[EWMBA Program] Admitted to HAAS EWMBA, thinking of applying to Booth

Question

Hey All, 
Guys I need a little help here.

Backstory:

When I started applying I decided to apply to part time MBA because of the opportunity cost involved and the fact that the best schools provide similar infrastructure for full time and part time programs. 
Looking at Booth EWMBA and HAAS EWMBA, I did see fairly important differences. However, since I have a technology background and I want to work on Private Equity & Business Strategy in technology after I graduate, I thought HAAS was going to be a better idea. 
Also since HAAS is closer to PE and VC firms that cater majorly to technology, the big 4 consulting come to both, HAAS was going to be a better idea because of :
1) Technology
2) International Business focus
3) Location

And I got an admit into HAAS EWMBA.

Now, I am thinking, may be since Booth is considered better for Finance (for PE/VC) and has bigger cohort and better ranking overall, it would be better for me to apply there and see if I can get there.

I know both of them are 1st and 2nd ranked for part time MBA and most of the work will fall on me, But I wanted to get some idea from people here.

Am I  grossly overthinking   here and HAAS and Booth would have no difference to me and both will provide similar opportunities? Or should I still apply to Booth and see if I can get that? Looks like more people get into PE/VC careers from Booth than from HAAS?

I would also really appreciate someone highlight the more nuanced differences in long term career growth.

Career Goals: 
At this point, I want to work on Business Strategy and/or PE but very heavily in technology and high technology (AI and related fields) industry since I have a Master's in AI and I can leverage it really well. I also want to concentrate on international business expansions.
 Again, this is obviously subject to change depending on next 2/3 years of work.

Thanks a bunch.

bb · Answer

Hi. Congrats on Haas EWMBA admit! That’s a very competitive program and probably one of the most selective ones.

The challenge with answering your question is that it’s a trick question 😂 kind of like asking if you should take a car or a train to Honolulu. I’m not saying it’s not possible but it may not just be the best path.

What I mean is that part-time and weekend programs are not really designed with recruiting in mind. I think Berkeley has somewhat relaxed their policies over the years but they had a pretty strong separation between the part-time and full-time programs. They did not want people hacking and joining full-time events with recruiters by the part-time students. They also limited their full-time classes to part-time students and I’m sure there was a reason and that reason was that people were getting into the part-time program and then taking full-time classes.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter which part-time program you look at, a lot of times these programs don’t meet on campus, for example Booth EMBA meets in downtown Chicago at the Fletcher Center. I don’t know about Berkeley or have the minutes to look up booth part time but that gives you the idea. You will be fairly removed from the full-time program and whatever Netwerk or events that they conduct, will usually be uncomfortable and inconvenient for your schedule.

To be continued 😇
Have to run an errand.

Posted from my mobile device

navderm · Answer

Thanks  bb  !
I would expect the FT and PT to be separate mostly. However, as long as they don't limit me going the extra mile, I am fine with that. Doing a FT is not possible and PT, with my 11 years of W.E. in tech field and a carefully planned and executed PT MBA will definitely be more than FT, for me. 
I wanted to get information on the comparison between Booth Part time and HAAS Part time.

Thanks again!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Haas is more of a cohort so it’s more similar to a full-time program. If creating a deep network is important to you than I think maybe it’s the better choice..

bb · Answer

Thank you. Sorry I had to run an errand and then got distracted.

Back to the point, I don’t feel that the full-time MBA necessarily translates into recruiting into very niche industries such as PE or VC or others. Those employers often look for a specific type of a candidate and usually prefer certain experience that sometimes may be previous experience in the industry and sometimes it can be for a specific project. Depends on the size of the employer. They would usually look for someone with less experience since a traditional MBA graduate would be with only about a half of your experience.

I would check with some of the current Berkeley students to see how realistic it is to join events. I’m not sure how much of that is happening these days after the pandemic.

I guess another question would be the logistics. Does Booth have a campus in Bay Area or are you putting to commute? I guess if it has a program in the bay area, it will be purely PT without benefits of full-time. So you’re planning to fly to Chicago every weekend? I know a lot of people do that kind of stuff but I’m not sure you can argue the flying for booth every weekend or every other weekend it’s going to be superior to being local Berkeley. Also some of the recruiting events would take place on a Tuesday at 10 AM. Would you be flying to Chicago for a Tuesday or Wednesday event and then fly again or stay the whole week?

You will miss out on the full-time clubs and it will be lonely and slightly awkward because you try to join some of the events and have people ask you questions and then realize you are a part of the part-time program. I think you can definitely make a lot of friends if you have value to bring to the table and perhaps help people in financial or tech recruiting and talk to them about opportunities in your company rather than just coming in trying to steal their jobs 😂 which again you won’t steal their jobs because most of the recruiters will be younger than you and equally confused about what to do with someone with that much experience. So I have convinced myself that the best value of your time would not be attending these events but rather trying to network through the alumni net work when connecting with other part-time students or full-time and doing some informational interviews during the first year or second year of your program trying to build a net work in that industry I think that’s the most logical past four recruiting for someone in your journey.

In terms of actually your question and about to plan to booth, you can totally do it. I don’t know how much better it is. I think you’re definitely more folks in New York and Chicago with booth background as most Berkeley grads are on the West Coast but I think both programs will have at least someone you can talk to…. And you just need one person. The question of course is what can you bring to the table and how can you make yourself attractive to an employer who would potentially recruit you?

Posted from my mobile device

nigirio8 · Answer

I cannot speak for Haas but:

Am I grossly overthinking here and HAAS and Booth would have no difference to me and both will provide similar opportunities?
>> Yes. Personally, at this point, it's up to you(especially in this selective field of finance you are interested in) - that is, fully prepping yourself to achieve 1) Technical knowledge (including being able to ace modeling tests) 2) enough networking to get opportunities & know about the industry/function you want to be in.

[EWMBA Program] Admitted to HAAS EWMBA, thinking of applying to Booth

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards