MBA

[OneMadWarrior]

Hello fellow Warrior alums, I am currently applying to MBA programs and wonder if any MU alums also have their MBA's, If so where are they from and how'd you like it. Also I am not applying to Marquette, so I wont' need any help there.

[MUAlum99]

Just finished my MBA at Marquette in May.  I also did my undergrad at MU.

From a work standpoint, I didn't immediately jump into a new position and I wasn't given any new responsibilities.  However, I work for a small company and I wear many hats as it is.  With my experience and now an advanced degree in hand, I've definitely opened many more doors than I would have with just a bachelors degree.

If you have an undergraduate business degree, the first year or so will be review for you.  I'd guess that I was in the minority as most of my classmates had Engineering degrees and had never taken a business class.  The graduate program is much more centered on strategic thinking / theory than my undergrad degree.  A lot more team projects (at least one semester long project in every class).

I guess it all depends on what your future plans are and how that balances with the cost you'd be paying (both financially, and mentally) to get your MBA. 

PM me with any other questions...

[Chili]

are you looking full time or part time?
i am really pissed i didn't start mine as i am finding i am blocked for many of the jobs in my field at the level i am at.

[OneMadWarrior]

I am lookign full-time which is why I am not looking at Marquette. I have a short list of school some of which may be a bit tough. But Wisconsin because of State Tuition is an obvious first choice for me, as I live in Madison, However I will not root for Wisconsin B-ball.

[MUAlum99]

Check the tuition rates...here in Milwaukee, UWM is no cheaper than Marquette for the MBA program.  Your IW-Madison MBA probably won't be any cheaper than a Marquette MBA either.  Law schools work the same way.

Good luck to you...have you taken the GMAT yet? 

[reinko]

Good friend of mine just started at UNC Chapel Hill and absolutely loves it.  Also got into ND, thank God he didn't go there.

[OneMadWarrior]

YEs I took it I did pretty well, but not well enough to get into the Northwester, Duke, Virginia crowd yet. Plus I enjoyed myself a little too much at Marquette, but I currently am General Manager for a company out here in Madison at the age of 26, which to msot business schools is impressive. So I am hopign they look past my drunken stupidity.

[Hards Alumni]

also beyond your horrible spelling and grammar. 

[77ncaachamps]

also beyond your horrible spelling and grammar. 

OUCH! 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why are you planning to earn a MBA would be my first question?

I will not say it's a bad move, I have multiple degrees myself.  However, it ebbs and flows on whether there is any true benefit (IMO) to earning one.  Some say yes, some say no.  Do some research and figure out what your intentions are with it.

In my mind, the most important thing about an MBA or any graduate work is the networking.  Future MBAs in your class might end up doing something (whether it's because of the MBA training is up for debate) so it's good to know those folks.  From that standpoint, I think going to a school in a large population sector with good jobs is incredibly beneficial as they candidates will often stay put in the local area where the university is based. 

A Harvard, USC, UCLA, Columbia, Northwestern, etc fit the bill.  MU to some degree (no pun intended) as well.

Good luck with your decision.

A few articles for you

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/business/yourmoney/11harvard.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/B/Business%20Schools&_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1219817002-2BQ3tCoMyUui/WpZSSh1zQ


http://www.slackermanager.com/2005/07/is_an_mba_worth.html


http://queensu-mba.blogspot.com/2007/12/contemplation-is-mba-worth-it.html

[MUAlum99]

Agree 100% with Chicos...I started my MBA at Marquette because I was working there at the time (read: free tuition).  I left MU about halfway through and paid out-of-pocket for the rest of it.  Was it worth it?  At this point, I'd say no as I haven't regained the cost I paid for it.  However, the potential earnings and potential advancement opportunities with my MBA in my field is outstanding.

Beyond the material benefit though, I enjoyed going back to school and giving my brain a workout.  I also enjoyed the networking - I met probably 25 people that I would now consider friends and great references for whatever I wanted to pursue.  It's a pretty tight group.

While UCLA, USC, Harvard, Northwestern, Penn, UNC-Chapel Hill, etc are all great schools - not many of them fit my profile of having a part time program.  I couldn't afford to take 3 years off of work to go back to school part time.  Especially when Marquette's part time program is top 20 in the nation, and was right in my backyard...

[OneMadWarrior]

That is the thing I am trying to move out of the small business world and into the fortune 500's My degree is in History, and I want to design Supply chain management/logistics systems. I do not plan on goign part-time and have not had any luck applying to jobs in major cities. Basically I am trying to get out of Madison in the hopes of moving to working internationally. That is why I am going. I'm bored of what I am currently doing and no one is taking a close look at me for anything else which is unfortunate, because I would excel regardless. Plus the education and knowledge is jsut as important to me as anything else.

[reinko]

Tufts University, is just down the street from where I live in Somerville, MA (just outside of Boston, next to Cambridge) and one of their graduate schools, is The Fletcher School of International Affairs.  The don't offer MBAs, but rather, MIBs, Masters in International Business.  My former roommate raises funds for them and this school is one of the leaders for working internationally.

Check it out:

http://fletcher.tufts.edu/

[ChicosBailBonds]

That is the thing I am trying to move out of the small business world and into the fortune 500's My degree is in History, and I want to design Supply chain management/logistics systems. I do not plan on goign part-time and have not had any luck applying to jobs in major cities. Basically I am trying to get out of Madison in the hopes of moving to working internationally. That is why I am going. I'm bored of what I am currently doing and no one is taking a close look at me for anything else which is unfortunate, because I would excel regardless. Plus the education and knowledge is jsut as important to me as anything else.

I have a degree in history and political science...don't let it hold you back.  The guy that ran our supply chain stuff at DIRECTV was a Marquette grad as well...I believe a history major.

[gjreda]

You could try getting into the Advisory (consulting) branch of a Big 4 accounting firm as an experienced hire.  I wouldn't be surprised if you have a friend from MU or Madison in the Audit or Tax side of things that could maybe put in a good word for you.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst and Young all have either an Operations branch of consulting or a "Business Advisory" service that will give you the opportunity to get some extremely valuable experience and potentially travel internationally.  Plus, there are plenty of cities within the U.S. for you to choose from and you will be exposed to Fortune 500 clients all the time.

[OneMadWarrior]

Thanks to all in here, Nice to know you can get help anywhere in the Marquette Network. I to am a History major just trying to make it in the business world, its tough goign but as most of us knwo we are perfectly capable of doing it.