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15 Dec 2020, 18:21
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Appreciate any insight.
Stanford MSx vs. MIT Sloan Fellows ($$) vs. Tuck ($$) vs. Haas MBA/MPH ($$) vs. HBS MBA/MS waitlist
Background: 14+ years experience military officer and jet aviator and 3+ years experience Medical Provider (MD, NP, PA)
Post-MBA: Biotechnology (specific area TBD)
In addition to the above programs, I was waitlisted at HBS MBA with possible dual-degree option of MS Biotechnology.
All programs are exceptional and I wish I could go to all of them! I feel extremely humbled that I was accepted to these and am cringing at the thought of saying no to any of them.
Social factors: Our family lives in the Boston area and we have a baby on the way.
Specific questions:
1) Will attending a 1-year program without an internship affect my ability to find a job post-MBA? Do I have enough experience to transition into Biotech at the level of VP like most MSx or Sloan Fellows do?
2) Will a 2-year program place me in a position that doesn't fully utilize my experience? Start more junior than what I am capable of.
3) Which school/region is best for entering Biotech? Both Boston and SF are strong biotech centers and from what I can tell Berkeley has a robust healthcare and biotech focus only second to Harvard.
4) Should I hold out for an acceptance off the HBS waitlist as that program is better aligned with my goals?
Thanks for any advice or insight!
Stanford MSx vs. MIT Sloan Fellows ($$) vs. Tuck ($$) vs. Haas MBA/MPH ($$) vs. HBS MBA/MS waitlist
Background: 14+ years experience military officer and jet aviator and 3+ years experience Medical Provider (MD, NP, PA)
Post-MBA: Biotechnology (specific area TBD)
In addition to the above programs, I was waitlisted at HBS MBA with possible dual-degree option of MS Biotechnology.
All programs are exceptional and I wish I could go to all of them! I feel extremely humbled that I was accepted to these and am cringing at the thought of saying no to any of them.
Social factors: Our family lives in the Boston area and we have a baby on the way.
Specific questions:
1) Will attending a 1-year program without an internship affect my ability to find a job post-MBA? Do I have enough experience to transition into Biotech at the level of VP like most MSx or Sloan Fellows do?
2) Will a 2-year program place me in a position that doesn't fully utilize my experience? Start more junior than what I am capable of.
3) Which school/region is best for entering Biotech? Both Boston and SF are strong biotech centers and from what I can tell Berkeley has a robust healthcare and biotech focus only second to Harvard.
4) Should I hold out for an acceptance off the HBS waitlist as that program is better aligned with my goals?
Thanks for any advice or insight!
15 Dec 2020, 21:22
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Welcome to GMAT Club and amazing job on your admits!
You must have an amazing profile to get on the board with HBS and Haas FT programs with your level of experience. Usually these programs penalize more experienced candidates for the lack of momentum (it is hard to maintain a career trajectory for 14 years vs. 5). You have the right concerns about being on the more experienced and mature side of the spectrum for the FT program and I will be sure to touch on that below.
But first things first: having 2 kids of my own, and having lived away from the family, I can say that perhaps this factor is going to be my first consideration. I am not sure if you are a male or female applicant but either way, your spouse will need a lot of support in the next year. Thankfully many programs have good and strong support for the spouse and family to make them a part of the experience and part of the program but you can't really expect much support from strangers when you have a newborn. You are home-bound and unless you have super-spouse or super-children, they can't shower unless another adult is home and they can't get sleep and it is just running on fumes for a while. Then you get it under control only for teething to start. Maybe you know how it works but I did not. We lived in LA and after about 6 months, my wife said she is moving back home closer to her parents to be near the family and have the support since I was at work most of the day. Sorry for the long rabbit-hole of a story but it is hard to focus on school and recruiting and pursuing multiple leads having little sleep while you have a spouse who needs your help. It is a sensitive time so you need a plan for this situation in case you do not end up attending a school in Boston area. You guys should talk this through with some friends (not sure about family since they are biased) who have kids and see what they would recommend and what they would suggest. I would suggest you do a reconnaissance conversation ahead of time so you don't get pinned into going to Hofstra by accident by friends who have no clude about bschool, career, or recruiting
. Anyway, I think it is big enough issue that can ruin your MBA experience and damage the relationship and it is not worth it. Also, if you have a spouse, you both need to be on board with the school selection process. it needs to be a buy-in and if the other person is somehow pushed into it, it will be an uphill battle. You don't know how your life will turn out after each of these programs but I can tell you it will turn out miserable if your spouse is against your choice.
One more thought is where you want to settle. Do you want to live in CA long term? or do you want to try CA? Most people have a hard time leaving CA once they enjoy a nice 60's winter and the lifestyle. However, if your plans is to head back to Boston or head to CA, I would say even though schools you are targetting are not regional by a far stretch, it still makes sense to go to Stanford if you want to live Palo Alto or MIT/HBS if you are planning to be in Boston. It just does
With 2 or 3 big elephants out of the way, with most of the weight already allocated, I think there is a bit of a decision you have to make (after your spouse decides most of the things ), and that's 1-year vs. 2-year program. The main question being how long do you want to be in school (how much of a runway you need) and whether you need an internship. My cousin needed to transition from army into civilian life and he absolutely needed a 2-year program and have some time to get a reality check and also decompress. I feel with the baby on the way and family, you no longer really have that luxury to be without income for an extra 9 months or so but maybe I am wrong and this is not a consideration. I can tell you one thing for sure - you will never have another opportunity like this to be somewhat untethered by obligations and committments. You won't have a chance to take a year or two off work and try things, travel, experiment, hang out, and do stupid team projects that don't matter. It is a glorious time to take advantage of (I did not quite realize that during my first year of the MBA but I got there eventually). Anyway, it is a consideration and with a 2 year program you have a lot more leeway. With a 1-year program, you are starting to recruit for a job in Sept as soon as you hit the classrooms. I can go on and on about this so let me know if you want to go deeper.
As to MSx/Sloan Fellows vs. FT programs. I am torn quite a bit. On one hand, you will one of the top 10 oldest persons in your FT program. You will have people who are in a completely different stage in their lives (4 years out of college, living in a sheltered life, nice job, etc). Likely hard workers but also not married, do not have a family, somewhat reckless, and lacking committment and loyalty. Just think of yourself 7 years ago. You will find your group and your comfort circle (everyone does) but do you want to be around the younger crowd all the time?
Another pro for the MSx/Sloan is that your network of classmates will be those of your age/experience/maturity. That's a plus. Keep in mind, however, that some of these programs may have a large contingent of international professionals who will go back to their home countries and that may trim your network potentially. I would check to make sure. I think Sloan did but I could be off.
The thing I am not thrilled or rather I don't know much about is the military club in Sloan/MSx. I think you can probably join the FT clubs without an issue but in my experience and speaking with all the other applicants in a number of business schools - military guys are always the first ones to find jobs. The strength of the military community is very strong and I feel that will be your go-to resource for recruiting as it will have the best ROI for your time and connections. I would connect with the military clubs in the schools you are considering attending and get a feel for it if you have not done yet.
Now after you have read all this crap I typed up (sorry, I really did not expect to be this prolific) but here is the rule of thum (at least on GMAT Club) - if you get into HBS, you go to HBS. No but's or questions asked. A bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. Here is the tricky part - waiting till March for the WL. That sucks. That makes you dead in the water and unable to commit to others (you will have to pay the deposit somewhere) but you will live in the purgatory meanwhile for at least a month. I think it is a small price to pay for potentially striking the perfect balance of being close to family and attending the nation's top business school. Nobody could fault you for taking 2 years at HBS either. There is not much aid at HBS but I hope you have not fully used your Yellow Ribbon/GA money having served over the 4 or 6-year mark. Otherwise, I think it would be nice to leverage MIT Fellows and the scholarship they so generously offered. No reason to pick up extra debt. I am leaning HBS/Sloan Fellows combo more for family/sanity reasons but there is plenty of biotech on the west coast, though the biggest names I know are in LA and Seattle.
I would also recommend connecting with EBM - https://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all- ... 97022.html. He has not been very active lately and the military threads have somewhat lost their shine but as an HBS grad and an admissions consultant, I think he would be full of wisdom and perhaps you can send him a bottle of nice wine for it.
PPS. Nice username!
You must have an amazing profile to get on the board with HBS and Haas FT programs with your level of experience. Usually these programs penalize more experienced candidates for the lack of momentum (it is hard to maintain a career trajectory for 14 years vs. 5). You have the right concerns about being on the more experienced and mature side of the spectrum for the FT program and I will be sure to touch on that below.
But first things first: having 2 kids of my own, and having lived away from the family, I can say that perhaps this factor is going to be my first consideration. I am not sure if you are a male or female applicant but either way, your spouse will need a lot of support in the next year. Thankfully many programs have good and strong support for the spouse and family to make them a part of the experience and part of the program but you can't really expect much support from strangers when you have a newborn. You are home-bound and unless you have super-spouse or super-children, they can't shower unless another adult is home and they can't get sleep and it is just running on fumes for a while. Then you get it under control only for teething to start. Maybe you know how it works but I did not. We lived in LA and after about 6 months, my wife said she is moving back home closer to her parents to be near the family and have the support since I was at work most of the day. Sorry for the long rabbit-hole of a story but it is hard to focus on school and recruiting and pursuing multiple leads having little sleep while you have a spouse who needs your help. It is a sensitive time so you need a plan for this situation in case you do not end up attending a school in Boston area. You guys should talk this through with some friends (not sure about family since they are biased) who have kids and see what they would recommend and what they would suggest. I would suggest you do a reconnaissance conversation ahead of time so you don't get pinned into going to Hofstra by accident by friends who have no clude about bschool, career, or recruiting
. Anyway, I think it is big enough issue that can ruin your MBA experience and damage the relationship and it is not worth it. Also, if you have a spouse, you both need to be on board with the school selection process. it needs to be a buy-in and if the other person is somehow pushed into it, it will be an uphill battle. You don't know how your life will turn out after each of these programs but I can tell you it will turn out miserable if your spouse is against your choice. One more thought is where you want to settle. Do you want to live in CA long term? or do you want to try CA? Most people have a hard time leaving CA once they enjoy a nice 60's winter and the lifestyle. However, if your plans is to head back to Boston or head to CA, I would say even though schools you are targetting are not regional by a far stretch, it still makes sense to go to Stanford if you want to live Palo Alto or MIT/HBS if you are planning to be in Boston. It just does
With 2 or 3 big elephants out of the way, with most of the weight already allocated
, I think there is a bit of a decision you have to make (after your spouse decides most of the things ), and that's 1-year vs. 2-year program. The main question being how long do you want to be in school (how much of a runway you need) and whether you need an internship. My cousin needed to transition from army into civilian life and he absolutely needed a 2-year program and have some time to get a reality check and also decompress. I feel with the baby on the way and family, you no longer really have that luxury to be without income for an extra 9 months or so but maybe I am wrong and this is not a consideration. I can tell you one thing for sure - you will never have another opportunity like this to be somewhat untethered by obligations and committments. You won't have a chance to take a year or two off work and try things, travel, experiment, hang out, and do stupid team projects that don't matter. It is a glorious time to take advantage of (I did not quite realize that during my first year of the MBA but I got there eventually). Anyway, it is a consideration and with a 2 year program you have a lot more leeway. With a 1-year program, you are starting to recruit for a job in Sept as soon as you hit the classrooms. I can go on and on about this so let me know if you want to go deeper. As to MSx/Sloan Fellows vs. FT programs. I am torn quite a bit. On one hand, you will one of the top 10 oldest persons in your FT program. You will have people who are in a completely different stage in their lives (4 years out of college, living in a sheltered life, nice job, etc). Likely hard workers but also not married, do not have a family, somewhat reckless, and lacking committment and loyalty. Just think of yourself 7 years ago. You will find your group and your comfort circle (everyone does) but do you want to be around the younger crowd all the time?
Another pro for the MSx/Sloan is that your network of classmates will be those of your age/experience/maturity. That's a plus. Keep in mind, however, that some of these programs may have a large contingent of international professionals who will go back to their home countries and that may trim your network potentially. I would check to make sure. I think Sloan did but I could be off.
The thing I am not thrilled or rather I don't know much about is the military club in Sloan/MSx. I think you can probably join the FT clubs without an issue but in my experience and speaking with all the other applicants in a number of business schools - military guys are always the first ones to find jobs. The strength of the military community is very strong and I feel that will be your go-to resource for recruiting as it will have the best ROI for your time and connections. I would connect with the military clubs in the schools you are considering attending and get a feel for it if you have not done yet.
Now after you have read all this crap I typed up (sorry, I really did not expect to be this prolific) but here is the rule of thum (at least on GMAT Club) - if you get into HBS, you go to HBS. No but's or questions asked. A bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. Here is the tricky part - waiting till March for the WL. That sucks. That makes you dead in the water and unable to commit to others (you will have to pay the deposit somewhere) but you will live in the purgatory meanwhile for at least a month. I think it is a small price to pay for potentially striking the perfect balance of being close to family and attending the nation's top business school. Nobody could fault you for taking 2 years at HBS either. There is not much aid at HBS but I hope you have not fully used your Yellow Ribbon/GA money having served over the 4 or 6-year mark. Otherwise, I think it would be nice to leverage MIT Fellows and the scholarship they so generously offered. No reason to pick up extra debt. I am leaning HBS/Sloan Fellows combo more for family/sanity reasons but there is plenty of biotech on the west coast, though the biggest names I know are in LA and Seattle.
I would also recommend connecting with EBM - https://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all- ... 97022.html. He has not been very active lately and the military threads have somewhat lost their shine but as an HBS grad and an admissions consultant, I think he would be full of wisdom and perhaps you can send him a bottle of nice wine for it.
PPS. Nice username!
16 Dec 2020, 16:03
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Thank you for your incredibly thoughtful and thorough post! You are absolutely correct that I have a lot of factors to think about and just as you stated this is a heavy spouse conversation. I am reassured by the open family vibe at all these programs.
I feel like the big picture is that these are all amazing programs and I couldn't go wrong at any of them. The most important factor for me is fit with the program (aligning ideals, vibe, vision) and a clear post-MBA Biotech path. They all have fantastic academic rigor and curriculum. I do think that I will need some help paving the biotech path and a 2-year program provides me with the time to work that out via internship and recruitment. From what I understand, the Berkeley joint MBA/MPH is well respected and leans heavily towards biotech.
However, a 1-year program provides me with the learned wisdom of my experienced classmates. In a 1 year program, I would try and leverage the FT program/Career Department to plow my path forward (just a lot less time to connect the dots, which makes me uneasy.)
Time out of the workforce is not a large concern and I am fortunate that I have 100% of the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon program to finance my degree.
I am going to keep re-reading your message as there is so much great information in there! Lots to think about over the next month.
I feel like the big picture is that these are all amazing programs and I couldn't go wrong at any of them. The most important factor for me is fit with the program (aligning ideals, vibe, vision) and a clear post-MBA Biotech path. They all have fantastic academic rigor and curriculum. I do think that I will need some help paving the biotech path and a 2-year program provides me with the time to work that out via internship and recruitment. From what I understand, the Berkeley joint MBA/MPH is well respected and leans heavily towards biotech.
However, a 1-year program provides me with the learned wisdom of my experienced classmates. In a 1 year program, I would try and leverage the FT program/Career Department to plow my path forward (just a lot less time to connect the dots, which makes me uneasy.)
Time out of the workforce is not a large concern and I am fortunate that I have 100% of the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon program to finance my degree.
I am going to keep re-reading your message as there is so much great information in there! Lots to think about over the next month.
