UCLA FEMBA vs USC MBA.PM comparisons can tread dangerous waters so I will try to give my objective opinion as someone who was admitted to both programs and why I chose FEMBA:
1.) First impressions matter a lot especially when you are making a life altering decision (hopefully) such as going to business school. And just a quick perusal through UCLA and USC's website shows the glaring differences in the effort put in explaining about the program. I will let you be the judge for that. To take it to the next step, the information session at UCLA was amazing especially when they had current FEMBA students mix with the prospective applicants. In comparison, when I attended USC's info session, there was not even a sign in the building indicating that a session was going on and I spent 10 minutes tracking down the room. Again, I use this as a data point because as much as I want to attend a great program, the school should be willing to 'recruit' and 'wow' me.
2.) Application process:
UCLA: Spent a boatload of time preparing the application with all the essays and application. Not to mention an Interview and a hand written note a week later from the interviewer thanking me for the interest.
USC: Spent about 1 week on the application (albeit took majority of the content from the UCLA essay). But no interview, application did not even ask for extra curricular activities. My biggest concern was how the vetting process could not include an interview (or even a phone interview). After all, stats and essays dont tell everything.
3.) Class Profile: I havent attended the classes at either institution but another reason that tilted me towards FEMBA was that they were willing to have Saturday sessions. This is not only a matter of convenience but also the fact that it brings diversity to the class. A good majority fly in and a lot more drive in from around LA. USC's decision to not have weekend classes makes it very hard for students outside the LA area to logistically make the program (who wants to be going into downtown LA at 5pm)
4.) Pros and Cons: Yes. They exist for both programs and I am sure the USC MBA.PM is pretty good since it is consistently ranked as one of the top part-time programs. But again, maybe it was just me but they did not sell me on the program at the information session. The one word I kept hearing again and again at the session was the Network. I get that but if I am spending 3yrs then I want to be able to walk away with a lot more knowledge than just the network.
5.) Reputation: As others have pointed, generally UCLA has a better reputation and in the long run it probably works for what I am planning to achieve.
Finally, when I walked out of the UCLA campus I said to myself "I want to be in this program". Unfortunately, I couldnt say the same after I came out of USC's. So if all else fails with the analysis, go with the gut
Completely agree. I applied to both but just looking at the essay questions on the USC.PM app (only 3 total, both smaller and easier than the questions on the Anderson, Haas, etc apps), and the website layout (whole thing was rushed... I could spell out specific examples if you want)... UCLA definitely seems a step above USC.
21 May 2010, 09:43
