ROSS MSCM vs McCombs vs Foster vs Georgetown vs Emory Full Time MBA

Question

A little bit about myself. I am looking for a career transition in Operations in Tech from Entrepreneurship.

I wanted to know is Ross MSCM the best program for me considering

1. I am looking to go in Operations and Ross has a very good Supply Chain program.

2. Considering I'm an Indian and all the visa issues and the Trump factor, the 36 month visa provided by MSCM seems very attractive.

3. Comparing the salary stats, MSCM has an average starting salary on par or greater than most of the above mentioned schools.

4. I personally want to do an MBA but talks with admissions team at McCombs and Georgetown has done nothing to give me confidence. The senior director at admissions at McCombs directly said me that it's very tough for Indian students to get a job as very rarely companies sponsor Indian students and even if they get a company to sponsor them, they have to depend on lottery system of H1B.  What was most shocking was he directly gave me a NO when i asked for stats for placement of Indian students for last 3-5 years.

5. I have heard from people that in the long run, MBA is more beneficial and gives you access to leadership positions. Can anyone point out the type of leadership positions. I talked with the admissions people at Ross and they said students from MSCM have equal access to leadership positions.

I have talked to a dozen students and yet no clear solution. The students at McCombs said to join Ross MSCM, Georgetown students said to join Emory and Ross MSCM said MSCM is a good option but McCombs can be even better. If anything, they made the decision all the more difficult. I will be taking a huge loan, irrespective of the program and don't want to end up with no job and a mountain load of debt on my head.

(B/w I also have interviews at Rice & Notre Dame)

Any advice in this matter will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

beefphoforthewin · Answer

XxxR8,

1. I heard Ross have a very strong program in Operations in Tech so if this is what you want to do, go for it. Also look at the one at MIT

2. The Trump factor might alter your 36 months period (shorten it or eliminate it altogether)

3. I'm not sure about this one. Remember down in TX $1 is like $2 elsewhere so Mccombs might win the standard of living race

4. This is not true, there are a lot of Indians employed in big companies down here (I'm from Texas) (Deloitte S&O, corporate internal consulting gigs, etc.) If you have a MBA, your H1 rate also increases to 50 %. It is probably not that shocking when you ask Mccombs dean for Indian specific stat given the program is hugely diverse. You should probably talk to alums or current Indian students at those programs to find out

5. This is true, also remember you can do MBA after your Master. People who graduated from Master program typically recruit for Analyst position and MBA Manager position. Exceptions do occur depend on your work exp

Hope this helps I don't want to confuse you even more. I think you have to make the choice between Mccombs vs. Ross (might come down to the location factor), don't even bother with the other school unless you get full fellowship (basically free school and exclusive hiring opp). Both programs are highly competitive with tremendous employment support. I don't think you will end up with a huge loan and no job unless you fall into one of two types: can't speak English or anti-social. As long as you are normal you will be better than fine at both programs.

Mo2men · Answer

Welcome to the dilemma

It is always hard to choose between MBA and STEM program. No one gave you a clear solution as every one has has goals and experience. I find McCombs replay to you about Indian students and rare opportunity is somehow weird. Although it is hard for international students to find sponsored companies, there are lot of success stories for Indian and other nationalities. I may have some advice for you but actually it depends on your dream and age. As operation pro, I can say with confidence that MSCM is one of the best especially it has been shorted to 10 months. So you can join this course and it will provide you with transition you want. Their job recruitment reports is strong. After 3-5 years you may apply to one of the MBA programs. you can apply to one year program such as Kellegg or Emory or 2-years program if your age and goals allow you to do so. You may apply for Part time in big schools also. Again it is me . You need to rethink in your goals and plan for future. Good luck

XxxR8 · Answer

Thank you  Mo2men  for your reply. Even I found the reply by admissions team of McCombs very strange. I have also talked to a lot of Indian students at McCombs and have got mixed responses.

You said exactly what I've been thinking. However I was not very sure till yet. My own plan was to pursue MSCM presently, work for 3-4 years and then go for either a 1yr or 2yr MBA, hopefully from a top 10 B-School. I am still contacting more students at both the schools but Michigan brand name, Amazon being a very very big recruiter there, STEM certification, 100% jobs for Indians, an average salary which is slightly greater than McCombs and a tremendous ROI is pushing me towards Ross at this moment.

Once again, thank you very much for your input.

aerien · Answer

The SCM degree is a very specialized degree and Ross is one of the best programs imo. Compared to an MBA, you'll have more of a specialized internship search primarily focused on ops roles as you'd expect and you'll likely keep that similar functional role coming out of the program.

The MBA is a broader degree where you could focus in ops/scm depending on the program. You'll come out with a broader strategic business view as opposed to a specific functional expertise from an scm

If you're on the younger side, as mohater mentioned, you can always do scm then do an MBA later. For SCM look at Ross and also MIT Sloan, CMU Tepper, ASU, and MSU Broad.

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XxxR8 · Answer

Thank you for your input aerien . I am presently 26, will be 27 by the time I join. Can't really say I am on the younger side :lol:

Presently I am thinking to complete MSCM and work for 3-4 years. If then I felt I need an MBA, then I can think about it. Although I'll b ~31 by that time. Is that too old an age to apply for an MBA?

aerien · Answer

Oof I think you have some thinking to do! 31 won't be too old for an MBA but you'll be towards the older end of the spectrum. Depending on your experience by that point some people here have potentially been dinged or encouraged to join an EMBA program.

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XxxR8 · Answer

Presently I have 5 years of experience. So, I'll probably have ~ 8years of experience by the time I think about doing MBA (I'll want to work for 3 years after MSCM to pay of the student loans & hopefully save a little).

One last advice  aerien  as I am not really much aware about the weekend/part time/1 year MBA programs. Do they carry the same weightage as a full time 2 year MBA program, if I decide to go in that direction in the future? Also, what's the duration of the part time/EMBA programs?

Mo2men · Answer

Hi XxxR8, I have an advice for you about 1 year MBA. You can get first hand experience form student sin both Emory and Kellogg or Mendoza. I have good experience with students from 1-year mba. They are responsive ans supportive. Try to contact them through the following: https://goizueta.emory.edu/degree/one_ye ... adors.html Good luck

aerien · Answer

People debate the merits of 2Y vs 1Y vs part time. Ultimately each serves a different purpose for the student. A 2Y program is the traditional option -- it provides a good amount of time for some self reflection for careers and gives you a summer internship to try out a new path.

A 1Y program typically draws students who already have a business background (business undergrad, for example) and don't feel they need the "full" MBA curriculum in order to achieve their career goals.

The part time program is a large undertaking as you'll be working full time while taking classes in the evenings and/or on weekends. It's great for those who are more budget conscious as you'll still be earning an income and sometimes you can get your employer to help sponsor your studies too. The actual program by nature will take you longer to complete so you may be looking at 2-3 years of study while working.

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ROSS MSCM vs McCombs vs Foster vs Georgetown vs Emory Full Time MBA

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