|
I still don't understand what it is you're trying to argue. You came into an informative thread and acted like a dick and people told you to shut up. No one gave you any poo poo until you started insulting a perfectly reasonable idea.
|
#
?
Oct 27, 2008 02:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 23:57 |
|
|
When did you guys pick your concentrations? My part-time MBA will take 3.5 to 4 years at Rutgers and there's some hints that the answer is 'the sooner the better' even in my first semester here. They're also changing the part-time curriculum and I can chose between the old and new ones. I would lose a class in waived undergrad credits if I chose the new one. Does anyone have any experience with that sort of thing?
|
|
#
?
Oct 27, 2008 03:30
|
|
|
Modern Life Is War posted:When did you guys pick your concentrations? My part-time MBA will take 3.5 to 4 years at Rutgers and there's some hints that the answer is 'the sooner the better' even in my first semester here. I'm not sure how your program is set up, but as a general rule programs tend to go from broad to specific, meaning the general (required) classes are first, then more specific concentration courses later on. Most students have a general idea of what their concentration will (or at least won't) be before they ever set foot in the classroom, and in my 2 year program, everyone had chosen by the end of the 1st semester their concentration. So, I guess 25% of the way through the program then is where I'd venture the sweet spot is. That said, there was no hard and fast anything that locked us to any track. As far as I could tell, the only advantage to the concentrations was when picking classes. Certain concentrations got dibs on certain classes. On my diploma it doesn't say anything about a concentration, and my MBA is exactly the same as everyone's in my class, regardless of concentration. I also lost some credit in my MBA program. I started a part time program at a smaller, less well known school and attended for a little while until I decided to leave and pursue a degree at a better school full time. I lost the 10 credits or whatever I had amassed and just sort of wrote it off as "prep work" for my "real" MBA. I ate the cost because apparently MBA programs are very touchy about transferring credits (they lose serious $$$ in tuition if they allow it and it screws with their "flow"). In your instance, you'd just have to weigh the pros and cons of the old vs. new curriculum and is it worth the $$ you'd lose or not.
|
|
#
?
Oct 27, 2008 05:27
|
|
|
I'm finishing up year two (my last year, yay I think) of a full time MBA (in a part time program) and pretty much picked my concentration from the get-go. Like locdogg said, there's usually a set of "core" courses that all MBAs have to take regardless of concentration, and from there it fans out into specific areas (Marketing, SCM, Gen Fin, Corp Fin, Entrepreneurship) for electives. There really was no "declaring" a concentration other than just taking the courses in the tracks you were interested in. Our Degrees will state concentrations, but I guess in a way what's important is what goes on the CV. A concentration probably looks a little better if it's in the field of the job you're applying for than just stating a general MBA.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2008 19:08
|
|
|
Thanks for your help guys. I'm actually not doing that great in the program. Between work, the MBA, and my long commute I only get to see daylight on Saturdays and Sundays. My grades should improve as I move away from calculus and management courses and into the good stuff like international business and financial statement analysis (both of which I do for 50+ hours a week anyway). I don't think anybody goes into those general courses saying 'GODDAMN I LOVE CALCULUS' but it stills feels rough.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2008 03:28
|
|
|
Modern Life Is War posted:Thanks for your help guys. It's like that for most of us and our cost accounting core course. It's a requirement, but honestly there's only maybe two people in the class who actually enjoy it and do it for a living.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2008 06:55
|
|
|
How do you guys think the value of an MBA is going to end up being changed by the financial crisis? Whether you look at it as a general tool for career advancement or to push you into a specific industry, it really seems as though there must be a big change in how an MBA is viewed? I'm particularly thinking of a middle of the road Big 10 school type MBA, not nessicarily one from a top (or bottom) rung school.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2008 22:12
|
|
|
Thoguh posted:How do you guys think the value of an MBA is going to end up being changed by the financial crisis? Whether you look at it as a general tool for career advancement or to push you into a specific industry, it really seems as though there must be a big change in how an MBA is viewed? Well, the bloom is definitely off the rose, so to speak for MBAs, especially given the general disdain the "Wall Street fat cats" have garnered in the past few months. But, people are wising up to MBAs in general now that every commuter school and podunk directional in the world is offering it. MBA itself is no magic wand, and people are most definitely judgmental based on the company you keep. I know that the Big 10 schools are all excellent institutions and can offer quite a bit to grads. Middle of the road Big 10 MBAs are still in the top 50ish in the country and are portable across the country because of the high level of awareness these schools have. In my opinion, an MBA degree from a Big 10 school will have a positive impact long term on your career, however in the short term, everyone is hosed. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2008 01:52
|
|
|
locdogg posted:In my opinion, an MBA degree from a Big 10 school will have a positive impact long term on your career, however in the short term, everyone is hosed. How so>
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 04:50
|
|
|
problematique posted:How so> Knowing little about his situation I am going to make some broad based assumptions and assume he he is thinking about the "traditional" MBA path. That is, get a job and work for an established firm in some sort of managerial role post MBA. Long term, I would argue that your opportunities for advancement in the corporate world are greater, and your wages should reflect that. Short term, the economy is in terrible condition and freshly minted MBAs are having a hard time finding full time work as companies aren't looking for expensive new hires (as MBAs tend to be) when they can't even pay the salaries of the people they currently have.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 06:33
|
|
|
locdogg posted:Knowing little about his situation I am going to make some broad based assumptions and assume he he is thinking about the "traditional" MBA path. That is, get a job and work for an established firm in some sort of managerial role post MBA. What I find interesting about this, having been a long-time software developer: During and after the tech bubble crash, there was a HUGE flight away from students pursuing software development or anything tech related, which as far as I know is still a problem at the college level. And what has happened? Companies are extremely hungry for young people with these skills; my company has a huge hiring freeze going on at most departments right now, but in IT we are still hiring, and hard. In fact I'd get a huge bonus for bringing in a college age kid. It makes me wonder if the same type of thing might happen now in the finance industry...
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 16:16
|
|
|
Don Wrigley posted:What I find interesting about this, having been a long-time software developer: It has been predicted that something similar will happen in the next 10-15 as the baby boomers retire. There's something like 80 million of them that need replacing and only the very tip of the generation has hit 60, so it is entirely possible that there will be an increased demand for management skills as all of the old business leaders pack it in.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 17:19
|
|
|
locdogg posted:It has been predicted that something similar will happen in the next 10-15 as the baby boomers retire. There's something like 80 million of them that need replacing and only the very tip of the generation has hit 60, so it is entirely possible that there will be an increased demand for management skills as all of the old business leaders pack it in. It'll be interesting to see how specific this is to MBAs; the problem you're describing is a small subset of the HUGE problem of people retiring and not enough young people to replace them.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 17:54
|
|
|
A lot of these baby boomers just lost all their retirement money in the stock market - they'll never retire.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 18:51
|
|
|
Omits-Bagels posted:A lot of these baby boomers just lost all their retirement money in the stock market - they'll never retire. Lucky bastards were born at the right time...they still have pensions.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2008 18:53
|
|
|
locdogg posted:Knowing little about his situation I am going to make some broad based assumptions and assume he he is thinking about the "traditional" MBA path. That is, get a job and work for an established firm in some sort of managerial role post MBA. Correct assumptions, I'm an engineer and I'd like to stay in engineering (just not the lower level gruntwork forever). I just don't want to get stuck in middle management, or worse yet have my job outsourced to India. I work for a defense contractor so they can't outsource everything, but what they can outsource increases the competition for the stuff that requires citizenship or clearance. Currently I'm working on a Masters to give myself a bit of an edge, but so are a lot of other people, so I'm hoping the combination of a Masters of Engineering and an M.B.A. will help me distinguish myself in a pool of lots of other smart and talented people. Edit: That's why I say a big ten type school, my intention is to let my company pay for me to do a part time MBA at the local university, which is second tier type program (respected but nothing special).
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2008 02:58
|
|
|
For those interested, the latest Business Week rankings are out today: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/ In my opinion they tend to have better criteria than US News, but that's up to debate. Even still, rankings are only useful if people put any stock in them, so take any of these charts with a grain of salt. Besides, they all tend to say the same thing year after year anyway!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2008 00:15
|
|
|
locdogg posted:For those interested, the latest Business Week rankings are out today: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/ Yay...made it to the "U.S. Programs Also Considered For Ranking " list. Haha.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2008 03:19
|
|
|
Don Wrigley posted:It makes me wonder if the same type of thing might happen now in the finance industry... 40% of the people in our IT department just got cut (in our office, I can't speak for New York, London, Hong Kong etc).
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2008 03:52
|
|
|
zmcnulty posted:40% of the people in our IT department just got cut (in our office, I can't speak for New York, London, Hong Kong etc). Thanks for your singular anecdotal evidence. In all seriousness, with massive job cuts across the board in the entire industry, of course some IT jobs are going to be cut. In fact I wasn't even talking about IT as a whole since I don't really know; I'm talking strictly software developers. If 40% of your IT department got cut, including software developers, if they are talented people they will have a better chance of finding a new job now than finance people who have been laid off.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2008 03:57
|
|
|
Don Wrigley posted:Thanks for your singular anecdotal evidence. Ah my bad. I'm not a software developer, I'm not in my bank's IT department, and I'm not a recruiter or industry analyst. So feel free to ignore my singular anecdotal evidence.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2008 02:52
|
|
|
Anyone working in product development/management who has done an MBA? I'm curious to see whether people think those two disciplines would benefit.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2008 07:41
|
|
|
Quantum Butte posted:Anyone working in product development/management who has done an MBA? I'm curious to see whether people think those two disciplines would benefit. Product development usually involves a broad mix of disciplines such as marketing to determine the wants/needs of the consumer, finance/accounting to reach decisions on making the product economically viable, and ops management to get the thing from drawing board to showroom floor. Product development is an MBA in practice. It's a good combo. Product development (especially new products) sometimes gets shoehorned under the marketing umbrella but it does require consideration of all the skills I mentioned plus a bunch more I'm sure I forgot. locdogg fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Nov 21, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2008 18:55
|
|
|
locdogg posted:Product development usually involves a broad mix of disciplines such as marketing to determine the wants/needs of the consumer, finance/accounting to reach decisions on making the product economically viable, and ops management to get the thing from drawing board to showroom floor. Product development is an MBA in practice. It's a good combo. Sounds good to me. My company doesn't really have a marketing department (boss doesn't believe in it) so product development goes under sales.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 03:53
|
|
|
Does anybody attend USC (South Carolina) or know anything about their International MBA? Is it similar to a degree in Multinational Business (which is nothing special) or does it actually have weight due to the unique nature of the program?
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 04:03
|
|
|
Dattserberg posted:Does anybody attend USC (South Carolina) or know anything about their International MBA? Is it similar to a degree in Multinational Business (which is nothing special) or does it actually have weight due to the unique nature of the program? I am not an expert but I hear their IMBA is pretty good. If I get an MBA, their program will be at the top of my list. I think it looks really interesting and I love the strong international aspect. The only problem is, compared to other upper-tier MBA programs, the USC program isn't really well known/respected (outside the international crowd). But it is a lot easier to get into. I believe it has about a 50% acceptance rate and an average GMAT of 640-650.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 05:48
|
|
|
I currently have a pretty good job, but am looking to move up in the company. Basically the only way is to bust your rear end for 20 years, or get some sort of degree. I am currently going for a bachelor's in business. I am wondering if an MBA is worth it to me or not. Please note I am completely awful in math, and will be lucky to pass pre-calc. However, I am currently obtaining a 3.9 GPA 50 or so credits in (1 lousy B in history). However, I am not going to an amazing school or anything. It's a state school, but not exactly a community college. Will my near-perfect GPA (hopefully it stays that way) offset the fact that I went to a school almost anyone can get into? Is a bachelor's in business pretty much laughable? Meaning, am I wasting my time if I don't eventually go for an MBA? jenny jones fan fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Nov 25, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 15:10
|
|
|
You'll need to have calculus and pass it to make it to MBA-land. You don't necessarily need it in undergrad, but it would help to at least be exposed to it. Most MBAs will have a review course available, but you will pay for it, so do it now rather than later
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 15:54
|
|
|
I am sort of stuck between the decision to go for the MBA (advisor meeting today) and a Master's in Labor Relations/HR. I have been working in HR for 4 years, so I think I can get the LR/HR with little to no effort and much less cost honestly. But, I am also aware that I might be able to get a little more mileage out of the MBA - and plus I can just specialize in HR management.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 17:05
|
|
|
Milky_Sauce posted:I currently have a pretty good job, but am looking to move up in the company. Basically the only way is to bust your rear end for 20 years, or get some sort of degree. I am currently going for a bachelor's in business. No, a BA is a good thing to have even if you don't get an MBA. And don't worry about state schools, many of them are fine institutions. Last time I checked, U Mich, U Texas, and U Cal were all state schools and I don't think anyone really thinks that because they are public they suck. Even directionals have their value and a degree from them is superior to no degree at all. It shows you have some commitment to having your poo poo together. As for getting an MBA, my advice is to cross that bridge when you get to it. It sounds like you're at least a few years away from that decision. You need to finish your BA first and you've got like what, 80 more credits to go? Relax. Like it was said though, a lot of schools require calc I to get in. Once you're there, I can't really say how much you'll use it, I didn't encounter any serious mathematical equations beyond mid level algebra in my classes that I noticed, so take that for what it's worth.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 17:31
|
|
|
is that a egg posted:I am sort of stuck between the decision to go for the MBA (advisor meeting today) and a Master's in Labor Relations/HR. I have been working in HR for 4 years, so I think I can get the LR/HR with little to no effort and much less cost honestly. But, I am also aware that I might be able to get a little more mileage out of the MBA - and plus I can just specialize in HR management. Ask yourself this: "Do I like my job and can I see myself working in this field for the next 20-30 years?"
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 17:34
|
|
|
Woot MBA  Still in undergrad now but MBA is in the long-term plans as of right now, who knows where it'll be once I hit the workforce. Regardless it's still something to "go for" and will give some direction to my post-college choices, which I like. Also ChicagoGSB is now Chicago Booth thanks to a $300 million donation (!)
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 21:32
|
|
|
extra innings lovin posted:Woot MBA Heh heh, getting expensive to have your ego stroked. I remember when U Mich got the $100M and everyone was making GBS threads their pants just a few years ago. I just wonder how much Harvard is holding out for?
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 01:04
|
|
|
Omits-Bagels posted:I am not an expert but I hear their IMBA is pretty good. If I get an MBA, their program will be at the top of my list. I think it looks really interesting and I love the strong international aspect. They claim their IMBA is ranked #1 or 2, but I have not really heard much about an IMBA and wasn't sure how much weight it would carry in the real world. I am really interested in the program (the international aspects) and certainly plan on applying there when I start the application process in December.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 03:21
|
|
|
locdogg posted:No, a BA is a good thing to have even if you don't get an MBA. And don't worry about state schools, many of them are fine institutions. Last time I checked, U Mich, U Texas, and U Cal were all state schools and I don't think anyone really thinks that because they are public they suck. Even directionals have their value and a degree from them is superior to no degree at all. It shows you have some commitment to having your poo poo together. Thanks but the business degree is actually a BS, not a BA. Is this common?
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 03:21
|
|
|
Regarding the pre-req calculus course...this is what I'm struggling with. The midterm encompassed 250 pages worth of material that was covered over 14 hours. Then we got into the actual calculus. Now we're in the mid-500's in the textbook, doing one example per section per chapter. I have no calc or pre-calc experience whatsoever. It is brutal.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 03:59
|
|
|
Milky_Sauce posted:Thanks but the business degree is actually a BS, not a BA. Is this common? Yeah, it's totally common. I think that was just my typing. I think some schools award a BA and some a BS, but frankly the distinction is meaningless to most people. As long as you have a bachelor's degree, you're doing fine.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 06:35
|
|
|
locdogg posted:Ask yourself this: "Do I like my job and can I see myself working in this field for the next 20-30 years?" I really do, and I can. I talked to the MBA advisor last night, and I think I am leaning more towards the MLRHR (jesus thats a jumbled gently caress of an acronym) due to the fact that I might not be in this city long enough to finish it all in one place, and it will be very expensive. Plus, I think I can transfer more of my previous grad school courses to the MLRHR. I have decided I am going to get the MBA at some point - I am still young so I am not gonna rush to get into an even bigger shitload of debt just because I want those three letters.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 15:37
|
|
|
Dattserberg posted:Does anybody attend USC (South Carolina) or know anything about their International MBA? Is it similar to a degree in Multinational Business (which is nothing special) or does it actually have weight due to the unique nature of the program? I did my undergrad in IBUS at USC, so I had a lot of the same professors, classes, and had a lot of IMBA friends. I'm sure this is on a website somewhere but basically there are two tracks -- the Global track or you can focus on a specific region. I'm relatively familiar with the Japanese track as I had a lot of friends in it... I imagine the other tracks are similar. Basically you begin with an intensive language course before being whisked off to the country for a year, where you then take classes at a university for six months and do an internship for 6 months. After that you return to USC for another year+ of classes before you graduate. I have mixed feelings. To me the program seemed a bit over-rated. It's as though the international flavor of the program is designed to give such experience to those who have limited previous experience overseas. In other words, I don't think it really offers a whole lot that a decent study abroad program and some self-paced language study would do. Having a I in front of your MBA doesn't appear to carry any more weight than MBA alone. That said, if you weren't particularly interested in international business before now, it's therefore quite a good option as you can get "caught up" in a pretty short timeframe. At the same time the professors are quite good. They're all very professional with heaps and heaps of experience in their fields. The classes touch on subjects that most have no experience in, like globalization (race to the bottom etc.), global CSR, import/export, global sourcing, and foreign market entry & growth. I imagine it's par for the course, but the school also arranges some nice social events, speaker series, and of course job fairs. "International" and "South Carolina" are rarely used in the same sentence. While the business school is very well funded (nearly single-handedly by Darla Moore, who gives money only to the business school and not the rest of USC), the tie-ups it has with big international companies seems quite limited. Since it's South Carolina they're also mostly manufacturing-oriented firms like Sonoco or BMW. USC's undergrad IBUS program is also #1 in some magazine but frankly none of the people who looked at my resume knew that or cared. In other words, you definitely shouldn't expect the South Carolina name to speak for itself like it does with other schools' MBA programs. If you really want I can probably put you into contact with one of my IMBA alumni friends. He can definitely give you a better overview than I can. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Nov 26, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 16:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 23:57 |
|
|
is that a egg posted:Plus, I think I can transfer more of my previous grad school courses to the MLRHR. Most graduate programs are really picking about letting you transfer credit. Check with your program's policies, but don't be surprised if they're stingy.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 17:57
|
|
