Duke Cross Continent Vs UCLA Vs HAAS

Question

HI Guys,

I am admitted to Duke Cross Continent program ( with $) and UCLA FEMBA ( with $). Awaiting decision from --- update Haas PT( with $)

Which school should I join ? below are few things that are important

- Brand / Rank of the School ( Do you think one school has an edge over the other ? ) 
- Duration of the program ( Duke - 16 months, UCLA/ Haas - 3 years)
- Class / peer interaction ( I feel Duke will have maximum interaction because it involves 44 days of residency with the classmates. Haas / UCLA will meet weekends only, so not sure how helpful will that be)
- Career opportunities ( I live in the Bay area and will prefer to work here after graduating. I understand that Haas is local but does it really matter ? Because even if I go to Duke, I will be in Bay area most of the time since its a part time / exec MBA)

Thanks

bb · Answer

Congratulations on the admissions to at least 2 programs! That's great!

My 2 cents - If you are in the Bay Area and you are in Haas you will be better off - everyone knows about Haas or at least Berkeley. Not that Duke is unknown but you have much more chances of bumping into someone you know/have connections with. If you take into consideration the class size of the Cross Continent MBA, then there may be 2-3 other people in Bay Area and that's it...

FYI - The Duke program is considered more of an Online MBA rather than a Part Time program. It is rather a mix of online and full time interaction with some intensive periods. The idea of studying all over the world is pretty cool. It is a 2-year program more or less VS 3-year for FEMBA. Here is more about the program duke-cross-continent-need-some-perspective-146322.html#p1249078 (I suggest searching a bit around too).

I would vote for Haas... however, if you want to take the Duke's program - I would definitely talk to 2 or 3 alums or current students before making that commitment.

DudeYou · Answer

Hi bb,

Thanks for the prompt response. I talked to Alumni from both Duke & Haas and seems that both schools have quite strong alumni network in Bay area. Agree with you that Haas has an edge in this respect. Some folks mentioned that Duke's CC MBA program offers more class / cohort interaction(10 full days for 6 terms) than the Haas part time program ( only on weekends). Haas students also mentioned that its difficult to meet classmates outside of the weekend class because of demanding jobs.So, more or less they just go for the class and come back, not much time for networking. I still have to talk to current Duke CC MBA students, will update when I have more info.

I feel a 16 month MBA will probably help me switch job / career faster than a 3 years MBA. What do you think ?

Also what do you think about the Duke Brand Vs Haas Brand in the long term ? Both programs seem to be in Top 10. Do you think choosing one over the other will make a huge difference. Thanks

bb · Answer

One drawback of FT/EMBA programs is that they do NOT help with job search/career change unless of course that happens within your current employer. You will not be included in career events for either schools. I don't know if schools go as far as kicking you out or denying access but you will most likely not be invited to job fairs/on campus recruiting sessions, etc. The reason is that you have a job and the poor slabs who quit their jobs to enter the Full Time program don't and they are the first priority. Which i agree, since they are taking the risk and they have the opportunity cost - PT program students don't. So to get the best degree of success for transition, a Full Time program would be ideal. Switching industries often needs a stepping stone which MBA does provide, but even a better one is an internship in the industry/role you want to pursue. You can do something in your current company by trying to get a mentor/volunteer to help in a different role and potentially switch into it later down the road. You don't need an MBA for that though esp since that will mean doing more than just one job.

It is a pure guessing game which program will help you switch better/best. I think it is a wash though being close to the Haas campus increases your opportunities and involvement with on-campus activities, mixers, etc. In contrast, you will be on Duke's campus for 3 weeks during the entire program.

Talk to one of the students from CC program and see what they think about switching jobs/industries.

It is a pure guessing game which program will help you switch better/best. I think it is a wash though being close to the Haas campus increases your opportunities and involvement with on-campus activities, mixers, etc. In contrast, you will be on Duke's campus for 3 weeks during the entire program.

Talk to one of the students from CC program and see what they think about switching jobs/industries.

Cycle14 · Answer

Did you contemplate the Haas EMBA program? Depends on what you are looking to do, but you have more concentrated in person time as a cohort, a shorter duration (19mo vs 3 yrs) with the Haas brand points you contemplate above. Happy to provide insights offline (as a current student).

DudeYou · Answer

Hi BB,

I agree that FT program will be in ideal choice. But, due to visa and other personal reasons a PT/EMBA program suits me better. I am in process of talking to few Alumni / current students from both Haas PT( 6 folks) and Duke Program ( 3 folks), to help me make a sound decision. Here's the response from Haas PT folks:

- The class will have > 65% students from tech industry. So, if you happen to be from tech...you won't get enough diversity. According to the folks I talked to...."you would want students from different walks of life...doctors, marines, finance etc, just so the class is diverse and you can learn from each others experiences". 
- Although the school offers two options Evening / weekend. Most of the folks I talked to ( they are all in tech companies) said, its almost impossible to take the evening option if you work in the bay area, because to attend the 6 pm class, you will have to leave work by 3 pm
- Most of them ended up taking weekend classes. The professors are amazing and the learning experience was great...almost everyone said this. 
- Outside of the weekend classes...cohorts do meet...but not very often. They prefer online meetings and conversations. Most of them were not able to attend club meets, seminars that are held on-campus, mixers, tech events etc. because it was practically impossible to leave work on the weekdays. 
- They liked the "learning" part of the program...but as far as team interaction outside of work / forming a camaraderie with peers is concerned, they were not very positive. It was almost like...going for the class on weekends...studying / working on weekdays...then again class on weekends
- They all praised the Alumni network, which is huge in the bay area
- Also, almost everyone was of the opinion that both Duke and Haas have similar brand recognition globally & within US. But Haas has more connections in the Bay area.

I will update this thread with the response from Duke alumni / current students soon...still need to talk to some more folks

Cycle14 · Answer

Hey DudeYou - great that you're getting first hand accounts here. A couple of extra thoughts based upon your feedback that seem relevant.

1) the diversity comment surprises me a little, in EMBA I have all of those fields and more (lawyers, non-profits, engineering, military, medicine, etc, etc)

2) an evening or 1 day/weekend program is always going to be a bit more transactional. That was a big draw for me for EMBA - you spend a little over 3 days living with your cohort every 3 weeks, the learning opportunities outside of class over late night dinner/drinks are as big a part as the in class component IMO.

3) Clubs and activities is another favorite point - as with all programs you'll get out what you can put in. I've leveraged membership of activities and clubs during my time at Haas - they've been very welcoming and inclusive of part time students but there is no magic wand to wave to make the time appear in your day - you need to be able to get to campus during an evening off cycle, or take time off work. I suspect that this is common to all part-time MBA programs where you are maintaining full time employment while studying.

One of our program alums recently put up a post on LinkedIn about OCR for EMBA that might also be of relevance.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/job-sear ... arter-reue

Duke Cross Continent Vs UCLA Vs HAAS

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