Any MBA'ers in here?

ironman

ironman

ironman

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Starting to think about my post graduate opportunities and I think i'd like to carry on and do an MBA and just want to hear about anyone elses experiences? Also what school did you do it at? I'm looking at the US as a possibility as I think it could really be an amazing experience learning in a different country.

So far I have shortlisted these unis, so if anyone has any experience of them I would be grateful to hear of them:)

Harvard
MIT
Yale
Berkeley
Stanford
Columbia
Chicago
Duke
Wharton UPenn
NYU Stern
Cambridge
LSE
 
gurdas said:
Harvard
MIT
Yale
Berkeley
Stanford
Columbia
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I hope you've got a spare $50k lying around if you're considering these schools. MBAs don't come cheap anywhere, especially not ivy league US universities.
 
Wharton should be waaaaaaay nearer the top of the list. I'm considering going there to do an MBA when I finish my PhD, so I'd be interested to see how this thread develops.

If you don't go to the US though, then Cambridge and LSE are the best places to do it in the UK. The Judge Institute in Cambridge is an incredible place, but I'd have to say that LSE probably pips it - the courses are similar, but the huge benefits that come from studying for an MBA in London can't be denied.
 
How easy is it to get into a top MBA straight from post graduate studies? I was under the impression that you need a few years of industry/corporate experience?

For the cost, it may be worth looking into getting funding from a company, although I am not sure that you can do that without working for them for a couple of years first.

I am also considering an MBA, but not for another 2-5 years depending on the circumstances!

Hiroki
 
Duff-Man said:
I hope you've got a spare $50k lying around if you're considering these schools. MBAs don't come cheap anywhere, especially not ivy league US universities.
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I've looked into it and fees seem to be around $50,000 and add another $20,000 for living expenses. That's not really a problem though, my main concern is admission and thats the purpose of my research at this stage.

Arcade Fire said:
Wharton should be waaaaaaay nearer the top of the list. I'm considering going there to do an MBA when I finish my PhD, so I'd be interested to see how this thread develops.

If you don't go to the US though, then Cambridge and LSE are the best places to do it in the UK. The Judge Institute in Cambridge is an incredible place, but I'd have to say that LSE probably pips it - the courses are similar, but the huge benefits that come from studying for an MBA in London can't be denied.
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The list wasn't listed in any particular order, I haven't read anything but good things about Wharton. LSE would be a natural progression seeing as though I am in London already, but I am just thinking location wise as I do fancy a change.

Hiroki said:
How easy is it to get into a top MBA straight from post graduate studies? I was under the impression that you need a few years of industry/corporate experience?

For the cost, it may be worth looking into getting funding from a company, although I am not sure that you can do that without working for them for a couple of years first.

I am also considering an MBA, but not for another 2-5 years depending on the circumstances!

Hiroki
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That's another thing I am concerned about, all the admissions talked about professional skills as well as academic. Cost isn't an issue but if I do need professional experience then I may decide to go down that route and try and get a company to fund it.
 
most of the better schools require two years of industry experience and it is also a real help with your studies.

incidentally i do not think the lse mba is as great as we might assume. its major selling point is it is international.

the london business school attracts quite a high number of top grads and is highly rated.

INSEAD in paris is also a usual place for europeans.

the american style though is meant to be much different - really intense and with a focus on strategy. coupled with the fact that it looks even better on your cv it is a worthwhile experience.

also, you should first consider whether you have a slight specialism in an area and taiolr your search. also, you should see what the mba actually entails as there is some degree of variation.

regardless of whether it is needed or not i would advise you do a few years as an analyst somewhere (esp if you are considering consulting or banking). the leap will not be as great and it gives you an air of credibility.
 
gurdas said:
The list wasn't listed in any particular order, I haven't read anything but good things about Wharton. LSE would be a natural progression seeing as though I am in London already, but I am just thinking location wise as I do fancy a change.



That's another thing I am concerned about, all the admissions talked about professional skills as well as academic. Cost isn't an issue but if I do need professional experience then I may decide to go down that route and try and get a company to fund it.
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as i said, lse i think has an mba where you spent six months in new york, paris and london.

if you get into the right job that actually requires the mba you have a good chance of getting it funded.

consultancy in particular tends to finance mbas, especially to america.

there are some mba's that you could get on straight away - but you have to ask yourself if you will maximise the opportunity and really be able to cut it.
 
An MBA straight from University? That doesn't really sound sensible to me apart from the obvious experience of going to the US as a postgraduate, which is a pretty good reason to go as it happens ;)

I believe an MBA is for the consolidation of several years' non-academic experience rather than simply making yourself more "employable". You should approach it after having decided what direction you want to take your career in, and this is something that you'd be very lucky to have decided on immediately after your academic studies IMO. Another example might be where you've accumulated varied experience but you need a different perspective on what you can and what you want to achieve in your career.
 
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gurdas said:
That's another thing I am concerned about, all the admissions talked about professional skills as well as academic. Cost isn't an issue but if I do need professional experience then I may decide to go down that route and try and get a company to fund it.
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If you get a job as a graduate analyst for a decent IB, and you perform well in the first 3 years, then they'll almost certainly pay for you to do an MBA before you progress to an associate position. Something to keep in mind.
 
Arcade Fire said:
Wharton should be waaaaaaay nearer the top of the list. I'm considering going there to do an MBA when I finish my PhD, so I'd be interested to see how this thread develops.

If you don't go to the US though, then Cambridge and LSE are the best places to do it in the UK. The Judge Institute in Cambridge is an incredible place, but I'd have to say that LSE probably pips it - the courses are similar, but the huge benefits that come from studying for an MBA in London can't be denied.
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you are right that cambridge is one of the best places to do the mba here, but lse does not even offer a formal mba - rather an executive mba which is somewhat different. i think you might mean the lbs, often confused, given its regents park location.
 
freshy said:
you are right that cambridge is one of the best places to do the mba here, but lse does not even offer a formal mba - rather an executive mba which is somewhat different. i think you might mean the lbs, often confused, given its regents park location.
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I didn't mean LBS, I just didn't realise that the LSE MBA was executive. Thanks for the correction!
 
Freshy, you seem to know what you are talking about! Do you have any relevant experience about all this? An MBA is something that I am seriously considering as an option in the next few years, but I am unsure about how much value it would add other than the networking opportunities and the CV points..
 
Hiroki said:
Freshy, you seem to know what you are talking about! Do you have any relevant experience about all this? An MBA is something that I am seriously considering as an option in the next few years, but I am unsure about how much value it would add other than the networking opportunities and the CV points..
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in terms of value added by doing an mba i would say the opportunities are vast. if you choose a good school - wary of the growing number of places offering the mba - and do well then there are numerous opportunities. for example if you graduated from your underd and went to work in a graduate type role (for example a general manamgement scheme, not even anything flash) and then went to do the mba, with an internship in the holiday you could get associate roles in consulting and banking firms.

the mba is really worthwhile and if you do well at the right school it will pay itself off pretty quickly.

sure it also raises network opportunities, but these also go much further. many businesses are started by mba students for example.

it pretty much gears you up for higher management positions in the long term, but you must make sure you do it at the right time for you.

it is so competitive in mba courses. the classes are intense and dynamic; the most inexperienced tend to be shunned by other students in terms of collaboration. to this end many medics (who are not stupid are they?!) who do the mba without commerical experience actually struggle.

what are you currently doing?
 
Well at the moment I have basically just finished my Undergrad at University (I say basically because I have yet to decide whether to take up the option of an optional 4th year) and am starting at a Management Consultancy in the near future (depending on my above decision).

The questions about value come more from the fact that I will already be coming in from consultancy than from my doubt about the general value of an MBA. It is very much a question of what value would I derive from an MBA personally.
 
Hiroki said:
Well at the moment I have basically just finished my Undergrad at University (I say basically because I have yet to decide whether to take up the option of an optional 4th year) and am starting at a Management Consultancy in the near future (depending on my above decision).

The questions about value come more from the fact that I will already be coming in from consultancy than from my doubt about the general value of an MBA. It is very much a question of what value would I derive from an MBA personally.
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most mc's do the mba post analyst level. the boutique and high end consultancies and strat houses almost certainly pay for you to do it on the condition you return to them.

the mba will certainly be of value to you!!!! once you get into the firm you will realise that i am sure - it not only helps your earning potential and career development - but also adds to your skill set.

just because you are already or will already be in consultancy makes no difference - you will be starting pretty basic and then hope to progress through the ranks. the mba will help that and reaffirm it.
 
Thanks for the insight. It is definitely something I will have to consider in a few years time. It is nice to know that an MBA is just as useful coming in from consultancy as it is from other areas.

May I ask what you do?
 
phykell said:
An MBA straight from University? That doesn't really sound sensible to me apart from the obvious experience of going to the US as a postgraduate, which is a pretty good reason to go as it happens ;)

I believe an MBA is for the consolidation of several years' non-academic experience rather than simply making yourself more "employable". You should approach it after having decided what direction you want to take your career in, and this is something that you'd be very lucky to have decided on immediately after your academic studies IMO. Another example might be where you've accumulated varied experience but you need a different perspective on what you can and what you want to achieve in your career.
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I have a fairly good idea of where I see my career heading and really I was looking at doing an MBA as more of an interest rather than making myself more "employable" because really I only intend to be "employable" for a few years and then after that i'll be working for myself.
 
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