UCLA Anderson full time (no $) or UC Berkeley Haas EWMBA?

Question

Hey everyone -

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. I was accepted into UCLA Anderson's full time MBA but no scholarship money and Berkeley Haas's EWMBA. I'm having a tough time deciding between the two.

Here's my situation:

I have 7 years of experience, all in the Bay Area - 2 in investment banking and 5 in FP&A at SaaS startups. My current salary is on the high end of post-MBA salaries based on the employment reports I've read for both schools, plus I get bonus and stock options vested monthly. My goal is to pursue entrepreneurship and will be spending most of efforts and time going that route. Product management will be my fallback plan so will be following the typical path on that.

Here are my thoughts: Haas is the better brand and the PT program is top notch. I own a home in the bay so there will be little change to life other than spending the extra hours on coursework and networking events. Additionally, having my salary to offset the cost of school is also nice. However, considering that my goal is to start a company during school and backup plan is a career switch, will I even have time to do everything I want? I should mention that I already talked to my boss and he's fine with me having flexible work hours. Overall, logically and financially this option makes sense.

On the other hand, the case I have for UCLA is that I really value the full time experience because of my goals states above. I'm originally from LA and would like to work in LA post graduation so regionally UCLA is the winner - I'll be able to retain most of my network from school. Downside here is the cost, I'll be taking out a loan for the full amount just to be safe, but have a pretty healthy savings built up. Also ranking wise, I'll be going to a top 20 vs. top 20 (not sure if that matters much if I stay in CA). Ultimately, UCLA is where my heart is telling me to go lol.

What are your thoughts? I would greatly appreciate anyone's input here.

Thanks!!!!

bb · Answer

Hi and welcome back to GMAT Club.

Congratulations on your admits. Different people in different things when they say entrepreneurship but in my mind that usually means starting some thing up and potentially be without a salary for a while. Also potentially means working a job and starting something up at the same time. If that’s your case, I feel a big loan for $200,000 is probably not going to be helpful for an entrepreneur. It sounds like you have savings and you have a house that you could sell maybe.... I think financially and from the safety standpoint, part-time program probably makes the most sense. You can keep your job and keep working. You can start thinking about your start up and potentially replace your job with the start up if it gets going. It’s definitely pushing the limits but it has been done. Doing a start up during your full-time program is definitely an option. I have done variety of things including GMAT Club and it was helpful for the NBA experience since I could use it in my case studies and could conduct research very easily. It always made a great presentation when you had real data. At the same time, it’s pretty tricky to balance full-time program and start up because you’ll be ignoring recruiting. Are you going to still recruit for an internship or will you be doing a start up as an internship? Of course maybe you mean something else like VC or Incubator or SBA, etc. If you were recruiting for a full-time job, and changing industries, then it would make sense to do a full-time program. You have to. If you’re doing your own thing, you really want to minimize your costs and minimize fallout from a failure. Also keep in mind that there is a chance that the UC system will be online at least part of the next year. That will take away from the experience you’re seeking at UCLA.... That’s my vote ? Posted from my mobile device

disiszhi · Answer

Thanks for your input!

I can definitely see your case for Haas. And yes by entrepreneurship I mean starting my own thing. I would still recruit for product management in tech just so I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket (with high risk) - rationale here is that I feel like I have learned quite a bit on the finance/gtm/business side and want to learn more on the technical side. I originally had in my mind that this would be my plan regardless of PT or FT but it sounds like fitting all that in my schedule for PT would be a rough ride (should note that I planned on quitting my job halfway through for an internship).. However coming out of the program with close to no debt vs. a whopping 200K would also put me in a much better starting point. You also raise a good point with the the covid impact - seems like at the very least fall quarter will be remote so I lose out on a lot of experiences there.

What about the regional and network factors? Since I do want to stay in LA, would that be an important consideration? Based on Haas's employment report it looks like only 5% make it down to LA while close to 80% stay in the bay. Also, I'm thinking if I get no traction from my startup, I can still land a PM role in LA and learn the product side before starting again in several years, however anecdotally I've heard that PM roles are way more plentiful in the bay.. Lastly, there's the intrinsic value of family, friends, time, etc. in LA that can't be quantified.

Haha I know I have bias here so don't want to sound like I'm trying to rationalize the lesser option. But I do want to make sure my rationale is bulletproof, or close, so I don't go on regretting my decision by this time next year.

Regenerate · Answer

It sounds like you've got $200-250,000 to invest in a business.

You're trying to decide between investing it in an MBA in advance of starting the business ... or ... having the dry powder to use to put it alongside the initial capital from investors.

I can guarantee you that you'll be dramatically better off negotiating with prospective investors if you're on the check writing committee than if you're not.

Save the cash to be a part of the initial seed round of Newco. Go to Haas. Your future net worth thanks you.

Posted from my mobile device

gmatkarma20 · Answer

Hi, Congratulations on the admits. Both programs are top-notch. I am currently a year into the Haas EWMBA program so I can give you some perspective on what it’s like to be a part-time student. I know the entrepreneurship support that Haas students get, so I can comment on that as well. I cannot comment on UCLA (full-time or FEMBA) because I never applied there. Having said that, given that you are already on the high end of the post-MBA salary range, I suggest you think deeply about the opportunity cost of the full-time program and the advantages of not only the Haas brand, but also the support you get throughout the program if your intention is to startup. As a part-time student working a full-time job AND trying to start-up on the side is going to be really tough. However, it is completely doable if you play your cards right and schedule things and stick to it (don’t procrastinate, etc). A lot of MBA students at Haas want to start-up. And there is a complete ecosystem to support you as much as possible. Look at the STEP program (https://step.berkeley.edu/), where you can potentially match up with other wannabe entrepreneurs and learn how to build, sell and pitch a product. Then there’s Launch (https://www.uclaunch.com/), where you can pitch a prototype/idea for funding, etc. Look at this other programs: https://learn2launch.berkeley.edu/home centered completely around starting up. There is no dearth of resources or support at Haas. It’s how much effort you want to put in. You will find the right people with the right expertise (from engineers, to PhD students into energy, to Finance students interested in Fintech). Although it seems like the Haas brand is very regional, the UCBerkeley brand will take you farther. Haas has a very tech heavy culture, and most people self-select to be in the Bay Area. But from all accounts, it’s improving with a lot of alumni in the Midwest, Washington, Texas, etc. LA, i believe is centered more around gaming and entertainment (I may be wrong), but if you want to go the PM route as a backup, the Bay Area is certainly it. And, there’s a ton of support for that too. One more point in favor of going the part-time route besides the opportunity cost is the network. In my class, there are two people who started up within a year of joining the program - two startups. I think both went through the STEP program and then one of them got selected in UCLaunch. Then, there are a ton of PMs currently in my class. It’s always fun to discuss with them and learn from them about what they do, and how they are applying class concepts to the PM role, etc. You won’t get that with the full-time program. Overall, my vote goes to Haas EWMBA. Let me know if you have any further questions. Good Luck!

wallstreetmonkey7 · Answer

I'd be interested to learn what you choose. I'm currently going through the same decision, between an east coast full-time program, and a west coast part time program (both similar in rankings).

UCLA Anderson full time (no $) or UC Berkeley Haas EWMBA?

UCLA Anderson full time (no $) or UC Berkeley Haas EWMBA?

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