B-school? Where?

Question

Hi,

I'm new to this.

Profile:~3.5 GPA, ~5 years FT experience in new business ventures. Interested in consulting for new business ventures in specialized field. 780Q on GRE, studying for GMAT (aiming for 700+).

For my goals, should I pursue an (Exec?) MBA or a Masters through a business school? Which provides greater value at this juncture?

Am I reasonably competitive for Top 20 MBA programs? Is Top 10 a reach? Should I try for Top 20 Masters now and do an exec program in the next 5 years? Are specialty programs taken as seriously as MS/MA degrees in traditional programs?

Any insight you can provide is greatly appreciated.

specialxknc · Answer

you gave very little information and what you did give was very vague. There are a thousand posts of people with 3.5 GPAs and 700+ Gmats which you could have used a simple search function to read about.

but to answer your question (and this is just opinion) - top 20 easy to get in somewhere. top 10 - i dont know depends on other factors.

CCMBA · Answer

Yes, I realize I was being vague. My field, as I mentioned, is specialized and that combined with my work experience might give me away.

The main question was really a Masters vs. MBA. And whether specialty Masters are taken as seriously.

In general, if a masters seems like a better fit, should one pursue that degree? I've read that MBAs are becoming more ubiquitous and just a formality after one has "made it."

Anyone who's made a similar decision want to chime in?

CCMBA · Answer

Friendly bump. Any word on whether a specialty masters is worth it if I know exactly what I'd do with it? People wouldn't be familiar with the degree. MBA instead? Thanks!

lb2015 · Answer

Sounds like you're reasonably competitive for top 20 schools with good execution. Why not aim high?

An MBA is typically going to be stronger than an MA if you are interested in consulting, and will open doors more broadly if you decide to do something else.

An interesting point: Yale SOM changed the name of its degree from an MPPM (masters of public and private management) to MBA purely for the marketibility several years back. The format of the program didn't substantially change--Yale SOM was and still is a business school, albeit one that places major emphasis on social impact leadership--but they realized that an MBA was, as you say it, the standard that people recognized.

Regardless of the academic experience, an MBA as a degree just has more clout than an MA in the business world.

CCMBA · Answer

Hi lb2015,

Thanks for your response. So is it worth it to wait till I'm more competitive for top 10 MBA? I'm looking for greater depth of education in my industry, so is a masters better for now?

lb2015 · Answer

Tough for me to judge—do you feel ready for an MBA yet? The reality is that five years of work experience is plenty (I only had two when I applied), but if you think that another year or two would really help you get the depth of experience you’re looking for, it’s fine to wait. Keep in mind that the average years of work experience at most top MBA programs is about 4-6, so you’re right in the range now.

In most cases, you will NOT be more competitive for a top MBA with a masters degree, particularly if you did it at the expense of getting more work experience (i.e. if you did your masters full-time). Keep in mind that you will need work supervisors to write your MBA recommendations, and preferably a current manager. So an MBA will actually be more of an uphill battle if you are out of work pursuing said masters.

If you’re still set on an MA, by all means do it, but you might consider a part-time or evening program so you can continue to work full-time.

DCTech87 · Answer

I'd imagine I'm in line with several of the other posters here. A specialty masters certainly will be more beneficial to a unique field, but not knowing more I can't fairly suggest one way or another. I can speak to the value of an MBA and say that depending on your age, etc., there's diminishing returns on an MBA if you wait much longer, and that depending on the consulting firm(s) you are looking to work for, an MBA may provide you a direct avenue to obtaining a position there. Conversely if you want to consult for yourself, clearly you'll want to avoid the 100K+ of debt.

As for which schools - your scores and GPA will get you past a very initial screen into a bucket of students with similar characteristics. From then on it's your story that matters - what you do, how you lead, what you've achieved, involvement outside of work, if there's something particularly amazing about your unique field? If you feel you have a strong story and can tell it well, then sky's the limit.

Best of Luck.

B-school? Where?

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