure what I'd like to do to ensure my future is covered. "Covered" in context is making a choice on a masters that aligns with technology leadership and furthering my education by staying technical. I grew up very poor in an area with lots of crime with a father working as a correctional officer. It was not an easy upbringing. To give an example, there was used heroin needles thrown in our yard by past inmates that knew my father regularly in an attempt to hurt his children (myself). With such an upbringing I have learned to save money wherever necessary. It's hard for me now that I have savings and such to justify a ton of money on a degree when I can't guarantee ROI with my current income. My GPA in school was low. 2.881. I was working full-time hours at a "part-time" role and taking 5 courses on average a semester. I graduated with no debt, and while my GPA is a bit rough, I am actually quite proud of it based on the amount of work I was doing. My last 60 credit hours I had a 3.2 GPA. In my current role I've been promoted and relocated twice. My salary has doubled within this company within 3 years. One relocation was for a promotion. Now my company would like me to manage the headquarters infrastructure and technology in Chicago. I'd really like to gauge what you think I should or can do.
Options that have crossed my mind:
MBA's:
GRE/gmat needed
Booth - 120k out of pocket
Kellogg - 125k out of pocket
GRE/gmat not needed
Kelley (online) - Received a Gmat waiver. 50k out of pocket.
Ohio State (online) - fully covered through work.
iMBA at UIUC - worried this will become a mill for a degree - fully covered through work.
Non MBA's:
MS of Information technology at Northwestern - 50k out of pocket. (CURRENT PLAN)
MCIT at UPenn (Might be worth to get into programming and software development?!) - Fully covered
MIT at Virginia Tech. - ~7k out of pocket. Not an M.S though.
Do schools offer part-time scholarships?
Any assistance from you would be most appreciated. I've been struggling for a few months on what to do and can honestly say I'm extremely anxious with nobody to really get guidance from. If unsure, could you let me know what my profile looks like for MBA's?
Thank you!
PersonalMBACoach
Expert
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Joined: 11 Sep 2010
Last visit: 24 Apr 2026
Posts: 3,807
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Affiliations: Wharton, MIT
Location: United States (NY)
Overall Client Admit Rate: 96%
Expert reply
16 Sep 2021, 14:28
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Knightyear,
Thank you for your post. Deciding between an MBA and an MS can take some serious consideration. A lot depends on what you want to do after school. What are your goals? Are you set on going into IT? If the answers are yes, then the MS in information technology would likely help your career more.
On the other hand, an MBA could open more doors for you depending on your career goals.
To address your GPA and testing, securing a strong test score will be important to outweigh your low GPA. That said, it is typically not advised to skip the GMAT/GRE in a situation like this, particularly due to some of the higher ranking schools on your list like Kellogg and Booth.
From what you have shared regarding your upbringing, it sounds like you have some strong material to articulate your personal story. This will be key to help separate you from the applicant pool. Personal MBA Coach started with the premise that everyone has a personal story and that the most successful candidates craft unique and compelling stories. This continues to be a cornerstone of our support and the area where we find our clients need the most guidance.
We can provide customized support for specialized masters and full-time/part-time/one year MBA programs. Feel free to send a note to [email protected] to learn how we can help set you up for success and further discuss your application strategy.
Best,
Personal MBA Coach
Thank you for your post. Deciding between an MBA and an MS can take some serious consideration. A lot depends on what you want to do after school. What are your goals? Are you set on going into IT? If the answers are yes, then the MS in information technology would likely help your career more.
On the other hand, an MBA could open more doors for you depending on your career goals.
To address your GPA and testing, securing a strong test score will be important to outweigh your low GPA. That said, it is typically not advised to skip the GMAT/GRE in a situation like this, particularly due to some of the higher ranking schools on your list like Kellogg and Booth.
From what you have shared regarding your upbringing, it sounds like you have some strong material to articulate your personal story. This will be key to help separate you from the applicant pool. Personal MBA Coach started with the premise that everyone has a personal story and that the most successful candidates craft unique and compelling stories. This continues to be a cornerstone of our support and the area where we find our clients need the most guidance.
We can provide customized support for specialized masters and full-time/part-time/one year MBA programs. Feel free to send a note to [email protected] to learn how we can help set you up for success and further discuss your application strategy.
Best,
Personal MBA Coach
Knightyear
