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botyslr4
Current Student
Joined: 14 Feb 2021
Last visit: 11 May 2021
Posts: 4
Own Kudos:
Schools: Harvard '23 (A) UCLA FEMBA '24 (A)
14 Feb 2021, 18:44
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Background:
I currently work at a FAANG company in a decent role. I like the company, but it is not what I want to be doing long term. Short term goal IB or Consulting. Long term I would like to be in PE/VC. I am located in Los Angeles.
Situation:
I received an admit to both UCLA Anderson FEMBA and Harvard MBA, and am stuck on what to choose.
UCLA:
Pros -
UCLA is here in LA, where I want to be.
FEMBA gets me the MBA and would allow me to grow within the company.
FEMBA allows me the opportunity to transition out of FAANG into a different industry.
Maintain salary throughout.
Cons -
3 years
Less Recruiting exposure being a PT program
Weaker recruiting than Harvard
Lesser experience overall being PT
I don't want to be in FAANG and this locks me there for longer
Harvard:
Pros-
Harvard brand name
Will allow me to make the transition I desire (amazing recruiting)
Harvard brand name
2 years
Cons-
More $$$
Have to move across country
No job throughout
I am just super stuck on which to choose. Harvard is a dream!! But will UCLA FEMBA give me the same end result (IB or consulting on west coast) for less cost?
My biggest fear with UCLA is the inability to leave FAANG with the PT status (not getting the day to day exposure with recruiters), and less strength of UCLA recruiting in general... but it's still UCLA! Great school....
Turning down Harvard? Am I crazy?
These are my only options on the table...
Help me make up my mind please!
I currently work at a FAANG company in a decent role. I like the company, but it is not what I want to be doing long term. Short term goal IB or Consulting. Long term I would like to be in PE/VC. I am located in Los Angeles.
Situation:
I received an admit to both UCLA Anderson FEMBA and Harvard MBA, and am stuck on what to choose.
UCLA:
Pros -
UCLA is here in LA, where I want to be.
FEMBA gets me the MBA and would allow me to grow within the company.
FEMBA allows me the opportunity to transition out of FAANG into a different industry.
Maintain salary throughout.
Cons -
3 years
Less Recruiting exposure being a PT program
Weaker recruiting than Harvard
Lesser experience overall being PT
I don't want to be in FAANG and this locks me there for longer
Harvard:
Pros-
Harvard brand name
Will allow me to make the transition I desire (amazing recruiting)
Harvard brand name
2 years
Cons-
More $$$
Have to move across country
No job throughout
I am just super stuck on which to choose. Harvard is a dream!! But will UCLA FEMBA give me the same end result (IB or consulting on west coast) for less cost?
My biggest fear with UCLA is the inability to leave FAANG with the PT status (not getting the day to day exposure with recruiters), and less strength of UCLA recruiting in general... but it's still UCLA! Great school....
Turning down Harvard? Am I crazy?
These are my only options on the table...
Help me make up my mind please!
FinanceMan
Masters of Science Forum Moderator
Joined: 24 Feb 2020
Last visit: 07 Nov 2024
Posts: 249
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 113
Location: United States (OK)
Schools: Fuqua MSQM-BA Online "22 (M)
15 Feb 2021, 11:24
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I am a HUGE supporter of part-time business programs for working professionals. Heck, I am in one myself. However, in this case, I think accepting the FT Harvard MBA offer would be very wise. You can essentially write your own ticket with the Harvard MBA and in the long run, I believe it will benefit you far more.
Congratulations on your admits, especially the HBS admit! It was arguably the most competitive application season in over a decade for most T15 schools and especially HBS.
Posted from my mobile device
Congratulations on your admits, especially the HBS admit! It was arguably the most competitive application season in over a decade for most T15 schools and especially HBS.
Posted from my mobile device
hacorus
Current Student
Joined: 30 Apr 2020
Last visit: 24 Jul 2021
Posts: 53
Given Kudos: 148
Location: United Kingdom
Schools: INSEAD Sept'21 Intake (A) CBS '23 (M$)
GMAT 1: 760 Q49 V44 (Online)
15 Feb 2021, 11:46
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Congratulations!
One thing to consider is also the strain part time program can have on your life because you have to balance academic, work and personal with the same amount of time you have today.
I also think that you should consider the personal growth you could get from a 2 years FT program as you'd have more time to experiment and connect with your classmates.
For those two reasons, I selected a FT program over a part-time one and when the FT program is HBS, it's difficult to do better.
If you have your partner in LA and other commitments, then UCLA is a good choice as well. Not as fancy, but it'd get you closer to your goal.
Posted from my mobile device
One thing to consider is also the strain part time program can have on your life because you have to balance academic, work and personal with the same amount of time you have today.
I also think that you should consider the personal growth you could get from a 2 years FT program as you'd have more time to experiment and connect with your classmates.
For those two reasons, I selected a FT program over a part-time one and when the FT program is HBS, it's difficult to do better.
If you have your partner in LA and other commitments, then UCLA is a good choice as well. Not as fancy, but it'd get you closer to your goal.
Posted from my mobile device
15 Feb 2021, 11:56
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Congratulations on your admit and welcome to GMAT Club!
It is a long weekend so I am not sure how much traction will be until tomorrow but this should be a pretty straightforward take, and sorry for being banal, since we are comparing apples and oranges.
My biggest concerns about attending a FEMBA are the following:
I would strongly recommend to look at the benefits of the FT program such as the transofrmative power it has (which PT usually does not), the growth you would experience, and the network you would build by being committed full time. I understand it is a plunge and a lot of money and a lot less safe, which is even harder if you have a family but I would recommend talking to students and alums about that aspect and that concern/risk and how they coped wiht it. Part of the reason FT program is so powerful and transformative is that the stakes are high. It is hard to be fully committed or involved if there is no risk.
My vote goes strongly towards the ultimate program
It is a long weekend so I am not sure how much traction will be until tomorrow but this should be a pretty straightforward take, and sorry for being banal, since we are comparing apples and oranges.
My biggest concerns about attending a FEMBA are the following:
- PT MBA is not recommended if you are changing industries/roles. There is no provision for an internship and that is something very helpful for the final job success. There is no formal summer internship which for some areas makes it a lot easier to recruit.
- FEMBA is a lot easier to get into. If you compare FT and PT programs, you will notice the difference in stats and parameters since the market for PT folks is fairly local and limited. This is a loophole to get a great brand-name MBA by trading off FT experience vs. PT. It seems to be odd to be doing a PT program while you have a FT admit at HBS. My point is that you would be surrounded by a different caliber of classmates that may or may not be stimulating or challenging
- FEMBA provides limited recruiting options (sort of mentioned in the #1 above) but you can't attend the recruiting events. Often, you are not even invited because schools prioritize their FT students for those and don't want PT students filling in spots. On the flip side, there is not really on-campus recruiting for consulting or IB at Anderson. This is the plight of most West-coast schools.
- My biggest and last argument is doing 2 things well at the same time is hard. It is hard to do school and work for 3 years well. Something is likely going to take a dip now and then. Sometimes your work effort may be compromised and sometimes it may be your school and learning. Doing school for 3 years is a lot if you want to switch careers at the end. You are potentially delaying yourself a year. However, the biggest issue is that while you can manage to do school and work at the same time and balance them OK, you will need to also be recruiting and that is a whole separate world. That would be like doing 4 things at the same time. Most people doing FEMBA end up compromising on recruiting and don't end up doing their best. It is understandable too and not because they are lazy but just because something has to give and that's what does. Also, having a nice enough job and thus not having the deadline of graduating and needing to desperately find a job, also creates this backup option that allows you to fall back and not feel the urgency. Something I did and I know at least one other MBA, is we quit our safe jobs so we could have more time networking and recruiting. I worked on campus during my second year in business school and it provided extra income and was a job I really loved and excelled at but it was not an MBA-level job. I went for months not able to recruit. Eventually, I just quit it and within 2 weeks I had another job lined up. I don't think it was accidental per se.
I would strongly recommend to look at the benefits of the FT program such as the transofrmative power it has (which PT usually does not), the growth you would experience, and the network you would build by being committed full time. I understand it is a plunge and a lot of money and a lot less safe, which is even harder if you have a family but I would recommend talking to students and alums about that aspect and that concern/risk and how they coped wiht it. Part of the reason FT program is so powerful and transformative is that the stakes are high. It is hard to be fully committed or involved if there is no risk.
My vote goes strongly towards the ultimate program
