UCLA FEMBA V Harvard Full Time

Question

Background:
I currently work at a FAANG company in a decent role. I like the company, but it is not what I want to be doing long term. Short term goal IB or Consulting. Long term I would like to be in PE/VC. I am located in Los Angeles.

Situation:
I received an admit to both UCLA Anderson FEMBA and Harvard MBA, and am stuck on what to choose.

UCLA:
Pros - 
UCLA is here in LA, where I want to be.
FEMBA gets me the MBA and would allow me to grow within the company. 
FEMBA allows me the opportunity to transition out of FAANG into a different industry.
Maintain salary throughout.

Cons -
3 years
Less Recruiting exposure being a PT program 
Weaker recruiting than Harvard
Lesser experience overall being PT
I don't want to be in FAANG and this locks me there for longer

Harvard:
Pros-
Harvard brand name
Will allow me to make the transition I desire (amazing recruiting)
Harvard brand name
2 years

Cons-
More $$$
Have to move across country
No job throughout

I am just super stuck on which to choose. Harvard is a dream!! But will UCLA FEMBA give me the same end result (IB or consulting on west coast) for less cost?

My biggest fear with UCLA is the inability to leave FAANG with the PT status (not getting the day to day exposure with recruiters), and less strength of UCLA recruiting in general... but it's still UCLA! Great school....
Turning down Harvard? Am I crazy?

These are my only options on the table...

Help me make up my mind please!

FinanceMan · Answer

I am a HUGE supporter of part-time business programs for working professionals. Heck, I am in one myself. However, in this case, I think accepting the FT Harvard MBA offer would be very wise. You can essentially write your own ticket with the Harvard MBA and in the long run, I believe it will benefit you far more.

Congratulations on your admits, especially the HBS admit! It was arguably the most competitive application season in over a decade for most T15 schools and especially HBS.

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hacorus · Answer

Congratulations!

One thing to consider is also the strain part time program can have on your life because you have to balance academic, work and personal with the same amount of time you have today.

I also think that you should consider the personal growth you could get from a 2 years FT program as you'd have more time to experiment and connect with your classmates.

For those two reasons, I selected a FT program over a part-time one and when the FT program is HBS, it's difficult to do better.

If you have your partner in LA and other commitments, then UCLA is a good choice as well. Not as fancy, but it'd get you closer to your goal.

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bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admit and welcome to GMAT Club!

It is a long weekend so I am not sure how much traction will be until tomorrow but this should be a pretty straightforward take, and sorry for being banal, since we are comparing apples and oranges.

My biggest concerns about attending a FEMBA are the following:

PT MBA is not recommended if you are changing industries/roles. There is no provision for an internship and that is something very helpful for the final job success. There is no formal summer internship which for some areas makes it a lot easier to recruit.
FEMBA is a lot easier to get into. If you compare FT and PT programs, you will notice the difference in stats and parameters since the market for PT folks is fairly local and limited. This is a loophole to get a great brand-name MBA by trading off FT experience vs. PT. It seems to be odd to be doing a PT program while you have a FT admit at HBS. My point is that you would be surrounded by a different caliber of classmates that may or may not be stimulating or challenging
FEMBA provides limited recruiting options (sort of mentioned in the #1 above) but you can't attend the recruiting events. Often, you are not even invited because schools prioritize their FT students for those and don't want PT students filling in spots. On the flip side, there is not really on-campus recruiting for consulting or IB at Anderson. This is the plight of most West-coast schools.
My biggest and last argument is doing 2 things well at the same time is hard. It is hard to do school and work for 3 years well. Something is likely going to take a dip now and then. Sometimes your work effort may be compromised and sometimes it may be your school and learning. Doing school for 3 years is a lot if you want to switch careers at the end. You are potentially delaying yourself a year. However, the biggest issue is that while you can manage to do school and work at the same time and balance them OK, you will need to also be recruiting and that is a whole separate world. That would be like doing 4 things at the same time. Most people doing FEMBA end up compromising on recruiting and don't end up doing their best. It is understandable too and not because they are lazy but just because something has to give and that's what does. Also, having a nice enough job and thus not having the deadline of graduating and needing to desperately find a job, also creates this backup option that allows you to fall back and not feel the urgency. Something I did and I know at least one other MBA, is we quit our safe jobs so we could have more time networking and recruiting. I worked on campus during my second year in business school and it provided extra income and was a job I really loved and excelled at but it was not an MBA-level job. I went for months not able to recruit. Eventually, I just quit it and within 2 weeks I had another job lined up. I don't think it was accidental per se.

I would strongly recommend to look at the benefits of the FT program such as the transofrmative power it has (which PT usually does not), the growth you would experience, and the network you would build by being committed full time. I understand it is a plunge and a lot of money and a lot less safe, which is even harder if you have a family but I would recommend talking to students and alums about that aspect and that concern/risk and how they coped wiht it. Part of the reason FT program is so powerful and transformative is that the stakes are high. It is hard to be fully committed or involved if there is no risk.

My vote goes strongly towards the ultimate program

FinanceMan · Answer

I would not say pursuing a part-time program is finding a loop hole as much as it is utilizing an opportunity to pursue the same degree without sacrificing employment. For those of us who have decent paying positions and families, the thought of picking everything up, leaving a good job, and moving to a place where you have virtually zero income is virtually impossible. This is where the part-time programs come in.

Without coming across as offended, I do get quite annoyed when people say that part-time programs are inferior which is far from the truth. Just because one attends part-time instead of full-time does not take away from the learning. The diplomas are the exact same, the professors are the exact same, and in the majority of cases, the curriculum is the exact same. Let’s not forget that Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO) and Tim Cook (Apple CEO) did Part-Time MBAs at Booth and Fuqua respectively.

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ashielee · Answer

Wow! Congrats on your offers! I'm aiming for part-time programs and I'm not planning to leave my current industry.

In your case, I'd say Harvard is a no-brainer pick. I understand the cost is $$$ but based on tons of MBA experiences shared online, I'm pretty sure you can make the bucks back in a few years. I think you will have a better chance to switch industry to IB/consulting. Not saying that UCLA FEMBA won't give you the same result, but I think Harvard will definitely help you to leverage that advantage (school name/program resource).

bb · Answer

Thank you for jumping in. I am sorry, you are right. I did not mean to come off in anyway disrespectful. If you have a family, it is very hard to live off student loans.

PS. I did not realize those executives did a part-time MBA. I think they did OK 😂

FinanceMan · Answer

It is okay! I probably came across more harsh than I intended. 😂

I just think it is important to remember that each persons life circumstances are different and just because they attend a part-time program does not make them less intelligent or less worthy of a degree from a top b-school.

Satya Nadella was admitted to the FT MBA at Booth but switched to the PT MBA because he got a decent promotion prior to matriculating. Time Cook, however, went straight into the PT MBA at Fuqua. It is all about how you build your personal brand and market yourself in the firm. A FT MBA from Harvard does not guarantee success just like a PT MBA graduate from Anderson could be the next big CEO. The name helps but the person who earns the degree is what matters.

botyslr4 · Answer

Something I did not mention in my OP was I have long term girlfriend + pet here in LA who would not be coming to HBS with me. So 2 years of distance relationship thrown in. So I really need to be back on west coast post MBA... which I'm confident HBS can do for me.

I appreciate all the feedback. Leaning HBS but still mulling it over.

It's not the worst problem to have.

I appreciate all the feedback. Leaning HBS but still mulling it over.

It's not the worst problem to have.

bb · Answer

Life is usually complicated

So it is hard to expect the exact advice that hits all of the priorities. If you have a relationship, you should discuss the decision together. Obviously, sometimes our significant others don't fully realize the difference between PT and FT program as well as HBS and Anderson so it is important to educate them ahead of the conversation and share the details so it does not sound defensive after the fact. I will be honest to say that your relationship will be strained as you are sleep deprived and surrounded by new friends and people who sometimes will be able to read your mind while your GF/BF will have no clue what's going on. The bottom line it is becoming safety & comfort & relationship vs. HBS experience. I can tell you that if I had wife and kids in LA who would not be moving with me, I probably would have passed HBS but then I think my wife and kids would have moved..... of course the other question is why you have even applied to reject the ultimate choice after getting admitted

FinanceMan · Answer

I agree with bb. One thing to consider is the relationships you have that are most important to you. Personally, I took into account my wife and kids whenever I decided to further my education. Could I have got in to an M7? Possibly. Would I put a significant, and unnecessary, strain on my wife to be the sole bread winner as well as raise our kids? Absolutely. Was that worth it to me? Not a chance. Hence, I ended up in a part-time program at Fuqua and I do not regret it a bit.

That said, as bb asked, why even apply if you thought this could be an issue? 😅 A lot of introspection to take place for you and I would certainly say that your significant other should play an important role in determining where you end up. Otherwise, you stand a legitimate chance of the relationship failing. I say that not to be mean but there is a reason a lot of full-time b-school students know the phrase “turkey drop”...that’s because most relationships are ruined by Thanksgiving. 🙃

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botyslr4 · Answer

She's super supportive either way... almost prefers I go off to HBS, too much time working from home together?

We've done years of distance before so I'm not too too concerned about it, but it's less ideal than being in person. To be honest, I was denied from every other program. I tried for all the other major CA schools... HBS was literally just a shot in the dark at a top program that I liked... Somehow it worked but USC Marshall didn't? Couldn't tell ya... I just couldn't imagine saying Yeah, I turned down Harvard.. you know?

FinanceMan · Answer

If she is supportive and understands the time commitment, then go for HBS. Anderson is not a bad school (not on the same level as HBS) and definitely helps people accomplish their goals.

bb · Answer

LOL. That's hilarious! USC dinged you - you should totally dry by and yell something that should not be written down

Lots of people play the HBS lottery/charity (whichever way you want to consider it) but you are the first one I really know (in a stretched meaning of the word "know") who won

botyslr4 · Answer

Appreciate the responses guys!

edtechtomba · Answer

Congrats on the offer! When is the R1 HBS offer deadline? I thought it was earlier this month.

Regenerate · Answer

If you've not decided, another way to look at it is to actually quantify the $$ cost of Harvard (if you've not already done so).

Relocation to HBS for 1st Semester + Tuition + Room + Board + Required Fees + Relocation after 2nd Semester (plus storage costs) - Income from Internship + Relocation to HBS for 3rd Semester + Tuition + Room + Board + Required Fees + Relocation after 4th Semester

vs.

(Tuition + Books + Required Fees for four to six semesters at UCLA) - Income Earned While at UCLA

olufunsho · Answer

HArvard.....duhhhh...common....pick Harvard

UCLA FEMBA V Harvard Full Time

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