Broad ($$$), WP Carey ($$$$), MBS ($) for SCM [SOLVED MBS]

Question

Hi GMAT club members - need help on my current situation,

I'm very fortunate to got admitted to these 3 schools which I believe are great schools for my profile and goals, and I would like help to decide which one to attend. A little bit about myself:
- I work for a southeast asia tech company in the e-commerce fulfillment business. role is more on the strategic planning side
- Indonesian
- 5 years of experience in the supply chain/transportation & logistic industry - similar role
- short term goal is to work in the country I will be doing the MBA. looking for similar role or transition to either product management or supply chain analytics in the same industry. however I'm also open to consulting
- long term I see myself more in Australia, I have extended family there to help transition - but I'm afraid of missing out the bigger job market and innovation hub in the US
- will be going with my partner - who can work in Australia, but not in the US

I have offer from these 3 schools - all with varying amount of scholarship and their pro & cons.

Broad - ~85% scholarship
+ great supply chain concentration - #1 according to US news
+ additional analytics concentration
+ really like the culture and the welcoming sense I received so far
+ lower cost of living in East Lansing
+ just become a STEM degree!
- partner can't work and the smaller city is a minus for her
- might have lower networking opportunity in the greater Michigan - but not really sure about this

WP Carey - Full ride with GA
+ also great supply chain concentration - #3 according to US news
+ only need to factor living cost - although it is more expensive in Phoenix
+ STEM
+ bigger city - according to my research the industry there is also currently growing at a considerable rate to support California
+ GA opportunity
- partner also can't work but at least it is a bigger city
- higher cost of living in Phoenix

Melbourne Business School - ~20% scholarship
+ can see myself long term in Australia
+ more open immigration policy
+ partner can work. many decent part time opportunities for me too
+ have visited multiple times and really like the city - also act as the main trade city in Australia which is important for the industry
+ top MBA in Australia and maybe the greater Asia Pacific
+ also have great supply chain & analytics faculty
+ family to help transition, can lower cost of living
+ feeder to consulting and big companies in Australia
+ proximity to my home country
- minimal scholarship, will have to take student loan
- no specific supply chain concentration
- smaller market than US

currently I'm leaning to Melbourne because of long-term view and family - but my biggest worry is missing out the bigger US market and opportunities there. Also I feel bad abandoning the generous scholarship I'm getting in the US, graduating debt free must feel good. Additionally, I'm also looking to apply to MIT's blended supply chain program (only 6 month in the US) after my MBA, but if I get in this program does not grant work opportunity in the US, unlike the STEM MBAs in Broad/WP Carey.

Any advise/help will be much appreciated. Thank you very much!

MBAGuide · Answer

Hi  jm1309  hope this finds you well

The scholarships you have been awarded at Broad and WP Carey are indeed impressive. However, it is crucial to thoroughly consider the costs associated with relocating to a foreign country with your partner, as well as the opportunity cost for both of you if only you pursue an MBA program in the USA. It is important to view the overall outcomes from the US in comparison with those from MBS. Additionally, if your long-term plan is to settle in Australia, there may be concerns about transitioning from the US to Australia, as your professional network would then be limited to the US market and the brand recall of your MBA could have an impact.

With your experience in e-commerce, you may agree with me that the supply chain management challenges in emerging markets have actually presented opportunities for innovation that are currently unfolding. Regions like South and Southeast Asia, as well as APAC, with their rapidly growing consumer economies, are seeing emergence of opportunities in supply chain (planning, product and analytics) to streamline operations and finances, which are among the most talked-about topics in the pursuit of resilience and profitability for companies. While I am not familiar with the Australian job market, it seems that obtaining an MBA from a top school in Australia would likely provide you with timely access to some of the best opportunities there (and closer to your home), thus justifying the return on investment (ROI).

Best wishes

jm1309 · Answer

Thank you for your input  MBAGuide . I agree that looking at my profile and goals, MBS is currently a better fit.
I also agree that emerging markets present more challenges and need innovations more than developed ones, but in my experience most of the innovations are those already implemented in the West, and replicated with local context. For example, in e-commerce, the first one is eBay/Amazon, now there are many players in every region. Now Amazon is the leader in e-commerce fulfillment with their efficient warehouses, which keep on improving. Their forecasting team is also looking great at the moment.

These are just examples why I'm afraid of missing out the opportunity in the US. I think by working in the largest market I can be involved in the latest innovation first-hand before implemented in other regions. This is only my perspective - I might be wrong because I only have experience in emerging markets. Please let me know if you have different views.

Also tagging other experts here:  bb   Mo2men 
Hope you guys can help me! Thank you

Mo2men · Answer

Very Nice dilemma jm1309

Honestly, the supply chain experience, practice and academics by far are the best in the US, especially Broad. It is top in the supply chain. In Australia, mba is not the differentiator but your work experience is. If you can get your mba from the US and immigrate to Australia then I would go with it. However, if it is hard, then you might consider MBA from Australia as you want to be there at end final destination and trust your experience could open jobs for you as supply chain in high demand, especially in e-commerce. As you stated before, both locations have pros and cons. Let me know if you need anything.

jm1309 · Answer

Thanks  Mo2men  for commenting! Really glad to have the supply chain expert help on my (very nice, indeed) dilemma.

I have one question, Mo2men.
I also understand that in many rankings, Broad are the top in supply chain. Do you know why this is the case? Based on my research, yes they have great faculty, curriculum, etc. But I still do not know what factor differentiates them from, let's say bigger name brand such as MIT, that make Broad the king of supply chain in these rankings. WP Carey is also not far behind.
I'm asking these because I would like to know what I would be missing if I chose Melbourne over these US-based schools.

Thank you.

MBAGuide · Answer

jm1309 Hi Please note that I am speaking for myself only and do not want to influence your decision in any way.

Operations design has been my bread and butter for a major part of my professional life, and my genuine interest in this field is driving me to share this final thought here. I have worked in the US and developed markets but with more traditional companies in industrial process design where adherence to established protocols and playing by the book was emphasized. But in more recent years I have had the opportunity to do some interesting work with high-growth startups in India on supply chain network design, forecasting, and solving new problems (for example such as demand for faster hyper-local models). When comparing the two experiences, what excites me about working in the supply chain in an emerging economy is the unstructured nature of problem-solving. The field of supply chain network and operations design is not traditionally considered glamorous, but what keeps us managers super relevant to business is our analytical problem-solving skills, even if they may require adapting to crude yet innovative solutions at times. With startups or companies in a growth phase, I have often faced challenges of having limited technological resources and few prior references, but the hands-on learning is immense as we often do not have any processes or technology in place to grow business. We have to set it all up ourselves. So as a supply chain/Ops designer, I am aware that my skills are highly valuable, as without establishing the fundamental systems first, there would be no in-house technology and product development for carrying out any tasks. The companies you mention have undoubtedly mastered models for mature markets but replicating the same strategies in new and especially emerging markets have challenged those teams with high-order problem-solving due to the unique dynamics of these markets. So, all I would say to you is that you will not go wrong with either option. Learning will come in more than one way, through courses (and yes US schools win points here), but also challenging work projects, or unique geographical challenges. Eager to know which one you pick.

Best wishes

bb · Answer

Looks like I’m really late to this discussion 😂😇

Great to see that you’ve gotten some good feedback and some interesting schools.

I would say that this is the first time I have ever heard anyone talk about Australia as a better immigration policy. I’ve always heard of them being very strict so that could’ve been my misunderstanding.

Otherwise, if you have a network in Australia and especially since your partner would be able to produce income, that would be considerable help. On the flipside, and I have heard that it’s historically harder to recruit for MBA graduates because employers don’t put a premium on the degree And mostly look at your previous work experience I can give you a small bump in pay Vs non mba role.

However, I feel that if you have familiarity and you have a net work and you have friends who can help your net work to look for a job, this is going to be a better overall experience to be in Australia. You will be trading off being in the worlds biggest economy and potentially some earnings but there’s never enough money no matter how much you make so you might as well have a more enjoyable experience with not enough money 😂

PS. My guess is that tuition is also lower over there and your cost of living estate would be lower because you can which of your brother or cousin and your partner can work, that is going to be the biggest potential contributing factor, but that assumes that they can Find a job better than serving coffee in Starbucks 😬
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Mo2men · Answer

When it comes to supply chain, there is another ranking aside from MBA rankings called Gartner. Many US schools have their own supply chain institutes. They develop and focus on every aspect in supply chain field . There are other schools such Penn Stat and Fisher (Ohio), Haslam, Rutgers and some others. Many of them go further to embed data analytic with their transitional supply chain fields.

I personally was regulars visitor to Penn stats SM institute. I was in contact with many profess in Broad school long time ago for some topics.

Again you won't go wrong with either decisions. You can accumulate experience through different ways. I chose personally not to pursue my MBA in the US for personal reasons, although I know MBA is better in the US but life and other considerations are important. No matter what you choose but do not stop learning.

otautahi · Answer

I am from New Zealand. MBS has a strong presence in the APAC market, possibly number one here! The US is totally different. I think with MBS, you won't regret it. Good luck!

bb · Answer

Awesome. That’s fantastic feedback. I guess that’s one benefit of going to the best and biggest business school in the country 😎👍

Are there specific industries hiring? What are dominant recruiting industries or companies?

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jm1309 · Answer

Thank you  bb   MBAGuide   Mo2men   otautahi  for the comments!
You guys have been very helpful, I ended up choosing MBS for my MBA.

From their career report and also my interview with their career service, most of the hiring companies are in consulting.

bb · Answer

Congratulations on making your choice and thank you so much for providing the backstory. I really appreciate it 👍

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Broad ($$$), WP Carey ($$$$), MBS ($) for SCM [SOLVED MBS]

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